Best gaming headphones for under $200?

[ProtoflareX]

Hopefully some of you audio experts can help me out here. I am looking for the best gaming headphones possible for under $200. I am not looking for headphones that will allow me to hear the footsteps of people in FPS games. I want something that will create the most immersive experience possible when playing horror / fantasy games, such as Metro Last Light / Dragon Age Inquisition, or even something like Farcry 4. In addition, I would like something that emphasizes music quality when playing games with high quality soundtracks. To my knowledge there are 3 "rivals" in this price range, which are the ATH-M50x's, the Sennheiser HD598's, and the Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro-250's. Are those the 3 that I should choose from? If so, can you guys help me choose one based on my preferences? The headphones will be hooked up to an ASUS Xonar Essence STX sound card.

 

[PurpleAngel]

The ATH-M50X are not really gaming headphones, more like bassy music headphones.
I'm thinking the DT990 Pro 250-ohm will be the better choice, for what your looking for (strong bass/treble).
Maybe even Soundmagic HP200?
 
Hopefully you disabled the motherboard's on-board audio, in the BIOS, when you installed the STX.
Have you tried the Unified Xonar Drivers?
http://maxedtech.com/asus-xonar-unified-drivers/

 

[ProtoflareX]

  The ATH-M50X are not really gaming headphones, more like bassy music headphones.
I'm thinking the DT990 Pro 250-ohm will be the better choice, for what your looking for (strong bass/treble).
Maybe even Soundmagic HP200?
 
Hopefully you disabled the motherboard's on-board audio, in the BIOS, when you installed the STX.
Have you tried the Unified Xonar Drivers?
http://maxedtech.com/asus-xonar-unified-drivers/

 
Interesting comment about the DT990's. I hope this isn't a tedious request, but can you list the pros and cons of the DT990's and the HD598's? Also, I do have my onboard audio disabled, and I'm also using the unified drivers, but why did you mention those things?

 

[PurpleAngel]

   
Interesting comment about the DT990's. I hope this isn't a tedious request, but can you list the pros and cons of the DT990's and the HD598's? Also, I do have my onboard audio disabled, and I'm also using the unified drivers, but why did you mention those things?

 
I think disabling the on-board audio makes Window's job a little easier
Unified seem to introduce updates sooner then Asus.
DT990 are more like a movie theater sound, then HD598 are a little more tame.

 

[ProtoflareX]

   
I think disabling the on-board audio makes Window's job a little easier
Unified seem to introduce updates sooner then Asus.
DT990 are more like a movie theater sound, then HD598 are a little more tame.

Interesting... I'm curious about another thing, though. Let's say I had said that my focus was indeed being able to hear enemy footsteps in shooting games and having more positional audio. Would that have affected your recommendation?

 

[SeaWo|f]

The dt990 v shaped signature like purple said is very well liked by many for immersion in games and movies.

Purely for hearing and competitive advantage something with a large sound stage, good instrument separation, analytical character and maybe subdued bass. Audiotechnica in your price range has some good options. The ad700 has been an fps go to for a long time.

But given what you said you wanted the dt990 will be better, and it's also going to give you what you need for competition imo. I think it's a great choice.

 

[ProtoflareX]

The dt990 v shaped signature like purple said is very well liked by many for immersion in games and movies.

Purely for hearing and competitive advantage something with a large sound stage, good instrument separation, analytical character and maybe subdued bass. Audiotechnica in your price range has some good options. The ad700 has been an fps go to for a long time.

But given what you said you wanted the dt990 will be better, and it's also going to give you what you need for competition imo. I think it's a great choice.

So far, I'm leaning towards the DT990, but I'd like to get a good idea of the exact pros and cons of each set of headphones. What are your thoughts on the HD598's?

 

[SeaWo|f]

Sorry, never heard the hd598 so I'm not comfortable saying anything about them. I don't find my hd650s to be great for gaming from a competitive stand point fwiw.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Interesting... I'm curious about another thing, though. Let's say I had said that my focus was indeed being able to hear enemy footsteps in shooting games and having more positional audio. Would that have affected your recommendation?

