Good gaming headphones around $150

Yodogs5

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Hey guys I've recently been looking into upgrading from a Logitech g35 headset to some higher quality headphones. Unfortunately I have been having trouble deciding on which would be best for me.

I will be using the headphones for some music and gaming both competitively and noncompetitively. I'm looking for headphones that are fun and immersive, but can also be useful for positioning and direction in competitive games. Obviously comfort is also a huge factor.

The three main headphones I've been looking into are:

DT990 pro 250ohm
I'm leaning toward these because they are on sale for $130, they also seem to be very comfortable and can offer an immersive experience. Right now I will only be using my motherboard's onboard audio which I know isn't ideal for these headphones but I plan to upgrade in the near future. I am also concerned a about how well they will fair in competitive games as I have seen mixed opinions on their positioning.

AD900x
Overall these seem like great headphones especially for competitive gaming, but I am worried about how well they will work for immersion in games and for certain music as I have heard the bass is quite weak. The headphones also look like they are uncomfortable and could fall or slouch easily.

HD598
These share many of the same thoughts I have about the AD900X. They seem great for competitive gaming but the lack of bass is a negative. There also seems to be mixed feelings on comfort. Also the fact that they have been on sale for <$100 recently and are now sitting around $150 puts me off them.

I really don't know a whole lot about audio so any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 
In this price range you have to compromise between "positioning" and bass.

Positioning is good in open back headphones, which you picked, but bass is weak.

I don't have direct experience with the DT990, but I have DT770. They're great for music, but the high end is more "bright and crispy" than accurate.

If you want headphones that are fun I definitely recommend Beyerdynamic. If you want headphones that are accurate, I would steer clear.
 
In this price range you have to compromise between "positioning" and bass.

Positioning is good in open back headphones, which you picked, but bass is weak.

I don't have direct experience with the DT990, but I have DT770. They're great for music, but the high end is more "bright and crispy" than accurate.

If you want headphones that are fun I definitely recommend Beyerdynamic. If you want headphones that are accurate, I would steer clear.

Excellent assessment. I have the DT 880 Pro's and I like them but find them a bit to bright. I think they are fun, they do a good job with music and I've found them to be okay with games too. I bought them as potential replacements for my HD 555 but decided I liked the HD 555 better for gaming, and most everything else honestly.

I do find the DT 880's to be super comfortable though... one of the most comfrtable sets I own.

I mostly just use my PC 360 headset now. Great sound, very similar to HD 555 but a little better IMHO for games. Also the microphone is great.

All music is played though my HD 650's mostly, best headphones I own.
 
I have removed the foam pads from my HD 555, which is suppose to make them sound more the HD 595 (predecessor to 598) and I find the bass adequate. I have tried with bass boost enabled and find it to be more than enough bass. I usually only do that for single player games. I fund online games the bass is distracting. I've actually use the creative recon scout mode a bit. It especially lowers the bass and bumps the treble to make footsteps more noticeable. I do find it helps with placement when using a headset.

I have never used the AD900x but I'm sure you'd be happy with either of the others. My preference would lean towards the HD 598 though.

Also if you want a gaming headset with a mic take a look the PC 360 or G4ME One's if you want. Basically 558/598 with a microphone. If you want a closed headset then the PC 350 or G4ME Zero's are basically the same but closed, they have a significant boost in bass too.
 
I figured I wouldn't be able to get the best of both for $150. I've seen Sennheiser's G4ME headsets and while they seem decent I want something without a permanent mic attached. I think I'm going to up my budget a little bit.

What do you guys think of the Fidelio X2s? They seem to be pretty good all around at a decent price. My only concern is the recent glue manufacturing issue people seem to be having. Is that a big deal?

I've also been looking into DAC/Amps and sound cards but I'm pretty lost on what to do with those. It seems like a sound card is preferred for gaming but It looks like a DAC/Amp combo is preferred by most people. I've also seen people suggest using a sound card for the features a DAC/Amp combo for the audio quality which I suppose I could do in the future but right now I'll probably go for one or the other.

Would something like a Sound Blaster Z provide audio quality noticeably better than on-board sound? Or should I go for something higher end?

Thanks again guys, your help is appreciated.
 
Also if you want a gaming headset with a mic take a look the PC 360 or G4ME One's if you want. Basically 558/598 with a microphone. If you want a closed headset then the PC 350 or G4ME Zero's are basically the same but closed, they have a significant boost in bass too.

^ This is probably the best route you can take within reason for an all inclusive setup . Game One or Game Zero.

