[j0j081]

Hi,
Someone from nvnews.net recommended I come here and ask this question so here goes. I am looking for a relatively cheap ($50-100) headphone for pc gaming. A lot of people have been saying I should get the Sennheiser HD555 but they are a little out of my price range. I am currently using a cheap $20 Sony pair so I'm assuming anything will outshine these. I really have no idea what to get. Would a cheaper pair of Sennheiser's work? If so what one? Thanks for any advice ahead of time. I know experts probably hate these kinda newb questions.

 

[kdread]

Quote:

Originally Posted by j0j081 Hi, Someone from nvnews.net recommended I come here and ask this question so here goes. I am looking for a relatively cheap ($50-100) headphone for pc gaming. A lot of people have been saying I should get the Sennheiser HD555 but they are a little out of my price range. I am currently using a cheap $20 Sony pair so I'm assuming anything would outshine these. I really have no idea what to get. Would a cheaper pair of Sennheiser's work? If so what one? Thanks for any advice ahead of time. I know experts probably hate these kinda newb questions.

That is not a lot of dough for a gaming headphone. What qualities do you look for in a gaming headphone? Eg lots of bass, or mostly comfort, or isolation?

Does Ultrasone make anything in your budget? I think that may be a good route. I know you can get some decent Ultrasones for ~$150... or you could go AT... see if anyone has the Audio Technica ATH-PRO5's, I am not sure how they sound. Audio Technica also offers the ATH-A500/A700 and ATH-A55. I would probably say AT's would be good gaming phones.

Edit: What the hell am I thinking. Sony V6.

Anyway, there are a couple options for ya! Personally I would say the AT's, Ultrasones or Sony V6's would all be decent choices. Maybe you can get some reviews of those specifically.

 

[Andresin]

I can personally recommend the ATH-A500. Haven't heard the others. It's sort of at the edge of your budget though. Sony XD400 is also good, but doesn't do positioning as well as the AT, and I trust AT quality more than Sony.

 

[Emon]

If you want isolation, the Sennheiser HD280 cannot be beat at their price point. They sound fantastic too, great for games and music. Some find them uncomfortable due to the clamping pressure, but you can bend the headband out a little (take the headband apart, bend the steel with pliers) or stick them over a basketball or other large object for a few days. Or so I've been told.

 

[j0j081]

hmm I don't know. this is really complicated as I've never bought an okay headphone before. I'll look into the ones you guys mentioned.

 

[sgrossklass]

I was under the impression that you can get HD555s for $99. That being said, it seems to be yet easier to get a HD590 at such a price, which wouldn't be a bad choice either (which is to say that it would actually be a pretty good choice). Oh, and unless you need isolation, go open, usually gives better sound.

 

[AdamWill]

This question comes up quite a lot at hardforum - Senn 555 and A500 seem to be pretty standard choices there. If you can't find used / refurb 555s in your price range, there's always the lower-end 515s or 497s. As others said, it would help to know exactly what qualities you'd like from the phones. (Soundstage is often desired for gaming purposes, for e.g.)

 

[j0j081]

hmm...i have been doing a little searching and found the XD400 and the HD555 as recommended in this thread but they are probably going to be a little out of my price range. I may be willing to throw in a few more bucks to make it happen if I am convinced it will be worth it. otherwise the XD400 may do. What are your opinions on the XD400? Seems people liked them a few months ago but are they old news now? I see a few people mentioning other Sennheiser models is there one that is more comparible in price to the XD400 and sounds as good if not better?

Edit: here is link to XD400 to refresh your memory if needed.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...onics&v=glance

Also, for those of you asking what I want from these headphones I need something I can comfortably wear for a few hours at a time, has reasonable bass, works okay for watching dvds on my computer, and I'm assuming I need open. These will be used mainly late at night so I'm not expecting any outside noise to interfere.

 

[HypnoLobster]

I would say get the Sennheiser HD555.
Amazingly comfortable. They really do feel like they are not on your head. Perfect for extensive gaming/movies. Bass is definetly there, but it is about as far from floor shaking bass as you can imagine. They also have a nice long cord, so if you are using a headphone out on the computer and it is on the floor, all is well.
Believe me, you will not be dissapointed.

Oh, and if you do get Senn's, let them sit around with music playing through them when you're not using them. This will improve the overall sound. Check out the sticky Headphone 'Burn In' FAQ."

Have fun!

 

[dj_mocok]

I use my Audio Technica AD5 for playing PS2.
I think for gaming it's important to have a headphone that is comfortable to wear for a extended period of time, so maybe a tight headphone aka sennheiser isn't really a good idea.

I sometime play more more than 6 hours non-stop and didn't have any comfort problem.
I think my ears would hurt if I wore tighter headphones (eg.A900) for that many hours. But then, it depends on your head too.

Personally, I would get Audio Technica open air series (the current AD series) for gaming. Or some other not-so-tight heaphones.

But if you only play like 1 hour or so, then all that won't matter of course.

Soundwise, the AD5 give me what I need for gaming. Decent sound, decent soundstage. I will know which direction to look at when someone is shooting at me.
And while playing Metal Gear Solid 3, sometimes I got fooled thinking the sound was from outside, not from the game. For instance, in Snake Eater, I thought the thunder was from outside, and it was going to rain, but it's actually the game. And all this just from a humble AD5 plugged directly to my TV headphone out.

Don't think they have AD5 anymore though, but I believe AD700 is even better than AD5 and as comfortable, and also affordable.

If it's out of the budget, maybe you can try the lower end of the AD series, or just get used one, although I think it's not easy to find a used open air Audio Technica headphones around though.

 

[skudmunky]

Here's what looks like the AD500s on Amazon for 80 bucks. Wow, now I want them. It says original price of 169, which matches the price on the AT website.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...onics&v=glance

 

[dj_mocok]

I think Audiocubes sells AD700 for US$ 159 or something?

But 80 bucks for AD500 is cheap, although the "original" price shouldn't be that high though.
But again, 80 bucks is cheap, I think Audiocubes sells AD500 for 100 bucks or something.

 

[j0j081]

those look pretty nice to. how do I make my final decision?
ad500 and xd400 same price...
hd555 and ad700 a lot more but probably worth it (however I'm not exactly in the monies atm)

 

[skudmunky]

I gotta put teh AD500/700 on my list of potential upgrades...

 

[j0j081]

bump.

read my last post. i want to order these this weekend so any last advice would be great.