5.1 or 7.1 headphones upgrade.

LordKefka06

LordKefka06

CAGiversary!
I'm looking to upgrade to either 5.1 or 7.1 headphones.

  • Price doesn't matter.
  • Prefer it to have a mic.
  • Mainly want to hear the enemy's position, not so much quality.

This is the one I'm considering at the moment.

Please post the ones that you guys have had experience with & a short review on it if you could.
 
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Hey man, I put up a review for these headphones on my site, check it out:

Tritton AX 720 Review

So far I'm loving them! I had the AX 180's for a week, and then decided to spend the extra money to get the AX 720s. Totally worth it IMO.

Anyways, if I can provide anymore info or pics, let me know!
 
grab a receiver with Dolby Headphone (like a good Harmon Kardon) or a cheap Yamaha receiver (2006,2007, 2008 models cheapest) with Silent Cinema. Pair it up with some cheap Sennheiser or better, a JVC OPEN-style headphones off amazon. better equipment than those pieces of junk mentioned above.
 
[quote name='IronSerif']Hey man, I put up a review for these headphones on my site, check it out:

Tritton AX 720 Review

So far I'm loving them! I had the AX 180's for a week, and then decided to spend the extra money to get the AX 720s. Totally worth it IMO.

Anyways, if I can provide anymore info or pics, let me know![/QUOTE]Hey, thanks for posting your good review. 1 question though, do you know what the difference of the ax 720 & the 900 are?

[quote name='sononkyo']grab a receiver with Dolby Headphone (like a good Harmon Kardon) or a cheap Yamaha receiver (2006,2007, 2008 models cheapest) with Silent Cinema. Pair it up with some cheap Sennheiser or better, a JVC OPEN-style headphones off amazon. better equipment than those pieces of junk mentioned above.[/QUOTE]Thanks for that suggestion, I'll look into what you mentioned, but can you post some links of what combination you would recommend?
 
[quote name='blader16']Hey, thanks for posting your good review. 1 question though, do you know what the difference of the ax 720 & the 900 are?

Thanks for that suggestion, I'll look into what you mentioned, but can you post some links of what combination you would recommend?[/QUOTE]

Sorry man, I don't know anything about the 900's. When I was shopping around, the AX 720's and 180's were the only things available at B&M stores, so I was limited to those two :)
 
Pioneer DIR-SE2000C

If, as you said, you don't mind paying. This is what I use when the wife is sleeping.

Edited to add:

Hmm. I just checked. They still aren't available in the United States or Canada. Nevermind, I guess. I imported mine from Japan.

One last thing. Major caveat with any surround sound headphones: The effect may or may not work for you, even if it is a set with discrete seperate drivers for each channel. Unless you get a professionally conformed pair of Smyth SVS Realizer A-8 (Which cost 3000 dollars and are designed to be programmed to work /specifically/ with the head and ears of one user), your mileage can and will vary depending on how much your head differs from the 'idealized' head and ears the engineers modeled around.

Edited AGAIN to add:

Check out this thread at AVSforum for a long discussion of various surround headphones.

What Gaming Headphones to Buy? AVSforum
 
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I forgot to add that I mainly want to know enemy positions, and not so much focused on the quality of the headset & it's sound. These look very interesting for positional audio, but for $300 & PC only.

Would you still recommend going with a pair of good stero headphones & a receiver/amp for enemy positions?


Also, I'm now looking at the Tritton AX PRO instead of the 720's.
 
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altho u already know what i got, I think the AX pro's are really good. Some ppl had problems when they were shipped, like a speaker not workin or mic issues, but I haven't had any. 5.1 honestly is all you need to max out on IMO, and it'll not be AS hard on your wallet. good luck Ride.
 
[quote name='nfs3freak']altho u already know what i got, I think the AX pro's are really good. Some ppl had problems when they were shipped, like a speaker not workin or mic issues, but I haven't had any. 5.1 honestly is all you need to max out on IMO, and it'll not be AS hard on your wallet. good luck Ride.[/QUOTE]Ty for your advice, but I think I'm gonna go with the others on this one with getting a mixer/amp & some good headphones.

Ok, so I decided I'm gonna get the Sennheiser HD-555 headphones for $97.18 from amazon. But now I can't decide between the JVC SU-DH1 or the Astro 40 Mixamp. I don't like how the American JVC model doesn't have a AC plug & I don't want to be using a ton of batteries or get an import, but I've heard that it has slightly better audio & that it can take DTS. And then on the other side, I like how the Astro doesn't need batteries & that it has some cool mic features.

What do you guys think?
 
You can modify a very easy to find Radio shack AC adapter to supply power to the JVC. I'll dig around and see if I can find that. Edited to add: Meh. I'm old and I saw it perhaps a couple years ago. You could try this guide: http://www.instructables.com/id/Run-any-battery-powered-item-through-AC-power./

I have a JVC sitting around that I used to use with my gaming rig and a pair of HD 595s. Almost the set up you are going for... again, I bought the Japanese version so I could plug it in.

