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[Labombadog]

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I am buying the Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7. Good buy?
I am buying it for gaming and music purposes. DS, and PSP and console through a receiver.

Here is the link to the product. Here ya go

edit: Or I was going to go for the Sennheiser HD-280 Professional Headphones.

 

[Kiyamon]

I have the Pioneer SEDIR800C and they are friggin awesome, pretty hard to find now but kick ass.[

Anyone else ever tried these out... they run for $300. Probably around the same it would cost to buy the surround adapter and nice headphones, and these are wireless. So anyone else ever try these out?

 

[Mindlog]

Oh yeah, I've been meaning to throw up my pics and review

 

[sun-drop]

Ok had a brief play with it, and by brief i mean brief ! holy christ this thing eats batteries

got my power adapter in the mail .. but yeh, mixed results so far.

COD4 was good, but i didn't try it online, so will have to give it a try in the open areas with bullets from all sides. it does def give beter 'behind you' effects than plain o'l stereo thats for sure.

warhawk sounds AMAZING though! that game is perfect for showing it off.


one problem though.

i'm using this with my PS3 right, ok well i dropped in casino royale on blu-ray, sounded a bit muffled really - was not impressed. this movie says it has 5.1 but doesn't have any dolby logo's ..does that make a difference?

but then i tried fiddling around with my BD audio settings:

http://manuals.playstation.net/document/en/ps3/current/settings/bdsettings.html#1477

changed it from Linear PCM to bitstream ... and holy shit ..sounded amazing again, sourand effects the works .... BUT .... every ten secs or so the audio would completely cut out does that have anything to do with what it says there in the manual?

If [Bitstream] is selected, some portions of the audio content may not be output.

but.....discovered this towards the end of my session, and then shortly after i found the sound cutting out every 3rd second on every thing as my batteries died .... so for now i'll have to wait till tomorrow for my power adapter to get here.


anyways, whats the deal with that audio setting

Linear PCM vs Bitstream

? i'm guesing i should have it set to bitstream then?

 

[sun-drop]

hmm ok seems after a bit of googling, optical out needs to be set to bitstream for DD5.1, unless yr receiver can handle uncompressed PCM 2ch and convert that.

i'd assume this wee JVC needs bit stream, but i'm also finding stories of some older receivers struggling with the bitstream ps3 outputs, and the audio cuts out due to the rate being to high for the receiver to handle.

can some one else with a Su-DH1 try playing casino royale through it, using the bitstream setting on ps3 to ensure it's 5.1 ..let me know if your getting audio cutting out.

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

glad you're still here and discussing this. I'll check that stuff out Tuesday when it gets here. My receiver is from 2000 and will probably have problems with bitstream as well, hence why I didn't check it when I went to an optical connection.

You could also try connecting the PS3 directly to the JVC since it comes with a volume adjuster. That might eliminate some of the problems, though it might add a few if the PS3 is difficult to get to.

EDIT: just got home and it was waiting for me. Wasn't expecting it...hopefully my optical cable arrives today so I can check it out.

and wow is that adapter hole tiny. I was at Goodwill last night looking for a plug to fit it and I wasn't expecting something that small.

 

[sun-drop]

sorry i meant my comments above as describing the DH1 as the receiver, mine is hooked up directly to the ps3 via optical ..i'm just wondering if the audio cut outs with casino where due to my batteries dieing, or this bitstream issue with some old receivers.

yeh re the hole! tiny, my power adaptor arrived but none of the attachments where tiny enough! grrr .. found some else where, a 1.7mm should do it?

 

[sun-drop]

OK .. found some new batteries, tried that airport scene in casino royale again - no problems .. must totally have been my batteries dieing last night.

and holyfuck does it sound awesome!!!! i watched about 4 times flipping between plain on stereo amd DD5.1 .. and christ, shuch a difference. sounded so much fuller and more alive ... dolbyheadphone had my 555's reverberating from the bass , i could feel it, where the stereo mode didn't even get close to doing that, even when i maxed the volume out.

but yeh, i'm a dumbarse, make sure you set your optical out ps3 settings to bit stream or you simply aren't going to get the real effect. doesn't work when set to linear pcm. 500% difference - stereo seperation in 5.1 goes crystal clear once i sorted that out.

wonder if that setting effects games as well?? may have to go back and try COD4 again

 

[commissar]

and holyfuck does it sound awesome!!!! <snip>
wonder if that setting effects games as well?? may have to go back and try COD4 again

Wow, thanks heaps for the heads up on all of this, I'd love to find out more about the performance with COD 4 now you've got that working.
I'll be ordering this as soon as I get paid, I can't wait!

