Hyper X Cloud replacement and DP audio question

Hi there folks.

You may have remembered me explaining that my Hyper X Cloud headphones were falling apart in some thread about it's successor (the braided cables did more damage to the cables internals than protect them. Well, they finaly kicked the bucket, I.e. sound is completely dead in one ear. The cables are just too damaged. The good news is that it's only the headphones themselves died via the cables attached, the extension cord with the control box and the other cables all still work.

Well it means that I'm now in the market for some new headphones. I do have a spare pair of Audio Technika M30X lying around, but the cable is too long, it's not as comfy as the Hyper X Cloud and I've kept it for outdoors on-the-go use. I will say that the cable quality is very good though, it's nice and thick with no braids.

I've gone through many cheap headphones and now these expensive ones... they all just seem to not last that long. I just want some headphones that will last with reasonable sound quality. In-line controls are not as important and shorter cables are not a problem either since I still have the box from the HyperX Cloud. I don't like wireless headphones due to the need to constantly charge them or change batteries, I prefer cable. But if it means they'll last longer I might give them a try.

Budget is £120. I don't really care about the mic, I've never attached the one on the Hyper X Cloud. I'm not fussed over what the 'make' is. Just some headphones that won't die on me and are comfy to wear. I could wear the HyperX Cloud in bed with my head pn a pillow, so I guess that sets the bar for comfort level. So are there any recommendations?


Part 2:
I send sound to my ASUS VE278Q monitor via displayport on my GTX 970. For a long while it worked great, but since April, I've been getting display driver crashes in some games. Granted, this may be a more suitable question in the GPU sub-forum, but here's something interesting.

While on the latest drivers I tried a while back, the display would crash permanently and would require me to reboot my PC. But even after a downgrade to the 362.00 drivers the display crashes, however it recovers from a crash (often closing whatever game I'm playing, like Just Cause 3 or Batman) within a few seconds and the sound cuts out. Turns out that it adds a new device for playback which I need to change to as the default.

For example, it's currently set to ASUS VE278-4 Nvidia High Definition Audio. If the display driver were to crash, the sound would cut out and a new option ASUS VE278-0 Nvidia High Definition Audio will appear. The sound wouldn't work unless I set that option as the default. And vice versa if it cuts out again.

Is the problem me using DP to carry audio? Or is it just the drivers? When I downgraded to 362.00, I used DDU to clean out the older driver beforehand.

Thanks for any replies.

What are the replacement headphones for? Do you even need a microphone?

If you don't really need a microphone, I'd get some headphones. With up to £120 to spend, AKG K612 and Beyerdyanmic DT770 are good choices. If you'd prefer a shorter cable then DT770 250 Ohm would be a better choice. Although the cable is 3m, it is coiled so may be more manageable. There is a 32 Ohm version which has a 1.6m straight cable, if you'd prefer, but they are around £25-30 more than the 250 Ohm.

Beyerdynamic DT770 seem like the obvious alternative, if you like the Hyper X Cloud but just couldn't go for it again due to your concern with the quality of the cable.

I have the more expensive headphones such as the Sennheiser H700, Sony MDR-MA900, Philips Fidelio X1, and I recent bought a DT770 250 Ohm headphone due to wanting a closed headphone, and I am very pleased with it.

Disco_P said:

What are the replacement headphones for? Do you even need a microphone?

Click to expand...

Apologies if the post is lengthy, but I did mention that I don't need a mic since I don't use one. The replacement headphones are for everyday usage on PC.

Looking up the recommendations, the AKG K612PRO seem pretty decent, but I saw one Amazon review recommending a DAC/AMP, since most motherboard sound cards would apparently not have enough power to run them well? Is this a concern? The main reason I'm not going all out on DAC and high end speaker is because I just don't have the room where I currently live. I might do so when and/or if I ever get another place of my own, with a lot of room.

The coiled cable for the Beyedynamic DT770 Pro seems to be very handy and the reviews read well for comfort. The price difference between the 250 and 32 Ohm is a fair bit for short cables but from what I understand, the 32 Ohm is better suited to on-the-go use.

