[mahhdd]

I unknowingly stumbled into this... My HyperX Cloud 1's microphone went, and I began to entertain the idea of getting more a precise headset for positioning enemies for CSGO with a quality microphone. CSGO is the top priority, music second...

I ordered the ATH-AD700X's and a modmic. I hated how the Audio-Technicas felt cheap, how they sagged on my head (I didn't know about the rubber band trick until I already sent them back), and the audio felt "dry." I didn't think to measure how much of a difference they made on positioning enemies.... I just knew they weren't the ideal headset to be the "can do it all" headset... I was only looking for 1 headset anyways... So, I sent those back pretty quickly, not fully understanding that those are 10/10 on the scale of being the ideal set for CSGO and they're not a ton that are on that level.

Next day, DT 770 Pros arrive. I wasn't in the mood for CSGO so I tried music out first... Holy crap, that was a mistake.... Now I understand how music is an experience with quality headphones...

The DT 770 Pros are not ideal CSGO headphones. Directionally, I think Cloud 1's are better. Feel free to disagree in the comments below. I'm actually going to measure how much of a difference in directional sound the two headsets have by recording my results in the csgo sound test map that pop quizzes you on a random direction...

Anyways... Here's my question...

Do many people just have two headphones when they're hardcore? One hooked up to an amp (music) and the other hooked up to their front audio?

Should I just get HyperX Alphas (or get KVG's, or just keep my Cloud 1's) and a really good set of music phones? Or is there really one that can do it all?

About me & what I've researched
- I have next to no experience with headphones and I really had to study listening to the same songs to tell the difference between Cloud 1's and DT 770's.... It wasn't instantaneous for me...
- No DAC or Amp, open to getting one or both
- I'm not even sure what analog audio sounds like (what a DAC can do for sound)
- I was looking for super precise CSGO audio to have an additional edge, and just assumed my old Creative speakers would be most ideal....nope! I'm now interested in headphones for music
- I can be a bit indecisive, so clear direction would help
- Open to any suggestion that's an upgrade from the 32 ohm DT 770 Pros. From what I'm gathering, if I get an amp, changing out the 32 ohms to get the 80's would be a reasonably good choice.
- I was thinking about the 600 ohm DT 880's for the "great at everything" headset; but, from my research it seems like a step back from Cloud 1's in CSGO. Open to opinions on this.
- The KVG 702's apparently are excellent at CSGO audio and were ranked almost as good as the AD700X's at directional sound. They seem more comfortable looking and higher quality construction, which I'm interested in.
- Budget: $400 to $600
---maybe $100 for an amp, $200 for csgo headphones (not hooked to an amp) and $200 for music headphones?
---I'm happy to send the Modmic back

I can edit my post with additional information, if it's needed.

Feedback welcomed. I'm just a little stuck, and I'm curious if there's also a competitive CSGO player who is also an audiophile out there that can assist.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Takstar HF 580 planar headphones, with Sendyaudio AVIA ear pads (total about $235 at Aliexpress).
I'm not into FPS gaming, but I use my HF 580 for everything else.
Add a Modmic or even a desktop microphone.
A USB DAC would bypass any headphone surround sound features of your computer's sound card (onboard or add-on).
A DAC with an optical input would work with your sound card features,
A Stack of Schiit (Modi/Magni) DAC/amp would be nice.

 

[plmon]

DT1990's probably your jam. I think the mid-fi Beyers like the DT770s have pretty good imaging, but the DT1990 improves on that while also having a more balanced sound for music since it has more filled-out mids. It's also fairly sensitive, so it's not that hard to drive even though it's rated at 250 ohms.

 

[mahhdd]

Takstar HF 580 planar headphones, with Sendyaudio AVIA ear pads (total about $235 at Aliexpress).
I'm not into FPS gaming, but I use my HF 580 for everything else.
Add a Modmic or even a desktop microphone.
A USB DAC would bypass any headphone surround sound features of your computer's sound card (onboard or add-on).
A DAC with an optical input would work with your sound card features,
A Stack of Schiit (Modi/Magni) DAC/amp would be nice.

