# Astro A40 vs. Sennheiser PC 350 vs. TurtleBeach HPX: A review by NTD Grenade & Steggy



## Steggy

An In-Depth Headset Round-up Review(Turtle Beach HPX | Astro A40 | Sennhieser PC 350 | Tritton AX720)










The following is my review of 7 headphones and headsets based on my experience with them. For the review, we used the Astro Mixamp with an optical connection to provide Dolby Headphone virtual 5.1 surround sound for the game Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. We also did a smaller comparison for music as well, though the main purpose of this review is targeted towards gaming.

*Note: This review is *100% independent* by myself and will be published through public sites' forums, eg: MLGPro, Halo3Forum, Head-fi.org, avsforums, and Overclock.net. These sites are not involved with this review in any way besides us posting the reviews in their forums, and these reviews do not reflect the opinion of the sites hosting them. This is just a review from an audiophile who wants to help people make a well informed purchase. Also note that because of the review's independence, there will be absolutely *no* bias toward any brand or product.*

*Grado Sr80*($95)










*Intro-*
The sr80's have a native 3.5mm jack (comes with 1/8" to 1/4th" adapter that branches off into 2 cords, each going into the ear cups. The cups themselves are able to spin independently, so you can rest them flat on your desk. With the 2 cabled V design and these free spinning ear cups, I find a lot of times this twists the cables up a lot making them bunch weird, requiring me to unfurl them before I can listen to them.

The comfort is also pretty minimal. These headphones are super aural, which means they rest on your ears instead of over them like circumaural. The pads on these headphones are pretty stiff, and can become pretty uncomfortable after a long listening session. The headband is made out of leather, it is pretty minimalistic, I don't really find any discomfort there, it's really just the ear pads that can cause problems, but there are many DIY modifications s that people have come up with that can remedy this.

These headphones are also open, so this allows sound to leak in and out, so if you are thinking of not disturbing someone else in the room by using headphones, these wouldn't be the wisest choice. But overall the design is effective but minimalistic, the build quality is good overall, and the comfort is well&#8230;eh.

*Sound-*
Well, these headphones were more or less just brought into the review to listen to some music on them. These were brought in with no intentions of being a real competitor for the gaming roundup. These headphones have no real open sound to them, the soundstage is very small. It does not bode well for a gaming headphone, and throwing in the DD on with these headphones made for a weird listening experience, I wasn't a fan.

We didn't test these headphones as much as the others for gaming, though we did have some fun bringing out their sound with the Audio-GD compass. To sum up my thoughts on the Grados, I think for music they are a fantastic set of headphones, though the comfort factor can be a turn off to some people, but they really shine when it comes to rock music, which was the reason I bought them in the first place. They have a punchy sound with clarity to boot. Good in the mid to lower registries in my eyes (or ears, you know what I mean), so you'll have fun rocking to guitar and bass. Most people describe the highs of these headphones as bright, which can go one of 2 ways for a listener.

When the highs are bright, some people find it to the point of shrillness, and it is a turnoff for them. I kind of love that kind of sound. I love it when highs are bright with headphones, and these Grados don't disappoint. So you can chalk that one up as a pro or a con, I personally consider it a pro, but everyone's got their own unique sound signature affection.

For gaming, I mean, they would be able to outdo the clarity of stock speakers of your television, but they won't really provide a competitive edge as far as directional positioning would go. And knowing the gamers of this site and the long gaming sessions they love, you'll become acquainted to ear massaging.

*Turtle Beach HPX*($80)










*Intro-*

After hearing the praise over the past few months on the HPX from Pat, I was eager to give them a go right away. When I picked it up, I noticed a few things about the design/build. One is the head adjustment. It is sort of like a spring loaded band that basically conforms when you put them on. No clicking or setting the headphones required. It just conforms to your head. The only problem here is. I have a big head. I didn't really find this method too comfortable, it just felt like there was constant pressure. I guess it's something that's able to get used to, it's just something I noticed right off the bat.

I also wanted to pay attention to the mic to get a gauge of its build quality. It was surprising to me that it was detachable, because it seemed like it was pretty well secured to the headphone. And the flexibility was very good, yet very durable. If you've ever had one of the metal flexible desk lamps, you can basically picture this as a mini version of that, it is very nice.

This headset is an open backed headset, and is circumaural, though I found my ears touching the sides of the pad, something I don't experience with my 595's or the pc 350's. All in all the build is quality, though it'd be nice to have a more comfortable fit on the head/ears.

*Sound-*

So popping on some team death match with Call of Duty 4, I could finally experience the benefits of the Astro Mixamp, and what I've been hearing about the HPX. When I popped on the HPX's, I at first thought the TV we were using became un-muted and I was hearing sounds from the TV's speakers. Everything seemed so open with the HPX and the Astro Mixamp. When in the game, I was presented with a pretty full sound. I didn't find anything really too overpowering or too light. The lows, the mids, the highs, they were all present and accounted for. If you were to compare the HPX's to the 595's or 650's, the HPX's do have slightly more bass, though i don't think it's to the point of drowning the other sounds out.

I had no problem with directional positioning. Usually I'm still stuck in Halo 2 mode where I can run around do what I want and still kick butt and take names. So when I'm in a game where you can easily be picked off, there are no shields and what not, it appears that I run around like a chicken with its head cut off. But when I took the time and paid attention to my ears, I could hear the grenades and gunfire and position them to where I could pick up some good combo kills.

For gaming, I was happy with the package you get for 80 some odd dollars. The clarity and the range of sound make for a great headset for less than 100 dollars. This was pretty surprising given the normal nature of Turtle Beach products(This is the only headset I would recommend from Turtle Beach to date) and multi driver headsets in general. This headset has 4 drivers in each ear cup, but it depends on the type of dongle you use that determines which speakers actually function. With the Astro Mixamp, the HPX uses 2 40mm drivers in each ear cup, these 4 drivers in total employing the Dolby Headphone virtual surround from the Astro Mixamp. So it seems like a weird internal setup, but it seems to work, so I'm not complaining.

For music, I'm a bit torn. While it does have the full sound compared to the PC 350 and Astro A40, and it does have the detachable mic, the problem with this headset is that it is stubbornly driven. The devices that it will work with seem completely random. Some TV's can work fine with it, some you'll need to really crank up the volume. The Astro Mixamp can drive them properly, but Pat's Audio -GD compass can't. It's hard to tell what hardware this headset would work with and what it wouldn't work with, so I am personally torn when deciding the victor in the headset music department. If you can get the proper drive, like hooking an mp3 player to the Astro Mixamp (which is funny because the Astro Mixamp doesn't really do much to drive headphones more than other straight up devices, so it's just very, very odd.) then the HPX will outperform the other headsets.

*Astro A40* ($200)










*
Intro-*

You've all seen the advertisements on MLG and have seen players and kiosks displaying them at MLG events; the Astro A40 audio system. I have wanted to give this headset a go for a while. My inbox (as well as Pat's) is full of questions regarding this headset. These are truly a premium priced headset when compared to the more affordable headsets players have been used to like the Turtle Beach X1's and headsets of that nature.

Picking up the Astros, I noticed a few things about them. The design was pretty cool looking, though I wasn't a fan of the white and black, the all black one seems like a more serious headset(kind of like when you see a high end camera in color ways like this like the pentax K-x, which strays away from the all black professional looking high end cameras).


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## Steggy

Anyways, putting these on, again, I noticed these were not as friendly to big headed people, and the ear pads seemed small like the HPX's. They kind of follow the grado design where you can lie this headset on a desk by rotating ear pads, but they only rotate one way. And the expanding headband seems very poorly thought of to me. There is an exposed wire that stretches and coils when you adjust the headband, like a pig's tail. I've also been told by Tommyboy, a member of the MLG forums who is no stranger to dissecting headphones and headsets, that the wiring on the insides of the Astros is very "ghetto".

However, putting even the internals aside, if you've ever had a screwed up cable from constant twisting or unplugging/plugging, you'd agree with me that the design Astro has gone for here is not the smartest, and either that, or the internals, could be the cause of all the problems Astro owners have had with this product. It is good that Astro has good customer service; however, I wonder why the inherent problem that is causing the malfunctions with the headsets just isn't fixed instead of just continuing to repair the ones that are reported.

*
*Update 1/1/10: After reading a review from Tom's Hardware on Astro Gaming's website, it is noted that the wiring inside the Astro's have improved. While not seeing this firsthand myself, I thought I should mention it. I do not know if this has helped the amount of RMA's/problems experienced by Astro owners, it is a fairly recent change, I believe it will be that way for all 2010 A40s/Mixamps**

Another thing to note about the Astros is that they are not really that closed. I compared the sound of the headset with the Astro tags on and off. There actually wasn't much of a difference at all, and the noise cancellation was&#8230;well there really wasn't any. To the naked ear it doesn't really make a difference if you leave the tags on or keep them off. Finally, we're on to the mic. The mic seems to be poorly connected to the headphone. It plugs in fine and everything, but when you rotate it, it seems to go to easy. It makes me worried that it could constantly fall if I owned them for a long time. The way it also is flexible seems like it won't last very long. It's like 1 thin rod of metal in the rubber mic stem. I remember when I was a little kid I had some bendy toys with that same flexible metal rod, and they didn't last long before that metal snapped. It's good that Astro sells replacement microphones in case yours breaks or you lose it, but I'm just not sure how long the mics last with the headset, and how long the mic jack of the headset would last.

*Sound-*

Going from the HPX's to the A40's, the difference was pretty noticeable off the bat. The a40's are kind of hollow sounding. I found myself turning up the volume to get anywhere near the same impact as I did with the HPX's. It still performs ok for directional positioning, but the clarity just isn't fully there. To put it in perspective, for the spectrum of headphones, the headsets we've tested place between HD515's and HD555's, for clarity anyways. While the HPX and PC350 lean towards the 555 end, the Astros lean towards the 515's.

