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K7XX or HD6XX for generally listening to music and gaming?

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Looking for some opinons on the two. I can wait for both as I'm not in a rush but wanted to know the community opinion as I'm kinda new to the audiophile scene, I have been one of those people who used gaming headsets most of the time.
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UnalloyedBee8
11
Jan 5, 2021
Is the Fiio K5 Pro going to have enough power for a Sennheiser hd 6xx? If not can you recommend any other dac/amp options? Also if I am gaming (ranked/competitive) and also making music, is the hd 6xx the way to go?
Wolfganh420
6
Jan 27, 2019
HD6XX would be my choice. Had theK7XX and gave them away.
The K712 Pro and HD 650 are on the same “tier,” a class above the HD 598. I have an HD 599, and while it is still a good headphone and my go-to for small electronics and weaker-amp sources (I don’t know if my Sony PSVR can handle my HD 650, but the HD 599 fits perfectly snug over the PSVR’s headband “ring” so I use that), the HD 650 and K712 Pro have less of a haze and more “agility” to respond to fast paced music or separate instruments in complex passages. The K712 Pro emphasize space while the HD 650 emphasizes timbre. While the K712 is AKG’s third iteration towards a more modern, well-rounded signature, I still find the Sennheiser to be more well-rounded and emotional while the AKG is still aimed at space and detail. For competitive gaming, the ideal signature de-emphasizes bass, emotion, and things that can startle or distract the gamer from focusing on the tactical and locational sounds, and (IMO) have the kind of agility and micro detail retrieval that lends itself well to surround processing (so you can tell front from back, ideally height too). Sounds weird with music though, less realistic and immersive while gaming or watching movies. From here, I think readers can (and will) make their own decisions. I don’t think either the K712 or HD 650 deviate towards an extreme specialization, but they have their strengths and distinctions.
Berwhale
0
Jan 4, 2019
I bought the K712Pro's for listening to music and for gaming (mainly PUBG on PC). the K712s seemed to offer the best compromise for both activities at a reasonable price point. I run the K712s from a Fiio K3 DAC/Amp but I think it's under powered for the K712Pros, so i've ordered a JDS Labs Atom desktop amp which is winging its way to me right now. I listen to MEEAudio Pinnacle P1's with Fiio BTR3 or Shanling M0 when out and about. The P1's are pretty clinical and I think they prepared me well for the clarity and tone of the K712's.
larry909
10
Jan 4, 2019
I just ordered the k6xx as my first Massdrop purchase. I was wondering if my Yamaha receiver (RX-A780) headphone output has the required power to drive the k6xx or do I need a separate amp to attach to the receiver headphone output? thanks
Freelance life, yo. Gotta do everything myself. Glad to hear you got your HD 6XX! Some DACs can be used with phones... it depends. Might help if we knew what phone you have? Sometimes, you can use an OTG (On The Go) cable with Android phones, or the iOS Camera Connection Kit to give that phone a typical fullsized USB port (USB-A), but a DAC will draw extra power from the phone and you’ll want to pick a DAC that doesn’t draw too much. I used to have a DAC to strap onto my phone and a Schiit Bifrost Uber for desktop use, then I tried a few different DACs/amps before sort of settling on a Chord Mojo as a battery-powered “all in one” that I could use at home and when traveling (USB from computer and smartphone, optical from my PlayStation 4, coax from a cheap DAP), and that worked really well. I say “sort of” settled on the Mojo, because an opportunity to get a Sennheiser HDV 820 fell into my lap and so I happily use that at home. Recommending a DAC at a low price can be tough, since it’s been awhile since I shopped low priced DACs and the industry continued to evolve. If you want something thumbdrive sized, Audioquest Dragonfly is decent, the Red version doesn’t even need an additional amp. iFi Audio knows what they’re doing. For desktop, people have very nice things to say about the Schiit Modi with Multibit, sometimes called the Mimby for short. Nice DACs show up here on Massdrop too - I haven’t heard the SDAC, but it’s reviewed pretty well for a small desktop DAC. Regarding CD’s in a BluRay player, it depends. The (Blue) laser that reads Blu-ray Discs is actually a separate laser than the (red) one used for reading CDs 💿, so while many early Blu-ray players had both lasers my PlayStation 4 cannot read regular CDs. DVD drives have always read CDs from my experience, and computer disc drives were usually DVD/CD combo units until they mostly stopped including them. I like to use Apple iTunes to rip (download) the CD files to my computer in Apple Lossless format, or the Handbrake software to rip them in FLAC. I played with the VLC software for awhile, but it noticeably didn’t sound as good playing back files as iTunes, which was weird. That’s it for your info dump today! Haha! Here’s a gift for your weekend: a playlist of songs that IMO sound pretty great on the HD 650 https://open.spotify.com/user/evshrug/playlist/1ayeHWCdxJzNNzDVORlcTt?si=UTA3VvTiTImmxjStd5TuTw
A bit more info, for someone else just starting out as well. You guys might both get something out of the info: https://www.massdrop.com/talk/18773/talk/2320734?utm_source=linkshare&referer=Z2JXCA
Pings
264
Jan 7, 2018
I would take a look at the HE4XX/K7XX. I will start with what I think what attributes good HiFi "gaming" cans should have. A lack of hard bass, soundstage, imaging, detail, and good separation. The K7XX are great cans for gaming. Their soundstage, imaging, detail, and separation are really good. It's just I feel that the HE4XX have better imaging, detail, separation expect the K7XX have better soundstage. Plus the HE4XX have a pretty good low-end extension which isn't over powering at all. I would say imaging is more important than soundstage for gaming, but soundstage and imaging should be a married characteristic when describing sound. Having decent to good soundstage with crappy imaging is like having a good idea with bad implementation. Not saying they K7XX have bad imaging. I think a good example of this would be the HD6XX, they have decent soundstage with crappy imaging, and it's why they're no good for gaming. As someone who owns the K7XX, HE4XX, HD6XX, and more if you asked me for gaming/music I would point you towards the K712 Pro, ATH1000X, and or the HE4XX.
