Best Headphones for ~$150? [Gaming & Some music]

Maximos

2[H]4U
Joined
Feb 13, 2006
Messages
2,612
Hey guys. I'm not blown away by these X-530s and was thinking to go the headphone route. (Yea, I know, should have done it before buying the X-530s). The key here is maybe, I'm not entirely sure if I'm going to or not.

Anyway, I mostly play FPSs and WoW. It's also favorable if they do well in music.

The budget is probably something like ~$150 tops.

I've read that the Audiotechnicas are good, as well as the Beyerdynamics and the Sennheisers, of course. I've read that Grados excel at rock. I listen to 0 percent rock, so I probably won't consider them.

Closed is probably best, but I don't care too much either way.

Thanks for the help guys.
 
Your headphone choice really depends on the style of music you listen to, and the games that you play (which are FPS). So you want a headphone with a good soundstage for pinpointing footsteps etc. The three that come to mind are the Senn 555's or 595's. The 555's are a pretty good deal for what you get, but both suffer from being open back, which might not seem like a big deal until you have tried them at an actual LAN. Everything leaks in and I find them almost worthless when ambient noise is around.

The next choice could be some DT 770's, which have a decent soundstage for gaming, and the have the bass :eek: to make grenades and gunfire quite explosive, but on the downside, unless you are a basshead for your music, I find them to have a lack luster midrange and general flat sound for music.

My recommendation would be a pair of AudioTechnica ATH A-900's which can be found here. They offer a full and accurate sound stage like the Beyers, but also offer a more tonally balanced sound for music. They have a good deal of bass, but it doesn't overwhelm you like the Beyers. Since they are closed back they are great for LANs.

So if you are looking for a good deal, the Sennheiser HD555's can be had for about 100 I think, and they offer good performance if you can put up with open backs. Otherwise I would recommend the AudioTechnica's.

Hope this helps.
 
Those look nice. How are they comfort wise?

I'll hit up reviews after school.

Now, just to sell these X-530s ;)
 
Sennheiser HD 595s can be had for about 150 used. Best pair of headphones anyone can ever own in the budget range, imo.
 
Sennheiser HD 595s can be had for about 150 used. Best pair of headphones anyone can ever own in the budget range, imo.

hd-595 are clampy. ATH-A700 are not. They are closed too. I prefer them over the sennheiser because they are more comfortable.
 
I listened to the sennheisers and the grados.

Sennheisers sounded like the sound came from far away in a tuna can or something
The grados sounded SO MUCH MORE awesome.

Get the grados SR-125 or better, imo, really worth it. I have the 125's, and I haven't heard anything better but the 325's.

Been 3 years and every time I listen to them, I'm amazed. Gaming is kickass too.
At least, give them a try. The design sucks, but the sound is worth it.

http://www.uptownaudio.com/grado/goStore.htm

Just my 2 cents.
 
So, from what I have gathered:
Sennheiser HD595 - Soft, 'distant' sound. <-- Good comfort.
Audiotechnica ATH-A900 - good for games and music. <-- Best comfort.
Beyerdynamic DT770 - subwoofers in your ears. Good for gaming, mostly? Are they too 'boomy'? <-- Unknown.
Grados - Good for gaming and music, as well? <-- Worst comfort.

How about Beyer's DT880?

Also, I don't think I'll be getting an amp. Any of these will like my Audigy 2 ZS, right?

So far, I'm liking the A-900s. Will these do very well in games, or just average?
 
no amp = A900s

that simple.

Less $$ are the A700s.

Just trust me on this.
 
I have the A900s and they are awesome. Play CS and WoW but do like to listen to music too which is why i chose them. The clarity of the sound is impressive for something in the price range, not too much bass but not too little either, and the sound is very natural. Very good soundstage for FPS games.

I tried Senns before but they sounded a bit too warm for me and it does sound like its coming from a hallway or "tuna can" :p Not saying they arent good though since some friends of mine prefer it, but just isnt in my taste since I like balanced/natural sound.