I've seen Sennheiser's G4ME headsets and while they seem decent I want something without a permanent mic attached.

Enter the http://www.modmic.com/ with Sennhesier 558/598 combo! It's like Game One DIY. Mic is easily removable and reattachable.
See:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKFUz8qvOX4
 
Do you play competitive / twitch games or more along the lines of Diablo, WOW, Fallout, etc?
 
I figured I wouldn't be able to get the best of both for $150. I've seen Sennheiser's G4ME headsets and while they seem decent I want something without a permanent mic attached. I think I'm going to up my budget a little bit.

What do you guys think of the Fidelio X2s? They seem to be pretty good all around at a decent price. My only concern is the recent glue manufacturing issue people seem to be having. Is that a big deal?

I've also been looking into DAC/Amps and sound cards but I'm pretty lost on what to do with those. It seems like a sound card is preferred for gaming but It looks like a DAC/Amp combo is preferred by most people. I've also seen people suggest using a sound card for the features a DAC/Amp combo for the audio quality which I suppose I could do in the future but right now I'll probably go for one or the other.

Would something like a Sound Blaster Z provide audio quality noticeably better than on-board sound? Or should I go for something higher end?

Thanks again guys, your help is appreciated.

My preferred setup when gaming at home for most games, where I don't require a mic, is to just use my speakers.

I have Energy C-200 book shelf speakers connected to a Teac ai-100da and I love it. The Teac is a USB dac, which works great but I mostly use the optical input from my Auzentech x-Fi Forte. That way I can use the software effects and get the best experience. I also have my monitors audio out connected to the Teac so I can redirect aduio from HDMI sources to my speakers too. The teac has a headphone jack too which is great but no microphone connection.

Prior to that I was using analog out from my sound card to my HT receiver and my PC was configured as Zone 2. This worked great but after adding 2 GTX 970's I was getting an annoying hum. The Teac with optical has eliminated that.

I have some other options too. I have a Fiio E10K DAC that I like but rarely use as I prefer my other setups.

For gaming when I want to use a microphone too I use one of two setups. I use the same optical out from my X-Fi Forte to an Astro Mixamp Pro. This works great, gives me all the same software settings as when using my Teac and for me it works very well.

Before I got the Teac and was having a ton of problems with audio noise I stopped using my internal soundcard for a while. I was using a Creative Recon3D USB soundcard, it is awesome and has all the same audio features as my X-Fi Forte but also a couple of new options. It can give you virtual 7.1 sound to a headset and the mic input works great. I originally purchased this to use my gaming headset on my Xbox 360 and PS3. It has a switch to toggle between Xbox, PS, and PC.

If I were going to primarily use headphones for gaming then the Recon3D would be my preferred choice, but they are hard to find now.

If gaming is your main concern then I'd get a good USB soundcard instead of a DAC. Most DAC don't have any inputs for microphones. You can get 3D audio from them by using software from Razer (free or paid version) http://www.razerzone.com/surround or Creative http://www.creative.com/oem/products/software/x-fimb3.asp these software packages will turn any stereo sound device into a virtual surround device. Which is basically how almost all surround headsets work anyway.

You can look at the Sound Blaster Omni 5.1, which is a great budget option, and even has a built in mic that works pretty well.
http://us.creative.com/p/sound-blaster/sound-blaster-omni-surround-5-1

The new Sound BlasterX G5 is suppose to be great but I haven't personally used it.
http://us.creative.com/p/sound-blaster/sound-blasterx-g5

There is also the Xonar U7. https://www.asus.com/Sound-Cards/Xonar_U7/


If you want a no frills USB sound card you can probably find the Sound Blaster X-FI GO! for cheap. I paid about $15 for mine. I use it with my laptop and it does sound and mic well and includes 3D surround headphone support.

http://us.creative.com/p/sound-blaster/sound-blaster-x-fi-go-pro
 
Do you play competitive / twitch games or more along the lines of Diablo, WOW, Fallout, etc?
I play a bit of everything.

Recently I have been playing a lot of competitive shooters, but I also play plenty of noncompetitive games as well. So I'm looking for something that may not be the best in any one area, but is good all around.
 
My preferred setup when gaming at home for most games, where I don't require a mic, is to just use my speakers.

I have Energy C-200 book shelf speakers connected to a Teac ai-100da and I love it. The Teac is a USB dac, which works great but I mostly use the optical input from my Auzentech x-Fi Forte. That way I can use the software effects and get the best experience. I also have my monitors audio out connected to the Teac so I can redirect aduio from HDMI sources to my speakers too. The teac has a headphone jack too which is great but no microphone connection.

