AD700 vs Roccat Kave - Which one to buy?

[Reaper_vivek]

I am planning to get a set of headphones overseas preferably from amazon.com, the budget is around $100..

I love Gaming and Music equally..I play online competitive games(COD4, CS, BF3) as well as other titles....
In music, I listen to a wide range of genres, from Reggae, Blues, classic Rock to Alt. Rock, Heavy/Death Metal and occasionally Trance. No hip-hop, RAP for me...

I made up my mind on getting the Roccat kave for it's stellar performance in gaming, even though the music performance is laughed upon in forums like head-fi....and I see AD700 being hailed as one of the finest Gaming headphones available, even though it's a stereo headphone...I am using onboard Audio..

Crazy thing is, AD700 is always compared and suggested when Roccat Kave is mentioned(in almost all the forums)..I am still more biased on the Kave as it is closed unlike the AD700 and looks good too...

I know AD700 are good for Music, but is the performance really that great that it overshadows Kave's Gaming performance?

I was hoping that I wouldn't have to choose b/w Gaming or Music..So please help me decide which one is best..or do I compromise on one quality to get the best in the other..Ahhh!!! this is so frustrating

I have a Realtek onboard ALC889 7.1 audio, and it's quite good for me..My 2500W 2.1 F&D Speakers sounds way better than the 5000W 2.1 F&D my neighbour has onboard ALC892....

So, I was hoping to skip a sound card purchase...If I DO need one is the ASUS Xonar DG $35 worth the cost or the Xonar DX $80 is required...

Note : I am might buy a new headphone few months from now, if I am not satisfied with one of the two..

 

[GhorMaanas]

for the AD700 vs Kave thing, keep in touch with 'sukant'. he's soon going to do a comparative test on them.

regarding the sound card, would advise you to atleast get the DG. its got a decent headphone amp too, and at a price of +/- 1.5k, its a great VFM purchase. later on if you want to upgrade you could surely do so.

 

[Krow]

Open back headphones means sound leaking. Otherwise its AD700 all the way.

 

[Reaper_vivek]

I don't like open back for the same reason..and Roccat's are somewhat noise cancelling too...Heard AD700 was a balanced performer(not excellent in any1 usage) while the kave is excellent in gaming

I am thinking that I may have to get a total of 2 headphones later(1 for pure music and the other for gaming)

 

[Krow]

If you want a headphone only for gaming, then go for the Kave. AD700, as you said, will be good in all departments.

 

[Reaper_vivek]

@GhorMaanas saw ur reply in the review section..so I have to get an AMP + AD700 to get a surround sound experience?

and do tell me how does Kave perform in Music..and if u can compare them to any good sub1k HP(in music performance), it will clear a lot of confusions...

 

[GhorMaanas]

@GhorMaanas saw ur reply in the review section..so I have to get an AMP + AD700 to get a surround sound experience?

and do tell me how does Kave perform in Music..and if u can compare them to any good sub1k HP(in music performance), it will clear a lot of confusions...

not exactly 'surround sound' experience, but more on the side of soundstage. i mean it will be wide and clearer, enabling you to hear ambient sounds distinctly and perhaps with near-accuracy.

sure, i will let you know on the music performance.

 

[Tenida]

Gaming(50%)+Movie(30%)+Music(20%)~Roccat Kave
Roccat Kave is brilliant headset in multichannel enabled games and movies.Music experience will also good if you enable as stereo 2.1 headset from Realtek sound manager.
Music(60%)+movie(25%)+Games(15%)~Audio Technica AD700.
You have to choose the headset depending upon your purpose.

 

[Faun]

OP for choosing headphone regarding listening to music, take a note of soundstage, imaging, instrument separation, low, mids and high characteristics.

It's a very subjective thing.

 

[GhorMaanas]

sorry vivek, i really cant come anywhere across recommending kave to you for music. even i have music tastes very similar to yours (except that i dont listen to death/black metal as well as romantic songs). let me just wrap it up by saying that, dont get these if you are expecting to spend some quality time with your rock/metal collection on these. strictly average ! just concentrate on gaming and movies, where these shine the most.

