Suggestions for headphones for gaming

I use the x-fi xtreme music (same as the other x-fi's , save for the WORTHLESS 64mb of ram, dont get the extreme gamer or xtreme audio, get the xtreme music, fatal1ty, or elite pro (only get the last 2 if you like to waist money)) . The x-fi position is EXCELLENT in games, especially with a good pair of headphones. 5.1 headphones just dont work because theres too many drivers in such a small space and they just get muffled together. Trust me I have heard them. You are MUCH MUCH better going with a x-fi and a cheaper stereo headset or headphones such as the senn hd 485's, 555's, steelsound 5h v2, razer baracuda's, or whatever. I have a set of steelsounds coming in, so ill edit this post when they come in later today.Also with a x-fi your music, and movies will sound a LOT better, and will come in crystal clear. The 64mb of x ram does nothing, and most games that support it aren't even being boosted by it much, and most games coming out from now on don't take advantage of it. Only like 5 games support it. You will be MUCH happier with a dedicated soundcard and a nice pair of stereo headphones. But it's your money :D

Headphones/hheadsets I have owned.

Razer Baracuda
Steelsound 5h v2 (coming in today)
dt770pro's
hd 485
hd 555

I saw the baracudas are a good headset, but the same effect and quality can be had from the other sets. The only reason i got rid of my ddt770's, 485's, and 555's was because I needed a headset for counterstrike, and the fact that he steelsounds are optimised for counter strike and other fps games by focusing on the range of footsteps, glass breaknig, and other things. They are also great for lanning because of the pull out mike, and detachable. You can't go wrong with any of the ones i listed, but the razer's are a little overpriced and overrated.
 
If i can't get the bass working properly on these Medusa i think i might get some 595s. Although, it's funny you suggest getting the Razers because they have even more speakers in them; something like 8 per cup.
 
Hmm, i think i can assume the headset isn't faulty because, when i configure the audio in Vista and click on each individual speaker, they all produce sound. When i click on the sub-woofer, however, it just sounds like another satellite speaker. But then, if i go to play some music in Windows Media Player, only the front speakers work because when i decrease the volume of the front speakers on the little control thing it just does silent.

Any suggestions?
 
As someone who is used to gaming with the Beyerdynamic DT770's and a Meier Corda Aria DAC/Amp, I can say that I've found a 5.1 gaming solution that has impressed me. I recently bought the Turtle Beach HPA2's, and their gaming performance has been surprisingly good. I wouldn't use them for music, but have no complaints otherwise. I did have to tweak my X-Fi settings a bit, but once done, I can say that the 5.1 was working fairly well. I would pull up the sound control panel and have my daughter click on random speaker icons. I would then try and pinpoint the direction of the sound with my eyes closed. I wasn't wrong a single time... It may not be lab quality testing, but there was a distinct directionality to what I was hearing. Of course, your results may vary, but I'm happy with my purchase.
 
Mansize, that is too bad about the Medusa's. Hopefully you get them working. I've found that tweaking soundcards and multi-channel speaker setups on a computer can be a real pain in the ass sometimes. My audigy 2 (an old card by today's standards) came with all of this software and I remember installing multiple times because I wasn't getting proper sound represented on my 4.1 speaker system. The only advice I can offer is to make sure the speaker settings are correct in windows or whatever extra software they have you install. If you installed other software that may conflict with your system. You may want to use the default windows stuff, I ended up uninstalling most of the audigy software (besides the drivers).



I've got some Senn HD 495's and I like them. Fairly comfortable, cheap, and the sound is decent, however I feel it's somewhat lacking in the low range, especially at the low/medium volume I like to listen at. I'd be interested to check out the 555's to see how they compare, they certainly look more substantial and the price is reasonable. You may want to see if they have the 555's / 595's to try out at an audio store.
 
what about siberia icemats? ive heard theyre good, but have had no responses in my thread
 
spaceman said:
that's b/c of all the 5.1 headsets they are probably the worst.
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AFAIK, the Siberias aren't 5.1 headsets at all, they are stereo headsets. They have software emulated 7.1 sound, but only two speakers. I don't know how good the emulation is.
 
spaceman said:
The first generation of Medusas were pretty stout but they cheapened them up when they became popular.
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:(


I knew that they had made a few changes to the Medusa line, like how they no longer offer the removable microphone boom, but I had no idea they made the audio quality worse as well.

If the new Medusa's aren't getting any decent bass, then I may as well just get the DT 770 Pro, since bass is important to me in both music and gaming. This is disappointing though, I remember back when people were just finding out about the Medusa headphones and how great they were for FPS games back then.
 
