[inseconds99]

Hello everyone,

I posted this in mad lusts gaming guide but I can't seem to get a response.

I am trying to finish up my sick new Gaming PC build. All I have left to buy is sound. I need some advice from you guys. This forum has been wonderful and the information here has been great but I'm finding myself very confused at this point.

My needs are, headphones, sound card or dac and amp.

I love edm and bassy music such as hip hop, the setup needs to be great for playing competitive fps games (very important).

I am in a very loud living room environment with my girlfriend watching tv, on the phone or just generally being noisy so I am concerned about buying open back headphones, though, without them I feel like I will lose my edge in competitive gaming.

Money is no object here, I am looking for the best setup with my needs met as I am new to this. I currently have the v-moda m-100's with a boom mic attached going direct to onboard alc 1150 Realtek audio with creative sbx. The m-100's are very heavy and hot and they become uncomfortable to wear in less then and hour, though they do sound great for music but I'm not a fan of there positional accuracy and sound stage.

So to reiterate, I need a bass heavy headphone that will do well in a noisy environment, be great at competitive gaming and be comfortable for long wear times. I also need either a sound card or dac/amp recommendation that will surpass the new Realtek alc 1150 with sbx for my PC and be able to drive the recommended headphones.

Currently from what I gathered, the fidelio x2's with my boom mic and a magni 2 hooked up to my onboard sound or possibly a soundcard would be my best option. But like I said I'm lost.

Other options, but can't use my vmoda boom mic:

Dt990 pro & soundblaster z
K712 pro & fiio e10k (possibly could use my boom mic with adapter from zombie)
Sony ma900 with onboard audio


Thanks in advance.

 

[ScaryFatKidGT]

Id go with Beyers gaming headphone

 

[Liu Junyuan]

Id go with Beyers gaming headphone

Here is what you want. Read through the first posts for in-depth comparisons:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lust-envys-headphone-gaming-guide-update-10-15-2014-beyerdynamic-t51i-added

 

[jigglyp]

HiFiman HE-400s. I just ordered a pair myself 2 days ago, so they haven't arrived yet. They are said to have the best bass in any headphone under $500 and they have an incredible soundstage. Much wider than the Fidelio X2s. Great for gaming. They are open back so  
they will leak/let in sound but you shouldn't have a problem with the latter if you turn them up loud enough. They are large so they aren't very portable. They really are probably the best bassy, yet detailed cans you can get for under $400 though. 
 
This review will give you an idea of how much sound they leak, HE-400s are blue: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6isiDsiMHQ&t=23m1s
 
They cost  $300 and can be found if you look hard enough for $250. You could pair it with a DAC/amp combo like the Schiit Magni/Modi ($200), or go for an all in one DAC/amp like the Schiit Fulla ($80). The magni/modi combo would be slightly better than the fulla, but the fulla would get you 90% there for half the price, at least thats what I've heard. Also be sure to get them with some velour pads (10$) and compare them with the stock pleather ones and see which you like better. Many say the velour pads improve the sound quality significantly. 

 

[Skar]

Purely from comfort I think the Fidelio X2 is the ONLY headphone you mentioned I would recommend for extended gaming sessions.
 
Dont underestimate comfort if you plan to play long sessions.

 

[inseconds99]

Here is what you want. Read through the first posts for in-depth comparisons:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lust-envys-headphone-gaming-guide-update-10-15-2014-beyerdynamic-t51i-added

Thanks for the replay, as I was saying I already read through nearly all of that guide and I asked this question in the guide and I got no response.

 

[SeEnCreaTive]

T50RPs are great gaming cans. Hifiman I assume would work well too.

T50RPs are orthrodynamic. In short the drivers are very fast and precise. Bringing out the needed detail in games.

They are semi-open, they block a good amount of sound, while not making you feel cadged.

And since they are orthrodynamic, they are naturally bass heavy (after 10 mins of modding) And one of the most modded cans.

Generally my go to for any use (and only ones I use for gaming period) out of my collection


For source, I just use a cheap Asus DG sound card. World of difference over onboard (plus the much needed amp built in). Ive been thinking about upgrading, but in reality as good as my ears are, they aren't good enough yet to hear the difference between a nice DAC/amp over my little soundcard

 

[jigglyp]

I second this. Personally, I would go for the hifimans as they are supposedly more fun sounding, and look better imo, but the t50rps have a flatter neutral sound signature. Both are orthodynamic and have planar drivers, so they are both fast and detailed.

You can't go wrong with either, pick your poison. That being said, I think the T50RPS look like a turd molded into a headphone lol.

