Sorry for the length. My months of searching and frustration has left me with so much to say!
Short:
I need a quality set of around-ear headphones that will be great for general use, but will primarily be used for PC gaming while connected to a Creative Labs Sound Blaster ZXR. I am looking at the $400-1,000 price range. It will not be used for portable devices. It will likely live almost its entire life as a dedicated device for my PC on my desktop. I will listen to music on it, but I've recently given up on having a local physical collection and have resigned myself to settling for streaming libraries at MOG and RDIO (which stream at 192/320kbps, I believe). I need advice on good headsets to pair with ZXR in this price range and maybe advice on open-ear versus closed-ear.
Long:
I know some would chastise me for using a Sound Blaster card rather than external amp, but I already feed optical from my PC into my Denon 3806 which then powers Bower & Wilkins 803 fronts and center with B&W HM7 surrounds and a Velodyne 1000 (and the Sound Blaster has a daughter card with optical out that will accommodate this). This is how I consume most content on my PC.
I really just need a headset for gaming, when positional awareness or voice communication is necessary.
Main reasons I bought the ZXR are that I've heard tremendous praise for its positional audio in gaming, it offers 80mW into 600 ohms, and it purportedly should solve my microphone/headset problem with its Beamforming microphone that apparently actually works and provides the same quality as a good headset mic. Having this would free me up from the search for a separate mic (only options seem to be a cheap $7 Zalman lapel mic or $15 Logitech desk stand mic) and would allow me to choose from any headphones I want, without forcing a compromise. I know AntLion's modmic is an option, but I would like to have a mic before this decade is out.
I really hope the Beamform mic lives up to the hype. I also hope the ACM doesn't interfere with the power to the headset (which is one issue I've heard as a possibility, even though I don't understand why a passthrough to HEADPHONES OUT on the card's amp would impede anything?!).
Audio quality (especially for gaming, but music too) is the biggest concern, followed by build quality and ruggedness. I have a big fat shaved head and usually wear reading glasses.
Opened or Closed Ear? / Use Environment
I have what may be an unreasonable fear of damaging my hearing and have heard endless conflicting discussion stating that all headphones are going to deafen me. Or open-back headphones will force me to turn the volume up, which will deafen me. Or closed-back headphones will force all the soundwaves into my ear at close range and deafen me. I don't know what to subscribe to. I like a closed headset, I think, but those seem harder to find in the high end product range, for some reason. I have no qualms with open-ear, as long as I won't be prone to damage my hearing from turning it up to compensate from lack of closed ear.
The room these headphones will be used the most in is a finished basement/home theater, where the ambient sound would be the buzzing of a dorm fridge, the sound of a portable fan or space heater, the occasional sound of the boiler igniting to heat up water for the baseboard heaters in the house and the pump kicking the water through the zone loops, and a rather beefy PC in a CM Cosmos 2 stuffed with noise-reducing typhoon and ninja fans that, sadly, are none-too-quiet when gaming.
So, I'm not gaming in a family room with children squealing or competing with a nearby television or radio, but it is not so quiet that you can hear the your heart beating in your ears.
For whatever it may be worth (I'm uncertain of its accuracy or relevance in measurement in this manner), db Meter Pro on my iPad picks up MAX/AVG/PEAK of 66/65/66 with the likely loudest this room would *normally* be from the position where my head would be at. This doesn't include whatever noise generated by using the keyboard while gaming. At the quietest it would generally be from the same position in this room, I received measurements of 61/57/57.
Some Headphone Considerations (but open to suggestions!)
+ AKG 712 Pro : I've heard many who adore this and state it is the closest they've found to HD800s, short of spending HD800 prices. I've heard others say that AGKs are over-marketed crap that burn-in your ears until you succumb to them rather than burning in themselves until they sound great. I'd also likely get this over the AKG K702 65th, since it seems to be the same thing with slight refinements.
+ HiFiMan HE-500 : Seems to be a beloved great-sounding headset at a premium price over the AGK, but supposedly very painful to wear. I suppose I would upgrade the ear pieces and get the leather strap cover that can go around the headband if that would really result in a comfortable kit.
+ Beyer Dynamic DT 990 or 880 Premium 600 ohm : I've heard positive things about both, but not nearly as glowing as the other headphones. These seem to be "good for the price" sets, but not premium kits like the others.
Guidance and suggestions appreciated. No problem spending money for quality, as long as I don't end up with far more than I'll ever need and therefore waste my money or buy something flawed and therefore waste my money. Like most people, I just want to come away confident that I made a solid purchase to be proud of and enjoy for years.
I can't thank you enough for trudging through this tome.
If advice leads me to a decision, I'll post confirmation of kicking $10 to Engineers Without Borders in [H]'s name as a tiny gesture of gratitude. (Hope that doesn't come across wrong - I have gotten so much help in this community over the years that I want to do more than just say "gosh, thanks").
