looking for new headphones for gaming...confused

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sparks

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I just want a set of comfortable headset for gaming. I looked at the clouds since most people own them. Then I looked at the Sennheiser Game One, good sound, good mic open back so my ears would not sweat, and with Velour ear cups I though ok this is it. Them people talked about the Sennheiser GSP 300. But its closed back and pleather(or whatever its called) hot and with glasses I don't think this would be good. Weight I didn't understand why all the reviews talked about the comfort when they are 2x the weight of the Game One, 603g compared to 300g. Yep a set of BeyerDynamic DT 990 with a good mic would be great but at over $250 for the pair a little much.
I am sooooo damn confused.

I need something lite and cool, I guess that means open back.
good mic.
NOT $300 so no astro A50's
 
I am not sure any headsets are going to be lite and cool. Wearing headsets for a long time invariably will cause a sense of warmth. But given the constraints, I would suggest the Audio Technica ATH-AD700X. I own a pair of these and they are quite comfortable even over long periods of gaming. I pair them with a Antlion Mic which works wonderfully.

I actually purchased my mic directly from Antlion and got a pretty good deal for it.
 
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You say comfortable, and the new style open Sennheiser cans top the list. HD558, HD598, etc. Good imaging for gaming and easy to drive.

Their Game One headset follows the same design as the above and adds a mic, and basically sets the bar for quality and comfort in a gaming headset.
 
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Clouds get good reviews, are cheap, and the OEM is Takstar who makes good stuff.

I can confirm the HD598 is very comfy and great for gaming. You can buy a replacement cable with an inline mic as opposed to a modmic. I think they now make a 598SR which comes with the inline mic cable but I am not sure if it is only iphone compatible or what. Problem with the 598 series is when not on sale they are expensive.
 
I own a pair of the older game ones and they have a big problem with comfort: The headset presses quite hard on your ears, enough to become uncomfortable in the long use.
Perhaps the new models are improved.
 
B00nie said:
I own a pair of the older game ones and they have a big problem with comfort: The headset presses quite hard on your ears, enough to become uncomfortable in the long use.
Perhaps the new models are improved.
Click to expand...

They should get better with use and/or 'forced' adjustment. My HD555's are pretty loose, but they are also old and heavily used.

(the HD600 and similar are even worse, requiring you to extend them fully then bend the exposed band repeatedly, but again after adjustment are supremely comfortable- assume that it's the compromise Sennheiser made for people with smaller heads)
 
I just got a set of phillips 9500's for $52 at newegg. They are light and open back. I am still looking at the game one. They have everything in one and the mic is amazing.
I am going to put the V-Modo mic on the phillips and see if I can make do with it for a while.

I have to say I tried a pair of clouds for a couple of days...Damn those things are hot. after about 15 minutes I could hold them open and it was like someone blew arctic air on my ears.
 
The SHP9500s at the Egg for $53 are hard to beat for cheap, good sound. Grab those and a mod mic and you're good to go.
 
I bought the sennheiser hd 439s for a little less than 100$ a few years ago.

I was looking for entry level/decent sounding, comfortable headset at a bargain price. Can't find any problem with it until now.

It probably fails in comparison to the larger/more known models but I knew what I was getting when I bought it. No mic though.
 
sparks said:
I just got a set of phillips 9500's for $52 at newegg. They are light and open back. I am still looking at the game one. They have everything in one and the mic is amazing.
/QUOTE]
Agreed!
Click to expand...
 
is this a good mic....getting good reviews
V-MODA BoomPro

mini mic is great but not up now.
 
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Depends what you're plugging into. Since the BoomPro shares a ground with the headset you can run into a nasty hum from a ground loop. If you're just connecting to a single device - sound card, onboard or the like you're probably fine. But if you have a dac or headphone amp in your signal chain and have to split the connections between two devices you could run into trouble.

