[ls13coco]

   
I got the K7XX's last year and really dislike them for gaming because I found it difficult to tell where the sounds were coming from. The soundstage is a little bigger than some of my other headphones I've had (HD600 and the HE-400i) but what it gains in soundstage it loses in imaging. The sound gets a little muddy in the transition from the low end to the mid range. That's what I really dislike about the sound on them. 
 
So, I don't use them for gaming or music but I do like them for movies. The HE-400i are better but I returned them due to disliking the build quality, the cord and I experienced some pain in the ear area. But the sound was good. I liked them just a little more than my HD600's. 
 
As for others bringing up the power supply I strongly recommend upgrading. The improved sound quality is just flat out amazing - on speakers. The one I got was on amazon... www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019HW0UBU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Hearing what you said, I'm glad I splurged for the 712 rather than the 7xx.
I just got them yesterday morning, burned in with pink noise for probably 6 hours.
Using them with 2x dual and 2x single Sparkos op-amps, with much experience with the HE400i and HD 598 and I can say that they seem great! Music, and gaming has been what I expected from the reviews. Used them in a competitive FPS called Day of Infamy last night and I'd clearly hear an enemy coming from the left rear and be ready before he comes around the corner.

 

[VeerK]

Hearing what you said, I'm glad I splurged for the 712 rather than the 7xx.

I just got them yesterday morning, burned in with pink noise for probably 6 hours.

Using them with 2x dual and 2x single Sparkos op-amps, with much experience with the HE400i and HD 598 and I can say that they seem great! Music, and gaming has been what I expected from the reviews. Used them in a competitive FPS called Day of Infamy last night and I'd clearly hear an enemy coming from the left rear and be ready before he comes around the corner.

How much of an improvement did you hear with the sparkos

 

[ls13coco]

How much of an improvement did you hear with the sparkos

Enough of an improvement to be satisfied! (even though they aren't exactly cheap)

I was looking into a new amp/dac for primarily music, mostly the Element.
Reading some reviews of the X7, it seemed that it is actually (for it's price range) very high quality and I'm better off with only the X7 as my dac and SS amp.
The Sparkos just confirmed that I do not need to spend any money on a new SS amp or dac.

I'll put together a review, after I've had more time with the new op-amps.

 

[Find the Door]

How much of an improvement did you hear with the sparkos

Significant improvement with the Sparkos. I will say though that my experience was completely different with the K712 Pros so much so that I had to send them back. I'm currently seeking an alternative. The imaging just wasn't good - especially when things got busy. I'd consistently lose tracking on an enemy when playing Rainbow Six if stuff got going. Everything sounded like I was listening through a pillow compared to my MMX 300s.

 

[Find the Door]

I got the K7XX's last year and really dislike them for gaming because I found it difficult to tell where the sounds were coming from. The soundstage is a little bigger than some of my other headphones I've had (HD600 and the HE-400i) but what it gains in soundstage it loses in imaging. The sound gets a little muddy in the transition from the low end to the mid range. That's what I really dislike about the sound on them. 

So, I don't use them for gaming or music but I do like them for movies. The HE-400i are better but I returned them due to disliking the build quality, the cord and I experienced some pain in the ear area. But the sound was good. I liked them just a little more than my HD600's. 

As for others bringing up the power supply I strongly recommend upgrading. The improved sound quality is just flat out amazing - on speakers. The one I got was on amazon... www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019HW0UBU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

What'd you end up using for gaming cause your assessment is the same as mine? Also I have the Limited Edition x7 - do I still need to upgrade the power supply?

Thanks

 

[Yethal]

What'd you end up using for gaming cause your assessment is the same as mine? Also I have the Limited Edition x7 - do I still need to upgrade the power supply?

Thanks

You don't, the Limited Edition comes with the upgraded power supply. Also, the power supply makes zero difference when using headphones.

 

[c-attack]

How much of an improvement did you hear with the sparkos

There is no reason you have to change both sets out at the same time.  I would start with the 3601's and see how it goes.  They are the cheaper option, don't require any compromise on the chassis, and the type of improvement you get on that side is universal.  The increase in dynamic range will be evident regardless of the application or music type.  The 3602's do make a difference, but they are more situational.  You'd be hard pressed to tell in gaming and while possibly revealing more depth in some music, it might be lost in other selections.

 

[alpiney]

What'd you end up using for gaming cause your assessment is the same as mine? Also I have the Limited Edition x7 - do I still need to upgrade the power supply?

Thanks

Yethel is correct the LE already has the upgraded power supply and makes no difference in sound with headphones but makes a noticeable difference with speakers. (I would recommend the LE over the regular version for this reason - it would of saved me a headache)
 
I just use my HD600's for now. I was using the HD700 for the last month and LOVED them for gaming. The soundstage was incredible. However, for a variety of reasons I decided some of the negatives of the headphones outweighed the positives and I returned them to Amazon. I'm just going to do what I've wanted to do for a long time, bite the bullet and buy the HD800's.

 

[MichaelJames99]

Looking for help here!!! Need to replace 3 year old Creative Sound Recon3D .. 100% surround movie watching use..
 
