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HeaDphone Discussions. (Audiophile and Gaming)

Since I know some of you blokes probably started on SR60s or 80s this might interest you.
 
I wonder if you wonderful fellows can chime in with some of your wisdom. I am looking for a fantastic set of wireless closed back headies for all occasions to be used mainly for office ,commute (bus/train) and travel. My reference is my senny HD598's with a fiio e10k 2. yes its not super audiophile grade, but it works.

I've read shitton of reviews and all of them say The Sony WH-1000 XM3 is the best, well i tried those and i am not impressed.
so far my list is:
Bose QC35ii
Bose NC700
Sony WH-1000 XM3
Sennheiser Momentum 3
Sennheiser PCX 550 II
Bowers & Wilkins PX7 (new version of the PX that is being released in a couple of weeks)

Reviews say the B&W PX have the best sound quality so i'm definitely leaning towards the PX7 at the moment. Never been a fan of Bose sound signature. Any recommendations?

Why weren’t you impressed by the WH1000XM3 and the NC700?

The NC700 were the pair that I tried out and wasn’t impressed by - too flat for the money. I’d rather spend a bit more to get a lot more.

AKG seem to offer really good sound signatures for not much money.

WhatHifi is coming out with their new products of the year magazine for 2019 so I’ll grab it and let you know what they suggest. I’m sure that the winners will also be on the website.

I like WhatHifi - they focus on all products and not just the super high end.
 
Haven't tried any if the momentum wireless but I did like the sound and comfort of the momentum on ear wired cans for what that's worth.

So I have the over ear Momentum 2.0 wired and they produce a very nice sound for me. Not hugely detailed like the HD598 or HD800, but very enjoyable and easy to listen to.

I find most headphones focus just on utter sharp sound recreation that makes long sessions hard to take.

Apparently, Dr Dre headphones have come a long way since their inception and they are now far more balanced than before (slightly less bass and better mids).
 
Apparently, Dr Dre headphones have come a long way since their inception and they are now far more balanced than before (slightly less bass and better mids).

Who is this heretic?
All that is good for Dr Dre Headphones are the trash bin.
 
The studio version of dr dre beats are decent but thats about the only one - hope you doing well jolly!
 
Why weren’t you impressed by the WH1000XM3 and the NC700?
I like WhatHifi - they focus on all products and not just the super high end.

Haven't tried any of the Bose, i just wasn't blown away by the Sony's, all the reviews have hyped it up to be the best thing since sliced bread, so maybe i was just expecting more. They still are super comfortable and offer good sound.

Though I think Drop has 400$ bundle for the XM3 and HD6XX so compromise?

Well that changes a lot. Can upgrade my 598's at the same time, for the same price as some of the others. Amazing deal actually, pity its out of stock now.
 
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I have the sonys., love them. Comfortable, good sound and 30 hours of battery life.
 
The studio version of dr dre beats are decent but thats about the only one - hope you doing well jolly!

Thanks Maxim! I’m getting settled. It’s been a week now in the UK and it’s really not bad.

I still need to finding a proper job in the banking sector but it’ll take some time and I need to be patient. I’ve signed up for my honours degree in the mean time.

@arf

Re-read your sentence as you said you were blown away by the Sony’s despite the hype.

As sound devices go, I really want the Amazon Echo Studio for general use - really handy for a TV or casual music or a podcast. I don’t expect it to be audiophile grade but I still like the AIO design.
 
If you're in the market for an excellent mid tier gaming headset, then check this out. Yeah, it's a shameless plug, but it's a very decent price and these things are not exactly common place as they're still too new.
 
What did you make of it?
It’s a great mid tier gaming headset. Punches way above its RRP. It’s clean and well tuned for gaming with a superb bass response, the bass is not over exaggerated like a typical gaming headset. Best mic in the business as well. So for R2500 it’s an excellent deal. I’ve been spoilt with the 800S, the difference is night and day, so that’s why I let it go. But I wanted to hear for myself - very happy I did.
 
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It’s a great mid tier gaming headset. Punches way above its RRP. It’s clean and well tuned for gaming with a superb bass response, the bass is not over exaggerated like a typical gaming headset. Best mic in the business as well. So for R2500 it’s an excellent deal. I’ve been spoilt with the 800S, the difference is night and day, so that’s why I let it go. But I wanted to hear for myself - very happy I did.

I think this will be the same story over and over again with any gaming headphones.
They are tune so specifically for gaming that it just sounds weird.

From HD800 and Stax, I tried the GSP 600. Footsteps, shots, sound effects are forward while everything takes a backseat. When I tried listening music on the GSP600, the experience was surreal.

HD800 is a happy medium between gaming and music. I don’t think gaming headset can match that.
 
I think this will be the same story over and over again with any gaming headphones.
They are tune so specifically for gaming that it just sounds weird.

From HD800 and Stax, I tried the GSP 600. Footsteps, shots, sound effects are forward while everything takes a backseat. When I tried listening music on the GSP600, the experience was surreal.

HD800 is a happy medium between gaming and music. I don’t think gaming headset can match that.
I was once of the opinion that SQ and an "audiophile" headset is largely insignificant when it comes to gaming. After fairly extensive testing, I can confirm (for me anyway) that it actually makes a pretty significant difference. Gaming headsets I've compared to the 800S and 650: Astro A50 gen 2 and 3, Astro A10, Arctis 7, Razer Tiamat 7.1, Sennheiser PC350, Logitech G Pro X, currently testing an Arctis 7 Pro + GameDAC (which seems to be the best of the bunch, which is most likely attributed to the GameDAC's ESS9018).

