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On December 07 2010 13:58 zyglrox wrote:Show nested quote +On November 28 2010 03:22 ScytheMan01 wrote:On November 27 2010 15:23 zyglrox wrote:![[image loading]](http://www.fragworld.org/frag/images/stories/jreviews/75_turtlebeachearforcehpx_1275018836.jpg) they probably do not count as enthusiast headphones, but they are 5.1 with 4 drivers in each ear. i think they retail between 80-100 dollars so they weren't so hard on the wallet. have never tried senn or any high grade audio headphones so i am unsure of what would be a high level headset but i'm pretty happy with the hpx. These were my last pair, and the biggest problem is the long cord [which my chair ruined] and the mic. The mic for me got broken on the catch or w/e keeps it in, so it would never stay in anymore. Just got a new pair of AKG K81DJ's and HOOOOLEEEE SHIIIIIIIIIIT these are so cool. I put them on and immediately can barely hear anything. I don't seem to feel the clamping that other people complain about, and the bass/lows on this are ridiculous. yea the chord is obnoxious, and my mic crapped out about a week ago =\ ordered some AD700s should be in tomorrow hopefully those are an improvement of some sort. AD700 are serious headphones. turtle beach stuff is toys. All I'm gonna say.
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On December 07 2010 14:08 Fyodor wrote:
AD700 are serious headphones. turtle beach stuff is toys. All I'm gonna say.
Just going to throw in my $.02 here; I was originally an xbox360 gamer. I am currently using the Turtle Beach x31's, and i'm super pleased with them. (They work just fine on computer as well, which i was psyched about) I don't have much experience with other headsets at all, so these are a huge treat for my ears. They're wireless and really comfortable to use for extended periods.
I do think the best reason they are the perfect headset for me is that I live in a college dorm right now, and have a minimal gaming setup. I only use a laptop to play sc2 ( i do have a second monitor for other things as well), and i don't have a real committed gaming desktop @ home or here. Being a relatively cheap headset (~$80), they're a relatively nice pair to have around my dorm, and the wireless feature is fantastic for lying in bed to watch streams or just walking around without having to get tangled cords all the time. All that being said, i don't think a very expensive headset would be justified for me at the time (not very easy to open up the wallet while in school!)
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On December 07 2010 13:48 Fyodor wrote:Show nested quote +On December 06 2010 23:49 Let it Raine wrote: Hey guys, I've been using a pair of Astro a40's for a few years now since I've been a big console gamer up till I got in the SC2 beta. I was wondering what the "best" headphones out there are now a days and if they are worth the money to upgrade to.
Thanks! The best headphones out there huh. I can name a few that are contending. Stax SR007 O2 Audez'e LCD2 Yamaha YH-1000 Sony R10 beyerdynamic T1 Sennheiser HD800 Sennheiser HE90 AKG K1000 Just the obvious super expensive or rare headphones. I can tell you they're all worth over $1000 but I can't tell you if they're worth it. Something you have to find out for yourself.
+ Denon AH-D7000 All the expensive ass Grados
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I really want some Sennheiser HD595s but I don't have some fancy amp or DAC. I'm planning on buying some second hand cans from a Singapore based hardware forum since my old ATH-ANC7s finally broke QQ
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On December 07 2010 13:56 Fyodor wrote:Show nested quote +On December 06 2010 09:22 Demi9OD wrote:On November 13 2010 12:50 Fyodor wrote:On November 13 2010 12:44 Demi9OD wrote: Weird this thread just popped up and I saw the DT990s I bought last week on the first page. I was using audio technica ath-m50's for about two years prior, but I don't need a closed design any more (no roommate) and I found their clamp force fatiguing after a couple hours. The 32ohm version works just fine out of my Soundblaster X-Fi but this NuForce Icon uDAC-2 has been tempting me. I'd recommend the Audio-GD Sparrow. Wasn't a fan of the first uDAC. Don't think it would well with the DT990 either. I ended up getting a Asus Xonar Essence STX to replace my X-Fi Music, instead of a dedicated DAC/Amp. I really like the Dolby Headphone setting for FPS gaming and movies, and have been having fun doing op-amp swapping to find my perfect audio signature for music. So far the OPA op-amps have been my favorites, OP2137 at the moment. I have tried 49720NA, LT1358 and LT1057, and OPA2137. lol I think my Audio-GD came with an OP2137. It's pretty decent. When I finally let my discrete opamp burn in there was no turning back though. Talking about OPA Earth here.
