Review: G.Skill RipJaws SR910 7.1 headset

#5187685 Posted on: 11/12/2015 02:48 AM

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Meh....

It always saddens me when these gimmicky gaming peripherals boast complete nonsense. While companies like Sennheiser, beyerdynamic, AKG all stay away from multi-drivers because in their 80+ years of experience, they diminish the accuracy and clarity of the sound. Yet these gimmicks appeal to the average un-informed gamer who assumes 'More is Better!'.

Note to the wise from someone who has owned multi-driver 7.1 headphones recently; A pair of Sennheiser HD558 utterly destroy multi-driver headsets (and software surround) in spacial accuracy.

My informed 2 cents...

#5187688 Posted on: 11/12/2015 02:53 AM

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Yesterday I received a set of sweet Sony MDR-V55 cans which I purchased in an Amazon sale for $50 bucks (Sony sells 'em for $79.99 on the Sony site), and I really like 'em...they actually sound much better than I thought they would for cans < $100. Pleasant surprise is how clear and strong the bass is--without being muddy at all. Very nice--it's the kind of bass that is clear & deep but doesn't overpower the sound at all (like I would expect from a really nice stereo speaker set.) I loathe muddy, overbearing bass.

These make no pretense at "surround sound" support, of course, because any DSP can create a convincing surround field inside stereo reproduction. I've got an earphone-designed DSP on my motherboard w/ isolated circuitry & dual headphone amps. Here's some of the marketing fluff from MSI...

Up to 600 OHM crystal clear sound with exceptional acoustics
Dedicated amplified output optimized for studio-grade headgear
Superb signal conductivity and will not wear over time

Bottom line: sounds great.

But I've just never been interested in USB sound devices...a prejudice of mine going back to when USB sound would actually sputter and choke because of the cpu overhead-related processing delays. Yea, that was a long time back... Still, I'd prefer my sound processing be done somewhere other than inside my headphones via USB software. I've nothing if not an open mind, however, and if I get the chance I'll check these out.

#5187921 Posted on: 11/12/2015 03:03 PM

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Well, I'm no one for gamer headwear anymore ever since I tried the good ol' Superluxx + Zalman mic combo.

These days I'm sporting a ATH M50x with the Mod Mic 4 and personally, there's no going back for me ever again.

Occasionally I do wonder who the market for such products is. To an extend I figure it's not too different from the Beats by Dre trend that has evolved over the past years.

#5190121 Posted on: 11/16/2015 04:39 PM

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I have these which I use for movies (from either Bluray or media server Bluray rips) - they take DTS-MA or Dolby TrueHD 7.1 channels without any digital to analog conversion - it is straight HDMI from source to these phones DSP Analog Devices processor. No noise whatsever when listening - goes from total silence to ear slittingly loud with ear shaking sub-base in an instant with no hiss or hum interference at all. Best earphones I have ever listened to...

You get what you pay for - currently about €520 but I saw sony UK selling them for £800...

http://www.sony.ie/electronics/headband-headphones/mdr-hw700ds

#5190870 Posted on: 11/17/2015 09:53 PM

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USB, eeeugh. I have a highish end sound card for a reason.

I'd like to try 'true' 5 or 7 channel headphones one day just to see how they sound compared to virtualized surround, but the cost involved is too high for my budget, especially when all headphones I've tried are uncomfortable for me.

Probably futile to ask, but does anyone know of any headphones similar to ASUS' Vulcans? They're the most comfortable I've tried and have good noise isolation and active noise canceling, though the sound quality is worse than my 5Hv2. Would like to get something similar to them that has better sound quality. (and hinge design, man is it awful; just folds in on itself with its own weight!)