johnclosed said:

  what should you pick for gaming/music
 
- Creative aurvana Live 1 (New)
- Creative aurvana Live 2 (New) micro
- Sennheiser pc 360 (used) micro
- Sennheiser pc 350 (used) micro
- Sennheiser HD 555 (used)
- Sennheiser HD 595 (used)
- Sennheiser 380 pro (new)

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Depends on your price range. If price is not a factor, do you prefer headset or headphones?

Can anyone advise me on which, K702-65th Anniversary or K712, would be better for me? I value a cinematic gaming experience higher than soundwhoring/competitive gaming but am put off by the descriptions of the X1's less detailed bass, and I've narrowed it down to these two.

Buy whichever is cheaper. If they cost the same, get the K712 Pro. From people I trust, they say the K712 is a slight improvement, but sound very similar. I loved the K702 Anniversary for all purposes, and I'm sure the K712 Pro would be similar in that regard.

Thanks for your advice, I will go for the K712. Kinda unrelated, but as for a non-gaming amp/DAC to use with them, would the Aune T1 be the best choice? Or is there a better amp/DAC combo I could get for under 200?

A tip for future PS4 owners who are planning to use headphones.
 
You can continue to use your Mixamp or DSS without issues, but for chat all you need to do is buy the DX clip-on mic and connect it to the DS4. The PS4 allows chat audio to be mixed into game volume from its setting page.
Reason I say DX clip-on mic is because the included mono-earpiece that comes with each PS4 sounds very hollow and muffled, so just incase you want a better quality mic without breaking the bank.

Sweet. Can't wait until UPS drops mine off today. Lucklily, I still have my clip on mic, and I can just keep using the Mixamp for virtual surround.

Not audio related, but PS4 related and I thought it was pretty awesome:
 
 

Oh, that vid is pretty cool.

One more thing, you CAN connect a headphone to the DS4 if you wish. This is for those who whatever reason don't want a Mixamp/DSS or just like plain old stereo.
 
The DS4 does not have a headphone amp as it is jack is built for IEMs, but it will still drive most 32ohm dynamics pretty fine. The downside here is that you'll be sucking the battery life out of the DS4 even faster than its already barely passable 7 hours.
 
Oh, you can also control chat volume through the DS4 by holding down the PS button. Don't need to go to the settings page all the time.

Excellent thread. I'm a newbie and have been spending the last couple of days (almost literally) reading. I'm looking for some new headphones and could use some advice. I'm primarily a PC FPS gamer. I've got some Turtle Beach X12s that I use with my Xbox 360 and occasionally connect to my PC. They're fine for my Xbox, but I'm looking for something better for my PC where I spend most of my gaming hours.
 
These headphones will likely be used 80% gaming and 20% music/movies. I saw all of the love for the AD700 but am afraid they'd not sound as full as I'd like. So, I've just about settled on the Samson SR850 for $50 but am concerned that they won't be comfortable when gaming for multiple hours. I've heard of owners swapping out the ear pads with AKG K240 replacements, but at $30-40 that drives the total cost up around $80-90.
 
So, is the general consensus that the SR850 will require the replacement pads to be comfortable? If so, am I better off spending a little more to get into something like the HD558 (other recommendations welcome)? Priority is 1) positional audio performance and soundstage without fully sacrificing bass and 2) comfort. I'll be driving these with my Creative SB Z card and its integrated headphone amp.
 
Many thanks!

gg99 said:

  These headphones will likely be used 80% gaming and 20% music/movies. I saw all of the love for the AD700 but am afraid they'd not sound as full as I'd like. So, I've just about settled on the Samson SR850 for $50 but am concerned that they won't be comfortable when gaming for multiple hours. I've heard of owners swapping out the ear pads with AKG K240 replacements, but at $30-40 that drives the total cost up around $80-90.
 
So, is the general consensus that the SR850 will require the replacement pads to be comfortable? If so, am I better off spending a little more to get into something like the HD558 (other recommendations welcome)? Priority is 1) positional audio performance and sound stage without fully sacrificing bass and 2) comfort. I'll be driving these with my Creative SB Z card and its integrated headphone amp.

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Here are some ear pads that fit on the SR-850, $16
http://www.ebay.com/itm/251375506165?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

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purpleangel said:

  Here are some ear pads that fit on the SR-850, $16
http://www.ebay.com/itm/251375506165?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

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Nice find, thanks. For that price it might be worth the risk of a cheap knockoff from China.
 
I assume it sounds like I've otherwise found a good fit with the SR850 based on my needs? Thanks all.

averagegamer said:

  I am trying to narrow down a quality headphone (preferably headset) used solely for gaming with a Astro 5.8 "wireless" mixamp on console platforms. I am willing to do the mic-mod on a set as long as the headset is geared toward pin-point accurate directional cuing aka sound-whoring. Any recommendations? I see many FPS gamers lean toward the following and I am hoping to have a little guidance towards my purchase. These are the few I am leaning toward:
 
- PC360 or PC 363D
- Audio Technica ATH-AD700
- AKG Q 701 Quincy Jones Signature Reference-Class
- Sennheiser HD 598
 
I currently own the 2011 Astro BXR A40's and get told by friends that they here static/muffled voice when I chat. I feel I would be better at sound-whoring with a different headset/headphone with mic-mod then the A40s I currently own. Any suggestion, please?

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averagegamer said:

  I am trying to narrow down a quality headphone (preferably headset) used solely for gaming with a Astro 5.8 "wireless" mixamp on console platforms. I am willing to do the mic-mod on a set as long as the headset is geared toward pin-point accurate directional cuing aka sound-whoring. Any recommendations? I see many FPS gamers lean toward the following and I am hoping to have a little guidance towards my purchase. These are the few I am leaning toward:
 
- PC360 or PC 363D
- Audio Technica ATH-AD700
- AKG Q 701 Quincy Jones Signature Reference-Class
- Sennheiser HD 598
 
I currently own the 2011 Astro BXR A40's and get told by friends that they here static/muffled voice when I chat. I feel I would be better at sound-whoring with a different headset/headphone with mic-mod then the A40s I currently own. Any suggestion, please?

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Hi,
 
All these headphones have been discussed a ton on this thread.  There's also reviews on all of them on the front page. 
 
To reiterate:
AD700 = Great for pure soundwhoring, but treble-centric and light on bass which means it's not as immersive for single player gaming.  The other headphones listed are all more weighty and immersive sounding, but they will not sound-whore any better than the AD700.
PC360 = More balanced sounding than AD700, with a slightly smaller soundstage.  Has a mic.
PC363 = Special Edition PC360.
HD598 = Almost the same as the PC360, but a tad lighter and clearer sounding.
Q701 = The most "audiophile" of the bunch, and also the most weighty sounding (more immersive).  Has the most bass (but still by no means bass-heavy).
 
If you want more info, I'd suggest a search through the thread (using the search button) as they get discussed pretty much every week.  There's really nothing new to say about them.