Gamer oriented headphones/set
Dec 11, 2008 at 3:59 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 51

Shark00n

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Hey everyone, first post around here
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!

I'm thinking of getting a brand new pair of headphones for Chrismas, my last pair were the Razer Barracudas 5.1 which I hated. The sound was bad, the 5.1 system was flawed and the whole headset was too uncomfortable to use for longer than an hour. So I decided on getting a 2.0 headset and use 5.1 virtualization when needed (It works very nicely, better than the Barracudas "true 8-driver sound", with my current SteelSound 5H).

I will use the new pair MOSTLY with near-pro PC-Gaming. I'm on a sponsored Counter-Strike Source team and I play the game rather seriously and regularly. Although I also play every-other single player games where immersion is key (Like Bioshock, Crysis, Half Life, CoD, etc...).
However, I don't use the PC only to play games, i listen to a lot of electronic and bass-heavy music and regularly watch TV-Shows.
The headphones will also be used on my Xbox 360 system. So I reccon they're use will be 65% gaming, 20% video, 15% music.

So, with about 250USD to spend I've been searching for a new pair and got to these three right here:

-Sennheiser PC-350
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Sennheiser: PC 350
These look very nicely put together and very comfortable, from what I gattered from reviews, excellent for gaming, lacking bass for everything else.

-Sennheiser HD-595
sennheiser-hd-595.102450.jpg

Sennheiser USA - HD595 - Product Details
These are apparently excellent for music, But I don't know if they are to "bass-ey" for gaming, I don't want to get temporarily deaf after every gunshot, they also look supremely comfortable and well finished! But they DO NOT have a built in microphone. That's a bit of an issue, but I suppose that's I'd have to use a Zalman ZM-MIC1 (http://www.zalman.co.kr/ENG/product/...ad.asp?idx=210) separately.

-Astro A40 Audio System with MixAmp
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:: Astro Gaming :: Product Detail :: A40 Audio System ::
And finally the Astros, they sit a slice above the PC-350 and a feather below the HD-595 in terms of specification. They are the most expensive of the three but are also the ones with more features, like the MixAmp which would come in very handy while playing games, and adding that extra "oomph" to the sound quality and surround virtualization. They also seem very well constructed and very comfortable, with a lot of customizing possible.

In my opinion, the A40s have the best specification for gaming without sacrificing too much "real world audio quality", while the PC-350 is at the gaming end, and the HD-595 at the audiophile end. so to speak.


Can you help me decide? Thanks!
 
Dec 11, 2008 at 5:59 PM Post #2 of 51
When I was playing CS 1.6 semi-pro, I remember I brought my Sennheiser HD590s to all the tournaments with me because of all the ambient sounds they brought out over all the cheap/semi cheap headphones I was using before. The HD595s are the replacement to the ones I still have so I would recommend you use them with a cheapo stand-alone microphone. Enjoy! If you have any other questions contact me via instant messenger in my profile.
 
Dec 11, 2008 at 9:27 PM Post #3 of 51
Quote:

Originally Posted by Byrnie /img/forum/go_quote.gif
When I was playing CS 1.6 semi-pro, I remember I brought my Sennheiser HD590s to all the tournaments with me because of all the ambient sounds they brought out over all the cheap/semi cheap headphones I was using before. The HD595s are the replacement to the ones I still have so I would recommend you use them with a cheapo stand-alone microphone. Enjoy! If you have any other questions contact me via instant messenger in my profile.


Wasn't the sound too... high on bases? Were you able to succesfully ear footsteps and distant reloads?
 
Dec 11, 2008 at 10:27 PM Post #4 of 51
I play CSS on D2000. It's a lot of fun; people think I wall because I can hear footsteps across walls. If you want the whole immersion experience, turn it up a bit. The bass on these can be monstrous so you do feel shell-shocked when a nade explodes beside you and can get scared when you fire an AK, but they sound awesome and provide a huge advantage over cheap headphones.
 