All of these headphones and headsets will offer you an advantage over your TV's speakers, but we just want to bring the thought of price per quality to you guys. Now, with the A40's with the quality they produce, II'd see them being more worthwhile is if they were a lower price. When they do not perform as well as 100 dollar headphones and have their build problems, a 200 dollar price tag seems out of the question. I could see this headset being worth it for 100 dollars alone, and 200 with the amp. It would then be the decision between the boost in sound quality with the 555, or the convenience of the microphone for the a40 for the same price. Then the incentive to buy the set would be greater because it would have brought the price of the a40's down to 70 dollars, the same price as 515's, where these have the same sound quality as the 515's, with the mic, and not to mention the Dolby headphone technology provided with the mixamp.

Music is pretty much the same story as gaming; kind of hollow. It has light bass and ok clarity. You won't feel any oomph compared to the HPX or the headphones tested in this review, and you won't experience as crisp and clear a sound.

So in short, these headphones perform...ok, and when released, they were going in the right direction for headsets where companies like Turtle Beach and Sennheiser improved upon, but the price per quality just isn't there for me with the other choices of headsets we have out there.

However, I will say that I really like the Astro Mixamp though. I haven't heard any problems regarding that, and the idea of virtual surround so you have the benefit of clarity from audiophile headphones paired with the directional positioning from the Dolby Headphone technology, it seems like a winner. If you are really into gaming, this is a handy little gadget to put on the Christmas list; I'm considering picking one up as well.

*Sennheiser PC-350*($130)










*Intro-
*
This was also an eagerly anticipated headset to try out. The question of Sennheiser vs. Astro has been going on for a while among gaming forums, and now we have our answer. The idea of a headset with the same drivers as HD595's sounded like a dream come true.

On the forums of Head-Fi, I have had experience interacting with a man named Eric who goes by the name of TheDeliveryMan. He is a representative from Sennheiser who has been answering community questions regarding Sennheiser products, and has been really hands on with helping where needed on Head-Fi. I knew if anyone from Sennheiser would be interested in a roundup like this, he would. So he generously sent us a review unit to test out.

When taking the headset out of its packaging, I've noticed that it retains the sennheiser build quality. Though in some instances, it sort of fools you into thinking it's a bit weaker than it actually is. The headset is actually collapsible, though it still seems sort of bulky when folded up so I didn't really see the point of that feature. But at the folding points, it makes you think the headset is a bit weaker than it actually is. After testing its durability, I can assure you this headset is quality. This headset is completely closed. This by far provides the most noise cancelling of any headset we tested.

However, one thing I've kind of noticed is that a closed headset has one problem in my eyes. So when you have closed headphones, you listen to the music. With a headset, its purpose is communication, so you are talking a lot with this on. When you talk with a completely closed headset on, you still hear yourself, but it's sort of pressurized. I've described it as like I'm underwater while Pat describes it as being on an airplane. You get the picture. I've actually been able to get past this little gripe after a while; it's just something I noticed off the bat.

As far as the mic, it's pretty solidly built; it's neither the flexible desk lamp nor the child's toy metal rod. It seems to hold up strong, but isn't as flexible as the HPX, and it doesn't detach. And finally, good news! Sennheisers cater to bigheads like me. The headset is easily the most comfortable out of all of them. The headband doesn't clamp and it is completely circumaural.

*Sound -*

After hearing that the drivers of the 350's and the 595's were one in the same, I closely compared the 2. It is amazing how the casing can change the sound so much. With the closed back, the sound stage is slightly narrower than the 595's. For music, it has just a slight tinny sound to it in music. Finally, the bass is very light. Those are the 3 things I've found when comparing the headset to the headphone.

For gaming, the 350's basically beats the A40's in each category. It is better than the a40 for clarity thanks to the 595's drivers, but it's only slightly better in the hollow sound and light bass department. As for directional positioning, it matches the HPX's and A40's.

In music you might be able to hear a slight tinny sound due to the closed back of the headset. I haven't noticed it in gaming however. Then the music of course has the light bass too, but obviously Sennheiser has designed these for just gaming since the microphone doesn't detach.

This headphone would be good for those who don't want to be distracted at all at an event since it blocks out noise so well. Also, people have different tastes for sound. For example, Madrok has posted the quote from a guy from AVS, who feels that bass present headphones are a lot of the times too much. None of the headphones I have reviewed in this thread would be in that category for me, but for some, they could possibly want littler bass to pay attention to gunshots and footsteps. I think the HPX's and headphones are a good balance, with the headphones having a little more balance than the HPX's, but like I said, sometimes sound is just darn right subjective.

To wrap up, one thing I would be interested in seeing are potential modifications on this headset. The hardware and everything is obviously there. I think a simpler grill mod could possibly do wonders for this headset; but for now, it stands at #2 for headsets in Patrick's and my eyes. So when they are priced somewhat near the HPX's, and have the features it has going for it, it's pretty much a matter of taste.


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## Steggy

*Sennheiser HD595* ($170)










*Intro-*

Now we are into my familiar territory. Sennheiser HD595's have been my go to headphones for music listening and gaming for a few years by now. There is a good reason they have been a favorite of the MLG Pro circuit for years now.

Design wise, you will see a pretty standard open circumaural headphone, with a leather headband pad, velour ear pads, clicking headband adjustments, and one very long cable coming from the left ear. It is simplistic and stylish. It is natively a 1/4" jack with a 1/8" adapter, though this adapter is huge. Pat brought out his HD650 adapter while we used the HD595s so it wouldn't wreck the headphone port from its weight. If you get this headphone I would suggest shelling 10 bucks for the HD650 1/4" to 1/8" adapter.

But these headphones are super comfortable. They do not clamp at all, the velour isn't hard, but isn't too soft (they will start to get soft after years of hard use, in this case you can buy replacement pads).

*Sound-
*
As I've said above, there is a reason why 595's are a favorite among MLG circuit players. Basically when you talk about the pro's of the headsets, when you have the 595's, you take those pros, and just take them to the next level. We went into this review fully expecting the headphones to outperform the headsets. The headphones were a good way of determining the quality of the headsets, since if you just compare headsets to headsets; you merely get a gauge of the biggest fish in the little pond.

So like I was saying, the 595's just excels at the qualities you want in a gaming headphone; a nicely balanced sound, a huge soundstage for directional positioning, very good clarity. These will have more of an even sound than the HPX in terms of bass. While AD700's are the top price to quality gaming headphones for the humungous soundstage, the 595's closely rival that, and aren't bass light, which makes them good for the grenade blasts, and also for music.

They are very versatile. I can listen to a variety of genres with these headphones, though they really excel with acoustic guitar/piano/vocals. Rock I now leave to my Grados, but The 595's perform well enough, they could probably use some EQ adjusting, though I will always defer from that myself.

The one problem you guys will notice immediately since you are gamers is that they have no mic. It's been discussed in this thread even arguing the convenience of a mic would somehow outweigh sound quality, and that's something that Pat and I just won't agree with. Especially when using the Astro Mixamp, you have a lot of options for a mic. A Zalman mic is good for home use, though can pick up a lot of background noise if you were at a LAN. There is also a collar mic produced by Califone that is more noise cancelling, but takes effort to attach it to your headphones. For those without the Mixamp, you can use the stock 360 mic, or you can use the Modern Warfare 2 throat communicator. By far the best technique I've seen for converting a headphone into a headset is the modification by Tommyboy, linked below, where he installs a detachable boom mic. Or if you are not competent in soldering which not a lot of people are, you can do the method Fragtality uses. There are always options when using straight up headphones, but if you guys still want to go with headsets you at least know how they stack up.

*Sennheiser HD650* (~400)










*Intro-*

The HD650's are world renowned as some of the best stereo headphones out there. These are no joke. This is the point where you need to worry about the rest of your setup in order to make these headphones really worth it. I had the pleasure of listening to these using the Audio-GD Compass for music and used the Astro Mixamp for gaming.

With these headphones, you get the similar style that the other higher-end Sennheisers have. You get the nice velour ear pads and a very comfortable fit. When you first get HD650's, you might experience the sensation known around audiophile forums known as the 650 clamp. Pat mentions it in his write-up on them, but just to add further input, if you guys get these new and are worried, they do get better. I popped them on and even with my big head I could listen to these for hours on end. I prefer the leather headband of the HD595's over the cloth headband of the 650's, but they were still very comfortable.

With the 650's, you'll have a very long cord which terminated with a ?" jack, and included is a very nice adapter to make it 1/8". I am going to have to pick one up now since it's so much better for your headphone ports than the 595 adapter.

*Sound-*

The sound of the 650's was great to say the least. I was worried about the Mixamp not being able to drive these headphones, but it did a fine job of doing so. Pretty much what I was saying about the HD595's is that these headphones just take the pros of the headsets and just exemplify them. This is no different. The clarity you get with these headphones paired with the 5.1 is phenomenal for directional positioning, and these headphones handle bass very well (one of the reasons audiophiles love them for music, bass is a hard thing to get right with headphones since there's so little air to travel through between the drivers and your ear), so you do get the Turtle Beach HPX kind of feel with the grenade blasts and that oomph for a truly immersive experience. They have a very deep and a very full sound.

And in music I didn't want to stop listening. I'm glad Pat has a lot of FLAC, because if you have lower encoded mp3's playing through these, you will really be able to tell the flaws. But with all of the qualities this headphone has, it comes at a steep price; probably way too steep for anyone who is interested in these solely for gaming. Even if you were to get these for gaming, you would need the Astro Mixamp because I'm guessing most TV's won't be able to drive them.

And then if you were interested in them for music, you would want to get an amp. I mean, these things aren't die-hard necessary, sound will still come out of the headphones regardless, but why buy a Ferrari and only drive it in 1st gear? If you are serious into music, and want a great headphone for gaming to boot, these are a great choice, but it's a tough price to swallow. Most people start off with semi pricey headphones, (IE HD555's, 515's, AD700's, etc.) then graduate to the 650. I totally invite anyone with a passion for music and gaming to take the plunge, but as the greeting from Head-fi says,
"Welcome to Head-fi! Sorry about your wallet..."


