[dmann]

Ok I have done alot of researching and learned alot (or I am pretty sure I have) since I joined this forum to find a headphone. I am a competitive gamer, but I also listen to music like classic rock, and dubstep, rarely movies, and like to be immersed with
gaming(CS 1.6/CZ(don't make fun of me) ) as well as music. I would like to hear footsteps and wallspams in cs, I also would like to have the best soundstage and imaging(directional pinpointing) available.
 
I have only had 20 dollar Wal-Mart headphones and a Gamecom 777 headset. I like closed headphones cause I don't want to hear the fan blowing, ect.
 
I have about $200 - $300 to spend on a headphone.
 
I have looked at alot of headphones, at first I thought I liked the AD700, I was about to buy it, then I saw the AD900, I was so excited i was about to buy that, but then I learned about how bass light it was and about how people were returning it because of that, which got me seriously researching because I don't want to buy one and be unsatisfied or buy multiple headphones (because I don't have money to throw around really).
 
I looked at:
AD700 - Read it was real good for positioning, had good soundstage, but was too basslight for immersion to really get into gaming and music.
AD900 - A little better than the AD700, but just the same about being basslight.
A 700/900 - Closed, good, but also heard the positioning and soundstage was reduced and the bass was better than the A700/900 but just wasn't good enough.
DT770 Pro 80Ohms - I then found this closed headphone, it was the headphone to get for gaming a few years ago (from what I've read) but some say it was just too bass heavy and the bass overpowered the rest of the sounds to get good positional accuracy and the sound stage (I know I have read that bass isn't good for that but people say it was WAY too overpowering for what it was)
DT880(forgot the ohm) - I found this and thought since it is semi-open/semi-closed, it would be really good, but then I read about people saying it leaks noise alot and how it isn't completely accurate in positional accuracy from behind or something, and that the bass is too light for the "immersion" like detail.
Superlux HD-668B - I havn't done much research on this, but what I have read is, people say this is a headphone up in the levels of the DT770 or something i think, and when I first posted in the other forum "post here to find a headphone" or something, Tacoboy recommended this to me. He said this is the one I should get.
 
After researching, I told myself I didn't want the AD700/900 or the A700/900, and i heard that the DT880 was semi-open so I wondered about how the sound leaked and that it was bad at pinpointing back directional sounds, then I looked at and researched alot more headphones and I think I am going to buy a DT770, i am just not sure about which Ohm I should pick, I will buy a Asus Xonar STX or a sound card and a dedicated amp (because I read that a STX cannot successfully power a headphone for maximum quality.) I didnt really think the Superlux HD-668B could be as good as a DT770 because of the price differences, so I couldn't really say anything much about that.
 
So I would like to know, am I making the right decision in picking the DT770? If I am right, which OHM should I choose and why? If I am wrong, please suggest a headphone and/or amp I should probably get instead of the DT770, and leave a reason why.
 
Thanks to all who gave me some suggestions in my first post, and thanks to everyone that will give me some good advice/suggestions in this post.
 
             Thanks so much for reading.
/end essay

 

[Rawrbington]

honestly i would use the 990 over the 770 for gaming.  its got better sound stage for directional stuffs.  i'd get the premium 600 ohm. skip the sound card and buy a USB DAC and amp.
 
but the 600 ohms will run off of whatever.  just wont be really loud OR more likely will just not sound up to their capability 

 

[dmann]

Quote:

honestly i would use the 990 over the 770 for gaming.  its got better sound stage for directional stuffs.  i'd get the premium 600 ohm. skip the sound card and buy a USB DAC and amp.
 
but the 600 ohms will run off of whatever.  just wont be really loud OR more likely will just not sound up to their capability 

Thanks for the suggestion, but I'm not looking for just a gaming headset, I'm looking for the best one that can be used for gaming *and* music, a little of both pretty much so i can get the best of both worlds basically.
 

 

[Rawrbington]

im not positive about gaming, but for music the 990 premium is superior to my ears.  and the soundstage is much bigger

 

[NoKTurNal]

I dont think u want to use the DT770, its is bass heavy
With all the explosions happening, the bass may distract u from pinpoint direction
 
I have the AD700s and DT990s 600 Ohm
E7/E9 combo
 
Like u already researched,
The AD700 are more balanced and airy compared to the DT990 in general
I use both, but the DT990 gives gameplay a little more fun with its U-shaped spectrum
 
The DT880 is more like the twin brother of the DT990, but not opposite
DT880 does have the immersion with, just not as much with the DT990
 
For total soundstage/pinpoint: AD700/900
For AD700-like soundstage, almost on par: DT990
 
To me, both are good to listening music
I aint a basshead

 

[dmann]

Quote:

im not positive about gaming, but for music the 990 premium is superior to my ears.  and the soundstage is much bigger

Thanks for your comment.