Dec 11, 2008 at 10:59 PM Post #5 of 51
Quote:

Originally Posted by FallenAngel /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I play CSS on D2000. It's a lot of fun; people think I wall because I can hear footsteps across walls. If you want the whole immersion experience, turn it up a bit. The bass on these can be monstrous so you do feel shell-shocked when a nade explodes beside you and can get scared when you fire an AK, but they sound awesome and provide a huge advantage over cheap headphones.


How much do those go for? Can you give me the full model name? I only get Google hits for some sort of smartfone...

I suppose this ain't it...
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Dec 12, 2008 at 12:08 AM Post #9 of 51
Quote:

Originally Posted by FallenAngel /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Denon D2000. Get them used on the forum for around $200.


I am not interested in buying a used pair of headphones, no matter how good the deal may be. And a a new pair of those is just too expensive.



Quote:

Originally Posted by chinesekiwi /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Denon D2000 = small soundstage (reportedly) = bad for gaming tbh.

Soundstage is far more important in games like CS than bass.



I agree and that's why I have this dilema, which one of the three proposed by me would you reccomend?

Thanks
 
Dec 12, 2008 at 12:12 AM Post #10 of 51
Audio Technica AD700's but however they do leak so I'm not sure how important that factor is for you.
The PC350's shouldn't even be considered.

Another option is the E.D.G.E Acoustics GX400 but I'm not sure how you like IEM's.

My two suggested are better for gaming than any of the three proposed (with a good source of course).
What soundcard you got?
 
Dec 12, 2008 at 12:20 AM Post #11 of 51
Quote:

Originally Posted by chinesekiwi /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Audio Technica AD700's but however they do leak so I'm not sure how important that factor is for you.
The PC350's shouldn't even be considered.

Another option is the E.D.G.E Acoustics GX400 but I'm not sure how you like IEM's.



What do you mean by "leak" does sound from the headphones come out, or outside sound come in?

About the In-Ear headphones, I like them very much, but not at all to use at my computer. Only the most comfortable around the ear headphones
 
Dec 12, 2008 at 12:21 AM Post #12 of 51
Etymotic ER-4P/S's are my goto for when performance is absolutely critical (same as teh EDGE Acoustics GX400.)

However, most of the time I go for the the Beyerdynamic DT 880. Nearly as good, and soooo comfy.

I played about a year of CAL-M for CS:S and during that time the Etymotics were my bread and butter.
 
Dec 12, 2008 at 12:49 AM Post #14 of 51
Quote:

Originally Posted by chinesekiwi /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Denon D2000 = small soundstage (reportedly) = bad for gaming tbh.

Soundstage is far more important in games like CS than bass.



Apparently you haven't tried the D2000. I wouldn't consider soundstage to be small on them. The MarkL mod is nice and to stuff the pads (which will increase the "soundstage") costs about $5
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Quote:

Originally Posted by Shark00n /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I am not interested in buying a used pair of headphones, no matter how good the deal may be. And a a new pair of those is just too expensive.


You loss.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chinesekiwi /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Audio Technica AD700's but however they do leak so I'm not sure how important that factor is for you.


AD700 are OK, I'd say go with A900 (not AD900, A900 is closed) but that may be harder to find "new" in the OP's pricerange. Sound quality wise though, it's worlds away from Denon.
 
Dec 12, 2008 at 1:01 AM Post #15 of 51
Quote:

Originally Posted by FallenAngel /img/forum/go_quote.gif
You loss.


As strange as it may sound, I am not going to pay duties and trans-atlantic shipping on a used pair of headphones from the United States or were-ever...


I've been looking in the local Hi-Fi online shops and added two more headphones to my "collection", they are:

-AKG K-701
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AKG Personal Audio - K 701
They look awesome, and apparently very well constructed and comfortable

-Sennheiser HD-650
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Sennheiser USA - HD650 - Product Details
These are pretty ugly, and the reviews have not be so kind...
 

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