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Hello world! A hot topic of discussion recently has been what gaming headset should I buy?

Reviewers like BadSeed Tech and Crinacle chimed in on their respective youtube channels which made some hubbub turn into a roar. So what gaming headsets should you buy?

The short answer: Whatever sounds good to you!

But why is this such a polarizing subject? Well everyone has an opinion, we are human after all. 

https://open.spotify.com/track/3aByRUC2BVL6Fs1zI723sd?si=3e58ce7b7349405a

There are currently two schools of thought, Immersive and Competitive. I subscribe to immersive myself just to get that out of the way, but what exactly is a competitive gaming headset?

I would describe competitive gaming headsets as either bass light or resolving. What does resolving mean? I would categorize that as crystal clear treble or high frequencies. The importance of this is for hearing your enemies footsteps or the whine of your transmission as you are on hour three of GT racing.

Another reason why competitive headset or headphones are chosen is their ability to image well or their soundstage. What is sound stage and imaging? Soundstage is the space around your head where sounds come from, the wider that space, the easier it is to discern how far something is away. Imaging is the ability of your headphones to separate left and right channel audio so you have more directional information on the location of your enemies in game.

So do you need that competitive edge? Probably not. Unless your job is to play video games for a living, you should probably just buy “Whatever sounds good to you”. Competitive headphones or headsets are really there to give you a slight edge over your competitors, which might really only be utilized for the top one percent of players.


Enjoy gaming and give into the immersive argument, buy a headphone or headset that gives you that oomph from explosions or the full spectrum of audio to really get the most out of the soundtrack. You don’t even need to buy a “Gaming Headset”, there are options to buy your microphone separately. This allows you to buy headphones that are tuned for quality of sound and not for champions of that one million dollar prize pool.

https://open.spotify.com/track/13q2SC8E8LvPmyddOkgyfS?si=c29881f279044019

So what did we learn today? Hopefully, competitive gaming headsets aren’t the end all of gaming. Gaming is meant to be enjoyed unless you are getting paid for it. Grab a Beyerdynamic DT1990 or a Koss KPH40 or if you really need a built in microphone the Drop PC38X. Gaming has some of the most iconic music out there so go out there and enjoy it!

Whatever Sounds Good to You.

 

A spark of inspiration simmered in the Dekoni office when our friend DMS suggested he wanted a vacation to New York City. Now if you don’t know DMS, he is an headphone reviewer based in chilly buffalo with 70k+ subscribers. Typically he is a calm, well explained individual on his channel but I thought we could get him out of his comfort zone and do something out of the ordinary.

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A Headphone Hero, forklifts, mallets, throwing, and an HD600, all on the docket for our first day. What do all of these things have in common? Well we tried to destroy my personal pair of HD600’s inside of a Headphone Hero to put it to the test. I myself had the utmost confidence that the Headphone Hero could handle anything we tried to damage it with. 

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Of course, all of this would have been for nothing if we had a broken pair of HD600’s. We confirmed with DMS that they worked before entombing them in the Hero. The production team stepped out to the rear garage of our facility and my first urge was to just slam it against the wall. You can’t sneak around when it comes to showing SKB’s rugged design, it is up to military specifications for protection. With all my strength I chucked my HD600s to the concrete. 

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Phil, our camera operator, had trouble keeping the thrown headphone hero in the shot. I handed the case to DMS and asked him to do the same. While he was busy handling that business, I ran around the fork lift, grabbed the mallets and started hammering away like a mad man. I wanted chaos and DMS subscribed to it.

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The forklift menacing in the background was some killer foreshadowing, if you would like to see this scene unfold, head on over to the Dekoni Audio Youtube channel or check out the link below. Don’t forget to keep a lookout on DMS’ channel for his NYC blog, tracking his experience through Chinatown to Union Square.

If you are ready to subscribe your self to chaos, the video premieres December 9th, 1PM EDT.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItQTsDR7HZM

Hey Dekoni Fans! This is Dylan the Product manager and I am extremely excited to share with you that we have won the best accessory award for the second year in a row! Headphone.guru does a yearly award wrap up where they review the best headphone audiophile products and present an award for the best in each category. This year our Headphone Hero came out on top and I can say that myself and the Dekoni team is elated!