Not to be disrespectful; but, how do you know that they'd be good for games if you're not into FPS games?

 

[mahhdd]

DT1990's probably your jam. I think the mid-fi Beyers like the DT770s have pretty good imaging, but the DT1990 improves on that while also having a more balanced sound for music since it has more filled-out mids. It's also fairly sensitive, so it's not that hard to drive even though it's rated at 250 ohms.

I'm open to these... I'll research these... Thank you.

Other posts are appreciated in this thread. Thanks.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Not to be disrespectful; but, how do you know that they'd be good for games if you're not into FPS games?

The sound quality is really nice, was hopefully you would search around to see if they are good at FPS gaming.
(I believe planar headphones are considered good for FPS gaming)

 

[QuantumRock]

I unknowingly stumbled into this... My HyperX Cloud 1's microphone went, and I began to entertain the idea of getting more a precise headset for positioning enemies for CSGO with a quality microphone. CSGO is the top priority, music second...

I ordered the ATH-AD700X's and a modmic. I hated how the Audio-Technicas felt cheap, how they sagged on my head (I didn't know about the rubber band trick until I already sent them back), and the audio felt "dry." I didn't think to measure how much of a difference they made on positioning enemies.... I just knew they weren't the ideal headset to be the "can do it all" headset... I was only looking for 1 headset anyways... So, I sent those back pretty quickly, not fully understanding that those are 10/10 on the scale of being the ideal set for CSGO and they're not a ton that are on that level.

Next day, DT 770 Pros arrive. I wasn't in the mood for CSGO so I tried music out first... Holy crap, that was a mistake.... Now I understand how music is an experience with quality headphones...

The DT 770 Pros are not ideal CSGO headphones. Directionally, I think Cloud 1's are better. Feel free to disagree in the comments below. I'm actually going to measure how much of a difference in directional sound the two headsets have by recording my results in the csgo sound test map that pop quizzes you on a random direction...

Anyways... Here's my question...

Do many people just have two headphones when they're hardcore? One hooked up to an amp (music) and the other hooked up to their front audio?

Should I just get HyperX Alphas (or get KVG's, or just keep my Cloud 1's) and a really good set of music phones? Or is there really one that can do it all?

About me & what I've researched
- I have next to no experience with headphones and I really had to study listening to the same songs to tell the difference between Cloud 1's and DT 770's.... It wasn't instantaneous for me...
- No DAC or Amp, open to getting one or both
- I'm not even sure what analog audio sounds like (what a DAC can do for sound)
- I was looking for super precise CSGO audio to have an additional edge, and just assumed my old Creative speakers would be most ideal....nope! I'm now interested in headphones for music
- I can be a bit indecisive, so clear direction would help
- Open to any suggestion that's an upgrade from the 32 ohm DT 770 Pros. From what I'm gathering, if I get an amp, changing out the 32 ohms to get the 80's would be a reasonably good choice.
- I was thinking about the 600 ohm DT 880's for the "great at everything" headset; but, from my research it seems like a step back from Cloud 1's in CSGO. Open to opinions on this.
- The KVG 702's apparently are excellent at CSGO audio and were ranked almost as good as the AD700X's at directional sound. They seem more comfortable looking and higher quality construction, which I'm interested in.
- Budget: $400 to $600
---maybe $100 for an amp, $200 for csgo headphones (not hooked to an amp) and $200 for music headphones?
---I'm happy to send the Modmic back

I can edit my post with additional information, if it's needed.

Feedback welcomed. I'm just a little stuck, and I'm curious if there's also a competitive CSGO player who is also an audiophile out there that can assist.

Give the Hifiman Sundara's a chance. $350, open back, planar, no mic, great soundstage for music, excellent imaging for gaming, and they seem to be pretty durable. Look up Zeos on youtube, great review for them focusing on the gaming side of them as well.

 

[mahhdd]

Bumping, because I'm still doing reading.... Here's where I'm at! I wanted to post again before pulling the trigger.

