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Speakers or Headphones?

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Do you use speakers or headphones for PC gaming?

  • Speakers

  • Headphones

Results are only viewable after voting.
Usually speakers... though when I'm playing with friends and on vent, I'll wear a headset and use the mic/headset speaker for vent, and then my normal speakers for the sound effects and/or music...
 
Mike Gayner said:
Do you use speakers or headphones primarily for your PC gaming? Personally I've never felt comfortable with headsets, and I like big sound that's simply unachievable with small drivers. Currently I run my PC and Xbox through a set of Logitech Z-5500s which are great in my small office (about 10sqm).
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You, my friend, either have an awesome man cave, or you don't have any wife and children.... There's no way you can throw a grenade and not a) piss the wife off, and/or b) wake up the kids.......
 
It's not an either/or proposition. Speakers are way better if you are playing a game without voice and don't need to worry about bothering other people. If you are using voice or want to avoid disturbing somebody then you put on the headset.
 
BudAshes said:
Wireless headphones are the best thing ever.
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Right... Except the less RF waves you have flying anywhere near your head at any point of the day, the better it is for you. Yeah, I know that we are constantly surrounded by RF radiation, and yes, I know that Wi-Fi frequency is by far not anywhere close to cellprones, but STLL, better to minimize the amount of wireless devices in your household when possible, without going crazy over it off course.
 
ibex333 said:
Right... Except the less RF waves you have flying anywhere near your head at any point of the day, the better it is for you. Yeah, I know that we are constantly surrounded by RF radiation, and yes, I know that Wi-Fi frequency is by far not anywhere close to cellprones, but STLL, better to minimize the amount of wireless devices in your household when possible, without going crazy over it off course.
Click to expand...

rite... show me studies.

Anyway, I use speakers generally. Really crappy Dell speakers that I got for $25.

I have Sennheiser HD595s but I don't like using them anymore because the speakers are good enough for my tastes. Maybe if I was watching a movie with really high quality audio it would be worth it.

Oh, and I don't play games where sound matters too much anymore (i.e. FPS). I play HoN and that's about it... 😛 Don't have the system specs anymore or the care to play others.
 
ibex333 said:
Right... Except the less RF waves you have flying anywhere near your head at any point of the day, the better it is for you. Yeah, I know that we are constantly surrounded by RF radiation, and yes, I know that Wi-Fi frequency is by far not anywhere close to cellprones, but STLL, better to minimize the amount of wireless devices in your household when possible, without going crazy over it off course.
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lol, so do you walk everything with foil wrapped over your head?
 
uhohs said:
will the Lyr even be good for the k702? it's designed for extremely power hungry orthodynamic headphones. and Schiit's earlier Asgard was reportedly not a good match with the k701/702.

I use my k701 with a M3 or Dynalo and it's great.
Click to expand...

The k701 are an extremely power hungry set of headphones. Don't let their ohm rating fool you they need juice big time to sound good. The Lyr has enough power to melt your brain and destroy most normal headphones hooked up to it if you aren't careful.

Schiit is a great company. American made and great price/performance!!! I can't wait to get my hands all over that Schiit.
 
VulgarDisplay said:
The k701 are an extremely power hungry set of headphones. Don't let their ohm rating fool you they need juice big time to sound good. The Lyr has enough power to melt your brain and destroy most normal headphones hooked up to it if you aren't careful.

Schiit is a great company. American made and great price/performance!!! I can't wait to get my hands all over that Schiit.
Click to expand...

I've owned the k701's for over 3 years and have tried probably a dozen different amps with them, I know how power hungry and picky they are.

Like I said earlier, I use my k701 with either a M3 or Dynalo, both great DIY designs that more than adequately power them.

Instead of trying to bruteforce power the k701's, I'd personally look for a powerful enough, tried and tested amp that you know will work great with them. Good luck with the Lyr.
 
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TridenT said:
rite... show me studies.

Anyway, I use speakers generally. Really crappy Dell speakers that I got for $25.

I have Sennheiser HD595s but I don't like using them anymore because the speakers are good enough for my tastes. Maybe if I was watching a movie with really high quality audio it would be worth it.