My Recon3D which I have been using for watching movies just tanked and I need to replace it.  It was ok, but not great.  I typically am feed it streaming movies from DirectTV or my Samsung BD-F7500 4K Upscaling Blu-ray Disc Player (2014 Model).  Ive been using a 15 year old tube amp (Musical Fidelity XCAN v2).  AKG K712 headphones.   TV is Panasonic 65" VT60.  I dont have to keep the XCAN. Marantz AV7702 preamp processor (but the headphone surround mode sucks in my opinion)
 
So Im looking for options.  I was hoping to be around $500.  But if I heard of something really outstanding for surround processing, I could go as high as $1600.
 
1. Smyth Realiser has the A16 coming out possibly this year for $1600
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/807459/smyth-research-realiser-a16
http://www.smyth-research.com/
 
2. The Sound Blaster X7 sounds good here too and have heard some people going with the full upgrade options ( Sparkos SS3601 and SS3602 OP amp upgrade )
 
Are there other options I should be looking at?
Does any know where I could buy a fully upgraded X7 (Im not very handy and would prefer someone who has already installed the full op amp upgrades.)
Can any hypothesize how these would compare?  I am 100% movie watching
 
Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[Yethal]

  Looking for help here!!! Need to replace 3 year old Creative Sound Recon3D .. 100% surround movie watching use..
 
My Recon3D which I have been using for watching movies just tanked and I need to replace it.  It was ok, but not great.  I typically am feed it streaming movies from DirectTV or my Samsung BD-F7500 4K Upscaling Blu-ray Disc Player (2014 Model).  Ive been using a 15 year old tube amp (Musical Fidelity XCAN v2).  AKG K712 headphones.   TV is Panasonic 65" VT60.  I dont have to keep the XCAN. Marantz AV7702 preamp processor (but the headphone surround mode sucks in my opinion)
 
So Im looking for options.  I was hoping to be around $500.  But if I heard of something really outstanding for surround processing, I could go as high as $1600.
 
1. Smyth Realiser has the A16 coming out possibly this year for $1600
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/807459/smyth-research-realiser-a16
http://www.smyth-research.com/
 
2. The Sound Blaster X7 sounds good here too and have heard some people going with the full upgrade options ( Sparkos SS3601 and SS3602 OP amp upgrade )
 
Are there other options I should be looking at?
Does any know where I could buy a fully upgraded X7 (Im not very handy and would prefer someone who has already installed the full op amp upgrades.)
Can any hypothesize how these would compare?  I am 100% movie watching
 
Any help is greatly appreciated!

You can buy a used Marantz A/V receiver with Dolby Headphone support. Will probably yield better results than the X7 since You plan to use it for movie watching only.
I doubt You could buy the X7 with Sparkos opamps preinstalled but installing them is a piece of cake so don't worry.
If your budget can go as far as 1600$ why don't You buy the A16 instead of looking at cheaper (and most probably inferior) alternatives?

 

[MichaelJames99]

Is the X7 for surround processing better than the Recon3D?  If not, I may just save some money and go Realizer A16.
 
As far as getting another preamp, Im of the opion sepeartes typically do a better job.
 
Are there any DTS-X options?

 

[Yethal]

  Is the X7 for surround processing better than the Recon3D?  If not, I may just save some money and go Realizer A16.
 
As far as getting another preamp, Im of the opion sepeartes typically do a better job.
 
Are there any DTS-X options?

The surround algorithm is the same but DAC and amp are better so overall it is a better (albeit more expensive) device.
Tritton Katana uses DTS-X but it's paired to its own headset. Some manual modding would be required to make it work with other headphones.

 

[Digitalis]

 I'm having a hard time finding a pair of headphones that match the speakers I currently have. I might consider getting multi-driver IEMs - those would probably have a better chance of matching the Klipsch RP-160M.
 
Addendum, I now have a pair of Burson V5i op-amps on the way, I was tempted by the ss3602 - but they don't come in the handy packaging. I'll build a plinth with brass isolating spikes for my X7, so I don't have to worry about the open op-amp access panel I have some spare Jarrah wood.
 
Also for surround sound capability, I have been looking into getting an Emotiva A-500. With the Op amp flexibility of the X7 coupled with the A-500 this could be a fun combination.

 

[mbyrnes]

Yethel is correct the LE already has the upgraded power supply and makes no difference in sound with headphones but makes a noticeable difference with speakers. (I would recommend the LE over the regular version for this reason - it would of saved me a headache)

I just use my HD600's for now. I was using the HD700 for the last month and LOVED them for gaming. The soundstage was incredible. However, for a variety of reasons I decided some of the negatives of the headphones outweighed the positives and I returned them to Amazon. I'm just going to do what I've wanted to do for a long time, bite the bullet and buy the HD800's.

After listening to the Hifiman Edition X V2 today, that's what I want. Got some time with the HD800s, Elear, LCD2, and a few others. They would pair nicely with the Fostex. I could sell all the rest and be happy with just those 2.

Side note. Fried a SS3602 today. Pissed doesn't even begin to tell the story. Brought my gear to a meet and it popped halfway out, didn't realize until it was too late.

 

[ElectronicTonic]

I finally ordered an X7, wish I would done it a couple months ago, when they were cheaper. It will be replacing my trusty old Astro wireless 5.8 mixamp. I also ordered the BT-W2, to use chat with my PS4. Excited to play with some new gear. Now I just need to upgrade my old Sennheiser PC360 headset.....might just wait for it to stop working, before I buy anything else.