Higher End Newbie Question

[Lord Chambers]

My Audio 90's just crapped out and I'm looking to invest in something more substantial. I spend a lot of time on my computer, and so I think it'd be worthwhile to drop $200 or so on a good headset.

But, there are tons of models for many manufacters. All I really know is that comfort is a concern, since I'll be wearing the headset as much as 12 hours at a time. I think it might be wise to get just a headset and a mic seperately, since the mic would be more easily replaced, but having a headset with both is good too. I'd appreciate if it had the ability to fold up so I can take it LANing more easily, but that's not a vital point. Finally, while I'm looking to spend a fairly substantial amount, I'm not actually an audiophile at this point. All I've ever used are the Audio 90's or worse, and so I don't know what a soundstage is, I don't think I could criticize the highs, lows, and mids, nor will I likely be over concerned with the trebble, bass, or balance. I game mostly, but listen to a fair amount of music and watch a fair amount of movies.

So, if someone could use their vast knowledge of headsets on the market to point out a couple that fit my bill, I'd appreciate it a lot.


At this point I'm looking most at the Sennheiser PC 150/155, but also the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro. The HD 280 Pro's fold up which is nice, and they also aren't part of Sennheiser's gaming models so I figure they'll have better sound quality. In the reviews I've read on Head Fi I hear about it's strengths and weaknesses, but it's almost all stuff I doubt I'm experienced enough to appreciate:

Its' soft, blurred presentation reminded me too much of the other low-end Sony models, especially when coupled with a slightly echoey sounding midrange and boomy inarticulate bass.

Another Head-Fi thing I hear often is impedance and needing amps. I'm not sure if that's an issue with the HD 280 Pro's, and since I don't understand the technical data, I can't figure it out. Would I need an amp for these?
The HD 280 Pro's wouldn't come with a mic either. Even though I have a clanmate who uses one, and he sounds clear and says he doesn't need to shout, I just can't imagine that a mic in front of your mouth could be as loud and clear as a mic standing on a desk two/three feet away. I've never really heard of people going for high-end stand mics, so are they all basically of the $10 variety?

For the PC 150/155, my difficulty is knowing what would sound better, the 155's which are USB phones, or the 150's. I use onboard sound now, so presumably the 155's, but what If I used the savings between the two (about $70) and got an Audigy 2? Seems like that'd be a better deal, but if that's the case, why would anyone ever by a USB headset? Also, I think they are exactly the same model other than the USB one having a soundcard and cord clip, but does anyone know for sure?

And then beyond these I'm interested in 5.1 cans, which apparently suck. Seems like an advantage in gaming though, but I can't really imagine sound quality being so much worse just because it's got four channels instead of two. What do I know though? That's why I'm posting.

 

[Harkamus]

First of all...if you're ready to spend 200 bucks on a headphone, chances are that you'll probably need an amp. There is only one headphone that I can think of right now that is $195 bucks that doesn't require an amp. And, that is the Audiotechnica ATH 900(www.audiocubes.com sells them). I'm saying that the higher up in price you go, the more likely it will be for you to need a dedicated headphone amp to power the cans. Having said that, there are a few around the 150 buck range that will suffice without an amp(but are complimented well with the addition of one). The ones I refer to here are the Ultrasone 550 Beatmaster.

A good question you should ask yourself is whether or not you want a closed can or an open can. Closed will prevent some sound from leaking out.

Comfort should not be your main concern as I find most headphones to be uncomfortable. There are ways around that. Many people will stretch the headband to get less clamping force on the ears. This is not unheard of either.

For gaming I would recommend(from personal experience) the Ultrasone 550 Beatmaster which can be bought from Jan Meier at www.meier-audio.de They pack quite the punch(bass) for an unamped can. They get even more punchy with the addition of an amp. They also fold up like you wanted. I would say those cans would be more of a budget thing if you decide not to get an amp with them. My personal system which I also recommend would be the Beyerdynamic DT 770 and a PPA amp. There are two versions of the DT 770 which are identical except for the clamping force. The non-pro version has less clamping force at 2.8 newtons. The pro version has a clamping force of 3.5 newtons. There are also some new DT 770 - 80 ohm. The older ones are either 650(ahrd to find now; and they sound worse from what ppl say) or 250 ohms. It has been said that the 80 ohm version runs fine without an amp, but I remain skeptical. DT 770s were never known for their driveability.

Sennheisers...I have never heard of them having "gaming cans." Whatever you do, stay away from the ass that is the Sennheiser HD 590. They sound horrible. No amp can help them either! The only thing they had going for them was comfort. Beyond that, they sound like crap(they look cheap too).

Impedence is the ohm rating. Generally speaking the lower the ohms the easier it will be to drive. That is not always true though. For comparison: Ultrasone 550 Beatmaster are 32 ohms. The DT 770, I've already mentioned, are 250 ohms. The Audiotechnica ATH 900 are 40 ohms.

If you're going to use onboard sound, don't bother getting some high end cans. The source would be your soundcard...so the signal(couldn't think of a better word) would only be as good as the soundcard. Get the Audigy 2 ZS since you game mostly.

USB headsets suck.

5.1 headsets suck too. You have two ears. A stereo phone replicated surround sound and environmental effects flawlessly. No need for some fancy 5.1 headset that has worse sound quality than a headphone.

I've said it once and I'll say it again. For 5.1 you need a woofer on your head. The .1 denotes a subwoofer. Until there are cans with a woofer in them.... My DT 770s produce more bass than any computer woofer, and with more accuracy since they go down to 5 hertz.

 

[Lord Chambers]

Thank you very much for the thourough response.

While I'm looking at the sites you linked to, I thought I'd ask to clarify, the Audio 90's are open right? Because they are circumaural and not supra-aural?

From http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/icm_eng.nsf/root/products_headphones_dj_04974?Open&row=2:

Ear coupling
A distinction is made between headphones which are worn on the external ear (supra-aural) and those which surround the ear (circumaural). Open headphones have foam ear pads that rest on the ears or ring pads that surround the ears. Closed headphones, on the other hand, nearly always have circumaural ear pads.

Also on that page you'll see that the HD 280 Pro's have an impedance of 64 Ohms. Would it still need to be powered?

I found some HD 280 Pro's with a mic!
http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheise...cts_headphones_professionals_04976?Open&row=2
Hey hey, looks right up my alley. If only I knew where I could buy them from.

 

[Harkamus]

Yeah, I think the Audio 90s are open. The ear cups are way too small to be a closed can.

I'm pretty sure the HD 280s are easily driven without an amp. ...though you may want to check on headfi.com

If you want cans for gaming I highly suggest you take a look at the Ultrasone or Beyers....

Games, especially FPS, generally have some bass impact. You need some cans that can recreate that bass. The Senns may do that, but not at the level of the Ultrasone or Beyers.