 

[sun-drop]

yeh, that setting does effect games .. it's under the BD/DVD settings but really it's all audio coming out of the optical cable. before i changed it the stereo separation was crap and muddy. you still got a 'behind you effect' but yeah ..tried burn out last night before i had changed to bitstream and i preferred it in stereo mode cause the music and car noises where mushed together too much. night and day now though. so yeah just a heads up - what ever your source is make sure it's set to this bitstream output, prob a no brainer for most but i had to google it to find out - the ps3 menus don't make it that clear in the XMB.

 

[Wowhawk]

I bought a nice PC headset. I want to use it on my PS3 but it's not a USB type. So I guess I got to buy a new USB headset for my PS3? That brings salty tears to my eyes.

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

I haven't had a chance to be wowed by a movie but I listened to some SACD's in their surround mode and I was duly impressed. (Pink Floyd and Keane if you care. I'll be doing NIN and some Elton John later today.)

I've been playing Burnout Paradise with this thing and it's amazing. The crashes and everything sound more vibrant than when I was listening via just the headphone jack on the receiver. And this is with my 8 year old Sennheisers! I can't wait until the new ones come.

I did have it set up out of the back of the PS3 but I changed to the optical out on my receiver. I haven't had any problems with it so far other than the batteries dying this morning. Oh well. Off to target/wal-mart for an AC adapter.

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

Just got back from an intensive search of local electronics stores and no one has an ac adapter that will fit that hole. One fit the peg in the middle but there was no contact on the sides. I guess I'm going to have to try Fry's this weekend (I'm not driving through Portland during the day for an adapter).

I've played with it a bit more and I dunno if it's just because of the headphones or what (the 280's came) but Burnout sounds a lot clearer now. I'm going to try some movies when my son goes to bed and see if there's a difference there as well. I guess I'll have the headphones through the receiver and then through the DH1 and see how much of a difference I can hear.

 

[Joshua_Jones]

Ok, figure I’ll try to get this in before NPD madness hits, at least I think it’s today. Anyways after stumbling into this thread a couple weeks ago,
I figured I would give it a shot. I have been looking for a 5.1 solution for the PS3 so I figured, why not.

I have been gaming with Speedlink Medusa 5.1 headphones on my PC for the past few years. I mainly used them for CS:Source.
They didn’t sound the best, but gave good positional sound.

So I order the HD595s and the SU-DH1. The first test for me was Counter Strike. I was skeptical if this was really going to work, especially on my PC. After playing around with the SU-DH1, it sounded better than
regular headphones. The positioning was a little hard to tell but it was better than it was before. I kinda figured it wouldn’t be as good since I didn’t understand how a 5.1 source would come out of one analog wire.

Ok, so I tried the PS3 running through optical. I set it to Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1. I didn’t do ACC since I have no idea what that is, maybe someone can clarify for me. I had Uncharted in so I figured sure.
I loaded up the Trapped level where there is a machine gunner up top. I top cover and spun the camera with the joystick. WOW, couldn’t believe it. I could hear on all sides as the camera rotated around.
Lambchop is right about Warhawk. That was the one that really shows how good the positioning is with the sound. With rockets flying past your head and hearing an enemy tank coming up the path (not firing, just driving)
from a distance was really great. I just need to get Optical out of my audio card I guess. Didn’t try with movies, but the reason for me getting them was games. Oh, and these headphones rock, but I knew they would make my
Speedlinks sound like trash anyways.

Sorry for the long post, but if anyone has any questions or suggestions, feel free to ask.

 

[Mindlog]

glad you're still here and discussing this. I'll check that stuff out Tuesday when it gets here. My receiver is from 2000 and will probably have problems with bitstream as well, hence why I didn't check it when I went to an optical connection.

You could also try connecting the PS3 directly to the JVC since it comes with a volume adjuster. That might eliminate some of the problems, though it might add a few if the PS3 is difficult to get to.

EDIT: just got home and it was waiting for me. Wasn't expecting it...hopefully my optical cable arrives today so I can check it out.

and wow is that adapter hole tiny. I was at Goodwill last night looking for a plug to fit it and I wasn't expecting something that small.

Swing by a radioshack... well sometimes you luck out with a good clerk that know's how to help you hehe.

I just made the hole in mine today, just waiting for my order to arrive on jacks. Took me long enough. I'm fairly certain I'll be using the 2.0mm jack, I'll see how it goes.

I've been meaning to record some samples, but I want to make sure I'm doing it with some quality. Serenity is another great movie for demonstrating how neat DH can be.

