Help! Gaming recommendations!
Oct 7, 2002 at 6:42 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 16

Jodiuh

Headphoneus Supremus
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Hello all. I'd like to thank you all so far for all of your comments here and over at headwize.com. You're always so friendly to the ".99-Coby-can-crew." I think I'm in the the "still-muddy" classification of headphone users, though
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Some history...

I have no idea how, but somehow, someway, I ended up at headphone.com.

*HeadPhone knowledge up 10 points to 11*

The next day, while riding carts dangerously through the people infested tracks of a local Meijer grocery/other store, I stumbled upon a clearance tag for the Koss portapro jr. headphones. Recalling my "experience" from earlier I snatched at the rack with glee. No go. Nothing hung on the room temperature rod of steel, or aluminum, or...whatever! I checked out the other headphones to see if they carried Sennheiser or Grados. Stop laughing! I need help! Remember
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Suffice it to say, nothing but Sony and Koss phones on the wall. I looked up at that sticker again and thought, "Look harder young padawan."

My jedi skills were on that day...I came home with those retro blue wonders of joy and my life has forever changed. It is now time for me to step up, if only a little. I would like COMFY, "gaming-Ka-Pow! bass-detailed-able to be powered by my klipsch 4.1 headphone out-open/closed-under $100 or if I must,up to $200" headphones. I've used the Sennheiser 570's before and LOVED their fit. Unfortunately, it's been too long to actually remember their sound. I read quite a bit of recommendations and finally decided on the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro's. I've broken them in for over 100 hours on trance and a little tom petty to mix it up
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They sound very detailed and balanced with those two, but for gaming...eh...boooooooooooooo. Dare I say it?!?! In Unreal Tournament 2003 the shock rifle primary sounds "tinny" compared to my Portapro's and it's not just the "boomy bass" of the Portapro's. I've played with eq settings and they just don't sound "fun". I'm not trying to pick apart the music here, lol!! The word I'm looking for is analytical, right? My needs=a fun, good gaming, trance, DVD(read matrix loop), impactful (read not castrated), set of cans that don't make my head feel like I just got out of a vice. The Senny's were too hot and uncomfortable for me as well. So.....

Sony V6/7506

Are they more "fun" than the Senny's?

Sennheiser 570's

Are they really that bad for my needs, (gamespot didn't think so)

Sennheiser 580's

Will the Klipsch jack do them justice?

Beyerdynamic 250-80's

Should I just give in to what seems to be the "favorite"?

I know there are others, but it seems like these stick out. Please do add, subtract, heck...I don't even mind if you flame me a little
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comfort
bass
detailed
easily powered
dvd/games/music would be a plus
100...200 if I have to
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Thanks!!

Jod
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P.S. I will be needing a sponsor for HA soon. Rule #1 I do not have the power to put these things down on my own.
 
Oct 7, 2002 at 6:56 AM Post #2 of 16
V6
They are not more "fun" than Senn. They are cold. But they are under $100, most versatile, very detail, very good deep bass, can be powered by anything, best TV, movie, game phones.
 
Oct 7, 2002 at 7:34 AM Post #3 of 16
...ok...they should probably be easy to wear for long periods of time...not overly bright or fatiguing. The Senn's just sound "dull" to me when I'm playing UT2003.

Jod
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Oct 7, 2002 at 9:54 PM Post #6 of 16
I'm a gamer myself, and I've tried both the DT250-80's and HFI-650's. i like the ultras better than the beyers in everything except comfort..but the comfort can be increased greatly if you use the ultras with beyer velour pads (the only problem is getting a grille to protect the drivers since the grille is attached to the utlra's stock pads, whereas the grille on beyers pads isn't)
 
Oct 8, 2002 at 2:17 AM Post #9 of 16
Quote:

Originally posted by andrzejpw
How are the sr60s for gaming?


Not that great--they end up uncomfy after extended gaming sessions, the cord gets in teh way, they don't always stay on your head, and the specialized stereo imaging of, sayyy, the Sensaura headphone algorithms in a Santa Cruz aren't as immersive as they are in some other headphones...
 
Oct 8, 2002 at 2:33 AM Post #10 of 16
I returned my uncomfy senn 280's and went up to a store in Chicago to audition the Sennheiser 570 and 580. I brought a tranceport 1 cd with Paul Oakenfold with me to determine their personalities. I listened to the 570 and thought, "Hmm...these aren't all that bad." Then I put on those 580 muffins
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I think I heard them for all of 5 seconds before I started giggling like a kid. The 570's were 100 and the 580's were 165, no tax. I decided it would be worthwhile to just go ahead and spend the extra 65 because alllll of you here poopooed the 570's.

They sound fantastic and much more "fun" than those hot and sweaty 280's. And the comfort...

Ok. So now I'm happy, but...

I have 2 questions.

1. Will the headphone output on my Klipsch 4.1's be enough to unbridle this 300 ohm wonder?

2. Breaking them in. They will get better?!?! Any tips on the break in cycle will be appreciated
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Jod
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P.S. My other post about the quality of the 570's has not been replied to yet...this is a pretty funny testament to your feelings on this phone! LOL!!

P.P.S. What's this cord problem with the 580's?

 
Oct 8, 2002 at 6:52 AM Post #11 of 16
Jodiuh: word of cautions
Don't plug them in to the klipsch headphone jack ( and all the computer multimedia speakers in fact) because they will probably sound worst or give tiny improvement(if they do). Get a headphone amp and you will then realise what thhe fuss abt hd580 and hd600 all about.

Let me tell u why I'm, against plugging it into the speakers.. My beyer dt250-80 has darker sound by right and when I plug it to the klipsch pro 2.1 jack, it sounds bright and the bass doesn't go as deep.. the feeling is also different.. I mean the sound characteristic.. amp is the way to go!

For break in, I do not have pink noise etc like some people do.. but what I did was to hook them to my computer and play mp3s nonstop for about few days to 1 week.
 
Oct 8, 2002 at 7:17 AM Post #12 of 16
I don't believe consumer PC audio gear has the juice to drive these babies. Many equipment even have problems with the DT250-80 at higher volumes!

One other thing you could look into if you don't like swapping gear around for listening / gaming is the Beyerdynamic DT231. I've found them perfect for gaming. Lightweight design, reasonably robust, cheap (at least they are in Europe) a bright detailed sound with good enough resolution for gaming use. It does look rather boring but hey, who's gonna watch you gaming, right?

Like the 280 Pro (did you break them in for 40 hours+? There's quite a lot of change AFAIR), the DT231's go pretty deep without flab. But unlike the 280, there's actually sufficient bass volume. Those railguns are really satisfying! And they're certainly a heck of a lot more comfortable.
 
Oct 8, 2002 at 8:23 PM Post #13 of 16
I broke those 280's in for well over 100 hours. They are made to be flat. I don't want flat. I want bumpy.

So I'll be getting a splitter and an amp soon.

But in the mean time, would I be better off using my Klipsch 4.1 headphone jack or my "cheap" Aiwa consumer grade reciever ($200) to power my Sennheiser 580's. My computer soundcard is an audigy.

Jod
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P.S. I know that these Senn's are WAY above the call for gaming, but I also know they're some of the best out there and that gives me lots of room to grow. For now, even out of my "lowly" equipment, they sound MILES above my Koss Portapros
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Oct 8, 2002 at 11:48 PM Post #14 of 16
Eh, neither choice is anywhere near ideal for powering 580s, at least as far as sound quality goes. Both should provide more than enough volume. Try both and see what differences you can tell, if any. My guess is the Aiwa will be somewhat better.
 

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