bthrb4u
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Feb 6, 2011
- Posts
- 33
- Likes
- 10
First you must understand that every headphone is different.
This website is full of suggestions on how different headphones sound. Do you know what you are looking for? Think again. Hopefully this will help you see that some headphones may sound awesome, they are not what you need.In this thread here:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/540191/new-to-head-fi-links-and-more-to-get-you-started-here-wanted-to-do-this-for-a-while-but-didn-t-know-enough#post_7284217
You will find out that the less distortion a headphone has, the more it is capable of treating its owner to a true hi-def experience. With that being said, each headphone is made to handle somethings better than others.(generally regarding music, but there are exceptions.) Some headphones, such as the Denon's, and Sennheiser Hd's are aimed primarily at giving a blissful color to music. While both sound completely different, the difference will usually be in what kind of music you listen to. Some headphones like the akg k701 and other monitor headphones are given a very bland but truly hi-definition driver aimed primarily at people producing the music. I like to think of the k701's as a "mock up" of what most people with out hi-def audio equipment would hear. Giving the producers the ability to hear what most of the listeners will hear (only hi-def.) Sennheiser HD-800 and other top of the line headphones, when graphed, show the most potential for distortion free listening. These are aimed more for the people with tastebuds that are only satisfied when they hear a Saxaphone or violin through there headphones and they get the feeling of being there because of a set back sound stage, EVERY single detail of every instrument is seperated and has the most precise details. These types of headphones generally are not colored and are balanced in every way. I wanted to express this for the simple fact that i think some people are expecting great things out of headphones that aren't meant for what they are looking for.
This is where the title of this thread starts coming into place. If i wanted to make a headphone for video games, i would start by expressing the needs of the hardcore gamers.
1: Imaging and soundstage
Every video game is the same as watching a movie. When there is something making noise, the ability to tell exactly where that sound is coming from will make you feel like you're right there in the movie or game. You must get the perfect sense of depth and angle for this to be acheived. Once all the testing is done and the driver is placed where it needs to be to get the best imaging you don't move it to make it sound good for music too.
2: Long gaming sessions are a part of every hardcore gamers life
When some headphones like the k701's are reviewed, it is usually stated that the highs are peaky( very much like a car speaker or cheap IEM and regular headphones only less distortion and a little higher highs) This can make your ears bleed! lol I wouldn't want that as part of my gaming headphone. That's one signature of that headphone that obviously stands out and is the complete opposite of what i would want. For gaming i would still want to hear the highs but i would probably want them to be recessed a little. In fact i think i would want all the highs and mids recessed a little because i don't want anything to keep me from playing my game. By recessing everything and making it sound just a little further away it does a couple of things. I don't have the feeling of the sounds coming out right next to my ear and pearcing them like nails and now i feel like the sounds are away from my body and when i hear a sound my brain pinpoints it like my normal hearing would inside my head, and not like a nagging headphone driver forcing sounds into my ear. AWESOME! I feel like i'm in the game.Now to mix in the fact that i need low distortion drivers that can seperate all the sounds. That is imaging.
3: Overall sound
Now that i have this open soundstage, a little recessed analog along the full spectrum, and clarity I want to make sure that nothing is over powering anything. I would graph the analog out so every hz this headphone could reach was generally equal to one another so nothing would be outdoing one another. Then Maybe, Maybe i would equalize them to have a little bit of an exciting appeal.
Now my headphone is ready. Is there ANYTHING i missed because i can always edit. Oh and did i mention that this open and airy sound stage actually did a pretty good job with music. Its clear, distortion free and almost has the feeling of some of the REALLY high end headphones because of this feeling that i'm on stage(Just not as clear obviously That would cost to much!
This is my ultimate headphone
The Astro A40 headset!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nough said.
EDIT: This is a headset for hardcore competitive gaming. If that is not your taste but you do want a little taste of it then maybe try something that has a good sound stage but not as much recessed analog. Maybe heavier bass. Unfortunately these things lead to less clarity and the depth is punished a little
The Astro A30 headset!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!