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## Steggy

*Tritton AX720*($130)









*
Intro-*

The Tritton AX720's are a brand new release from Tritton. In this model and the AX900, Tritton has ditched the multiple driver 5.1 setup in the headphones like the AX Pros, but rather switched to stereo and use a Dolby Digital decoder box to bring Dolby Headphone virtual surround sound to the headset. The thing about 5.1 headsets is that when you have 4 drivers to cram into each side of a headphone, the way companies achieve this is by using smaller drivers. The problem with those drivers is they lose sound quality when they are smaller, so it kind of defeats the purpose when you think about it.

The Tritton Ax720's look very similar to other models in the Tritton lineup, the headphones are a hard plastic with a glossy white finish while the decoder box is matte white with some orange thrown in. It's fairly similar to what the Macbook has, though I don't know if the headphones dirty up like a Macbook does. White is nice until it isn't white anymore, but so far so good.

On the comfort side of things, I found the Trittons to clamp my head. The shell design doesn't make for too much give for the bigger heads, and I found the cloth like ear pads harder than normal, though I imagine they can break in. I'm sure the headphones would be more comfortable to people who don't have 7 3/4 sized heads like me, but then the HPX and Astros would in turn be more comfortable in that case as well, but right now, things look bleak for my big noggin. They are circumaural headphones, but like the HPX and A40, my ears do touch the rims.

As far as the decoder box goes, setup and concept is fairly simple. The box gets fed by an optical cable, and then has 2 6 pin ports for Tritton headsets. If you want to PC game, there's a USB cable that goes from the back of the decoder box and into the computer, and if you want to game on Xbox Live, you just take a 3.5mm to 2.5mm cord and connect your Xbox controller to the volume handle located on the cord of the headset (Think of Turtle Beach X1).

The mic is more like the Astros than the HPX or PC 350. It secures well, the only problem I face is that the mic is pretty close to the cheek/touching it, due to its placement. As far as MLG players go, the decoder box does require being plugged into a wall socket, which makes the decoder box non MLG event legal. However with the PC adapter, if you use a 4-pole 3.5mm splitter, you can use this headset with the Astro mixamp. If you do not want to use the splitter, I believe iti would be as simple as plugging in the green plug of the adapter into the mixamp, then just take the cord from the cord dial to the xbox 360 controller, though in that case, you wouldn't be able to use the closed daisy chain network.

*Sound-*

On the music side of things, the Trittons reminded me of the PC 350's and A40s. It has very light bass in music. It doesn't have as much clarity as the A40's or PC350's. With the lack of bass, it seems like a pretty thin sound, and I've noticed some notes in the middle registries of a song will be very faint as well. But while these don't perform as well in music as the other headsets for music, they aren't terrible like Skullcandies from your local Walmart. Still, I would choose my headphones over the headset for music in a second.

For gaming, I started playing Call of Duty: WAW for Xbox. When I had everything set up and started playing, the DH 5.1 was decently immersive. Again the lack of bass in gaming isn't as big a problem like it is for music, the same for the other headsets. It definitely reminds me of the Astros sound. I would say as far as rankings go that it would be around that of Astros in terms of in game sound clarity and directional positioning, I would say the Astros pull slightly ahead, however, the fact that it's close says something when the difference in price is over 100 dollars. 130 is a lot more attractive a price than 250, and you still get the 5.1 Dolby Headphone which I think is a really neat thing to have for gaming.

However with the cheaper price you don't have some of the features of the Astros such as: Cross brand capability (Astro Mixamp can be used with almost every headphone/headset, the Tritton decoder box cannot), The option of analog inputs (Astros will give you the option of the normal red and white input as well as optical while the Tritton only has optical),the mp3 player, and then the speaker tags, which I can't say I'm shook up about it.

So while the Ax720 doesn't have the clarity to match the other headsets used in the review, it is a good budget 5.1 headset. It is an easier purchase to swallow than 100 + 130 for an headphone + Astro Mixamp, or 250 for the Astro A40 audio system. The Trittons do have balance for game and voice, but it's takes a little longer to find the balance than it does with the Mixamp since you're dealing with 2 different dials. It's hard to get the right game volume and then choose the right voice volume if you're mid game.

One problem I had with the mic was it constantly appeared on. I recorded a message of mine and hit playback on Xbox live and got constant feedback that sounded like if you have a double ended 3.5mm cable plugged into an Aux in of a speaker, the jack in your hand, and when you put your thumb on the jack you get a humming sound coming out of the speaker. My teammates said it wasn't noticeable to them unless they cranked their volume, but it makes things difficult when your voice is either constantly going off, or isn't working at all(like if I rotate the jack that goes into the controller it can cut out). I believe I just got a dud cable, but it's something you guys should watch out for. When you get any product, make sure it comes with everything and that everything works, so if it doesn't work you can contact the manufacturer right away. I had no problems with the mic when using the PC adapter or the PC USB.

Also, as far as noise cancellation goes, these don't do as much as the PC 350's. The cloth ear pads don't provide the seal that the leather from the 350's does, so noise isn't really cancelled. It's kind of like the Astros where it's like these are closed&#8230;but not really. At least with absence of a seal you don't get the airplane feeling though.

So to sum up, while the headset may not sound as well as the others in terms of clarity, the 5.1 and the price sort of picks up the slack for that in gaming, so these are something to consider when shopping since you get the 5.1 decoder box with the headset for the price of 130$. In my opinion, these are a contender when the choice is between these and A40s since the quality of the A40's and the mixamp wouldn't be worth it, but with other headsets and headphones, I would say the quality increase would be worth kicking in the extra money.
*
-----------------------------------------------------------------*

Ok guys, so that will do it on my end for the review, hope you guys learned something about these headsets and headphones, and hope you guys enjoy whatever purchase you decide to make. So while we may be pretty analytical and some might say harsh in our reviews, i want to kind of repeat that these headsets aren't terrible or anything. Some are just better than others. Some are much better, and some are more bang for your buck. But the idea here is just to show you what you get for your money, so you can get the most out of your money. Each one of these headsets might suit certain people. Everyone has their own requirements, so now they have everything laid out for them.

Thanks again!


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## Steggy

Reserved.


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## Steggy

Reserved2.


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## Steggy

Reserved3.


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## Vostro

An Amazing review! I obviously havent read all of it yet however this will give me something to do at work tomorrow morning! +Rep


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## chinesekiwi

Someone send this guy some AD700's for FPS testing








Great review nonetheless.


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## Steggy

We tried to get our hands on AD700's for this review, but were unsuccessful.


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## MaxGeek

Since MW2 came out last week my buddy and I decided to each get the Turtle Beach X41's for X360. The comfort and positional sound was great purely for gaming. Sound quality seemed good to me, but when there is no sound playing you can clearly hear hissing noise. Both of us experienced this. Mine also had a problem with the mic echoing everything in the game and annoying the hell out of other players. So I decided to try out the Astro A40's + MixAmp and so far I am really disappointed (only been a 5 hours though). All the reviews I read said the only con was the price, but the sound quality and the positional audio isn't as clear as the X41's. They also aren't as comfortable and don't breath as well. I found this review after googling to try and find out whats up with the A40's.

I'm not going to say they suck yet, but I'll do more testing this weekend with the headsets I have available to me. I'll also try to compare the MixAmp vs the Turtle beach receiver/amp since it has a plug for a pair headphones even though its wireless too.


----------



## fro_dave

Thanks gentlemen. I think you guys sold me on the HPX with the mixamp, only problem, I cant find these things for sale. Being I have an APO shipping address I normally buy from amazon any recomendations on where to look? Does the mixamp come with all the cables to hook up the HPX, and also I take it you were using the optical to your TV?

EDIT: found em for sale but had to ship to someone in the states, cant wait to get em


----------



## carl25

i don't think the hpx are sold in canada
are the hpa2 as good ?

I have my steelseries 5h v2 for gaming and music, and i've heard they aren't good for music and i have a prelude soundcard
And yes i am on a budget


----------



## Steggy

Guys, so you know now. The New Astro Mixamp and Astro A40 audio system no longer have the y adapter necessary to use PC headsets on. They only sell it separately now for 9.99. Just a forewarning. With the TB HPX-1's though, it is the only thing you need besides the mixamp to hook up to it. If you buy HPX-2's though, be prepared to spend an extra 10 bucks.

And carl, i could be wrong, but i've seen a lot of different models of the hpx's. The differences being the cables used to connect, as some cables employ all speakers in earcups while others only use the 2 mains. The hpa might be the same thing as the hpx, but just a different connection. I would call TB up to find out. But i don't know how much shipping is to canada, but TB's website has the hpx-1 on sale for 54.99. So i'm hoping shipping to canada wouldn't cost over 20 dollars..


----------



## Steggy

anyone else feelin some bumpage?


----------



## FattyMcFatFatFatty

So with the mixamp, being it not coming with the Y adapter anymore... ( I love how astro wants us to spend more money on their already overpriced gear ), for pc gamers, can you just hook the actual mic up to the mic port?


----------



## Steggy

Quote:


Originally Posted by *FattyMcFatFatFatty* 
So with the mixamp, being it not coming with the Y adapter anymore... ( I love how astro wants us to spend more money on their already overpriced gear ), for pc gamers, can you just hook the actual mic up to the mic port?

No, the mic port is only for connecting the mixamp to an xbox 360 controller for xbox live. If you want to use pc headsets with the mixamp, you have to spend the extra 10 dollars :/


----------



## FattyMcFatFatFatty

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Steggy* 
No, the mic port is only for connecting the mixamp to an xbox 360 controller for xbox live. If you want to use pc headsets with the mixamp, you have to spend the extra 10 dollars :/

Hrm, so you cant override the mixamp, and plug the mic directly into your computer? Does that mean the mixamp wont function without a mic input?


----------



## Steggy

oh oh, I get you. You should be able to do that. Just plug the headphone jack into the headset port of the mixamp and the mic jack into the computer mic port. I thought you meant a different port earlier, sorry.


----------



## FattyMcFatFatFatty

Oh cool, thanks for clearing that up man







+ rep


----------



## fro_dave

I just got my hpx today and got my Mixamp yesterday, I love it so far, listened to some music they sound good and are very comfortable bout to take them on a test run through some uncharted 2 on ps3, see if the comfort is lasting and see how much i really love them, the mic sounds great btw.


