[Simca]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Varjo;13493488
Looks good, but you neglected the home theater HD. If you want loss-less surround sound, EAX, and the ability to use the higher quality DACs in a nice receiver, it's your only option. Sure it's a niche product, but it deserves a mention.

Otherwise, great job man!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crag;13493521
nice one mate
Although i have a small point
In the comparision between the STX and th ST you did'nt mention the daughter chip (the H6)
I dont know ,but i think some people might care about such thing
And again really great work

Yes, please continue to give me suggestions on what to add to the list. This is exactly what I'm looking for. I will most definitely add these things. I'm currently writing up the headphone section first though, so please give me a few hours to get to it, but I will most definitely get to it.

I was also reminded by SavageBunny that it wasn't so apparent that if someone doesn't have a PCI-E slot they should go for the Xonar D1 which is the PCI version. I will also add that very soon.

 

[Simca]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZHoob2004;13493719
might want to mention a few of the diy options as far as dacs such as the grubdac or others.

other than that it's looking nice so far.

Excellent point. Will add that.
Quote:

Originally Posted by Iceman23;13493906
How are you planning on separating the headphones? Obviously price and gaming/music but beyond that there are great headphones that sound completely different - maybe based on general music genres?

So far I've put them into the following categories: Strictly Gaming, Compromised Gaming, Bassy, Rock/Metal, Classical & Jazz

After that, I'll simply have to stop and allow people to post if they have interest in any other genres/types. Can't post them all.

Good question.

After that, I can no lo
Quote:

Originally Posted by tkrist;13493937
Nice thread. I plan on buying a sound card soon so this is great. Thanks!

Will you be adding speaker recommendations as well?

Yes, I will, but only up to a certain point. There are many many speakers you could honestly buy and I won't at all get most of them, but according to the thread, I will recommend the most recommended.
Quote:

Originally Posted by WildEast;13493975
"Creative XtremeGamer/Music"
Is that the same as Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio?

No, it's not. I would not recommend the Xtreme Audio.

 

[Simca]

Added the Headphone/Headset and Speakers Section to the second post. I am in the process of adding/making all the changes you have brought up and I've agreed are a necessary point to this thread.

I've pretty much been doing nothing but typing this up for all these hours. Only took a 20 minute break for dinner.

 

[Simca]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wupah;13495411
Nice work; I love these compilations.

It might be worth adding some DAC and or amp recommendations ?

I did throw in some DAC/AMP combos, but perhaps I could toss in some stand alone amp suggestions, still, these cost a lot of money and I think people would honestly be better off researching this in more depth than a simple "highly recommended" thread can offer.

Some people like cheap amps. IMO, I wouldn't pay for a stand alone amp unless I dropped 600 dollars on one. See what I mean?

 

[Simca]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Live_free;13498214
Awesome guide, but the Ultrasone Pro 550s you mentioned as being 150 are mostly found around 200, and more common at 180. So you may want to change that.

$153 dollars on Amazon homey.

Add to cart and check out the savings.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chinesekiwi;13498264
Just need a few corrections to make it more accurate:

*the MMX300 is a DT770 32ohm.

Quote of the slight differences sound wise between the different impedance models:

from http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/513393/guide-sonic-differences-between-dt770-dt990-models-more#post_6938759

*Also I'd put the Ultrasone PRO550's in the 'compromising gamer' section udner the $150 section, as the S-Logic works much better in the Pro(line) series than the HFI series.

* A great 'rock/metal' headphone for $300 is the Alessandro MS2 as well, which is of course liek the MS1, a Grado OEM.

* The Alienware Ozma 5 is not the same as the PRO550. The Alienware Ozma 5 is an OEM'ed HFI-580. The HFI series is noticeably different than the PRO series.

* Also maybe passive setups for speakers?

