Suggestions for headphones for gaming

ScYcS said:
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.
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And just as i had decided on the DT 770 Pros. :p
Hehe, thank you for mentioning them. I came across them earlier, but just passed them by; do you think i should get these over the DT 770 Pros? I'm doubting whether the Beyers will work very well without an amplifier; does anybody have any information on this, because it's the only thing putting me off?

Thank you, Blu_Haze, that was most helpful. I had no idea the only difference between the X-Fi Xtreme Music and X-Fi X-Fi Fatal1ty Professional was the added X-RAM. I really don't know what sound card to get. In my situation, is there any point getting the Champion version, because all i want it for is to be able to plug my headphones into the front panel. However, if the same quality can be achieved by using the front audio ports on my case, i can opt for the cheaper Professional version. The headphones will be just as good plugged into the audio port on the front of my case (as long as that is plugged into the sound card), right?

But then, i suppose, if i don't need the front i/o panel i could just get the Xtreme Music card, although it would be nice to have the better Fatal1ty card, since i'm likely to have it for years.

Can anyone with the Champion version of the Fatal1ty card tell me if the front i/o panel is worth getting, if i'm just using it for my headphones?

Thanks again, i can't tell you all how much help you've been! :D
 
Let me put it this way:

If i were tight on cash, i would definately get the ATH-A700s. They're wonderful all around headphones with superb positional audio and very balanced sound. On top, they're comfy.

However, if i had the money to spend, i would buy the Beyers. They're a tad better when it comes to gaming because their bass is heavier and explosions are just cooler with them.

I'm very happy with the ATH-A700s and for the price, they are hard to beat. I would not notice a quality difference between the AudioTechnicas and the 770pros but my ears are not as sensitive as others might be.

Suggestion:

You got cash = get the Beyers (and maybe an amp)
You wanna save some green = get the ATH-A700 and enjoy really nice sound with a lower price tag.

Both of them will satisfy your needs, I'm sure about that.
 
Surprisingly, in the UK, the Beyers are actually cheaper at £80, whilst the A700 are more like £100. With this in mind, would you get the DT 770 Pros? Also, am i more likely to need an amp with the Beyers, because i'm really not in a position (financially or... knowledgably?) to buy an amplifier?
 
You won't need an amp if you buy the 80ohm version of the Beyers. An amp will simply make them better. But an amp will make ANY headphone better.....

Anyways, if the Beyers are cheaper, get them. They have a little more "ooomph" in games. E.g. when you are near an explosion or some gun that goes off, it feels more immersed with them.

But again, some people don't even like that. They're both really really good headphones if you want to stay under 100 british pounds.

PS: you can get cheap headphone amps for around $25. Just look on headfi in the for sale section. People build them for you. Most of these $25 amps are not bad at all and they fit in a little tin can. That's why some call them Altoid amps.
 
Thank you, ScYcS. If the DT 770 Pros are "better" than the ATH-A900 for what i want them for, and are cheaper, i'll get them then. Unless you can think of any reason to get the ATH-A700s?

I may look into a small amplifier sometime down the road, but it won't be for a very long time so, for now, i'll assume i'll be running what ever i get without an amplifier.

Finally, so i can order these tonight, do you think i should get the X-Fi Fatal1ty Professional sound card? Because, i can just use the audio port on the front of my case to plug my headphones into, rendering the front i/o drive you get with the Champion version useless.
 
Mansize_tissue said:
Thank you, ScYcS. If the DT 770 Pros are "better" than the ATH-A900 for what i want them for, and are cheaper, i'll get them then. Unless you can think of any reason to get the ATH-A700s?

I may look into a small amplifier sometime down the road, but it won't be for a very long time so, for now, i'll assume i'll be running what ever i get without an amplifier.

Finally, so i can order these tonight, do you think i should get the X-Fi Fatal1ty Professional sound card? Because, i can just use the audio port on the front of my case to plug my headphones into, rendering the front i/o drive you get with the Champion version useless.
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I use a X-Fi music (no front ports) but the X-Fi fatality is exactly the same with some added goodies. It'll be great for the Beyers. You have some REALLY nice sound impressions coming your way. It's a really good match.
 
