Sorry i thought it would appear a little rude if I asked for help/advice in the same message.
I am an avid PC gamer and currently enjoy playing Battlefield 4 on PC. I have never really owned a nice set of headphones before. Previous headphones were Turtle beach (I can hear the audiphiles cringe!) X41 wireless which seemed ok. Curerently I have the razer kraken 7.1 headphones (headset?) link here:
http://www.razerzone.com/gb-en/store/razer-kraken-71-classic?src=pgm.81590000&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=razerkraken&utm_campaign=adwordsukbrandaudiokraken&gclid=CMXLsIWIjckCFWEUwwodMAMEVA
The problem I have is that I can compare these headsets only to what I have previously had for gaming. I have only recently started gaming again after a long time. 20 yrs ago I owned a Creative Soundblaster EA (environmental audio) card with a creative 5.1 surround speaker system, which was absolutely fantastic quality and the sound positioning was incredible! I could probably have still been able to play the game blindfolded, it was that good. So maybe I will never again hear sound like this in a set of headphones? Tempus fugit and I now have a 4 year old son and a much smaller house so I need headphones, speakers are not an option right now. Come to think of it, the more I remember my old creative sound setup the more I want good sound on my PC!
I dont listen to much music, if any at all, using headphones. That is not to say that I won't in the future. I have not had the pleasure of listening to the Rolling Stones through very good headphones
However, gaming is where it is at for me. So...where to begin? :/
I have an Asus Maximus Ranger vii motherboard with a soundcard onboard: "SupremeFX"
https://www.asus.com/uk/Motherboards/MAXIMUS_VII_RANGER/
How good this card/chip is I dont really know (my Kraken headset has a built-in 'sound card' and is USB connection) but if you scroll down on the link above there is info on the audio, and further information can be found by clicking on "specification" at the top of that page. Or possibly the Asus Xonar U5 5.1 USB sound card; Asus Xonar DSX 7.1; or I see that the Asus DG also gets v good reviews but these are all old? I really have no idea.
I dont really have a specific budget...that is not to say I want to spend many hundereds of £'s but I would first like to get an idea of where performance 'drops-off' in relation to cost of the product and thats possibly (?) where I will find my budget. Approx budget is £200 or thereabouts, £300 is possible but not desirable. Also as I understand it, gaming provides its own unique demands on audio hardware. I still do not understand the tech required to power individual headphones and where if any, bottlenecks might crop up regarding choices. I dont know if I will need an AMP or a DAC or/and a soundcard, all of which I am happy to consider.
So first of all I was about to press the 'buy' button on amazon for the Sennheiser Gaming Headset 363HD. Then I someone in a game of Battlefiled said "don't buy a 'gaming' headset' they are trash! So this prompted me to do some research, many hours of research....and here I am,even if slightly more whithered than before! I am looking at the following headphones:
Sennheiser 363HD http://en-uk.sennheiser.com/pc-363d-surround-sound-gaming-headset
Sennheiser HD585 http://en-uk.sennheiser.com/audio-headphones-stereo-hifi-hd-558
Kingston Hyper-X Cloud gaming headset (apparently one of the few good gaming headphones)
Beyerdynamic DT990 PRO
Audio Technica AD700X (Apparently these fit people with large heads better, I have a 'narrow' head so these are probably not an option?)
Philips X2 (users have complained of sweaty ears?)
I have read that the Sennheisers are bass light, but could I not solve this with an AMP/DAC?
I find my kraken headset to be very 'muddy' (muffled) this is improved if I turn off the simulated 7.1 surround software. However the Krakens do not seem to be able to provide good positional sound without the software enabled. I would like a surround sound feature with whatever phones I buy so I can turn it on/off if required, so long as this doesnt restrict my choice of headphones too much.
I did watch a great youtube video of a guy who had approx 14/16 headphone sets on his desk and went through the pros and cons
On a side note: I still have this old Turtle Beach DSS Dolby digital sound processor that I used for my gaming console years ago. Not sure it would be usefull for my PC and the quality of headphones I am looking to buy now though.
http://www.turtlebeach.com/product-detail/accessories-legacy/ear-force-dss/239
OMG I have written a small novel :/ If you are still reading this, god bless you!
Thank you for your advice and guidance, I very much appreciate it! I look forward to "hearing" what you have to say!
