[Maukey]

Hi all,
 
I'm new to these forums and looking for a little advice.  I don't claim to be an audiophile, and in all honesty, don't really know what that means.  I can tell you I'm a musician who values great audio and who must have great sound when watching movies, TV, and gaming.
 
I recently purchased a Turtle Beach Ear Force DSS Dolby Headphone Processor.  It basically gives you 7.1/5.1 Surround Sound from any pair of headphones through the gaming system's optical out; I prefer Headphones when gaming to hear detailed sounds.  I currently have a pair of Sennheiser HD555s and Beats by Dre Studio Headphones (I guess that gets me voted out of the audiophile club based on the hate I've read on this forum LOL).
 
Okay, in all seriousness and to my point, would you all recommend I upgrade to a new pair of cans or will either of the two sets I already have suffice for gaming?  What do you all prefer in a good pair of gaming headphones?  Bass?  Clarity?  The Beats handle the bass from explosions much better than the HD555s.  I have to turn up the Bass Boost on the DSS for the HD555s to get the same result.  However, I do hear some distortion.  The HD555s give better clarity in games.  Like shell casings hitting the ground, reloading sounds being distinct, etc.  This is only what I've noticed so far in my limited time trying each pair of headphones.
 
Thanks!!!

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,
 
Beats for gaming? Eh... sound stage. Nope. Beats are a music headphone, and that's about it.
 
I think the HD555 is fine for gaming. I don't see a need for upgrading unless you're just itching for a new headphone or something. And based on what you have, I'd suggest a completely different line of headphones. Something like BeyerDynamic DT880 or DT990, Fischer Audio FA-011, Ultrasone HFI 2400.
 
Very best,

 

[dachness]

Check out this thread http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lust-envy-aka-shin-cz-s-guide-to-headphone-gaming-particularly-with-dolby-headphone
 
Daniel

 

[Maukey]

Quote:

Heya,
 
Beats for gaming? Eh... sound stage. Nope. Beats are a music headphone, and that's about it.
 
I think the HD555 is fine for gaming. I don't see a need for upgrading unless you're just itching for a new headphone or something. And based on what you have, I'd suggest a completely different line of headphones. Something like BeyerDynamic DT880 or DT990, Fischer Audio FA-011, Ultrasone HFI 2400.
 
Very best,

 
What would you recommend if your budget is $100 or less?

 

[Deadmice]

I've heard good things about the Samson SR850, they sound like a better AD700 afaik. And the price on the samson is well worth a look

 

[NamelessPFG]

There are only two headphones I can directly comment on when it comes to gaming: the Audio-Technica ATH-AD700, and the Stax SR-Lambda.
 
The AD700 is pretty much what everyone says it is. Big, comfortable, wide soundstage, synergizes excellently with binaural surround filters like CMSS-3D Headphone and Dolby Headphone, rolled-off bass, exaggerated treble.
 
The SR-Lambda is an improvement in gaming in terms of frontal positioning (if only slightly; CMSS-3D Headphone may have become a bottleneck with its generic HRTF, though still effective), and the clarity...well, let's just say dynamics start sounding a bit veiled afterward once you've heard the electrostatic sound. If all you're going to do with them is gaming, though, you're probably spending too much. (You'd have to be lucky to find a vintage Lambda with a driver unit for under $300, though it's not impossible.)
 
Also look into the Superlux HD668B/Samson SR850, as already mentioned here. I haven't heard any of them, which is why I'm not going to directly comment on them, but they have many favorable reviews considering their low price point.