That's one way to solve the issue yes. To be honest, if those are the headphones you definitely want, I'd try them out first without- because lets be honest, how long do we listen to our headphones at the loudest setting?
Cheers parge, Does this mean that I will lose quality or just volume without an amp? I suppose I could upgrade my soundcard from a Xonar D2X to a SoundBlaster Z but this is more outlay
just my 2 cents: I went from G35 (which I loved) to AKG 271 mk II which are closed back near reference quality headphones. Personally I prefer the AKGs and found it easier to locate positional audio then on my G35. I know it doesn't make sense but it is how I experienced it. for sound quality it is mostly best to get headphones and something like a mod mic or desktop mic. the mod mic is much easier to shield from the typing noise while gaming.
Not 100% sure about quality to be honest. Any audiophiles here want to comment? That is because most ‘headsets’ are built to make a game more cinematic, and thus emphasise bass etc in order to make gunshots and explosions more exciting. Regular headphones usually focus on accuracy, which potentially makes positional audio slightly better, at the cost of overall excitement. Its personal preference, and I’m not a pro gamer, so I’d rather have the booming explosions etc.
I have a set of these and love them. Very comfy and the sound is excellent. They are closed cup so you really don't hear anything going on outside of what you are playing. They might only be stereo but you can hear so much detail; approaching footsteps etc. I've had a couple of friends try them and go out and buy them afterwards. The build quality is excellent and the cable is nice and long and well braided. They are the best gaming headset I have ever owned. I can't say for music / films etc as I don't use them for that. **edit** Just noticed the comments about the D2X. My main gaiming rig has a soundblaster Z in and as I said above the sound is fantastic. My media rig has a D2X in it and whilst re-building my gaming rig I used this one for gaming for a few weeks. I didn't notice any difference at all, so no need to worry on that score.
FYI, we have also released our first 7.1 headset - the STRIX 7.1. There's some more info on our website and there are a few reviews out on the web if you wanted to have a look. If it doesn't take your fancy then that's fair enough, but thought I'd throw it out there since I was here
I'm using a Sennheiser PC 350 at home (Wired) At work I was using my Razer Megladon but the ear cup catch has snapped off :/ So I'm using Astro A50's instead (Rather enjoying the Wireless as I can walk around the office on the phone) and it's about time this headset got some use as It's been in a draw idle for a few months.
Cheers Chris !!!!!!! Not bothered about stereo just want a quality set of headphones. How did dolby headphone sound on your D2X? Have you listened to music yet on the G4me Zero? My Medusas have really poor base unless I piss around with Flexbass which makes everything else sound shite. Don't suppose you fancy putting them in your media PC for a couple of mins and giving me your opinion? Ta ta
I'll be happy to test them on there for you tonight and let you know what I think. They don't have particually amazing levels of bass, but I don't want that in a gaming headset. I prefer to hear what is happening in game (like my mates trying to sneak up on me to stab me in the back), rather than ear splitting explosions (not that I am at all disappointed in these sounds either). If you are anywhere near to Sheffield, then you are more than welcome to come and test them out.
Technically the answer is correct. Higher impedance headphones require more juice to achieve high sound pressure. ... but the D2X doesn't have a "100 ohms impedance". It can drive efficiently headphones up to 100 ohms. I do not have the figures, but a source must have AT MOST an output impedance equal to 1/8 of the "peripheral" to achieve a good sound quality. This is called the damping factor and 1/8 is the absolute max, for better performance the rule is around 1/20. So if it can drive 100 ohms headphones, it will drive 150 ohms ones. You'll only lose on the loudness side. Below are some informative links : http://sound.westhost.com/z-effects.htm http://sound.westhost.com/impedanc.htm This becomes very tricky for vintage headphones having an 8 ohms Z, meaning that the amp must have a sub 1ohms output Z, explaining why most people complains about their quality ... they just don't use the right source. Back on the topic, the higher the Z the more electrical energy it needs. All you need is a low output impedance (remember, at most 1/8 of your headphones Z) and a suitable output power. You'll prolly be happy with your current D2X just try it. If the sound level is not loud enough to your liking, then you can just get another sound card. Audio is very subjective and can only be mesured with your own ears. Anything else are only figures and curves on paper For example, I'm drooling at a pair of vintage headphones ... 8 ohms Z / 500mW input power ... good luck finding a suitable headphone amplifier Summary: Source output impedance <= headphone impedance / 8 Source output wattage under headphone impedance >= headphone admissible wattage