I think these Medusas are going back. I can get the front, rear and center speakers to work but not the subwoofer. I wonder, if i get a dedicated sound card, the subwoofers in each cup would function. If i do send these back, what would be my best alternative? With a £100 budget, i'm thinking of getting some 595s; or would the DT 770 Pros be a better option (bearing in mind i won't be using an amplifier)?
 
595s are great but without an amp I promise you will like the 770s BASS better. No doubt if you want the biggest thump in headphones under $1500 it's the 770.
The Darths are best though.
 
ScYcS said:
80ohm if you don't use and amp. for the 250ohm, you NEED an amp.
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spaceman said:
Yeah 80 ohm and later you can add an amp to tighten up the sound.
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OK, thank you. What sound card should i pair with this? Again, there's a budget of around £100.

So, are the 770s definitely better than the Sennheiser HD595s, because i can get the latter for around £85 (normally about £105)?
 
Mansize_tissue said:
OK, thank you. What sound card should i pair with this? Again, there's a budget of around £100.

So, are the 770s definitely better than the Sennheiser HD595s, because i can get the latter for around £85 (normally about £105)?
Click to expand...

"better" is such a bad word to use.....you'll find out of 100 people, 40 say the Beyers are better (usually people who prefer more bass) , 40 say the Sennheisers sound better (usually people who like highs and mids) and 20 say they are not able to tell which is better (the average user). At that level, you need

a) mighty fine ears to hear the differences (except the obvious differences, like the Beyer being a lot more bass heavy)

b) an Amp to actually hear the difference


Anyways, for me, the Beyers sound "better". And a nice soundcard for them would be a X-Fi.
 
Mansize_tissue said:
After i've got my fatal1ty card (still don't know whether to get the one with the front i/o drive), i'll probably get some 595s as well. I can use them for games which i don't need the mic for (Oblivion, for example). rsgunter, do you think i'd be better off getting the Beyer 770s over the 595s, then?
Click to expand...

If you are more interested in straight gaming, then yes I do.

The Beyers actually had a revision I think fix their skull shattering bass and lack of mid range and now everything is more audible. :)
 
770 is better for big ass BASS but the 595 is better for Mids and Highs with having faint bass in comparison to the 770. However, it does the job and sounds so real you might not mind it.

X-Fi for sound atm. The Prelude will be $175 or so whenever it comes out.
 
OK, i'll keep these Medusas for a little longer to see if i can get them working properly. If not, i'll get the 770s then, i think. Although, i'm not going to have a sound card for about a month or 2, will they be OK using my motherboard's onboard sound, do you think?
 
spaceman said:
it will work sure. the sound will be MUCH better with an x-fi though.
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QFT. Even with the "Hi-Def" sound on mobos now, they can't stand a chance against a X-Fi. They give a user so much range, I can actually push my bass so far it will stress my headphones and make the crackle, that's a good thing, you will always be able to get enough of any sound if you wish. :)

Just as a test, I'm listening to Rosa Parks(Outkast song) and the bass compared to my onboard is a boy to man difference.

The X-Fi has large, dropped balls in comparison to onboard sound. :p
 
rsgunter said:
The X-Fi has large, dropped balls in comparison to onboard sound. :p
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Haha. :D

Bearing in mind i'm running 32-bit Vista, would a Creative X-Fi card still be my best option? I also have no idea which one to get. :confused:

£50 Xtreme Music - OEM
£60 Xtreme Gamer - Retail
£90 Xtreme Gamer Fatal1ty Professional - Retail
£120 Platinum Fatal1ty 7.1 Champion - Retail

If i get the £120 Fatal1ty card, how is the front i/o panel connected to the card?

I also can't decide between the actual headphones; the obvious choices, now, are the Sennheiser HD595s and Beyerdynamic DT770Pros; are there really any other options?
 
I've had some pretty bad experiences with the XtremeGamer, so I'm inclined to advise you to stay away from it if possible. The XtremeMusic is the card that I would recommend, however for some reason Creative has discontinued it. If I remember correctly, the XtremeMusic provided everything that the Fatal1ty Professional did, only without the useless X-RAM. That tiny bit of on board memory is only supported in a couple games, and even then the performance increase is very negligible.

