What's better than the Asus Xonar Xense + Sennheiser PC 350 bundle?

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PostmanPot

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Hi all

Well after um'ing and ah'ing over the Roccat Kave headset, I've decided against it. It lacks too much in music-playing quality, which is what I'm also after, besides gaming. Also I've heard it gets uncomfortable after long sessions, and that they're too heavy.

So I saw the Asus Xonar Xense bundle that comes with the Sennheiser PC 350 that I can pick up for around R2600 - http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=fuwaPxZqjAhgplCB

I've always wanted Sennheiser headphones because I know they're of outstanding quality. The Xense bundle includes a high quality sound card with amplified outs (needed to properly drive the PC 350s), similar to the acclaimed Asus Xonar Essence STX. And apparently these products have been combined with gamers in mind, as well as music lovers.

I've read lots of reviews and watched lots of video reviews, and generally the PC 350s are rated superbly. Some reviews however say that some music tones are a bit washed out. Either way, I'm sure they'd be a huge upgrade from what I've had.

I haven't had the chance to speak to actual owners, so I'd really appreciate to know what you guys think.

With a budget of R3000, could I spend my money better on a separate Sennheiser head set and sound card?

Many thanks! :)
 
If you can import them, you might be able to squeeze a pair of Beyerdynamic MMX 300s into your budget, but I doubt it, and anyway you'd want a proper dedicated headphone amp for those.

Your other alternative is to get a pair of HD595s and a clip-on mike, which is trading convenience for quality.

All this with the same soundcard you mentioned, Essence STX.

As for the music being washed out, that may simply be because the reviewed headphones usually aren't burned in, or because the soundstage just isn't that great. I have heard conflicting claims that the PC 350's are HD4X5's with an added mike and that they use the same drivers as the HD 555/595, though I'm inclined to believe the former, since they are the same closed style.
 
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Rudimental said:
If you can import them, you might be able to squeeze a pair of Beyerdynamic MMX 300s into your budget, but I doubt it, and anyway you'd want a proper dedicated headphone amp for those.

Your other alternative is to get a pair of HD595s and a clip-on mike, which is trading convenience for quality.

All this with the same soundcard you mentioned.

As for the music being washed out, that may simply be because the reviewed headphones usually aren't burned in, or because the soundstage just isn't that great. I have heard conflicting claims that the PC 350's are HD4X5's with an added mike and that they use the same drivers as the HD 555/595, though I'm inclined to believe the former, since they are the same closed style.
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Thanks for the reply.

It makes sense that these reviewers aren't able to wear the headset in in time for their review release which is why they claim the sound to be a bit washed out.

I have also read about the PC 350s sharing the same drivers as some higher end models, which is promising.

The HD595s and Xonar Essence STX would come in at around R3,500 - about R1,000 more than the Xense + PC 350 bundle. It is definitely a consideration. Since I like my games, do you think that the PC 350s are perhaps somehow better suited? I want best of both worlds - gaming and music.
 
There is actually a PC 360 headset from Sennheiser that is slightly better when it comes to music.
I don't think Prophecy Shop is selling it though, so you'll most likely have to import it.

I actually want to hear that PC 350 + Xonar Essense STX combination some time to see how much better it is than my Xonar DX + HD 465 set :)

It is actually quite difficult to tell the difference between my Asus P6T Deluxe v2's sound card and the Xonar DX, but both are miles and miles better than my Dell Inspiron 9400's sound card - with which I have to set the master volume on 10% to minimize static noise.
 
Pada said:
There is actually a PC 360 headset from Sennheiser that is slightly better when it comes to music.
I don't think Prophecy Shop is selling it though, so you'll most likely have to import it.

I actually want to hear that PC 350 + Xonar Essense STX combination some time to see how much better it is than my Xonar DX + HD 465 set :)

It is actually quite difficult to tell the difference between my Asus P6T Deluxe v2's sound card and the Xonar DX, but both are miles and miles better than my Dell Inspiron 9400's sound card - with which I have to set the master volume on 10% to minimize static noise.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've heard of the PC 360s, but you're right - Prophecy don't stock them yet. And, I'm thinking they're going to have a quite a bit higher price tag, and of course will end up costing more since there is no bundled sound card for cheap. I mean the Xense sound card is basically costing R600 - amazing value, I'd say.

It would be great if the PC 350's mic and cable were detachable. Ag, shouldn't be too much of a problem since I'll be using them 90% of the time around the house, so hopefully not too much wear and tear.
 
PostmanPot said:
Since I like my games, do you think that the PC 350s are perhaps somehow better suited? I want best of both worlds - gaming and music.
Click to expand...

PC-350 is going to be hands down better if you lan or otherwise want to use headphones in a noisy or somewhat noisy environment, because they are closed. HD595s should give you better quality, but since they are open, you'll get noise bleeding in, and also bleeding out. Being a headset, PC-350's are also designed to be more compact and lugged around, so I expect them to be somewhat more durable, though this is only an assumption.

Btw, Have2have have the HD595 on import for about 1.8K, and Prophecy have the Essence STX for about 1.2K, so the price difference isn't that great.

I personally think that the bundle should be fine unless you're really somewhat of an audiophile. It should be perfect for gaming, and more than passable for music, especially once burned in, and anyway unless you're listening to lossless audio, you lose a lot of the benefit of high end phones.
 
