New Headphones/set? Audio-Technica ATH-AG1X?

[Hydrotti]

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A

 

[ssddx]

one thing you often lose out a bit on with closed cans is soundstage. not much you can do about that though if you need noise isolation.

look at the a500x, a700x, a900x (closed versions of the popular open cans). not quite as nice as the open variants but if you need closed they are worth a look. ath-ag1x is basically a a 500x with mic attached.

perhaps akg k271/k240 though again sounstage is not the same as open

perhpas fostex t50rp (or the modded version called mad dogs by mr speaker). with some nice upgrade pads and a decent amplifier it may be worthwhile

dt770 have decent soundstage for being closed. trouble is the 80 ohm is very bassy so may drown out some footsteps if you dont eq and the 250 you would want a decent amp with. also if you wanted a mic that cuts the budget really close. great cans all around though.

most of your good gaming cans are open. things like the hd518/558/598, ad500x/700x, k701/q701, dt990/dt880. even the game zero (based on hd5*8 line), mmx300 (loosely based on an old dt770 premium design) and ath-adg1 (based on ad500x/7d00x) are all open.

 

[Hydrotti]

one thing you often lose out a bit on with closed cans is soundstage. not much you can do about that though if you need noise isolation.

look at the a500x, a700x, a900x (closed versions of the popular open cans). not quite as nice as the open variants but if you need closed they are worth a look. ath-ag1x is basically a a 500x with mic attached.

perhaps akg k271/k240 though again sounstage is not the same as open

perhpas fostex t50rp (or the modded version called mad dogs by mr speaker). with some nice upgrade pads and a decent amplifier it may be worthwhile

dt770 have decent soundstage for being closed. trouble is the 80 ohm is very bassy so may drown out some footsteps if you dont eq and the 250 you would want a decent amp with. also if you wanted a mic that cuts the budget really close. great cans all around though.

most of your good gaming cans are open. things like the hd518/558/598, ad500x/700x, k701/q701, dt990/dt880. even the game zero (based on hd5*8 line), mmx300 (loosely based on an old dt770 premium design) and ath-adg1 (based on ad500x/7d00x) are all open.

Thanks for your response! I could have sworn I was setup for email updates for responses, but I guess not.

So the AG1X are a 500x with a mic? So I could get a 700x or 900x and a mod mic for less and get better audio? That's good to know as I would hate spend more on a headset that is practically a 500x than a 900x..

I did see a little about the AKGs and dt770's however nothing I read really made me lean towards getting them.

Would my best option be the 700x/900x then? Or would you recommend the AKG or dt770s more? I know everyone has different taste, but I would rather take your word than picking one out of a hat.

And if I went with one that needs an amp would a Fiio E10k be a good option? Also would I benefit from finding an option that provides virtual surround such as the Xonar DX?

I apologize for the abundance of questions but audio is by far my weakest topic with electronics and it seems everything you read online contradicts the last thing you read..

 

[ssddx]

i thought it defaulted to email notification. perhaps your spam filter kicked in.

for clarification so you do not get confused: the AD500x would be the open version while the A500x would be the closed. the ADG1 is the open set while the AG1 is the closed set. looks like you have it right but since you did not list the prefix i wanted to make sure. they share the same drivers just different design (open vs closed).

as far as everyone is aware its either the 500x or 700x drivers inside. the higher you go up numberwise the more bass the headsets seem to get (while still fairly bass light mind you) and somewhat better sound. iirc the soundstage gets a bit smaller (though still large) the higher you go up as well.

yes, you could go with an a900x and modmic for example.

akg has some nice cans if you dont want a whole lot of bass and can afford a decent amplifier. they tend towards bright and neutral with not so much bass normally. not everyone will like them but they arent bad cans.

which headphones are right for you depends on taste, exactly. personally for me the dt770 would be perfect given i value immersion and fun factor over any edge in gaming. i like hearing the big boomy explosions and deep bass on music. the dt770 has that as well as a decent soundstage while retaining the sound isolation closed cans deliver. as for you, it seems like you might be more interested in something that will give you a bit more advantage so i'm leaning more towards the audiotechnica cans but then again, you're likely to listen to alot of music or watch many movies so a general use can with a bit more fun factor like the dt may be up your alley too. the akgs are fine as well, but they are a bit more temperamental so put them in the list but not the short list.

one reason why i left much leeway is because you did not flesh out very well what your taste profile was so i'm unsure about what you actually want. all of the listed headphones are good, but what fits you best depends on your needs.

whether you go with a soundcard or amp or dac+amp depends on what headphones you want as well as the quality of your onboard audio as well as if you care about virtual surround or not.

1. watch the videos here http/www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lust-envys-headphone-gaming-guide-3-18-2016-mrspeakers-ether-c-1-1-added with some headphones on (doesnt matter, any pair that are stereo) and see if you like how virtual sounds and which virtual you like most.

