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[BraXzy]

I have a pair of Astro A40's with a Mixamp since I can use it on all my consoles + PC... would any of the heaphones in the thread be worth the £100+ upgrade?

 

[Auto-Reply]

Why? If they're anything like the AD700s they leak like a sieve. Have you considered something like the Beyerdynamics DT770 (50 ohm) or DT250? They're both supposed to be pretty great.

I have the headset variant mmx300.

I'm thinking about getting the DT770 for my VR set up, what I find a lot of headphones are lacking in is wearing compfort, most are too small. The mmx-300 are very compfortable and I think the DT770 are the same thing just without the microphone. Also they are made out of metal, not flimsy plastic.

 

[Arulan]

Can you Tell what amp it is, what device is under the amp and how if you Use it for console gaming with chat (cables ect.)

It's a O2/ODAC, this one specifically. The device on the bottom is a Scarlett 2i2 that I use for my mic input, and a few other things. I don't use it with consoles.

 

[Wiped89]

Or you can use a good sound system and you won't miss these sounds either. Rocking the LG SH7 system here.

But if I do use headphones, it has to be V Moda LP2s. They are both very bassy and very clear, wonderful headphones.

 

[Sebastian Suola]

There's a few reasons "gamers" generally prefer headphones:

- PC gaming obviously. No one is setting up a proper speaker setup to a desk, so headphones are an obvious alternative.

- Loudspeakers aren't practical for a lot of people due to their living arrangements or housing situation.

- Most people are probably going from terrible sound bars or built in TV speakers so any half decent headphone is going to sound far superior in comparison. Properly set up and calibrated speaker arrangements areas absolute rarity.

- Speakers in general cost way more. High end headphones start at $500 - for that budget you can barely afford a stereo rig let alone a full blown surround setup with a subwoofer.

- Can't use a MIC easily while using speakers.

- In general headphones will always have more detail and be better for pinpoint spatial accuracy. They obviously lose big time when it comes to sounds take and bass response.

For me headphones always win if you're looking for an intimate experience, but for high action films and games like Uncharted a properly tuned 5.1/7.1 speaker system wins easily.

This is all true. But when people are shouting hyperbole like

Yeah, headphones are by far the best way to play.

It's only natural that statements like this get called out. Headphones are not by far the best way to play. They could be the best solution for most people when you factor in the money and other practical things, but they are not "the best" way to play. A good surround setup is objectively better.

For me, the biggest problem with headphones is the sound space (sound image?). Things just sound like they are all over the place and they sound like they are inside my head. I hate it. The situation would be different though, if one was listening to sounds recorded by using binaural recording. But games/movies/music generally are not. Though PS VR might be coming close. It's obviously simulating the binaural stuff, but it's doing it surprisingly well.

 

[ASIS]

just don't forget to plug them in

If he doesn't have a sister it shouldn't matter though.

On topic: I never bought good headphones for gaming. Do they work on consoles or are they specifically for PC and handheld gaming?

 

[HariKari]

Headphones are basically required for games like Siege and CS:GO. You need that spatial accuracy. Sometimes one footstep or rustle of gear is all the warning you'll get/need. In some games I'll specifically make sure there are no other audio sources on around me like a TV. It's that important to playing well. Other games can be played for fun with a nice speaker setup or even your own music going.

On topic: I never bought good headphones for gaming. Do they work on consoles or are they specifically for PC and handheld gaming?

A good pair of stereo headphones will serve you just fine on any platform.

 

[abracadaver]

I have the HyperX Cloud 2 and the DT 990 Pro
There is a huge difference in quality and comfort.

Next time I will go for a higher priced headset so that I don't have to switch between them anymore.




Also enable virtual surround if your soundcard supports it. It adds so much and you can hear the enemies from every direction. I have a cheap asus soundcard and I just have to enable the dolby headphone option with 1 click. Never going back to stereo again.

Headphones + surround is the best way to play a game

 

[leng jai]

This is all true. But when people are shouting hyperbole like



It's only natural that statements like this get called out. Headphones are not by far the best way to play. They could be the best solution for most people when you factor in the money and other practical things, but they are not "the best" way to play. A good surround setup is objectively better.

For me, the biggest problem with headphones is the sound space (sound image?). Things just sound like they are all over the place and they sound like they are inside my head. I hate it. The situation would be different though, if one was listening to sounds recorded by using binaural recording. But games/movies/music generally are not. Though PS VR might be coming close. It's obviously simulating the binaural stuff, but it's doing it surprisingly well.

They probably are the best way to play when it comes to something like R6 Siege or CSS though.

It's objectively true that headphones generally struggle with soundstage, especially when you consider that most gamers seem to use closed back models. High end open headphones have pretty good soundstage though and manage to transcend that "in your head" sound. They're still no match for speakers obviously, but headphones like the HD800 might have the "airy" type sound you're looking for.

 

[Stop It]

This is all true. But when people are shouting hyperbole like



It's only natural that statements like this get called out. Headphones are not by far the best way to play. They could be the best solution for most people when you factor in the money and other practical things, but they are not "the best" way to play. A good surround setup is objectively better.