 

[sun-drop]

hey, just throught i'd let you guys know i managed to find an adaptor. almost got screwed though.

the one i brought didn't have a plug small enough, but i moaned to the store and they sent me one which, luckly, did.


the adapter:

http://www.tradetech.co.nz/results.html?search_type=0&new_search=1&q=ADP3CRZ

the attachment i needed:

http://www.tradetech.co.nz/results.html?search_type=0&new_search=1&q=PLGP10


currently got my ps3 outputting to the DH1 via optical cable, then running a headphone jack to RCA adapter cord back to my receiver so that i can easily swap between headphone and speakers on the receiver . sweet!

 

[SouthernDragon]

Wow.

Now I know why some people snort at the earbuds the iPod comes with. I had no idea a market like this even existed.

I mean, 5.1 headphones? Mind = blown.

Too expensive for me to try out, though. : (

 

[n1n9tean]

http://www.mueller2000.ch/holophonics/holo.html
just click the MP3 examples and use regular headphones! especially the virtual haircut!

it depends on the software and your soundcard. The X-Fi cards make surround sound like these mp3s

Aww man +reps for that (even though there is no reputation system on this forum ). It was an awesome experience! I'm actually going to keep those.

The virtual haricut is HILARIOUS! But, at the same time it was such an experience. I felt like I was in a movie. :lol

By the way, I listened with my YAMAHA RH-5Ma studio moniters. I make music and these are said to be one of the greats among studio moniters; that's why I bought them. Also, I played the files on my PS3.

Man this all just pushed me to want to use these for gaming! I never have for some reason. Yea, see I can use these and then use my Playstation Eye for voice chat. OSSUM!

 

[Davidion]

Wow.

Now I know why some people snort at the earbuds the iPod comes with. I had no idea a market like this even existed.

I mean, 5.1 headphones? Mind = blown.

Too expensive for me to try out, though. : (

It's actually the audiophile headphones and the JVC adapter that people are getting so excited about. The actual 5.1 headphone market isn't exactly highly regarded.

And yes, set on fire those worthless ipod earbuds. They're not worth the packaging that they came in.

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

hey, just throught i'd let you guys know i managed to find an adaptor. almost got screwed though.

the one i brought didn't have a plug small enough, but i moaned to the store and they sent me one which, luckly, did.


the adapter:

http://www.tradetech.co.nz/results.html?search_type=0&new_search=1&q=ADP3CRZ

the attachment i needed:

http://www.tradetech.co.nz/results.html?search_type=0&new_search=1&q=PLGP10


currently got my ps3 outputting to the DH1 via optical cable, then running a headphone jack to RCA adapter cord back to my receiver so that i can easily swap between headphone and speakers on the receiver . sweet!

did you have to buy an adapter for that or did it just work? In other words, would it work if I used it here in the states?

The batteries that came with the unit suck but the pair I put in after that have lasted me pretty well, haven't had to change them yet. I dunno, I might stick with rechargeables since it already has three wires coming out of it, don't need to add another.

 

[jmd494]

Sorry if this was mentioned above (long thread)...but is there any way to plug headphones directly into the console (PS3) without a receiver?

 

[Commandr Keen]

Well, I decided to order the Astro Gaming A40 Audio System as I wanted the ability to control my Xbox Live voice chat. Dolby Headphone tech is also very important to me. I am pumped for getting the A40's, but now have to wait for more then a month for them to begin shipping towards the end of March. The wait is going to kill me. Anyone else in a holding pattern too?

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

anyone with the 280's have any experience with making it into a headset? I see in the manual that this is possible and was wondering how well it works if anyone knows.

 

[Anduron]

To anyone with the Pioneer SE-DIR800C HDPH headphones.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007XL43M/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Do you still need an amp with these? Hoping they work well without it.

 

[glimmerman]

To anyone with the Pioneer SE-DIR800C HDPH headphones.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007XL43M/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Do you still need an amp with these? Hoping they work well without it.

You dont need an amp: the base unit its supplied with does all the processing required for dolby headphone.

All you need is digital coax or optical link into the base unit.

 

[Rentahamster]

FYI, Amazon has the Sennheiser HD-280 headphones for $70 if you use a 30% off coupon. Regular price is $100. Use coupon code HCZEXRI7 at checkout.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000065BPB/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Make sure to choose Amazon as the seller since the coupon only works with them.