ATH-A900 are good from what youve said, how do they compare with ATH-A700's? Just curious, 70 dollars cheaper and although price isnt a huge thing, just wondering...
 
Rob36 said:
ATH-A900 are good from what youve said, how do they compare with ATH-A700's? Just curious, 70 dollars cheaper and although price isnt a huge thing, just wondering...
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ATH-A900 are somewhat better than the ATH-A700, but again, you would need an amp to even hear the (subtle) differences. I tried them both out and wasn't able to distinguish between them in the store. If they would have blindfolded me, i would've not been able to tell which one is which. You need mighty fine ears for that.
 
ScYcS said:
I use a X-Fi music (no front ports) but the X-Fi fatality is exactly the same with some added goodies. It'll be great for the Beyers. You have some REALLY nice sound impressions coming your way. It's a really good match.
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Great, i really can't wait to get this stuff. I just don't know if there's any point getting the sound card with the front i/o panel. Will the audio port on the front of my case be just as good, since all i'd use it for is plugging my headphones into it. If the audio port on the front on my case is just as good, i might as well get the normal X-Fi Fatal1ty card, right?
 
yes and no. Creative (as greedy as they are) didn't put a "normal" connector on their soundcards to hook up the front audio, noooooo, they wanted you to buy the creative bay and therefore it can be challanging to hook up the front audio ports on a X-Fi. It can be done and it's not too hard but i am too lazy to tinker around with it.
 
ScYcS said:
yes and no. Creative (as greedy as they are) didn't put a "normal" connector on their soundcards to hook up the front audio, noooooo, they wanted you to buy the creative bay and therefore it can be challanging to hook up the front audio ports on a X-Fi. It can be done and it's not too hard but i am too lazy to tinker around with it.
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Oh, this is annoying. Thank you for telling me, though. So this means i'll have to plug the headphones directly into the back of the card, right? Either that, or i can plug then into the control module on my speakers; would this be ok?
 
Mmm, i really starting to consider the Audio Technica A700 and AD700 now. I was thinking, will the DT 770 Pros have too much bass; i mean, i don't want to be missing out on the mids due to the overpowering bass. I just think the A700 might be a bit better balanced, and just as i was set on the Beyers.... annoying!
 
Get the 770. It has waaaay more bass than anything else you are looking at. If you want gaming cans the Beyers have the biggest soundstage and bass.

I have tried over 40 headphones from $25 to $1000 for gaming now. Just take my advice and you will be happy. :)
 
ScYcS said:
yes and no. Creative (as greedy as they are) didn't put a "normal" connector on their soundcards to hook up the front audio, noooooo, they wanted you to buy the creative bay and therefore it can be challanging to hook up the front audio ports on a X-Fi. It can be done and it's not too hard but i am too lazy to tinker around with it.
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Good lord, sometimes I'm starting to think that Creative has been taken over by a bunch of incompetent monkeys.

I didn't even realize that the higher quality X-Fi cards didn't come with a standard front panel connector. I checked on it though and you're right, all they have is the creative proprietary connector, SPDIF_IO, and AD_EXT, none of which you can use with the front audio connector on a case.

My stripped down XtremeGamer has it, so hooking up the front audio on my case was a simple task. I suppose I just assumed that after all these years Creative would've been smart enough to not strip out useful features just to try and goat people into paying a lot of money for garbage they don't need.
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Anyway, hooking up the front audio connector is out, unless you want to go to the trouble of splicing up some cables and making your own JST_PH connector to fit into the proprietary port. Seems like a big hassle to me.

At least you still have a control module that has a headphone connector on it. As long as the module acts as a pure passthrough device when you plug your headphones in, and it isn't malfunctioning then you shouldn't get any sound quality loss by using it as far as I know. I'd use that in a heartbeat if I were you, in fact that's one of the things I look for in computer speakers.
 
spaceman said:
Get the 770. It has waaaay more bass than anything else you are looking at. If you want gaming cans the Beyers have the biggest soundstage and bass.

I have tried over 40 headphones from $25 to $1000 for gaming now. Just take my advice and you will be happy. :)
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Have you tried the A700, AD700, A900 or AD900 cans?