  • XtremeMusic - Great card for a good price, it's essentially the lowest end of the X-Fi series while still having all of the advanced X-Fi features.
  • XtremGamer - A stripped down, almost crippled version of the X-Fi cards. This model uses a different reference board than the rest, and is only 96Khz while the rest in this list are all 192Khz.
  • XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Professional - Nearly anything with this guys handle on it is overpriced garbage, however this is the one thing by this name that I would actually consider purchasing. The 64MB of on board "X-RAM" is a useless gimmick, and only a couple games actually support it. Even then the performance increase is negligible.
  • Platinum Fatal1ty Champion - Unless you're a hardcore audiophile with lots of external devices to hook up, I don't see you getting nearly enough use out of the front I/O panel to justify the steep increase in price. The actual sound card is identical to the Fatal1ty Pro.

Of the X-Fi cards I personally would get the XtremeMusic if you can find it, especially if you can get it for less than the others. However if you either can't find it, or prefer a retail package with a newer card, then go for the XtremeGamer "Fatal1ty" Professional. The X-RAM is garbage, but the actual card if pretty high quality compared to the regular XtremeGamer.
On the XtremeGamer I haven't even really noticed much difference in sound quality compared to some quality on board sound.


Also, I don't have any experience at all with the aforementioned headphones, and admittedly I'm still on the fence about which to buy as well. However I've gathered from other people that the choice between those two is really up to your personal preference. If you prefer more bass in your music and games, then go for the DT 770 Pro. However if you'd rather have better mids and highs then the Sennheisers may be the way to go.
 
Thank you, Blu_Haze. The reason i'm considering the Platinum Fatal1ty Champion card is because, with the front i/o bay, i imagine i'd be able to connect my headphones without unplugging my speakers on the actual sound card; it this possible, or am i better to connect headphones directly to the sound card? Also, if the i/o bay uses a silly ribbon cable, it pretty much rules it out anyway, so some input here would be great.
 
yeah there's a digital i/o and a headphone i/o on the back of the soundcard. just use the 1/4 to 1/8 adapter that the headphone comes with and plug it into the front speakers in on the soundcard.

the front panel is a waste really. unless you input the headphone out is complete crap. you really need something like an amp to get the most out of the 770 but it will do for now.
 
ScYcS said:
"better" is such a bad word to use.....you'll find out of 100 people, 40 say the Beyers are better (usually people who prefer more bass) , 40 say the Sennheisers sound better (usually people who like highs and mids) and 20 say they are not able to tell which is better (the average user). At that level, you need

a) mighty fine ears to hear the differences (except the obvious differences, like the Beyer being a lot more bass heavy)

b) an Amp to actually hear the difference


Anyways, for me, the Beyers sound "better". And a nice soundcard for them would be a X-Fi.
Click to expand...

my HD600's sounded like they were farting when artillery came down in bf2. My 770's sounds like I'm playing at the end of Apocalypse Now.

770's = the win (for gaming)

basshead cans makes the best gaming cans imo
 
Mansize_tissue said:
Thank you, Blu_Haze. The reason i'm considering the Platinum Fatal1ty Champion card is because, with the front i/o bay, i imagine i'd be able to connect my headphones without unplugging my speakers on the actual sound card; it this possible, or am i better to connect headphones directly to the sound card? Also, if the i/o bay uses a silly ribbon cable, it pretty much rules it out anyway, so some input here would be great.
Click to expand...

Does the case you're currently using have any front audio ports? If it does then keep in mind that you can unplug the front audio connector from your motherboard, and insert it into the sound card. That way the front audio ports are now working with your X-Fi sound card. Then you can have your speakers hooked up on the back of your computer, and your headphones on the front. If the front audio on your case doesn't include a microphone, then you can always buy a cheap audio extension cable from radio shack, plug it into your sound cards microphone jack on the back of your computer, and then plug your microphone connector into that.

Another possible solution if you don't have front audio ports is to use an inexpensive Y-Splitter, which allows you to connect two devices to a single audio jack. With this though you'll have to be careful, as it can unnecessarily shorten the lifespan of your headphones by having them playing with no one listening while you have your speakers on. What I do though is simply turn the volume all the way down on my headphones to keep the drivers from being pushed hard for no reason.

They also manufacture relatively inexpensive audio selector boxes that you can use to hook up multiple devices to your computer and select which one you want to be active.

I'm not trying to talk you out of buying the Platinum Fatal1ty Champion, since I believe it's a high quality sound card, and if you are able to get lots of use out of the front I/O bay then it's a good investment. I simply want you to know that there are alternative solutions out there if the main function you wanted is to hook up your headphones and speakers at the same time. Many of which are relatively inexpensive as well. :D
 
Am i best to get the HD595s, then, if the DT770Pros really need an amplifier?

