Good gaming headphones

Anyone tried Gaffa taping a mic to a decent set of headphones and seeing how that compares to a headset? :p
 
Audio Technica is a name that comes up a lot when "gaming headphones" topics come up. Worth looking them over if you haven't yet.
 
I actually use an Alessandro MS1i. Fugly design, open back so it has nearly no noise isolation, but hey, it sounds better than the AD700 when I threw all kinds of music genres at it while testing in the store, and it costs only half the price...
 
Denon AH-D2000 plus an external mic. I prefer using these Denons over my Grado and Sennheiser headphones for gaming and movies. The bass is phenominal. I run have a nice DAC/AMP though.

I use a Blue microphone for communicating.
 
Q-BZ said:
Audio Technica is a name that comes up a lot when "gaming headphones" topics come up. Worth looking them over if you haven't yet.
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I've never actually understood why people love the Audio Technica for gaming purposes, the ones I've tried have a very cold and clinical sort of sound to them, lacking the low down depth that I thought gamers would want to get from their sound. I found them good for certain types of music, but for gaming they seemed to be really lacking.
 
Tudz said:
I've never actually understood why people love the Audio Technica for gaming purposes, the ones I've tried have a very cold and clinical sort of sound to them, lacking the low down depth that I thought gamers would want to get from their sound. I found them good for certain types of music, but for gaming they seemed to be really lacking.
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Wouldn't surprise me.

I personally tend to favor Sennheiser in a lot of situations myself.
 
I would only recommend the Sennheiser PC350's if you have a sound card or external headphone amp , they aren't as easy to push as other headphones that your probably use to OP.

If you have the money I highly recommend the Sennheiser HD650's , amazing headphones for gaming , wonderful sound stage , crisp clear highs and mids and very detailed bass. You'll need to get a sound card (ASUS STX or ST) with a built in headphone amp or an external DAC/Amp (Fiio E7 + E9) to drive it well and its not cheap (for the total setup probably $650) but you'll never need anything else.

Otherwise get an AD700 and Xonar DX for the cheap option.
 
Tudz said:
I've never actually understood why people love the Audio Technica for gaming purposes, the ones I've tried have a very cold and clinical sort of sound to them, lacking the low down depth that I thought gamers would want to get from their sound. I found them good for certain types of music, but for gaming they seemed to be really lacking.
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It's because the positioning is good. They sound good but thin (at least to me), but they do have excellent positioning. I have a pair but for some reason the stupid wing things they use instead of a headband has really started to bother my head, so I've switched back to my HD555 until I can get something else. I'd forgotten how much fuller the HD555s sound.
 
Forceman said:
It's because the positioning is good. They sound good but thin (at least to me), but they do have excellent positioning. I have a pair but for some reason the stupid wing things they use instead of a headband has really started to bother my head, so I've switched back to my HD555 until I can get something else. I'd forgotten how much fuller the HD555s sound.
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I honestly find the positioning on the HD598 just as good as the AD700. The soundstage isn't much smaller. When I tried out the AD700 after using the HD598 for a while I also thought that they sounded thin a lot of the time.
 
I used to have a pair of AT AD700 and liked them mainly because they were so comfortable. If I were you, I'd make my selection based on practical needs: comfort, isolation, price, and so on. "What sounds best" is goign to be a much tougher question to answer, and even if you discover that there's a consensus, you may well find that you don't care for it once you've done and purchased it.

I used to game quite a bit with Beyer dt880s because they are comfortable and because I had a nice DAC and amp hooked up to my computer. Now, I mainly use a pair of Ath-m50s with Beyerdynamic dt250 velour pads -- comfortable enough and also blocks out sound well enough. It's also a plus that I can fold them and toss them in a bag with my laptop when I'm traveling.

My #1 advice to you would be to stay away from pleather. #2 would be to audition before you purchase.
 
yimingwuzere said:
I actually use an Alessandro MS1i. Fugly design, open back so it has nearly no noise isolation, but hey, it sounds better than the AD700 when I threw all kinds of music genres at it while testing in the store, and it costs only half the price...
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ShuttleLuv said:
Grado SR80i
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Grado's are probably the last pair of headphones I would ever consider for gaming. Grado's are uncomfortable, have very little soundstage, and very laid back bass. None of these things go well will gaming. For music, they are outstanding. I loved my MS-2i, they were unquestionably my favorite headphone for music. However, this is not what OP was looking for.

