New headphones (gaming mostly)

R

Raudulfr

2[H]4U
Joined
Sep 12, 2004
Messages
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Hello,


Right now I have a crappy set of headphones (you can't argue with free) but I think the time has come to buy some nice new headphones.

I'm no audiophile, I'll tell you that. So I'll settle for less, as long as it sounds better than those :p The budget isn't great either (~ 70 € / ~ $100). I have read the sticky but unfortunately Koss phones and such are not available to me (Not in the USA). What I have available though, and plenty, are those so called "gaming" headphones.

E.g. Steelsound 3H/4H/5H, Icemat Siberia, Razer Piranha, Speed Link Medusa, Sennheiser PC, Skullcandy (LOL?), etc.


I can get some HD Sennheiser, the 457, 465, 212 Pro, 415, 515, 555, 595 and 650. Though the last three are quite off budget.


I also can get the Sennheiser HD201 / HD201 G4ME. I've read that they weren't so good but on the other hand they're extremely cheap. I'm rather inclined to these.


What do you think? I'll use them mostly for gaming and some music listening (MP3 only).


EDIT: I almost forgot, right now I'll be using them with my MB's onboard sound, ADI AD1988B but I might upgrade to a X-Fi XtremeMusic/Gamer or a Xonar DX.
 
IceMat Siberias probably if you can find them for cheap.

Extremely comfortable headphones that you could wear endlessly with it's headband and ear cup surrounding design. A poor man's Sony MDR-F1.
 
Kuyt said:
IceMat Siberias probably if you can find them for cheap.

Extremely comfortable headphones that you could wear endlessly with it's headband and ear cup surrounding design. A poor man's Sony MDR-F1.
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Regular or USB version?
 
Those 201 headphones are for little girls ears. Seriously, they are tiny.
 
WC Annihilus said:
According to his profile, he's in Portugal <shrugs>
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Yes, the ass of Europe. A recommendation for some headphones over at amazon.co.uk also works well, as long as they cost no more than £50. (I had completely forgotten about Amazon).

Nevermind, they don't ship headphones to Portugal :mad:
 
icemats blow- i've had them, harsh bass and little highs. comfy for some-hell for others. 1/2 my clan bought these when they were 10$ after rebate a few years back. one of my clanmates actually broke one one the headbands to loosen it up! i only used mine a few times as my old plantronics audio.90 was much better. any low end 'real' headphone blws them away

from ur list that ive had:

senn hd457- very nice sound for size- small soundstage not really for games
senn hd465- decent bass, recessed highs. can be had for 30$ on ebay and worth it. comfy, durable, large
senn hd415- sounds almost the same as hd465 with slightly less bass. also a little smaller with thinner cord

all these senns will run good off a low power source

ive had the senn hd555 also and its a nice gamers can. needs a little more power than onboard audio- an x-fi will power them nicely

ive had all the steelsounds and they are the best headSETS. the 4h sounds best, the 5h is durable with braided lines and detachable cups. they lack bass but have great highs.(the 4h will give some bass with a good sound card) made for playing online while in teamspeak or such. overpriced though deals pop up
 
ourfpshero said:
icemats blow- i've had them, harsh bass and little highs. comfy for some-hell for others. 1/2 my clan bought these when they were 10$ after rebate a few years back. one of my clanmates actually broke one one the headbands to loosen it up! i only used mine a few times as my old plantronics audio.90 was much better. any low end 'real' headphone blws them away

from ur list that ive had:

senn hd457- very nice sound for size- small soundstage not really for games
senn hd465- decent bass, recessed highs. can be had for 30$ on ebay and worth it. comfy, durable, large
senn hd415- sounds almost the same as hd465 with slightly less bass. also a little smaller with thinner cord

all these senns will run good off a low power source

ive had the senn hd555 also and its a nice gamers can. needs a little more power than onboard audio- an x-fi will power them nicely

ive had all the steelsounds and they are the best headSETS. the 4h sounds best, the 5h is durable with braided lines and detachable cups. they lack bass but have great highs.(the 4h will give some bass with a good sound card) made for playing online while in teamspeak or such. overpriced though deals pop up
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Thanks. I'll look into the HD465 ($88) and the Steelsound 4H ($75).
 
Get the Sennheiser. They are way better than the 4H. They will last longer too.
 
spaceman said:
Get the Sennheiser. They are way better than the 4H. They will last longer too.
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I contacted Koss's distribuitor, maybe I'll get lucky and can buy it here. If not I'll move towards the Sennheiser (which BTW has some pretty awful reviews at Amazon, best to ignore them?)
 
Well, I will still ship you some SB40s if you like. I have shipped headphones everywhere in the world. Thailand, New Zealand, Ukraine, UK, Germany, Switzerland etc.

Is there no ebay?
 
spaceman said:
Well, I will still ship you some SB40s if you like. I have shipped headphones everywhere in the world. Thailand, New Zealand, Ukraine, UK, Germany, Switzerland etc.

Is there no ebay?
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Are you from the UK? I don't want to buy from ebay.com because of customs (it hurts $$$!)
 
No. Virginia, USA. Yes UK is impossible with their damn customs. If you have paypal just pm me. I will have to order a pair to be sent to me and then ship to you via airmail. I do not know how long it takes for Portugal b/c of customs but I have got headphones to and from Japan in only 3 days before. In this case, I would guess more like two weeks until you get them. And yes, I really am that nice lol.
 
spaceman said:
No. Virginia, USA. Yes UK is impossible with their damn customs. If you have paypal just pm me. I will have to order a pair to be sent to me and then ship to you via airmail. I do not know how long it takes for Portugal b/c of customs but I have got headphones to and from Japan in only 3 days before. In this case, I would guess more like two weeks until you get them. And yes, I really am that nice lol.
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Thanks but I'll pass. They'll f**k you over at the customs here and make you pay almost as much as the item itself in fees, if not more. I know, I've experienced it.
 
hmmm ok. so what stores can you buy from? the Beyerdynamic MMX1 is german so maybe you have a shot at those. Koss is a pretty huge company so there is a good chance there. Radio Shack? lol

Portugal is beautiful btw. Some of your food is nasty like tripes but a lot is wonderful stuff. Nice people too.
 