Quote:

I dont think u want to use the DT770, its is bass heavy
With all the explosions happening, the bass may distract u from pinpoint direction
 
I have the AD700s and DT990s 600 Ohm
E7/E9 combo
 
Like u already researched,
The AD700 are more balanced and airy compared to the DT990 in general
I use both, but the DT990 gives gameplay a little more fun with its U-shaped spectrum
 
The DT880 is more like the twin brother of the DT990, but not opposite
DT880 does have the immersion with, just not as much with the DT990
 
For total soundstage/pinpoint: AD700/900
For AD700-like soundstage, almost on par: DT990
 
To me, both are good to listening music
I aint a basshead

Yea, I just would like to have some bass and have some fun while I'm playing my game, and I'd also like to listen to some music, hmm DT900 .. sounds pretty alright... except I would prefer a closed can so I wouldn't hear the outside noises and such. Just because I'm curious... about how much bass does the DT900 600Ohms put out? Does it put out enough to make you feel the game? Kind of like you're really there, or possibly even in a theater? Thanks for your response and hope to hear back from you.
 

 

[pshhyeahh]

I'm still in the burn-in process with my DT770 Pro 80. However I tried them out with Counter Strike Source, and they were very good imo. I don't think the bass is "overpowered." I think you'll be satisfied with them especially with your dubstep songs. I've demoed quite a few headphones in Guitar Center and took home the DT770s. If there's one around, you should definitely get some demoes as well. 

 

[Rawrbington]

Quote:

 Just because I'm curious... about how much bass does the DT900 600Ohms put out?

 
quite a lot.  its a fairly bassy headphone.  The 770 pro 80 has more bass though.

 

[dmann]

Quote:

I'm still in the burn-in process with my DT770 Pro 80. However I tried them out with Counter Strike Source, and they were very good imo. I don't think the bass is "overpowered." I think you'll be satisfied with them especially with your dubstep songs. I've demoed quite a few headphones in Guitar Center and took home the DT770s. If there's one around, you should definitely get some demoes as well. 

http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lust-envy-aka-shin-cz-s-guide-to-headphone-gaming-particularly-with-dolby-headphone/2070#post_7690241
Someone suggested me a Ultrasone headphones with S-Logic in that link. I'm thinking I will either pick DT770 80Ohms, but I'm going to check that Ultrasone out as well just to be sure, please if you could, tell me some detailed experiences with how your headphones work in Counter-Strike, EXAMPLE: can you hear wall spams? how far can you hear footsteps? can you tell the direction they are coming from easily without looking around to make sure you are really hearing right? can you determine the distance other players are from you with ease? do other sounds like gunfire and deagle and grenades cover up footsteps alot or distort soundstage? sorry for so many questions, I know they aren't broken in all the way but I would like to know how they are doing so far, and if you would answer these questions i would be thankful, and if you could add anything else that you think would be cool/important or w/e please feel free to add it, thanks a lot

 


Quote:

 
quite a lot.  its a fairly bassy headphone.  The 770 pro 80 has more bass though.

Thanks for telling me

 

[halcyon]

DT 770 will give you more bass, even to the extent that it masks some lowe mids at times. You can EQ this in games, if you have a decent sound card and are afraid of masking.
 
If you want closed, the AT to get is ATH-A900, not ATH-AD900. I found ATH 900 series lighter to wear (better wearing comfort), equal in positioning, lighter on bass (esp. below 60Hz). Much better for longer gaming sessions, imho. But if you want explosions and bass to feel, you want the DT 770.
 
If you want a bit more balanced headphone and better weaing comfort, it is the AT 900 series.
 
Both are driven (32 Ohm version of DT) easily enough from just computer headphone out or without an amp. Will you get a better bass control and sound quality with a proper amp? Yes. Will it be worth the price? Depends on how much you want to spend and how much of a good sound quality you are after.
 