Forgive my ignorance, but what's the technical explanation behind op amp swapping? Or any rationale at all? I have a degree in EE and am working on another, but my specialty has nothing to do with electronics, so I only have limited knowledge in this area.
If you look at the SNR, THD, etc. of the expensive (well, above a couple dollars a piece is expensive as far as op amps goes) op amps used for audio buffers and current drivers, they're specced way beyond the threshold of human hearing. Slew rate, max voltage swing, etc. are usually more than sufficient, and the transient response looks great too. Many of the op amps used are actually often intended for other applications that have much more stringent requirements than audio. e.g. a lot of them pass frequencies much higher than 20kHz.
Granted, those specs are what the manufacturer is listing under their controlled testing environment and implementation. Maybe performance is different in a different circuit, like in a complete amplifier device? If the exact implementation is that important (I wouldn't think it would be with many classes of op amps), wouldn't the amp circuit be designed for the stock op amp? Then wouldn't the circuit be suboptimal for a different op amp you are switching to?
Or maybe humans are good at hearing certain types of transient distortions that don't show up in the traditional canned response and distortion tests listed on the specs?
(Another, much simpler explanation maybe would involve concepts like placebo and group think, but I'm not that quick to dismiss something I don't have much experience or knowledge of.)
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NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MY HEADPHONE CORD HAS A CUT IN IT (WTF HOW) AND ONE EAR IS DYING AND MY SOUND BAR KEEPS SLIDING DOWN NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
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I've got Klipsch image s4's for ipod/on the go Astro A40's for computer/gaming
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I own a Gaming headset, but it is quite "high level" if I do say so myself. I have the Astro A40's I bought at MLG Dallas. Amazing sound coming out of these things lol.
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Dammit the right ear cord on my PFE is kinda breaking. It's still attached but I can see some of the wiring inside
Any DIY fixes I can do?
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eh... those Astro A40 seem to be pretty popular...
So expensive though D:
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On December 07 2010 16:33 Myrmidon wrote:Show nested quote +On December 07 2010 13:56 Fyodor wrote:On December 06 2010 09:22 Demi9OD wrote:On November 13 2010 12:50 Fyodor wrote:On November 13 2010 12:44 Demi9OD wrote: Weird this thread just popped up and I saw the DT990s I bought last week on the first page. I was using audio technica ath-m50's for about two years prior, but I don't need a closed design any more (no roommate) and I found their clamp force fatiguing after a couple hours. The 32ohm version works just fine out of my Soundblaster X-Fi but this NuForce Icon uDAC-2 has been tempting me. I'd recommend the Audio-GD Sparrow. Wasn't a fan of the first uDAC. Don't think it would well with the DT990 either. I ended up getting a Asus Xonar Essence STX to replace my X-Fi Music, instead of a dedicated DAC/Amp. I really like the Dolby Headphone setting for FPS gaming and movies, and have been having fun doing op-amp swapping to find my perfect audio signature for music. So far the OPA op-amps have been my favorites, OP2137 at the moment. I have tried 49720NA, LT1358 and LT1057, and OPA2137. lol I think my Audio-GD came with an OP2137. It's pretty decent. When I finally let my discrete opamp burn in there was no turning back though. Talking about OPA Earth here. Forgive my ignorance, but what's the technical explanation behind op amp swapping? Or any rationale at all? I have a degree in EE and am working on another, but my specialty has nothing to do with electronics, so I only have limited knowledge in this area. If you look at the SNR, THD, etc. of the expensive (well, above a couple dollars a piece is expensive as far as op amps goes) op amps used for audio buffers and current drivers, they're specced way beyond the threshold of human hearing. Slew rate, max voltage swing, etc. are usually more than sufficient, and the transient response looks great too. Many of the op amps used are actually often intended for other applications that have much more stringent requirements than audio. e.g. a lot of them pass frequencies much higher than 20kHz. Granted, those specs are what the manufacturer is listing under their controlled testing environment and implementation. Maybe performance is different in a different circuit, like in a complete amplifier device? If the exact implementation is that important (I wouldn't think it would be with many classes of op amps), wouldn't the amp circuit be designed for the stock op amp? Then wouldn't the circuit be suboptimal for a different op amp you are switching to? Or maybe humans are good at hearing certain types of transient distortions that don't show up in the traditional canned response and distortion tests listed on the specs? (Another, much simpler explanation maybe would involve concepts like placebo and group think, but I'm not that quick to dismiss something I don't have much experience or knowledge of.) That's an excellent question, probably the best question asked in my thread so far. I can't tell you much about the science but opamps do sound different from one another.