Thanks mate clear and concise also good to know ! Even an idiot like me can understand that ! Have some rep Cheers Chris would appreciate it. And thanks for the offer of nipping over. Im not after earth shattering bass but something would be nice. At the moment it just sounds all wrong but then the Medusas have lots of small drivers. With Dolby Headphone enabled the positional audio with the Siennheisers is supposed to be superb so I would be interested to hear you opinions on that too
So sorry, work got the better of me. Ok, just tried them now; comparing them in music, film and games to my HD555's. First thing in the D2X the sound level definitely drops on the Zero's. Not a problem though, I just turned up the volume and they can still hit a level to make my ears bleed should I wish to inflict that upon myself. It is noticeable in the drop, but not something to worry about. Bass: Being honest they are lacking. If I turn on the Dolby headphone option in the Xonar Audio Center it definitely picks up and the sound is far better. Compared to the 555's there is a gulf though - I will add that the 555's can be too strong in bass. Mid-range and above: Excellent, pick out far more detail than the 555's, vocals are better - probably because they aren't overpowered by the bass. Gaming: The zero's every time. Running around I can hear far more, explosions sound fine without overpowering. Far easier to hear people approaching and they don't make my head pound after a full on gaming session. After 30mins with the 555's the extra bass made my head hurt. The truth is I love both sets. The 555's are what I use for music and video and they are amazing. The Zero's are wonderful when gaming and better than the 555's. If I didn't have the 555's then I would still be happy with these for music and video. If you want one pair to excel in all, these are not for you. If you want gaming headphones that you can use for music and video then these will do you proud. I don't regret buying them at all. Should you want some sort of reference as to what I listened to for bass levels in music then the following video is one where the difference is very clear: And one of my other favs - also linking coz it's an awesome video
Cheers Chris thanks for doing all that for me. I have mine on order with Amazon and should be with me tomorrow. Heard a few things about onboard and certain sound cards not being able to power the Headphones correctly due to the 150 Impedence. This amongst other things has meant the Bass was a bit pants, once an AMP was used they came to life and shone even more. I have therefore also ordered a Soundblaster Z its got a 600 Ohm Headphone amp so I'm sure I will be getting the best from them. Came to the conclusion if I'm forking out near £200 on some headphones I need to do them justice with a decent Soundcard! Out of interest any noticeable difference on your SoundBlaster Z? Ill let you know how I get on thanks for your help
They are indeed better on the Soundblaster Z, no loss of sound on that. The only thing I will mention is that I have had issues with the Creative software and AMD drivers (not sure if it is a multi card issue only). If I installed the AMD drivers after the soundcard drivers I found that the creative software stopped working. Should you get the issue, it's with the AMD HDMI driver. I had to go into device manager and disable the AMD HDMI audio driver. Very easy to do. Once that was disabled the Creative software ran perfectly (after a re-boot). Oh, if you run the AMD driver removal tool before installing new AMD drivers this will also kill the Creative drivers and you will have to re-install them - well it did for me, every single time (Windows 8.1).
Thanks Chris again that's useful to know ! I have an AMD R9 290 with the 14.12 Omega driver so if I get the same issues at least I know what's causing it! Windows 7 here
Ok so SoundBlaster Z installed and Sennhiesers running. Firstly anyone who says that a true 7.1 headset or a 5.1 headset for that matter is a gimmick is WRONG !!! Don't get me wrong the Sennhiesers are great but I feel that my 5.1 medusas had a bit better positional audio. I have only been using them for a couple of days though so my ears may need to re-adjust? In themselves oh my days the Sennhiesers are bloody comfy! This is my first ever closed headset and wow ! what a difference it makes ! I agree with other reviewers though about the bass... There does seem to be a lack of it but the sound is so much crisper ! E.g its like I can feel the bass drum being pushed and all the individual instruments. To be honest I don't know if the SoundBlaster Z is driving them enough and it also does this weird rumble thing when the bass is turned up in pro-studio. Eg and explosion in BF4 seems to rumble for ever. All in all a good investment and I have also heard that Sennhiesers need to be broken in for at least 100 hours to get the best sound. Sound quality is amazing even with the less punchy bass, but I suppose that is something that could be subjective depending on the listening ear? Poss need to mess around with the pro-studio sliders a bit? Chris - Out of interest how do you have yours set-up in Windows and also in the ProStudio? at the moment my sliders on Surround, Crystaliser and Bass are at 100% Cross over is at default. Actually moving the crossover slider makes the bass worse !