How could I forget the Alessandro MS2s Doh! Definitely will add that. Did I mention the MMX300s were anything but DT770s 32 ohm? I'll add the Pro 550s to the compromising gamer list. Are they 580s? Could have swore they were 550s. Cool though, I'll make sure to change that.
Quote:

Originally Posted by chinesekiwi;13498278
$160

http://www.adorama.com/ULPRO550.html?utm_term=Other&utm_medium=Shopping%20Site&utm_campaign=Other&utm_source=gbase

Was going as low as $150 on ebay.

$153 Amazon.

 

[Simca]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chinesekiwi;13498724
the HFI series is different from the PRO series. There's the HFI-580 and PRO550. Both are part of a different series of headphones from the same company.

HFI series = HFI-580, HFI-680, HFI-2200LE, HFI-780 (older versions being HFI-550, HFI-650, HFI-750)
Pro series = PRO550, PRO650, PRO750, PRO900

Don't get me started on how confusing German headphone model naming is!
(Hint: beyerdynamic are the worst for confusion!)

I hear many people are not a fan of most of the HFI series. Compared to the Pro series they're a bit of a let down.

 

[Simca]

Yeah, this thread was mostly meant for the following reasons:

1) To give people an idea of what they should be looking at given their circumstances and budget.

2) Get certain types of products OUT of their mind, just as headsets FTMP.

3) Allows you to see what's better and for how much more. Some people simply have no idea where they may be going whenever they get enough money saved up. The list is almost like a Skill Tree in a game. It'll help people learn what's above.

4) It's meant to spark interest in RESEARCH rather than just be an end-all, buy now guide. They should be looking at the recommendations, researching the product in more depth than this simple guide could provide (despite it taking me like 4 hours to complete).

When all is said and done, I believe someone that has COMPLETELY read this guide should be quite a bit more knowledgeable about audio equipment than they were before having read it.

Some may feel even more confused, but I hope that being confused gives them a hunger to learn more about audio.

Again, the biggest thing with me is trying to make it simple by listing the most recommended products, but also sparking the will to research these products and OTHER products so their needs will best be suited.

 

[Simca]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kpopsaranghae;13501972
Imo, the BX5a's should be up there for the $240 range. They have fantastic highs and punchy mids. Bass isn't that deep, but that's the same with all 2.0 monitors with this driver size. Comparable in many ways to an Audioengine A5 but for $60-80 less.

I'll look into them. I have heard about them, but the buzz just honestly hasn't been there for those much. If those turn out to be a gem, they'll be sure to make the list.
Quote:

Originally Posted by Cacophony;13502377
Good, if Polk Audio wasn't in here this whole list would be invalid.

lol.

Speaking of which, help me out with the following:
1) In what way can I make the titles and sections stand out.
2) In what way can I make the thread more appealing without splashing it full of colors and making some people annoyed by all different types of colors.
3) I need more passive speakers to recommend, but I'm all knowledge full of powered speakers. Toss me some great passive speakers for the price.
4) Recommend good and popular receivers for people wanting to go the receiver route.

 

[Simca]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RallyMaster;13527165
Simca, seeing your mention of the HD600 on the "Ultimate Gamer" headphones list really makes me want one. Must...not...purchase...more...headphones...

But then again, I've found myself listening to classical a LOT lately. Grr.

IMO, the HD600s should be MORE for classical music and JAZZ in particular than gaming, but their sound stage is commendable. I would rate the HD600s sound stage as being wider than the DT880s.

 

[Simca]

Quote:

Originally Posted by voxox;13529259
RallyMaster - Believe it or not, I'm now in the same boat as you were... I've sold my HD598s and will be looking for something else for right now. I feel that the middle entry level audiophile headphones are just not for me. Either I'll get something in the $300 range or something aroud $100, but nothing in the middle for me anymore.

In addition, I've sold my STX and went a head and purchased Xonar DS for $40 shipped. I've got my reasons as to why I decided to downsize. I didn't notice any substantial difference between the two audio cards though it seems the Wolfson encoder on the DS is pretty good actually.

