[The_Blood_Raven]

Hello, I'm looking into some gaming headphones. I originally was looking into headsets, but it quickly became apparent that it would be best to buy real headphones and a separate mic. I am looking at the Sennheiser HD555, my budget is about $100, for gaming, and music should I enjoy them. I currently own some JVC-Victor HP-FX500 IEMs and I love them, but they aren't quite suited for gaming being that they are IEMs.

So I suppose my question is, am I making a wise choice? What kind of mic should I be looking into for gaming? If anyone has any advice or recommendations that would be great.

Thanks for your time.

 

[Head Injury]

AD700 is perhaps the most popular cheap gaming headphone around here. Massive soundstage, great pinpoint spacial accuracy, fun-sounding too. Not much bass, and sort of silly-looking, but probably your best option.

 

[stang]

Many threads on this already. Go for AD700. One of, if not the best gaming headphone. Huge soundstage, very comfortable, cheap and easy to drive.

 

[NumLock]

Zalman clip on mic.

 

[Ear Damage]

AD700 for home gaming with a controlled environment. It lacks bass impact but who cares for explosions when the soundstage is wide and detailed you can hear footsteps, breathing, guns reloading, etc.

 

[ben4345]

any ideas for closed ear head phones?

 

[stang]

An Ultrasone? I find my ALO-780 great for gaming. I do not own another closed can, so I cannot really comment on this. Most of the best gaming cans (if not all) are open anyway.

 

[gav007]

I think the Sennheiser HD555 are good a good choice I've tried them for gaming and I was quite impressed, I even considered to purchase them. I think for starter headphones it's a good place to start if you can find them cheap.

 

[The_Blood_Raven]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NumLock /img/forum/go_quote.gif Zalman clip on mic.

Thanks, I looked it up and it is exactly what I needed.

As for the AD700s, they do sound tempting, but the lack of bass is disconcerting as well, games tend to have a lot of bass-y things going on.

Looks like its going to be a tough decision, like more audio gear.

Is the soundstage really that much more spacious than the HD555s?

As an aside, god I love these forums, always very helpful even with the fact that the subject matter in extremely subjective.

 

[wmf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ben4345 /img/forum/go_quote.gif any ideas for closed ear head phones?

Denon D2000s, or AT a900s.

 

[The_Blood_Raven]

Alright so I've been reading up on the AD700s, someone compared them to the Etymotic ER6s, the bass can't be that light can it? I was imagining the bass being about average, maybe a bit better, than your standard IEMs since we are talking full sized headphones, even if they are light on bass. Can anyone clarify?

Thanks.

 

[fjrabon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Blood_Raven /img/forum/go_quote.gif Alright so I've been reading up on the AD700s, someone compared them to the Etymotic ER6s, the bass can't be that light can it? I was imagining the bass being about average, maybe a bit better, than your standard IEMs since we are talking full sized headphones, even if they are light on bass. Can anyone clarify? Thanks.

Yes, they are about that light. It actually helps with competitive gaming, but can be a bit unsatisfying if you like the visceral feel and sound of explosions. Often times really bassy headphones cover up tiny background things that are actually more important as far as the game goes. Like a guy throws a grenade at you, it explodes, he runs off. With too much bass you just hear the explosion. With AD700's, you can actually tell which way he ran off after throwing the grenade.

 

[Palpatine]

What game console do you own or is it a PC? If it is an Xbox or PS3 have you considered how this will be hooked up?

 

[The_Blood_Raven]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fjrabon /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes, they are about that light. It actually helps with competitive gaming, but can be a bit unsatisfying if you like the visceral feel and sound of explosions. Often times really bassy headphones cover up tiny background things that are actually more important as far as the game goes. Like a guy throws a grenade at you, it explodes, he runs off. With too much bass you just hear the explosion. With AD700's, you can actually tell which way he ran off after throwing the grenade.

I'm not sure this is ideal as I play a great many types of games, not just FPS. I am not a huge FPS player, I play FPS every once and awhile but no more than any other genre. I am also not the most competitive person, though I am competitive, I'll take the experience over the ability to detect footsteps with pin-point accuracy.

I am also looking into these headphones for music, and some nice bass would be appreciated, I am an HP-FX500 fanatic afterall. My girlfriend can only take the heavy metal so much before the nagging commences.

So for about $100 I'm now looking at the Audio Technica ATH-M50s. They say that they have pretty punchy bass, but without any muddyness. They are also touted as having a decent soundstage. I'm not sure how they hold up to fast bass, but they seem pretty good.

Any thoughts, recommendations, or opinions?

Thank you all, this has really been a great help already.

 

[The_Blood_Raven]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Palpatine /img/forum/go_quote.gif What game console do you own or is it a PC? If it is an Xbox or PS3 have you considered how this will be hooked up?

PC for now, Xbox 360 and PS3 once I get a decent cheap amp to push them through my monitor. I'm not a source nazi TBH.