Generally you want an opamp with a flat frequency response from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, audio is extremely sensitive to that. You also take out opamps with power/bandwidth ratings that aren't suitable for audio applications and you're not left with that many choices. Chips that are left have different SNR, frequency response, input/output impedance etc and you have to find which one works for you. Opamp switching is more about altering flavor though, some opamps might be more popular in audio despite that they don't have a perfectly flat frequency response.
Did my best to talk to you about opamps but I'm not an engineer, you can tell me if I'm being a fool here, I'd be glad.
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How good are Firestone fubar amp/dac combos?
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Just brought my old HD555's to work, and I have to say these feel and sound horrible after two months of DT 770 PROs. Highly recommended for anyone looking for sturdy, bass-orientated headphones
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On December 07 2010 16:07 Comprissent wrote:Show nested quote +On December 07 2010 14:08 Fyodor wrote:
AD700 are serious headphones. turtle beach stuff is toys. All I'm gonna say. Just going to throw in my $.02 here; I was originally an xbox360 gamer. I am currently using the Turtle Beach x31's, and i'm super pleased with them. (They work just fine on computer as well, which i was psyched about) I don't have much experience with other headsets at all, so these are a huge treat for my ears. They're wireless and really comfortable to use for extended periods. I do think the best reason they are the perfect headset for me is that I live in a college dorm right now, and have a minimal gaming setup. I only use a laptop to play sc2 ( i do have a second monitor for other things as well), and i don't have a real committed gaming desktop @ home or here. Being a relatively cheap headset (~$80), they're a relatively nice pair to have around my dorm, and the wireless feature is fantastic for lying in bed to watch streams or just walking around without having to get tangled cords all the time. All that being said, i don't think a very expensive headset would be justified for me at the time (not very easy to open up the wallet while in school!)
i have the X31's for my not used so much x-box as well. the HPX series is way better for less money, however it requires some adapters and such for x-box usage. i agree that turtle beach makes pretty cheap feeling stuff, the HPX are very different from the rest. they use metal and are very very durable and fit extremely well.
got my AD700's today in the mail and was not as impressed as I thought I would be. my biggest complaint would half the be the fitting system. i apparently have a small head, and they will actually slide almost off depending on the degree of movement. the sound is good, lacking bass but i knew this when i bought them as i love mids (guitar player :D) haven't tried them with gaming yet, i'm sure they are fine but i'm thinking about returning them as for the investment it's not as big of an improvement as i was hoping and they just don't fit that well.
i originally wanted senn 555's, but couldn't find them from a known retailer like newegg and didn't want to use amazon.com, maybe i'll just wait and save for 595's and see how those are. will try the AD700's out for a few days before making a decision though.
