[Mad Lust Envy]

I currently own a pair of Audio Technica AD-700s mainly for console gaming use (with Astro Mixamp) which they are absolutely excellent at. You guys should know this by now.

Okay, I need a pair of headphones that can match this criteria:

1. Closed - I need closed ear headphones mainly for night time gaming, as my girlfriend can hear everything I listen to with my AD700s when she tries to sleep.

2. Comfortable - I'm a rare case in that I find almost all headphone uncomfortable. I want soft pads that won't hurt while wearing them for an extended period of time. The AD700s are a bit big, so slightly smaller would be a plus though it's not a requirement.

3. Over the ear - HATE on ear designs.

4. Able to be driven by the Mixamp. I take it anything around 250 ohm or more can't be driven properly by the Mixamp.

5. Not bass heavy - Too much bass drowns out the finer details necessary for competitive gaming. Perhaps I'm spoiled by the clarity of the AD700s and their lack of bass.

6. Well-balanced - Meaning I can hear everything, without the sounds being muddy.

7. Soundstage - I know closed ear headphones aren't exactly GREAT at soundstage, but some good separation would be nice. I find that the Mixamp does most of the work in this regard as long as the low end isn't emphasized too heavily.

8. Price - I'll get around to this later, as long as you guys give me a starting point. Let's just say around $250 for now. Aiming for less.

I've heard of the Audio Technica M50, but I don't know how comfortable they are on the ears, nor do I know if they are too heavy in bass for gaming.

Also heard of the DT770 Pro, Audio Technica A500, A700 , A900, and Denon D2000. I don't know if they are too bass heavy for gaming as well. I'm also considering the Turtle Beach HPX headset, which is heavily favored for gaming, though I'm a bit turned off by the multiple drivers.

Point me in the right direction guys, PLEASE.

 

[joelpearce]

Look into the German Maestro line--very comfortable, impressive balance and detail, and the 450 has an incredible soundstage for close 'phones. Some other could comment on the soundstage of the models in your price range.

They are my go-to gaming headphones now.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

They have a 300 ohm impedance. My Mixamp wouldn't be able to drive those. That and they are pretty up there in price.

I NEED them to work with the Mixamp because it's what I use for gaming in Dolby Headphone surround. To me, DH makes all the difference in the world.

 

[joelpearce]

Yeah, but you could check out the GMP 8.35, which are easy to drive. And completely indestructible. The GMP 250 is also closed, and 100 ohm.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Have you tested these? Seems like a lot to just buy and end up not liking. I also never heard of the brand.

 

[SanJoseCanJunkie]

I know I may get flamed for this, but the multi-driver gamer headphones do make sense for gaming.

I was very, very skeptical of the things until a couple days ago when my coworker brought his Turtle Beach ?X41? over, and I tried them with a little Left 4 Dead. They are pretty sweet - didn't try them with music, and the one podcast I listened to them with was a bit weird, but once I got in the game, I was convinced. They do have a very speaker-like soundstage, and the 5.1 channels do work really well for positioning in FPS games.

That being said, I only tried them in a FPS for a short time, and I don't know how well they would sound for other game genres where overall music quality would be more important than positioning (ex. Empire Total war, or Final Fantasy), but if I played more FPS games, I would seriously consider buying a pair.

EDIT: The ones I tried were wireless - AVOID. There was hiss similiar to a poor FM signal, which I am going to assume was RF interference, although that could be better in non-work environment with tons of wireless signals and computers around.

 

[joelpearce]

Do some searches, and talk to the people who own them. I've only listened to the ones that I own, but there are a bunch of people around that have spent lots of time with this brand and MB Quart, which used to be the same brand.

This thread was really useful for me when I was searching around

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

That's the thing, I had recently purchased the Tritton AX Pros, which are considered one of the best multi-driver headphones for console gaming. My thoughts?

THEY SUCKED. I hated them so much I couldn't wait to get my refund.

The Turtle Beach HPX, while having multiple drivers ONLY use two drivers with the mixamp utilizing DH processing instead of a true 5.1 setup. I have heard some people on AVS say that it sounds better with DH processing than using all their speakers in true 5.1 surround. From what I heard in the Ax Pros, I would have to agree.

 

[jp_zer0]

just use your RE0's dude.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jp_zer0 /img/forum/go_quote.gif just use your RE0's dude.

As amazing as the RE0s are, they lack the soundstage necessary for gaming. It's hard to get proper positional cues with IEMs.

 

[Ear Damage]

I don't like my M50s for gaming, the soundstage is rather small. I do like my AHD2000 with the MixAmp and your starting budget accommodates them. I only usually use them for single player games such as GTA4, in which they sound incredible, especially with the game's soundtrack. Impressive soundstage for closed cans and the MixAmp can push them pretty well.

 

[MomijiTMO]

Shure line?

I don't think the D2000 isolates well at all.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ear Damage /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't like my M50s for gaming, the soundstage is rather small. I do like my AHD2000 with the MixAmp and your starting budget accommodates them. I only usually use them for single player games such as GTA4, in which they sound incredible, especially with the game's soundtrack. Impressive soundstage for closed cans and the MixAmp can push them pretty well.

I thought about them, I'm just holding back because of the bass, as I hear that they are quite powerful in bass. Does it get in the way of the finer details?

 

[Ear Damage]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mad Lust Envy /img/forum/go_quote.gif I thought about them, I'm just holding back because of the bass, as I hear that they are quite powerful in bass. Does it get in the way of the finer details?

Hmm...I'm not really a basshead but I do want bass impact in my gaming and with the MixAmp the D2000 has just enough umph. The MixAmp is kind of bass shy in the first place so I wouldn't say, at least in my experience, the bass is overwhelming. Sounds detailed enough for AC2, MW2, R6V2, GRAW2, Oblivion, ME2, Fable 2, Fallout 3, L4D, Bioshock, and GoW2. The AD700 was my primary gaming can before I switched to the RX900 for MP, D2000 for SP, and although I miss the AD700's soundstage and transparency, the D2000 makes up for it in it's fuller sound.

 

[ben4345]

I wonder how the Beyer MMx300 are like?