The sound quality between the Dir 2000C and the 595 was very close, with the Dir having the added benefit of being able to output Dolby Headphone /many/ headphones at once. I got it thinking that I would buy another compatible headset, plus the wired jack for the 595, so that I and two friends could game in the living room without driving my wife crazy. ... Again, they don't seem to sell the unit any more.

The 555s are a good choice. Be careful with them as they aren't designed to survive really harsh treatment. If I was buying again, I'd go with the Astro 40 as I think it allows you to fine tune how loud voice chat is in comparison to the surround field.
 
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Yeah, I just noticed the combo deal of the Astro A40 Headset ($200) & the Astro Mixamp ($130) for $250.

That's sounds really good, but I haven't looked into the A40 Headset much. Have any of you guys had experience with it? If so, please drop me a personal review of it or another websites review that you think does it justice.
 
Urk. Sorry. I meant JUST the Mixamp with the Senn 595s. Sorry, didn't mean to confuse. You should be able to use the Mixamp without having to buy the A40 headset, right?
 
Like others have said: invest in a good set of cans and some decent audio gear instead. 'Surround' headphones are garbage at best, and a gimmick to boot.

I had a pair of expensive Tritton 'surround' headphones that broke twice. They lasted less than half a year and sounded extremely muddy. Awful, awful experience. What a waste of money.

I'm currently playing games with my old, beaten-to-hell Sony MDR studio monitors, and can correctly identify positions in stereo. It sounds great, despite their grave condition. People seem to (incorrectly) assume that you can't have positional audio with stereo, for some reason.

Good luck in your purchase, OP. And just remember: you get what you pay for, in A/V gear. Invest in a solid pair of cans (thick, coiled cord, solid construction, and they will last you 5+ years (or more, if you take proper care of them).
 
resurrecting a really old thread,...but I'm in the exact same boat. Assuming you went with the hd-555 and the mixamp, what did you do for the mic?

UPDATE: also, did you go for the 555 or the 595? They are currently 103 and 170 on amazon.
 
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Seeing as this thread is bumped, I had a question. If I got a receiver + headphones as stated above, that will work with any audio output, right? Like I can watch movies with them, as well as play games?
 
As long as the receiver includes the input type your video source is using, yes. And of course your video source needs to output 5.1/7.1 sound, or the headphones will behave like any other stereo ones
 
just curious but what is the advantage people see in getting these? I can understand if people want to keep sound to a minimum so that they don't disturb anyone else in the house, but is there any other justification here? I mean you can get a decent HTIB for sub $200 and hook it up via optical and it'll still sound better than headphones. Am i missing something?
 
[quote name='pogipinoy27']just curious but what is the advantage people see in getting these? I can understand if people want to keep sound to a minimum so that they don't disturb anyone else in the house, but is there any other justification here? I mean you can get a decent HTIB for sub $200 and hook it up via optical and it'll still sound better than headphones. Am i missing something?[/QUOTE]

A cheap headphone with Dolby Headphone is especially vital in competitive FPS play. The Dolby Headphone or Silent cinema algorithms give positional cues that your ears can pick up better in terms of spatial recognition and distance (ie: the sound of footsteps), especially with "open style" headphones. You would need to boost a cheap HTIB to the max volume for the same effect thanks to the THD and cheap plastics from your Onkyo/Sony/Samsung/whatever Japanese brand.

Now if you play Super Mario Sunshine-esque, Heavy Rain-esqu, or God of War 3, or you just like to fool around in FPS you are right, it doesn't matter.
 
I looked at some astro a40 reviews and theyre starting to look really good. i think im actually gonna get them soon, even though theyre $250. It should last me a while.
 
[quote name='pogipinoy27']just curious but what is the advantage people see in getting these? I can understand if people want to keep sound to a minimum so that they don't disturb anyone else in the house, but is there any other justification here? I mean you can get a decent HTIB for sub $200 and hook it up via optical and it'll still sound better than headphones. Am i missing something?[/QUOTE]

Yeah the reason I am looking to get these is because I'm still living at home and most of my gaming/blu-ray watching is at 10PM - 4AM
 
[quote name='IronSerif']Hey man, I put up a review for these headphones on my site, check it out:

Tritton AX 720 Review

[/QUOTE]

Thanks for your review! It was very helpful. I think I am leaning towards the Tritton Ax720. It was between these ($129) and the Astro A30 w/Mixamp ($199). I think the $70 difference will be a major factor in my decision.

Also, Does anyone know how comfortable these Tritton and Astro headphones are while wearing glasses?
 
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Sweet! I just got the Astro A30 Audio System in the mail. I won these in a contest at Destructoid. They are awesome! Comfortable design, very versatile and the Dolby 5.1 sounds great.
 
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