This coupon also works with a couple other headphones, too. Go to this link for details: http://slickdeals.net/?permadeal=11700#direct_deal_11700

 

[LowParry]

Well I've got my gaming sound system all set and go. But my PC sound is just okay. Headphones is pretty much the ideal thing for me. Been looking through the thread and getting a little confused with the amp + headphone purchasing. What I can say is the sound card I have in now is a Striker 7.1 sound card that supports DTS and DD (although to be more specific, there's the review for the sound card which gives a better idea of what I have: http://www.cluboc.net/reviews/sound/HT_Omega/Claro/index.htm). So 5.1 headphones seem to be the thing I want along with a mic to yap with TF2/WoW/CS:S/Etc players. I'm not really sure what to pin point my purchase on. Never bought a 5.1 set before. Just looking for some good recommendations.

 

[traveler]

How do the HD-280s and PXC 300s compare to the 555s?

edit: Will I even be able to take advatage of the 5.1 headphone amp and headphones combo I'm going for with my PC? My soundcard is a Creative Xi-Fi one.

 

[Buggy Loop]

I've got the sennheiser HD555, first "quality" headphones i bought in my life and i still cant believe how good it sounds 1 year after purchase. Maybe when i have some more money to throw around or if my 555 die out some day i'll try some grado, but overall, 555 is sex.

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

hey, just throught i'd let you guys know i managed to find an adaptor. almost got screwed though.

the one i brought didn't have a plug small enough, but i moaned to the store and they sent me one which, luckly, did.


the adapter:

http://www.tradetech.co.nz/results.html?search_type=0&new_search=1&q=ADP3CRZ

the attachment i needed:

http://www.tradetech.co.nz/results.html?search_type=0&new_search=1&q=PLGP10


currently got my ps3 outputting to the DH1 via optical cable, then running a headphone jack to RCA adapter cord back to my receiver so that i can easily swap between headphone and speakers on the receiver . sweet!

will these work on a US current?

 

[Router]

Well, I decided to order the Astro Gaming A40 Audio System as I wanted the ability to control my Xbox Live voice chat. Dolby Headphone tech is also very important to me. I am pumped for getting the A40's, but now have to wait for more then a month for them to begin shipping towards the end of March. The wait is going to kill me. Anyone else in a holding pattern too?

Let us know what you think when you get them. I love my JVC and sehhneiser setup but really do want something better for XBL chat.

I am really just waiting for reviews on the Astro stuff before I jump on in.

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

what kind of sennheiser's do you have?

 

[LowParry]

http://www.turtlebeach.com/products/efhpa2/home.aspx

Those good for general PC gaming and music listening?

 

[Router]

what kind of sennheiser's do you have?

I have the HD 477. Love them to pieces but they don't have a mic on them so its a pain on XBL. At this point I just output the audio to the speakers in the dashboard, plug the XBL headset into the controller and have the headset hanging on my neck with the mic in place.

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

ah. In the book for the 280's it says that they can be converted to have a mic attached, I wonder if yours can too?

 

[Davidion]

How do the HD-280s and PXC 300s compare to the 555s?

My money would be on the 555. Open is usually better than closed and you want to avoid active noise cancellation.

ah. In the book for the 280's it says that they can be converted to have a mic attached, I wonder if yours can too?

I've never seen such a mod done, but Sennheiser does sell boomsets built upon their regular studio headphones like the HD280s and the HD 25's.

Problem: they cost an arm and a fucking leg.

 

[BirdFlu]

Holy shit, just got the Beyerdynamic DT770-Pro 80s. Talk about being freaking blown away. MUCH better than the Bose Triports I had before and now I'm all set for ALAN WAKE

 

[traveler]

Alright, just to clarify before I order, to take advantage of the surround sound for gaming + nice headphones, all I need is the following:

- http://www.audiocubes.com/category/...ct/JVC_SU-DH1_Surround_Headphone_Adapter.html
- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001FTVDQ/?tag=neogaf0e-20
- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006HUVH/?tag=neogaf0e-20
- http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10229&cs_id=1022902&p_id=1557&seq=1&format=2

 

[BirdFlu]

Alright, just to clarify before I order, to take advantage of the surround sound for gaming + nice headphones, all I need is the following:

- http://www.audiocubes.com/category/...ct/JVC_SU-DH1_Surround_Headphone_Adapter.html
- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001FTVDQ/?tag=neogaf0e-20
- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006HUVH/?tag=neogaf0e-20
- http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10229&cs_id=1022902&p_id=1557&seq=1&format=2

Yup that's all you need. Though I'm not sure about the AC adapter since I opted for rechargeable batteries. But the other 3 are all good

 

[Mindlog]

I can't find the specs on the Belkin adapter. I don't know if it will fit or not in light of that other post.

ill take a closer look in the morning

next morning

 

[traveler]

Ah, ok. I'll wait until then, then. (I'll probably have to wait a while for the money anyway; I'd just like to know what my final budget needs to be.)