Prior to that I was using analog out from my sound card to my HT receiver and my PC was configured as Zone 2. This worked great but after adding 2 GTX 970's I was getting an annoying hum. The Teac with optical has eliminated that.

I have some other options too. I have a Fiio E10K DAC that I like but rarely use as I prefer my other setups.

For gaming when I want to use a microphone too I use one of two setups. I use the same optical out from my X-Fi Forte to an Astro Mixamp Pro. This works great, gives me all the same software settings as when using my Teac and for me it works very well.

Before I got the Teac and was having a ton of problems with audio noise I stopped using my internal soundcard for a while. I was using a Creative Recon3D USB soundcard, it is awesome and has all the same audio features as my X-Fi Forte but also a couple of new options. It can give you virtual 7.1 sound to a headset and the mic input works great. I originally purchased this to use my gaming headset on my Xbox 360 and PS3. It has a switch to toggle between Xbox, PS, and PC.

If I were going to primarily use headphones for gaming then the Recon3D would be my preferred choice, but they are hard to find now.

If gaming is your main concern then I'd get a good USB soundcard instead of a DAC. Most DAC don't have any inputs for microphones. You can get 3D audio from them by using software from Razer (free or paid version) http://www.razerzone.com/surround or Creative http://www.creative.com/oem/products/software/x-fimb3.asp these software packages will turn any stereo sound device into a virtual surround device. Which is basically how almost all surround headsets work anyway.

You can look at the Sound Blaster Omni 5.1, which is a great budget option, and even has a built in mic that works pretty well.
http://us.creative.com/p/sound-blaster/sound-blaster-omni-surround-5-1

The new Sound BlasterX G5 is suppose to be great but I haven't personally used it.
http://us.creative.com/p/sound-blaster/sound-blasterx-g5

There is also the Xonar U7. https://www.asus.com/Sound-Cards/Xonar_U7/


If you want a no frills USB sound card you can probably find the Sound Blaster X-FI GO! for cheap. I paid about $15 for mine. I use it with my laptop and it does sound and mic well and includes 3D surround headphone support.

http://us.creative.com/p/sound-blaster/sound-blaster-x-fi-go-pro
Okay, thank you for all of that information.

I hadn't even considered a USB sound card before, but those that you listed seem great.
 
Okay, thank you for all of that information.

I hadn't even considered a USB sound card before, but those that you listed seem great.

No need for a sound card with any of the current choices of headphones listed. With the advances in onboard audio these days, the need for a sound card is simply spending $200 to have the best available internal option at a hefty price vs an external solution such as simply grabbing a Schiit Magni.

Oh, and the DT990 has my vote because I am biased towards Beyer's house signature.
 
I use the DT990-Pro 250ohm headphones and they are fantastic. I've been using them for about 10 years now, they are very durable. Even for being open headphones, the bass is fantastic. I've always felt that their positioning was quite good as well. They are usually pretty decent even when powered without a dedicated amp, but that is a vague generalization as even motherboard audio tends to differ between motherboards. The bass tends to benefit the most from having more amp power.

When getting a sound card, sound quality is one important variable, and positioning is the other. As far as positioning goes, there are two options from creative. There is the X-Fi series, which does all of it's processing in hardware and uses a tech called CMSS-3D to downmix 5.1-7.1 sources into stereo. There is also the tech found on cards such as the Sound Blaster Z, which is called SBX/THX TruStudio. The Creative software solution is also based on this same tech. Opinions vary as to if CMSS-3D or SBX/THX TruStudio is better, and also if the software based SBX/THX TruStudio is as good as the cards with hardware based SBX/THX TruStudio. I personally prefer CMSS-3D.

If you do decide to go with an external sound card, you shouldn't have to worry if it has a microphone input or not. There is absolutely no reason why you can't still use the onboard audio also just for it's microphone input.
 
Yeah so it seems when it comes to a sound card I'll probably go with one of those listed by N1GHTRA1N.

Does anyone here have any experience with the Fidelio X2s? I know they're out of my original price range but they seem like they are pretty good all around, which is something I'd be willing to pay for.
 
Sound Blaster Z + the X2 would put you in a very nice space audio wise.

You can also save some $ going with some Senn 558s as they are very similar to the 598s but around $100 or less a times.
 
So I ended up going with the X2s from Massdrop.

