[rverma87]

I'm looking to get my first set of good headphones mainly for gaming on the pc and ps4 and I'm going crazy with the options out there.

What I really want is a good, immersive experience, virtual surround (or the ability to hear accurate directional audio like footsteps in games if it can be done in stereo with exceptional headphones) and wireless is a huge bonus.

Two main options I'm considering are:

-the playstation wireless gold because it's relative cheap, it provides decent sound quality, will let me play games with 7.1 virtual surround and is wireless.
-a good pair of audiophile headphones like the sennheiser hd598 (on Amazon within my price range)

I have a Sony str dn840 receiver and I would plug the sennheiser headphones into the front jack of the receiver. Sadly, the receiver does not have any headphone surround sound fields and would output in stereo only.

Would I have a better gaming experience with the playstation gold headset and their virtual surround sound or would the sennheiser hd598 in stereo outperform the playstation gold due to a superior sound stage?


* budget around $300 CAD (I'm from Canada)
* will be using with ps4 (with a receiver) and pc (with on board sound card on motherboard)... Would an on board sound card be able to drive the sennheisers?

 

[Royal Amethyst]

I gamed with the Sennheiser HD 598 for 3 years, and it's definitely got an open and clear sound that really brings the atmosphere in. I was also using a Xonar Essence STX, so there was probably some good surround-to-stereo processing going on too. But the HD 598 will disappoint you if you're expecting loud, boomy explosions. There's not a lot of bass impact.

 

[rverma87]

How do you think the experience would be in stereo compared to a virtual surround sound from what I assume are lower quality playstation gold headphones?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Astro Mix-amp, for use with the gaming console (PS4).
(buy a used Mix-amp, off eBay?)
Asus Xonar DG or DGX sound card, for the PC.
You would then have Dolby Headphone surround sound, with PS4 and PC.
 
Sennheiser HD 558 headphones, with the black rubber tape removed from inside the cups, makes the HD558 sound somewhat more like the HD598.
 
Really have no need to use the Sony receiver with the headphones

 

[rverma87]

Purchasing all those items puts me thoroughly outside my budget unfortunately. I was trying to cut costs by using the Sony receiver with my console and my on board sound card with my pc and perhaps later purchase a mixamp and sound card when funds are available,which may not be for some time.

My question is whether a playstation gold headset would provide a better experience than the hd598s in this particular case where I'd have to use the hd598s in stereo from the receiver and with my on board sound card on pc. I'm quite sure that they would be vastly superior to the gold headset if I bought a mixamp and sound card, but I can't justify that additional cost just yet. A 2013 mixamp is around $100 cad shipped off ebay, xonar is around $35 shipped on Newegg and the hd598s are $260 cad on Amazon.

Perhaps even if it was a tie I would go with the hd598 and bide my time til I could get a mixamp. Could I plug the mixamp into the pc and bypass my on board sound card? It would mean moving the mixamp every time I switched gaming platforms but it would be a temporary solution.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Purchasing all those items puts me thoroughly outside my budget unfortunately. I was trying to cut costs by using the Sony receiver with my console and my on board sound card with my pc and perhaps later purchase a mixamp and sound card when funds are available,which may not be for some time.

My question is whether a playstation gold headset would provide a better experience than the hd598s in this particular case where I'd have to use the hd598s in stereo from the receiver and with my on board sound card on pc. I'm quite sure that they would be vastly superior to the gold headset if I bought a mixamp and sound card, but I can't justify that additional cost just yet. A 2013 mixamp is around $100 cad shipped off ebay, xonar is around $35 shipped on Newegg and the hd598s are $260 cad on Amazon.

Perhaps even if it was a tie I would go with the hd598 and bide my time til I could get a mixamp. Could I plug the mixamp into the pc and bypass my on board sound card? It would mean moving the mixamp every time I switched gaming platforms but it would be a temporary solution.

 
I was suggesting a used Senn HD558, which should be a fair bit cheaper then a new Senn HD598.
I know zero about the Playstation Gold headset, I'm sure a Senn HD558/HD598 is better.
 
Here are some used HD558 for 120 CAD.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/262695325208?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
 
Used Astro Mix-amp for 54 CAD (+shipping)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/262688254395?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

[rverma87]

Hmm, I hadn't really considered used stuff but that would definitely get me into good audio territory without breaking the bank. How does the 2013 mixamp compare to the 2015 version? No significant deficiencies I assume?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Hmm, I hadn't really considered used stuff but that would definitely get me into good audio territory without breaking the bank. How does the 2013 mixamp compare to the 2015 version? No significant deficiencies I assume?

 
Have no idea on how the different Mix-amps compare to each other.
But I say to go with whatever is cheapest, what is still in good working order.