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On December 09 2010 05:49 zyglrox wrote:Show nested quote +On December 07 2010 16:07 Comprissent wrote:On December 07 2010 14:08 Fyodor wrote:
AD700 are serious headphones. turtle beach stuff is toys. All I'm gonna say. Just going to throw in my $.02 here; I was originally an xbox360 gamer. I am currently using the Turtle Beach x31's, and i'm super pleased with them. (They work just fine on computer as well, which i was psyched about) I don't have much experience with other headsets at all, so these are a huge treat for my ears. They're wireless and really comfortable to use for extended periods. I do think the best reason they are the perfect headset for me is that I live in a college dorm right now, and have a minimal gaming setup. I only use a laptop to play sc2 ( i do have a second monitor for other things as well), and i don't have a real committed gaming desktop @ home or here. Being a relatively cheap headset (~$80), they're a relatively nice pair to have around my dorm, and the wireless feature is fantastic for lying in bed to watch streams or just walking around without having to get tangled cords all the time. All that being said, i don't think a very expensive headset would be justified for me at the time (not very easy to open up the wallet while in school!) i have the X31's for my not used so much x-box as well. the HPX series is way better for less money, however it requires some adapters and such for x-box usage. i agree that turtle beach makes pretty cheap feeling stuff, the HPX are very different from the rest. they use metal and are very very durable and fit extremely well. got my AD700's today in the mail and was not as impressed as I thought I would be. my biggest complaint would half the be the fitting system. i apparently have a small head, and they will actually slide almost off depending on the degree of movement. the sound is good, lacking bass but i knew this when i bought them as i love mids (guitar player :D) haven't tried them with gaming yet, i'm sure they are fine but i'm thinking about returning them as for the investment it's not as big of an improvement as i was hoping and they just don't fit that well. i originally wanted senn 555's, but couldn't find them from a known retailer like newegg and didn't want to use amazon.com, maybe i'll just wait and save for 595's and see how those are. will try the AD700's out for a few days before making a decision though. can't suggest the HD5X5 series. They are notoriously average, fragile and command a premium for no good reason.
That series was hailed by Sennheiser as true audiophile headphones for a cheap price when it comes pretty pathetically short of their HD600 series. What we got are headphones which perform below their price point. What they have going for them however is a very low street price where they start to have comparable company. Still I think the AD900, M50, SRH-840, K701, DT880 are much better options in that overall price category.
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On December 07 2010 21:32 b_unnies wrote: How good are Firestone fubar amp/dac combos? They're pretty old as far as I know. Colored too.
I much prefer these: http://www.travagans.com/eshop/?p=111
only one left in stock for the white version but the green version is also good.
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On December 09 2010 07:13 Fyodor wrote: That series was hailed by Sennheiser as true audiophile headphones for a cheap price when it comes pretty pathetically short of their HD600 series. What we got are headphones which perform below their price point. What they have going for them however is a very low street price where they start to have comparable company. Still I think the AD900, M50, SRH-840, K701, DT880 are much better options in that overall price category.
They were hailed as that many, many years ago. The people who had them back then swore by them because they represented one of the best price to performance ratios at the time. You must understand how many companies were even in the competition in the past (hint: not many). Fast forward to now, they are still loved by the ones who bought them years ago and some that bought them now, but there are new contenders for the throne at this price.
