Open or closed back headphones for FPS

[L8CS]

This head-fi thread is quite useful and is specifically about gaming. It's about surround mixer outputs, but most of the comments apply to regular stereo outputs as well.

Thanks, I'll check it out.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Notice that on the head-fi thread the top rated headphones for competitive gaming (positional audio cues) are open back designs.

 

[JSt0rm]

open or closed back depends on your operating environment. Is it noisy? Go closed back. If it isnt noisy you should go with open.

 

[L8CS]

open or closed back depends on your operating environment. Is it noisy?

Obviously this is a subjective issue and I will attempt to find common ground.

Most gamers I know, use table & floor fans to cool their environments. Those of you that do and are open back headphone users can help me narrow my search by answering one question: Can you hear your table & floor fans through your open backs while gaming?

If you can, then the fan noise infiltration will be a open back killer for me.

My Swiftech H220's are probably as noisy as a 12" table fan, so I feel it's a good comparison for background noise. Environmental background noise is cumulative and I think we subconsciously compensate for it by cranking up our volume controls, which isn't necessarily a good thing.

 

[z1ggy]

I have opens, only because I don't like the thought of not being able to hear my cell phone, smoke detector, dog barking... etc etc.

I had closed before these, and honestly I can't really tell a huge difference.

 

[CP5670]

Obviously this is a subjective issue and I will attempt to find common ground.

Most gamers I know, use table & floor fans to cool their environments. Those of you that do and are open back headphone users can help me narrow my search by answering one question: Can you hear your table & floor fans through your open backs while gaming?

If you can, then the fan noise infiltration will be a open back killer for me.

My Swiftech H220's are probably as noisy as a 12" table fan, so I feel it's a good comparison for background noise. Environmental background noise is cumulative and I think we subconsciously compensate for it by cranking up our volume controls, which isn't necessarily a good thing.

I don't use a table fan, but they have a low and quiet hum and should not be audible. I don't hear any of my 9 case or CPU fans through the open headphones. Video card fans can be an issue though. My reference 980 is totally inaudible at stock speeds, but makes a slight amount of noise at the OC settings I use, although it's only noticeable if I listen for it. The card has more headroom but starts making too much noise if I push it further and is not worth it.

My earlier GTX 280 was much more loud and annoying in games. Increasing the volume doesn't help, since you hear the noise when nothing is happening in a game and things are silent. It's important to have a quiet video card in the first place.

 

[cmdrdredd]

When playing a game I can't hear stuff going on around me very well with open back headphones. I am focused on the game.

 

[Cerb]

generalizing, we can say that closed are easier to manufacture, give a better result for the money, and make your ears boil.
opens are cooler.

Get some with velour and open-celled foam. AKG and Beyerdynamic, among others, offer several suitable models, with user-replaceable velour pads (mine always need replacing every few years). I hate plastic ear pads, because of the lack of "breathing".

I use open if it's not too noisy, closed if it is, when it comes to games. My main cans are AKGs, and I abuse the mini-XLR cable feature, swapping them at the headset .

I greatly prefer open backed. Closed backs are definitely more boomy and in some designs can have better low response, but I find that the mid range suffers greatly and thus overall sound quality is lower.

Not all closed-backs sound like Beats. In fact, quite a few popular models are not boomy at all. You're just going to find them somewhere like Guitar Center, rather than Best Buy , and most will not be stylish.

 

[JSt0rm]

Obviously this is a subjective issue and I will attempt to find common ground.

Most gamers I know, use table & floor fans to cool their environments. Those of you that do and are open back headphone users can help me narrow my search by answering one question: Can you hear your table & floor fans through your open backs while gaming?

If you can, then the fan noise infiltration will be a open back killer for me.

My Swiftech H220's are probably as noisy as a 12" table fan, so I feel it's a good comparison for background noise. Environmental background noise is cumulative and I think we subconsciously compensate for it by cranking up our volume controls, which isn't necessarily a good thing.

