[plsdonthurtme]

Hey
 
Lately I have been wanting to step up my audio game. Right now I have a logitech G633 "gaming" headset, but I really want something that sounds good.
 
I play a lot of FPS games, and at a high level aswell so sound is quite important to me. I know its still only 2 speakers, and it's not going to give nearly as good surround as a proper 7.1 or 5.1 sound system would do. But there is something that can be dont to make it better? I really have no idea what DACs or AMPs are I don't know what I'm looking for. 
 
Does anybody have any recommendations for what I could buy? Been looking at the HD650 for a while and heard a lot of good things about it, but if anybody else has a good recommendation ill certainly look at it. 

 

[buke9]

Hey

Lately I have been wanting to step up my audio game. Right now I have a logitech G633 "gaming" headset, but I really want something that sounds good.

I play a lot of FPS games, and at a high level aswell so sound is quite important to me. I know its still only 2 speakers, and it's not going to give nearly as good surround as a proper 7.1 or 5.1 sound system would do. But there is something that can be dont to make it better? I really have no idea what DACs or AMPs are I don't know what I'm looking for. 

Does anybody have any recommendations for what I could buy? Been looking at the HD650 for a while and heard a lot of good things about it, but if anybody else has a good recommendation ill certainly look at it. 

If your using the dsp effects on the sound card you don't want a dac as it will negate those effects. The HD 650 is a very fine headphone for sure (Waiting for my Massdrop HD 6XX's as we speak) . There are many headphones in the same price range that are also very good. What is it that you are looking to improve on as I don't know your current cans?

 

[plsdonthurtme]

Im completely noob when it comes to headphones. Currently im using some "gaming" grade headphones (The logitech G633 headset) 
 
I have tried a few other heaphones of higher grade, and really want some headphones that sound good. (Or atleast better than what I have now) As I said I do play a lot of FPS games, and the current headphones is still only 2 speakers, but I do notice a difference over other lower end "gaming" headphones. So I wish to have the same level of "surround technology" that I have now, but with better sound quality for other things, music especially.

 

[buke9]

Im completely noob when it comes to headphones. Currently im using some "gaming" grade headphones (The logitech G633 headset) 

I have tried a few other heaphones of higher grade, and really want some headphones that sound good. (Or atleast better than what I have now) As I said I do play a lot of FPS games, and the current headphones is still only 2 speakers, but I do notice a difference over other lower end "gaming" headphones. So I wish to have the same level of "surround technology" that I have now, but with better sound quality for other things, music especially.

What other headphones have you tried and what are the improvements your looking for? Well if you want the dsp effects forget a dac. It depends on what headphones you get whether you need a amp or not. What was the budget you want to keep within?

 

[plsdonthurtme]

For the headphones alone I would like to keep it below 400$. I dont have any form of sound card other than the integrated on my mobo (Asus z97-a), so ill probably pay what I need to get a proper one
 
When it comes to improvement, im not really sure. I don't know what aspects that there are that can be improved/worsened. And I don't remember the headphones that I tried, but compared to what I have now they gave a way better audio experience (wich is what i'm looking for)

 

[Monsterzero]

For FPSs,you'll want something with good clarity,non over-powering bass and wide soundstage...pretty much the opposite of HD650,which is a good headphone,but not one I'd choose for FPS duty.

I'd look into the AKG K7 line and a decent amp to drive them,not a DAC,but an amp.

 

[Kost]

I own the hd650 and they aren't gaming headphones. They sort of project the sound inside your head without giving good positional accuracy. My advice is to get headphones that fulfill different purposes rather than trying to get a one size fits all. I personally use the ATH-AD700x for gaming (they don't require amping) you can get them used for really cheap like 80 dollars. I pair it with a modmic. Also check out this guide http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lust-envys-headphone-gaming-guide-3-18-2016-mrspeakers-ether-c-1-1-added
 
If you're just looking for music headphones though the hd650 are amazing. You can find really good gaming ones for under $100 too and still spend less than $400 between the two.

 

[Dulalala]

The Audio Technica AD900X are good for gaming and are relatively cheap. There's also this amp from Sennheiser that I saw about recently, the GSX 1000. I don't know if it's any good but it has a 7.1 virtual surround sound and some other features that they say is useful for gamers. If you're really into gaming maybe this will be a good amp for you? However I know nothing about this amp having just heard about it so take this with a grain of salt.