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On December 07 2010 19:49 Fyodor wrote:Show nested quote +On December 07 2010 16:33 Myrmidon wrote:On December 07 2010 13:56 Fyodor wrote:On December 06 2010 09:22 Demi9OD wrote:On November 13 2010 12:50 Fyodor wrote:On November 13 2010 12:44 Demi9OD wrote: Weird this thread just popped up and I saw the DT990s I bought last week on the first page. I was using audio technica ath-m50's for about two years prior, but I don't need a closed design any more (no roommate) and I found their clamp force fatiguing after a couple hours. The 32ohm version works just fine out of my Soundblaster X-Fi but this NuForce Icon uDAC-2 has been tempting me. I'd recommend the Audio-GD Sparrow. Wasn't a fan of the first uDAC. Don't think it would well with the DT990 either. I ended up getting a Asus Xonar Essence STX to replace my X-Fi Music, instead of a dedicated DAC/Amp. I really like the Dolby Headphone setting for FPS gaming and movies, and have been having fun doing op-amp swapping to find my perfect audio signature for music. So far the OPA op-amps have been my favorites, OP2137 at the moment. I have tried 49720NA, LT1358 and LT1057, and OPA2137. lol I think my Audio-GD came with an OP2137. It's pretty decent. When I finally let my discrete opamp burn in there was no turning back though. Talking about OPA Earth here. Forgive my ignorance, but what's the technical explanation behind op amp swapping? Or any rationale at all? I have a degree in EE and am working on another, but my specialty has nothing to do with electronics, so I only have limited knowledge in this area. If you look at the SNR, THD, etc. of the expensive (well, above a couple dollars a piece is expensive as far as op amps goes) op amps used for audio buffers and current drivers, they're specced way beyond the threshold of human hearing. Slew rate, max voltage swing, etc. are usually more than sufficient, and the transient response looks great too. Many of the op amps used are actually often intended for other applications that have much more stringent requirements than audio. e.g. a lot of them pass frequencies much higher than 20kHz. Granted, those specs are what the manufacturer is listing under their controlled testing environment and implementation. Maybe performance is different in a different circuit, like in a complete amplifier device? If the exact implementation is that important (I wouldn't think it would be with many classes of op amps), wouldn't the amp circuit be designed for the stock op amp? Then wouldn't the circuit be suboptimal for a different op amp you are switching to? Or maybe humans are good at hearing certain types of transient distortions that don't show up in the traditional canned response and distortion tests listed on the specs? (Another, much simpler explanation maybe would involve concepts like placebo and group think, but I'm not that quick to dismiss something I don't have much experience or knowledge of.) That's an excellent question, probably the best question asked in my thread so far. I can't tell you much about the science but opamps do sound different from one another. Generally you want an opamp with a flat frequency response from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, audio is extremely sensitive to that. You also take out opamps with power/bandwidth ratings that aren't suitable for audio applications and you're not left with that many choices. Chips that are left have different SNR, frequency response, input/output impedance etc and you have to find which one works for you. Opamp switching is more about altering flavor though, some opamps might be more popular in audio despite that they don't have a perfectly flat frequency response. Did my best to talk to you about opamps but I'm not an engineer, you can tell me if I'm being a fool here, I'd be glad.
Well, even if the requirements do rule out 99% (arbitrary figure--I have no idea how much it really is) of op amps, 1% still represents lots and lots of op amps.
Anyhow, the question is not about why certain op amps are unsuitable. Many general-purpose or specialized op amps would sound absolutely terrible, because of unacceptable distortion levels, poor characteristics close to 0V, not being able to supply enough current, not having enough voltage swing, having too low slew rate, or whatever, as you say.
In any case, the input and output impedance, gain-bandwidth product, SNR, IMD, output characteristics, operating range, etc. should be sufficient for a group of op amps that we'll call "suitable for audio."
The question is about why one should favor one suitable-for-audio op amp over another. If you look at the specs, these devices (e.g. LM4652) are getting THD+N at around 0.0001% with reasonable output levels and loads. If there's another op amp with a THD+N at around 0.0001% (or even at 0.005% for that matter), are you going going to be able to hear the difference between those two? It's not just THD+N that looks ludicrously good beyond the threshold of audibility, but all relevant stats that are reported.
Think about it this way: let's say we have one device that reproduces a signal that is 99.999% true to the original in some sense. If you have another device that reproduces a signal that is 99.999% true to the original, why would you want the first device over the second, or the second one over the first? How do you distinguish between the two? Even if the 0.001% "inaccuracy" occurs differently in the two devices, aren't they both already so close it doesn't matter?
The above is a gross oversimplification, of course--just used as an explanation.
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Hey guys I don't know alot about Headphones or Headsets in general but have some questions if you don't mind. I just built a brand new PC but for moneys sake I did not upgrade on my Headset and did not buy a Sound Card. I will say I don't know a ton about good quality sound, I only know I want something better then my current Steel Series 5HV2 that I won 2 years ago.
I am willing to spend about 300$ too get Headphones and a Soundcard. Thanks for the help.
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