For me, the biggest problem with headphones is the sound space (sound image?). Things just sound like they are all over the place and they sound like they are inside my head. I hate it. The situation would be different though, if one was listening to sounds recorded by using binaural recording. But games/movies/music generally are not. Though PS VR might be coming close. It's obviously simulating the binaural stuff, but it's doing it surprisingly well.

You've never used headphones with a proper Soundstage. The downside is that they're usually open backed and mean that the entire room can hear your headphones but the difference between them mitigates the effect you're speaking of.

 

[Sebastian Suola]

You've never used headphones with a proper Soundstage. The downside is that they're usually open backed and mean that the entire room can hear your headphones but the difference between them mitigates the effect you're speaking of.

I don't know man... I've used many different headphones, even some really expensive ones (although not for an extended period of time). But yeah I have to admit that if I got to use a really good open pair in the comfort of my home I might change my mind. But if you gave me an extra $1K or so to spend on sound hardware right now, I would still rather spend that on upgrading my speakers.

 

[Water]

The situation would be different though, if one was listening to sounds recorded by using binaural recording. But games/movies/music generally are not. Though PS VR might be coming close. It's obviously simulating the binaural stuff, but it's doing it surprisingly well.

"Binaural recording" makes no sense in this context. It means you're hard-coding a HRTF in the recording (via a dummy head or other means), but there's zero reason to do that when you can do it with signal processing at the user end, where it's possible to achieve the highest quality (seeing how every actual user and even user-headphone combination has a different true HRTF - this is something that should be tunable at soundcard driver or OS level by the user, just put in your own measured settings if you like).

And "binaural" implies stereo recording, which isn't necessary for virtual point sound sources (mono) and isn't enough by itself for a 3D soundscape where you need ambisonic recording.

 

[GinoFelino]

I have the HyperX Cloud 2 and the DT 990 Pro
There is a huge difference in quality and comfort.

Next time I will go for a higher priced headset so that I don't have to switch between them anymore.




Also enable virtual surround if your soundcard supports it. It adds so much and you can hear the enemies from every direction. I have a cheap asus soundcard and I just have to enable the dolby headphone option with 1 click. Never going back to stereo again.

Headphones + surround is the best way to play a game

HXC2 are actually pretty great for comfort/quality given the price. Great value set.

 

[mnemonicj]

Yes sir, I started gaming with headphones since this generation and I am not going back.
Be careful with the audio levels though, inner ear damage is real.

 

[styl3s]

Anyone on low budget just grab a Hyper X Cloud and forget about it. it's better than 99% of gaming audio products and is approaching audiophile level.

For anyone that seeks anything past that then RIP your wallet headphones are an expensive hobby. The best gaming ones I've owned are the AKG K712 as the soundstage is incredible.

Nowerdays I'm running a Sennheiser HD600 off of a Little Dot MK2 tube amp.

Bought Hyper X Cloud at the tail end of last year and people i play with on PC/PS4 continue to be shocked at how i hear things they don't hear. Although with all the AD900x love i am thinking of picking a pair up since i didn't buy anything with my tax money and it's about time to get a new keyboard/mouse and a dedicated PC headset so i can leave my Hyper X in the living room.

 

[stoke1863]

Bought Hyper X Cloud at the tail end of last year and people i play with on PC/PS4 continue to be shocked at how i hear things they don't hear. Although with all the AD900x love i am thinking of picking a pair up since i didn't buy anything with my tax money and it's about time to get a new keyboard/mouse and a dedicated PC headset so i can leave my Hyper X in the living room.

The AD900X will be killer headphones for gaming no doubt .

I tend to use my headphones for a lot of music as well so although the HD600 is middle of the pack for gaming (in terms of audiophile headphones) its absolutely incredible for the type of music i listen to.

If you are going to use your headphones for more than just games its very important to pick a pair that emphasize the style of music you listen to. For example id 100% buy AD900/700 for gaming but for my preference for music i wouldn't buy them.

Id i had more money id have a good pair for gaming and one just for music but alas im poor

for 90% of people i feel the Hyper X is more than good enough and spending an extra £200 on something else is going to see small gains and also with the more expensive open headphones your going to want to buy an amp adding even more cost.

 

[Jampsuliini]

Yes! Can't go back. Rocking this setup right now:

Philips Fidelio X2's
Fiio e10k on pc
Astro mixamp for consoles
V-moda boom mic for chat.

Played Titanfall 2 recently on PC and man does that game have good audio.

 

[GavinUK86]

I need a new pair and was looking at the Hyper X Cloud ones but what's the difference between the Cloud, Cloud 2, Cloud Core and Cloud X? What ones tend to be the recommended ones?

 

[Gambit61]

Was wondering if there's a way to use earbuds/iems with built-in mics on PC. I tried using my VE Monks w/inline mic but Windows doesn't see/register the mic.

Edit: I tried using a y splitter but it introduced crazy hissing.

 

[SenkiDala]

I'm greatly interested by a DT990 Pro, but do I need an amp or something? If I plug it directly on the TV or on the PS4/XO controller for exemple, it's not good enough?

I'm kinda a noob about headphones, I always used basic ones.