I've also noticed the pricier AKG K702 has detachable cables, which is something I'd appreciate. I remember some of the pricier ATH-M30X siblings had detachable cables, but I chose the M30X for the sound balance. Would this mean that it's possible to get replacement cables for the pricier models then, should the cable ever get damaged? This one feature alone has me considering paying extra for this.

Simlarly I've noticed the Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro Plus, with detachable cables, both of which are fairly short. It's pricier than the DT770, but not so if compared to the 32 Ohm. Are detachable cables that good? Is it worth paying a bit extra for them or would I be good?

The main difference I've noticed between the AKG K612 and Beyerdynamic DT770 is that the former is open-backed and the latter is closed. Thus I'd choose the Beyerdynamic of the two. I might go for the Custom One Pro Plus instead though. I've still got a while before payday to make up my mind.

Edit: The HyperX Cloud just now breathed it's last. Seems I need to be faster with this replacement.

DT770 will be easier for the motherboard audio to drive. AKG K612 and 702 are insensitive headphones, so need more power. They will work, but volume may not be as high as you'd like, and the sound might be a bit thin if they are not getting the power they need to make them shine.

I don't know much about the Custom One Pro Plus (COPP), other than they are surprisingly very low Ohm for a full sized headphone. 16 Ohm tends to be just IEMs. Should be very easy to drive though; however I just read someone's comparison of the COPP and DT770, and he preferred the 770's.

You mentioned about deciding not to get a DAC and speakers due to space concerns, but you could just get a DAC/headphone amp. The SMSL SD793II should do a decent job of powering the K702 and it's very small. At £41 on the jungle site, it's a good DAC/amp and good value. Certainly worth considering if you'd prefer the K702's, not only because of the detachable cable, but also because they are one of the best headphones for gaming. The Beyer's are good, but the K702 are possibly top of the tree. You will need optical or coaxial output on your motherboard though, as it only uses SPDIF connections.

One thing you should be aware of, is that if you want a fun bassy headphone, then the DT770 will be the better choice. Some find the K702 lack bass, although there is a mod that can be done to improve this, they still won't be as bassy as the DT770. The reason why the K702 is a better gaming headphones is because of the better sound stage and better accuracy. This is partly down to the lack of bass compared to headphones that have plenty of it, which too much can worsen positional accuracy. Depends on what you'd prefer; accuracy or fun and bassy.

Fun, bassy, easy to drive, comfortable, closed back, short (1.2m) detachable cable and on budget (£120) = Sony MDR-100AAP

Marsman said:

You mentioned about deciding not to get a DAC and speakers due to space concerns, but you could just get a DAC/headphone amp.

Click to expand...

Yeah, a DAC/amp is kinda what I meant. The TV unit my PC and monitor is one has no extra space. When I put the keyboard on the front, that's all the remaining space gone. My external hard drives I use tend to live on top of the tower or elsewhere when not in use. I had planned to have moved elsewhere and get a better place by now, but alas I never got a job that allowed me such luxury.

I've checked out the Sony MDR-100AP. They come in different colours which is awesome, the red ones are up my alley. It appears to have an inline remote and mic and the short cable length seems to suggest it's a headphone made for portable usage. I bet they have low impedance too. Great for a replacement for the M30X if that ever kicks the bucket, but not what I'm looking for, in terms of home use on a PC.

I like what I'm hearing about the K702 being one of the best headphones for gaming. The only negative is the open-ear design... but then again there wouldn't be much outside sound anyway when I'd be using these. They are now the option over the COPP. One review mentioned nice looking packaging... I'm still keeping the sweet looking box my HyperX Cloud came in and I wouldn't mind adding to my OCD collection of nice looking boxes as a bonus. My motherboard does have an optical SPDIF out, but then I guess it means I can't use the K702 with the HyperX extension lead then? Cable length could be an issue now, being too short.

Choices now narrowed down to K702 and DT770. I'm currently making do with in-ears connected to the HyperX extension cable (I'm too lazy to unbox the M30X again).