 

[DKo5]

Alright, just to clarify before I order, to take advantage of the surround sound for gaming + nice headphones, all I need is the following:

- http://www.audiocubes.com/category/...ct/JVC_SU-DH1_Surround_Headphone_Adapter.html
- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001FTVDQ/?tag=neogaf0e-20
- http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006HUVH/?tag=neogaf0e-20
- http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10229&cs_id=1022902&p_id=1557&seq=1&format=2

Looks delicious!

I've been using the HD-555s ~10hrs+ a day for almost 3 years now (both at home + work, listening to them right now in fact) and I can't say enough good things about them. They're "budget" enough for most people looking to upgrade, yet they have such phenomenal sound quality.

In fact, just the other day I was playing COD4 (x360, didn't get a chance to try PS3 sorry) using a co-workers SU-DH1 on my HD-555s - I can't say it made a HUGE difference to me (yet - I only got a few minutes of use in), but it definitely gave some depth to the sound.

If you're wanting to take your overall quality up yet another notch I would highly recommend an amp - I currently use the Total Bithead (http://www.headphone.com/products/headphone-amps/the-mobile-line/headroom-total-bithead.php). At $150 its not cheap, but it does double duty as a normal line-in amp as well as a USB audio device. The HD-555s aren't necessarily a set of cans that require an amp to enjoy, but running them through an amp does increase the sound quality.

Oh, I'd also recommend getting a regular optical cable and an adapter - so that you could potentially use the cable later on. http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10423&cs_id=1042301&p_id=2671&seq=1&format=2

 

[sun-drop]

will these work on a US current?

prob wont fit in a US wall socket, you could buy a adaptor for that to plug into? .. but really, just find a electronics store .. the actual plug that goes into the Dh1 is the tricky bit ..but ..shouldn't be too hard to find, took me a couple days here in li ol NZ, can't imagine you'd have too many problems in the states..

 

[traveler]

I'm not too versed in this audio stuff, but I was under the impression the SU-DH1 was an amp- what is it that an amp will do that it will not and vice versa? If I'm looking for primarily the "surround sound" feel (or, at least, illusion) which of the two would be better for me: a good amp or the SU-DH1?

 

[DKo5]

I'm not too versed in this audio stuff, but I was under the impression the SU-DH1 was an amp- what is it that an amp will do that it will not and vice versa? If I'm looking for primarily the "surround sound" feel (or, at least, illusion) which of the two would be better for me: a good amp or the SU-DH1?

The SU-DH1 is giving you that surround sound "experience" (as best as it can), but I do not believe it will do a very adequate job as an amp. I didn't try chaining the SU-DH1 -> Total Bithead -> HD-555s, but I could only imagine it would sound better than w/o the Total Bithead.

Again, its not like it sounded bad or that I was longing for a good amp - just saying that the amp will always increase quality and will work with any kind of use you throw at it.

 

[traveler]

The SU-DH1 is giving you that surround sound "experience" (as best as it can), but I do not believe it will do a very adequate job as an amp. I didn't try chaining the SU-DH1 -> Total Bithead -> HD-555s, but I could only imagine it would sound better than w/o the Total Bithead.

Again, its not like it sounded bad or that I was longing for a good amp - just saying that the amp will always increase quality and will work with any kind of use you throw at it.

Ah, ok. Right now, it's more of a matter of which to get first, as I'll most likely want to continue to upgrade my setup regardless of what I purchase first. Thanks for the information and advice.

 

[HondaF1Fanatic]

Will the Total Bithead work with the USB ports on a PS3?

 

[DKo5]

Will the Total Bithead work with the USB ports on a PS3?

Doubt it - when you plug it into a PC Windows recognizes it and installs some drivers. You could use it via a normal line-in w/ batteries, though. It supposedly actually sounds better when you run it via batteries than powered through USB - but I personally can't tell a difference on my HD-555s

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

prob wont fit in a US wall socket, you could buy a adaptor for that to plug into? .. but really, just find a electronics store .. the actual plug that goes into the Dh1 is the tricky bit ..but ..shouldn't be too hard to find, took me a couple days here in li ol NZ, can't imagine you'd have too many problems in the states..

I've been to every electronics store I can think of and I can't find one for that hole. Maybe it's non-standard i.e. non-US? I dunno how it works.

 

[Mindlog]

The smallest adapter on the belkin unit is probably 2.0mm. I took one of mine that looks like a dead ringer for it. I suspected 2.0 but measured just in case.

That will work for mine, because that's the plug I'm using. ymmv

I'll keep an eye out.

as an amp, the JVC unit is crappy and distorts too much. even a cmoy performs much better IMO.

but with a DD source, it's sex.