5.1 Headphones

[Enigma']

I am working on mixing a project in 5.1 and wanted to know if anyone has had any experience with 5.1 headphones? I've done some research and have found these:

Sony MDR-DS3000 - Dolby & DTS
Zalman - ZM-R56f - Dobly
EZONICS - EZ-638

I've read mixed reviews for these but can't find any user opinions.
Thanks!

[yoda313]

Hello,

Just a suggestion but virtual surround sound just can't compare to physical speakers in my opinion. Getting a 5.1 soundcard and a 5.1 speaker set for your pc would probably produce better testing results - as they would more closely match the final desired results (a home 5.1 receiver is my guess).

Have you checked www.cnet.com for additional reviews?

Kevin

[Enigma']

Hey there, yes I do have both, but also wish to have a headset for late night hours of mixing. The sets I posted above have seperate speakers inside headset and are not virtual. There is also a decoder on them for either Dolby or DTS as specified. Just so you know

[BJ_M]

I have a set of these I use at times ...

I/O Magic Sound Assault 5.1 Surround Sound Headphones


review;

http://www.extrememhz.com/sassault-p1.shtml

[BJ_M]

ive tried the Sony MDR-DS3000 and they have good sound quality overall , but they have a lot of hiss from their wireless system and you are paying really for the wireless aspect

[JamesB69]

There are a few you missed:

Gainward Sound Xplosion 5.1 - http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=26-106-450&depa=0
Kinyo KY-100 - http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=36-401-016&depa=0
Speed-link Medusa headset - http://www.medusa-usa.com/
LTB headsets - http://www.listentobelieve.com/
HCT DH-720 Dolby Headphones - http://www.hctstore.com/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=28&osCsid=b443e507397be9...a9c39b0b9a197f

Here is a good review on the HCT set http://www.cooltechzone.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=732&Itemid=0&limit=1&limitstart=0
Here is a good review on the LTB set http://www.cooltechzone.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=813&Itemid=0

I have heard a lot of bad things about the Zalman's.

I own the Kinyo's and they are comfortable and sturdy. Sound quality seems to be above average compared to say a pair of low end Sony's. They can get really loud being powered by the amp, but can get distorted on poorly coded DVD audio tracks where the Bass is in the normal channels instead of the subwoofer. Not a problem on cards like my audigy 2 ZS which have a crossover frequency.

As far as positioning, the right to left positioning is excellent. The front to back is not as good. The front channels sound like they are a little in front of you, while the rear channels sound like they are beside you. With a little bit of use, you get used to it. The positioning provided by these makes whatching DVD's a blast and really enhances gaming. If you plan to listen to much music, I would suggest a good quality pair of Sennheiser's or something like that, but for gaming and DVD watching these are good enough for me.

If I were to buy again, I would probably get the Medusa's. The amp for the medusa's seems to be the exact same as the Kinyo amp, just a different color. The driver's for the two headsets also have the same specs which makes me wonder if the drivers and amp come from the same company, and that Kinyo and Medusa just put their own housing and name on them. The medusa's have the microphone which is a plus for online gaming, and they have a volume control on the cord which would be better than using just the amp.

I'd be glad to answer any questions you may have about teh Kinyo's.

james

[Enigma']

Sweet, thanks for the feedback. I'm liking what I'm reading about the Kinyo's, the Medusa looks cool but the price is double the Kinyo's and I don't need the mic. I will be useing these with a Audigy 2 ZS also so the I should be protected from the bass distortion. The Gainwards do have me looking their way however only because of the vibration feedback... might be cool... might be annoying. I would prefer wireless but I've be reading about alot of hiss from the Sony's also. Any other suggestions?

[JamesB69]

I edited my previous post and added a few more sets.

The Kinyo's also have vibration feedback. Its how the subwoofer works in them. Any bass that is lower than the subwoofer's range will vibrate. It has to be pretty loud in order for vibration and I don't really think it adds anything, just these companies way of compensation for the lack of bass response...

Also, if you get the Kinyo's, they come with a whole lot of cables. All of these cables are really thin and really cheap and WILL impede the signal thus reducing quality so I would suggest getting some better quality cables. Here is what I am using for simplicity: http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=13&subcategory=58&product=10367

Note: if you can think of a good enough story, you can get Creative's tech support to send you one for free... (I do not support this action)

[BJ_M]

i bet almost all of these are actually made by the same company ...

[junkmalle]

Review of Zalman's:

http://www.tomshardware.com/consumer/20030926/index.html

[arrived03]

i have the zalmans & for the price i was impressed , they are comparable with 2 channel headphones in the same price range (A$65)

they are entertaining & fulfill all my needs on the computer.

for all my critical listening i use sennheiser hd650 (A$699)
of course i don't use these on my computer.

[JamesB69]

Every site known to man reviewed the Zalman's that's why I didnt post any links: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=zalman+headphones+review

About half of the reviews recommend them, the other half say that it sounds like the sounds are coming through a drain pipe...

