Best all-around gaming/music headphones for $150?

xDiVolatilX

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Hi audiophiles, which wired headset is the best for $150? I mostly play FPS shooters & listen to a variety of all types of music.

Looking for the best blend of highs/mids/lows overall for over the ear nice comfy muffs any suggestions of what the crowd favorite best set is?
 
I am also a fan of the DT880s. I use them for music and gaming on my pc, i put a modmic on them for discord chatting.
 
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I'm also a DT880 fan, but I'll throw the audiotechnica m50x out there. They are fantastic for literally everything and well respected as studio monitor headphones/etc.
 
seems like a slugfest between the sennheiser and the dt880? damn I wonder which one Is better overall? I really appreciate the help guys/gals.
 
I bought the Sennheiser HD 630VB before they were to be had 'dirt cheap'. My headphones tend to have better midrange, relatively muddy bass, and elevated treble.

The DT 770/880/990 are essentially the same headphone with different pads. The 770 is an extreme closed back headphone where it's very hard to hear outside noises when you're listening to music. The 880 lets some outside noises in. The 990 lets a lot of outside noise in. If you game with a partner in the same room I'd consider the 880/990.

The BDs tend to have three different Ohm ratings. Generally, the lower the Ohms are, the less power is needed to drive the headphones. If you're using a cheap motherboard output or a phone headphone jack, consider the lower Ohms. If you're using a dongle-based jack, the medium rating is okay (my wife uses her tablet dongle to drive hers). If you have a good headphone output from your computer or a headphone amplifier, consider the higher Ohm rating. I feel that BD headphones are designed around the higher Ohm rating but that could just be me...

I don't know enough about the headphones you linked there. However, the Drop marketed items tend to be pretty decent and good value for the money.
 

That one is the basis for PC38X. The PC37X is based on Sennheiser PC 373D.

Drop has slightly different tune compared to the original, and maybe different material to reduce cost & launch price. But if you can get the original at a lower price, then go for it.

 
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Wow you guys have been extremely helpful. I appreciate it very much. I really do. I have one last question. I found very good deals on the

Seinhiser GAME ZERO
Should I jump on them if the price is very good? Is there any reason to not purchase the "game zero" version from seinhiser?

EDIT I just watched the hardware Canucks review on YouTube and he mentioned several times that the mid-range was hollow or muted on this headset so unfortunately I don't want them. In fact I really wanted the mid-range to be a strong point with a good overall high mid low balance. Looks like the two headphones being mentioned here repeatedly are definitely going to be the way to go I just need to figure out which one of the two.
 
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Oh I also forgot to mention that I have a sound blaster z x series sound card which is a very powerful sound card but when not using it I was considering plugging it into my phone LOL
 
I just watched a full review on YouTube on the 770 pro closed back and I was convinced that this was the set I wanted until he said that the mids were its weak point darn I really wanted the mids to actually be the standout feature. What would you guys recommend for having a closed back noise isolating style that doesn't sacrifice on the mids but still has good lows and highs?

After watching a few more reviews people are recommending the 990 for it's overall sound quality but they are open back. My only issue is that I have an exhaust fan in the computer room which is fairly loud along with 14 case fans so I was ideally looking for clothes back but if I have to settle for the open back I'm not sure I really wish there was a 990 option that was closed back or is there and I don't know about it?
 
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Just as I was about to settle for the 770 pro closed back I just realized that it doesn't have a microphone nooooooooooooo back to the drawing board?
 
Here is a decent review of them with sound level plots.

https://www.soundguys.com/beyerdynamic-dt-770-studio-80ohm-review-15348/

Closed backs will give you a better bass sound and noise blocking, open backs will give you a larger sound stage at the expense of letting outside sound in.

For me closed backs just make me feel like my head is in a bucket and cannot wear them for long. Same thing with ear buds that form a seal, i dont like the feel of that pressure.

https://antlionaudio.com/

Use any headphones you want, just add a mic to it. I have one of their older ones and has been holding up for about 3 years now.
 
I have the Audiotechnica G1 and really like them. Very comfortable, very good mic and excellent sound quality however I do think they have too much bass for explosion heavy games like COD. I tinkered with the EQ in windows and cut the bass some and they're about perfect now. They're 45 ohm so they won't be hard to drive even from your phone.

The Logitech G Pro X are on sale at Best Buy right now at $91. Probably the best mic for a gaming headset. I've not heard them but they always got good reviews.

The Sennheiser options mentioned are also great and they also have a great mic. However I prefer closed back cans for gaming. In my gaming room my 13 year old son is on his PC next to me screaming at his teammates on Rust or Roblox and we have a window AC unit that gets loud. Open back cans have a wider stage but they also let in all the room noise. If you have a dead quiet gaming room then open back can be great. If it's noisy, a closed back really helps keeps you immersed.
 
Here is a decent review of them with sound level plots.

https://www.soundguys.com/beyerdynamic-dt-770-studio-80ohm-review-15348/

Closed backs will give you a better bass sound and noise blocking, open backs will give you a larger sound stage at the expense of letting outside sound in.

