[kikkomaso]

After reading the forums and seeing many recommendations for the HD590s for the purposes of gaming, I ordered one and have been playing around with them for the last few days. I actually found myself preferring my cheap $19.99 Plantronic headset over the 590s. The 590s seemed to lack the bass capable of reproducing footsteps effectively and explosions in games like Call of Duty and UT2004 came off really dull and boring. Many people praised the positioning of the 590s to be the best but I felt it suffered greatly due to the weak bass.
I am a newbie when it comes to audio so maybe the source of my dissappointment stems from untrained ears, but I hope there are alternatives to suit my gaming needs. I guess I'm looking for a gaming headphone with these attributes.
1) deep rumbling bass (but not so much as to cause fatigue after extended use)
2) accurate positioning
3) crisp/analytical output (not sure if this matters, i'm just speculating that it'll make sounds more distinct and accurate)
4) comfortable
My friend recommended the Sony MDR-V6s because he feels they go much louder than the 590s which is a big plus for me (I have 50% hearing loss in both ears, birth defect -_-) and have the crisp deep bass needed for gaming. Sorry for the lengthy post but I thought I'd try to limit the amount of headphones I'd have to send back, shipping cost is really adding up! My budget ~$170



Since this thread is going off topic somewhat, I'll post my final questions here just in case!
well now I'm leaning towards the DT250-80s because of their supposedly superior comfort, better positioning cues, less harsh treble (makes gunfire less fatiguing?). The only thing I'm unclear of is the 'punchy-ness' of the bass on the 250-80s compared to that of the 770/v6s. Like Jodiuh said before

quote:
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The shock combo in Unreal Tournament 2003 had zero punch in the 280's, whereas the 770's just explode
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this is something handled very nicely by the 700s and v6s and possibly the only thing lacking from the 250-80s (can anyone confirm this)? So if my above assumptions are correct and the bass is comparable then I think I've found my gaming phones!

 

[Dyzrel]

i use the 590s for gaming and prior i used dsp-500's. switched to the 590s because of comfort issues with the dsp-500s. the thing that it really boils down to is experience in games, not so much the equipment. i have friends who play cs that can position as good with 20 dollar rat shack headphones as well as i can with 590s so i really dont think the bass is a problem. /shrug

edit: didnt see the hearing loss thing. not sure how the 590's would fare there but ive never had a bass problem when using my 590's through a pimeta. not really sure what to reccomend in this situation because im not sure how the really bass heavy cans are in terms of gaming because alot of the higher end headphones require amps. maybe that new 80 ohms version of the D770

 

[Ctn]

For the last time the 590 sux for gaming.

I use a pro-luxe cd3000 cheapie.

Positions miles ahead of the 580/590.

If you dont value your hearing or deaf abit go ahead with the 590.

 

[windthunder]

Run in or not?

 

[3lusiv3]

This doesn't make sense. My HD 590's have excellent bass, are very detailed, have great soundstaging and are extremely comfortable.

 

[Jodiuh]

Hmm...there seems to be a mix here. I'm in the closed can for gaming camp, but quite a few of you prefer the open phones. For those of you that do prefer the open phones, have you tried an a/b comparision with a good set of closed phones, like the Beyerdynamic 250 or 770?

 

[kikkomaso]

Quote:

Hmm...there seems to be a mix here. I'm in the closed can for gaming camp, but quite a few of you prefer the open phones.

I think my next pair of headphones will be closed, because I did not enjoy the sound of the 590s for gaming at all. There have been numerous threads on the HD280 vs v6 topic but I'm still undecided between the two. Has anyone here actually used both? If so, which of the two would you say has better positioning? These are gaming headphones so I really don't care how they sound for music, they're strictly for playing cs/ut2k4. I just need some closed phones that can reproduce footsteps/gunfire accurately.

 

[EyEPoD]

Beyer 250-80s if not using an amp.

Senn 600s etc w/ amp.

Personally I use the beyers in all cases just because I prefer closed cans for gaming.

 

[lindrone]

If it came down to HD280 and V6.. I would say the soundstage on them are approximately equal.. I don't think either one really does a better job than the other in terms of soundstage and sound imaging.

However, V6 is more comfortable, and it has a more boomy bass.. so explosions is more convincing, and wearing them for long gaming sessions is more acceptible.

 

[kikkomaso]

Well, I'm not totally set on either the HD280 or v6s as I have read some positive reviews on the Beyer 250-80s although I'm not sure if they're worth an extra $100-120 just for gaming.

 

[Jodiuh]

Well, how do you like pleather? For the week I had the 280's my ears must have met a heat record. They were hot, sticky, and sweaty. And even after sticking a dictionary between them, the pressure of the headband gave me headaches. Comfort issues aside, they have a very analytical sound imo. They may be some very good dj monitoring headphones...wait...that's what they're for

The shock combo in Unreal Tournament 2003 had zero punch in the 280's, whereas the 770's just explode. For gaming/movies, I prefer the low end flavor the 770's deliver. Especially because they don't interfere with the other frequencies like say...the ex71's.

 

[kikkomaso]

Quote:

The shock combo in Unreal Tournament 2003 had zero punch in the 280's, whereas the 770's just explode. For gaming/movies, I prefer the low end flavor the 770's deliver. Especially because they don't interfere with the other frequencies like say...the ex71's.

Ah I guess the 280 are no longer part of my considerations. I want something that'll really emphasis sounds such as that. Have you tried Call of Duty? After reading many reviews raving about the excitement of the gunfire and mortars in that game, I've yet to experience it with any headphones I've played with, the rattle of the machine guns and explosions are pathetic. Are you using the 770s with an amp? They seem to be what I'm looking for except the spec sheet indicates them being high impedence phones. Do you know if the Sony v6s are comparable to the 770s?

 

[Ctn]

Quote:

Originally posted by kikkomaso I think my next pair of headphones will be closed, because I did not enjoy the sound of the 590s for gaming at all.

Finally someone with some sense and good hearing.

Quote:

This doesn't make sense. My HD 590's have excellent bass, are very detailed, have great soundstaging and are extremely comfortable.

If the high frequencies dont hurt your ear, it has probably done its damage. It's really painful with my ears.

For gaming, you want semi closed phones. They position the best and are the best for gaming.

 

[kikkomaso]

damn, just read all the threads on the 770s and the general consensus seems to be that they're cumbersome and need a solid amp. So I guess my choices are down to either the Sony MDR-V6 and the Beyer DT250-80 (although I have seen some posts stating that the 250s were 'laid back' and not as aggressive as the Sonys).

 

[Snufkin]

The Beyer DT250 is an excellent choice for games.
Also, I've been using the AKG K240S and find it's quite a good match for gaming, although it wouldn't be in noisy environments.

I agree with Ctn regarding the HD590, I can't understand why people recommend them for anything other than classical music to be honest.