I use my MDR-100AAP at home exclusively, I have a few different IEMs for mobile. They are 24 ohm I believe and require very little amping. At the other end of the scale I have the AKG K702 as well and although they are only 62 ohms they are also very inefficient and require a powerful amp to get the most out of them. I've done the bass port mod on them but they are still well behind the Sonys when it comes to bass.

Generally I use my AKG K702 for gaming and Sennheiser HD 650 for music but for the last month I've been using the MDR-100AAP for both and they haven't been found lacking.
Gaming audio is via Asus Xonar STX and music audio via a Schiit Modi/Magni 2 mini stack.

The K612 was annoying to amp for me. Even on my little powerhouse the Chord Mojo I had to crank it at silly colours to get it to decent volume but even then I had noticeable distortion at high volumes which is an issue for the older AKG'S.

The K702 I don't find it that bad at all because they don't really distort and seem a bit more efficient. It's not the worst leaking headphone in the world as far as open backs go, my Sound Blaster X7 and Mojo handle it pretty soundly.

For gaming I'd always use open backs myself. Being able to have this marvelous soundscape with every detail popping out like footsteps on grass, hearing leaves rustle and branches crack with great separation just adds to the immersion factor for me.

Closed backs just don't give me that anymore.

Oh I agree, the K702s are better for gaming but I'm not sure the OP's motherboard audio will be up to giving them enough current to get them sounding good - the K612s would be a non-starter, as insensitive as the 702s but twice the impedance.

How about the Sennheiser HD 558? Relatively low impedance and efficient, so easily driven with a decent sound stage and accuracy plus it's easily moddable up to a 598 equivalent and in budget at £110.

Thanks for the info of open-back vs closed. I guess open backed is fine since there won't be much other noise at home while I'm on the PC, which is fairly quiet itself.

Motherboard audio is a potential issue. The model is in the sig. Depending on whether I can fit a DAC/Amp somewhere, maybe I might go for the 702 with one. If it does have a way of connecting it to a 3.5mm jack, I can attach it to the HyperX Cloud extension cable with the built in volume control. Might that be sufficient?

I've had a look at the 558 and I'm liking the 2 year warranty with replaceable parts. It also looks like the cable can be detached too. However the cable seems very long... turns out a little search on the Rainforest and there is indeed a shorter cable for just over a tenner. Total comes to a little over £120. And if I'm honest, budget isn't so much of a restraint. I'm okay with going up to £140 for headphones alone and any DAC/Amp would be seperate. Heck, I don't mind waiting a little while to buy a DAC/Amp if so required. I've seen a few decent ones for around £50-60.

I think I've fixed the GPU driver issue, seemed to be related to the overclock which was running fine all year beforehand. I dialled it back a bit and updated to latest drivers, now I don't have any sound issues but it still does crash on occasion in JC3.

FiiO E10K will drive anything up to and including the AKG K702 and if you can't fit one of those on your desk you have real problems as its tiny. It also has a bass boost switch and high/low gain. I'm using mine with my K702s as I type this and it sounds plenty loud enough with a nice, full sound and that's on high gain at a setting of about three and a half out of eight.

ps. the K702 comes with a 3m cable, so you may want to get a shorter one, although the MDR-100AAP already comes with a short cable and you decided that meant it was for mobile use only.

How long is the USB for the FiiO E10K? I might be able to run it to my bedside table so it's easier to change volumes and such.

The good news is I found a wad of cash in my wallet today, with no idea how it all got there. Also looks like the paycheck went through too, so I'll order. There were a fair few factors of the Sony HPs that suggested to me they were best for portable use, though I wouldn't say 'only'. I guess I'll go with the K702 since it's best for gaming on PC. I'll order the DAC/Amp later, I want to see 'how bad' the K702 does with motherboard sound.

...Nah, scratch that. It's just 60 quid and the wallet thing happened. I've ordered it all together then. Came to £~212 with a 1m cable aswell. Cheers folks. I may update the thread when it gets here and let you know how I like it.