Power isn’t what’s required. Mainly the circuitry and what not. Extra power just means its driven doesnt mean it gets along. I wouldn’t use something like a thx amp with most beyers as while it provides enough power it’s overly sterile, clinical, analytical, and slightly brighter nature tends to make them uncomfortable to listen to or just annoying
Never was a fan
Tygr is more ampless than not… it really doesnt gain much whatsoever from higher setups so it just needs enough juice.
I mean if you can stretch for a Sundara they are definitly worth it. They are quite amazing (post 02/2020) for their price. They do however require power so it’s not stretching your budget to 350. It’s stretching it to 350 + at least a watt, preferably more, of amplification
Oh man, I was just gonna ask you about that one, seeing as it was discounted to just above my budget by Monodudes. Clinical-analytical listening isn’t really what I’m after. I could go there and it’s certainly appealing, but there are just too many other things to do and buy in life, so I wouldn’t like to develop the habit of listening to tracks for several hours a day picking them apart, judging and comparing and deciding which one’s best. More like play a game for a whole freaking day on the rare day I don’t have any projects pending or really, really need a solid break. Otherwise, music at work — to keep me awake, to improve my mood, to offset the depressant effect of caffeine overdose and loss of sleep, etc.
Aight. If that’s the case, then I’m sure a half-decent internal potato will suffice.
Hmm… The open-box deal is fifty bucks less than closed (plus free review by a technician), but one doesn’t know whichever revision they happen to be.
I’ve read a thread with at least two posters agreeing the 1W Atom wasn’t giving it the full potential. Comparison of the most and the least enthusiastic reviews kinda suggests some people may be thinking the headphone is at its best just because it’s loud enough and the amp is semi-decent-rated, while the guys who were the happiest with it had a car’s worth of an amp.
It also looks like the same is the case with the 400SEs, though maybe to a lesser extent, as there are people with more modest amps who are very happy with those, even driving them from smart phones. However, I also recall reading that if you give the 400SEs plenty of juice, they aren’t that far behind the Sundaras.
But again, I just recall what others wrote. Being a complete n00b, I don’t really understand most of it.
The connectors will tell you the truth. 2.5mm on the old models. 3.5 on the new. I can know. Because i accidentally bouth a 2.5mm cable xD
And the power requirements on the Sundara aren’t volume related. Not that I understand how it works. But the same volume (read decibels) on a 400mW amp doesn’t sound as lively as the same volume on a 6watter like the SMSL SH9
Ouch. Sympathies. I definitely wouldn’t like to end up needing to buy cable.
Yeah, exactly that’s what it looks like. People get enough volume, so they think they’re driving the headphone properly and it’s just a nice but flawed unit, but in reality (or what looks like it) they might be missing like a half of its charm simply due to not enough juice.
So maybe I’ll end up skipping the Sundaras after all. $300 for the headphones is one thing, but another coupla hundred for an amp is perhaps a little too soon.
Edit: Found these also (roughly $200–250 range):
THDA-200T
Zen Can (1600 mW)
AudioEngine D1
LX2-HPA
Heed CanAmp II
Topping L50
Edit2: The 560V4 I mentioned above is back in stock, in case it could be a better gamer than the Sundara.
Hey, guys, I have a question. I seem to have a budget 2.1 set with L+R RCA output (this thing). I wouldn’t dare do this to something with the Sundara’s price tag, but with the 400SE… could it work or would it fry the thing?
I also have a JVC MX-J500 stereo (it drinks and votes but wasn’t married last time I checked) which accepts plugless speaker wire for output, L+R, 6–16 ohms (this thing). Could I just make/order the right sort of cable (cut off the plug with a knife… sigh) or adapter and feed speaker juice to the thirsty Hifimans?
The 400’s aren’t the kind of thirsty boys that need speaker amplification 
Even the sunny’s do quite well on regular amps… But I mean sure. You can run a speakeramp to your headphones. Lots of people do it with more demanding headphones like the Susvara.
I have an RCA output on the budget gaming 2.1, but that’s probably going to be a worse amp than on the old stereo. I wonder what’s the simplest way to have four wires on one end and a single 3.5 jack on the other end. Can I just deplug and peel RCA cables on one end?
Iirc theres only a small handful that need speaker amp power… seems to be some misinformation or misunderstanding that power = better sound or whatever(much like someone saying dt 880 should have a speaker amp with jumper cables)
Which is why I only mentioned one because it’s literally the only one I know bahahaha
I’ve just impulse-bought a FiiO K5 (non-pro) for $60. I knew what it was, had checked it out before, but there wasn’t much time for thinking, as used headphone amps are really hard to come by here and importing anything in that price range is pointless (shipment+customs+VAT = might as well buy NIB from a local store). It’s supposed to drive 1.5W of wall juice @ 32 ohms. Should suffice for now. If I don’t like it or need to upgrade, it should probably make a decent hand-me-down. Has no DAC, which is fine by me for now, as in one step at a time. The Blaster supposedly has a semi-decent DAC. It also has an optical output, but I wonder if it still performs all the gaming DSP if its DAC is bypassed.
Probably not the best choice for neutral-like headphones, but we’ll see.
