[hypno]

Hi there, I'm totally new here, I decided to register because I know you guys over here are way more experienced than I am or the majority of the gaming forums I normally go to .
 
Okay so, I am/was what you could maybe call a "professional gamer", I've been travelling around the world to gaming events for the last couple of years and was lucky enough to win some money with it. Since 2005, I've been using my Sennheiser HD280 Pro and I've been loving them with all of my heart, but unfortunately after some years the ear cushions are getting totally messed up and it already broke some plastic parts also (which I used superglue but anyway its just too old). So I'm looking for a replacement after some research I found out some options that might be the best option for me:
 

1. Sennheiser HD380 Pro
2. Beyerdynamic DT770 (80ohm version)
3. Sennheiser PC350 (I like them mainly because they've got a mic and sometimes I indeed need a mic)
4. Rebuying HD280 Pro (actually the last option, i would actually want something better)

 
Please keep in mind that I won't use an amp, mainly because when you go to tournaments you just play on the tournament computer ( onboard sound, yeah I know it sucks) with your own peripherals but you're not allowed to bring an amp or anything, it needs to be more or less standard and default, in order to be "fair". I will also use these headphones for some mixing on Traktor with a MIDI controller (nothing serious), I don't mind the bass being as good as the HD280 Pro (which i know that it isn't awesome), the most important thing for me is actually blocking the noise (since I play a duel game and the sound is VERY important, and normally these events are very noisy, booths, advertisements, etc).
 
So I'm looking forward a suggestion from you guys, my budget can't go any further 200$/150€ and I'm looking for a better replacement for the HD280 Pros that served me so well during these years.
 
Thank you!

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

Oh it's you, the duel champ from UT series. I'm part of europe's leading UT3 warfare clan or was anyway as it's pretty much dying now.
 
I would stay away from DT770 Pro/80, while you would probably get good enough volume of it even from onboard sound but you might have it set fairly high, it wouldn't be worth it sound quality-wise for that price IMO. If amping had been possible it had been a very good option though, altough from a progamer's point of view probably a bit too bassheavy. 
 
I'm not completely sure how well they are fit for gaming from 3D positional sound aspect (though if you only get to use crappy realtek onboard sound then no headphone would provide very good positional audio anyway) but http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/home_en.nsf/root/professional_headphones-headsets_headphones_502188 would block out ambient noise well,  They cost somewhere around 160 ~ 170€ I think, just a bit over your budget though.
 
Hmm looks like HD 280 have a bit better isolation though, you probably won't find better than the HD 280 unless going for active noise cancelling. http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=6&graphID[]=513&graphID[]=533&graphID[]=713 - didn't know the beyers had such great isolation. But I doubt it would be that much of a difference.
 
Don't know about HD 380 Pro but I suppose it's least as good if not slightly better, according to Sennheiser the attentuation is up to 32dB, same as HD 280 Pro which is really high but that's measured in special conditions that wouldn't reflect realworld use. Some1 else can probably fill up with more info about those.

 

[hypno]

Hi nice to see someone from gaming here! yeah unfortunately ut3 is pretty much dying, im playing some quakelive these days! =)
 
About the headphones yeah well, bass isn't really good for gaming, even tho I dont mind some, specially for mixing. I really think I'm gonna pick up hd380 pro, they look better than the hd280 at least.. read some reviews from users that bought it and looks like a good pick, even tho I would like the opinion from someone more expert what I also like about the HD380 pro is that it comes with a carrying case, even if it sounds silly, that can be very usefull for me since I always have every peripheral (mouse, keyboard, etc) in my backpack and it kinda damages it every time i travel :/.
 
Looking forward more feedback, thanks for your reply =)

 

[VulgarDisplay]

I'm wondering why you can't have an amp at a LAN?  
 
If all else failed I would just take a portable amp like the upcoming FiiO E11 and get a better set of headphones.  That way you have a batter operated amp that will get you the volume you need, any won't require any more wires to power it.  If you were going for closed gaming headphones I would recommend the dt770's.  For open you should check out the ad700's, dt880's, dt990's or hd555 depending on your price range.  

 

[Skarecrow77]

I've heard very good things about the Sennheiser HD25-1 II cans, but they're at the very top of your price range, and they're on-the-ears cans which I personally hate for gaming.
 
The Senn 555/595/558/598 family isn't supposed to be difficult to drive, and they're going to be quite comfortable for long periods of time as around-the-ear cans. I used to run the HD570 and HD590 cans (the predacessors to this line) direct from onboard sound for hours and hours of gaming (mostly competitive ladder Tribes. I miss that game sometimes. The only people left who play it seem to all be 12 years old). The soundstage on these are supposed to be better than my old 570/590s, but they are quite open. I never had any problem with this at LANs personally, but you might.
 
The 32ohm Beyer family, specifically the 770s, might be ok but I've heard that the 32ohm beyers are more difficult to drive than you might think due to low sensitivity compared to other 32ohm cans.
 
There's another thread going on here (check page 2) regarding the Audio Technica ATH-M50 and their suitability for gaming.