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This is the first award I have ever received in design and I couldn’t have done it without the team at SKB and Dekoni Audio. We all came together to achieve a phenomenal solution for headphone travel. Now I would like to take this opportunity to show a teaser from a video that is coming soon where we really put the SKB design to the test. DMS (youtube star) and I will be doing our best to try to destroy my personal pair of Sennheiser HD600. If you want to keep in the know, make sure to like and subscribe on the Dekoni Audio Youtube Channel. Don’t forget to turn on notifications and take bets on if our forklift can break my personal pair of headphones while encased in our Headphone Hero. Fingers crossed and thanks again Headphone.Guru for the award!

I came home from CanJam SoCal 2021 with a lot of fond memories and one item; the Dekoni Audio/SKB Headphone Hero Heavy Duty Travel Case. This is a godsend for any Personal Audio reviewer or any headphone lover who travels. Based on the SKB 3i 1309-6 the Headphone Hero was purpose-built for use with headphones. Made from the same durable hard plastic used in the high-end travel cases designed to protect musical instruments and professional electronics, for security the Headphone Hero is fitted with TSA-approved latches and metal reinforced padlock loops.

Dekoni Audio/SKB Headphone Hero Heavy Duty Travel Case

Uniquely Dekoni’s Headphone Hero has a special pressure valve that allows pressure to be equalized while maintaining an IP67 water-resistant seal. Inside you will find a custom high-density foam Omega headphone stand that locks into the high-density foam cutout ensuring that your headphones are safe and secure while providing a convenient perch to place your headphones on while on the road. The center of the headphone stand has a cut-out for cables, DAPS, and accessories to prevent them from bouncing around and possibly damaging your headphones when placed in the case. The lid contains a layer of softer eggshell foam to accommodate oversized items.

As an added benefit, unlike a travel bag that must be carried with you at all times or stuffed into your luggage to take up space and possibly be damaged, the Dekoni Headphone Hero doesn’t identify your headphones as what they are so that they can travel in safe anonymity. Having traveled with audio gear for decades I can assure you that a hardshell case like the Headphone Hero is not only more convenient, but safer than transporting your headphones in their original packaging. A fantastic product that gets a wholehearted recommendation.

Dekoni Audio/SKB Headphone Hero Heavy Duty Travel Case

Manufacturer’s Website: https://dekoniaudio.com/product/dekoni-audio-x-skb-headphone-hero-heavy-duty-travel-case/

Price: $149.99

You may find the original post on Head-Fi.org

Intro / CanJam

In the headphone hobby, we are always seeking to try the next best thing in order to find the Goldilocks sound we perpetually search. In this pursuit, we are required to take our personal headphones out into the community either to try them with new source gear or compare to other headphones. This was my exact predicament this year at CanJam SoCal 2021. I wanted to bring my Arya V2 to compare the new V3. The only problem was, in it’s manufactured configuration, the Arya does not come with a case for travel. I would have to take my headphone around exposed and unprotected to any potential harm. Enter Dekoni Audio.

For transparency, Dekoni Audio provided this unit for review. I am not being paid or coached to provide a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

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Dekoni / SKB

Dekoni Audio is a purveyor of fine audio products, most-notably their wide selection of high-quality earpads designed to fit several different headphones. Among their products are two headphone case products, the Savior V2 and Hero. This review will focus on the Hero; their heavy-duty travel case created in collaboration with SKB Cases.

Based out of Orange, CA, SKB Cases is an industry veteran in the making of transport cases. They specialize in transport cases for pro audio, sports (bow/rifling), and even military applications. Suffice to say, they have the experience to craft a product effective in protection. SKB’s offices are are located only 11 mi from Irvine, where CanJam SoCal was held. I definitely have a local pride in SKB Cases as products, like their Hero, were conceptualized here in SoCal.

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Features and Specs

  • TSA approved latches
  • Trigger release latch system
  • Automatic pressure valve
  • Snap-down rubber grip handle
  • IP67 water resistance
  • Reinforced holes for padlocks (x2)
  • High-density foam padding for protection inside
  • Soft eggshell foam padding inside case lid
  • Removable Omega stand

Dimensions 14 9/16 x 11 9/16 x 7 5/16 in.
Weight 5.2 lbs

Hero is based on SKB’s 3i 1309-6, which typically comes with cubed foam lining, but the Dekoni collaboration comes with a killer feature exclusive to Hero, a removable Omega headphone stand. This is a perfect addition that any headphone hobbyist would truly enjoy, especially in environments that don’t offer any soft surfaces to place your headphone on. For example, the desk in my hotel room at the Marriott had a granite surface that I wouldn’t want to place my headphones on. Thankfully the Omega stand comes in clutch for this type of scenario.