Which is why I suggested a ModMic. Pricey, but good. The latest iteration is $70, but you could probably get away with the $43 version if you're just gaming and make sure to set up a "press to talk" button. https://antlionaudio.com/collections/modmic

Looks like the Massdrop minimic might be similar for about $25, but that means you have to wait until the drop comes around again. https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-mini-mic
 
I saw the demo on the minimic and it sounds fantastic.
only down side is no mute button
 
Stay the hell away from anything that says surround sound or gaming.

You want quality comfort and sound you have to buy studio monitors. Not only are they better they are usually cheaper. A lot cheaper.
 
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My vote would definitely go for Game One headsets.

From what i've read and experienced - open headphones increases the sound stage and makes it sound like it's coming from the room around you.

I know this description is probably going to be one of the most often-said descriptions of how it works. But here's what I advise you to do if you have some spare change: Buy a set of Astros A50, also buy the replaceable, leather earpads. The stock pads are breathable and let the natural sound of the room come in. The replaceable "Mod" pads are leather and seals your ears - effectively turning your open-style headphones into a close-back pair as it seals the air around your ear. The difference in quality is noticable.
 
Changing the pads... will not make open cans 'closed'. Look at the HD558's you suggest above: see that mesh? The driver is behind that, and is exposed to open air. That's 'open'. Changing the pads can change acoustics and comfort, but it won't 'close' the headphones.
 
I didn't suggest 558s. So I'm not sure where that's coming from... I hadn't owned a pair of those.

As far as pads not changing how things sound - it did for me. Before I even knew what was what or tried to recognize subtle differences. I remember owning a pair of A50s for a short while.

I had purchased the official "Mod Kit" with it as an additional purchase. I returned the Mod Kit because it did alter the signature of the sound. It became a muddy, bass heavy mess. It sounded a lot worse with the leather pads than the breathable fabric of the stock pads. It was easy for me to identify because the pads are stuck with 3 small magnetics and I swapped them in and out during songs. Mostly because I thought I was just loosing my mind so I swapped often during songs and playing games.

Through a lot of research in trying to understand what I'm looking for (Youtube videos, forum posts, articles,...) One of the descriptions that popped out at me was that closed headphones tend to be more bass heavy as there's a seal between the head and the driver. No air leaks out and the pressure of low notes are captured causing more bass. By contrast breathable pads by nature become allow air to flow and leak out which allows for long-gaming sessions allows those notes to not be contained. Which the A50s allowed me to play music/games for 10+ hours easily without taking them off.

Astro A50s are closed-back headphones not open. So the pads (Stock pads are cloth) would be able to alter the signature of the sound.



I ultimately returned them because I had trouble charging them using the base station and were quite fickle about placement. Fine. Whatever, I used the mini usb instead. But then I was having problems with the base station staying connected or getting connected to my computer. It was frustrating because the base station sat a hand's distance away from me (to my left). I returned it and vowed to go back (and stay with) corded audio for desktop use. I still use my Beats Studio for the gym.

In hindsight, after trying to learn the hifi lingo, the mod kit made definitely made the sound more warmer and definitely more enjoyable to listen to music. But it drowned out the highs and the bass just wasn't clear it was more like listening to a poor teenager's car audio system.
 
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Have you looked at the fairly new Steelseries Arctis lineup? https://steelseries.com/gaming-headsets

At least sweat won't be any issues being a breathable fabric with inspiration from winter sports athletics and comfort is really good too and certainly won't break your bank either. They all have the same drivers in them so it's just about features that differentiate the 3, 5 and 7. They won't be the best sounding option out there but certainly not the worst and at the price point, you can't have too high requirement, having said that, I know being a frequent CSGO esports follower, jw from Fnatic uses the Arctis 5 so they can't be THAT bad I'm guessing (talking sound wise, other aspects already got you covered for sure). Otherwise it's hard to beat HyperX Cloud 2 for its bang-for-buck but since sweat & ergonomics is a great concern, Arctis would be my recommendation.
 