I was bitten by an audiophile bug hence the increased excitement.

my

No rason to move to the STX if you don't have headphones that are being amplified by them or that can even make use of it's amplification.

You should have bought an external DAC perhaps if you wanted the largest jumpin quality. A good mid level(in your terms anyway) pair of headphones are the Grado SR225is. Very solid headphones.

 

[Simca]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Stroker;13530156
I think you need a portable headphone section. Such as ear buds and smaller phones.

I have a set of Koss Portapros. I bought them because they used to be highly rated and I wanted something to take with me. Well they have never left my pc lol. I do like them for music but they suck for gaming because you cant decipher what side noise is from.

I was super tired after typing for 4 hours. Perhaps you can tell by how I rushed the ending a bit, but now that I've had some time to cool down from writing that massive manifesto, I'll be sure to add an IEMs and earbuds section as well as an amplifier section. I just wish I had a 3rd post. Didn't realize how long all this was gonna be.

 

[Simca]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Stroker;13530313
Well its a great read and good work. I would ask a mod to see if they can add you 2 more post.

I'll ask, but I think they can only delete posts until I will have posted and that would require the consent of all posters before my 3rd post to agree.

 

[Simca]

The following changes have been made:

• Major sections are now highlighted in Red text for easier searching.
  
• "Scenarios" and minor sections are now highlighted in Dark Slate Gray for easier searching.
  
• Scenarios are now centered as well to make it easier for searching.
  
• Added an "Information to state when making a new thread" section. - Good Heavens, we needed this so badly. I hope people notice it. I even put Information signs around it.

 

[Simca]

Added Koss KSC-75s to list of cheap headphones to buy.

Ear buds/IEMs & Amps section forth coming.

 

[Simca]

Added a link to a HF guide for IEMs. Very briefly listed some IEMs that stood out to me. No purpose typing it all up when that thread does it better.

 

[Simca]

Quote:

Originally Posted by glycerin256;13783905
great guide. it answered alot of my questions. it left me with one though:

i see the HT omega and more specifically the striker recommended alot on some places, and it gets great reviews on newegg. the striker *looks* like a great buy for the price. why are people loving them on newegg and elsewhere, but are not recommended here. (honest question, not trying to troll. i need to be educated.)

i am a FPS gamer mostly, but listen to rock and metal and a little rap and alot of prodigy and crystal method, so i do like my bass. im looking for a new soundcard and headphone setup. i will need closed headphones for the environment im in. my compy also hooks up to my home theatre system though my onboard optical on the other side of the room, so i still need that functionality.

sub'd

thx man. again, great guide!

HT Omega cards are fine. They're mostly not as recommended here because people generally have less experience with them as opposed to Asus. Many people feel safer going with products that others know for sure are good as opposed to taking a risk or one for the team and trying out another product. That's mostly it. Nothing's wrong with HT Omega cards for the most part.

 

[Simca]

I think he wanted its own personal sticky

Quote:

Originally Posted by tUDJ;13903565
It was added to the sticky thread 4 weeks ago, please stop requesting it

-HTC Incredible, CyanogenMod 7.0.3, Tapatalk Pro.

 

[Simca]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nykeiscool;14109253
Great read man.
Question though personally as far as cosmetically i love the A-50's Would you really recommend one of the 700's For gaming over the A-50's ? I plan to use them for a little bit of everything TBH. Asides From Gaming (FPS/MMO) i listen to a mix of everything... but right now what im bumping a lot is J-PoP / House

If by A-50s you mean Audio Technica M50s, then they're completely different headphones. One is meant for bassy music the other for gaming, classical, vocals. You have to decide what is more important to you. I wouldn't recommend the M50s for gaming if that's what you had it in mind for. I would recommend either saving a bit more and buying some Ultrasone Pro 550s or even stepping down a bit and getting some Samson SR850s or something. The 2 are so polar and you seem to want to be in the middle. You can't be in the middle with those two headphones.