EDIT: changed orthodontic to orthodynamic

 

[SeEnCreaTive]

I second this. Personally, I would go for the hifimans as they are supposedly more fun sounding, and look better imo, but the t50rps have a flatter neutral sound signature. Both are orthodynamic and have planar drivers, so they are both fast and detailed.

You can't go wrong with either, pick your poison. That being said, I think the T50RPS look like a turd molded into a headphone lol.

EDIT: changed orthodontic to orthodynamic

Well that's the beauty of the T50rp, mine are set for the slightest amount more bass. You can make them pure anilitical, or make them "ermehgerd all DAT rumbly bass". But you need to be a bit of a DIYer to mod them

But hifimans are fantasitc, and they offer some great accesseries.

 

[jigglyp]

I hear the Mr speakers mad dogs have a built in bass knob, or something of that nature. Anyone have a source on this? Once again can't go wrong with hifimans or t50rp. Great cans.

 

[SeEnCreaTive]

I hear the Mr speakers mad dogs have a built in bass knob, or something of that nature. Anyone have a source on this? Once again can't go wrong with hifimans or t50rp. Great cans.

The alpha and alpha primes have a screw to open or close the cup vent. You can have the exact same effect by covering or uncovering the stock t50rp cup vents. It changes what is called "air compliance". In short it means the more air compliance (more open cup vent) the more bass since the driver is more free to move. Again why the normal t50rp I'd such a moddable headphone. If your willing to put in the work.

 

[jigglyp]

The alpha and alpha primes have a screw to open or close the cup vent. You can have the exact same effect by covering or uncovering the stock t50rp cup vents. It changes what is called "air compliance". In short it means the more air compliance (more open cup vent) the more bass.

Nice, nice. 

 

[inseconds99]

T50RPs are great gaming cans. Hifiman I assume would work well too.

T50RPs are orthrodynamic. In short the drivers are very fast and precise. Bringing out the needed detail in games.

They are semi-open, they block a good amount of sound, while not making you feel cadged.

And since they are orthrodynamic, they are naturally bass heavy (after 10 mins of modding) And one of the most modded cans.

Generally my go to for any use (and only ones I use for gaming period) out of my collection


For source, I just use a cheap Asus DG sound card. World of difference over onboard (plus the much needed amp built in). Ive been thinking about upgrading, but in reality as good as my ears are, they aren't good enough yet to hear the difference between a nice DAC/amp over my little soundcard

This is the first time I've heard of this headphone recommended, I just looked up the phone on Amazon and it is about $130, cheaper then my m-100 which is nice. Would I need an amp to drive this headphone or go straight into my onboard or that cheaper sound card you were recommending.

 

[SeEnCreaTive]

This is the first time I've heard of this headphone recommended, I just looked up the phone on Amazon and it is about $130, cheaper then my m-100 which is nice. Would I need an amp to drive this headphone or go straight into my onboard or that cheaper sound card you were recommending.

Yep T50RPs are cheap, another reason why they are so popular. In total modded form they will beat some very exspencive cans. ($250 schenhisers no problem at all) check on the forums, there are threads purely dedicated to modding them. 2 big ones. "just listened to some modded fostex t50rps" and the other "t50rps incremental mods and measurements" names might be slightly different, but a bit of searching will find them, they are usually close to the front page. I'm on my phone, my linking ability is limited, heh

And you nailed it. Even though the impedance is only 50 ohms, orthros are are hard to drive. That was really the main reason I got the soundcard, was for the amp. Although now I realize it was worth it for the quality boost too.

Got my Asus DG for $27. There is another version called the DGX. Same in every way. But uses a PCI-express slot instead of normal pci. Down side is that it costs more around $40

If you have an extra slot open, go for the normal DG.

Also a sound card is tranferilable from computer to computer, and don't go obsolete very quickly. That DG has been around for the better part of at least 5 years

 

[jigglyp]

If you chose to go for the T50RPs over HiFimans keep in mind that they will require ALOT of modding to even come close to something in the $300-600 price range. You have to stuff modeling clay into the drivers and coat the inside of the ear cups in fatmat/dynamat, among other things. If you are deadset on the TR50RPs over the HiFimans and aren't very good at DIY, or you just don't want to do it, there are Mr. Speakers Mad Dogs available for $300. They are the exact same thing as the T50RPS (only different in name), they just come pre-modded for better sound quality and have lamb leather ear pads and are pre-clayed I think as well.
 
If you are bass crazy also keep in mind that the Hifiman HE-400s are considered close or on par with the Audeze LCD-2 ($800 cans) in terms of bass, and the Audeze are considered the king of high quality bass. They are also easier to drive than the T50RPs, at 35 ohms vs 50 ohms, meaning you can drive them out of your ipod or w/e and they'll sound better than the T50RP.