Blu_Haze, i'm not really up to start cutting the cables about and making a new connector, so i'll have to either connect the headphones to directly to the sound card or to my speakers. I didn't really want to have to resort to either, because i don't know if the cable is going to be long enough to reach to the back of my case. Maybe i should just get the more expensive sound card with the front i/o panel.
 
Yes I have and the a500, a700, a700 open ,a900, a900ltd.
also,

KSC-75, H340 w/ BlackGold, Shure E2c, Sony Mdr SA-5000, Sa3000, Senn 650 w/ Cardas, Senn 485, 555, 595, K1000 w/ upgraded cables, H-HF-1, Darth Beyers V1 and V1 Open V3 closed and the Deep cup Opens, Beyer 770/80, 880, 990, UE Super FI Pro 5, Senn 600 w/ Headphile Silver, Regular 600s and regular 650s, Shure E2G, E5C, E500, Ety 4P and S, Akg 501, 601 ,701, Recabled blue dragon 501s, Grado 325, Sr80, 225, Ultrasone 750 and 2500

EVERY headphone which can be considered a good headphone for gaming I have tried.

Don't listen to me then and get the a700 and complain about the lack of bass.

I know what you want trust me. There's nothing CLOSE to the 770 in terms of bass in this price range.
 
Mansize_tissue said:
Thank you, rsgunter. I think i will get the Beyers, then.
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You're quite welcome.

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?
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Yes, I think so.

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?
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I have the regular X-Fi platinum without the gimmick audio ram thing.
I don't think it makes that much difference. It may just be a placebo effect for me because I want my front i/o port to mean something. I heard a tiny difference, but I doubt it would be noticeable on a blind test.

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?
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You can always get a plain card for now(don't get the music one though) and get an i/o panel later.
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.
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Well, you get what you pay for. :)

I read another post about you now getting torn over the ATs. :)

The Audio-Technicas are similar to the Beyers, as they are closed cans. I think I mentioned these earlier but as the thread continued you seemed to lean towards the Beyers so I laid off on the ATs.

I've heard the 700 from AT is an amazing unamped can, and you should throw that in the mix.

There is a website, and I'll be damned I can't remember what it's called, but they have a great selection and will help YOU find what YOU want. Also, if you aren't happy with the performance, you can ship them back for no fee and switch for another model or brand, really cool deal there. If I find/remember it I'll post it up for you.

I think the real question that we need to know definitely is, what is your maximum price limit? It's hard to reccommend headphones without knowing what your round about limit is. I'd love to reccommend some DT-990s with a good amp, but I don't know if you are in that range of price.

My range was 200 dollars, so I looked for good cans unamped which lead me to the 595s, which I found a good deal on. I would probably look around on Froogle and some of those other sites and find a good deal on the ATs or 770s, and jump on it. Again, you won't be upset about your decision either way.

Keep the questions coming if you have them, I'd hate to see a fellow [H] member not have the right cans on his head.
 
My budget is about £100. I can get the DT 770 Pros for £80, HD595s for £85 and A700s for £100.

spaceman, that's quite a collection! I will go for the DT 770 Pros, but i'm wary because they might have too much bass, making the tight, punchy bass on the A700 more appropriate for me. Anyway, since you've obviously had first hand experience will all of these, i'll trust you. ;)

spaceman said:
I know what you want trust me. There's nothing CLOSE to the 770 in terms of bass in this price range.
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It's not all about bass, though. I mean, i don't want to get the 770s and find that they have recessed mids because the bass overpowers everything.

rsgunter, although the DT 990s are within my budget, i'd have to get an amplifier making them go way over budget, so i think the DT 770 Pros will be fine. Also, i thought the X-Fi Platinum (the card you have) is the same as the X-Fi Fatal1ty Professional (which has 64MB X-RAM), but with the front i/o drive; if this is the case, doesn't it mean your card has the X-RAM. This is the card you have, right?

