[HollowNoise]

Also, how would you compare the MA900 with the AD700, in terms of soundstage and imaging?

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

FWIH of the K612, it looks incredibly well balanced and a safe choice. As for what it does better, I can't say. It DOES look appealing by it's graphs.

I doubt it'd be a let down, but I can easily suggest the MA900 because I own it, love it, and don't find much, if anything wrong with it. But yeah, don't look at it for the price it's going for now.

The K612 Pro is a headphone I'd love to try at some point. Just not sure it can touch the imaging and soundstage on the MA900. Highly doubtful, really.

 

[AxelCloris]

  Anyone know what in ear monitors are good for gaming?

 
Gaming with my 1964-Q is quite enjoyable. If you're looking at IEMs, try and find the largest soundstage you can. They're naturally small by design so you need to try and get the most out of it. Check out the Soundstage Head Club for some suggestions on IEMs and ear buds with decent soundstages. I also enjoyed playing games with my Etymotic HF3 when I had them, but they are in no means good for positional queues. That said, they delivered some amazing detail in my games. You can get the Etymotic MC2 on sale right now for $20 shipped. Might be worth looking into if you want a clear headphone for some light gaming.

 

[Fegefeuer]

  Anyone know what in ear monitors are good for gaming?

 
The best soundstage I've encountered combined with good balance/tonality is the Stage Diver 3. That Inear is amazing.
 
If I didn't have the UE 900 I'd already have one. Mobile audio for me is more casual though as I'm only safe in the train so I don't spend much there. 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

[VIDEO]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqF9QuJ0Gws[/VIDEO]


So much HNNNNG

 

[DoctaCosmos]

i have recently played with a pair of denon ah-d600 and have been won over.
There's two reasons that stick out and they are mostly directly related.
The imaging.  I was first won over by these headphones for their music imaging capabilities.
They force the music into your head like no other headphone.  Even the D2000 didn't do this for me.
I don't have to focus on the music.  It has attached itself and all it's full body to your brain and yet doesn't
interrupt your train of thought.
Secondly the isolation.  I believe the isolation plays a big roll in this imaging but focus is where
this comes into play with gaming.  I hear everything on this headphone detail wise.  Not the most smoothly detailed headphone
but because it's not the most dynamic headphone when there is a distinct detail to be heard like footsteps, it cracks your attention sensories
in the face.  All of my other headphones i almost get over loaded with things i'm hearing but not with these.  I felt like a call of duty ninja.
granted they aren't as smooth of resolving as a planar or probably not as much as your akg's but they don't sound wrong either.
These phones definitely opened up more with burn-in.
/I wanted to hold off on reporting my findings on here because if it becomes a popular headphone the price might go up and i don't want it to
because i still haven't bought a pair.  I need to sell my he-400's

 

[martin vegas]

Thanks for your replys.. I was thinking of getting the JH-3A DSP Amp with JH16 Pro Custom In-Ear Monitors to use with an alienware 18 gaming laptop!

 

[Evshrug]

Ahh, so I guess nobody disagrees with this?
No responses yesterday

...
DH is good, but I notice the reverb and prefer THX and SBX. If you imagine a 5.1 or 7.1 surround speaker setup, there is no speaker directly behind you, just two satellites at like the clock positions of 7:30 and 4:30... DH's reverb fills in that space between those two speaker positions and makes it sound more distant than where it would be at halfway along a straight line between those speakers, but THX (and SBX) at 100% surround adds a tiny bit of distance to do the same as Dolby Headphone mode 2 while having less reverb and IMO better balance less distortion. YMMV, this is just why I slightly prefer solutions from Creative for "home theater speaker" designed surround, though of course 3D surround like OpenAL and TrueAudio that was designed from the ground up for headphones and not limited to a number of speaker channels is always superior if available (which DH does not work with).