 

[stoke1863]

I'm greatly interested by a DT990 Pro, but do I need an amp or something? If I plug it directly on the TV or on the PS4/XO controller for exemple, it's not good enough?

I'm kinda a noob about headphones, I always used basic ones.

I've had them, good gaming headphones but pretty bad for music they are very very bright and sibilant I couldn't listen to music for more than 5 minutes.

For gaming though they have a good soundstage. I would say they would benefit from using an amp for sure, the one in the controller isn'nt going to be good enough

 

[Water]

I'm greatly interested by a DT990 Pro, but do I need an amp or something? If I plug it directly on the TV or on the PS4/XO controller for exemple, it's not good enough?

I'm kinda a noob about headphones, I always used basic ones.

As you can see from the spec lists, the DT990 Pros have 250 ohm impedance. That usually means the headphones need amplification in excess of what a mobile phone or a console controller can provide. Headphones designed to work from any source have much lower impedances, in the double digits. FYI, Beyer has 32 ohm models of the DT990, DT880 and the DT770; my home DT880 is the 250ohm standard model, but I specifically got the 32ohm DT770 to be able to use it at work and on trips.

 

[MoogleMan]

High end headphones start at $500

I disagree here. You quickly pass the point of diminishing return at $300-$400.
$300 will get you an amazing set of headphones. Usually a lot less.

IMO (with JMoney pads):

Those look like the same pads that came with my 770s. Is there a difference?

 

[inpHilltr8r]

At work I use DT 770 Pros, because pro's love curly cables. Also 250ohm because I have an amp on my desk.

I have a pair of 880s at home, but the wife complains because she can hear them, so I use a pair of B&O Play's I bought for traveling, because they're metal and leather, and they feel dead posh.

 

[Sande]

Yup, directional sound is way too important in many games. Sometimes I have to play without a headset and it drives me crazy when I hear enemy footsteps but can't pinpoint where they are.

 

[Whitephantomzx]

I got a pair of astto a50 there pricy but i got them fot 110$ there soooo comfortable plus there mic is soild

 

[Vegetable Lasagna]

I'm running some Senheisser Game Ones with a Mixamp Pro for Siege and Overwatch on Xbox right now. Thumbs up.

 

[leng jai]

I disagree here. You quickly pass the point of diminishing return at $300-$400.
$300 will get you an amazing set of headphones. Usually a lot less.


Those look like the same pads that came with my 770s. Is there a difference?

$300 is mid-fi at best. Like with everything in life the higher end you go the benefit to value ratio diminishes, but a sub $300 headphone isn't going to compete with properly amped flagship models.

The cheapest headphone I would consider high end is the Fostex/Massdrop collaboration which goes for $400 and much better value than everything else pretty much aside from the Sennheiser HD600.

 

[Mozendo]

With how loud these guys are I'm surprised I didn't hear them jangling around, but nah I was just crouched. Tho, now that i'm wearing headphones I predict a lot more splattered testes.

One day we will have our wish ;___;

 

[ResoRai]

what kind you using?

Just some I got from campus store a while back for around $20 I think. Are actually pretty good.

I think we all have that revelation at some point.

Mine was in 2002 and playing Counter Strike with a decent headset felt like you were cheating. More so when you're then accused of it!

I was then told I was LTTP by Quake and UT gets. So congrats on being nearly 20 years LTTP but welcome!

I now use headphones rather than a gaming headset as you pay 2x the price for a microphone and dubious acoustics half the time. Still rocking my trust Sennheiser HD575.

Yeah I had my first moment when I played Farcry 3. One of the coolest things was hearing the echos of gunfights happening far away. Used em for cod and bf3 aswell. They definitely did feel like cheating haha. I have older Turtle Beaches and another headset around here somewhere, I just haven't used them in a long time for some reason. Will be using them when I find them.

One day we will have our wish ;___;

Junk lumping and thumping? Some characters will be at a huge disadvantage lol.

 

[Warablo]

Headphones are a must for Siege. Other MP games dont matter as much, but can be helpful to hear a enemy near you.

 

[MagnoSauce]

Well I'd like to thank this thread for telling me that USB DACs work on the PS4. I was always pretty unsatisfied with the sound from the built in one, and now it sounds great. Unfortunately it does reverse the channels, but my DAC uses dual 1/4inch out, so I can just reverse those before I play.

My DAC does not however have optical in and I've never used a reciever, so the day that I hear PS2/PS3/360 games as they were intended has yet to come.

 

[camequipped]

probably unrelated but for someone that does PC gaming on the couch, how would you use your high end wired headset apart from running a really long cable? Considering the new Audio-Technica DSR7BT if no other rational option.

 

[anddo0]

AD900x's!

Another thumbs up for these.. Get's even better on PS4 with a decent amp.

 

[MCD250]

I remember randomly plugging in my headphones while playing Destiny a couple times and being amazed at the number of little sounds and noises I hadn't heard before.

I should really use them more often while gaming. I keep wondering what I might be missing out on in teems of sound design and the like.

 

[cripterion]

Been using the Roccat Kave XTD digital since they got out and headset is sturdy and does the job fine for gaming.