Oh, and I don't play games where sound matters too much anymore (i.e. FPS). I play HoN and that's about it... 😛 Don't have the system specs anymore or the care to play others.
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WTF?

you have sennheiser 595's (which are AMAZING) and you don't use them? instead you use piece of crap dell speakers?

you've said a lot of stuff that pissed me off, but this takes the cake.

that's like saying oh I have a 60" plasma tv but i prefer using my 24" crt tv from the 80's....nuts
 
uhohs said:
I've owned the k701's for over 3 years and have tried probably a dozen different amps with them, I know how power hungry and picky they are.

Like I said earlier, I use my k701 with either a M3 or Dynalo, both great DIY designs that more than adequately power them.

Instead of trying to bruteforce power the k701's, I'd personally look for a powerful enough, tried and tested amp that you know will work great with them. Good luck with the Lyr.
Click to expand...

I've just heard that k701's can sound good out of tube hybrids, and I am also building a pair of thunderpants as well which love tube hybrids. The Lyr also gives me the ability to power something like an LCD2 or HE6 down the road which will likely be my end game for hi-fi headphones.
 
I guess I'd like to use speakers, but I often game while my wife is sleeping in the next room and I don't want to disturb her. So, I mostly use wireless headphones. They're great for listening to streaming NPR talk radio while you're cooking or doing the dishes. If I'm using VOIP or playing a game that has built-in voice comm then I used a wired headset with a boom microphone.
 
I have to agree with the guy that said headphones make you feel like you're really there. With a good set of headphones that not only produce good sound, but also fit so that they are comfortable and don't allow external audio in, I feel like I am sucked in to games much more than with a set of surround sound speakers. Having the audio played directly into your ears with no interference makes it much more realistic to me.
 
Brainonska511 said:
I just got these 2 weeks ago. Incredibly comfortable and sound great. I can wear them for hours without my ears hurting, unlike my older Sennheiser PX100s.

I also have a set of Klipsch Promedia 2.1 speakers, but I'm trying to get rid of them. I don't use them that much since I live in apartments and will continue to for at least the next few years.
----
No amp used for my headphones. Just connected straight to the headphone jack on my desktop (on-board audio). Don't really see the need for an amp, as the output volume level isn't even at 25%.
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Yep, they are super comfortable; I like them a lot. I plug mine directly into my X-Fi and it sounds great to me and yeah, it's not like I need to turn it up very loud. More than adequate for my needs.

KT
 
Depends.

Prefer headphones if i am playing competitively as i find locational sound to be much better, & obviously if i'm on mic in MP, etc.

For just casual playing i like speakers, or single player games.
 
Well, I just got ATH-M50s today, and for the first time I can hear the crackle, hum and other crap that comes out of my desktop's integrated sound. Sennheiser PC-151s did not reveal any of that.

Gotta test some FPS to see if I have gotten improvement in directional sound, although I know M50s aren't supposed to be good at that. COD4 maybe? (I just picked it up for $2.5 new. 😀) Or would CS:S be better for testing? What settings do I need to use/enable?
 
coreyb said:
WTF?

you have sennheiser 595's (which are AMAZING) and you don't use them? instead you use piece of crap dell speakers?

you've said a lot of stuff that pissed me off, but this takes the cake.

that's like saying oh I have a 60" plasma tv but i prefer using my 24" crt tv from the 80's....nuts
Click to expand...

IDK anymore. (Been doing comparison testing) The headphones are alright, but I've noticed with some of the stuff I listen to it doesn't feel as heavy on the lows with voices.
 
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you trident, are a master troll or totally retarded. there's no comparison between sen 595's and $20 dell speakers. get your ears checked
 
Mike Gayner said:
To those people using headphones, do you use a separate amp? I don't see how headphones could possibly sound very good running straight off the line-out.
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Try and find out. They sound excellent.

To me speakers sound better for SOME music, but i prefer headphones to rock.
 
Headphones for a while, did have some Logitech speakers hooked up but they just don't compare.
For reference I'm using Sennheiser HD600's with a Corda Cantate amp. These headphones really shine when amped properly.

And to those that are curious, I recently built a sound system that sounds comparable/better to these headphones. Total cost of the Headphones + Amp $1500 AU, total cost for the 2.1 sound system........ $5500 AU. Not including the CD player either.

So while speakers can sound better, you get FAR better bang for your buck with Headphones.
 
Speakers, I don't live with my parents anymore and I don't let my girlfriend run me. Get with the program guys.
 
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