[quane]

So, essentially a question that has been asked so many times that I've lost count however everyone's a little different. 

So, I'm in the market for a new headset (that will be used for gaming only). In the past I've owned a variety of headphones/headsets and a lot of Sennheisers and Steelseries so I've had my fair share of experience. I remember when I had the 5Hv2 I was rather dissapointed in the music quality (after I sold it, I got into audiophilism and all that sh**) but recently I realised 'Hey, I don't use my headset for anything but gaming' since I use my speakers for my music and movies (it took me about 2 or 3 years to realise this). So right now I'm wondering should I get a devoted gaming headset or music headphones and it would make sense to pluck for the gaming headset since I won't be listening to music (and I might rarely watch a movie) while on these headphones so why would I get music ones? Well, it's because a pair of music headphones could perform better than a gaming headset (however, this is doubtful since gaming headsets are designed for the sole purpose of gaming). I would usually look around and decide myself but since it's been a while since I've had a decent headset and there's millions of more gaming headsets out there, I require some help. The vast maximum amount I would pay is somewhere around £80 (I don't see the point in paying more). And preferably (however it's not compulsory) the shop should be in London so I could try them but I'm fairly happy to go with internet too.
 
Now, I wouldn't typically jump straight to Head-Fi for these kind of questions (since this is more of an audiophile rather than a gamer forum) but in this case, where I originally posted this, the answers were tremendously awful. 
 
And don't forget that I don't care how the headphones perform in Music, I just need them to be the best they can be in gaming. (FPS, just in case anyone was wondering).

Thanks a lot.

 

[KingStyles]

You have to decide what qualities you want. Do you want to be immersed in the action or are you looking for a more competitive edge for picking up footsteps, reloads, and other key sounds? The more bass that gets added in, the more immersed you become in the game but the extra bass tends to cover up all the soft midrange cues. If you dont need a mic, then music headphones are the way to go. You can get any signature you want in music cans. If you need a mic, then there are also options in headsets or deal with the extra hassle of trying to use a separate mic with music cans. For me, when playing FPS on live, I prefer the A40 headset. It allows me to hear the cues needed for an advantage while also having an integrated mic. Non live playing, my music cans are best.

 

[Jbossner]

Have a look at the ATH-AD700's there pretty well regarded in gaming and are also cheap. But regarding the above post I think they are better at positioning footsteps ect rather then just total immersion. So if your looking for a good competative edge then these phones should be checked out.
 
Quote TechPowerUp "The gargantuan sound stage is really nice in games because the positional audio effects are delicately replicated giving you a better idea where the enemies are at."
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Audio-Technica/ATH-AD700/3.html
 
Also I'm not sure exactly on the conversion to your currency but they might be a little expensive for you so if you want something cheaper I would suggest the G35, not the best headphones for music but a few off my friends have them and the virtual 7.1 is actually all right, they get good reviews and they have a Mic which is a plus for TF2 and CSS ect.

 

[FallenAngel]

I like BeyerDynamic DT770/80 Pro for gaming.

 

[quane]

I'm not sure if people read the original post or just randomly post their favourite gaming headphones, the price range is £80 where AD700's and DT770 both cost more than £80 and I don't see the point in paying more but since your American, I guess it's forgivable.
 
I NEED a mic integrated as I'm not gonna bother with all the hassle of having separate headphones and mic (I've done it before) as there's so many headsets to choose from and so many of them have mic that it shouldn't be a problem finding a decent headset that is good for gaming as I have NO interest in it's music capabilities (just in case people didn't read ;D).
 
Furthermore the headset will be used for a variety of games but essentially it's main purpose will be as a way of hearing and communicating in FPS's so I don't care how beautiful the ambience is, I just need the best possible footstep, gunshot, movement clarity. 
 
I hope this sums up it up and thanks for everyone's input so far.

 

[blackderbyhat]

Any generic "gaming headset" works just fine. I have one of those Creative Fatality mK2 headsets I got for 50 bucks and while it doesn't sound the best it isn't hard to hear footsteps and pinpoint people based off of that. 

 

[quane]

Quote:

Any generic "gaming headset" works just fine. I have one of those Creative Fatality mK2 headsets I got for 50 bucks and while it doesn't sound the best it isn't hard to hear footsteps and pinpoint people based off of that. 

Yeah I thought about that and decided that I won't bother getting some 1337 headphone + mic when I can just buy some generic gaming headset and it will do me good.

 

[Jbossner]

I'm not sure if you read the bottom of my post or not, but if the currency was out i suggested the G35 which should be a lot cheaper.
Quote:

I'm not sure if people read the original post or just randomly post their favourite gaming headphones, the price range is £80 where AD700's and DT770 both cost more than £80 and I don't see the point in paying more but since your American, I guess it's forgivable.Quote:

Originally Posted by Jbossner /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
Also I'm not sure exactly on the conversion to your currency but they might be a little expensive for you so if you want something cheaper I would suggest the G35, not the best headphones for music but a few off my friends have them and the virtual 7.1 is actually all right, they get good reviews and they have a Mic which is a plus for TF2 and CSS ect.

 

[quane]

G35 are like 65 - 70 quid which is acceptable but since 7.1 is a gimmick in games (Stereo all the way) then there's no real need for it and apparently they're not the comfiest either

 

[pooklio]

i use sennheiser hd 280 pro
 
it does me good

 

[skuzzzzy]

steel series siberia v2 / steel series 7h

 

[FallenAngel]

I got my DT770/80 Pro a few months ago for $120 CAD, that is at your budget.

 

[anon55]

the G35 is virtual 7.1 not real, only the real 5.1/7.1 headsets are bad.
 
I would go with some Sennheiser gaming headphones, not sure what model fits your price range but there are ones with mics

 

[ninjikiran]

Open headphones + some kind of surround headphone decoder(if you use it for PC games that is simple).  Good music headphones == Good Game headphones.
 
You can go with closed bassy headphones if you enjoy bass and privacy is your deal, but I find open headphones to be more accurate when it comes to 3d positional.  In terms of enjoyment I don't miss the extra bass bump of the DT770 vs the kind of detail and spatial awareness the K702's offer me.