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A notable feature among those listed above, are the TSA approved latches and automatic pressure valve, which make it safe for airplane travel. No longer would you be required to place the case in a suitcase or luggage due to the latches. You could simply stow it overhead or under your seat. The automatic pressure valve will regulate the ambient pressure in the case. This should alleviate any concern about any pressure-related damage to your headphones.

Living with Hero

Returning back to CanJam, it was now the moment of truth to see if Hero could accommodate the taller stature of the Arya. Thankfully, it works! The case had just enough headband space. No cuts to the foam are necessary to accommodate the Arya.

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Lugging the Hero around for the weekend, I could get a sense for the ergonomics. With the handle disengaged from the locked position, the handle has some play which help reduce arm fatigue when walking with it. The comfort is helped by the rubberized material on the handle and it’s rounded shape. Hero touts fantastic ergonomics.

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At home, I was able to try fitting different headphones in the case. All of my large headphones fit, but with a caveat for one. The LCD-GX was only able to fit if the omega stand was removed. Although the space inside the Hero is larger than Audeze’s Premium case, the omega stand required the GX’s cups to be pulled apart, thus making the GX’s overall profile wider. This extra wide profile just barely prevented the headphone from fitting in the case. In order to fit the GX and the omega stand together, one may be able to cut out a small space from the foam in order to fit that last bit of the yokes that’s causing the obstruction. Of note are pictures in a user review on Dekoni’s website that shows an LCD-XC with the old Audeze-style headband that seems to fit perfectly in the case with the stand.

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LCD-GX with Extended Rods at a mid position

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LCD-GX with Extended Rods in the Hero sans Omega headphone stand

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LCD-GX with Extended Rods at max position

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ZMF Verite

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Hifiman Arya with two cables

Save for an Abyss AB-1266, Hero can virtually any headphone.

Comparisons

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I got to make better comparisons with all the cases I own once I was home. For comparison to Hero are the Audeze LCD Premium Travel Case and ZMF Seahorse Headphone Case. I’ve obtained the following measurements using the only measurement device available to me, my Fibit Aria bathroom scale. I took measurements of myself, then myself holding each case, repeated measurements three times over, then calculated the averages for each.

Measurement Averages
Me: 169.5, 169.4, 169.2 = 169.4 lbs
ZMF: 173.5, 173.4, 173.3 = 173.4 lbs
Audeze: 174.0, 173.9, 173.7 = 173.9 lbs
Hero: 174.6, 174.5, 174.8 = 174.6 lbs

Weight (Approximate)
ZMF: 4.0 lbs
Audeze: 4.5 lbs
Hero: 5.2 lbs

Dimensions (L x W x H)
ZMF: 13 9/16 x 10 6/16 x 6 4/16 in.
Audeze: 14 4/16 x 11 15/16 x 6 10/16 in.
Hero: 14 9/16 x 11 9/16 x 7 5/16 in.

From heaviest to lightest, Hero is definitely the heaviest of the three cases for comparison at about 5.2 lbs. It’s followed by Audeze’s case at roughly 4.5 lbs, then ZMF’s Seahorse case at about 4 lbs. Notably, my ZMF case is lined with a velvet material that adds roughly 150g to the weight. There’s about a 1.2 lb difference between Hero and ZMF, but the Hero was perceptually more comfortable for travel due to the more ergonomic handle. It’s larger overall size might make it slightly more difficult to stow away. I personally didn’t have any issues placing Hero with my luggage and ZMF case in my trunk with its measly 25.7 ft³ of space.

