[BigPoppaDrock]

Hello Head-Fi! I’m in the market to upgrade my PC gaming headphones and would love to hear your thoughts as to what direction I should go in.

I play exclusively FPS games like PUBG and CoD so positional audio cues are very important. Currently my set up is a Limited Edition Creative Soundblaster X7 DAC amp paired with a Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro. I’ve used a variety of gaming specific headphones like Sennheiser GSP 600s and Arctis Pro but I’d really like to target a high quality audiophile headphone as I feel one paired with the X7 will give me better results.

After reading various forums, I’ve had my eye on purchasing a used HD800S as it seems like that’s about as good as it can get for a wide soundstage and still maintaining extreme accuracy in positioning. Do you guys agree? Or would you steer me in a different direction? Budget wise it would be awesome to stay below $500 but I’d be willing to make an exception for truly spectacular headphones.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Mightygrey]

You'll get great results from a. Philips Fidelio X2HR with plenty of change from $500.

 

[BigPoppaDrock]

Thanks for the recommendation! Would you say that’s the highest end headset out there for gaming? I don’t mind spending more if it means a better level of performance.

 

[YJX94]

AKG K712 is the best value headphone for any type of gaming but it requires proper amplification.

 

[BigPoppaDrock]

Thanks for the heads up. Would you say it’s better than the K702? I’ve seen that mentioned as a good gaming headset due to its soundstage but then there are conflicting reports of how accurate the positioning is. Would you pick either the K712 or K702 over an HD800s? I’m pretty sure my Soundblaster X7 amp can power any of them.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Hello Head-Fi! I’m in the market to upgrade my PC gaming headphones and would love to hear your thoughts as to what direction I should go in.

I play exclusively FPS games like PUBG and CoD so positional audio cues are very important. Currently my set up is a Limited Edition Creative Sound Blaster X7 DAC amp paired with a Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro. I’ve used a variety of gaming specific headphones like Sennheiser GSP 600s and Arctis Pro but I’d really like to target a high quality audiophile headphone as I feel one paired with the X7 will give me better results.

After reading various forums, I’ve had my eye on purchasing a used HD800S as it seems like that’s about as good as it can get for a wide soundstage and still maintaining extreme accuracy in positioning. Do you guys agree? Or would you steer me in a different direction? Budget wise it would be awesome to stay below $500 but I’d be willing to make an exception for truly spectacular headphones.

Thanks for your help!

The DT990 seems to be popular with FPS gamers, not sure how much noticeable improvement for FPS gaming, with other headphones.
For FPS gaming, I would have gone for the Audio Technica ATH-AD700(X), it's very bass light.

 

[YJX94]

Thanks for the heads up. Would you say it’s better than the K702? I’ve seen that mentioned as a good gaming headset due to its soundstage but then there are conflicting reports of how accurate the positioning is. Would you pick either the K712 or K702 over an HD800s? I’m pretty sure my Soundblaster X7 amp can power any of them.

K702 has a bigger soundstage than the K712 but less accurate imaging, I play competitively with the K712 and I have no issues pinpointing where enemies are to the point where I get accused of hacking because I know EXACTLY where they are but for this to work properly the game's audio engine has to be good in the first place, an amazing headphone won't magically make crap sound golden. K712 is the best and most refined in the K7-- series by AKG and is a very good all rounder headphone, I would undoubtedly take it over an HD 800 given the price difference. The X7 should be more than enough to power them as well.

 

[Sefelt103]

Beyerdynamic T1. Smaller soundstage than Sennheiser's HD800 but great imaging. Used early versions can be good value. 600ohm impedance and 102db/mW makes them harder to drive but not excessive.

 

[BigPoppaDrock]

Thanks everyone for the recommendations! I think I’m going to give the K712 Pros a shot and see how that works to start. Really appreciate your help!