My case does have microphone and headset ports on the front, but the cable isn't long enough to reach where the soundcard would go in my case. I suppose i might get it to fit; will it compromise audio quality at all? Also, i don't understand why there aren't microphone ports on these sound cards... :confused:
If i get a microphone, will i have to connect it to the onboard sound?

Thanks again.
 
neither headphone needs an amp but both do better with one.

there is a microphone jack on all creative soundcards no worries.
 
Mansize_tissue said:
Am i best to get the HD595s, then, if the DT770Pros really need an amplifier?

My case does have microphone and headset ports on the front, but the cable isn't long enough to reach where the soundcard would go in my case. I suppose i might get it to fit; will it compromise audio quality at all? Also, i don't understand why there aren't microphone ports on these sound cards... :confused:
If i get a microphone, will i have to connect it to the onboard sound?

Thanks again.
Click to expand...

I love my 595s, and like you, I was torn between the 80ohm 770s and the 595s, but I came across a great deal on my Senns(150 brand new, shipped) and I jumped on it.

Personally I was leaning towards the Senns because of my all around listening needs, however it seems you are interested more in gaming, so I'd go with the Beyers.

Just remember, there WILL be a phenomenal difference in quality no matter which one you pick in comparison with conventional headphones.

I'm telling you now, get the Beyers. :)

Oh, yeah, the X-Fi cards do have a mic port on the back and on the I/O panel. I hook my mic to the back and my headphones to the front. This may sound strange but it seems like I can tell some quality differences when hooking up to the I/O panel. I don't have to convert down the connection and it seems to be a little more clear.
 
Thank you, rsgunter. I think i will get the Beyers, then.

Don't the X-Fi cards have 4 ports on the back? I thought you need 4 for 7.1 setups, or do you just need 3 and the other is a microphone port?

Anyway, so you have the Platinum Fatal1ty Champion then, rsgunter. Have you had anything to compare it to? Also, how does the front panel connect to the actual card? With my current speaker setup, or any future one, can i plug the headphones into the control module for the speakers, or will this degrade quality not being connected directly to the sound card?

Hmm, i really don't know whether to get the Platinum Fatal1ty Champion or not. Now i think about it, it would be pretty annoying with the front i/o drive because i'd have to keep my case door open every time i have the headphones plugged in. So what's my best option, plug the headphones into the control module for my current 5.1 speakers, use the existing audio port on the front of my case (which i'll have to plug into the X-Fi card) or pay more for the card with the front i/o drive?

Oh, and some more headphones have just come into the mix: the DT 990 Pros. So, basically, i have to choose out of the DT 990 Pros, and DT 770 Pros.

Thank you for all of your help, everyone.
 
DT990s are ever better but without amp you can't use them on your computer. When getting the DT770s (80ohm version!!!; everything else needs an amp), then you can run them un-amped.
 
Can anybody tell me the difference between these 2 sound cards:
1. Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS
2. Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum - Fatal1ty Champion Series

And these 2:
3. Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Gamer Fatal1ty Professional Series
4. Creative X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Pro

2. and 4. are out of stock, so i guess i'm going to have to choose out of 1. and 3.. Although, i was just wondering what the difference was between them, since they seem to be identical.

I can get the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum - Fatal1ty Champion Series card for £117 but, since i'm getting my headphones from that website, they'll probably end up nearing £125 after postage and packing etc. I just don't know whether i can justify the extra £40 for the front i/o drive, and whether, if i get the cheaper one, the sound quality will suffer since i'll have to connect the headphones to either the audio port on the front of my case or to that on my speaker control module.

Here are the headphones i'm now considering:
Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro (80 ohm)
Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO

Will i need an amplifier if i get the DT 990 Pros?

EDIT: I just read what ScYcS wrote, thank you. DT 770 Pros it is, then.
 
I would def. get the 770s (closed cans) for gaming vs. the 990s. If you ever lan.. you don't want anyone to hear what your hearing. I use it to my advantage when people bring open cans or speakers to a lan. heh
 
555's, steelsound 5h v2, Beyerdynamic DT770's

those all seem solid from what i've heard... What are the top 5 gaming headset choices for a reasonable price?(i really dont want to pay 400 for a pair of headphones) Could I get a list in various opinions with possible prices (newegg preferred :p ) if those 3 are some of the top 5 then great, if not, just curious what the price is for them, I havent been able to find the DT770 price on newegg at all
 
