Need help choosing gaming headphones and headphone amp

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Compddd

[H]ard|Gawd
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Aug 6, 2003
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I will be using them almost exclusively for gaming. Also do I even need a headphone amp? I have a Onkyo receiver right now hooked up to my PC, could I just plug the headphones into the receiver?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. My budget can go up to $750
 
beyerdynamic dt880 32-ohm, just use your receiver
 
I don't need a mic, I have a desktop one. I just want a really nice set of headphones for gaming that will give me good positioning
 
Compddd said:
I don't need a mic, I have a desktop one. I just want a really nice set of headphones for gaming that will give me good positioning
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I used to have a desktop mic before. I switched to PC 360 with included mic... Using the mic from PC360 was excellent and much better than using desktop mic. In general, desktop mic's pickup more background noise, also the audio from mic was much better from desktop mic.
 
since this is for gaming the PC360 and maybe an ASUS Soundcard that has the headphone amp in it
 
I have an Auzentech HTHD sound card, it has a headphone amp in it, or I can connect to my Onkyo receiver.

I hardly ever use my mic with games, so I just want a pair of nice headphones, no included mic :)

Are the Sennheisser 595s decent?
 
Compddd said:
I have an Auzentech HTHD sound card, it has a headphone amp in it, or I can connect to my Onkyo receiver.

I hardly ever use my mic with games, so I just want a pair of nice headphones, no included mic :)

Are the Sennheisser 595s decent?
Click to expand...


I hear you can get the HD555 ($93) and mod them to be 595s
 
Is there any difference between a 1/4" connector and 1/8" connector? Will I degrade performance if I use an adapter to convert a 1/4" to a 1/8" connection?
 
I have a pair of 595's and absolutely l-o-v-e them. My gaming rig is in the living room, and since the headphones are open air it annoys the hell out of the roommates since they can hear every gunshot. But that's simply not my problem...
 
Also, how you drive the 595s makes a helluva difference. My onboard Realtek card and iphone dont sound nearly as good as my soundblaster.
 
With a $750 budget you can get a lot.

I wouldn't use your receiver's headphone output with good headphones. Even really nice receivers have really poor headphone outputs in them unfortunately.

I guess not that many people hook up headphones to them so they don't waste money on the headphone amp.

I would recommend going for a Sennheiser HD600 (if you like open) or Denon AH-D5000 (if you like closed) and then a decent USB DAC/Amp combo. There are several options out there.
 
Holy shit. $750? Get some second-hand electrostats and a dedicated headphone amp. Forget all that other noise.
 
SirMaster said:
With a $750 budget you can get a lot.

I wouldn't use your receiver's headphone output with good headphones. Even really nice receivers have really poor headphone outputs in them unfortunately.

I guess not that many people hook up headphones to them so they don't waste money on the headphone amp.

I would recommend going for a Sennheiser HD600 (if you like open) or Denon AH-D5000 (if you like closed) and then a decent USB DAC/Amp combo. There are several options out there.
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I was actually looking at the HD600 on Amazon tonight for $380, they look really nice, and Sennheisser sells a replacement cable for them that's native 3.5mm.

From everything I've read so far, open air sounds best for gaming and music listening, would you agree with that SirMaster?
 
Compddd said:
I was actually looking at the HD600 on Amazon tonight for $380, they look really nice, and Sennheisser sells a replacement cable for them that's native 3.5mm.

From everything I've read so far, open air sounds best for gaming and music listening, would you agree with that SirMaster?
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I've always preferred closed headphones and acoustic suspension speaker setups. Open headphones and ported speakers just sound too... breathy to me. I don't know how to explain it.

Considering the kinds of sums you're looking at spending here, I wouldn't buy anything sight unseen. Go to a local dealer, even if it's quite a drive, and try some high end open and closed headphones out. Regardless of what anyone says here, it's really all personal preference in the end.

Of course, I'm also using a pair of Sennheiser eH2200s I picked up for ~$40 second hand, so take what I say with a comparative grain of salt if you like. ;) I've been collecting old, odd speakers for a while, though. <3 my Acoustic Research AR3as and Boston Acoustics A400s. Now looking for a nice pair of Klipsch horns. Angry my Magnepans were destroyed by UPS.
 