 
This thread is a lot better for rad up on and dealing with questions about headphones for gaming.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lust-envys-headphone-gaming-guide-3-18-2016-mrspeakers-ether-c-1-1-added
 
There are several different headphone that are popular for gaming.
AD700(X), DT990, AD900X, HD558/HD598, AKG K700 series, and others.
Some people just have a preference for a particular sound.
AD700(X) have a very light bass, which is consider good by some because there is no heavy bass blocking other sounds.
DT990 have a lot of bass, but are still consider good for hearing important sounds in FPS gaming.
Other are somewhere in the middle.
If I was into FPS gaming, I'm guessing I would be using my AKG (Massdrop) K7XX headphones.

 

[ProtoflareX]

   
This thread is a lot better for rad up on and dealing with questions about headphones for gaming.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lust-envys-headphone-gaming-guide-3-18-2016-mrspeakers-ether-c-1-1-added
 
There are several different headphone that are popular for gaming.
AD700(X), DT990, AD900X, HD558/HD598, AKG K700 series, and others.
Some people just have a preference for a particular sound.
AD700(X) have a very light bass, which is consider good by some because there is no heavy bass blocking other sounds.
DT990 have a lot of bass, but are still consider good for hearing important sounds in FPS gaming.
Other are somewhere in the middle.
If I was into FPS gaming, I'm guessing I would be using my AKG (Massdrop) K7XX headphones.

Alright, I did some reading through that topic you linked and came to the conclusion that either the DT990 or the ATH-A900X is best suited for my needs. Based on your previous posts and your sig, I'm going to assume that you've used both of those headphones before. So based on my original post, which, between those two, do you think is better suited to my needs?
 
Edit: I apologize for the hassle, but would you also be able to recommend a decent headphone case?

 

[OoglyBoogly]

I know it's been mentioned already but the AD700/AD900 series is prime for budget-ish gaming headsets. I think the most important thing for a gaming headphone is sound stage, something they have plenty of. The better positional audio you have to more competitive and engrossed you can be in your games.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Alright, I did some reading through that topic you linked and came to the conclusion that either the DT990 or the ATH-A900X is best suited for my needs. Based on your previous posts and your sig, I'm going to assume that you've used both of those headphones before. So based on my original post, which, between those two, do you think is better suited to my needs?
 
Edit: I apologize for the hassle, but would you also be able to recommend a decent headphone case?

 
For a headphone case, I usually buy something generic, in the $20-$30 range, off eBay.
 
To me I would guess the Audio Technica ATH-AD900X (open) headphones make a good all around headphones (music, movies, FPS gaming).
They very easy to drive 40-Ohm headphones, they work fine plugged directly into a computer and can easily be driven buy any portable audio device.
 
Here are some used ones, on eBay, current bid is at $70.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/141932493788?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

[ProtoflareX]

   
For a headphone case, I usually buy something generic, in the $20-$30 range, off eBay.
 
To me I would guess the Audio Technica ATH-AD900X (open) headphones make a good all around headphones (music movies, FPS gaming).
They very easy to drive 40-Ohm headphones, they work fine plugged directly into a computer and can easily be driven buy any portable audio device.
 
Here are some used ones, on eBay, current bid is at $70.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/141932493788?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Alright, seems like I'm going with the ATH-AD900X. Thanks for your help.

 

[tenkogg]

That's okay . If you go for music and games this is a good decision or the DT990.

Pure competitive headsets would be the akg k701 or the audio technica as 700x.

Just don't forget a good soundcard or dac+amp take to get the highest potential.

I've started with a cheap soundblaster with the integrated scout mode. It's a good start but I got no experience in high end equipment . Maybe someone can help us ~

Btw I got a ad700x and looking for the best combination for for gaming too~

 

[ProtoflareX]

After doing a bit more research, I'm beginning to lean towards a used pair of the Phillips Fidelio X2's. Does anybody have any thoughts on those?