Rudimental said:
PC-350 is going to be hands down better if you lan or otherwise want to use headphones in a noisy or somewhat noisy environment, because they are closed. HD595s should give you better quality, but since they are open, you'll get noise bleeding in, and also bleeding out. Being a headset, PC-350's are also designed to be more compact and lugged around, so I expect them to be somewhat more durable, though this is only an assumption.

Btw, Have2have have the HD595 on import for about 1.8K, and Prophecy have the Essence STX for about 1.2K, so the price difference isn't that great.

I personally think that the bundle should be fine unless you're really somewhat of an audiophile. It should be perfect for gaming, and more than passable for music, especially once burned in, and anyway unless you're listening to lossless audio, you lose a lot of the benefit of high end phones.
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Brilliant. I don't LAN, nor am I in such a noisy environment. I think I will go with the Xense bundle. One other important factor I've read is that the PC 350s are great for glasses wearers. Judging from the HD595 pic, I'm not sure that the material used on the cans would be as suitable for glasses wearers.
 
Damn, I never thought this would be such a difficult choice! :p

So I've been doing a lot of reading on the HD 595s, and some users actually prefer the wider sound stage for gaming. They are definitely the choice for music, something I take very seriously. Another great factor is the lower impedance, meaning the HD 595s would work better on my iPhone and other 3.5mm devices. I also think for extended use I would prefer the open design. I must say the thought of closed headphones as in the PC 350 makes me a little paranoid, as I like to hear noises around me, even though we have electric wire and an alarm. You can never be too careful. :D

I am now thinking of getting the Xonar Essence STX and the HD 595s from Have2Have. Works out at a good price. They will be a good combo, right?

And, I've found some PC 350s in great condition, second-hand for about R800 (I will negotiate). I'm thinking about getting the HD 595 and these second-hand PC 350s, which according to the seller sound as good as when he bought them 2 years ago. Since the warranty is up, I might even try out the bass mod for the PC 350s where one drills a hole into each can. I could just keep which ever ones I prefer, or sell the ones I don't want.

One other thing. I want to be able to run my Logitech Z-2300s as well for when I want to really feel bass. Would my understanding be correct that I could have the headphones plugged in to the Essence STX, as well as the Z-2300s via a 3.5mm to RCA converter? If so, would turning either on/off enable the one or the other? How would I set which one I want to listen to?

Many thanks.
 
I have a set of HD 595s and I must say that they are the best things I have heard. Just be sure to get a good headphone amp for PC and ipod listening if you want to get the best out of them. The sound much better when plugged into a good hi-fi amp.
 
tr1ple6 said:
I have a set of HD 595s and I must say that they are the best things I have heard. Just be sure to get a good headphone amp for PC and ipod listening if you want to get the best out of them. The sound much better when plugged into a good hi-fi amp.
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I won't be able to get a separate amp, but the Xonar Essence STX sound card is amplified. :)
 
The Asus control centre let's you switch between different outputs. I've got headphones in front panel and 5.1 speakers out back of my D1, and I just switch from 5.1 to FP Headphone with a click.

From looking at the Essence STX, it already has stereo RCA outs. You might have to use the front panel for either speaker or headphones (I have a 2 channel FP mode, so I assume the STX will) depending on how the analog is setup on the rear panel, though.
 
Rudimental said:
The Asus control centre let's you switch between different outputs. I've got headphones in front panel and 5.1 speakers out back of my D1, and I just switch from 5.1 to FP Headphone with a click.

From looking at the Essence STX, it already has stereo RCA outs. You might have to use the front panel for either speaker or headphones (I have a 2 channel FP mode, so I assume the STX will) depending on how the analog is setup on the rear panel, though.
Click to expand...

Alright. Guess I don't mind having my Z-2300s connected via front panel if they need to be. They are at the moment. At least I can hook the front panel up to the Essence. :)

Any final thoughts on the Essence STX + HD 595 combo?
 
So during my latest bit of research, I stumbled across the newer (2010) HD 5xx models - the HD 558 http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheise..._headphones_hifi_audiophile-headphones_504631 and HD 598 http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheise..._headphones_hifi_audiophile-headphones_504633.

Read a couple of good reviews, and it's the same scenario as the HD 555 vs HD 595 (which I didn't mention) where both headphones use the exact same model drivers, and there is a mod to make the HD 555s sound almost identical to the HD 595s. The same now goes for the HD 558 and HD 598. Not entirely sure that I would mod them, but it seems the newer models are better.

So I've basically decided on the HD 558, mainly because of the better looks, but also because according to reviews they're better for bassier music than the HD 598. Got a friend in England who is going to ship me HD 558s for R1300 excluding shipping (a whopping R1200 cheaper than Prophecy). :)
 
Ha, good luck with customs lottery, as per usual.

I'm going to get my sis to bring me a pair of HD 438s when she visits from the states, since I'm poor and want a decent pair of closed headphones. Plus, they look unbelievably kitsch.
 
That's why I called it a lottery. Sometimes you don't get charged, sometimes you do, and even then it seems completely random as to what you pay.

edit: I don't really know much about the new 5X8s, but they look like good successors to the 5X5s.
 
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Well, I've just plugged in my Xonar Essence STX. Playing music on my Z-2300s. This card is heaven and all I can say is WOW THIS SH*T ROCKS!!! Absolutely taken aback by the quality of music through my Z-2300s. Using "music mode" with Dolby Pro Logic IIx. I can now dream of what my Sennie HD 558s are going to sound like. :)
 
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