• The Headphone Buying Guide V2
    2,727 replies, posted
On board is not bad, low end soundcards won't be much of an improvement. The only thing most have is Dolby headphone / other virtualization support, and things like EAX.
So would I notice a difference if I got a Xonar DG compared to the onboard sound I currently have?
I never got the love for EAX or Dolby Headphone. I don't know who buys headphones/soundcards for games, seems like a gigantic waste.
Xonar DG isn't even that great unless you want to use it for amping headphones, I got a bunch of buffer overflows (popping/cracking) when using dolby headphone and EAX
Yeah, but you get what you pay for considering it's 20 bucks.
Would I be better off getting £100 headphones and a £20 sound card, or £60 sound card and £60 headphones? In other words, Xonar DG and ATH-M50s or Creative Labs X-Fi Xtreme and Sony MDR V6?
It would be preference, you can get better headphones or better gaming..experience..sound..whatever EAX does. If you're willing to buy another sound card in the future, ATH-M50s and a Xonar DG.
Image time. [thumb]http://i.imgur.com/m70s0.jpg[/thumb] no automerge?
My ATH-M50s arrived! My ears are all orgasming from this amazing sound oh god FLAC of this [url=http://spacescold.com]album[/url] and my ears are like asasjthasth oh my god yes [img]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1439918/Pics/2011-08-03_1637.png[/img]
Ordered Sennheiser CX300-II like a week ago , It still didn't come Now I'm worried, are they any good for listening music from the phone?
Narrowed my choices down to the [URL="http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD515-Dynamic-Audiophile-Headphones/dp/B0001FTVDG/ref=sr_1_315?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1312414657&sr=1-315"]Sennheiser HD515s[/URL], good choice?
[QUOTE=EBS-Gamer;31515957]Narrowed my choices down to the [URL="http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD515-Dynamic-Audiophile-Headphones/dp/B0001FTVDG/ref=sr_1_315?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1312414657&sr=1-315"]Sennheiser HD515s[/URL], good choice?[/QUOTE] If you can get them for as cheap as that amazon price then yes.
[QUOTE=David Tennant;31503887]Would I be better off getting £100 headphones and a £20 sound card, or £60 sound card and £60 headphones? In other words, Xonar DG and ATH-M50s or Creative Labs X-Fi Xtreme and Sony MDR V6?[/QUOTE] Definitely the DG and ATH-M50s
[t]http://gallery.audioreview.com/data/audio//505/AX-S95.JPG[/t] I found this in my garage and was curious if it'd be good as an amp. Nah. There's a lot of interference and it sounds like it's like massively bass boosted with the equalizer at normal. It looks awesome though, and having an equalizer on it is nice. [editline]4th August 2011[/editline] I just listened to my ATH-M50s through my iPod touch for the first time, and it seemed like everything was extremely bass-boosted, yet the equalizer was off. Why is this? (not that I mind it, I like it)
Can anyone comment on sound quality with the Senn PC360 headset? Both this and the HD 598s are available at my local store for the same price and I'm curious how they compare. The reason I want to know is because if the sound quality is comparable I'd rather get the headset than have to mess around with getting an extra microphone (these headphones are to be for computer use and I do a lot of gaming/voip on a regular basis). Note that I don't really care about "positional" audio for games, I'm more concerned with musical quality. Also, I'm only concerned with PC360 vs HD598 since I can get them locally, so please don't give me other recommendations. (I already got my 598s today and they sound great, but since I can return them for full price to the store maybe tomorrow I'll just pick up the PC360 and compare them for myself before returning one.)
I'm looking for some comfortable closed headphones. I have a $50 budget and I live in the US. I can't use eBay. Gaming: 33% Music: 33% Movies: 33% Basically, I want something with decent sound in each category. It doesn't have to be exceptional, because my main concern is comfort.
