Gaming headphones vs. normal headphones

[Craig234]

My gaming now rarely needs a mic. Out of habit, I picked up the HyperX Cloud II headphones as a 'great pick' for gaming headphones.

But now I realize I have a choice. What about something like Sennheiser 598 or 600, ATX m50s or m50X for gaming headphones?

(We're not going to talk about whether I already have all four of those, all unopened, because of sales). Is there a clear best pick for gaming?

 

[TechBoyJK]

I like beyerdynamic dt 770's

much comfort
such sound

 

[Squeetard]

My logitech G35's have been good to me. The simulated 7.1 surround, while not perfectly directional, is way better than stereo for gaming.

 

[SMOGZINN]

Nope, there is nothing special about gaming headphones. Even if you need a mic there are good arguments for a good pair of audiophile headphones and a decent lapel or desktop microphone.

 

[DarkRipper]

I go for comfort first, and worry about sound second.

It's a game, I don't need them to be able to capture the highs and lows of classical music.

 

[ControlD]

I use my ATH m50x headphones when I game at night and they do an excellent job. As a bonus they make for awesome non gaming headphones as well.

One nice feature is the removable cords that come with them. I can use the long cord when gaming and then swap back out to the short cord if I am traveling.

 

[DigDog]

buy any reputable brand headphones (AKG, Beyer, Audio Technica, Sennheiser, etc) and attach a Antlion ModMic to them: best gaming headphones this side of dreamhack.

 

[sweenish]

buy any reputable brand headphones (AKG, Beyer, Audio Technica, Sennheiser, etc) and attach a Antlion ModMic to them: best gaming headphones this side of dreamhack.

This is always the answer.

 

[DarkRipper]

buy any reputable brand headphones (AKG, Beyer, Audio Technica, Sennheiser, etc) and attach a Antlion ModMic to them: best gaming headphones this side of dreamhack.

Does this work on a Mac?

I game on a '15 MBP.

 

[norseamd]

Nope, there is nothing special about gaming headphones. Even if you need a mic there are good arguments for a good pair of audiophile headphones and a decent lapel or desktop microphone.

This.

Audio Technica AD-700 are a very nice set of headphones.

 

[Midwayman]

I go for comfort first, and worry about sound second.

It's a game, I don't need them to be able to capture the highs and lows of classical music.

This. Comfort means over ear for me. Then I want an open air so I can hear my wife yelling for me. Much higher WAF with gaming if I respond when she calls.

 

[mnewsham]

I use AKG K712 studio headphones and a CAD U37 microphone on an adjustable mic arm.

The sound quality offered by good headphones is generally going to be far better than any gamer headset.

Use the HD600 if you have a decent amp, HD 598 if you don't. Both of those should be best for positional accuracy.

If you want a more cinematic experience, the M50s will provide a sealed environment and provide more bass emphases.

I personally would use the HD600 in your case, but I have a decent amp/DAC setup to power them.

 

[maevinj]

I just picked up a pair of HD 598 on a BF sale. Going to replace my 8 year old HD 555. Best dollars I ever spent. Sound is great in game and for music.

 

[DarkRipper]

Much higher WAF with gaming if I respond when she calls.

lol! This is SO TRUE

 

[Sabrewings]

I love my G933s. For my situation, wireless was a must. The mic is also required for Voice Attack for me, and maybe doing some with friends streaming. They sound GREAT, and I have had various levels of Sennheiser headsets. The virtual 7.1 works perfectly (have an actual 7.1 as well and can't tell a difference in the positioning).

They're a bit pricey, but the wireless ability is worth it. I've had them weeks now and had no drop outs.

 

[JSt0rm]

dt1770 just got released. Educate yourself on the types of headphones first.

Open back

Closed back

Over ear

On ear

 

[JSt0rm]

I love my G933s. For my situation, wireless was a must. The mic is also required for Voice Attack for me, and maybe doing some with friends streaming. They sound GREAT, and I have had various levels of Sennheiser headsets. The virtual 7.1 works perfectly (have an actual 7.1 as well and can't tell a difference in the positioning).

They're a bit pricey, but the wireless ability is worth it. I've had them weeks now and had no drop outs.

You should be able to tell the difference. Without accurate modeling of your outer ear, pina and face shape the filtering wont be accurate. They can get close but center channel information is the hardest because your brain uses the shape of your head to filter that sound.