Denon D2000's make really great all-around headphones. Good for music, good for gaming. They are closed, which gives you a deeper, boomy bass and soundstage. Audio-Technica makes great cans too. Their closed cans (A500/700/900) have better soundstage and more prominent bass, but they are also a bit muddy sounding. I liked them for gaming and movies, not at all for music though. The open variants (AD500/700/900) sounded much better, IMO. No muddyness and significantly better highs. You do lose some of the bass and soundstage that comes by design with a closed headphone, but it's a fair trade. Either of them are very comfortable. AT's are very light and lose on your head. Just don't go headbanging or you'll lose them in a hurry ;)
 
Yea Grado's are fantastic for bass heavy music or rock. Terrible for gaming indeed. A great on the go pair of headphones but there are so many other better choices for gaming.
 
Hammerbrah said:
I've been hearing good things about the Antlion Mod Mic. Hopefully I can order one soon enough.
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That looks damn cool. Just ordered one! I have a USB Logitech desktop mic that is clear, but my friends complain that it sounds like I'm beating on my keyboard... when I'm just typing or pressing WASD keys.
 
Tudz said:
I've never actually understood why people love the Audio Technica for gaming purposes, the ones I've tried have a very cold and clinical sort of sound to them, lacking the low down depth that I thought gamers would want to get from their sound. I found them good for certain types of music, but for gaming they seemed to be really lacking.
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My M50s sound perfectly fine for gaming. A hell of a lot better then those damn Creative WoW headsets.
 
Hammerbrah said:
I've been hearing good things about the Antlion Mod Mic. Hopefully I can order one soon enough.
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This thing looks awesome. I do not like clip-on mics. I've been using a webcam as my mic. It picks up pretty much any noise in my apartment.
 
I have a pair or Megalodons and I would strongly recommend against them. While in 2.1 and 7.1 they have decent sound, 5.1 mode sounds hollow and and mumbled.
 
ImMrPete said:
I have a pair or Megalodons and I would strongly recommend against them. While in 2.1 and 7.1 they have decent sound, 5.1 mode sounds hollow and and mumbled.
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Reminds me when i bought the razer barracuda headset for 200 bucks then sold it the same day.
 
Honestly, my AKG Q701s with my Fiio E10 have been absolutely phenomenal. Granted, the price for both combined is upwards of $300, they have been by far my favorite gaming setup. The Q701 has a pretty wide soundstage and extremely accurate positioning, which makes them perfect for FPS games (Battlefield 3 in particular sounds amazing. I can actually hear other players footsteps, and not just the jostling of their gear). However, these headphones are what one would call quite clinical, and they do take some gettting accustomed to, but the result has been phenomenal for me (coming from a pair of HD555s and M50s).
 
Ruoh said:
My M50s sound perfectly fine for gaming. A hell of a lot better then those damn Creative WoW headsets.
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I've used those Creative WoW headsets, a friend got one... its really not hard to find something better than that :p I thought they had a reasonable mic, but I haven't used a lot of mics to compare either.
 
Tudz said:
I've used those Creative WoW headsets, a friend got one... its really not hard to find something better than that :p I thought they had a reasonable mic, but I haven't used a lot of mics to compare either.
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Those headsets suck ass , if anyone owns one and thinks that its quality .. then you simply haven't actually heard a good set of cans with a nice amp. I'm sure for the average WoW player who doesn't give a shit and wants something that is styled to his favorite game and wouldn't benefit from higher tier headphones with a much better sound stage would be perfectly happy with them but its not hard to look around and find much , much better for less.

As its been suggested many times in this thread AKG , AD700 , Sennheiser 598 or 650 are all excellent choices. Buying branded crap like Creative or Fatality bullshit isn't going to give you the quality , separation and sound stage a decent pair of headphones will. You may believe otherwise but once you hear the difference , its a said and done argument.

Go to headphone.com or head-fi.org , check out the headphones in the price range you can afford and start to do some research. Its not exactly hard to figure out what will work for you. Remember you can always get a cheap USB mic or you can even buy a cheap web cam and use its built in mic as well , there is no reason you simply must use a headset with a built in mic. I use my Logitech webcam's mic and I sound perfectly fine 4 feet away from it.