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illram said:
Clouds get good reviews, are cheap, and the OEM is Takstar who makes good stuff.

I can confirm the HD598 is very comfy and great for gaming. You can buy a replacement cable with an inline mic as opposed to a modmic. I think they now make a 598SR which comes with the inline mic cable but I am not sure if it is only iphone compatible or what. Problem with the 598 series is when not on sale they are expensive.
Click to expand...

I bought my Hyper X Cloud for $63 shipped, and it is a good product for the price. Sound is good, mic seems bad but I almost never use it, comfort is excellent. Do not get the Cloud II. I tried it and the USB sound card that is integrated is trash. The Cloud Core is the same thing with less accessories, but it has no volume control. I prefer in like volume, but the Core has nothing. So you must use a keyboard/mouse/OS to turn volume on / off. Well worth the extra $10-15 to get the Cloud, IMO. Is it the best headset? Far from it I would imagine. But for $65 or so It is nice.
 
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Comfort and soundstage. This is doubly important if you have glasses.

You can purchase a seperate attachable microphone like the ModMic 5 to make any headset a "Gaming" one (Mic Test). If you had the money, or wanted to save up for one - I'd recommend going all in and getting an HD 800 / 800 S. The instant comfort makes it worth the price of admission or your kidney.

Here's a list that I found that was made by Zeos. (Source) He's been reviewing headsets for a long while and has a youtube channel. I believe an "Open" back style headset will give you the best quality of audio as it'll have the larger soundstage. You can use a EQ software if you like more Bass, but it won't be a bass-rich experience anyways.


Monolith M1060 Easily one of the best headphones I've heard. For the price can't be beat. Planar width and bass and build quality like a rusty french car. If you get past that, ENJOY! Review $350
Beyer DT1990 Handcrafted in Germany... Do you need more? Best neutral headphone I've heard. Clarity to beat the band. Soundstage and imaging gamer's would kill for. Best of their new line 100% Review $600
Nighthawks EASY, Strange, bizarre, unique, amazing? I really like these. That is why they are here in this list. Huge price drop if you are bored with all other headphones. Watch the review. Review $500
AKG K712 HARD, My latest acquisition. These have detail not seen in a headphone other than the Stax. A smooth low end response and my god are they comfy. Just change the wire. Review $300
Philips Fidelio X2 EASY, Headphone of the year? Accurate, abundant bass and the best soundstage. Period. This should be top of the list but I have to go with my brain not my heart. Review $250
Beyer DT880 Chrome Attached Cable.. FFFF I hate that because these sound GOOD. Soft, warm, soothing. Not Beyer-dynamic at all. Great soundstage and Better than average comfort. Review $190
Monolith M560 Entry Level into Planar sound has never been better. A few quirks but sound quality of these is well beyond the price tag. I have changed the pads on mine but stock are good enough Review $200
Sennheiser HD600/650 HARD, Power these things right and you finally understand what music is. Love my 600's so much I painted my pair. 650's have a bit more SS and bass. Review $340
Philips SHP9500 EASY, The low rent HD600 with better soundstage and bass. Plus the comfort and the price and the build. These want to be my #1 so bad. Can't go wrong. Review $80
HifiMan 400I/400S 400I EASY, These two are in a fight for my heart. The i's have a cleaner upper range and build and the S with the HM5 Pad upgrade are amazing. Review $280-450
Sennheiser HD598 EASY, The 598 is the go-to for many but I found the warmer bassier 558's preferable. Nobody is right or wrong in this scenario they are both great cans. Review $105-175
Audio-Technica AD Series EASY, Consistently amazing 500x, 900x, 2000x. Narrow but accurate soundstage, Lite bass and only OK pads. You need to hear them. Ebay Padsupgrade Reviews $100-500
Superlux 668 EASY, Extreme Soundstage on the 668, Crazy low end on the 681. Both are built cheap but don't sound it. Slightly elevated Highs. Needs an HM5 velour pad Upgrade. Review $50
 
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