One more thing, how long is the cable on the DT 770 Pros (80 Ohm) and is it straight or coiled?
 
straight and 6ft long.

the bass on the A700 is not even close to the 770s.

you can eq the bass down but you cannot punch the bass up on the a700 without incurring distortion.

flip a coin then but trust me the beyers just have better gaming qualities than the a700 which has better musical qualities.
 
personally.. I would go with the 770's and a portable amp. You could probably find it for less than £20

since gaming is what your asking about.. there can never be too much bass in games. period. :D You have to have a set of cans that can take those bass notes and not sound like farts. (artillery strikes come to mind)

I do like how they sound for music.. but the music i listen to tends to be perfect for em..

I also don't find the bass too overpowering, personally. I think a certain frequencies could use a boost. (which is where the deq2496 comes in.)
 
OK then, i've made my mind up. I'm getting this and this. Unless... is there's any point in getting the more expensive sound card with the front i/o panel? Or i could have £40, and plug the headphones into the cheap speakers' control module.

spaceman said:
straight and 6ft long.
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Mmm, that's a bit of a bugger. I thought it was 3 meters long... i don't think it's going to reach to the back of my case.

Thank you for all of your help everyone, i really appreciate it.
 
the straight cable 80ohm version is 3m long. or about 10ft

nice choice. remember when you get the 770's.. just let them break in before judging them.
 
Mansize_tissue said:
Is that how long the cable is on your DT 770 Pro 80 ohm is?
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I know that it's the longest "factory" cable on any set of headphones I have owned. I can walk around my desk and even almost reach my kitchen. (don't have a dining area) :)
 
You've chose a real nice combo there. As magnetik said though, make sure to break them in for a while. Headphones need some time to "adjust" and it can take from just several hours to days and weeks on some of them. Some people leave their computer on for like 24 hours and play music repeatedly, best would be some good mix of music (make sure it's not all bass heavy or not only high tones; give it a good mix of rock, modern pop, some classical etc.).
 
lol I forgot about the stock cable. the last pair of beyers I had were modified darth beyers with a 2M cable.

yes stock is quite long and you will have no issues unless your pc is across the room.
 
magnetik said:
I know that it's the longest "factory" cable on any set of headphones I have owned. I can walk around my desk and even almost reach my kitchen. (don't have a dining area) :)
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OK. I just need to be sure the cable on the DT 770 Pro (80 ohm) is definitely 3 meters, because spaceman said it's only 6ft which isn't long enough. So the one on your headphones, which are the same as what i'm getting, are definitely 3 meters long, right?

ScYcS said:
You've chose a real nice combo there. As magnetik said though, make sure to break them in for a while. Headphones need some time to "adjust" and it can take from just several hours to days and weeks on some of them. Some people leave their computer on for like 24 hours and play music repeatedly, best would be some good mix of music (make sure it's not all bass heavy or not only high tones; give it a good mix of rock, modern pop, some classical etc.).
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Thank you. Will they break in through normal use anyway, because i think i'd rather just do that than leave them on for hours in the first few days of getting them? I'll just use them normally, with different types of music and gaming; it'll take longer, but it'll be just as good, right?

spaceman said:
lol I forgot about the stock cable. the last pair of beyers I had were modified darth beyers with a 2M cable.

yes stock is quite long and you will have no issues unless your pc is across the room.
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OK. Do you have a pair of stock DT 770 80 ohm Pros near you right now? If the cable does turn out to be too short, are extension cables hard to get hold of or likely to affect quality at all?
 
yeah just leave them on playing anything really but a wide dynamic range loop would be best. don't worry too much about that though.
 
The guys over at head-fi have really put me off the 770 Pros. :(
It seems the AD700 or A700 would be better options for un-amped use, since the bass it much tighter and they're more impacting/responsive. Once again, i can't decide which to get. :confused:
 
Well, first make up your mind if you want closed or open headphones.

If you want closed, the Beyers or the Audiotechnicas both will make you happy, I'm sure. Open headphones.....you open a whole new category.

Anyways, the guys over at headfi are the most knowledgable guys i know when it comes to headphones but always keep in mind: Most of those guys see your quest from a musical standpoint and not from a gaming standpoint. As someone else said earlier: For Music, the AudioTechnicas are hard to beat in this price class, but for gaming the Beyers are great as well.
 
ScYcS said:
Well, first make up your mind if you want closed or open headphones.