2. if you want virtual, you either need a soundcard, your onboard audio needs to support it or you need to use razers. by default an external dac does not support it and will be standard stereo only. now, i've heard that you can get it working if you either A) have a soundcard or onboard that supports it (a user i was helping kindly let me know he got it working with an external DAC+AMP since he already had a soundcard separately) or B) use razers virtual. another option is using a soundcard (or onboard) as the DAC portion and just buying an external amp if you need one.

personally i could care less about virtual myself. i use speakers anyways... so i may be biased.

not all options need an amp.

the fiio e10k is a nice unit for the price. its entry level but good value. the external boxes which give virtual such as the creative e1 are flawed so i would not rely on those.

the first thing i would do is figure out what kind of signature you want. then find out if you care about virtual and report back. generally bass light cans are advantageous since they dont cover up footsteps but at the same time they can sound lackluster or a little tinny given the lack of bass. neutral cans will sound flat which can be boring but are also the most tonally accurate. v-shaped cans with good bass may cover up some footsteps but will sound the most fun generally speaking. (a/ad series is bass light, dt770 is v-shaped, akg tend towards neutral or bass light)

be aware the dt770 has different lines. the 80 ohm version is the most bassy. the 32 the easiest to drive but not as nice sounding. the 250 is a bit harder to drive but will be the most refined sounding. generally its worth buying either the 250 or 80 and ignoring the 32.

 

[Hydrotti]

i thought it defaulted to email notification. perhaps your spam filter kicked in.

for clarification so you do not get confused: the AD500x would be the open version while the A500x would be the closed. the ADG1 is the open set while the AG1 is the closed set. looks like you have it right but since you did not list the prefix i wanted to make sure. they share the same drivers just different design (open vs closed).

as far as everyone is aware its either the 500x or 700x drivers inside. the higher you go up numberwise the more bass the headsets seem to get (while still fairly bass light mind you) and somewhat better sound. iirc the soundstage gets a bit smaller (though still large) the higher you go up as well.

yes, you could go with an a900x and modmic for example.

akg has some nice cans if you dont want a whole lot of bass and can afford a decent amplifier. they tend towards bright and neutral with not so much bass normally. not everyone will like them but they arent bad cans.

which headphones are right for you depends on taste, exactly. personally for me the dt770 would be perfect given i value immersion and fun factor over any edge in gaming. i like hearing the big boomy explosions and deep bass on music. the dt770 has that as well as a decent soundstage while retaining the sound isolation closed cans deliver. as for you, it seems like you might be more interested in something that will give you a bit more advantage so i'm leaning more towards the audiotechnica cans but then again, you're likely to listen to alot of music or watch many movies so a general use can with a bit more fun factor like the dt may be up your alley too. the akgs are fine as well, but they are a bit more temperamental so put them in the list but not the short list.

one reason why i left much leeway is because you did not flesh out very well what your taste profile was so i'm unsure about what you actually want. all of the listed headphones are good, but what fits you best depends on your needs.

whether you go with a soundcard or amp or dac+amp depends on what headphones you want as well as the quality of your onboard audio as well as if you care about virtual surround or not.

1. watch the videos here http/www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lust-envys-headphone-gaming-guide-3-18-2016-mrspeakers-ether-c-1-1-added with some headphones on (doesnt matter, any pair that are stereo) and see if you like how virtual sounds and which virtual you like most.

2. if you want virtual, you either need a soundcard, your onboard audio needs to support it or you need to use razers. by default an external dac does not support it and will be standard stereo only. now, i've heard that you can get it working if you either A) have a soundcard or onboard that supports it (a user i was helping kindly let me know he got it working with an external DAC+AMP since he already had a soundcard separately) or B) use razers virtual. another option is using a soundcard (or onboard) as the DAC portion and just buying an external amp if you need one.

personally i could care less about virtual myself. i use speakers anyways... so i may be biased.

not all options need an amp.

the fiio e10k is a nice unit for the price. its entry level but good value. the external boxes which give virtual such as the creative e1 are flawed so i would not rely on those.

the first thing i would do is figure out what kind of signature you want. then find out if you care about virtual and report back. generally bass light cans are advantageous since they dont cover up footsteps but at the same time they can sound lackluster or a little tinny given the lack of bass. neutral cans will sound flat which can be boring but are also the most tonally accurate. v-shaped cans with good bass may cover up some footsteps but will sound the most fun generally speaking. (a/ad series is bass light, dt770 is v-shaped, akg tend towards neutral or bass light)

be aware the dt770 has different lines. the 80 ohm version is the most bassy. the 32 the easiest to drive but not as nice sounding. the 250 is a bit harder to drive but will be the most refined sounding. generally its worth buying either the 250 or 80 and ignoring the 32.

Wow thank you for such a thorough response! I think I will try one of the audio technica pairs, which one I am not quite sure of yet. I will look at expanding upon my audio setup after I receive the headphones and see how I feel about them.

Thanks again!

 

[ssddx]

if you need a mic, look at the modmic. for the price its not bad. unidirectional if you have background noise you want to try and not pick up.