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Open cans usually give you a better soundstage, and it's one of the things the AD700 excels at. I also find open-air cans to be less fatiguing to listen to over long periods of time. Just make sure you have a pretty quiet listening area.

Like silent-circuit said, it's all preference. They make great headphones in both variations, just have to find the one that suits you.
 
Compddd said:
I was actually looking at the HD600 on Amazon tonight for $380, they look really nice, and Sennheisser sells a replacement cable for them that's native 3.5mm.

From everything I've read so far, open air sounds best for gaming and music listening, would you agree with that SirMaster?
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Here they are for ~$300.
http://www.futurepowerpc.com/scripts/product.asp?PRDCODE=2626-HD600&REFID=FR

I absolutely LOVE my HD600s. Open cans are the way for me. Very huge soundstage and excellent imaging.

Personally I would only get closed if I either didn't want to bother people or had too much outside noise to worry about.

As far as DAC/Amps go.

I got one of these:
http://www.travagans.com/eshop/?p=111

Though there are some more options in the states now. Back when I got that one there wasn't any really good options to buy from closer.

Some to consider:
http://www.audiophileproducts.com/fubar4
http://www.nuforce.com/hp/products/icon/index.php
http://www.nuforce.com/hp/products/icon2/index.php

http://www.amazon.com/FiiO-E9-Desktop-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B00470Q76K
PLUS
http://www.amazon.com/FiiO-E7-Portable-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B003E6K1VK/ref=pd_bxgy_e_img_b

If you just want a sound card:
http://j.mp/hBitCo

It actually has a proper DAC and Amp on it. Though not sure how clean the power circuitry is being inside a PC.

External is good though for the future so you don't need a free PCIe slot in your PC and so you can use it with a laptop or connect it to some analog source and bypass the DAC.
 
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I have an Auzentech HTHD X-fi sound card, it retails for $249 I think, I did some reading and supposedly the headphone amp on it is pretty decent, so I was just going to connect the headphones to that for now.

Has anyone here ordered from FuturePowerPC before? I did a couple months back and they cancelled my order because, "they didn't have my item anymore" lol
 
I only posted FuturePowerPC because they were the only ones with a deal around $300. Much more jsut seems like a rip-off to me.

Back when I got my HD600 over a year ago they were $285 brand new from http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

I don't know why they have gone up so much since then.


You make a good point though and they are probably sold out from them.

Here is another i guess:
http://www.abesofmaine.com/item.do?item=SENHD600&id=SENHD600&l=FROOGLE

And seller reviews:
http://www.google.com/products/sell...i=BgE3TbLtO4j-NcnyiLQJ&sa=X&ved=0CCkQlQgwBzgA

Also yes, the Auzentech HTHD has a headphone amp on it that will do well for a pair of headphones like the HD600s.
 
Compddd said:
Is there any difference between a 1/4" connector and 1/8" connector? Will I degrade performance if I use an adapter to convert a 1/4" to a 1/8" connection?
Click to expand...

Most of the headphones I have ever seen on the shelves for the last 10+ years have has an 1/8" male plug, with some form of 1/8" to 1/4" adapter in the box.

all the headphones I have ever bought for myself over $100 have had a 1/8" jack, with threads above it to secure a 1/8"f to 1/4"m adapter.

any adapter with a 1/8"m and 1/4"f I have needed to use them in the past but generally the increased leverage it places on the 1/8" jack in the device and where the 1/8" plumeets the bodf the adapter have caused no end of problems.

ultimately it was far less trouble to buy a few specialized audio cables, like one with a stereo 1/8" male to a pair of mono 1/4" male that I use to connect my iPod, my buddy's Zune, computers and other small electronics to my studio's patchbay.

---

As far as what I actually use, I have Semi-open AKG 240's that stay connected to my gaming rig. ($99 USD at local Music Store) For music, podcasts, mixing, and other critical listening, I have a pair of beyerdynamic DT770 (~=$150 USD at local music store) If you go for those, be aware they come in an 80ohm and 250ohm versions, (mine are the 80 ohm) my iPod has no trouble driving them, and even at the lowest volume setting above zero, I can hear podcasts clearly in a quiet room. I use the AKG's for gaming because my rig is in the basement, and I need to be able to hear things going on elsewhere in the house.
 
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