I also own Grado SR 125s and they have very good sound, a bit comparable to the A900s in terms of high/mid clarity and tone but a bit less bass i think. One thing i HATE tho is they are incredibly uncomfortable. My ears would hurt and turn red within 20-30 mins so in the case of comfort the A900s win hands down. Should be also noted the Grados are open headphones so if you are looking for isolation or less sound leak then i'd get closed cans like the A900s.

I've heard good things about the DT770s too but heard the extreme highs can be kinda nasty and it has A LOT of bass. Not exactly the sound that fits me so i'd have to consider darth beyers if I were to consider the 770s but those are around the 400 range and with that, i'd probably end up getting the audio technica W1000s.
 
I have a set of broken in DT770's and yes, there is alot of bass, but It's decently balanced. As far as gaming headphones, I have to say they hold up nicely. Add to that a decent amp, and your in good shape.

Now, if I was mostly music (Flac, VBR etc, etc), I would absolutely spend more (Darth, Senn's), as well as better DAC (Drooling over a nice Constantine) and amp (XFi Elite and Headroom Micro currently).

I'm glad I made the choice, can't really complain at this point about them. YES! You need to have them broken in (approx 150hrs of balanced music). Initially the highs are harsh, painful, with what feels like early cutoff and the bass is extremely boomy and overwhelming to your lower midrange. After that, it defiantly becomes more mellow. Again, you have to let them get broken in. I played white noise or a mixture of classical, 80's, and Techno nonstop while I was away or asleep for the first 2 weeks.

Are they comparable to higher end, nope. But very acceptable for the cost ($140, 250 ohm). Adding a decent amp makes a world of difference as well. It was a very nice first step into high / higher end audio. Add that to the fact that they are very comfortable, and closed, it's not a bad choice to make in the least.

The DT880's are open, and you will loose a degree of low-end with that just by design. Good soundstage, with mid and highs. Again, better amp'd vs. unamp'd.

If I had to do it over again, I'd probably do the same. I've tried the A900 as well, and are pretty impressive for their price, but I found the 770's a bit more comfortable for me.
 
The A900's are BIG :eek: yet comfortable. Some find the "wing" system kind of awkward, but in general it grows on most people. I would not recommend Grado's for gaming because their soundstage for gaming is very flat. They are awesome for Rock and Roll, but I wouldn't want to be gaming with them, especially for long periods of time because as stated, they are not too comfy.

One other thing... If you are considering picking up a pair of Beyer DT770's for whatever reason, I would definitely get the 80 ohm version. They have more balanced sound (for Beyers at least) and don't require* an amp, but it is still a good idea to have one.
 
Another vote for the A900's.
From what I hear the a700's be a very good choice, but I've never owned a pair.

I also own a pair of SONY MDR-V900s', they're wanna be A900's, I got em for 35bux used long time ago, and they got me into headphones big time. They're not as comfortable and not nearly as smooth sounding as the AudioTechnica 900s. They get 90% time devoted to gaming/portable use since I don't baby them as much as some of the other cans I got.

next can for me be the Beyer 770s
 
yah i personally want to try some Luke Skybeyers but have no idea how much that would cost. Heard you send in ur DT770s to larry but dunno about price and u need the '05 version.
 
What are all these references to Star Wars? Darth Beyers, Luke Skybeyer, etc.

Sounds funny when you aren't in the know :p

I'd go with the older 80 ohm version of the 770s.

So basically, at this moment, its A900 vs. DT770 :)

The A900s seem to have a recessed midstage, what about the DT770s?
 
I like my sennheiser HD180 Pro's. They isolate you pretty well for gaming, which is what i like them for. I think i picked mine up on amazon. They produce some pressure against your head to seal though, so you might find them uncomfortable, i find them fine for up to about 3h.
 
How come the ATH-A900's are not on Audio-Technica website? I found the A700's but no 900.
 
yah spaceman gave the link to where you would actually get some darths or lukes. They are basically highly modified DT770s with different cables, plugs, splitters, even different wood for the earcup.
 
