Need advice on purchase.

M

Magnum G.I.

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May 19, 2007
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Hi all.

Im looking to put together a headphone set-up that will be used primarily for gaming.
I am interested in the best sound that i can get on a budget of around 4-500 dollars max
and thats only if it is must have parts.
I will not be spending that whole amount at one time so I need parts that can be added to over time if possible.

I am interested in the Senn. HD555 as newegg has these for $109.

I am currently using the new shuttle SG33G5 pc, I have one PCI slot for an added sound card. Which card can fit in this budget for what id like to accomplish?

Also do you recommend amp/dac? and if so which kind?

p.s. If this matters any, I do not care about portability. But my desk size is not overly big for an amp if it is needed.
I would like to purchase once and be happy.

Thanks
 
I've been very pleased with my Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pros and, since they're the only proper pair of headphones i've owned, i can't really suggest anything else. To begin with, i'd get a pair of headphones (like the DT 770 Pros) which will scale well with an amplifier which you can then add later. But, to begin with, just get the 'phones and a sound card.

For the sound card, since you game, there's not much else other than an X-Fi card that you can consider. I'd probably get the Xtreme Music, if you can get hold of it; if not, then i'd get the Fatal1ty card. However, before you do all this see how the X-Fi Prelude works out.

With a pair of headphones like the DT 770 Pros, an amplifier will really help with audio quality, whereas it wouldn't make as much difference (and probably not worth the money) with something like a pair of HD555s. But with your budget i would've expected you'd be looking at something better than the HD555s anyway.
 
if your talking about $500 you can do better than the 555's

but all youve told is is 1) you game

we need to know more

type of music you listen to? type of games? do you like bass? are you a detail freak etc etc
 
Music: Rock music, Think Tool here for reference.

Games: First person shooter primary, Im looking forward to UT2007,Crysis, Team fortres2 etc. The rare RPG,MMO.

I love bass, The more that better.

Ive always had picky ears and i could tell the difference in sound quality, But only now is it starting to be of interest to me.

Ive been using some really cheap Logitechs, Im tired of poor audio in everything from games to music and I really want something of quality that will last me awhile.

If i dont have to spend a large sum of money to get quality audio for my system i wont. But seeing as how most of these components have a high price tag i set a high budget as something to work with.
 
Beyer DT 770 Pro then? How about a good amp for them?

Looking at the Xfi gamer, Or would the Xfi music be better?
 
Magnum G.I. said:
Or would the Xfi music be better?
Click to expand...

Definitely. Do you intend to connect the front audio ports on your case to the card? If so, then you'd have to get the Xtreme Gamer. Alternatively, if you got the Fatal1ty with the front i/o panel (should you have a free 5.25" drive in your case), then you'd be able to hook your headphones up to that.

As for an amplifier, i think they are fine without one. However, with nothing to compare them with, an amp might make a world of difference. A lot of people say that, un-amplified, only about 60% of the DT 770 Pros potential is actually being used. This is why i'm thinking of getting an amplifier so i, too, would like to know what people suggest here.
 
I will not have a spare bay for the fatality piece, And i wont be hooking up the front connectors to the soundcard.

So since i wont be using those will the X-fi music still be better than the Gamer?

And what amp to use with the DT 770 Pro's?
 
The only differences between the music and the gamer is the music has gold plated plugs and 2mb xram. the xram is a 'feature' yet to be used by any games (tho it does cause crackles and crashs in battlefield games :) )

get the gamer and put the extra toward your headphones
 
I'm thinking...

X-Fi XtremeMusic: ~$85.
Beyerdynamic DT 880 2005s from BHPhotoVideo: $258.
Practical Devices XM4: $135, though there are certainly other suitable amps for the same price and less, this is a solid, well-rounded little amp (but quite powerful) that generally seems to be well-favored.

Comes to ~$478, less shipping, and this will be a pretty killer little setup. Do you need to spend this much? Probably not. The 770s are fairly good cans, but they aren't without interesting little caveats.

Audio-Technica's ATH-AD900s are a good recommendation for un-amped cans. $219, and very easy to drive at their rated 35 ohms. Fairly bassy (though not really capable of hitting DT 770/880 territory), fairly clean, but quite open. You won't get much as much as an attenuation factor as you would from the 880s. Without the need of a discrete amplifier, you could opt out of the generic X-Fi for the upcoming X-Fi Prelude (around $200).

Every configuration you look at will have pros and cons. Take some time, learn about various cans, amps and cards, and go from there. You have a good budget, so you have a number various avenues which you can take. Very few will lead to disappointment.
 
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