While I wait for them to arrive I have been looking into different sound card and Dac/Amp options. So because I am primarily gaming I should go with a sound card over a Dac/Amp?

It seems sound cards are generally preferred for gaming where as Dac/Amp are preferred for music. Does the benefit of sound cards extend to noncompetitive games? Gaming performance is my primary concern, but I also want something that provides good music performance. I know if I go with one of the Creative solutions music won't sound as good as it would on a Modi/Magni, but would it provide a noticeable upgrade over the on-board audio?

I'm probably looking to spend anywhere between $125 - $175 on something that will sound great for gaming and good for music on the X2s.
 
For gaming you don't need to spend $100.00 or even close to it. You can easily get by for a lot less since gaming is a lot of sound effects that are digitally created and not a HQ analog reproduction.
 
I have DT990pro and HD558 (have had HD598 and HD595 too). I would suggest go with HD558, better comfort than DT990pro and not quite so bright on top end. Extra cost of HD598 over HD558 is not worth it IMO, exact same driver and they just put a bit of material in back of driver so it sounds a bit dif, material can be removed.
 
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Honestly for me using the same music and my favorite music headphones (HD 650) I can rarely, if ever, tell the difference in music quality when comparing played though my X-Fi Forte, Recon3D USB, Teac ai101da, Shciit Valhalla, Yamaha receiver, E10K, etc.

Usually the biggest difference is volume. Some will sound louder because they do a better job of driving the HD 650's. However, if I set the volume to the same levels sound wise (not percentage wise) great quality FLAC files sound pretty much exactly the same. If I use my onboard sound card or mix amp, or X-Fi Go! usb card the quality with the HD650 is not good because the volume is so low on them. However if I use another headphone like my HD 555 or QC25 the quality once again is comparable but you can notice these devices don't sound quite as good. HD 555 on Teac ai101da, schiit valhala, x-fi forte, recon3d, etc all so so similar that if my eyes were shut there is no way I'd tell which one I was using if I didn't know.
 
No need for a sound card with any of the current choices of headphones listed. With the advances in onboard audio these days, the need for a sound card is simply spending $200 to have the best available internal option at a hefty price vs an external solution such as simply grabbing a Schiit Magni.

Oh, and the DT990 has my vote because I am biased towards Beyer's house signature.

You sure?

In the past I used dedicated sound cards for two reasons, they were better then on-board and a good sound card offloaded that processing from the CPU and chipset freeing resources. I am not sure that they still don't free resources that the motherboard would otherwise commit to handling the sound processes.
 
I too am looking for a good 3d positional sound headset for gaming. My first pair were some Soundlink Medusas and they were absolutely awesome. They were heavy though and I broke them knocking them off my desk. I replaced them and the second pair developed stress fractures at the earcup connection to the head band and so I gave up on their product, just wouldn't last for the cost.

I just ordered some HyperX Clouds but messed up and had ordered the stereo version instead of the surround sound ones. I have corrected that and they are on the way. What I saw from the others looked good, we'll see.
 
Will you be listening to it as a flat signal or will you be equalizing it? That will make a huge difference in what will work for you and what won't.
 
I used to game with HD555's (foam removed), but have moved to DT880 premiums 300ohm. I have no problems with either of them. Running off a Xonar STX.

A lot of reviews say the DT880's were harsh and too bright, but that is kind of how I EQ'd my HD555's for anyways so it is what I prefer. I don't EQ my 880's at all.
 
I used to game with HD555's (foam removed), but have moved to DT880 premiums 300ohm. I have no problems with either of them. Running off a Xonar STX.

A lot of reviews say the DT880's were harsh and too bright, but that is kind of how I EQ'd my HD555's for anyways so it is what I prefer. I don't EQ my 880's at all.

I have 250ohm DT 880 Pro's. I do find them a bit to bright and don't use them a whole lot. They are super comfortable and built incredibly well though.
 
I had so many headphones.
And My last one is the cheapest one I ever had. Koss portapro.... and its the best headphones I've used. Fantastic sound quality. It sounds alive and goes surprisingly low. The sound is open and headphone is super light and comfortable. The only drawback is that it might annoy other people in the room. (if thats the case, I also have brainwavz hm5... aka head crushers)

If I knew about portapro earlier. It's like I've discovered endgame for surprisingly low price. I am using it with e10k btw.
 
I have a set of PC350SE and I'm slightly disappointed with the lack of bass they have, even with an amp. I got a set of HD598 to see how they work out for a good deal off Amazon in their warehouse deal to see if they are any better....they should be easier to drive with my amp then the PC350SE I have now.
 
