[armoursingh]

I've just joined after reading a lot of threads here regarding which headphones are best for playing games and watching movies, but since I'm in the UK I am more than likely going to pay double what you guys do for a decent set of headphones.

I.e.
Audio Technica AD700 cost $80 at Amazon but £99.99 at iHeadphones
Audio Technica A700 cost $114 at Amazon but £139.99 at iHeadphones
(Amazon.com wont ship the headphones to the UK either)

I would like to place my budget at £150 max for a good set of headphones which can be used for both console gaming and watching movies, probably about 60/40 ratio.

I know open headphones give a slightly better sound quality and soundstage but I am concerned about the sound leakage, I don't really want anyone to bother me/be bothered by me when playing especially since I play games and watch films at night. Also my PS3 fan goes on full blast after about 15 minutes so I would think that with open headphones I'd be hearing the fan.

The last pair of headphones I used for gaming were the Turtle Beach X1's but I find the bass overpowers everything else and it sucks for watching movies. Would the ATH-A700's be the best headphones to get within my criteria or are there other alternatives within the price range?

I do think closed headphones would be better for my uses but I would really like some feedback on how bad the sound leakage is on open headphones. I don't want to hear my PS3 fan or have my family be disturbed during the middle of the night while I play FPS (I'd be using them on the XBOX 360 too and plan on getting the Astro A40 mixamp soon after).

Thanks in advance for any advice/recommendations

 

[oqvist]

Audio technicas don´t have as good isolation as the DT 770 for example... Maybe good enough for the PS 3 but not for the 360

. Still I don´t expect you to be too annoyed about that.

A900 I had sounded quite good without an amp and it surely worked okay for gaming anyway. Movies it get kind of a dreamy signature. Best for these arty japanese movies rather then the hollywood block busters... Maybe some cheaper Ultrasones can fit the bill.

Next week I will get my German Maestros. the 8.35D monitor is available for less then 140£ so fit that remark. Also get the 400 and 450s. the 8.35D anyway is supposed to have better isolation than the beyers, hardly requiring any amp at all.

 

[armoursingh]

My PS3 is actually louder than my 360

In terms of sound quality will I lose a great deal going with the closed headphones rather than open? I've never used a pair of open backed headphones so I don't have anything to compare to, but since I've seen some HD555's for £60 I was planning on giving them a try while I save up for the A40 mixamp and maybe some A900's..

The ear cups on the 8.35D look a bit weird to me, they must have been designed for people with small ears

I've also seen the A500's for sale for £99.99. Could these do a similar job compared to the A700's? If I can still get good sound quality for multipurpose use (gaming, movies, etc) and save 40 quid it'd be more than good

edit: I've also noticed the DT770/80 Ohm are available for less than the ATH-A700, and people have generally compared them to the A900's for gaming/music.
Would that mean the DT770's are better than the A700's? If so then I would consider them since Amazon.co.uk are doing them for less than £120

 

[oqvist]

Depends. My Pro 900 sound a lot better with less distortion and cleaner sound than the K701 and HD 650 but yes it does cost more

Pro 750 is about on the same level in price and performance. Though I much preferr it´s signature. But these are a bit to expensive for you thus I didn´t recommend them. If you go so cheap if you opt for sound quality in general open headphones. Hopefully the 8.35D Monitors will proove me wrong but DT 770/A900 is not really high fidelity headphones for me

 

[armoursingh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oqvist /img/forum/go_quote.gif Depends. My Pro 900 sound a lot better with less distortion and cleaner sound than the K701 and HD 650 but yes it does cost more Pro 750 is about on the same level in price and performance. Though I much preferr it´s signature. But these are a bit to expensive for you thus I didn´t recommend them. If you go so cheap if you opt for sound quality in general open headphones. Hopefully the 8.35D Monitors will proove me wrong but DT 770/A900 is not really high fidelity headphones for me

Those phones you've mentioned are way out of my price range! Haven't heard much about the Maestros however.

My current closed headphone roundup is

Beyerdynamic DT770 80ohm ~£120
Audio Technica ATH-M50 ~£105
Audio Technica ATH-A700 ~£140

I'm really after a good soundstage for gaming with bass that's not too overpowering as to distort other sounds. They would need to be good for all uses though: gaming, movies and some music

I don't consider myself an audiophile by any means as these will be my first set of proper headphones.

 

[Palpatine]

I use my HD555 with my PS3 and Yamaha receiver. I love it. The HD555 are also great for movies...yes they are open so sound will be heard by others, but not in a different room with the door closed.

 

[Oggranak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oqvist /img/forum/go_quote.gif Audio technicas don´t have as good isolation as the DT 770 for example... Maybe good enough for the PS 3 but not for the 360 . Still I don´t expect you to be too annoyed about that.

Even some of my closed headphones struggle with keeping my 360's noises from reaching my ears. If you sit close to a 360, I would not recommend getting open headphones.

 

[BigTony]

I'd go with the 770/80 pro's - great all rounder - i use them for games too.

 

[Anvil]

Guinea pig for us and try the SRH 440s!

 

[oqvist]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oggranak /img/forum/go_quote.gif Even some of my closed headphones struggle with keeping my 360's noises from reaching my ears. If you sit close to a 360, I would not recommend getting open headphones.

I know the problem but of course the more you isolate the better. Better having some then no isolation.

As mentioned it´s hard to find closed AND cheap headphones with good soundstage and sound so maybe you should stick with what you got? If you want headphones that do everything it´s even harder then you better save up for those I mentioned lol. I don´t think I am as hardcore as I suspect many in here are. I am very happy with my current setup but it´s just fun trying new stuff.

German Maestro I haven´t heard of either prior to a couple of weeks ago... Sometimes you need to take the leap of faith to find what you are after. I really do expect them to be better then the DT 770 Pro for my tastes anyway. But will see next week

 

[armoursingh]

It's funny how my original budget was around £60 (Sennheiser HD555 territory) but after doing some research it's gone up to ~£140/150

I guess the DT770-80 ohm will be the ones to get, I haven't seen any better closed headphones for the price.

360 noise is not a problem if you install the game to the HDD, but a loud PS3 fan that sounds like a vacuum cleaner is a pain!

 

[armoursingh]

I went out and got the DT770/80's today but I don't know what to make of them.

People say they are bass monsters but the bass seems a bit light to me (my CX500's give much better bass but they are in-ear).

The comfort is great but I don't know if these ARE how they're meant to sound or if I've somehow got a faulty pair.

Are there any songs or movies I should use to test out these headphones?

I played COD4 earlier using these plugged into the headphone socket of my speakers and they do seem to be pretty decent for gaming.The soundstage was OK but to be honest in the heat of gunfire you can't really make out much. Played team deathmatch and I could hear people walking around behind me, the 3d positioning was better than my old turtle beach x1's but I find the explosions and gun fire lack depth. (Played on the XBOX 360)

Seeing as I've come from using in-ear headphones with bass boost enabled on my phone (when listening to music) I'm not sure if I'm being too critical of the headphones, but to be honest I wouldn't call them bass monsters.

Hopefully I haven't thrown away £120...


Edit: after playing around with my soundcard settings they seem to sound MUCH better than before. The bass is nice and deep but only when I put the bass to 100% in my X-Fi settings. Hopefully they'll sound much better after I've used them for a while.

 

[shungoh]

I think Denon D1001 fits the bill... and their bass is quite good so you can watch band of brothers and play halo or other FPS and get a high with it