As far as a sound card goes , if you decide on a pair of headphones with high independence then buy an ASUS STX or ST or a nice starter DAC/AMP combo like the Fiio E7/E9. If its lower independence than go for a Xonar DX card. Whatever you do , don't spend a ton of money up front without at least doing your own research. Buy from some place that will accept returns without a hassle in case you aren't satisfied. These are simple every day steps for virtually buying anything , shouldn't be hard for you to do it on your own.
 
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Godmachine said:
Those headsets suck ass , if anyone owns one and thinks that its quality .. then you simply haven't actually heard a good set of cans with a nice amp. I'm sure for the average WoW player who doesn't give a shit and wants something that is styled to his favorite game and wouldn't benefit from higher tier headphones with a much better sound stage would be perfectly happy with them but its not hard to look around and find much , much better for less.
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Yeah, to be fair, my friend who owned the WoW headset got them for free :p
 
I used to have the Denon D7000, AT A700, Stax SR 202, Sennheiser HD650, Sennheiser HD25-1-II all at one time. Now I only have the HD25 due to the isolation aspect. The 650s and Stax were amazing though (the stax sound is great). Anyway from the looks of it, a good headphone + antlion mod might be the way to go. I'm hoping to order one soon.
 
I'm looking forward to your impressions of the Antlion. Also for those looking to buy Some of the mid end and high end cans do check out the for sale forums in Head-fi. Thats where I bought all my gear (except the denon) I was able to get the 650 (with a custom amp) for 320 shipped, and the stax (with matching amplifier) for 400 shipped. It's a great way to save some cash.
 
Hammerbrah said:
I'm looking forward to your impressions of the Antlion. Also for those looking to buy Some of the mid end and high end cans do check out the for sale forums in Head-fi. Thats where I bought all my gear (except the denon) I was able to get the 650 (with a custom amp) for 320 shipped, and the stax (with matching amplifier) for 400 shipped. It's a great way to save some cash.
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I've got a pair of D2000's ill be sticking them too. Hopefully it's a good fit. I've been looking for something like this for a while. I'll let you know how it works out when it gets here.
 
TheOneKnownAsMe said:
Honestly, my AKG Q701s with my Fiio E10 have been absolutely phenomenal. Granted, the price for both combined is upwards of $300, they have been by far my favorite gaming setup. The Q701 has a pretty wide soundstage and extremely accurate positioning, which makes them perfect for FPS games (Battlefield 3 in particular sounds amazing. I can actually hear other players footsteps, and not just the jostling of their gear). However, these headphones are what one would call quite clinical, and they do take some gettting accustomed to, but the result has been phenomenal for me (coming from a pair of HD555s and M50s).
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Q701 user YEEEAAHHHHH
 
AKG 701 (now 702s) are about as arguably as you can get anywhere in the roughly $500 or less price point range pound for pound at least IMO. My only "complaint" with them is they did tend to easily want to lean towards very cold, clinical, sometimes bright, and "dry" sound depending on what equipment they were being used with.

They were my first "serious" headphones until I sold them to my sister and sprung for the Sennheiser 800s which are phenomenal but way past any budgets being discussed here.
 
just got to say, my senn 555's and a zalman clip on is amazing (with a auzentech prelude). The zalman mic just clips right to the headphone cord and stays there no probs. And the foam pad mod on the 555's is a ncie bonus to.
 
Q-BZ said:
AKG 701 (now 702s) are about as arguably as you can get anywhere in the roughly $500 or less price point range pound for pound at least IMO. My only "complaint" with them is they did tend to easily want to lean towards very cold, clinical, sometimes bright, and "dry" sound depending on what equipment they were being used with.

They were my first "serious" headphones until I sold them to my sister and sprung for the Sennheiser 800s which are phenomenal but way past any budgets being discussed here.
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Have you had a chance to compare the 800s to a set of 650s? I was considering chopping off a limb to get a set of 800s :p
 
Tudz said:
Have you had a chance to compare the 800s to a set of 650s? I was considering chopping off a limb to get a set of 800s :p
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Tough call.

Sennheiser 650s are arguably still the kings of at least the $500 on down price range if not even more so. I'd still put them on a short list of top cans for a grand or less.