If you have background noise then go with closed back. open back is just that. You will hear the room like it was there. Im looking at getting a pair of these right now:

http://www.stax.co.jp/Export/SR507e.html

But I dont have them yet because my room isnt quiet enough. I am moving in a few weeks and the place WILL be quiet enough for something that serious.

 

[norseamd]

and most will not be stylish.

My AD700 are purplish.

 

[WhoBeDaPlaya]

Yes but compared to equally priced open back options they don't really compare sure they still have decent soundstage but open back headphones will always have an advantage on soundstage due to the increased movement of air through the drivers.

Not always true, eg. the NAD HP50's RoomFeel tech worked pretty danged well.

 

[Cerb]

My AD700 are purplish.

My K240 mkII and K271 mkII are midnight blue. They still look like a retro scifi prop built out of cheap plastic, while yours look like they were taken straight out of a modern tacky anime. While it has nothing to do with comfort, endurance, or performance, I do have to give the likes of Bose, Beats, Skullcandy, and B&O some credit, when it comes to courting the masses .

 

[L8CS]

I don't use a table fan, but they have a low and quiet hum and should not be audible. I don't hear any of my 9 case or CPU fans through the open headphones.

Thanks for the input everybody.

I'm leaning towards the Beyerdynamic DT-880 Pro, mostly because they're Semi-open and neutral sounding. They're suppose to be really comfortable and the Premium version even more because of less clamping force, but it's out of my price range. The DT-990 Pro's is the other possibility and I considered the AKG Q701, but I wasn't crazy about the bumps on the headband.

Anyway, the only way I'm going to know is to try it. If it doesn't work out, back they go and I'll try the Beyer DT-770 or the ATH-M50X's.

 

[JSt0rm]

Thanks for the input everybody.

I'm leaning towards the Beyerdynamic DT-880 Pro, mostly because they're Semi-open and neutral sounding. They're suppose to be really comfortable and the Premium version even more because of less clamping force, but it's out of my price range. The DT-990 Pro's is the other possibility and I considered the AKG Q701, but I wasn't crazy about the bumps on the headband.

Anyway, the only way I'm going to know is to try it. If it doesn't work out, back they go and I'll try the Beyer DT-770 or the ATH-M50X's.

I own both the dt-770 and ath-m50. The dt-770 is more comfortable over a long time however all closed back headphones will get fatigue over time. Very light open backs (electrostatic) are the best sound and comfort.

 

[JSt0rm]

I own both the dt-770 and ath-m50. The dt-770 is more comfortable over a long time however all closed back headphones will get fatigue over time. Very light open backs (electrostatic) are the best sound and comfort.

Forgot to mention I also own the focal spirit pros. They sound great but they are not comfortable over a long time as they sit on the ear.

 

[VulgarDisplay]

Thanks for the input everybody.

I'm leaning towards the Beyerdynamic DT-880 Pro, mostly because they're Semi-open and neutral sounding. They're suppose to be really comfortable and the Premium version even more because of less clamping force, but it's out of my price range. The DT-990 Pro's is the other possibility and I considered the AKG Q701, but I wasn't crazy about the bumps on the headband.

Anyway, the only way I'm going to know is to try it. If it doesn't work out, back they go and I'll try the Beyer DT-770 or the ATH-M50X's.

If you have hair you will not feel the bumps on the Q701's. They are just as comfortable as my old AD700's which are lighter than air and super comfortable.

 

[OVerLoRDI]

Open heads phones is always how I have played. Granted in college my roommate complained they let too much noise through, wife doesn't much like them nowadays either :/ But the HD650s were here first!

 

[L8CS]

If you have hair you will not feel the bumps on the Q701's. They are just as comfortable as my old AD700's which are lighter than air and super comfortable.

I looked hard at the Q701's and liked allot of the features and colors, so I'll reconsider them.

I'm also looking at the HD598's again because the cord length on the Beyerdynamics is to long and not replaceable. I'm sure a 10' cord is great for stereo use, but I only need a 3' cord. At least with the Q701's and the HD598's, I can buy a shorter cord. The ATH-M50X's came with three from what I remember, but they're closed back.

 

[JSt0rm]

If you want to spend some money get a pair of stax. So comfortable.