Senn PC38X's come with a mic but it's very low quality sounding - these aren't a headset with any musicality - selling for $180
TYGR 300 R's don't come with a mic - these apparently have good musicality with them, as well as good imaging - Selling for $180
Some prefer the PC38X's, some prefer the 300R's.

I was thinking about doing the following:

• Keep the ModMic USB I have, use it with my "music" headset - $69.95
• Get the PC38x's for gaming (whenever they're available) - $179.99 (this was a close decision)
• Get the DT 770 (undecided on the 80 ohm or 250 ohm, they're the same price) - $159.99
• FiiO K5 Pro - $149.99

TOTAL: $560

The K5 Pro is overkill for what I need, I think. The K3 would do the job; but, the extra $50 would future proof other purchases since it supports 300 ohms.

Other Possible Combinations:
1) Just get the TYGR 300's - apparently they're great for music and don't even require an amp.

2) I could do the DT 1990's for $569, which is $229 more than the setup I mentioned above.... But I figured going with a more modest cost route would probably be the wisest step. I'm new to being an audiophile, and it took me a while to hear the difference between the 32 ohm DT 770's and HyperX Cloud 1's... I don't mind spending the extra $229; but, I don't want to spew money either.... And I don't have anything conclusive saying the DT 1990's would be better for directional sound for CS:GO than something like the TYGR 300 R's or the PC38X's.

Thoughts?

 

[tdl2024]

I don't play CS:GO, but I do play R6 Siege all the time. I used Sundara's for ~9 months and thought they were amazing for gaming. I basically turned into a sound-***** overnight and could get the drop on most people just thanks to the better sound awareness I suddenly had.

There might be better, I haven't used very many HP's for gaming (just those, iSine10's, and various Sennheiser and Corsair "gaming" HP's) but they are definitely solid for music too.

Only downside would be the Sundara's + DAC/Amp + Mic might exceed your budget a little (not sure how well the modmic will work with it, never had one). I was using the Schiit Modi/Magni and Blue Snowball which I think is ~$300 extra on top of the $350 Sundara. Upside is you get a solid gaming and music setup all in one.

 

[jjoshie]

The KVG 702's apparently are excellent at CSGO audio

I think you mean AKG 702?

If so, I have been impressed by the soundstage on these for CSGO. I found it quite good for hearing footsteps and pinpointing where they are coming from. I have the Massdrop K7XX variant. The K7XXs have been sold out for a while, but they can be found second-hand or you could just buy the 702s.

I also listen to music with them. It's pretty good, especially if you are trying to find a one-pair-fits-all headphone rather than having multiple pairs.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Do many people just have two headphones when they're hardcore?

Depends.

You can buy a cheap headphone with good imaging but screwed up response, and may be easier to drive, for not much more than the price of OEM earpads for a really good pair of headphones. Case in point: you can have an HD660S for music more for the tonality than the imaging, then use a ~$100 Audio Technica open back for gaming.

You can also just get an AKG K701. Get a decent DAC-HPamp and hook it up so that you can still use virtual surround, like via optical output from the motherboard if not all your games have a Headphone Audio mode (ie built in virtual surround), this way the on-board DSP still works. Or just have a separate system just for music playback (like using a fanless smartphone as a music server) with the DAC-HPamp and just have a powerful enough motherboard to hook up the K701 to. Of course, that assumes you like the tonal balance of the K701, and not for example, an LCD-2. Or just do this with an LCD-2 and sacrifice just a tiny bit of imaging width and depth.

Or hell hunt down an AKG K1000 and a good amp so you don't need to compromise on tonal balance and imaging.

I wouldn't know if I count as "hardcore" but I have

1. Headphones on the main rig
2. Speakers in the mobile rig ie my car
3. Two IEMs for ultraportable
4. 5.1 speakers so I don't have to deal with virtual surround.

One hooked up to an amp (music) and the other hooked up to their front audio?

Or just run them off the same DAC-HPamp if you're using the compute as a music server anyway.

Or is there really one that can do it all?

AKG K1000.

As long as your ambient noise is very low and nobody else lives with you.