Update: Thanks for the continuing advice and discussion on this topic. Just to show you guys that I didn't flake out:
Short:
I need a quality set of around-ear headphones that will be great for general use, but will primarily be used for PC gaming while connected to a Creative Labs Sound Blaster ZXR. I am looking at the $400-1,000 price range. It will not be used for portable devices. It will likely live almost its entire life as a dedicated device for my PC on my desktop. I will listen to music on it, but I've recently given up on having a local physical collection and have resigned myself to settling for streaming libraries at MOG and RDIO (which stream at 192/320kbps, I believe). I need advice on good headsets to pair with ZXR in this price range and maybe advice on open-ear versus closed-ear.
Long:
I know some would chastise me for using a Sound Blaster card rather than external amp, but I already feed optical from my PC into my Denon 3806 which then powers Bower & Wilkins 803 fronts and center with B&W HM7 surrounds and a Velodyne 1000 (and the Sound Blaster has a daughter card with optical out that will accommodate this). This is how I consume most content on my PC.
I really just need a headset for gaming, when positional awareness or voice communication is necessary.
Main reasons I bought the ZXR are that I've heard tremendous praise for its positional audio in gaming, it offers 80mW into 600 ohms, and it purportedly should solve my microphone/headset problem with its Beamforming microphone that apparently actually works and provides the same quality as a good headset mic. Having this would free me up from the search for a separate mic (only options seem to be a cheap $7 Zalman lapel mic or $15 Logitech desk stand mic) and would allow me to choose from any headphones I want, without forcing a compromise. I know AntLion's modmic is an option, but I would like to have a mic before this decade is out.
I really hope the Beamform mic lives up to the hype. I also hope the ACM doesn't interfere with the power to the headset (which is one issue I've heard as a possibility, even though I don't understand why a passthrough to HEADPHONES OUT on the card's amp would impede anything?!).
Audio quality (especially for gaming, but music too) is the biggest concern, followed by build quality and ruggedness. I have a big fat shaved head and usually wear reading glasses.
Opened or Closed Ear? / Use Environment
I have what may be an unreasonable fear of damaging my hearing and have heard endless conflicting discussion stating that all headphones are going to deafen me. Or open-back headphones will force me to turn the volume up, which will deafen me. Or closed-back headphones will force all the soundwaves into my ear at close range and deafen me. I don't know what to subscribe to. I like a closed headset, I think, but those seem harder to find in the high end product range, for some reason. I have no qualms with open-ear, as long as I won't be prone to damage my hearing from turning it up to compensate from lack of closed ear.
The room these headphones will be used the most in is a finished basement/home theater, where the ambient sound would be the buzzing of a dorm fridge, the sound of a portable fan or space heater, the occasional sound of the boiler igniting to heat up water for the baseboard heaters in the house and the pump kicking the water through the zone loops, and a rather beefy PC in a CM Cosmos 2 stuffed with noise-reducing typhoon and ninja fans that, sadly, are none-too-quiet when gaming.
So, I'm not gaming in a family room with children squealing or competing with a nearby television or radio, but it is not so quiet that you can hear the your heart beating in your ears.
For whatever it may be worth (I'm uncertain of its accuracy or relevance in measurement in this manner), db Meter Pro on my iPad picks up MAX/AVG/PEAK of 66/65/66 with the likely loudest this room would *normally* be from the position where my head would be at. This doesn't include whatever noise generated by using the keyboard while gaming. At the quietest it would generally be from the same position in this room, I received measurements of 61/57/57.
Some Headphone Considerations (but open to suggestions!)
+ AKG 712 Pro : I've heard many who adore this and state it is the closest they've found to HD800s, short of spending HD800 prices. I've heard others say that AGKs are over-marketed crap that burn-in your ears until you succumb to them rather than burning in themselves until they sound great. I'd also likely get this over the AKG K702 65th, since it seems to be the same thing with slight refinements.
+ HiFiMan HE-500 : Seems to be a beloved great-sounding headset at a premium price over the AGK, but supposedly very painful to wear. I suppose I would upgrade the ear pieces and get the leather strap cover that can go around the headband if that would really result in a comfortable kit.
+ Beyer Dynamic DT 990 or 880 Premium 600 ohm : I've heard positive things about both, but not nearly as glowing as the other headphones. These seem to be "good for the price" sets, but not premium kits like the others.
Guidance and suggestions appreciated. No problem spending money for quality, as long as I don't end up with far more than I'll ever need and therefore waste my money or buy something flawed and therefore waste my money. Like most people, I just want to come away confident that I made a solid purchase to be proud of and enjoy for years.
I can't thank you enough for trudging through this tome.
If advice leads me to a decision, I'll post confirmation of kicking $10 to Engineers Without Borders in [H]'s name as a tiny gesture of gratitude. (Hope that doesn't come across wrong - I have gotten so much help in this community over the years that I want to do more than just say "gosh, thanks").
Update: Thanks for the continuing advice and discussion on this topic. Just to show you guys that I didn't flake out:
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