Also, if you want really accurate gaming positioning, you either need the X-fi series or Auzentech (with the proper EMU chip) and CMSS-3D OR Asus Xonar series with the drivers that have adjustable Dolby Headphone. Everything else is so much worth in multichannel to headphone virtualization that it is not even a joke. Which is better: CMSS3D or Dolby Headphone? It depends, both are adjustable, some people like CMSS-3D and some of the recent FPS game series like BF seem to have a better fit with X-fi CMSS3d. Then again the Asus Sonar STX is a very nice card otherwise and if you also listen to music, it is a very worth card to choose.
 
My advice is to buy something, not mull over it for too long and then use it and if you don't like it at all, then move on and cut your losses.
 
This is not a cheap hobby once you get addicted and the upgradeitis strikers.
 
 
 

 

[pshhyeahh]

 
I wanted to try out the HFI 580s but the Guitar Centers around me didn't carry them. So I can't really tell you much about the Ultrasones other than a lot of reviews say they are for bassheads as well. As far as my gaming experience with the headphones, I could definitely hear footsteps whether it was across the wall that I was camping or above me in the map de_dust2. You could definitely tell which direction they were going and give you a better understanding at what distance from you they are as well. It was a lot clearer than my Creative gaming headset. Without the guns being shot, the footsteps could be heard I'd like to say about 15 - 20 feet in-game. Unfortunately the footsteps are not hearable once the AKs and unsilenced M4s come into the equation. With a silenced M4 carbine, you can barely hear footsteps from 5 feet in-game. Once you fire, unfortunately, that becomes the main focus in sound that you hear, especially awping. You won't hear any footsteps around you when firing. Prior to the grenade exploding, I heard clearly where it was being thrown at and the footsteps coming towards me. I hope that helped a little. I played like 30 minutes of css before answering your questions.
 
I'm not sure how much of a difference a home setup/amp would do when gaming, but I'm running the 770s off my macbook pro. So far I'm really liking the 770s. After owning Beats, I thought most bass heavy headphones would sound similar and have a very bad soundstage. But I was way wrong. The 770s has quality bass, very good clarity so I works with all my music, and is very comfortable. That's why I returned the Beats for these. I don't regret it at all. I do notice a little muddiness with a few very-bass-heavy songs, but I'm hoping the burn-in would fix that. But I don't mind it much. I'm sure a good amp will transform these headphones into real beasts. 

 

[dmann]

Quote:

 
I wanted to try out the HFI 580s but the Guitar Centers around me didn't carry them. So I can't really tell you much about the Ultrasones other than a lot of reviews say they are for bassheads as well. As far as my gaming experience with the headphones, I could definitely hear footsteps whether it was across the wall that I was camping or above me in the map de_dust2. You could definitely tell which direction they were going and give you a better understanding at what distance from you they are as well. It was a lot clearer than my Creative gaming headset. Without the guns being shot, the footsteps could be heard I'd like to say about 15 - 20 feet in-game. Unfortunately the footsteps are not hearable once the AKs and unsilenced M4s come into the equation. With a silenced M4 carbine, you can barely hear footsteps from 5 feet in-game. Once you fire, unfortunately, that becomes the main focus in sound that you hear, especially awping. You won't hear any footsteps around you when firing. Prior to the grenade exploding, I heard clearly where it was being thrown at and the footsteps coming towards me. I hope that helped a little. I played like 30 minutes of css before answering your questions.
 
I'm not sure how much of a difference a home setup/amp would do when gaming, but I'm running the 770s off my macbook pro. So far I'm really liking the 770s. After owning Beats, I thought most bass heavy headphones would sound similar and have a very bad soundstage. But I was way wrong. The 770s has quality bass, very good clarity so I works with all my music, and is very comfortable. That's why I returned the Beats for these. I don't regret it at all. I do notice a little muddiness with a few very-bass-heavy songs, but I'm hoping the burn-in would fix that. But I don't mind it much. I'm sure a good amp will transform these headphones into real beasts. 

Yea still gotta check out those Ultrasones, I don't play source really, I play 1.6, so I couldn't really invision 20ft distance, so would you say that is really far, even further than you could hear with your last headphone? You said you can't hear anything if an AK or M4 or nade or deagle or something, have you tried messing with the equalizer? If  you can do that, can you tell me if it lets you hear even more if you can lower your bass in the equalizer if It's possible. You can hear directional sounds almost perfectly then right, and the sound stage is good, thanks a lot for doing what you did

you're actually making me want to get the DT770's , just gotta do some research a little to find out about the Ultrasones.
 