----------



## Chaos Assasson

i have a question is there any other option other than the astrogaming mixamp, like for example another brand that would work that is just as good or better


----------



## JDMfanatic

So If I buy an HPA2, could I buy the mixamp cable on the HPX turtle beach page and it would work with my mixamp right? I don't want to wait for the HPX to come in stock again. Thanks!


----------



## iiDeeVo

Ok I have read over every and still can't make a descion so i know you have tested both so just one or the other awnser.. 350's or A40;s? Plain and simple..


----------



## Steggy

we made it plain and simple by ranking them.....


----------



## Steggy

*UPDATE:*

After a while of letting the original thread set in, the reviews have received over 25,000 views on different forums. Some more emails have been exchanged, and I'm pleased to announce that you guys can be expecting more reviews in the near future. I can't divulge everything, a few things that are coming your way are hush hush, some others are maybes, and i just wanna throw a few surprises at you guys for ****s n giggles. But here's some sneak peaks i suppose lol. Expect some variety with different brands and hopefully more closed options. Audio technica AD700's WILL be included in this review. Also, 3 mystery headsets will be included, and another mystery headset MIGHT be included. Then I'm going to try and get my hands on some Shure's, AKG's, who knows!

I actually received the AD700's a few days ago, and I made a little HD unboxing video and snapped a few pictures. Hope you guys enjoy. Also on my youtube page are some video reviews and some video unboxing of the headsets of this review, i'm continuing to add more and more as I'm making them, so comment/subscribe to keep yourself in the know!


























http://www.youtube.com/user/ISteggyI


YouTube- Audio Technica Ad700 Unboxing Video


----------



## jepbuix

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JDMfanatic* 
So If I buy an HPA2, could I buy the mixamp cable on the HPX turtle beach page and it would work with my mixamp right? I don't want to wait for the HPX to come in stock again. Thanks!

Yes you can the Headset is completely identical. Instead of connecting the Amp that are with the HAP2, you simple connect the HPX-1 cable to the headset and the into the MixAmp.


----------



## carl25

can you do jvc rx900/700


----------



## Steggy

Quote:


Originally Posted by *carl25* 
can you do jvc rx900/700

I can try to get my hands on em.


----------



## I AM TEH LAW GIVAH

hurray for the ad700 review! cannot wait for it : ) how come you don't do video reviews?


----------



## Steggy

I am now. Just takes a little time.

Tritton Ax720 review:


YouTube- Tritton Ax720 Headset Review and Setup


----------



## Steggy

So, I got word from Steelseries, expect 3 headsets from them in the new review.

And in other news. I made a new Youtube channel for just the reviews I've been doing, so the new link for my youtube page where all of the unboxings/reviews will be is www.youtube.com/mlgsteggy


----------



## Steggy

New unboxing video released 

Sennheiser PC 300:


YouTube- Sennheiser PC 300 IEM Headset(2Go) Unboxing Video


----------



## FattyMcFatFatFatty

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Steggy* 
New unboxing video released 

Sennheiser PC 300: YouTube- Sennheiser PC 300 IEM Headset(2Go) Unboxing Video

Haha, you said rubbers







. Those look really nice for people who LAN a lot, and don't want to bring their huge Headphones. Speaking of big headphones, I would be interested to see if you have a pair of A700's? I'm curious as to how the A700's pair up with the Astro Mixamp, 5.1 sound wise, I'm guessing it would sound pretty much the same as the Mixamp paired with the Sennheiser HD555's.


----------



## Steggy

I knew someone would comment on that ha. I won't have the mixamp for this review though, so yea. Though a comparison between the ad700 and a700 would be interesting, but i'll see if that can be possible in the future or something.


----------



## Rezist

hey im stuck between either the PC350's or the Audio Tech AD700's, i've seen you have experience with both. i assume the sound stage is better on the ad700's but what would you recommend between the 2 or in the 100$ range


----------



## Tpu shevanel

Awesome reviews man, thanks alot. I found this thread while searching for info on the Tb hpx vs Astro A40s

After reading your review of the A40's Ive decided to keep my HPX headset.

I am wondering if anyone could give me advice.

should I get a nice 5.1 sound card + the HPX 5.1 cable or would I be better off getting the astro a40 mixamp?

thanks alot!


----------



## tEhCAROL

hey, great review. i read this before i purchased my tb hpx/astro mixamp combo. after my purchase i read another review on mlg forums warning the mixamp, when used with the hpx, only decodes L and R channels (2 drivers in each cup). reading on, others with the same setup said when they turn off dolby headphone they noticed a difference, but their proof only went as far as "listen to the IW logo when MW2 boots up." terrible evidence, but i needed to investigate. so, i popped a few blu-rays into my ps3 (using optical out btw) until i found one with a dolby 5.1 test.

suprisingly with dolby headphone deactivated, the pink noise came through each of the 5.1 channels individually. i tested again, this time with dolby headphone activated. this time pink noise was only heard through the 4 default stereo drivers, 2 for the left channel and 2 for the right. with the dolby headphone activated, the mixamp assumes you have stereo headphones and decodes for two channels. with dolby headphone deactivated, the mixamp uses dolby 5.1 to decode all 5.1 channels 8 drivers.

i just wanted to point out that the mixamp actually WILL decode 5.1 channels, because it sucked to think i spent $130.00+ for a mixamp that can't even utilize my $80.00+ headphones. i guess i just wanna save people the suffering. thanks! (if you don't believe me try it for yourself)


----------



## Steggy

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tEhCAROL* 
hey, great review. i read this before i purchased my tb hpx/astro mixamp combo. after my purchase i read another review on mlg forums warning the mixamp, when used with the hpx, only decodes L and R channels (2 drivers in each cup). reading on, others with the same setup said when they turn off dolby headphone they noticed a difference, but their proof only went as far as "listen to the IW logo when MW2 boots up." terrible evidence, but i needed to investigate. so, i popped a few blu-rays into my ps3 (using optical out btw) until i found one with a dolby 5.1 test.

suprisingly with dolby headphone deactivated, the pink noise came through each of the 5.1 channels individually. i tested again, this time with dolby headphone activated. this time pink noise was only heard through the 4 default stereo drivers, 2 for the left channel and 2 for the right. with the dolby headphone activated, the mixamp assumes you have stereo headphones and decodes for two channels. with dolby headphone deactivated, the mixamp uses dolby 5.1 to decode all 5.1 channels 8 drivers.

i just wanted to point out that the mixamp actually WILL decode 5.1 channels, because it sucked to think i spent $130.00+ for a mixamp that can't even utilize my $80.00+ headphones. i guess i just wanna save people the suffering. thanks! (if you don't believe me try it for yourself)

It won't decode 5.1 channels through a TRS jack. You may be hearing the 4 drivers per ear cup but it doesn't mean each one has its own audio channel; what you're experiencing is most likely just matrixed sound. It's like people who think they'll have real 5.1 through their lologitechs when they use this adapter


----------



## Reactions

Can't decide between Sennheiser PC 350, 360, HD595 or AD700. Please help me. It's for FPS gaming


----------



## nascasho

I just found this thread, win.

After reading around I ended up getting the HPX's to replace because I have the A40's and the bass levels suck soooo bad. I use both with the MixAMP but my only gripe is after about 2hrs the HPX's hurt my ears so bad I get headaches and a horrid pain.

I think it's because they touch the actual cups or something and cutoff blood flow or something, dunno. I read they need to be worked in, but this is different and nothing to do with the looseness of the band at the top, just the cup design. I LOVE the sound quality over the A40's, but this pain is an absolute deal killer. Now I dunno what headset to try... :'(


----------



## iiTipz

I love this review and as an audiophile and a gamer I feel like the PC350 was not given a chance. I own AD700,Sens595,HPA2 and i love them when I use them with my Xbox360 but using an external mic and having voice chat in speaker output was bothering me for my AD700 and 595 for the TB HPA2 it is not comfortable at all. So I purchased the PC350 out of the box I new I had a lot of work in front of me. I hooked it up to my Sony Vio F and played variety of songs from ambient, white noise, rock, Techno, classical, house music etc...as of right now I am about 200 hours of burn in and let me tell you guys it makes a BIG difference. The sound is completely different from the day I got them.

Also, I have hooked up a FiiO E5 to my Astro Mixamp for that extra "UMP" and all I have to say is OHH MY GOD. The issue I had with the Astro Mix Amp using was for me to hear my teammates I have to set the dial towards voice chat meaning that the game volume lowers down a bit. with the E5 EVERYTHING is balance you can have the right sound to hear the sound queues such us footsteps reloads across the map and clearly communicate and hear your team. Best $20 dollars I have spent.

***NO distortions of any kind also if you feel like listening to music or watching a movie with E5's bass boost WOW PC350 was the BEST combo for all around use. All I have to say is WOW

Well I hope this is helpful


----------



## Woundingchaney

Is there anyway I could access the AD700 review?

Found it


----------



## HypeNotiq

Quote:


Originally Posted by *nascasho* 
I just found this thread, win.

After reading around I ended up getting the HPX's to replace because I have the A40's and the bass levels suck soooo bad. I use both with the MixAMP but my only gripe is after about 2hrs the HPX's hurt my ears so bad I get headaches and a horrid pain.

I think it's because they touch the actual cups or something and cutoff blood flow or something, dunno. I read they need to be worked in, but this is different and nothing to do with the looseness of the band at the top, just the cup design. I LOVE the sound quality over the A40's, but this pain is an absolute deal killer. Now I dunno what headset to try... :'(

You must have some large saucer ears man, because I have worn my HPX for hours on end with no discomfort at all. Plus, a number of my clan mates have the HPX (i.e. HPA2) as well and I haven't heard from any of them that the headset is not comfortable. Especially not as bad as you're making it sound. To my knowledge, the HPX is a very successful headset from Turtle Beach--and it would never have gotten to that stage if it was not comfortable to wear.