Rob36 said:
555's, steelsound 5h v2, Beyerdynamic DT770's

those all seem solid from what i've heard... What are the top 5 gaming headset choices for a reasonable price?(i really dont want to pay 400 for a pair of headphones) Could I get a list in various opinions with possible prices (newegg preferred :p ) if those 3 are some of the top 5 then great, if not, just curious what the price is for them, I havent been able to find the DT770 price on newegg at all
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Among those you mentioned (I assume you're referring to the DT 770 Pros (£80)), i'd also say the Sennheiser HD595s (£100) and Audio Technica ATH-A900s (£150) should also be in that list. The prices probably aren't very relevant, but i thought it would give you some idea, even though i think the A900s can be purchased for around £100 if you look hard enough.
 
hmm cool, thanks. I wonder if the prices are the same in america. Which of those would you say is the best? (for gaming mainly, maybe a little music but very little, only as im playing games maybe...)
 
BTW, there is another contender that you might want to look at. Right in front of me i have the AudioTechnica ATH-A700 closed headphones. Some people say they are your best choice for un-amped operation. Very clear sound and good comfort levels. Very even tones from low trhough mid over to high range. The price is right as well.
 
Mansize_tissue said:
Among those you mentioned (I assume you're referring to the DT 770 Pros (£80)), i'd also say the Sennheiser HD595s (£100) and Audio Technica ATH-A900s (£150) should also be in that list. The prices probably aren't very relevant, but i thought it would give you some idea, even though i think the A900s can be purchased for around £100 if you look hard enough.
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Agreed. The HD-595, ATH-A900, and DT 770 Pro are pretty much the top 3 headphones without getting into the extravagant price ranges (500+). Between the 3 it's not really about which one is best, since they're all high quality. Which one you get is more a personal preference. The HD-595 is more tuned to better highs and mids, the DT 770 Pro is better suited to bigger bass, and the ATH-A900 from what I've heard is more of a compromise between the two, with both decent bass and mids/highs. Also as Mansize pointed out, if you are in the market for the Beyers, make sure you get the 80 ohm version of the DT 770 Pro. The non-"pro" version is made for drummers rather than gaming or music.

Mansize_tissue said:
Can anybody tell me the difference between these 2 sound cards:
1. Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS
2. Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum - Fatal1ty Champion Series

And these 2:
3. Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Gamer Fatal1ty Professional Series
4. Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Gamer Fatal1ty Professional Series (added on the extra words in bold to show that these are the same)

2. and 4. are out of stock, so i guess i'm going to have to choose out of 1. and 3.. Although, i was just wondering what the difference was between them, since they seem to be identical.
Click to expand...

1 and 2 are exactly the same. Creative has been really weird when it comes to the X-Fi series, by discontinuing good products like the XtremeMusic, and renaming existing cards many times. The X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS, X-Fi Fatal1ty Edition, and X-Fi Platinum Fatal1ty Champion are all pretty much the same thing, just by different names.

3 and 4 are also exactly the same. It's the Fatal1ty card without the I/O bay.

I can see that this is all getting confusing, which is why I can't understand what Creative was thinking when they decided to start renaming their products every 6 months. I'll attempt to simplify the relation between all of these cards as best as I can so that you can make an easier decision.

In essence, all of the sound cards you're deciding from are all exactly the same, with only a couple minor differences between them. I'll start at the base model and go up from there, starting at the bottom and adding features on with each additional card.
  • X-Fi XtremeMusic (Base Model)
  • X-Fi Fatal1ty Pro (XtremeMusic with the useless X-RAM added on)
  • X-Fi Fatal1ty Champion/Platinum/FPS (Fatal1ty Pro with the added I/O bay).
So basically you start with the XtremeMusic, then add on the X-RAM to make it a Fatal1ty Pro, then add on the front I/O bay to make it into a Champion/Platinum/FPS/etc. I hope that makes sense.
 
Mansize_tissue said:
Thank you, Blu_Haze. The reason i'm considering the Platinum Fatal1ty Champion card is because, with the front i/o bay, i imagine i'd be able to connect my headphones without unplugging my speakers on the actual sound card; it this possible, or am i better to connect headphones directly to the sound card? Also, if the i/o bay uses a silly ribbon cable, it pretty much rules it out anyway, so some input here would be great.
Click to expand...

I don't know about the championship edition but you can get the original fatal1ty w/ the bay at frys online for $159 and a recertified one straight from CL ebay store for $129. If you do a "best offer" you could prob get one for $115-$120. The bay does use the ribbon cable.. but I tossed mine and used a rounded IDE cable. you have a set of 4 pins on each side that aren't used if you center it on the connector. They had elite pro's for $229 but I believe they sold out quick
 
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