What to look for in gaming headphones

1. 3D Imaging. How well you can 'see' with your ears. You can visualize the surrounding, enemies, etc in good detail without seeing them.

2. Soundstage/Audio positioning. How spacious the headphones are. Easier to locate enemies & determine their location to the left, right, forward or back. See it as tunnel vision. A headphone with a small soundstage is like looking straight at a tree.. A headphone with a big soundstage is like looking at forest.

3. Detail. How well the headphone picks up faint background noise, ambiance, & other audio nuances.

4. Clarity. Headphones with great clarity allows you to hear sounds without smearing, making the sound easier to identify..

5. Bass. For competitive play you don't want loud bass that drowns out other frequencies. You want crisp, tight bass..

Gaming headphones ratings
1-4 star performers. Headphones I know little about get no stars. & ratings are based on headphones that are good for Competitive gameplay & price to performance ratio. Top 10 headphones for gaming for each price bracket.
Entry level gaming headphones
100.00 or less:
Street price
Koss 75 **
Sony MDR7506 ***
AKG 81 DJ
Sen 280 ***
Sen 515 **
Sen 212 pro **
Sen 485
Sony SA1000 **
AKG 501 ***
AT500 **

Mid range gaming headphones
200 or less
AT700 ***
AT900 ****
Beyer DT 770 03 **
Sen 555 ***
Sen 595 ***
Sen 580 **
Ultrasone Pro line 550
Sony SA3000 ***
Sony MDR7509HD ***
AKG 340 ****

High end gaming headphones
300 or less
Sony SA5000 ****
AKG 701 ***
AKG 601
AKG 271
Beyer DT880 ****
Beyer DT990 **
AT 900 LTD
Denon 2000
Ultrasone 2500
Sen 600 **

5.1 adapter/systems for stereo headphones guide.

Posted 06-10-2008 at 01:44 AM by kool bubba ice
Updated 06-10-2008 at 01:46 AM by kool bubba ice (error.)

What do I need?
Headphones & a 5.1 adapter. See below for some recommendations.

1. JVC SUDH1
Pros: Can be had below retail. Portable & small. Nice build quality. Supports DTS. the Japanese version has an AC input.

Cons: Eats batteries like crazy.
Not made for hard to drive headphones.

audiocubes.com jvc.com

2. Astro mix amp

Pros: Used DH next gen chip set. Nice selections of inputs including USB. Not as power hungry as the JVC. Mute function. • Balance control allows optimization of game/voice balance (from astrogaming website.

Cons: Must buy a retail. Sellers are limited. No DTS support.

astrogaming.com

Digital 5.1 receivers

Pros: Can be used as a hub. Ample power to drive high OHM headphones. Lots of connections. No recharging.

Cons: Big & bulky. Only entry level receivers to have DH are from harman kardon & Maranazt. Expensive.
harmankardon.com marantz.com
Pioneer 5.1 headphones (no particular model.)

Pros: Can use a second headphone (wired) to get 5.1/DH. Some models support coax. Quality stereo headphone. Portable. Can be had for less then retail.

Cons: Wireless. Have to be within a certain distance for headphones to work.
Audiocubes.com

Hi end 5.1 adapters:

Beyerdynamic Gamezone: 2,000. Retail.
beyerdynamic.com
AKG Hearo 999 Audiospere II: 1,099. Retail. (450.00)
headphone.com
Audio Technica ATH DWL5000 Digital wireless headphone system: 1,149.99. Retail.
audiocubes.com

Other category:
Most, if not all 5.1 digital receivers support simulated SS through headphones. The quality varies from good to bad. Many companies use their own DSP to save money instead of going with the proven DH.
Yamaha's Silent Cinema seems to be the best out of the 'home made' DSP..But I haven't tried JVC/Sony/Denon DSP to compare. I used a Yamaha receiver for 5.1 SS with my 595's.. This was 2 yrs ago. My comparison with the DH might be a bit muddy. From what I remember Yamaha's DSP had great seperation, but lacked DH 3D & up close presentation. DH is also more spacious & is speaker like.
jvc.com sony.com. yamaha.com denon.com.
dolbyheadphone.com

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Comments

	As a strictly gaming headphone, the tritton ax360 should get 4stars in the 100 or less catagory. With three volume controls you can turn up different drivers to bring out the proper sounds depending on what game you're playing.
	Posted 06-29-2008 at 07:15 PM by wpq3

	No 5.1 headset made the list cause they are not very good for gaming, compared to the others I listed. & & drivers & a fake sub doesn't cut it. You'd be better off getting the Astro's gaming headset, instead.
	Posted 06-29-2008 at 08:08 PM by kool bubba ice

	Thats the reason real headphone makers dont make 5.1 headphones.
	Posted 09-05-2008 at 08:17 PM by Nocturnal310

	Try the Philips SBC HD1502. Digital wireless headphone included (good sound!), plus extra connection for 2 wired phone. DSII, DTS, DH. Suits my needs!
	Posted 11-16-2008 at 07:38 PM by PaulK

	What are some examples of digital receivers that have Dolby Headphone? I'm really interested in purchasing a new receiver that's around 300$ just so I can get 5.1 out of my HD555s for gaming and I will add new speakers later once I get the money for that as well. Thanks for help anyone!
	Posted 05-07-2009 at 05:04 AM by ck55

	i personally think my 5.1 Kinyo headphone did better with gaming than the HD650 and K701. while the HD650 and K701 did better with movies, the kinyo simply had better imaging and positioning for gaming. i did not hear better details or anything using the other phones. i haven't tried the 5.1 adapter/systems though.
	Posted 07-03-2009 at 10:28 PM by SemiAudiophile

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