Your headphone choice really depends on the style of music you listen to, and the games that you play (which are FPS). So you want a headphone with a good soundstage for pinpointing footsteps etc. The three that come to mind are the Senn 555's or 595's. The 555's are a pretty good deal for what you get, but both suffer from being open back, which might not seem like a big deal until you have tried them at an actual LAN. Everything leaks in and I find them almost worthless when ambient noise is around.

The next choice could be some DT 770's, which have a decent soundstage for gaming, and the have the bass :eek: to make grenades and gunfire quite explosive, but on the downside, unless you are a basshead for your music, I find them to have a lack luster midrange and general flat sound for music.

My recommendation would be a pair of AudioTechnica ATH A-900's which can be found here. They offer a full and accurate sound stage like the Beyers, but also offer a more tonally balanced sound for music. They have a good deal of bass, but it doesn't overwhelm you like the Beyers. Since they are closed back they are great for LANs.

So if you are looking for a good deal, the Sennheiser HD555's can be had for about 100 I think, and they offer good performance if you can put up with open backs. Otherwise I would recommend the AudioTechnica's.

Hope this helps.

I've got to go with feebleminded here and reccomend the ATH-A900's - I also bought it from the same store he linked and they were fast and seem like a good company.

They are incredibly comfortable, the cuffs go over and around your ear, rather than a lot of the lower end headhpones that press onto them (circum-aural or something?).

The bass is acceptable, they don't hit as hard as my Dj headphones, but the bass on those are exaggerated so you can feel the bass beat while around your neck.

Edit: Forgot to mention that I listen to a lot of Hip Hop and Electronica, so a decent thump in the bass is definitely important to me :)
 
OK, that sounds good.

Do the old DT770s necessarily sound BAD for music? I know they'd kill for gaming.

If not, I think I'll go with the A900s, when either I have enough money or I sell my speakers.
 
OK, that sounds good.

Do the old DT770s necessarily sound BAD for music? I know they'd kill for gaming.

If not, I think I'll go with the A900s, when either I have enough money or I sell my speakers.

I'm sitting here listening to my brand new DT-770s that arrived a few hours ago. I agree with the general consensus that they are lacking a bit in the mid range, but they still sound awesome. I haven't found the bass to be overpowering at all, but that would probably depend on how much you like or hate bass. I got the 80 ohm version and my amp hasn't arrived yet so I can't compare amped vs. unamped, but I really like them so far without an amp. I'm going to go and try some gaming for the first time with them in a few minutes too.
 
I'm sitting here listening to my brand new DT-770s that arrived a few hours ago. I agree with the general consensus that they are lacking a bit in the mid range, but they still sound awesome. I haven't found the bass to be overpowering at all, but that would probably depend on how much you like or hate bass. I got the 80 ohm version and my amp hasn't arrived yet so I can't compare amped vs. unamped, but I really like them so far without an amp. I'm going to go and try some gaming for the first time with them in a few minutes too.

Sounds good, looking forward to your gaming impressions. Thanks. :)
 
im waiting for a mini3 amp that mister x built for me, should be here in a few days too. I also got my A900s from audiocubes, they are awesome. Buying some q-Jays from them. I'm eyeing the W1000 because I really want em but dunno if i should spring for it right now :p

Also, get your DT770s darthed! Its supposed to bring out the mids, tighten up the bass, and tame the extreme highs. People seem to be real pleased with them.
 
How much does 'darthing' cost? That page confused me with all of it's audiophile terms and options :p

From what I was able t o comprehend, it costs somewhere around $250. It'll be a while before I do that :p Deal 18 costs atleast $370, which includes the DT770s and the Darth mods...yea, I don't envision that happening.

But man...some of that woodwork is just beautiful. I'd say it's worth it just for that.

Still looking forward to stock DT770 impressions. :)
 
about 210 for the recabling :p Thats with the blackgold cable tho, be cheaper with the others
 
I played some CS 1.6 for a little while and I really liked the way the DT-770s sounded. The sound positioning was really nice. They're also very comfortable. I never had to reposition them at all after I started gaming.

