[Slaughter]

The AD700 is not "better", it's different. Huge soundstage, unnatural treble, bass can be heard, but zero impact, like 200 rows back at a concert. It is a very open, airy headphone. Great for pinpoint positioning for gaming, but not fun at all if you care. Someone else said it best, while playing left 4 dead, when casings hit the ground it sounded like 10 feet away versus by your feet where it should be. It is cheaper, but not necessarily more comfortable. For me the AD700 pads rested on my upper jaw and hurt like hell after 10 minutes or so. Some people have to rubber band the wings on top to get a good fit. You listen to a lot of music and you really only have two choices for gaming. AD700 and HD555. The 555 is the better all-arounder. It handles a large variety of genres much better than the AD700. It's not my opinion, it's just the way it is. Eminem will sound horrendous on the AD700 and sound decent on the HD555 and will sound awesome on the M50, but the M50 isn't going to work for gaming.

The 555 is a good first step into audiophile headphones. Just because headphones cost more than the 555 doesn't mean they will sound better. Honestly, you can see in my sig that I have owned a lot of headphones and I listen to the same wide varity of music you do. The M50 has made me the happiest out of all my phones. As you move up the chain, heapdhones seem to get more genre specific. The 880/600 is one of the best I have had, but only for folk, acoustic, jazz, vocal type music. The Grado 225 I had was great.....for rock. I have three headphones now. The 555 for gaming, the M50 for pop/rock/hip-hop type music and the 580 for folk, jazz, acoustic type stuff.
 
You really just need to buy a pair and enjoy. You can always sell for a minimal loss and move on to something else. Or buy two at a time to compare and sell/return the other. And you don't need an amp with any of the phones you are looking at currently.

 

[mralexosborn]

Okay. My mind is telling me HD555 or M50. This will solely depend on how my SuperFi 5vi sounds. So HD555 is audiophile grade then? Once I buy these I can be in this ever exclusive club? 

Will the HD555 sound good enough with an amp to justify the cost?
 
No one responded about the Beyerdynamic DT440... How do they sound compared to the HD555? 

 

[bluntman]

I keep seeing these "gaming" threads...
 
I used to buy things exclusively for gaming until I've finally grown up, stepped my game up, tried new, and realized...
 
when will some people grow up and finally stop buying headphones and other things particularly for gaming? I've learned a long time ago to get what's good, whether if it's recommended for gaming or not...I stopped grounding my decisions solely for gaming. I WANT TO LIVE & I WANT TO HEAR!

 

[Triple_Dude]

 
Quote mralexosborn:

So HD555 is audiophile grade then? Once I buy these I can be in this ever exclusive club? 

 
I hope that was sarcasm... There's no "magic gear", and there's really no "exclusive club" here, either... Everyone enjoys music using their own gear, and as long as you care about quality, and the never-ending pursuit for sonic perfection, then you can consider yourself an "audiophile" .
 
I personally own a HD555, as well as a HD280 (among others, but irrelevant for what I'm about to say in this post), and I find myself grabbing for the HD280 more often than not (for music--for movies, I go with the HD555). The HD280 seems to have better mid and trebles, while the HD555 has far better bass. However, they both have the same Senn sound signature, and don't really differ too much.
 
At the end of the day, the HD555 is a solid pair of entry-level phones that won't benefit much from an amp.
 
And just as a further perspective on comfort, I find the odd "protrusions" inside of the 555's cup extremely annoying and irritating to my ears, and I honestly can't have them on for extended period of time, whereas I have no problem with the rest of the phones. Supposedly the protrusions are supposed to increase the sound stage...

 

[mralexosborn]

Thank you bluntman but the reason I am asking is because I understand the value of a dollar and I want to get the most out of my money. And I will be having headphones instead of speakers so I really do NEED them for gaming sessions. But I understand where you are coming from. Thanks for the response.

 

[bluntman]

yeah dude no problem and I wasn't bashing you in anyway!

 

[mralexosborn]

I understand. I am so anxious to get my first real headphones. My Shure SE110 was chewed on by an evil dachshund.

 

[bluntman]

How much are you looking to spend?

 

[mralexosborn]

Well at the most I want to spend $100. I would prefer less than that. I don't mind open box items.

 

[bluntman]

Sennheiser PC350s are your best bet then...you can get them @ JandR for $120.

 

[mralexosborn]

Hahahahahahahaha. Bluntman you funny! 

 I said I want audiophile headphones that sound good with games. ie HD555.

 

[MohawkUS]

I use the Grado SR-80i for gaming and music and I can track people all the way across small multiplayer maps by the sound of their invisability cloak on Crysis, I use a virtual 5.1 setup though with my ASUS Essence card, but I would recommend the Grados or the MS1s.

 

[mralexosborn]

But I hear the Grados are not comfortable. Not as much as the HD555 at least.

 

[Endless]

However, there are pads that you can buy for the Grados that can make it bearable. It's a good investment for those who enjoy the Grado sound.

 

[wmf]

"This (soon to be) hobby will be the death of me. Ugh."
 
.. your not alone...
 
death by the missus.