For me closed backs just make me feel like my head is in a bucket and cannot wear them for long. Same thing with ear buds that form a seal, i dont like the feel of that pressure.

https://antlionaudio.com/

Use any headphones you want, just add a mic to it. I have one of their older ones and has been holding up for about 3 years now.
I appreciate info. However I don't want to deal with a separate mic. So because of this I don't think I can go for the 780 or 770 or 990 unfortunately.
 
I have the Audiotechnica G1 and really like them. Very comfortable, very good mic and excellent sound quality however I do think they have too much bass for explosion heavy games like COD. I tinkered with the EQ in windows and cut the bass some and they're about perfect now. They're 45 ohm so they won't be hard to drive even from your phone.

The Logitech G Pro X are on sale at Best Buy right now at $91. Probably the best mic for a gaming headset. I've not heard them but they always got good reviews.

The Sennheiser options mentioned are also great and they also have a great mic. However I prefer closed back cans for gaming. In my gaming room my 13 year old son is on his PC next to me screaming at his teammates on Rust or Roblox and we have a window AC unit that gets loud. Open back cans have a wider stage but they also let in all the room noise. If you have a dead quiet gaming room then open back can be great. If it's noisy, a closed back really helps keeps you immersed.
I'm going to take a look at the Logitech and Seinhiser options. Thank you.

Which closed back set are you using? I have a noise room with an exhaust fan and loud PC that I need to isolate. But also want great mids I'm so annoyed by my cheap sets bass heavy sound.
 
I have the Audiotechnica G1 and really like them. Very comfortable, very good mic and excellent sound quality however I do think they have too much bass for explosion heavy games like COD. I tinkered with the EQ in windows and cut the bass some and they're about perfect now. They're 45 ohm so they won't be hard to drive even from your phone.

The Logitech G Pro X are on sale at Best Buy right now at $91. Probably the best mic for a gaming headset. I've not heard them but they always got good reviews.

The Sennheiser options mentioned are also great and they also have a great mic. However I prefer closed back cans for gaming. In my gaming room my 13 year old son is on his PC next to me screaming at his teammates on Rust or Roblox and we have a window AC unit that gets loud. Open back cans have a wider stage but they also let in all the room noise. If you have a dead quiet gaming room then open back can be great. If it's noisy, a closed back really helps keeps you immersed.
Also a question about the Logitech G Pro X since the price is very good and I have a best buy gift card so I am leaning towards it.

I saw that it has a USB adapter or something like a dac or dongle not sure. Do I need to use that to get the software to work? Because I definitely want to plug directly into the Sound Blaster ZX with the 3.5mm jacks.
 
G pro X for GSP 300?
I will be using a 3.5 mm Jack from the sound card and also want the most noise isolation with a balanced sound not base heavy
Thank you in advance for any insights
 
I'm going to take a look at the Logitech and Seinhiser options. Thank you.

Which closed back set are you using? I have a noise room with an exhaust fan and loud PC that I need to isolate. But also want great mids I'm so annoyed by my cheap sets bass heavy sound.

I'm using mainly the Audiotechnica G1's. With a little EQ tweaking they sound awesome for gaming. The Beyerdynamics DT770's are my favorite for music tho but the G1's are still very very good and could be my "all-in-one" set if I had to choose one. Plus the 770's are 80 ohm and my Zen Dac powers it fine but it sometimes I am wishing for a little more power. The 45 ohm G1's are a much better match and the Zen Dac really brings out the dynamics in games.
Also a question about the Logitech G Pro X since the price is very good and I have a best buy gift card so I am leaning towards it.

I saw that it has a USB adapter or something like a dac or dongle not sure. Do I need to use that to get the software to work? Because I definitely want to plug directly into the Sound Blaster ZX with the 3.5mm jacks.

Yes you'll need to use it via USB to get the Blue Voice software but you will want to. Using Blue Voice makes the mic 100 times better. Look up some reviews and you'll see what I'm talking about.
 
HD 598 if you can find those. Most confortable headphones ever with a large soundstage, which is very valuable for FPS games. There is a version of the Fidelio X2HR that comes with a microphone mode. They are super versatile overall and very hard to beat for the price.
 
I just watched a full review on YouTube on the 770 pro closed back and I was convinced that this was the set I wanted until he said that the mids were its weak point darn I really wanted the mids to actually be the standout feature. What would you guys recommend for having a closed back noise isolating style that doesn't sacrifice on the mids but still has good lows and highs?
Just as I was about to settle for the 770 pro closed back I just realized that it doesn't have a microphone nooooooooooooo back to the drawing board?

In no way does the DT770 "sacrifice" the mids. It has a great mid-range. It also has good bass which is easier to get from a closed headphone. When you compare them against a DT990, the DT770 will have more bass, but that is mainly because the DT770 is closed (which results in better bass), not because mids are being "sacrificed". There is a reason why these series of Beyerdynamic headphones have stood the test of time, always being recommended over and over while hundreds of other fad-of-the-month headphone models have faded into history - they are really good headphones.

