Headphone for gaming - Page 2

Quote:

Originally Posted by fabio-fi 

I think the 598's are pretty accurate for gaming + they are not hard to drive

+1

I <3 my HD598s. I'm going to be a bit controversial here and recommend a pair of Etys for gaming. The accuracy and detail retrieval is absolutely immense. Perfect for sound-wh*ring.

Quote:

Originally Posted by haejuk 
I bought the Premium 32 ohm model.  I am only using them on my PC and maybe iPod, so I decided that would probably be best.  But they sure make it hard to pick!  I have no idea if I made the right choice or not.

Of all the DT-770s models, the Premium 32-Ohm would have the least amount of bass.

The DT-770 Premium 32-Ohm is easy to drive, but using a headphone amplifier would bring out it's best.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PurpleAngel 

Of all the DT-770s models, the Premium 32-Ohm would have the least amount of bass.

The DT-770 Premium 32-Ohm is easy to drive, but using a headphone amplifier would bring out it's best.

 

 

Good to know!  I was worried I might have bought something with way too much bass to make up for the lack of bass in the AD900s.  I plan on getting a new sound card around christmas similar to the OP.  My current sound card is an Audigy and has issues in Windows 7.  I can't wait to get home and compare the headphones!

Also would like to note that DT770 Premiums seem to be discontinued.  It was super difficult to find a 32 ohm.  I got the last one (ever!) from Moon-audio.

Quote:

Originally Posted by haejuk 
Good to know!  I was worried I might have bought something with way too much bass to make up for the lack of bass in the AD900s.  I plan on getting a new sound card around christmas similar to the OP.  My current sound card is an Audigy and has issues in Windows 7.  I can't wait to get home and compare the headphones!

Also would like to note that DT770 Premiums seem to be discontinued.  It was super difficult to find a 32 ohm.  I got the last one (ever!) from Moon-audio.

You can get a small portable Fiio headphone amplifier for $25-$70

Asus Xonar DG (PCI) sound card will work fine with Win 7,

Comes with a half way decent headphone amplifier, up to 150-Ohm.

Can do Dolby headphone 5.1

It's $20, after $10 dollar mail in rebate.

You can get a small single tube headphone amplifier, off eBay, starting at $50, ships from China.

Tube amplifiers add "warmth" and "soul" to sound.

The Asus Xonar Essence STX (PCI-Express) or ST (PCI).

Would have one of the best built in headphone amplifiers for headphone.

I would guess the Beyer DT770 Premium 32-Ohm is high priced compared to what else is in the headphone market.

My DT-770 Pro 250-Ohm are $85 less then the Premium 32-Ohm, so that's $85 someone can use to get a headphone amplifier.
 

I am considering between Xonar STX and X-Fi Titanium HD.  It sounds like the Xonar might be the better choice.  Thanks for all the info.  And yeah, the 32 ohms were quite a bit more expensive.  I had read that the Pros clamping force is much higher than the premiums, and comfort is a pretty big factor, too.  Although in hindsight maybe I should have picked up the 250 ohm model with an amp, but I will save amping for later upgrades.

Get the HD598 best overall for cost and performance.

The AD700 is definitely great for gaming. Soundstage and detail is great for the price and although some people think they are "bassless", I believe they have very good well controlled bass, bass-lite is what I say. They just lack a lot of impact and that slam you need or want for some type of music. But the bass is definitely there and I think it is better this way for gaming since bass will fatigue you, especially in FPS.

If you want to spend more money, consider better more expensive options like the AD900, the 700s bigger and better brother. The Kx01 line from AKG is known for being good for gaming but they can be difficult and finicky to drive. At least the 701 is.

I would say the HD598's.  Although the AD700s do have a bigger soundstage with better positioning, I think the the more balanced signature in the HD598s is worth the trade off and you still get an excellent soundstage.

fwiw, i've gamed using:  grado 125i - fostex t50rp - sennheiser hd-555 - pioneer monitor 10 - beyerdynamic dt-990

they all sounded fine [as they are all quality cans...] - my pref would be the sennys or the beyers, due to comfort and soundstage - but after a certain point, you really can't go wrong sticking with a known quantity...

Quote:

Originally Posted by haejuk 

I am considering between Xonar STX and X-Fi Titanium HD.  It sounds like the Xonar might be the better choice.  Thanks for all the info.  And yeah, the 32 ohms were quite a bit more expensive.  I had read that the Pros clamping force is much higher than the premiums, and comfort is a pretty big factor, too.  Although in hindsight maybe I should have picked up the 250 ohm model with an amp, but I will save amping for later upgrades.

For gaming, probably not if you need EAX 3/4/5 support; the Xonars can try to emulate it, but it supposedly sounds rather off compared to the genuine EAX support X-Fi cards offer. Other than that, it's a toss-up, and the Essence STX may very well come out ahead on music for all I know.

That discrete headphone amplifier on the Essence STX is also pretty nice from what I've heard, at least if you're planning on sticking to dynamics and orthos.

Quote:

Originally Posted by haejuk 
I am considering between Xonar STX and X-Fi Titanium HD.  It sounds like the Xonar might be the better choice.  Thanks for all the info.  And yeah, the 32 ohms were quite a bit more expensive.  I had read that the Pros clamping force is much higher than the premiums, and comfort is a pretty big factor, too.  Although in hindsight maybe I should have picked up the 250 ohm model with an amp, but I will save amping for later upgrades.

I'm a Xonar fan, used the DG, DS, DX and now the STX (upgrade with 3 LME49860NAs).

It's about the best sound card for powering headphones.

But in all fairness, the Titanium HD is a slightly better gaming card.

And sometimes goes on sale with a mail in rebate.

And at a minimum does a fairly good job of powering headphones

And Creative Labs is coming out with 2 new sound cards very soon.

I'm going to guess PC game makers do not rely on EAX 3/4/5 as much as they did during Windows XP.

Vista and Win 7 changed the way windows handled sound.

You can attach a external headphone amp to the X-Fi HD Pcie as well as another option if you want the Features of the X-FI HD. Amazon has the X-fi HD Pcie for 135 the last time I checked.