Hey, guys. The Tygrs have finally arrived, though I haven’t been able to spend that much time with them yet. Just simply not enough time on my hands, and just for casual gaming or listening during the day I usually prefer speakers anyway.
I won’t say a bad word about the Tygrs, but it seems I might be one of the very few people on whom their magic sadly seems to be lost. Not a word of complaint, but I simply seem to enjoy my $30 closed cans better. They might be overall lower-quality, but they sound high-quality enough for all I can tell (though I would appreciate an upgrade and, if hard press, could pinpoint some specific areas which could use improvement), which is obviously not much of course, and they also sound livelier, crispier and more natural to me, as well as two other family members I’ve asked (I played HD and Ultra HD music for them from Amazon Music while having SBX 100% surround on — didn’t have the time for a more comprehensive test with pure stereo; it seemed both the Tygrs and the other cans were great but the other cans just felt better to evryone). And I’m not sure if the $30 closed cans don’t actually feel at least a little more detailed and resolving to me, as in hearing stuff I can’t really hear on the Tygrs, though I’d have to double-check before making this kind of claim.
It could be that I like closed cans better (echo + bass? intimacy/immersion?) or the combination of closed cans plus virtual surround in particular, or it could be that I can’t appreciate fidelity-related pro features due to being hopelessly hooked on ‘fun’ consumer solutions… dunno really.
I might buy used K702 and MMX 300 (2nd gen) for a comparison of non-Beyer open cans vs Beyer closed cans.
However, I still need to give them a longer, proper gaming test. Like a week of gaming. And that will have to wait. So much work, barely any time to play these days.
Maybe something like Meze 99 bridges the gap here. Zeus.
if you wanna try a different closed can I’d rec the Sivga SV021 (aka Robin) best sub $200 closed back I’ve tried
I can do some testing with my K7XX vs Tygr later this week (think the 7XX is basically a 702 but not entirely sure) (I also did the sub bass mod on the 7XX so not quite stock)
Thanks! Not shabby at all.
K702 with bass mod was an idea I’d toyed with. Might be worth trying out next time I can get a sub-$100 702.
I’ve also been thinking about going through Beyer’s ‘Manufaktur’ for MMX just to get a 600 ohm 770, since 600 ohm 770 Editions are so hard to find. Unfortunately, while they offer that type of customization for 990 and 880, there is no such option for 770 sans mike. So it might be more reasonable to try a 250 ohm 770 first. Or up the budget and get some sort of closed planars. Orbit S would be it, if it weren’t for the quality issues.
modded 7xx has more sub bass and a bit wider soundstage
tygr has a bit more energy in the highs and has better separation (also somehow comes across as airier even with the narrower soundstage)
for music I’ve been preferring strings and piano with the tygrs but the 7xx for pretty much anything else
gaming I pretty much just use the 7xx (waiting for the pads to finish wearing out to swap them)
not sure what others experiences have been with the akg 700 series builds but mine started falling apart as soon as I got them basically lol so ymmv
Hey, guys. It took a while of just using the phones and getting used to them, without CMSS (first) or SBX (later), just plain stereo and no nothing, and I gotta say this is a marvellous piece of work — lol, in the good sense. Thank you for recommending it to me.
I’m still looking at K702 due to the legendary factor and at AD500X after all this, not to mention the Hifiman planars, but if I just wanted to cut the chase right here and simply enjoy my gaming sessions, the Tygrs would be good to go for a long time. And with no more amping than just the 'Blaster, so selling that K5 on.
Playing Kingdom Come: Deliverance I’ve just had a scene with my character talking to bandits in a forest clearing amid a heavy storm and boy, was that amazing.
The plain stereo mode isn’t as heavily pronounced as extensions such as CMSS or SBX, but it really does its job. The sounds are very clear, even the rain’s a pleasure to listen to. Wooden bridges and pathwalks sound just right, caves sound right too, or wooden indoor spaces. Weather is satisfying. Sounds of archery are very natural and satisfying. Soundtracks give you a very cinematic feel. This really is a very good piece of equipment for gaming sessions. The clarity is there (stuff’s clearer than my speakers for sure), separation is nothing to complain about. If I hear muddiness, it’s probably there in the recording and probably for a reason (as in, real life). The timbre is not, ‘did somebody just loose an arrow in my office?,’ kind of natural, but it’s natural enough. Too much realism isn’t really good for movies or gaming, as in you don’t really want to feel like you’re in the middle of combat.
Plus, I can still hear my cat when he wants food, and much of the time I can hear the phone and even talk without taking the 'phones off. Speaking of which, they’re quite comfortable in glasses. As in, I don’t forget I’m wearing headphones, they are not that comfortable to me (although still very comfortable), but I sooner forget I’m wearing glasses. And that means a lot.
So thank you for recommending them to me.
I can only join the chorus and recommend them to anyone looking for a good pair of cans for gaming, even without a dedicated/external amplifier, as long as you have some sort of soundcard or even decent onboard.
If you’re in Europe, you can grab them for €110 b-stock from Beyer’s outlet, like I did. Add a Sound Blaster G6 from Creative’s outlet, and you’re set superbly for just under two hundred.
Indeed. Though I can get it even cheaper and with the bass mod already done. 
well bass mod is a solid 2 minute undertaking 