Screw the microphone... My #1 recommendation to people looking for a gaming headset is to stop looking for a headset. Buy a nice set of headphones (such as the DT770) and then just use a standalone microphone... Pretty much every webcam ever made has a built-in microphone, so if you already have a webcam, then just use that as your microphone. My Logitech webcam has a stereo microphone that gives better results than 90% of people I know who bought some hipster-approved gaming headset instead.
 
There is a reason why these series of Beyerdynamic headphones have stood the test of time, always being recommended over and over while hundreds of other fad-of-the-month headphone models have faded into history - they are really good headphones.
Because they're cheap and robust, but objectivement speaking, they have a really weird FR. For monitoring it's fine, for gaming not so much.
People buy what they've been told to buy.
 

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I'm also a DT880 fan, but I'll throw the audiotechnica m50x out there. They are fantastic for literally everything and well respected as studio monitor headphones/etc.
Co-signed. I had the original ATH-m50, and loved it to death. Took a beating too and kept kicking.
 
The most important thing is how they sound to you not some reviewer that may or may not be getting paid for for said review

If you have prime buy try then return until you find the sound signature that you are looking fo

The hyper X cloud II's are a good headset that's also cheaper then the rest

If you are set on a gaming headset I Would head over to headfi and look up mad lust envy's post
 
Having owned the DT770 Pro 80s and the ATH-M50 and later M50X for over a decade now... The DT770`s absolutely dominate the M50/50X in every way... WITH AN AMP... except in Portability .. also the ATH-M50s have a very annoying habit of having the headband start to flake and leave black gunk everywhere (most annoyingly on your hair / head) after 3~ years.. I fixed the headband on my M50s once, and now I notice that my 5~yr old m50x has the same problem now...

Not having a built in mic maybe seen as a feature as you have the flexibility to use whatever mic you want (mod mic) in my case I have a Sterling Audio ST-55 condenser mic I use with my Steinberg UR22mkII which works well for me.

The difference between DT770 vs DT990 and DT880... closed, open and semi open respectively... some people prefer the open sound but sound will leak out (a lot) with either the 990/880... I own the dt880 as well and like it very much.... the DT990 is very bright in my view and I do not care for it.. The Beyer`s are nearly bomb proof here is my 10+ yr old pair... you do have to annoyingly buy $35ish earpads basically every year as that velour get all smooshed and gross after awhile... you can take the pads off and was them (gently) to delay the buying of new pads but if you use them a lot you basically are buying new ear pads every year..

If you like you some mids I may suggest the Sony MDR-7506 or if you are feeling fancy the import from Japan CD900ST ... I honestly like my V6`s (7506 twin basically) more than my M50 but less than my DT770 but the sony really are great in my view very comfortable as well (especially if you throw down for some after market Lambskin earpads).
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I'll second the Sennheiser recommendation. Although I would go with good pair of headphones and get a desk mounted mic if you need one. I have a Blue Snowball and it has superior voice to any headset mic I've used.
 
My wife has the DT 770 Pro 80 Ohm and it's great for both as long as you don't need microphone functionality.
I did this in 2015 it still works fine but in 2018 I did the same thing to some lcd3 headphones and they work well however not germane to this discussion due to price.
 
In no way does the DT770 "sacrifice" the mids. It has a great mid-range. It also has good bass which is easier to get from a closed headphone. When you compare them against a DT990, the DT770 will have more bass, but that is mainly because the DT770 is closed (which results in better bass), not because mids are being "sacrificed". There is a reason why these series of Beyerdynamic headphones have stood the test of time, always being recommended over and over while hundreds of other fad-of-the-month headphone models have faded into history - they are really good headphones.

Screw the microphone... My #1 recommendation to people looking for a gaming headset is to stop looking for a headset. Buy a nice set of headphones (such as the DT770) and then just use a standalone microphone... Pretty much every webcam ever made has a built-in microphone, so if you already have a webcam, then just use that as your microphone. My Logitech webcam has a stereo microphone that gives better results than 90% of people I know who bought some hipster-approved gaming headset instead.
If you have a loud keyboard desk mics and webcam mics are no joy.
 
If you have a loud keyboard desk mics and webcam mics are no joy.

That sort of depends on context. I can't think of any situation where I'm typing away on my keyboard as I try to voice chat with someone while gaming. I always use push-to-talk, and when I talk while gaming the only keys I'm going to be using are WASD, Shift, Ctrl, and Alt (my push to talk key). Worst case scenario, you could probably just put the webcam on top of your monitor in which case it should be further away from your keyboard than a headset mic would be.
 
That sort of depends on context. I can't think of any situation where I'm typing away on my keyboard as I try to voice chat with someone while gaming. I always use push-to-talk, and when I talk while gaming the only keys I'm going to be using are WASD, Shift, Ctrl, and Alt (my push to talk key). Worst case scenario, you could probably just put the webcam on top of your monitor in which case it should be further away from your keyboard than a headset mic would be.
I do the same with regards to PTT, however many games have a few tenths of a second after you let go before it cuts the mic and during that time... My cats are getting old so my new shine 7 has black keys and it's pretty quiet. The modmic is very directional in my experience and grossly unlike the type in webcams. https://antlionaudio.com/collections/microphones/products/modmic-uni
 
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