I might get mine darthed sometime in the future, but I don't want to drop another $250+ right now. That and I just got them so I'd like to get some use out of them before sending them off for a couple months to get modded.

I'm no audiophile, but I am very pleased with these.
 
Sounds good, thanks.

Anyone that has a beast headphone collection that can provide a direct comparison?
 
you can find many beast headphone collection people over at www.head-fi.org. probably the best source of reviews and collection of audio freaks out there :p You can find anything from 50 dollar amp reviews to people with $2000 dollar and up audio equipment there. Good place to find information when it comes to audio.
 
I've been using some Beyer 770 Pro's for some time now. There's no better gaming can out when combined w/ a decent amp IMO. The pads are velour (think velvet) and fit ALL the way around my ears. Some of these phones will have pleather pads...itchy, hot, sweaty...no fun IMO.

For best bang for buck, some Sony V6's from Fry's Electronics can be had for under $80 bucks. Grab some Beyer 250-80 pads for $20 bucks and you've got a very comfy set that'll sound good out of anything. They're closed and very accurate. Perfect for gaming and music ain't that bad either. :D Here's a pic of the finished product.

Click for larger...
 
wonder if those pads will fit grados cuz honestly whoever designed the pads should go die. :mad:
 
Give those 770's a week or so with white noise, or various music. It will defiantly mellow out. It's a nice first step
 
I can vouch for the DT 770 Pros; however, with nothing to compare them with, my opinion doesn't really have any value. After adding my Corda Move to the mix, to be honest I didn't notice that much difference in sound quality when using the amplifier section. However, this is probably because I'm not really an audiophile and I'm just generally not likely to hear any difference in sound quality if it hit me in the face... or ear, whatever.

'Thing is though, when gaming--especially with the 80 ohm version, which is what I have--adding an amplifier probably won't make much difference (at least with me it didn't). It was only with music I could really notice a difference, but, still, it was very subtle. For gaming, as well as music, I think they are great cans. I don't find the bass too overpowering at all. In fact, I was a little underwhelmed when I tried them out for the first time due to the fuss everyone makes about them being "bass-head" headphones. I'm used to the subwoofer in my PC speaker setup delivering a lot of bass, I just expected these headphones to deliver the same. However, it seems that headphones just can't deliver enough bass for me, anyway, which is why I'm so glad I picked these headphones since anything else in this price range would have been lacking even more in this area. I hope this has made sense, somewhat.
 
Anyone have any experience with the Sony MDR-SA3000s for gaming or in general?

They are in the same price range as the A900s...but they look great and very comfy too.
 
I cannot personally recommend the DT770s. I had a pair of them from my local Guitar Center and I had to return them because I found them so uncomfortable compared to my HD555s. The actual earphones themselves were too big and they clamped on my head too tightly, my ears got sweaty and hot and the air inside the can got muggy and overly humid; it was just a generally poor experience. I might just be an open-air headphones kind of guy. I have been considering picking up a set of A900s from GC just to try them out then return them since they are way overpriced there. Does anybody know if they match online prices from other e-tailers?
 
I cannot personally recommend the DT770s. I had a pair of them from my local Guitar Center and I had to return them because I found them so uncomfortable compared to my HD555s. The actual earphones themselves were too big and they clamped on my head too tightly, my ears got sweaty and hot and the air inside the can got muggy and overly humid; it was just a generally poor experience. I might just be an open-air headphones kind of guy. I have been considering picking up a set of A900s from GC just to try them out then return them since they are way overpriced there. Does anybody know if they match online prices from other e-tailers?

I thought my DT 770 Pros were too tight when I first got them, but after a while of using them there is less clamping force and they have become much more comfortable.
 
Haha, if you thought the 770's were tight (put a few books in between em!), you'd lose it w/ the Sennheiser 280 Pro's. My head actually got sore from those vice grips! :eek::eek:
 
Hard to beat the grados imo.

They arent really uncomftable for me.

They need an amp (like any good headphones) to sound great.
 
Back
Top