 

[hypno]

 
Quote:

I'm wondering why you can't have an amp at a LAN?  
 
If all else failed I would just take a portable amp like the upcoming FiiO E11 and get a better set of headphones.  That way you have a batter operated amp that will get you the volume you need, any won't require any more wires to power it.  If you were going for closed gaming headphones I would recommend the dt770's.  For open you should check out the ad700's, dt880's, dt990's or hd555 depending on your price range.  

Normally it isn't allowed since you're not even playing on your own computer, I rember at Electronic Sports World Cup in Paris some guy brought his external USB soundcard and he wasn't allowed, he had some issues with it. Basically I need it to be plug and play, almost and also I want something that works well out of the box, like the hd280 pros! even for ipod they work ok =)
 
@Skarecrow77
The headphones you told me about are open (besides the dt770) :/ and I'm looking for closed headphones, mainly because tournaments are very noisy and you can't hear sh**! And also because I got used to this, even at home its awesome, I dont hear my mom, dog or sister anymore .
 
I would love someone with feedback from the HD380 Pro, if they're actually better than the HD280 pro and isolate as good as them it might be the best option! The huge bass from the DT770 kinda scares me, its not good at all for gaming!
 

 

[VulgarDisplay]

That's the beauty of a portable amp.  They are battery powered and you just need to hook a 3.5mm cable to them and then your headphone into them.  If that is a problem at a competition then they wouldn't allow you to use your own headphones either.  

 

[misformatt]

Most closed Ultrasone models provide excellent noise attenuation.  My PRO 900 have really impressed me as gaming cans.  For $200 or slightly under, you might look into the HFI-780 or the PRO 650 (or even a used PRO 750).  None of those models have steep power requirements, and the PRO models even come with a slick carrying case, which would be convenient for LANS (the HFI ships with a pouch instead of a hard case).  The S-Logic does a decent job of expanding the sound stage on their closed cans, which could be important, as you're looking for universal compatibility (no sound card enhancements).

 

[hypno]

Hmm, ok. How much would cost a portable amp? and which one do you recommend me? I never used an amp so I have no clue about it ^^. Thanks!

 

[VulgarDisplay]

I personally don't have a portable amp, but there is a wealth of knowledge about them in the portable amp forum.  The fiio e11 is coming out fairly soon, and is going to most like cost under $100.  No idea how it sounds yet, but I'm sure I will be picking one up as soon as I can.  

 

[joecinq03]

I wouldn't bet on being able to use a portable amp at any LAN competitions; tournament organizers are notoriously stubborn as I'm sure you well know by now. 

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

Yea it wouldn't be worth the hazzle in case the noobish tournament organisers doesn't know what the stuff does etc (yes they probably don't even know it would be a portable headphone amp when they see one), HD 380 Pro looks like the most suitable headphones for you IMO and on the paper it should be even slightly easier driven than 280 Pro with both lower impedance and higher sensitivity. HD 25-1 II is on-ear headphones and in my experience "on-ear" doesn't work quite as good as circumaural for gaming IMO (not always but more often than not).

 

[Skarecrow77]

The HD25-1 II are closed, that's why i recommended them first. But again, they sit on your ears, not around them, so that's a big dealbreaker for me.
 
Regarding open headphones though, as I said, I wore open headphones at tons of LANs with no problems, but to each their own.
 
I'll be curious to see what you end up with, and if you like them.
 
Also, external usb soundcard is different from portable amp. no drivers needed. output from soundcard goes into amp. headphones plug into amp. computer doesn't know amp exists, headphones don't know amp exists. only your ears know.
 
 
 

 

[hypno]

I've been reading some reviews and comments about the HD380 Pro and they seem an awesome replacement for the HD280 Pros, I've noticed tho there are so many haters about the HD280 Pro, i find it so weird cuz I've been loving them so much anyway ;D.
 
The only thing I found the Sennheiser PC350 a good option was mainly because of the mic, but I've been reading stuff that they're not worthy the price and stuff, prolly I'll just buy a normal USB mic when rarely I need it for team games or skype whatsoever.
 
About the 25-II as Skarecrow77 said they do sit on the ears, and normally from the headphones I tryed I kinda hated that :/ (got some phones from my team sponsor recently, ozone strato and they were crap , + I have big ears lol). Now I think I'm undecided between the Beyerdynamic DT770 and Senn HD380Pro, but beyerdynamic is more expensive and the bass is heavier so maybe that isnt good at all for gaming! About the amp I wouldn't mind maybe trying some but that goes a bit beyond my budget, I just hope if I buy the 380Pro the sound is ok even with onboard sound (even tho I have a Sb X-Fi on my gamingdesktop) mainly because I've been gaming sometimes with my laptop connected to a CRT monitor ;D (Realtek onboard audio crap).
 
Skarecrow I could think about open headphones if I didn't use HD280 Pro for almost 6 years I can't go back to open unless I'm closed inside my room without no one talking which isn't the case 90% of the time
 
Thanks again o/