----------



## nascasho

Quote:


Originally Posted by *HypeNotiq* 
You must have some large saucer ears man, because I have worn my HPX for hours on end with no discomfort at all. Plus, a number of my clan mates have the HPX (i.e. HPA2) as well and I haven't heard from any of them that the headset is not comfortable. Especially not as bad as you're making it sound. To my knowledge, the HPX is a very successful headset from Turtle Beach--and it would never have gotten to that stage if it was not comfortable to wear.

Last I checked not everyone has the same exact ear shape. My ears rest right up against the padding inside the cups which causes me pain after a couple of hours.

And I'm not the only one who has discomfort after a couple of hours:








YouTube- Positive & Negative - Turtle Beach Ear Force HPX Review
Watching his reviews I may check out the X41's.


----------



## HypeNotiq

Quote:


Originally Posted by *nascasho* 
Last I checked not everyone has the same exact ear shape. My ears rest right up against the padding inside the cups which causes me pain after a couple of hours.

And I'm not the only one who has discomfort after a couple of hours:

YouTube- Positive & Negative - Turtle Beach Ear Force HPX Review

Watching his reviews I may check out the X41's.

Yes, obviously. People with large ears or heads (as in the case with Seananners), it isn't a stretch that they might have some discomfort after extended periods of use. Pain? I'm not so sure about. Discomfort, sure.


----------



## iiTipz

Quote:


Originally Posted by *nascasho* 
Last I checked not everyone has the same exact ear shape. My ears rest right up against the padding inside the cups which causes me pain after a couple of hours.

And I'm not the only one who has discomfort after a couple of hours:

YouTube- Positive & Negative - Turtle Beach Ear Force HPX Review

Watching his reviews I may check out the X41's.

My brother has the HPA2 and he also suffers the same discomfort. What we did was we bent the headbars carefully and that did the trick.


----------



## anub1s

great thread nice and high in detail









but i have a question, I'm gone kick my logitech G35 to the corner soon and upgrade to a Auzentech forte and a Sennheiser headphone... the problem is which one :S

at first i was gone get the PC350 since it seemed to have a good sound but found multiple complaints about the bass, so i switched my attention to the HD 595.

it only has positive reviews but it lacks a mic









there's loose mic's available but it's all pretty much a pain in the ass if it's not mounted to the headphone with picking up background noise and typing/clicking noise if i put it near my monitor a bit out of sight.

so now there's the PC360's also open ear specs not as good as the HD 595 specs but i wonder if anybody has had any experience with the 2 and can tell me if the PC360's are worth the extra money for the comfort of a mic.

the HD595's are available for about 140 euro's
The PC360's are available for about 170

not that different but is the sound quality pretty close or does the HD 595 trash the PC360's ?

they will be used mainly for gaming, but also for listening to music and watching movies to a lesser extent.

(trashing the G35 because of high pitch noise when mic is active which still had not been fixed by logitech a year or so after release and no software update to fix it for 8 month's : /)


----------



## d33r

I agree with your review of the Astro A40 headphones...i have a pair of black a40s...and they do seem hollow sounding...but still ok...but not worth the high price...i regret buying them awhile back...







i shoulda went with the bose acustic noise canceling quiet comfort 15s


----------



## Steggy

Quote:


Originally Posted by *anub1s* 
great thread nice and high in detail









but i have a question, I'm gone kick my logitech G35 to the corner soon and upgrade to a Auzentech forte and a Sennheiser headphone... the problem is which one :S

at first i was gone get the PC350 since it seemed to have a good sound but found multiple complaints about the bass, so i switched my attention to the HD 595.

it only has positive reviews but it lacks a mic









there's loose mic's available but it's all pretty much a pain in the ass if it's not mounted to the headphone with picking up background noise and typing/clicking noise if i put it near my monitor a bit out of sight.

so now there's the PC360's also open ear specs not as good as the HD 595 specs but i wonder if anybody has had any experience with the 2 and can tell me if the PC360's are worth the extra money for the comfort of a mic.

the HD595's are available for about 140 euro's
The PC360's are available for about 170

not that different but is the sound quality pretty close or does the HD 595 trash the PC360's ?

they will be used mainly for gaming, but also for listening to music and watching movies to a lesser extent.

(trashing the G35 because of high pitch noise when mic is active which still had not been fixed by logitech a year or so after release and no software update to fix it for 8 month's : /)

Erm if you're from the UK I don't know how much weight this suggestion can hold, but if you check out http://headphonemicmods.com/ my friend tommybwoy does(you guessed it) mic modifications on headphones including sennheiser hd595's. The pc360's look fantastic but are JUST for gaming since they don't have a detachable microphone. With Tommybwoy's mod, you can basically have it as both


----------



## anub1s

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Steggy* 
Erm if you're from the UK I don't know how much weight this suggestion can hold, but if you check out http://headphonemicmods.com/ my friend tommybwoy does(you guessed it) mic modifications on headphones including sennheiser hd595's. The pc360's look fantastic but are JUST for gaming since they don't have a detachable microphone. With Tommybwoy's mod, you can basically have it as both









sorry live in holland







and i'm not to fond of having a new headphone chopped up









the mod's look nice though :O i have thought of taping one of those mic's u can put on your desk to the top of my monitor so it's out of sight, but i haven't owned one so i don't know if they can pick up my low volume speech late at night.

but the 360's may have a fixed mic but it's not that disturbing, i've had a lot headsets with a fixed mic so i'm used to it .

but if i buy a HD595 or PC360 i will most likely use it with the auzentech forte's built in Headphone Amp and creative CMSS. i noticed a lot of people here are quite fond of the Astro Mix Amp with the dolby 5.1 virtual surround.

i was wondering if anybody has tested it against a auzentech sound card. the only headset i can test my creative extreme music (creative CMSS) and asus xonar D2X(dolby headphone and dolby virtual surround) with is my razer barracuda and it's a 5.1 headset so i cant realy compare how well the virtual surround is and how good music sounds on both (the HP sux in stereo mode regardless of soundcard and u cant say anything positive about the 5.1 sound quality







)


----------



## iiTipz

Hey steggy what do you think about the Labtec lva 7330 mic? Also, as far as a versatile headphones (good in gaming,movies and music) which would you prefer ad770 or the HD595?

I own TB HPA2,HD555,HD595,PC350 and ad700 but I do love the overall hybrid capabilities of the Senns HD595


----------



## HypeNotiq

I've actually found the HPX and HD595 to be pretty similar. Only over long listening periods do the HD595 start to get a bit fatiguing, but the overall sound under first impressions will lean towards the Sennheiser model. However considering the price point of the HPX that is really tough to turn down.


----------



## ghodan

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Steggy* 
To wrap up, one thing I would be interested in seeing are potential modifications on this headset. The hardware and everything is obviously there. I think a simpler grill mod could possibly do wonders for this headset.

Well here it is.
The headphone gods did listen?
http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser...-gaming_504122

Its like the Sennheiser PC 350 but now with open type speakers!








Sennheiser PC 360


----------



## Chillygoose

I love the review, great job. I just purchased the HD 595 upgrading from the PC 350. How much will the mixamp improve the sound on the HD 595 on a scale of 1 to 10? I planned to plug the Headphones directly to my SB Xtreme gamer sound card.

Thankx in advance


----------



## jaybrn1

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Chillygoose* 
I love the review, great job. I just purchased the HD 595 upgrading from the PC 350. How much will the mixamp improve the sound on the HD 595 on a scale of 1 to 10? I planned to plug the Headphones directly to my SB Xtreme gamer sound card.

Thankx in advance

The only thing the mixamp will do is enable dolby digital 5.1 surround sound on headphones without it. In addition it will allow you to hook up a mic and play on xbox 360 and ps3 while hearing game sound through the headset as well.


----------



## IDoodoo IRandy

Fabulous Review. This thread's link was the first that popped up when I google-searched "Turtle Beach HPX with AMP Review best headset?", and even after reading this great review, i can bet you that i'm not the only one still left with the same question i came in with.

It would be great if you could post and answer to this in your first post at the top so other people aren't left in confusion:

I'm wondering, *Without price being an issue, In terms of sound quality (if there is a tie, then sound quality + comfort, and if another tie, then SQ + C + anything else), what is the best possible headset/sound setup for the Xbox 360?*

I am under the impression that it is the Turtlebeach HPX headset with the Astro Mixamp, but the Sennheiser HD650 also sounded intruiging, so is the HPX in fact the best xbox gaming headset? is the HPA-1 in any way better, and is there anything about the best headset that any other headset does better?

please let me know! thanks!

please send me an email as well:
email: [email protected]

PS: I have X4's and i hate them. they get awful feedback with everything else in the room and produce a static-like buzzing sound that i can only get rid of when i sit right in front of the turtle beach amp, and i mean DIRECTLY IN FRONT. It sucks.


----------



## Steggy

Price no object, your best bet would be something like the Beyerdynamic MMX300/Qpad QH1339/Sennheiser PC360 + Mixamp


----------



## masterkchief

do these 3 headsets beat the headsets in your original post in sound quality? namely the hpx's and sennheisers? also, what kind of individual mic for xbox 360 would be the best to use if i decide to get headphones that do not have a mic, like the senn 595 or 650's?

also, how do the senn pc360's compare to the 595 and 650 in terms of sound quality?


----------



## Saizer

Hi. Before saying anything I want to apologize forehand if I misspell a word or I miss paraphrase a phrase, because I speak Spanish.

This message is a directly response to Steggy's article. I know that you've put a lot of effort on it and that you know what you are talking about (you're not saying BS, or pretending that you actually tested those devices cause I have no doubts that you did). And although what you say on the article may be true, there is something wrong with it. You are not precisely specifying what you are comparing on each headphone. You are directly comparing general aspects of an ordinary headphone, which is not bad. But when you mix headphones with headsets certain dilemmas happens to appear and this is not an exception. For those who don't know which are the differences between a headphone and a headset, a headphone doesn't have a microphone (Mic), but a headset yes.