My favorite Gaming headphones are the AKG K612pro they are around $140 - 150$ on amazon. they require an amp because they are 120ohm but are fantastic for gaming !
 
Lol no headphone is 5.1. Ya they have surround sound over 2 channels like every other headphone made. these akg's have a wide soundstage and very detailed like almost too analytical. they have a very flat response curve. basically if you are playing BF4 and a gernade goes off you hear every detail in that explosion that you are meant to hear. These headphones would be great for audio recording. They are fully open. I use these with usb objective 2 amp & dac. I use them to play csgo all the time and i can hear footsteps from all over the map. it really has helped me get kills.
 
I would compare them to maybe the audiotechnica's AD700 or AD900 but with a natural sound and better bass response
 
Lol no headphone is 5.1. Ya they have surround sound over 2 channels like every other headphone made. these akg's have a wide soundstage and very detailed like almost too analytical. they have a very flat response curve. basically if you are playing BF4 and a gernade goes off you hear every detail in that explosion that you are meant to hear. These headphones would be great for audio recording. They are fully open. I use these with usb objective 2 amp & dac. I use them to play csgo all the time and i can hear footsteps from all over the map. it really has helped me get kills.
Fantastic! I'll check them out
 
What you end up getting? I picked up sennheiser game ones which is based on the senn 558/598 but with a mic.. Alot of people think the price isnt worth jumping to 598 from 558. You can pick up the 558 fro around 100 bucks which seems to be a pretty good deal.

I really miss my old pair of senn 570, so thats why i picked up a new senn. I should spend 20 and get a cord.and see if they still work and how they compare to the game ones.
 
Lol no headphone is 5.1.

There are a few headphones made that have multiple drivers inside them but from what I have read they don't sound any more surround than stereo headphones due to the close proximity of the drivers to your ears.
 
There are a few headphones made that have multiple drivers inside them but from what I have read they don't sound any more surround than stereo headphones due to the close proximity of the drivers to your ears.

They squeeze a few of the smallest, and cheapest drivers inside and tell you that it sounds better than a large driver. They always sound like crap/ :)
 
Massdrop's AKG K7xx are a fantastic gaming headphone for $200 probably the best set for the price.
 
Gotta include the AudioTechnica ATH-M50's in here. Great all around headphones, great for gaming too. Good solid bass reproduction, too.
 
I've heard great things about the AKG k701/702. Never owned or tried a pair yet, but the vast majority says the soundstage surpasses that of the AD700s, which are arguably a tad wider than HD598. The AD700s are tinny as hell, 598s not so much but bass still weak. I have had the AD900s also tinny, but a bit more detailed in sound compared to the ad700, but soundstage is not as good as the 700s, many people report the ad900x is not as wide and the imaging not as good either.

I'd say the hd598 has more balance the ad700. I can't vouch for the akg 701/702 in terms of balance. But if you want sound hacks out of the three go with the akg 701/702. You may need to invest in an amp for the akg 701/702 though and I know for sure the HD598 and ad700 can be driven by your sound card easily.
 
Gotta include the AudioTechnica ATH-M50's in here. Great all around headphones, great for gaming too. Good solid bass reproduction, too.

Yep. Bob Katz (audio mastering engineering of some grammy award winning albums) did a mini review on the M50X recently and really liked them for the money.
 
a bit late here, but:

AD900x
Overall these seem like great headphones especially for competitive gaming, but I am worried about how well they will work for immersion in games and for certain music as I have heard the bass is quite weak. The headphones also look like they are uncomfortable and could fall or slouch easily.

i own a pair of ad700x (same general construction as the 900s) and m-50s. i can honestly say that the 700s are THE single most comfy pairs of cans i have ever worn. i have once worn them for 14 hours straight (with pee and pizza breaks of course) with zero issues, after some time i just forget i had 'em on at all. also, bass is ... ok, but they are open back, it's what you get. they are also excellent for gaming, positional audio is phenomenal.
 
Yep. Bob Katz (audio mastering engineering of some grammy award winning albums) did a mini review on the M50X recently and really liked them for the money.

I had the M50s but traded them to a friend because I bought Shure SRH840 and for a headphone with a similar sound signature they are better than M50. They are more comfortable on the ears than M50 too but heavier on the head. They also came with an extra set of earpads, which is appreciated. For studio use I would say Shure 840 is one of the best you can choose. For gaming though I would still say Senn HD558 as best bang for buck.
 
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