Help Selecting Headphone (Gaming/Music)

[Feebleminded]

Hello, I have been surfing the headfi forums for quite some time now, and I am ready to make my first *real* high-end headphone purchase (my first was a pair of triports 3.5 years ago which I don't consider anywhere near audiophile quality).

I am looking for a headphone for FPS gaming and listening to music, mainly rock as in Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix etc. I have been looking at the Sennheiser 595's, and the Audiotechnica A900's. I was looking at the DT770's, but I tried my friends out and those are bass canons!

They were amazing for gaming though. The soundstage was wonderful, and the bass made it kind of fun, but when it came to music, the DT770's mids and highs didn't really impress me.

I got a hold of some 555's earlier today and I really liked them as far as the texture of the music goes, and the soundstage they presented. The refined bass response was a breath of fresh air from the Bose which are muddy and undefined. As far as my bass flavor though, I am ok with something between the Beyer bass canons (DT770) and a Senn 580 which is a bit too weak for me.

So I guess I am looking for a comparison between the A900's and the HD595's as far as using them for music and gaming goes. As of right now I am leaning to the 595's, but I have seen a lot of recommendations for the Audiotechnica's, so I don't want to overlook them before I take the Sennheiser plunge.

 

[nibiyabi]

For gaming you want closed, which points you to the A900. But Zeppelin, Floyd, and Hendrix? That just screams Grado. Maybe grab the A900 for gaming and SR60 for music? If you can only grab one, grab the A900. You won't be disappointed -- AudioTechnicas tend to have very sweet mids and just enough but not too much bass (make sure to let them burn in -- the bass is anemic at first).

 

[apatN]

From what ive heard, A900 isn't that great for your tastes. It's a bit faster sounding than the senn hd595. Better for trance-like music. I'd go with the 595, they're also great for gaming, use them myselves too. And for lans, pick the A900, but I wouldn't take my expensive headphones to a lan-party!

 

[ex0du5]

Well I'm a moderate audiophile and a big gamer. There is one thing I know.

You won't find a headphone that will satisfy both music and gaming, unfortunately. The problem is, games require slightly warm, high bass headphones. This increases involvement, it's easier to hear footsteps, and you get less fatigued.

A good pair of audiophile neutral cans will shred your ears open...you won't be able to listen for much more than a half hour before your ears bleed! Sounds in games are far too shrill and in the high KHz range that I find it's important to have them toned down with a warm set of cans.

The DT770 seem like they would be a prime choice for gaming, but I think they're total crap for music. Sennheiser HD595 will most likely be a great compromise between gaming and music, so I would give it a thumbs up.

If you do a lot of online voice chat, I would recommend a headset though. The hassle of having a standalone mic is not worth the better sound quality. A headset mic will serve you far better. Game sounds are not very high quality at this point anyways, so that wouldn't be a big deal. The music would suffer however, and you should invest in a second set of cans for that purpose. If you want a headset, I'd recommend Plantronics .audio 370. Yeah, they're $50 so don't expect the world, but they do great for gaming.

Then go ahead and spent $100 on some Alessandro MS1 for music. The Alessandros (or Grados if you like) are great for rock/metal, and should outdo the HD595 for that purpose. They suck for gaming however.

A lot of decisions to make

Feel free to ask more questions.

 

[Feebleminded]

I still want to keep it to one headphone, and I realize I won't get the best of both worlds, but I am willing to compromise a bit of both, but I do want it to be better at playing music if I had to make a choice. I am still leaning to the 595's, but I am just worried that they won't be lively enough for my taste in music. Also, coming from a closed headphone, it would take some time to get used to the 595's if I did choose to get them.

 

[kool bubba ice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Feebleminded /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hello, I have been surfing the headfi forums for quite some time now, and I am ready to make my first *real* high-end headphone purchase (my first was a pair of triports 3.5 years ago which I don't consider anywhere near audiophile quality). I am looking for a headphone for FPS gaming and listening to music, mainly rock as in Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix etc. I have been looking at the Sennheiser 595's, and the Audiotechnica A900's. I was looking at the DT770's, but I tried my friends out and those are bass canons! They were amazing for gaming though. The soundstage was wonderful, and the bass made it kind of fun, but when it came to music, the DT770's mids and highs didn't really impress me. I got a hold of some 555's earlier today and I really liked them as far as the texture of the music goes, and the soundstage they presented. The refined bass response was a breath of fresh air from the Bose which are muddy and undefined. As far as my bass flavor though, I am ok with something between the Beyer bass canons (DT770) and a Senn 580 which is a bit too weak for me. So I guess I am looking for a comparison between the A900's and the HD595's as far as using them for music and gaming goes. As of right now I am leaning to the 595's, but I have seen a lot of recommendations for the Audiotechnica's, so I don't want to overlook them before I take the Sennheiser plunge.

If your a competitive FPSer player I'd get the Sony SA5000 or the Beyers DT880.. The SA5000 are ultra detailed, with crystal clear clarity.. They aren't the most fun gaming cans due to being a bit lean..But for competition I'd highly recommend them.. Ofcourse the Akg1000 would probally be best, they cost a lot..But the very wide sound stage & incredible detail would really give a player a advantage.

 

[Feebleminded]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kool bubba ice /img/forum/go_quote.gif If your a competitive FPSer player I'd get the Sony SA5000 or the Beyers DT880.. The SA5000 are ultra detailed, with crystal clear clarity.. They aren't the most fun gaming cans due to being a bit lean..But for competition I'd highly recommend them.. Ofcourse the Akg1000 would probally be best, they cost a lot..But the very wide sound stage & incredible detail would really give a player a advantage.

Those are a bit out of my price range. I am really looking for someone who owns the A900's to possibly compare their sound to what I have heard in the Senn's and Beyers. My only fear with the A900's would have recessed mids which I hear a lot of people talking about. I liked the sound the 555's I listened to had, so, how would the presentation of the A900's compare to those.

I really liked the mids that Senn's offer, but it would also be nice to have closed headphones. If only I could listen to a pair of those Audio Technica's

 

[kool bubba ice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Feebleminded /img/forum/go_quote.gif Those are a bit out of my price range. I am really looking for someone who owns the A900's to possibly compare their sound to what I have heard in the Senn's and Beyers. My only fear with the A900's would have recessed mids which I hear a lot of people talking about. I liked the sound the 555's I listened to had, so, how would the presentation of the A900's compare to those. I really liked the mids that Senn's offer, but it would also be nice to have closed headphones. If only I could listen to a pair of those Audio Technica's

Oh, yeah.. You'd have to be a serious gamer to spend 1000 on the AKG's.. But if you were a pro gamer, they would really give you an edge..Beside annoying your opponents

As some tournaments are for a lot of money..