General speaking, a headset is not meant for the same purposes a headphone is for. Let's be honest: If you're with a headset while you're gaming, its because you are playing online and talking with your friends either through the game or through Skype/TS/etc. If not and you are a real gamer (a real gamer will only spend money on this kind of headsets/headphones), you would be probably using it's 5.1/2.1 sound system for gaming offline or online without talking. And once again, I'm talking in general this not applies to all cases. And if you are a gamer by all means, you must have a headset. Its one of those basic rules someone should follow in order to have the rights to be called "A Gamer". Lets put an example: Your gaming with your friends on some COD matches. Suddenly someone starts to talk with his Mic and all your friends join him. But you cannot do that cause you've bought a pair of headphones: Noob is what you will be called for life. And this is the reason WHY the headsets are always better on gaming than on anything else, cause they were meant to be used on that area.

On the other hand, headphones aren't meant for gaming; I know they sound amazing but you don't have a Mic so you are potentially limited. Heaphones are meant for people who loves music, who loves high volume music sessions and who loves to listen to it "how it should be". They are not occasional people; no one will spend 500 bucks on a headphone unless he/she loves music. And thats why headphones have way better bass than a typical headset, cause it really need to have it for a music amateur to be satisfied. But on a game? Do you really need that much of a high bass? No, I don't think so.

What does all this go about? Well I saw that you put a lot of stress to the sound quality aspect on music. And maybe that wasn't your intention but it is the cruel truth: After reading the whole article my thoughts were:

"For the light bass, I don't recommend the Sennheiser PC350/Astro A40/Turtle Beach HPX/Tritton AX720".

I don't know which were you intentions, but to tell you the truth you gave me that impression. If you are going to compare this stuff for sound quality and only sound quality, then don't mix headphones with headsets. If you will compare, make sure to compare apples with apples. It's unfailing the fact that a 150 bucks headset won't have the same audio quality as a 200 bucks headphone has; if it would then: they would be way more expensive than they are AND there would be no reason for headphones to exist, they would have no success. And another missed point on this article, pun intended, was that you mixed low-mid end profile headphones (Grado Sr80) with a mid-high end profile headphones (Sennheiser HD650) which is not fair considering that not everyone has the pocket able to afford this last ones.

I will let you guys reach your own conclusions about this paragraphs I've written and please don't hesitate on responding this.

I forgot to add that if you're going to answer please avoid mentioning that you can "easily" convert a headphone to a headset by sticking a microphone to it , because it is not an excuse. If I would follow that philosophy then I could say: "My PC is better than anyone's PC because I can add to it as much hardware as I want to". With that said I'm out.

Thanks for reading.


----------



## Steggy

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Saizer;13238391*
> Hi. Before saying anything I want to apologize forehand if I misspell a word or I miss paraphrase a phrase, because I speak Spanish.
> 
> This message is a directly response to Steggy's article. I know that you've put a lot of effort on it and that you know what you are talking about (you're not saying BS, or pretending that you actually tested those devices cause I have no doubts that you did). And although what you say on the article may be true, there is something wrong with it. You are not precisely specifying what you are comparing on each headphone. You are directly comparing general aspects of an ordinary headphone, which is not bad. But when you mix headphones with headsets certain dilemmas happens to appear and this is not an exception. For those who don't know which are the differences between a headphone and a headset, a headphone doesn't have a microphone (Mic), but a headset yes.
> 
> General speaking, a headset is not meant for the same purposes a headphone is for. Let's be honest: If you're with a headset while you're gaming, its because you are playing online and talking with your friends either through the game or through Skype/TS/etc. If not and you are a real gamer (a real gamer will only spend money on this kind of headsets/headphones), you would be probably using it's 5.1/2.1 sound system for gaming offline or online without talking. And once again, I'm talking in general this not applies to all cases. And if you are a gamer by all means, you must have a headset. Its one of those basic rules someone should follow in order to have the rights to be called "A Gamer". Lets put an example: Your gaming with your friends on some COD matches. Suddenly someone starts to talk with his Mic and all your friends join him. But you cannot do that cause you've bought a pair of headphones: Noob is what you will be called for life. And this is the reason WHY the headsets are always better on gaming than on anything else, cause they were meant to be used on that area.
> 
> On the other hand, headphones aren't meant for gaming; I know they sound amazing but you don't have a Mic so you are potentially limited. Heaphones are meant for people who loves music, who loves high volume music sessions and who loves to listen to it "how it should be". They are not occasional people; no one will spend 500 bucks on a headphone unless he/she loves music. And thats why headphones have way better bass than a typical headset, cause it really need to have it for a music amateur to be satisfied. But on a game? Do you really need that much of a high bass? No, I don't think so.
> 
> What does all this go about? Well I saw that you put a lot of stress to the sound quality aspect on music. And maybe that wasn't your intention but it is the cruel truth: After reading the whole article my thoughts were:
> 
> "For the light bass, I don't recommend the Sennheiser PC350/Astro A40/Turtle Beach HPX/Tritton AX720".
> 
> I don't know which were you intentions, but to tell you the truth you gave me that impression. If you are going to compare this stuff for sound quality and only sound quality, then don't mix headphones with headsets. If you will compare, make sure to compare apples with apples. It's unfailing the fact that a 150 bucks headset won't have the same audio quality as a 200 bucks headphone has; if it would then: they would be way more expensive than they are AND there would be no reason for headphones to exist, they would have no success. And another missed point on this article, pun intended, was that you mixed low-mid end profile headphones (Grado Sr80) with a mid-high end profile headphones (Sennheiser HD650) which is not fair considering that not everyone has the pocket able to afford this last ones.
> 
> I will let you guys reach your own conclusions about this paragraphs I've written and please don't hesitate on responding this.
> 
> I forgot to add that if you're going to answer please avoid mentioning that you can "easily" convert a headphone to a headset by sticking a microphone to it , because it is not an excuse. If I would follow that philosophy then I could say: "My PC is better than anyone's PC because I can add to it as much hardware as I want to". With that said I'm out.
> 
> Thanks for reading.


Before I begin my response, I would like to say that this roundup was my first attempt at reviews, and I have since then made tweaks/refinements to my process/write ups.

Describing a product's performance can always benefit in being described in the form of a comparison with another product. It's just the way it is. What does Pepsi taste like? Have you ever had a Coca Cola? Pepsi is like Coke, but a little more sweet. I apply this to audio when I review. We took 3 headphones that are highly regarded in their own respects, and used them as reference for the headsets we reviewed. We also pitted the headsets against each other in the review, which was what it was all about. Headsets vs. headsets, using headphones as reference as well as reviewing them as well. When doing the comparisons between headsets and headphones, yes, sound quality seems stressed, but it's not like you can compare the microphone of the A40 against the microphone of the HD595, because there is no mic on the HD595, but you can compare the sound of each can't you?

You say the purposes of headsets vs. headphones are different. This is true, but the traits each have lend themselves to both purposes. When we listen to music on a headset, we look for sound stage, clarity, separation, balance, all of these translate into gaming. a larger sound stage will give you more of a surround sound effect making positioning better, separation, balance, and clarity let you pin point the subtle sounds of foot steps or reloading. The HD595's do music very well, and they do gaming very well. Back in the old days of MLG, every pro would have a set of Hd595's around their necks.

With everything said in the reviews, it is up to you as the consumer to weigh your priorities when pulling the trigger on your purchase. You ask yourself would you go the headphone route or the headset route. We list pros and cons of each, and compare them.

And yes, I will throw the argument that you can easily have a headphone become a headset either through using a Zalman clip on microphone or a mod from someone like Tommybwoy. Your analogy doesn't make any sense, because if you're able to add anything to your PC, so can the other party. To go by your analogy somewhat, it's like saying that your computer which has a P4 processor and 512mb ram is better than someone's i7 6gb ddr3 ram computer because you have a wireless card built in, and they don't have one built in. They can easily just plug in a USB wireless adapter and be set. What I'm saying is that one can choose the convenience of having the microphone affixed by the manufacturer but sacrifice sound quality, or simply clip on a 10 dollar microphone and deal with 2 wires instead of 1 to have better audio quality/more of a competitive advantage. This is a question the consumer has to answer on their own, I simply point out the facts and my opinion, nothing more.


----------



## Saizer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Steggy;13262248*
> Before I begin my response, I would like to say that this roundup was my first attempt at reviews, and I have since then made tweaks/refinements to my process/write ups.


And? I've never done a review of nothing in my entire life. This could have been your N° 100 review and still could have errors. No one is perfect.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Steggy;13262248*
> *Describing a product's performance can always benefit in being described in the form of a comparison with another product. It's just the way it is.* What does Pepsi taste like? Have you ever had a Coca Cola? Pepsi is like Coke, but a little more sweet. I apply this to audio when I review. We took 3 headphones that are highly regarded in their own respects, and used them as reference for the headsets we reviewed. We also pitted the headsets against each other in the review, which was what it was all about. Headsets vs. headsets, using headphones as reference as well as reviewing them as well. When doing the comparisons between headsets and headphones, yes, sound quality seems stressed, but it's not like you can compare the microphone of the A40 against the microphone of the HD595, because there is no mic on the HD595, but you can compare the sound of each can't you?


No, its is not like that. You cannot, again compare two things just because they have something in common. Not sir. Don't give me silly examples cause that doesn't fit this case. So according to your statement, then we could compare a Wolfvwagen Passat with a Ferrari right? Cause both of them are cars and they are incredible. But unluckily the Passat is on a clearly dissadvantadge over the Ferrari because of its "limited" speed. But the ferrari is 3 - 4 times more expensive. So? What should I pick a Ferrari or a Passat?

You cannot compare what you want. Because you would be confusing people.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Steggy;13262248*
> You say the purposes of headsets vs. headphones are different. This is true, but the traits each have lend themselves to both purposes. When we listen to music on a headset, we look for sound stage, clarity, separation, balance, all of these translate into gaming. a larger sound stage will give you more of a surround sound effect making positioning better, separation, balance, and clarity let you pin point the subtle sounds of foot steps or reloading. The HD595's do music very well, and they do gaming very well. Back in the old days of MLG, every pro would have a set of Hd595's around their necks.