Raudulfr said:
I contacted Koss's distribuitor, maybe I'll get lucky and can buy it here. If not I'll move towards the Sennheiser (which BTW has some pretty awful reviews at Amazon, best to ignore them?)
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the hd465 is knocked for its recessed highs. compared to hi end cans they sound lousy. compared to 'gaming' cans they sound great. in usa at least they can be had for 30$ and that makes them a bargain. for list price i wouldnt get them

also- try dakmart.com. they ship everywhere and have lots of sennheisers, new and refurbs
 
hd435 is an hd415 with a volume control. stay away from it.
hd215 is a closed dj style. seals off sounds very well. kinda harsh sounding for a sennheiser. can be found for 40.00 if u look and a bargain at that price
 
Hate to say this, how much are the Icemats? They might just be the best idea if this is just for gaming and you are careful with them. They are comfortable at least. If they are cheap, I say get them and start saving up for a real pair of headphones. At least you will get a step up in terms of sound and comfort.
 
spaceman said:
Hate to say this, how much are the Icemats? They might just be the best idea if this is just for gaming and you are careful with them. They are comfortable at least. If they are cheap, I say get them and start saving up for a real pair of headphones. At least you will get a step up in terms of sound and comfort.
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55 &#8364; ($80).


In the name of quality I might increase the budget:

Sennheiser HD555 87 &#8364; ($128)
Sennheiser HD215 57 &#8364; ($83)
Beyerdynamic DTX800 51 &#8364; ($75)
Beyerdynamic MMX-1 73 &#8364; ($107)
AKG K414P 33 &#8364; ($48)

(do they require amps BTW?)
 
Raudulfr said:
55 € ($100 w/the gouging and VAT).
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HOLY!!!

Dude, you live in audio hell. What if I got you a pair of SB40s, took them out of the package, and wrapped them up in a gift box with happy birthday on it? Think they would still open it and charge the hell out of you?

I feel really bad for you btw. It must suck worse there than even France! In audio terms, never racist. I love French women! ;)

edit: actually, even if they did charge you 100%, the sb 40 would still cost less than the icemats.
 
spaceman said:
HOLY!!!

Dude, you live in audio hell. What if I got you a pair of SB40s, took them out of the package, and wrapped them up in a gift box with happy birthday on it? Think they would still open it and charge the hell out of you?

I feel really bad for you btw. It must suck worse there than even France! In audio terms, never racist. I love French women! ;)

edit: actually, even if they did charge you 100%, the sb 40 would still cost less than the icemats.
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LOL

It was a typo, they're not $100 but $80. I was just editing my post to add some more information :)

But yes, it does suck. Very little mid/high, high-end stuff and very expensive. Just more "gaming" headphones crap than you can shake a stick at.
 
please dont consider the icemats. if you go that route 'gaming' junk- then at least get a plantronics audio.370. sounds the same as an icemat, waaaay better mic, more comfortable

was dakmart.com too much with shipping? and customs of course
 
i dont know those 2 beyers, but out of the senns i would get the hd555. sounds good-decent highs and lows, doesnt need an amp, comfortable
 
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro, very good, they just need a LOT of playback time before they fully open up. Much more than most headphones. Should be within your budget, since they aren't as expensive as the HD555s, but they have a much wider soundstage in my opinion, so this really helps with positioning. Audio-Technica A700s might be out of your price range, but these kill considering the price you pay.

Both of those 'phones are closed, as I find that open headphones tend to make positioning more difficult.
 
S-B said:
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro, very good, they just need a LOT of playback time before they fully open up. Much more than most headphones. Should be within your budget, since they aren't as expensive as the HD555s, but they have a much wider soundstage in my opinion, so this really helps with positioning. Audio-Technica A700s might be out of your price range, but these kill considering the price you pay.

Both of those 'phones are closed, as I find that open headphones tend to make positioning more difficult.
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All true. Good points.
 
Actually, over here in "audio hell", they're more expensive than the HD555, a lot more. As in the same price range of the HD595 (>$190).

:-/
 
Raudulfr.. I have a used pair of HD280 Pros I'm selling. I'm trying to calculate shipping costs.. if its not exorbitant I'd be more than happy to ship them to you. I'm in Boulder, Colorado.

PM me if interested.. I'll need a postal code to calculate shipping.
Either way, best of luck!
 
That's a great deal, kencheeto. You should check it out, Raudulfr.

Alternatively, I would also suggest you look at US e-tailers. Some, like B&H Photo Video, ship using UPS Worldwide Saver and such, which includes all brokerage fees. Should cost about $35 to ship headphones like this from here using UPS Worldwide Saver. You'd probably still have to pay taxes when it enters the country, but it'd still be less than what you'd pay in Portugal.
 
Earlier you recommended the Beyer MMX1, seeing as it's basically a USB version of the DT231, would you recommend the latter? I can get it really cheap.


EDIT: I've made up my mind. I'll buy now a soundcard and then save up to buy a good pair of cans (any of the recommended here). Now I'll just have to decide between the X-Fi XtremeGamer or the Xonar DX :p
 
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