The AKG 701/702s cost about half as much and come respectably close except the Senns definitely have more warmth and natural sound going for them. The only "problem" the 650s can have...and again this is subjective on hearing and equipment...is they can tend to almost flirt with a "muffled" and/or "dark" sound but if you're running them on something better than a friggin' Ipod you'd be in good shape.

Sennheiser 800s...all I can do is tell you to read reviews and user feedback. They're not cheap but including myself I don't think you're going to find many people that regret the purchase. When you see pro reviews that say the 800s hang respectably with Orpheus systems and higher end Stax systems and some other electrostatic high end gear...stuff that I'll never be able to afford in 10 lifetimes...that tells you something.

It's been my experience that my dollar goes a lot further in headphone land vs speaker land.

To my knowledge, there's no way $1500 could get me a set of 2 speakers that would equal or beat the sound I get out of the Sennheiser 800s as a frame of reference. My opinion. Maybe I'm wrong.


On behalf of your wallet: If you're thrilled with your 650s you should be. Run. Run away as fast as you can! ;)
 
I'm saving for the Tesla T1 and a better DAC. I love my HD650's but I'm hearing so many good things about the T1 and its a bit cheaper than the HD800.

I hope it performs as well as its being claimed it can , I see them for sale used for around $800-900 and I'm probably going to pounce on that.
 
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TheOneKnownAsMe said:
Honestly, my AKG Q701s with my Fiio E10 have been absolutely phenomenal. Granted, the price for both combined is upwards of $300, they have been by far my favorite gaming setup. The Q701 has a pretty wide soundstage and extremely accurate positioning, which makes them perfect for FPS games (Battlefield 3 in particular sounds amazing. I can actually hear other players footsteps, and not just the jostling of their gear). However, these headphones are what one would call quite clinical, and they do take some gettting accustomed to, but the result has been phenomenal for me (coming from a pair of HD555s and M50s).
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I'm still waffling between the Q701s and the DT880s myself (coming from HD555s). I'm a little worried about the bumps on the Q701 headband - for some reason pressure on the top of my head gives me a headache and I'm afraid the bumps will make it worse.
 
Forceman said:
I'm still waffling between the Q701s and the DT880s myself (coming from HD555s). I'm a little worried about the bumps on the Q701 headband - for some reason pressure on the top of my head gives me a headache and I'm afraid the bumps will make it worse.
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After using the DT770 Pro's for a while I can say that they are not very comfortable. I have this same issue as you do and I would try them before you buy them to make sure.
 
Godmachine said:
After using the DT770 Pro's for a while I can say that they are not very comfortable. I have this same issue as you do and I would try them before you buy them to make sure.
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Is that from the clamping force, or the band? I've heard the Pros clamp a lot harder than the Premiums.
 
Q-BZ said:
AKG 701 (now 702s) are about as arguably as you can get anywhere in the roughly $500 or less price point range pound for pound at least IMO. My only "complaint" with them is they did tend to easily want to lean towards very cold, clinical, sometimes bright, and "dry" sound depending on what equipment they were being used with.

They were my first "serious" headphones until I sold them to my sister and sprung for the Sennheiser 800s which are phenomenal but way past any budgets being discussed here.
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When you are dropping $500 on a pair of heaphones, it's hard to get something bad. However, it's also very much about personal preference at that point. I've owned a lot of headphones, and I've been to a handful of meets. I've heard almost all of the top-tier contenders. The K701 is probably one of my least favorite. It's not bad... but I found it to be very lifeless. The W5000 is another top tier headphone that I did not at all care for. I want my headphones to be exciting to listen to, and these just weren't it. Grado's are easily my favorite headphones but as I pointed out earlier, not even a consideration for gaming. Over the years I've put a D2000, HD600, A700, AD900, DT770, and a K201 through my personal setup for gaming. The D2000 was the clear victor for me, and I've since parted ways with the rest of them.

Short version: If you're dropping a few Benjamin's on headphones, it's a wise idea to try them out before you buy. Everyones taste varies; you aren't guaranteed to love something just because someone else does.
 
yeah... headphones are about as subjective as monitors. i've tried: beyerdynamic dt880, beyerdynamic dt990, beyerdynamic dt770 pro, beyerdynamic dt150, audiotechnica ad700, sony xb500 and denon d2000. denon's were and still are my favorites.
 
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