If you want closed, the Beyers or the Audiotechnicas both will make you happy, I'm sure. Open headphones.....you open a whole new category.

Anyways, the guys over at headfi are the most knowledgable guys i know when it comes to headphones but always keep in mind: Most of those guys see your quest from a musical standpoint and not from a gaming standpoint. As someone else said earlier: For Music, the AudioTechnicas are hard to beat in this price class, but for gaming the Beyers are great as well.
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yup. well said.

the beyers are like big speakers in a big room and the a700 are like bookshelf speakers in a medium sized room.
 
Mansize_tissue said:
Also, i thought the X-Fi Platinum (the card you have) is the same as the X-Fi Fatal1ty Professional (which has 64MB X-RAM), but with the front i/o drive; if this is the case, doesn't it mean your card has the X-RAM. This is the card you have, right?
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No, the card he's talking about is this. It's basically the XtremeMusic with the front I/O panel. However this card is discontinued in favor of the Fatal1ty series as well.

Mansize_tissue said:
The guys over at head-fi have really put me off the 770 Pros. :(
It seems the AD700 or A700 would be better options for un-amped use, since the bass it much tighter and they're more impacting/responsive. Once again, i can't decide which to get. :confused:
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You really shouldn't be put off by what they said over at head-fi. In fact nearly everyone said that the DT 770 Pro are incredible headphones, except a couple said that they preferred the audiotechnicas.

What they basically said is very similar to how this discussion has been going. Now that you have a few really nice headphones to choose from, deciding which one you ultimately want is a matter of personal taste. What it all really boils down to is do you want better explosions, or do you want to hear footsteps?

If you game for pure enjoyment and you prefer to hear deep, booming explosions then go for the DT 770 Pros.

However if you play competitively and picking up footsteps easier is more important to you, then the AT ATH-A900 may be a better choice for you.

Both of these headphones can be run just fine without an amp, and both of them will sound better with an amp. Either way, you can usually find a relatively inexpensive amp (even have someone make you an altoid amp for 10 pounds or so) and it's something that can be added on later.

The bottom line is that you won't be disappointed with the sound card, or either of these headphones. What you choose is all based on your personal taste in what you hear.
 
rsgunter said:
No. I have this one.

Just the plain old platinum.

So now it's down to the Beyers or ATs right?

Oh, and if it matters, the 595 cord is 10ft. I have mine nice and bundled up. :p
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OK, thank you. Yeah, it's between the DT 770 Pros, A700s, AD700s and, maybe, the A900s. I still really don't know which to get; this is so confusing.
 
I can make a decision for you. ;)

Finding the right headphones is indeed a tough task.
 
Can i have everyones' opinions again on what you'd chose out of the following 3 headphones please:

Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro (80 ohm)
Audio Technica A700
Audio Technica AD700

Sorry to be a pain, but i just want to ensure i make the best decision. The thought over at head-fi is that the Audio Technica's win, but spaceman and others had me convinced the Beyers were the way to go.

I'd like the bass of the Beyers, but i don't want it to be too boomy and overpowering, because it'll drown out the sound of footsteps and other mid-frequency sounds. I also imagine i'll probably get headaches quickly, by what i've been hearing about the kind of bass these things kick out, but i can only imagine what explosions in games would sound like with them.

The ATs, however, appear to be more balanced from what i've read. While this is a good thing, because i won't miss out on the mid and high frequencies (it'll be easier for me to hear footsteps of enemies in FPS games, for example), the bass won't be so powerful. Although, the bass these ATs offer might actually be better for me, being more responsive and punchy; i've heard people say the Beyers sound slow and their bass sounds muddy in comparison.

I think i'd prefer the more punchy bass the ATs offer, but i really had my heart set on the Beyers. Should i rule out either of the ATs; i don't know which would be better out of the open and closed can options?

Thanks again, i can't tell you how much you've all helped me. :D
 
magnetik said:
I say you go for the A900's. :D
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They do look very nice, but the price reflects this; they're about £170 in the UK. I can get them for £100 from America, but i don't want to be hit with custom's charges and stuff. So i can only really afford the A700s, which are £100, or the AD700, which are about £90. These prices are off the top of my head, but they shouldn't be far off.
 
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