If you have the money get a smyth realizer. I have one and it is the most accurate headphone surround system you could ever dream of.

 

[destrekor]

Nope, there is nothing special about gaming headphones. Even if you need a mic there are good arguments for a good pair of audiophile headphones and a decent lapel or desktop microphone.

There's plenty special about headphones - they have frequency responses that cater to gaming, but aren't at all remarkable for most other things.

I was satisfied with my Logitech G35 - but I've given up on those. I don't even use headsets much, I don't talk. If I do, I have a standard pair that can go one ear and play with speakers - but even then, like when I was playing Planetside 2 pretty heavily, I only used it to listen to a Teamspeak channel, I never participated lol.


But if you want the most versatile cans, then better, more neutral headphones are superior in every way. And good ones will still do great at gaming, heck, probably even better without any DSP mixed in. Some of course are better at imaging than others, so not all of them will be superior at picking out enemies on your six or wherever they are.

I haven't been playing much of anything as of late, too busy with work... after the holidays, though, I'll get to test my new Sennheiser HD598s and see how it handles localization/imaging in games.

 

[destrekor]

You should be able to tell the difference. Without accurate modeling of your outer ear, pina and face shape the filtering wont be accurate. They can get close but center channel information is the hardest because your brain uses the shape of your head to filter that sound.

If you have the money get a smyth realizer. I have one and it is the most accurate headphone surround system you could ever dream of.

Oooo, combine that with a VR headset... that could be magical.

edit:
holy shit that price D:

 

[Craig234]

If you have the money get a smyth realizer. I have one and it is the most accurate headphone surround system you could ever dream of.

I never heard of that, but checked reviews and they are crazy about it - though it's $3700 in a package, which the reviews say it the best money they've spent on any item.

It sounds awfully complicated - and they keep talking about how the value is in 'modeling expensive setups' and needing to get such setups to let them use them to get the setup.

 

[Craig234]

Still deciding - the only vote I saw for what I listed is HD 600, no one said to use the gaming headphones. Hm.

 

[ControlD]

Still deciding - the only vote I saw for what I listed is HD 600, no one said to use the gaming headphones. Hm.

I voted for the m50x ...

 

[cmdrdredd]

Ideally you'd want to go somewhere that has a few models of headphone to demo and see what kind of sound you prefer. Bring your own music or videos on your phone and plug it in.

You could always buy some gaming headphones but I think you'd be happier with some good headphones from a reputable brand that has actual sound engineers working on their product and adapt them for gaming purposes. After all, gaming headsets are just headphones with a mic and usually not a good one at that. Only a couple companies offer anything approaching audiophile quality marketed for gaming. Sennheiser does but they cost more than most other gaming headsets out there so a lot of gamers scoff at them since they think their $50 Turtle Beach stuff is fine.

 

[norseamd]

Ideally you'd want to go somewhere that has a few models of headphone to demo and see what kind of sound you prefer. Bring your own music or videos on your phone and plug it in.

You could always buy some gaming headphones but I think you'd be happier with some good headphones from a reputable brand that has actual sound engineers working on their product and adapt them for gaming purposes. After all, gaming headsets are just headphones with a mic and usually not a good one at that. Only a couple companies offer anything approaching audiophile quality marketed for gaming. Sennheiser does but they cost more than most other gaming headsets out there so a lot of gamers scoff at them since they think their $50 Turtle Beach stuff is fine.

Good idea, but many headphones are going to need amps. A company laptop at Best Buy, let alone a smartphone is not going to be able to adequately run high-end headphones. I remember being all content to listen to some $750 Sennheiser HD700 and wondering why they sounded no better, and even worse in some ways, than my $100 Audio Technica AD700. My Audio Technica AD700 could be driven off my Asus Xonar DX soundcard, while a apple laptop was insufficient to drive the Sennheiser HD700.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Good idea, but many headphones are going to need amps. A company laptop at Best Buy, let alone a smartphone is not going to be able to adequately run high-end headphones. I remember being all content to listen to some $750 Sennheiser HD700 and wondering why they sounded no better, and even worse in some ways, than my $100 Audio Technica AD700. My Audio Technica AD700 could be driven off my Asus Xonar DX soundcard, while a apple laptop was insufficient to drive the Sennheiser HD700.

The point is you want to listen to as many different options as you can. Same with buying a TV. You look at them in the store right? They don't look the same as they will in your house, but you still demo it.