[Iqbal]

Hi there
 
I have recently moved my computer to my room and have a 5.1 DTT3500 setup which I am happy with but it gives off alot of noise and i get alot of complaints :s Whoops!
 
I have a Asus Xonar Essence STX and wish to make full use of it!!
 
So am looking to buy the best pair of headphones/headset for me.   my budget is around £200.
 
Now before you ask, yes i have compared many headphones and have browsed this site fully but still cannot conclude which headphones would be the best for me.
 
I used to rock headphones back in the day but they were only a pair of ****ty logitechs so i cant remember if the sound was of high clarity or not.
 
I listen to music like Liquid DnB/dubstep/Hip-Hop/trance/dance and a wide variety of other genres too.
I also game alot and it would be essential that the headphones perform great in this area and for the genres of music I have mentioned, so headsets with better clear bass would be a +
 
 
I have been looking at the Sennheiser HD595, Sennheiser PC360.
 
I have seen the reviews for both but not sure wheather its better to take the HD595 over PC360 as people say sound quality is better on the HD 595. i dont mind attaching a Microphone to a good pair of headphones. I do speak alot on games but Id prioratise Game sounds more, therefore i wish to have a pair of headphones which give awesome soundstage.
 
I have also read the Reviews for the HD600 - HD650 but i do not know how these perform for the gaming aspect of my endeavors.
the HD600 - HD650 is a bit out of my league on price, but i dont mind saving up if they would provide me with a big step in clarity?
 
also would a Astro Mixamp power the HD600/HD650 fully?
 
Thank you for reading & please help me
 
much love
 
iqs

 

[fabio-fi]

Welcome to head-fi!
 
This guide is pretty useful to starters on this. 

 

[BotByte]

Do you want gaming or music headphones?
 
Because a headphone with good soundstage for gaming and bass for dunstep would lead to a balanced headphone, which I would veer away form for you.
 
Sennheiser is probably the worst company to for Dubstep, but they do have their wild cards.
 
Senn HD598 is a rouge of senn along with HD25-1 ii.
 
I love my HD598, and the HD25 was nice too, but Dubstep on them are kinda dead.
 
I love my T50RP's for anything, my review here:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/559233/review-fostex-t50rp-it-s-been-needing-a-review
 
Your soundcard would be able to power them. To give them the best sound, you need to mod them. There are lots of threads on this if you search here. Seriously, you should get these and ask around the T50RP forum for replacement pads. Some Blutak and Dynamat adds bass and nice detail.
 
Then the fallback is ATH-M50's. Lots of bass and nice as a starter.
 
 
ATH-AD700 are great for gaming. Love here only for gaming because they fail at music.
 
For you:
T50RP and future mods.
ATH-AD700 with the boom mic mod. - google it
And see if you can get a decent amp to power the cans. I wouldn't go for a soundcard, but not too much knowledge from me about soundcards. I like amps better.

 

[Iqbal]

Hi there thank you for your reply much appreciated. The AD700 i dont really like them so want to veer away from that.
 
I have narrowed it down to either the PC360/HD595/HD598.
 
I dont understand it some people say the PC360 have 555 drivers in them and some say 595 drivers and they say as a mic is added its ruined.
 
I havnt done much research comparing the 595 to 598 but the price different isnt too far off.
 
ill need to conclude whether the extra £30 for the 598 is better invested then the pc360.
 
 
Gosh its hard to choose a set of cans!!

 

[Iqbal]

After much thought i have gone for the HD595's as my first set of cans as i picked them up Brand New for £75 yesterday from ebay!!!
 
these i think will go nicely with my Essence STX so i cant wait for the new music/gaming experiece
 
Just a few more questions...........
I would like to hook these up to my Xbox & Ps3, i know there are 2 ways about this the Astro Mixamp, and the Turtle Beach Earforce DSS.
 
am leaning more towards the Earforce dss side but as i cant post on the sale/wanted forums does any1 have 1 for sale and would be able to ship to the uk?
 
also my tv has an optical out. should i connect this to the dss or should i connect the optical cable direct from my xbox/ps3 to the dss?? would there be a difference in sound quality?
 
thanks!

 

[ZARIM]

The Ultrasone headphones(HFi2400, Pro 2900) are very good for location cues in gaming and has wider surround soundatge with great bass response.