Guys I have a question. As I mentioned earlier, I got a pair of AD700 Headphones. Now today I decided to poke around in my computer's audio manager. [img]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/7333627/Forums/audiomanager.PNG[/img] As you can see, I have "Headphone Virtualization". It seems to be some sort of faux surround-sound and it very definitely gives a larger sound and very noticeable results, as well as a sort of echo effect. I am, by far, not an audiophile at all, and what I want to know is this: What's the best way to take advantage of this feature, especially in games where a more 3d sound would be appreciated? Should I turn this feature on and use stereo in games? Should I turn it on and use some sort of surround sound feature in games? Or should I turn this off and let the game handle it itself using the headphone option is available?
thinking of buying a pair of Shure SRH750DJ's. My brother has one and they are EXTREMELY good for the price I would be paying. It sounds like it has a dedicated bass and doesn't mesh with the rest of the sound and the sound is very neutral, extremely clear, etc. The only downside is that their are clunky and are hard to get used to [editline]4th August 2011[/editline] [img]http://www.shure.com/idc/groups/public/documents/webcontent/prod_img_srh750dj_l.jpg[/img] they are also really really durable
[QUOTE=pdp;31531848]I'm looking for some comfortable closed headphones. I have a $50 budget and I live in the US. I can't use eBay. Gaming: 33% Music: 33% Movies: 33% Basically, I want something with decent sound in each category. It doesn't have to be exceptional, because my main concern is comfort.[/QUOTE] Quoting for the new page.
My headset just broke a couple days ago. [img]http://www.gameguru.in/img/corsair-hs1-headset-01.jpg[/img] Corsair HS1. Best headset I've ever had, even though it only lasted 4 months. (Before these I strictly used speakers because my dad was going through a phase where he would only buy Bose headphones. Worst overpriced pieces of shit I have ever used.) I'm looking for something different now. I won't buy anything over $100, and I am looking for non-usb headphones. I am a gamer, but I also want to use these for music. I also [b]need[/b] a microphone. I would like it to be build in, but it doesn't have to be.
[QUOTE=SGTNAPALM;31532781]Guys I have a question. As I mentioned earlier, I got a pair of AD700 Headphones. Now today I decided to poke around in my computer's audio manager. [img]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/7333627/Forums/audiomanager.PNG[/img] As you can see, I have "Headphone Virtualization". It seems to be some sort of faux surround-sound and it very definitely gives a larger sound and very noticeable results, as well as a sort of echo effect. I am, by far, not an audiophile at all, and what I want to know is this: What's the best way to take advantage of this feature, especially in games where a more 3d sound would be appreciated? Should I turn this feature on and use stereo in games? Should I turn it on and use some sort of surround sound feature in games? Or should I turn this off and let the game handle it itself using the headphone option is available?[/QUOTE] I'd just leave it off, AD700 have a great soundstage in the first place, they don't need virtualization. If you like it keep it on.
I needed some <$100 IEMs for travel, so I picked up a pair of Image S4s. [img]http://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/klipsch_image_s4_headphones_1-480x480.jpg[/img] I'm loving them, they sound remarkably similar to my Klipsch desktop speakers.
[QUOTE=Shadaez;31533860]I'd just leave it off, AD700 have a great soundstage in the first place, they don't need virtualization. If you like it keep it on.[/QUOTE] Actually, after a lot of mucking about, I've found that the best 3D sound comes from these settings (At least for Source games): [img]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/7333627/Forums/bestsettings.PNG[/img] And then setting the sound to 7.1 surround in the game's options.
[QUOTE=TehWhale;31527817]I just listened to my ATH-M50s through my iPod touch for the first time, and it seemed like everything was extremely bass-boosted, yet the equalizer was off. Why is this? (not that I mind it, I like it)[/QUOTE]Any ideas on this?
I'm not sure where to ask this but alright I have this: [url]http://www.amazon.com/Philips-FW-C70-Compact-Stereo-System/dp/B000050GSF[/url] Would it be possible to use these speakers with a computer, if I were to put a jack on the wires or something? Or hook up the computer to the actual receiver inputs? They are from like 1999 and the wires are just bare and placed into these black square plastic inserts I have never seen in my life.
[QUOTE=TehWhale;31536065]Any ideas on this?[/QUOTE] i've heard the ipod touch has a lackluster sound interface
[QUOTE=pdp;31536720]i've heard the ipod touch has a lackluster sound interface[/QUOTE] It does.
I'm back, and now I'm just looking for some good Headphones in the 30-40 dollar range.
[url]http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/271258/headphone-buyer-s-guide[/url] Is this a reliable guide? Getting me some IEM's. [editline]5th August 2011[/editline] It seems a bit outdated though.
I used that guide when buying my pair of Creative Aurvana Live! and I think the guide is quite excellent. ALWAYS go to head-fi.org before purchasing a pair of headphones, they know their shit.
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