[equinox137]

This may be a silly question, but wouldn't you need 5 ears to enjoy 5.1 headphones?

[adamthole]

I didn't check them all out, but do any support optical in?

[JamesB69]

This may be a silly question, but wouldn't you need 5 ears to enjoy 5.1 headphones?

Do you need 5 eyes to see 5 fingers on your hand?

I get so sick of the 5 ears question. Its NO different than a 5.1 surround sound system other than the fact that the drivers are closer together so the separation is not as convincing and of course their smaller so sound wont necessarily be as good.

[JamesB69]

I didn't check them all out, but do any support optical in?

the hct set has optical in and will decode Dolby Digital or 2 ch PCM...

[Enigma']

thanks for all the links, after looking around the reviews at Newegg I think I'm going with the Kinyo's. I'll let you know what I think when I get them.

[Enigma']

Just wanted to let everyone know that the Kinyo's work pretty good. You DO need to adjust the bass but thats no big deal. I do have one more question however, the connectors on the headphones are analog in/out, is there such a thing as digital to analog converter, ie. optical/coax to triple stereo cable? I'm pretty sure that this isn't possible or wouldn't sound that great but wanted to ask if it existed. Thanks!

[anzimike]

They're not 5.1 but they sure sound good, a bit pricey though:
http://www.stax.co.jp/ENG/products.html

[JamesB69]

A "digital to analog converter" that you ask about would be known generally as a decoder. You can buy Dolby Digital Converter's and DTS converters, etc.

Here is probably the cheapest option to do what you ask: http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=13&subcategory=58&product=9468&nav=features the Creative DDTS-100

[Enigma']

Yea I was asking cause one of my decoders doesn't have analog out, only in. And the Kinyo's are only analog.

[CunningLinguist]

This may be a silly question, but wouldn't you need 5 ears to enjoy 5.1 headphones?

Yes, it is a silly question. How do you think you can tell whether something is in front of you or behind you with only 2 ears? You'd need at least 3 or 4, right? The reason is that depending on what direction a soundwave hits your ear, the phase is shifted a certain degree before it hits your eardrum, and your brain interprets the phase change in the form of spatial direction. This phase-shift can be mimicked by a pair of headphones. There's some info on this here:http://stuffo.howstuffworks.com/surround-sound4.htm
The Zalman model, however takes a different approach: There's actually a pair of speakers for each channel. In my experience, Zalman has always been the company to raise your hopes, but never delivers. While I've never used these, I wouldn't expect to get the kind of performance you would get out of a set of headphones that actually processes the sound from a dolby 5.1 input.

[CunningLinguist]

Yea I was asking cause one of my decoders doesn't have analog out, only in. And the Kinyo's are only analog.

Actually, the KINYO KY-100's have 3 x 3.5mm jacks

[Enigma']

Actually, the Kinyo's sound really good with exception to the bass. The bass doesn't suck, it just isn't able to go real deep without distorting. In this case you get what you pay($40) for. Just for clarifification, the Kinyo's come with these cables and this is what I'm trying to convert to digital (most of these won't convert for obvious reasons):

Three (3) 3.5 mm stereo plugs to Six (6) RCA plugs cable

Three (3) 3.5 mm stereo plugs to Four (4) RCA jacks
cable

Three (3) 3.5 mm stereo plugs to Two (2) RCA jacks cable

Three (3) 3.5 mm stereo plugs to Two (2) RCA plugs cable

RCA stereo jacks to 3.5 mm stereo plug adapter

3.5 mm stereo plug to 9-pin jack

3.5 mm stereo jack to 1/4-inch plug adapter

I've been searching on google and havn't found a converter that looks like it would work yet.

[CunningLinguist]

Actually, the Kinyo's sound really good with exception to the bass. The bass doesn't suck, it just isn't able to go real deep without distorting. In this case you get what you pay($40) for. Just for clarifification, the Kinyo's come with these cables and this is what I'm trying to convert to digital (most of these won't convert for obvious reasons):

Three (3) 3.5 mm stereo plugs to Six (6) RCA plugs cable

Three (3) 3.5 mm stereo plugs to Four (4) RCA jacks
cable

Three (3) 3.5 mm stereo plugs to Two (2) RCA jacks cable

Three (3) 3.5 mm stereo plugs to Two (2) RCA plugs cable

RCA stereo jacks to 3.5 mm stereo plug adapter

3.5 mm stereo plug to 9-pin jack

3.5 mm stereo jack to 1/4-inch plug adapter

I've been searching on google and havn't found a converter that looks like it would work yet.

The Audigy2 ZS should be able to handle this.

[Enigma']

I do have a Audigy2 but the other receiver that I'm trying to get my Kinyo's to work with is from the Z-5500 system hooked up to a xbox and dvd player, not a computer. The receiver has optical, digital coax, and 3 3.5mm in, not out. The Kinyos are only 3.5 in/out. I'm trying to get more use out of these headphones without only using them on my pc (which they work great on!). Thanks.

[Sillyname]

I get so sick of the 5 ears question.

H-h-h-how often do you hear this question?