Megazine
544
Jan 7, 2018
From what I came across, I heard K7XX is superior for games since it has a wider soundstage, and HD6XX is better for music since it's more neutral (preference). I just got the K7XX and plugged it directly into my Nintendo Switch to play ZELDA and the sound blew away my Sennheiser HD598; I did notice the volume was lower on my 7XX vs the HD598. I haven't tried it for FPS yet but I will. It's going to come down to what you do more, play games or listen to music.
(Edited)
REZ Infinite has a PSVR mode, right? I bought the Witcher 3, almost ready to start it! Just feel guilty sinking my teeth into that when I have work coming up, lol! EDIT: REZ Infinite looks awesome! Yep, you’re right, that was fun. Reminds me of a game I watched my friend play, it was an exploration game with similar graphics, and all the puzzles would create music. FRACT OSC! I think you’d really like that game too, it’s neat!
(Edited)
Megazine
544
Jan 24, 2019
EvshrugI believe it is, and I have yet to try VR.
enerji
16
Jan 7, 2018
K7XX are more for music production than general day-to-day listening to music and gaming. I mention this because they're extremely neutral, even though that sounds redundant. They are much better for mastering than the HD 6XX headphones. For anyone who doesn't produce music I recommend the 6XX for its warmer, friendlier tone and soundscape. Unless you have both headphones it is difficult to describe the difference, but each of them are much different from the other. You will enjoy music more on the 6XX since it is less critical of mastering issues on older songs or poor mastering issues from less skilled sound mixers, generally providing the listener a better listening experience.
That being said, I use my 6XX for FPS's like CS:GO which require pinpoint precise sound locations, and it is expert for that. You will hear footsteps easier and be able to easily locate enemy team players or gunshot locations. For games like Rising Storm 2 in which I prefer to feel immersed, I also recommend the 6XX since explosions and gunshots are more pronounced and overwhelming than the 7XX.
Dushyant
13
Dec 17, 2018
This is correct, one shouldn’t judge K7xx without a quality (preferably desktop) amp. while their impedence is low they are very amperage demanding and this is a mistake I made. Over time with better amps I am so in love with my K7XX
BradTrev
38
Jan 3, 2019
The 7XX is not more neutral buddy
Hd6xx has high impedance. It needs an amp for the full effect
kd7uns
0
May 8, 2020
erickongThe K7xx will also benefit from an amp.
Steviewonder
4
Jan 6, 2018
Hd6xx is better for music, k7xx for gaming (although k702 and k712 are better than k7xx which is k702 with extra muddy bass)
Megazine
544
Jan 7, 2018
I see, your right from what I’ve read. I also heard the 7XX is more fun to use for misic over the HD6XX but the HD6XX is more accurate and warm
Steviewonder
4
Jan 7, 2018
MegazineI wouldn't say that. Normally a "fun" sound signature is v shaped whereas the k7xx doesn't have much bass. The k7xx can be more fatiguing to listen to than the hd6xx. IMO if you are talking about overall technical ability the hd6xx is comparible to the k712 which is better than k7xx but your preferences are also important. The k7xx also has problems if the music isn't very well mixed and mastered. If anything I'd say that whilst the hd6xx is more detailed than the k7xx (about on par with the k712) the k7xx forces you to listen to the detail whilst the hd6xx places it there for you to pick up on if you want to.
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