I'm gonna come out and start a discussion, lol. I'd never recommend the Mixamp myself as "the best option". I've read too many quality control issues, and they all have some degree of background hiss independent of volume (verified by MLE numerous times). The only feature it has over a cheaper (~$100 less) DSS is chat mixing, and even that doesn't work well because it vampire's power from game audio (and I believe Mad says his current one causes distortion unless the mix is turned fully to Game audio) AND with most games you can get the same effect using XBox's dynamic ducking feature or just going to a games settings options and turning down game audio till you have a nice balance with chat volume. So, here's my challenge: Why would you spend an extra $100 on the Mixamp instead of a DSS, if you must have DH?

 

[Totoori]

Picked up some HD650s. I'm looking for some recommendations on what to pair them with. I have nothing but onboard sound and they will not leave my PC desk. I game a lot, but mostly non-FPS style games that immersion is more important than complete positional accuracy, if that helps!

 

[chicolom]

I'm gonna come out and start a discussion, lol. I'd never recommend the Mixamp myself as "the best option". I've read too many quality control issues, and they all have some degree of background hiss independent of volume (verified by MLE numerous times). The only feature it has over a cheaper (~$100 less) DSS is chat mixing, and even that doesn't work well because it vampire's power from game audio (and I believe Mad says his current one causes distortion unless the mix is turned fully to Game audio) AND with most games you can get the same effect using XBox's dynamic ducking feature or just going to a games settings options and turning down game audio till you have a nice balance with chat volume. So, here's my challenge: Why would you spend an extra $100 on the Mixamp instead of a DSS, if you must have DH?

 
I haven't had any problems with chat mixing screwing up the sound.  And twisting a knob is a lot faster and more convenient than going into game or system menus and lowering volumes there.  When you lower the game/chat volume in the system, it's not the same effect because it dynamically drops the game audio down when chat is going on, which can be annoying to listen to.
 
If you want to chat with the DSS your on your own with hooking the mic up to the controller, which means it will be a messier hookup with some 3.5mm to 2.5mm adapters hanging off the controller (on xbox 360 at least).
 
So the reason to get the mixamp is for chat convenience. 
 
 

  They force the music into your head like no other headphone. 
 
It has attached itself and all it's full body to your brain and yet doesn't interrupt your train of thought.

 
Sounds like I would hate them then, as I want the soundstage out of my head, not forced into it. 

 

 

[DoctaCosmos]

come on now.  what headphone do you know of that doesn't put sound in your head? That's what imaging is.  psychoacoustics.  They all have soundstage and this one does too and a surprisingly large one.  It just has a much greater focus than most headphones. But to each his own i guess

 

[NamelessPFG]

come on now.  what headphone do you know of that doesn't put sound in your head? That's what imaging is.  psychoacoustics.  They all have soundstage and this one does too and a surprisingly large one.  It just has a much greater focus than most headphones. But to each his own i guess

 
If that's the case, then your initial choice of words suggested exactly the opposite, that music's playing entirely in your head and not beyond, pretty much the hallmark of a small soundstage.
 
What you might be trying to say, going by this latest post, is that the music sounds vast and all-encompassing enough beyond your head, yet is focused front and center despite that vastness, if I had to guess...

 

[AxelCloris]

  Picked up some HD650s. I'm looking for some recommendations on what to pair them with. I have nothing but onboard sound and they will not leave my PC desk. I game a lot, but mostly non-FPS style games that immersion is more important than complete positional accuracy, if that helps!

 
It's not a desktop amp, but I've been using the E12 with the HD650s lately. It's an awesome combo. I have the iCan on loan from Chico and while I want to get it back to him quickly I also want to try it out with gaming so I'll try to get some game time in while I have it. I'd hate to keep it from him for too long. I will say that I am digging that 3D switch for music and so far it's done an excellent job pushing the 650s.
 
Do you have a budget in mind? Maybe we can come up with an amp and soundcard in your range.

 

[chicolom]

  Irresistible K812 Pro Hype in various German forums. Must resist.

 
Resistance is futile.

 

[Change is Good]

I've been using the E12 for gaming since I moved the M-stage to my desk... while the AG2 is with MLE. I was very impressed at how it performed when doubled up with the mixamp.

If he can push his budget, however, I'd highly recommend the iCAN.