 

[sukant]

@Reaper_Vivek: Firstly you need to make your mind very clear , whats your requirement even if you are going to listen to music 1-2 hrs a day and want nice detailed music ovet there , i would recommend AD700 . Ghormaanas had a very clearcut requirement he wanted it only for gaming and movies for which it surely does serve the purpose but may not be as good as kave (will probably get to try one , my friend is supposed to lend me his tmmrw ).
I have tested the AD700 with my onboard as well as with Xonar Dx , the experience is like 3 folds better with the xonar dx. The AD700 has a very wide soundstage , so the thing that far off sounds are not audible is really a myth for this headphone . It has a very wide soundstage and gets even wider when you select dolby headphones but is not realistic if you are looking for positioning when it comes to games like CS 1.6 or other FPS games in multiplayer . This however true with all the virtual 5.1 headsets , and this is one aspect i think kave will be much better atleast i hope will be. The bass in AD700 just exists and does nothing much more . For movies the soundstage is really wide , gives you really good effects like back of the head kinda sound etc etc , enuf to keep you engrossed in the movie . When it comes to music these really shine very very much and this is the area it was primarily designed for , the highs are really engaging , the mids/vocals though a little laid back i think is much better than the other headphones i owned , bass is just about enuf and get just about decent enough if you amp it (amp mainly helps in the bass else its not really needed with a xonar dx) . AD700 is not a balanced performer ...its very good in music and good enuf in movies and gaming , my friend has claimed its better than Steelseries 5hv2 for gaming in CS 1.6.

And even for roccat kave bro you will need a sound card (best to get the xonar dx) , i have read enuf reviews of kave sounding too ordinary on a onboard and shining really well on a soundcard.

If you are going to buy another new headphone of same budget in few months then i would say go for a kave , then buy either a grado SR-60i , MSI-1 or M35/M50 .

Oh and just to add the sound leaking is indeed a major problem if some people sleep in your room , there is no way they will be able to sleep in that noise , infact i can hear steam voice chat calls (ringing tone ) in other room as well.

 

[Sarath]

Well it's simple:

AD700 you pay for two drives
Kave you pay for 10

So you get 2 good stereo drivers for that price and hence it is recommended. Also being open they have a wider soundstage. Apart from that the most important factor I have come across while recommending AD700 is their comfort which is as important as sound quality for a gamer.

I've seen people opt for AD700 more and more for gaming despite no music inclinations.

You can always add a virtual sound card ~800 -1000 for the surround effect

 

[Reaper_vivek]

Thanks guys, for the response..I'm now shifting more towards the AD700 because of the soundstage and other features..As I might be using this headphone for a while now I think getting an AD700 would be a better option than Kave...

@I can compromise on gaming for now, but really can't on Music..Most of my precious collection is in Lossless format and if I don't get a decent pair of HP's then it's a shame..

As for the Sound Card..I have to start saving up moolah, as it seems very vital for a good experience..I was also considering Grado SR80i @$85 ..but I might buy it later...I think I should stick with the AD700 for now..
would getting it from Pristine cost me the same as getting it from US?

BTW I have been asking around too..like a gaming group in FB and all of them are fixated on Skullcandy and Siberia...they say it's awesome for music too..When I ask them to elaborate they say it's just awesome...

Fanboys are the latest plague to affect Mankind :X

 

[Krow]

Get it from pristine. No hassles about shipping charges it customs and super fast shipping.

 

[GhorMaanas]

Thanks guys, for the response..I'm now shifting more towards the AD700 because of the soundstage and other features..As I might be using this headphone for a while now I think getting an AD700 would be a better option than Kave...

@I can compromise on gaming for now, but really can't on Music..Most of my precious collection is in Lossless format and if I don't get a decent pair of HP's then it's a shame..

As for the Sound Card..I have to start saving up moolah, as it seems very vital for a good experience..I was also considering Grado SR80i @$85 ..but I might buy it later...I think I should stick with the AD700 for now..
would getting it from Pristine cost me the same as getting it from US?

BTW I have been asking around too..like a gaming group in FB and all of them are fixated on Skullcandy and Siberia...they say it's awesome for music too..When I ask them to elaborate they say it's just awesome...

Fanboys are the latest plague to affect Mankind :X

nice that now you are clear on what you need to purchase. indeed, the AD700 could serve multiple purposes for you, and as sukant tells, getting a sound card (say atleast xonar DG, but better xonar DX) would be the thing to couple the headphone with, plugging in holes you might feel are left using the HP on onboard sound. also, the brilliant dolby audio settings with the xonar DX (or DG) would work like a charm i believe in case you feel the need to drive the HP a bit further.

and regarding the underlined part and word in bold, i've read umpteen times that the less said about these brands (skullcandy, bose, etc. you pay for the name, not for quality), the better; though i have no personal experience with skullcandy. siberia, yes, is good.

 

[sukant]

@Reaper_Vivek
Yeah try to get a sound card asap , i felt i had wasted 6.5k on a headset when i initially bought it , because the sound signature was kinda new for me having come from a HD 202 and largely cause i was still on onboard , that time Xonar DX had availability issues i finally managed to source it from delta-page in Chennai , connected it to my PC and used the AD700 and it sounded bliss.

Regarding where to buy it get from PristineNote you get the 1 year warranty , price is almost as good or lower for few headphones than the amazon prices .