No. Not true. The sennheiser brand for example, is rewarded for their high quality IN SOUND products. And as we all know the PC350 doesn't sound as awesome as it should. And why is that if sennheiser is characterized for their sound? Well because for their product not to be so expensive they had to decrease a little bit the quality of the headset and put it a microphone cause that headset like the astro and etc were created for gaming and not for listening to music. Don't throw yourself onto tangents teaching me the history of the 595 cause that doesn't have anything to do with all this.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Steggy;13262248*
> With everything said in the reviews, it is up to you as the consumer to weigh your priorities when pulling the trigger on your purchase. You ask yourself would you go the headphone route or the headset route. We list pros and cons of each, and compare them.


And also is up to you to do a good review and not this BS. You cannot compare them cause you make one headset looks bad compared to the other heaphone. So poeple get confused and get the headphone, when what they really wanted was gaming and use a mic.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Steggy;13262248*
> And yes, I will throw the argument that you can easily have a headphone become a headset either through using a Zalman clip on microphone or a mod from someone like Tommybwoy. *Your analogy doesn't make any sense, because if you're able to add anything to your PC, so can the other party. To go by your analogy somewhat, it's like saying that your computer which has a P4 processor and 512mb ram is better than someone's i7 6gb ddr3 ram computer because you have a wireless card built in, and they don't have one built in.* They can easily just plug in a USB wireless adapter and be set. What I'm saying is that one can choose the convenience of having the microphone affixed by the manufacturer but sacrifice sound quality, or simply clip on a 10 dollar microphone and deal with 2 wires instead of 1 to have better audio quality/more of a competitive advantage. This is a question the consumer has to answer on their own, I simply point out the facts and my opinion, nothing more.


Whaaaaaaaaat? That wasn't my example my friend. Mine was that if I have a P4 then my PC is the best in 1 month because it will be upgraded to be better than the best PC now. THAT was my example. And following that analogy then nothing is better than nothing. So you can't state that "A headphone can become a headset". No sir. The only reason for the headset's existence is the fact that you have the best comfortability you could ever have when talking and listening at the same time. Having a desk usb mic is a complete different story, UNLESS its a high end one that cost you 500U$D and that has a nice sensibility for human voice.

You should check your review for the 4th, 5th time man.


----------



## Steggy

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Saizer*


No, its is not like that. You cannot, again compare two things just because they have something in common. Not sir. Don't give me silly examples cause that doesn't fit this case. So according to your statement, then we could compare a Wolfvwagen Passat with a Ferrari right? Cause both of them are cars and they are incredible. But unluckily the Passat is on a clearly dissadvantadge over the Ferrari because of its "limited" speed. But the ferrari is 3 - 4 times more expensive. So? What should I pick a Ferrari or a Passat?

You cannot compare what you want. Because you would be confusing people.


We're not comparing a VW to a Ferrari, we're comparing a 200 dollar headset, a 90 dollar headset, and a 150 dollar headset against a 90 dollar headphone, a 150 dollar headphone, and a 350 dollar headphone. Besides the HD650, the headphones are right in line in price against the other headsets. It's like saying we can't compare car A with car B even if they are the same price because one is a sedan and the other is a coupe, and they shouldn't be pitted against each other.

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Saizer*


No. Not true. The sennheiser brand for example, is rewarded for their high quality IN SOUND products. And as we all know the PC350 doesn't sound as awesome as it should. And why is that if sennheiser is characterized for their sound? Well because for their product not to be so expensive they had to decrease a little bit the quality of the headset and put it a microphone cause that headset like the astro and etc were created for gaming and not for listening to music. Don't throw yourself onto tangents teaching me the history of the 595 cause that doesn't have anything to do with all this.


They didn't decrease the quality of the headset intentionally to cut costs, the drivers in the PC350 are the same in the HD595, but the direction they took the headset in with the noise canceling housing altered the sound stage/sound signature, and people weren't a fan as a result, which brings us to the PC360 that many people like because of its high clarity, balanced sound, and wider sound stage. If you don't get that the characteristics of a headphone/headset's sound in music translates to gaming abilities then there's no point taking this discussion further.


----------



## Saizer

Hi man it's me again. Well let me tell ya I got the Sennheiser PC350 which has verified my theory about this review. I'm going to talk about personal experience:

Just incredible. When I first tested it with iTunes (my music player) I was amazed at the sound (specially with the bass, which was something YOU said this SHS 350 lacks of). When I equalized iTunes amplifying the low frequencies (for more) I got even more impressed by seeing how the music doesn't get distorted. Something I noted was that, BECAUSE OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EAR (cause this happened with all my headphones) when I push both ear cups to make pressure with my head, the bass increases drastically, it gets even more notable than the acutes. But well as I said, its because of an effect created by the ear that produces that kind of resonance between your ear and the headset (which I deduce it's not the headset's fault cause that happened with all of my headphones). Although what I said was true, the ear cup itself has its own resonance area, which maybe could have been better so that users could enjoy even more bass that what you will have if you don't press the ear cups with your ears. But in the ends thats ok, cause this is not a Hi-Fi headset and for that you have other products which can even cost the same but will probably (99%) be a headphone which means no microphone.

I got really impressed and after testing them I knew why they cost me that much and why Sennheiser is such a recognized brand (this was my first SHS product). I had a Creative Soundblaster Audigy SE (which is awesome but not the best) which means that only god knows if this HDST would be even better with the HI-FI Creative SC (or something even better). But what I really loved about this headset is how different you hear music. I used to have a Plantronics Gamecom 356, and when I got it, I was amazed on how it sounded. But now that I got this one, I realized how music SHOULD be hear. For example, I love slipknot and if you don't know them they are a band that make nu metal and do it with a lot of instruments. Well with this headset I could hear every little instrument they play, something that I couldn't achieve with my old Plantronics. Same with Bad Company 2 (a game I play a lot); with this **** I hear every single movement of my enemies (and allies too







).

Whats the moral of all this then? Don't pay too much attention to what other people say, even when they make it 100% credible like this guy. What I say will contradict this final sentences, true. But if I would be lying then I would not have said what I said before, which means then, that this is a proof of my honesty. After reading this article it was true that I raged a lot (see my 3 replies or 2 don't remember). He gave me 2 reasons (or 3 lol) which make me think "meh he may be right" but in the end after buying this SHS (which was another proof on how I haven't feel intimidated by his article) I finally knew how little he knows about facts, human being, etc. And my old theory on why not to compare headphones was re born. Why I say this? Well I will say why. After getting this SHS, naturally I told it to all my friends (some, its just a way to say) and one of them had a SHS Hd555 which is even cheaper than the 350. When I tested them (after getting my 350) I realized that they sounded better than my 350. They were same comfortable but the bass was more notable. The fact that they were even cheaper confirm my theory: Headsets are headsets and headphones are headphones. You won't buy a headset for the same reason you will get a headphone which means they can't be compared each other. You can't compare a headset with a headphone just because both have speakers and are used to hear audio. Because if you think it that way, then you can compare a PC with an iPhone or any modern cellphone that has wi-fi, a nice processor, nice ram, etc (which nowadays abounds). In the end basic things such as creating text files, watching videos, listening to music, surfing the web, drawing things, chatting, etc can be achieved with both type of devices. And you know what? People don't compare cellphones with PCs. They don't even compare cellphones like the iPhone with Nokia's 1100. A PC has a technology that can be even 100 times better than a cellphone technology but a cellphone can be 100 time smaller than a PC being more practical. A headphone can achieve voice communication which a headphone can't, but a headphone can achieve audio quality that a headset can't (or won't). And if you can't understand that, then you won't understand anything and this argue will be senseless.


----------



## Steggy

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Saizer*


Hi man it's me again. Well let me tell ya I got the Sennheiser PC350 which has verified my theory about this review. I'm going to talk about personal experience:

Just incredible. When I first tested it with iTunes (my music player) I was amazed at the sound (specially with the bass, which was something YOU said this SHS 350 lacks of). When I equalized iTunes amplifying the low frequencies (for more) I got even more impressed by seeing how the music doesn't get distorted. Something I noted was that, BECAUSE OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EAR (cause this happened with all my headphones) when I push both ear cups to make pressure with my head, the bass increases drastically, it gets even more notable than the acutes. But well as I said, its because of an effect created by the ear that produces that kind of resonance between your ear and the headset (which I deduce it's not the headset's fault cause that happened with all of my headphones). Although what I said was true, the ear cup itself has its own resonance area, which maybe could have been better so that users could enjoy even more bass that what you will have if you don't press the ear cups with your ears. But in the ends thats ok, cause this is not a Hi-Fi headset and for that you have other products which can even cost the same but will probably (99%) be a headphone which means no microphone.

I got really impressed and after testing them I knew why they cost me that much and why Sennheiser is such a recognized brand (this was my first SHS product). I had a Creative Soundblaster Audigy SE (which is awesome but not the best) which means that only god knows if this HDST would be even better with the HI-FI Creative SC (or something even better). But what I really loved about this headset is how different you hear music. I used to have a Plantronics Gamecom 356, and when I got it, I was amazed on how it sounded. But now that I got this one, I realized how music SHOULD be hear. For example, I love slipknot and if you don't know them they are a band that make nu metal and do it with a lot of instruments. Well with this headset I could hear every little instrument they play, something that I couldn't achieve with my old Plantronics. Same with Bad Company 2 (a game I play a lot); with this **** I hear every single movement of my enemies (and allies too







).

