[Goldhamster916]

Hello everyone,



i am searching for 1000-2000 dollar headphones (dont mind if they are cheaper) for excellent immersion in single Player games. From what i gathered a comfortable fit, good bass for actions scenes, high detail retrieval and clearness for sound effects as well as a spacious soundstage with good 3d localization are most important here. I am new to the audiophile microcosmos, so if you think i should focus on other criteria please let me know!

any headphone type is ok for me. right now i am considering the sennheiser hd 800s becausse they fit all the criteria, except they fall a bit short on bass. does anyone know a headphopne that is similar but has more better/punchier bass?



would be much aprecciated!

 

[Monsterzero]

What amp are you planning on using to drive said headphone? The HD800 is a high impedance headphone that will not sound good sticking it into a controller or most gaming amps.

Your best bet is to stick to low impedance/high sensitivity headphones, like 32ohms and 97-100+ sensitivity. Most gaming amps can drive these types of headphones with little problem.

 

[Goldhamster916]

What amp are you planning on using to drive said headphone? The HD800 is a high impedance headphone that will not sound good sticking it into a controller or most gaming amps.

Your best bet is to stick to low impedance/high sensitivity headphones, like 32ohms and 97-100+ sensitivity. Most gaming amps can drive these types of headphones with little problem.

I plan on using a decent external amp, whatever the headphones need

 

[Monsterzero]

I plan on using a decent external amp, whatever the headphones need

Well, most high impedance headphones like the HD600, HD650, HD800, ZMFs, Beyer T1 all sound their best out of a valve/tube amp, which are only stereo, intended for music playback, so no simulated or true 5.1 or 7.1 decoding.

I used to game with a Beyer T1.1+Woo Audio and Astro Mixamp, so I'd bi-amp the Astro with the Woo. It was a good gaming setup,but after you factor in the cost of the amps and headphone and NOS tubes, it was above your budget.

These days I game with an AKG K701 for multi player and Fidelio X1 for single player. The Astro Mixamp doesnt have enough juice for the K701 on its own, so I again bi-amp with a Schiit Magni 2. The X1 is effecient enough that it can be driven by the Astro without the need of a 2nd amp.

The K701 is a neutrally tuned headphone that has excellent detail retrieval, but is a bit light on the bass, similar to the T1 and HD800. The X1 has a nice stage a big thumpy bass for single player games when hearing footsteps isnt as critical as PvP games.

Personally, I'd look into a Focal Clear, which has the detail and bass slam, is easy to drive and is around your budget. How it does for gaming though, I havent tried it in that capacity. I'd ask in the Clear thread.

 

[Goldhamster916]

Thanks a lot for the insight. I use simulated dolby atmos for some games. Would that be possible with amps at all?

Some people recommended the hifiman arya for my use case. any thoughts on that one?

Thank you!

 

[Monsterzero]

Thanks a lot for the insight. I use simulated dolby atmos for some games. Would that be possible with amps at all?

I've not played any games that has Atmos, so I cant say for sure, but I would assume that it would work if the decoding is done in the game itself.

Some people recommended the hifiman arya for my use case. any thoughts on that one?

A couple of points on planar headphones and HifiMan in general:

Planar headphones require more current than dynamic driver headphones to sound good, so you will need an amp that is up to the task.
Hifiman generally makes good sounding headphones, but they have a very long history of quality control issues. I suggest you do your research on driver failures and broken parts prior to pulling the trigger on any of their headphones.

Perhaps the Arya is better built than on their other models, I do not know.

 

[GREQ]

Some people recommended the hifiman arya for my use case. any thoughts on that one?

Planars just can't do soundstage as well as, or as large as good dynamic driver headphones.
Something about their flat drivers just presents a 'wall of sound' that doesn't give natural positional cues as effortlessly as the best dynamics can.

If immersion is the goal, don't look at planars.

 

[yolosauce]

Planars just can't do soundstage as well as, or as large as good dynamic driver headphones.
Something about their flat drivers just presents a 'wall of sound' that doesn't give natural positional cues as effortlessly as the best dynamics can.

If immersion is the goal, don't look at planars.

I use the ZMF Atrium for gaming and I agree that planars struggle with positional cues for fps games like cod. I've owned the Susvara, LCD-5, HE1000SE, Arya and none of them gave me the sense of realism and soundstage that the Atrium does.

 

[dougms3]

Thanks a lot for the insight. I use simulated dolby atmos for some games. Would that be possible with amps at all?

Some people recommended the hifiman arya for my use case. any thoughts on that one?

Thank you!

Arya is pretty good all around, bass is not bad but not all that great either.

If you want big bass, the dynamic closed backs are a better option.

Might be out of your price range but the two headphones that stood out for me at the last canjam was the Final Audio D8000 and the Spirit torino centauri.

Excellent on all fronts.

 

[IkSak]

Hi!

I don't game as I did in my 20's and early 30's, but here are my two cents:

1. If what you wnat is a competitive advantage, then, soundstage and imaging should be your priority. In that case, if you can afford them, go for the Sennheiser HD800 or the HD800S. Nothing beats them in that area. Another close and notabgly cheaper option is the AKG K7XX. I have them both and they are good gaming headphones. If you like classic music, then, the HD800 is an incredible option.

2. If you are willing to sacrifice some competitive advantage, get yourself a HIFIMAN Edition XS. More all rounder, good soundstage, imaging and nice timbre.

 

[TWerk]

I have some really great headphones but most of the time just go for my Ultrasone 780 when it comes to gaming.

IMO gaming needs a nice V shape sound which the low cost 780 has. It is super easy to power and CAN work fine plugged into a controller.

I'd recommend starting with something lower cost like these and seeing from there.

I really enjoy great headphones for music, but for gaming, a nice V scoop with sparkle and punchy bass works really well which is what the 780 delivers.

I feel like something like the HD800 might be more linear than what you want for gaming.