I'm currently testing surround vs stereo in-game. I know the chat has come up before. I did some light testing on Dolby Atmos for Windows and I wasn't impressed. So I'm doing more extensive testing, primarily in Rainbow Six Siege. Will report back over time. The decision I'm looking to find for myself, is simply this: Is there any upside to using a high-end gaming headset over an audiophile headphone with ModMic (or similar). I am already satisfied that there is no upside to using a low-tier or mid-tier gaming headset over an audiophile headphone.
 
The DragonFly Cobalt is on my bucket list for my phone to headphone setup. Pity it’s a touch expensive


 
The DragonFly Cobalt is on my bucket list for my phone to headphone setup. Pity it’s a touch expensive




i have read some reviews where the Dragonfly red measures better and then the reviewer also says that the red also somehow sounds better despite using an older model DAC chip, and its also way cheaper

the thing is though i have heard some portable DAC/AMPs that put the Dragonfly Red to shame when it comes to actual sound quality but they are a fair bit bigger so they are considered more transportable rather than portable for example the Ifi IDSD micro black labeland if the red sounds just about as good as the cobalt then i would rather go with the iDSD BL inless you really want to carry it with your phone wiile walking or exercising

end result though is that i really would not bother with the Dragonfly range because there are DAC/Amps out there that will work better, and no matter how much you say you will want to carry a DAC with your phone once you buy it you dont really carry it around - so i would rather spend that same amount of money on a DAP with a built in DAC/AMP so you can keep the phone for calls and social media and internet browsing and rather buy a phone with a great camera instead of audio functionality and get a DAP for music on the move ie something like a Fiio M11 (M11 pro is newer and slightly better but more expensive) or if you care only about sound quality and are willing to sacrifice on the interface for slightly better sound quality then theres plenty of other DAPs for a bit more money like the AR-M2 and the Hifiman R2R2000 Red (the black is the one that cost R70k because of the rare DAC chips they use) and there are lots of other brands like ibasso and Cowin that also make perfectly acceptable DAPs
 
I had a listen to this using a phone and the built in adapters, amazing.

Significantly better audio and is a bit bulky but if you work at a desk 8.75 hours a day, you’ll not mind too much.


 
I had a listen to this using a phone and the built in adapters, amazing.

Significantly better audio and is a bit bulky but if you work at a desk 8.75 hours a day, you’ll not mind too much.



Very nice!


I see someone sold one on Carbonite for R1200. This should be a nice add-on for any audiophile.
 
Wowzers. That’s twice the price in SA as it is here.

thats generally how it works out - because you look at the exchange rate - then add the shipping and handling charges via couriers and then the 15% VAT you have to pay to bring it in here, and everything is always twice the price that it is anywhere else in the world ..... and if its sold retail commercially add a markup for the wholesaler and then another for the dealer ..... this is why we get a bit shafted in terms of pricing here even when there's no duties on the item (you would still pay even more if there was)
 
So I purchased an Audio Pro C10 on the weekend and it just arrived.

I’ve set it up and it’s great for the UK - small but punchy, easy to fit into a small room if you were renting.


It was £259 (R4 838,12).

Edit: just had a listen. Very good quality audio. It could have a bit more clarity as the treble can get a bit muddled, but overall, very good balance of warmth versus definition.

I am using Spotify Premium on my iPhone 8 Plus as a source, so it’s not the best to really benchmark the audio off.

I’m sure that connecting my DAC to the aux port would improve the sound further.

The bass is fantastic for such a small unit.
 
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Anyone using a px for gaming?
I need to help with setting up the in line mic for chat
 
Someone please help this kind gentleman! Can’t be killing monsters in game chat [emoji2]
We definitely need to play again soon.
I'm wondering if a cheap external sound card would help me, the headphone came with 1 of those splitter adapters, for mic and sound
 
We definitely need to play again soon.
I'm wondering if a cheap external sound card would help me, the headphone came with 1 of those splitter adapters, for mic and sound
Yeah definitely. I don't have much experience with those cheap USB sound cards but I don't see why it would not work if it' has a mic input and/or is marketed as accepting a mic input.
 
I’m considering selling my ModMic 5 Wireless to fund a Samson G-Track Pro with pop filter and arm. Not quite sure yet but getting close to making a decision. So consider this an early heads up. The ModMic 5 Wireless is a masterpiece and it works like a dream but my OCD wants me to consider the Samson.
 
In other news, I bought an Arctis Pro + GameDAC a few weeks back and I’ve been suitably impressed (so far). I’m using it for online FPS and it’s doing a pretty decent job. I need to do some AB’ing with my A50 at some point. I still use my 650 or 800S with my desktop DAC/amp setup for single player games.
 
I’m considering selling my ModMic 5 Wireless to fund a Samson G-Track Pro with pop filter and arm. Not quite sure yet but getting close to making a decision. So consider this an early heads up. The ModMic 5 Wireless is a masterpiece and it works like a dream but my OCD wants me to consider the Samson.
Any idea on how much you'd want for it, if you do decide to sell?

Sent from my BLA-L29 using Tapatalk
 

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