Quote:

DT 770 will give you more bass, even to the extent that it masks some lowe mids at times. You can EQ this in games, if you have a decent sound card and are afraid of masking.
 
If you want closed, the AT to get is ATH-A900, not ATH-AD900. I found ATH 900 series lighter to wear (better wearing comfort), equal in positioning, lighter on bass (esp. below 60Hz). Much better for longer gaming sessions, imho. But if you want explosions and bass to feel, you want the DT 770.
 
If you want a bit more balanced headphone and better weaing comfort, it is the AT 900 series.
 
Both are driven (32 Ohm version of DT) easily enough from just computer headphone out or without an amp. Will you get a better bass control and sound quality with a proper amp? Yes. Will it be worth the price? Depends on how much you want to spend and how much of a good sound quality you are after.
 
Also, if you want really accurate gaming positioning, you either need the X-fi series or Auzentech (with the proper EMU chip) and CMSS-3D OR Asus Xonar series with the drivers that have adjustable Dolby Headphone. Everything else is so much worth in multichannel to headphone virtualization that it is not even a joke. Which is better: CMSS3D or Dolby Headphone? It depends, both are adjustable, some people like CMSS-3D and some of the recent FPS game series like BF seem to have a better fit with X-fi CMSS3d. Then again the Asus Sonar STX is a very nice card otherwise and if you also listen to music, it is a very worth card to choose.
 
My advice is to buy something, not mull over it for too long and then use it and if you don't like it at all, then move on and cut your losses.
 
This is not a cheap hobby once you get addicted and the upgradeitis strikers.
 
 
 

Thanks a lot for your advice, I will try to remember that when i get a card. Yea I'll probably(hopefully) make up my mind in the next few days before I get "upgradeitis" that I've seen people get in other threads

 
 

 

[pshhyeahh]

Quote:

Yea still gotta check out those Ultrasones, I don't play source really, I play 1.6, so I couldn't really invision 20ft distance, so would you say that is really far, even further than you could hear with your last headphone? You said you can't hear anything if an AK or M4 or nade or deagle or something, have you tried messing with the equalizer? If  you can do that, can you tell me if it lets you hear even more if you can lower your bass in the equalizer if It's possible. You can hear directional sounds almost perfectly then right, and the sound stage is good, thanks a lot for doing what you did

you're actually making me want to get the DT770's , just gotta do some research a little to find out about the Ultrasones.

Definitely, the footsteps I heard were at least 10 to 15 feet in-game in most cases. Yea once you fire your gun, whether it be an AK, M4, Deagle, you'll lose any ability to hear footsteps. But I think that's only natural. I haven't messed with the equalizer in my years of gaming experience. I'm a real noob when it comes to that. I'll try to play around with it sometime tomorrow, if not then Friday. Like you said, directional sounds were almost perfect. I do believe that the sound and direction from footsteps can be heard clearer than the Creatives. I thought the soundstage on my old headphones was pretty good until I heard these. So yes, the soundstage is significantly better with the 770s. 
 

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,
 
First, you need to get the Titanium HD soundcard for gaming and everything else, not the STX. Plus it's cheaper. It will do the job. To use your soundcard for gaming, you cannot have another DAC, so don't waste your money there. The HD Titanium will do fine for most headphones.
 
The headphone, is two headphones.
 
Gaming: AKG K701. It's simply the best gaming headphone that isn't a flagship high-end model that costs three times as much. It's way better than the AD700 in every way. It can actually extend deep for bass. But it's not an overly bassy headphone, but it can hit really low notes. Again, for gaming, go with this. Sound stage is huge. dumb huge. Comfortable. Quality of mids/highs are superb. It's an extremely detailed headphone. Most high end users keep a K701 for gaming. It's just that good. So don't waste your money, wanting to upgrade later, and get the K701 now.
 
Bass stuff: Sony XB500. Cheap. Equalize the mids/highs up a few dB and you have your bass heavy headphone for music. All other music, put to the K701. Movies put through the K701. Heavy bass stuff, the XB500.
 
Very best,

 

[Jae304]

For the price range you're looking at, have you considered the D2000?  Great sound stage for a closed headphone and excels at movies, music and gaming.  They aren't as isolating as the Beyers though.