Whats the moral of all this then? Don't pay too much attention to what other people say, even when they make it 100% credible like this guy. What I say will contradict this final sentences, true. But if I would be lying then I would not have said what I said before, which means then, that this is a proof of my honesty. After reading this article it was true that I raged a lot (see my 3 replies or 2 don't remember). He gave me 2 reasons (or 3 lol) which make me think "meh he may be right" but in the end after buying this SHS (which was another proof on how I haven't feel intimidated by his article) I finally knew how little he knows about facts, human being, etc. And my old theory on why not to compare headphones was re born. Why I say this? Well I will say why. After getting this SHS, naturally I told it to all my friends (some, its just a way to say) and one of them had a SHS Hd555 which is even cheaper than the 350. When I tested them (after getting my 350) I realized that they sounded better than my 350. They were same comfortable but the bass was more notable. The fact that they were even cheaper confirm my theory: Headsets are headsets and headphones are headphones. You won't buy a headset for the same reason you will get a headphone which means they can't be compared each other. You can't compare a headset with a headphone just because both have speakers and are used to hear audio. Because if you think it that way, then you can compare a PC with an iPhone or any modern cellphone that has wi-fi, a nice processor, nice ram, etc (which nowadays abounds). In the end basic things such as creating text files, watching videos, listening to music, surfing the web, drawing things, chatting, etc can be achieved with both type of devices. And you know what? People don't compare cellphones with PCs. They don't even compare cellphones like the iPhone with Nokia's 1100. A PC has a technology that can be even 100 times better than a cellphone technology but a cellphone can be 100 time smaller than a PC being more practical. A headphone can achieve voice communication which a headphone can't, but a headphone can achieve audio quality that a headset can't (or won't). And if you can't understand that, then you won't understand anything and this argue will be senseless.


The amount of bass on the PC350's is light. You're saying yourself that you turned up the low end in your EQ for more bass, and you pressed your headset into your ears to get more. In a console gaming situation, you have neither of those outlets to turn to to make the sound better. I'm not saying the PC350 isn't a good headset, but it's not perfect. People will still use it though because it will outdo any other headset out there for noise canceling. You can say that you found the bass to be good on the PC350 without the EQing, you went from a plantronics gaming headset to a Sennheiser, it's no surprise that you're impressed. It's like coming from apple iBuds. I've used more headsets and headphones than I care to count, and my opinion on the Pc350's bass still stands, and you'll find many agree with me. Just look at the number of mods out there people have done in order to improve the bass of the PC350's.

And your opinion on headset vs; headphones being incomparable is still an invalid one. It seems like a good fallback to say when you find out that your friend's cheaper set of headphones exceeds the sound of your headset, by saying that the addition of a microphone makes them incomparable, but they are. Headphones can utilize voice communication, headsets can achieve headphone quality. With headphones, you can either install a microphone port yourself, use a clip on microphone, use a computer's built in microphone if you're PC gaming, or use the xbox 360 mic around your neck if your console gaming. There are a multitude of ways you can do it. Headset's voice communication is more convenient yes, but it doesn't discount a headphone's ability to perform the functions a headset can. And yes, headsets can achieve the quality of headphones, you've used 2 headsets so you haven't seen this yet, but again, I've used more than I care to count. Take a look at the Beyerdynamic MMX 300. It is literally a Beyerdynamic DT 770 with a microphone installed by the company. Look at the PC350, it's has the same exact drivers as a pair of HD555's, but in different housing, which makes the sound sound different. I'm not saying there is no limit to comparing headsets and headphones. Headsets hit a ceiling in performance before headphones, because gaming only requires so much performance. The MMX 300 is pretty much the highest tier headset right now, especially the headzone system, but headphones go much higher, with cans like the Beyerdynamic T1's, Sennheiser HE60/HE90, etc. But I'm not comparing those.

I'm glad you enjoy the PC350's. They are in no way a bad headset, but in comparable price ranges, higher audio quality/performance can be achieved. Headphones or headsets.


----------



## Saizer

Don't put things I haven't said in my mouth. I said that I pressed my headset into my ears as a test, nothing more. But as now I equalized the music, I don't need to do so. In fact I'm getting a bit annoyed on how high the bass sounds it makes my head hurts. And believe me, this headset that is expensive wasn't meant for do a low quality communication in Xbox live or PSN. It was meant for other purposes. So why would I care? I can affirm you that a normal person won't spend that much money on a headset just for having a voice conversation while playing through the xbox or ps3 so leave the "bla bla bla". Also perfection doesn't exist so I don't know why you told me the 350 isn't perfect. In fact everyday new electronic things appear replacing the old one for the improvement on something, which verifies that there's always a flaw on EVERYTHING. Price, manufacture quality, design, features, brand, popularity, reliability, warranty, etc. And there are a million more things that improves day by day after every new product. So try not to get into a very delicate area such as what perfection is cause you would end loosing the discussion. And the fact of my "upgrade" from a plantronics to a shs doesn't justifies my satisfaction with the bass of this hds. I have a Bosse in ear pair of headphones and I knew how "real" bass should be like before getting this SHS. 55% of the reviews I read said the 350 lacks of bass, true. And I won't do that mod cause the speaker will break. I know what I'm saying.

Headphones can't be compared with headsets. Understand that.


----------



## Steggy

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Saizer*


Don't put things I haven't said in my mouth. I said that I pressed my headset into my ears as a test, nothing more. But as now I equalized the music, I don't need to do so. In fact I'm getting a bit annoyed on how high the bass sounds it makes my head hurts. And believe me, this headset that is expensive wasn't meant for do a low quality communication in Xbox live or PSN. It was meant for other purposes.


It's a gaming headset. Xbox/PS3/PC is what it is meant for. Notice how it's the Sennheiser G4ME PC350?

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Saizer*


So why would I care? I can affirm you that a normal person won't spend that much money on a headset just for having a voice conversation while playing through the xbox or ps3 so leave the "bla bla bla".


Gaming enthusiasts buy the headsets not just for voice communication, but to hear where enemies are in FPS's. It offers a competitive advantage, and that's why people use them. If they wanted simple voice communication they would stick with a stock headset that only does voice comm. And as they buy these headsets for a competitive advantage, they want the best headsets available for the price, or the best performing in general.[/quote[

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Saizer*


Also perfection doesn't exist so I don't know why you told me the 350 isn't perfect. In fact everyday new electronic things appear replacing the old one for the improvement on something, which verifies that there's always a flaw on EVERYTHING. Price, manufacture quality, design, features, brand, popularity, reliability, warranty, etc. And there are a million more things that improves day by day after every new product. So try not to get into a very delicate area such as what perfection is cause you would end loosing the discussion.


I said a headset wasn't perfect, not that another headset is. There is nothing I said there that was incorrect, what you just said is an irrelevant rant.

Quote:



Originally Posted by *Saizer*


And the fact of my "upgrade" from a plantronics to a shs doesn't justifies my satisfaction with the bass of this hds. *I have a Bosse in ear pair of headphones and I knew how "real" bass should be like before getting this SHS.* 55% of the reviews I read said the 350 lacks of bass, true. And I won't do that mod cause the speaker will break. I know what I'm saying.

Headphones can't be compared with headsets. Understand that.


HAHAHAHAHAHA wow, I'm done. I didn't realize I was being trolled. GG.


----------



## Narzon

A headset is a headphone with a mic attached.. why can't we compare them?
In all honesty I'm sure I'd enjoy having a PC360, but economically it doesn't make much sense to buy one. I know plenty of people who are "happy" and "satisfied" with their G35s or Megalodons or Astros, but ultimately they're not getting the full extent of their money's worth.


----------



## somebodysb2

Funny because a AD700+Zalman mic will beat all of those headsets...

AFAIK most of the people who buy TB's or Astro's or Tritton's are stupid misinformed Console gamers, you don't need 5.1 for gaming, a good 2.0 with large soundstage is miles better than your 1337 mixamps, this is the wrong forum to copypasta this comparison. REAL gaming enthusiasts do their research instead of buying overhyped crap like the A40's for example.

Your MLG 1337 hax trickshotz headphone comparison= Epic fail.

BTW = Grado's are for rock, not gaming.


----------



## Steggy

Quote:



Originally Posted by *somebodysb2*


Funny because a AD700+Zalman mic will beat all of those headsets...

AFAIK most of the people who buy TB's or Astro's or Tritton's are stupid misinformed Console gamers, you don't need 5.1 for gaming, a good 2.0 with large soundstage is miles better than your 1337 mixamps, this is the wrong forum to copypasta this comparison. REAL gaming enthusiasts do their research instead of buying overhyped crap like the A40's for example.

Your MLG 1337 hax trickshotz headphone comparison= Epic fail.

BTW = Grado's are for rock, not gaming.


Yes, sound quality wise the AD700 is better than the headsets in this review. That doesn't mean they should be discounted though. Some don't want to get involved with modding or combination buying with headphones and microphones to work on console, and there are headsets that rival headphones like the AD700 and HD595, and there are those that don't. Which is why we have reviews so we know how headsets stack up against headphones and other headsets before we make a purchase. And it's ironic that the pretentiousness in your post is grouped with misinformation yourself, as you seem to think this review revolved around 5.1 headsets when they are all stereo, but given virtual surround sound when paired with the astro mixamp (which by the way is what allows your AD700+Zalman mic alternative to work on xbox). And if you happen to look on this forum as well as audio enthusiast forums like head-fi/avsforum, the astro mixamp is pretty well received all around.

And yes, if you read the review, you'd see that I said the grados are good for rock and not gaming.

<4nd 1m g0nn4 3nd my p0s7 1n 1337 74lk 2 m4k3 my 4rgum3nt str0ng3r h3rp d3rp>


----------



## chinesekiwi

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Steggy;13262248*
> What does Pepsi taste like? Have you ever had a Coca Cola? Pepsi is like Coke, but a little more sweet.


not here in New Zealand hehe. Coke tastes significantly more sugary than Pepsi. Pepsi tastes better than Coke tbh. As in the US, both are direct competitors of major beverage makers (Coca-Cola Amatil for Coke, Frucor for Pepsi).


----------



## cROKODILE

Can you guys tell which one of these two is the best/better for fps games: Audio Technica AD700, Sennheiser PC360.

Not to have a mic isn't a problem, just the sound quality etc.


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## Saizer

Sennheiser PC360 FTW, just for 1 reason: Reliability on the brand


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## Saizer

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Steggy;13830243*
> HAHAHAHAHAHA wow, I'm done. I didn't realize I was being trolled. GG.


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## daidaeao

Guys, a little off topic question:

What do you think about a Sennheiser HD 598 paired with an Astro Mixamp?

I'm planing on buying those two items to replace my Sharkoon X-Tatic Digital rev3.


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## daidaeao

BUMP


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