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Latches are a notable topic to examine as well. The following ranking is in order of most secure to least secure for latches: ZMF, Hero, then Audeze. ZMF have latches that require a turn of the locking mechanism in order to lift the latches. Hero comes with a trigger mechanism that needs to be engaged to lift the latches, otherwise the latches will not budge. Audeze’s latches, on the other hand, can easily be lifted as it’s trigger mechanism encompasses the entire lower part of the latch. This latch has the greatest potential to snag onto something and open easily, not that there’s really a great possibility of it happening in the first place. With that being said, all the cases compared here all seem secure overall and I would feel comfortable traveling with any of them.

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Summary

In collaboration with industry veterans SKB, Dekoni has created a winning product in their Hero as it offers optimal protection and it’s exclusive creature-comfort feature, the Omega headphone stand. Normal retail price of $199.99, but can currently be found at Dekoni’s website for $149.99. It may be found for $139.99 on Drop. This package offers an excellent value for the headphone enthusiast seeking the utmost protection and convenience.

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https://dekoniaudio.com/product/dekoni-audio-x-skb-headphone-hero-heavy-duty-travel-case/

https://drop.com/talk/94213/dekoni-hero-case

SKBcases.com

Hey, Dekoni Fans! It’s Dylan, the Product Manager for Dekoni Audio. Time has come and gone, and another CanJam is in the books! Nestled in the middle of the industrial district of Irvine, California, we experienced a show for the history books. With audiophile juggernauts duking it out on the show floor with their new flagships, the impressions grabbed at the show will be talked about for months to come.

Meze Elite

Unfortunately, our friends at Meze Audio were unable to attend CanJam due to travel restrictions. Thankfully, our friends at Headphones.com and Bloom Audio, had the Elite available for listening. Located at the next booth over from Dekoni sat a Meze Elite and as you can tell, I couldn’t resist the urge to take a listen. I had just ten seconds and holy warmth Batman! The low end was there and in force. If I had to choose though, I would grab an OG Empyrean over the Elite as my Meze headphone of choice just based on first impressions.

Dan Clark Stealth

As someone who personally knows Dan Clark, he’s definitely got an interesting brain to pick. He is always coming up with something new that benefits the headphone industry as a whole. At Dekoni we personally use his patent pending reusable adhesive for our Aeon Flow ear pads. With the Stealth, he hasn’t stopped innovating. I took about a two minute listen to these babies at the Headphones.com booth.

When you first pick up the headphone you can’t help but look into the ear cup to see the shape of the metamaterials resting on the dust cover. Taking that first listen, I noticed the phenomenal detail emerging from the sound signature. Unfortunately, the sound signature of the headphone is not exactly for me as the mids were recessed, and I felt the vocals of the test track were hiding behind the overall mix. It could have just been the track, but I hope to order these headphones soon and get on with a pad rolling adventure. 

Audeze LCD-5

Let’s talk about the most sought-after headphone at the show. Audeze had two listening stations for the LCD-5 and throughout the entire day, both of them always had a line. People were lined up thirty minutes before the show started on day two since it was so hard to get a listening session in on day one. 


Fortunately for myself, I had an exhibitor badge. This allowed me to sneak up to the Audeze booth before the show opened and grab about two tracks of listening. To preface this impression, Planar technology is very mature in the headphone market at this point. I believe Audeze has kept up with their formula and has taken the time to refine the headphone shell that houses their planar driver. It sounded like an LCD and the real standout was just how much lighter it was than previous versions of their LCDs. If you know what an LCD sounds like and appreciate it, definitely grab yourself an LCD-5. For me, I’m happy with our modded LCD 2C for the time being.

Audeze CRBN

Not pulling any punches at the show, Audeze also brought their entirely new Electrostatic headphones. The CRBN is based on a headphone specifically designed for UCLA for use with MRI machines. This was definitely my favorite headphone of the show. Bruno Mars, 24k Magic… 

The imaging of the track was outstanding, it was detail rich, and most important of all; It did not lack low-frequency content. I was in bliss with the CRBN and hope to thank Sankar personally for developing such a great-sounding headphone. It one hundred percent fits my ears’ frequency response.

Dekoni Booth Overview

Okay now that we got the flagship drooling out of the way, let’s talk about the show in general.

Since the Backstreet Boys Reunion Tour is still going on, everyone thought the attendance would be lacking severely. I can confirm, it wasn’t as small as everyone thought it would be. The Dekoni Audio booth stayed busy for the most part both days. People enjoyed listening to our extensive collection of audiophile favorites.