 

[Kost]

  The Audio Technica AD900X are good for gaming and are relatively cheap. There's also this amp from Sennheiser that I saw about recently, the GSX 1000. I don't know if it's any good but it has a 7.1 virtual surround sound and some other features that they say is useful for gamers. If you're really into gaming maybe this will be a good amp for you? However I know nothing about this amp having just heard about it so take this with a grain of salt.

I've been wanting one of these but at $230 it's way too pricey for a filthy casual such as myself. Is the AD900x better than the AD700x for gaming? The 700 can be driven from anything so I haven't bothered to hook it up to my amp. Only reason to get the GSX1000 to me is for the 7.1 surround.

 

[Dulalala]

  Is the AD900x better than the AD700x for gaming?

Well I haven't heard the AD700X before so I can't really say. 

 

[buke9]

For the headphones alone I would like to keep it below 400$. I dont have any form of sound card other than the integrated on my mobo (Asus z97-a), so ill probably pay what I need to get a proper one

When it comes to improvement, im not really sure. I don't know what aspects that there are that can be improved/worsened. And I don't remember the headphones that I tried, but compared to what I have now they gave a way better audio experience (wich is what i'm looking for)

Your going to get a bunch of different recommendations on headphones. Don't get overwhelmed by it as they are just trying to help you on your journey. There are many headphones in your price range to choose from. I would think most will be better than what you have now. If your looking for gaming headphones then you might want to check out this thread http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lust-envys-headphone-gaming-guide-3-18-2016-mrspeakers-ether-c-1-1-added. I'm not a gamer so much anymore so that will be a good start to check out.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Lately I have been wanting to step up my audio game. Right now I have a logitech G633 "gaming" headset, but I really want something that sounds good.
I play a lot of FPS games, and at a high level aswell so sound is quite important to me. I know its still only 2 speakers, and it's not going to give nearly as good surround as a proper 7.1 or 5.1 sound system would do. But there is something that can be dont to make it better? I really have no idea what DACs or AMPs are I don't know what I'm looking for. 
Does anybody have any recommendations for what I could buy? Been looking at the HD650 for a while and heard a lot of good things about it, but if anybody else has a good recommendation ill certainly look at it. 

 
Assuming this is for gaming on a desktop PC.
 
Creative Labs Sound Blaster Z sound card
 
Audio Technica ATH-AD700X headphones or Sennheiser HD558 headphones.

 

[cossix]

Being an avid competitive gamer myself, I would recommend the 558 or the 598. I've never heard the 558 but I own the latter and it is perfect for fps. Crystal clear for isolating footsteps, it lacks bass bt honestly competitive gaming is not about immersion so that's actually a plus, and the soundstage is outrageous. You also don't NEED a dac/amp to drive them but I use a Fiio E10k because it's not too expensive and it adds some depth. It also has a bass boost switch for moments where you actually want to hear explosions better (movies and some games, don't use bass boost for music). As for the 650s you were considering, they are quite bad for gaming and much too expensive for that sole purpose. They are also harder to drive which means you would need a good quality amp and dac combo for best sound, which would be wasted money for gaming

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I really have no idea what DACs or AMPs are I don't know what I'm looking for. 

 

DAC - Digital to Analogue Converter. It converts those 1's and 0's into an electronic signal.

 

Amplifier - takes that electronic signal and amplifies it to move a transducer, like headphone drivers or midwoofers and tweeters on speakers. Ideally, it should do so without distorting, clipping, or adding noise. Basically, what goes up, comes out more powerful. One of looking at it is that it has to be more like Cassidy to Carnage (still psycho, but stronger) as opposed to Peter Parker to Symbiote host (ex. in Spiderman 3, note the personality change when he was dancing).

 

Neither of these make for surround sound, at least not on their own. What you need is a DSP chip that can simulate surround sound on two channels. In other words, you need a soundcard.

 

You can still use a DAC and amplifier with a soundcard, particularly if you go with a soundcard that for the most part is a good DSP but has a headphone amp circuit that isn't really all that good. Get a DAC-HPamp and connect it to the SPDIF output of the soundcard and you get simulated surround.