The star at our booth this year was the Sony Z1R, it’s surprising how many people haven’t heard the headphone personally. Sony I’m gonna call you out on this one, get your flagships into the hands of the people, you won’t regret it. Pad preference on the MDR-Z1R varied greatly, but overall the Hybrid and Sheepskin were the most liked sound signature.

The second favorite at our booth was the Sennheiser HD800, commonly mistaken by attendees as being the HD800S. Sorry guys! Maybe I will trade our HD800 for the HD800s, but today is not the day. Most people agreed that our pads on the HD800, Elite Velour being the style I had attached, made the sound signature significantly better by reducing sibilance or piercing high-frequency content. Also cited was the increased comfort offered because of the increase of depth and the memory foam we use inside of our ear pads.

Other notable feedback from people stopping by was the head-turning blue flannel pads I had on display. I had brought our limited edition holiday prototype to the show, and the reactions were overwhelmingly positive. People liked the idea that we are exploring new options for materials and colors. As the industry leader in ear pad tech, I expect our competitors to follow the leader when we release these for the holiday. The headphone industry will be better off for it. Available for the holiday season will be our red & green as well as blue flannel styles. We are only manufacturing two hundred and fifty sets of each color and once they are gone, that’s it! They will be in our almost universal Beyerdynamic DT style which can also fit a wide variety of other headphones.

Learning From our Customers

Trade shows aren’t always just us teaching the convention goers but alternatively, it’s enthusiasts teaching us. Interesting headphones always flow past our booth but most interesting of all was the Sennheiser HD540. This baby doesn’t have much support anymore and owners of this legendary headphone are always scrounging for new ear pads. Well, today I’m happy to announce that our round Hifiman and TH900 ear pads fit the mounting ring for the HD540 and bring new life back to these cans.

DMS Reigniting the passion for the Sennheiser HD540

But wait there’s more! Number one on our list of requested ear pads, drum roll, please… The Audioquest Nighthawk. If you are going to talk about cult followings in the headphone industry, this is it. We receive dozens of requests to make aftermarket ear pads for the Nighthawk. Well, could you imagine it? A customer engaged me about the Nighthawk, and this man exclaimed that he owns not one… not two… but THREE of them. The Nighthawk has eluded our collection for the time being but this man is itching to get life back into his collection of Nighthawks that he will be sending us his pads to develop new styles for these cans. I hope we can have something available for this crew of hardcore Nighthawk fans next year.

Zreviews on the AudioQuest NightHawk. Do I even need to say this? Viewer discretion is advised.

Recently we picked up an advertising spot at GoldenSound.audio. I appreciate the Golden One’s work and the attention to detail he provides when offering up free education resources to the audiophile community, so I had to grab a sponsor spot on his website. When you subscribe to his Patreon he has a community of like-minded individuals who are passionate about all things audiophiles and where he will answer questions you have regarding equipment and the likes.

Just one of the many educational videos from Golden Sound

Well, that community also dragged me into a hotel room filled with thousands of dollars of Headphones, Amplifiers, and DACs. I was able to have my first experience with the Abyss 1266, and right when you pick it up your first thought is “This is going to be interesting”. Hopefully, the guys at Abyss will hook us up in the future with some pads, because I want to see how pad rolling affects this beast of engineering. The adventure will be extremely fun especially with the different sound signatures available just by adjusting the distance between drivers.

Have you seen this video of Linus from Linus Tech Tips crying?

What really blew my mind was when I got handed an Audio Technica AD900X. I have access to the AD900X in the office, and  had always felt, it’s just not a headphone for me. Not until it was attached to a tube amp did I get on board with how interesting it sounded. If you haven’t tried it, now you should because wowzas. Seriously, shout out to the Golden Sound community! If you are headed to CanJam NYC the group is already planning their stays in the Midtown area. Join up and get connected with like-minded people!

TekSyndicate on the AD900X

Wrap Up

What an intense show!  Despite all of the negativity in the world, a group of headphone enthusiasts came together and made this show possible. Thanks to Ethan, Jude and the entire Head-Fi team.  We hope to see you all at CanJam NYC, our hometown show. You can expect the entire Dekoni team at the show, where we will be answering questions and letting the crowd experience audiophile favorites.

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See you next time!

See you space cowboy

 

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