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Best PC gaming headphones for ~$200-300
- Jul 18, 2012 8:29 pm GMT[CPU: i5-2500K @ 4.4GHz] [Heat Sink: Hyper 212 EVO] [GPU: Sapphire 7950 OC Edition] [Memory: Vengeance 2x4GB] [MoBo: ASRock P67 EXTREME4] [HD1: Crucial M4 128GB SSD] [HD2: Western Digital 1TB 7200RPM] [PSU: CORSAIR HX750] [Case: NZXT Phantom White] [Keyboard: Razer Blackwidow Ultimate] [Mouse: Razer Deathadder] [Monitor:23" Planar 120Hz 3D Monitor]
I want some epic surround sound headphones for gaming (with or without a mic). I like good quality surround sound with good quality base. I've heard Astro A40 or Denon AHD2000 would be the best choices. Thoughts?
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- $300 is about the point where you can get a vintage Stax Lambda setup, but you'd better have a speaker power amp in some form (like an A/V receiver) to drive the transformer box the cheaper setups come with. Best headphone I've had for gaming (and music listening) yet-it's like having an aural wallhack with CMSS-3D Headphone or Dolby Headphone, and the sound itself just has this airy, ambient, atmospheric quality I've never heard anywhere else. Perfect for that surround sound sensation. On the other hand, the way electrostatics like those render bass is something you may not get used to, simply because while the sound is very much there and of great quality, it just doesn't slam/impact as much as a more typical dynamic driver would. Maybe you won't mind, maybe you will; if you do, you won't have any issues reselling it and breaking even. I have no first-hand experience with the D2000, but what I have heard suggests that it's a great headphone with surprisingly good soundstage for a closed design and great bass that won't detract from the rest of the spectrum. The D7000 is said to be REALLY good for gaming, but now we're talking $600-750 used. Avoid the Astro A40 headset; the only good thing that seems to come from Astro is the Mixamp, and you only need that if you're console gaming. For PC gaming, a good sound card will get you more bang for the buck.
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- Jul 18, 2012 9:37 pm GMT
$200-$300 normally I'd say AKGs K701/K702/Q701, but you want bass, which most would say this headphone does not have.
For that the Denon D2000 isn't a bad choice, but the imaging and depth wont be at the level of the AKGs.
The semi-open back Beyerdynamic DT880 might also be worth a look at it has a little more bass than the AKGs and greater imaging/depth than the Denons.
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- Jul 18, 2012 10:02 pm GMT
Eyeing on these, Ultrasone pro 900, they have their own "tech" called s-logic surround sound (lol) though still two drivers. Supposely they have the best Bass Quantity without getting muddy, and headfi goes crazy for it for being the more fun headphones. Would of bought these already but looks like my job opportunity is falling thru. These should fetch for $300-350 or else is an overpriced listing.
Steam id: Biko is L1nsani7y Rig: i5 2500k 4.1ghz + 9700cnps Nvidia ed. l GTX 570 Evga (960/1920/2400~max) l 2x4gb PNY Optima l Corsair HX520 l e7dac/e9amplifier > Ultrasone Dj1 l Alienware M11x r1
Eyeing on these, Ultrasone pro 900, they have their own "tech" called s-logic surround sound (lol) though still two drivers. Supposely they have the best Bass Quantity without getting muddy, and headfi goes crazy for it for being the more fun headphones. Would of bought these already but looks like my job opportunity is falling thru. These should fetch for $300-350 or else is an overpriced listing.
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- Jul 18, 2012 10:05 pm GMT
^With your love for bass I'm not surprised you didn't like the sound of the K701/2s
^With your love for bass I'm not surprised you didn't like the sound of the K701/2s :P
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- Jul 18, 2012 10:13 pm GMT
How about I tell you how to generally get great sound for $300? There's no use in blowing all your cash on the headphones when the soundcard plays a huge roll in sound quality as well. I assume you don't use a dedicated sound card because I didn't see one listed in your specs.
My recommendation is to get what I have.
A Xonar Essence STX sound card ($150) and some MDR-V6 headphones ($80).The headphones are very balanced. You'll hear things the way they're meant to be heard and they have a good bass response. I don't see the big craze about have bass-heavy headphones when that can be adjusted through a software equalizer. Just get some balanced ones.
As far as the sound card goes, the STX is a sweet deal. Excellent clarity, minimum noise, and you can simulate up to 7.1 surround sound on stereo headphones. Need more bass? Use the integrated EQ to boost it. You can also move the virtual speakers around to suit your taste and it'll simulate the space. That's what I do in my "gamer" configuration if I'm aiming for the more cinematic atmosphere.
AMD Phenom II 955 quad 3.2ghz OC'd to 3.6ghz
Asus M5A97, (4x4) 16gb DDR3
Xonar Essence STX
120gb Intel SSD, 250gb Samsung HDD, 2x750GB Seagate HDD, 1.5TB USB GoFlex Desk
PNY GTX 560 ti 1gb (craigslist FTW)
How about I tell you how to generally get great sound for $300? There's no use in blowing all your cash on the headphones when the soundcard plays a huge roll in sound quality as well. I assume you don't use a dedicated sound card because I didn't see one listed in your specs.
My recommendation is to get what I have. :) A Xonar Essence STX sound card ($150) and some MDR-V6 headphones ($80).
The headphones are very balanced. You'll hear things the way they're meant to be heard and they have a good bass response. I don't see the big craze about have bass-heavy headphones when that can be adjusted through a software equalizer. Just get some balanced ones.
As far as the sound card goes, the STX is a sweet deal. Excellent clarity, minimum noise, and you can simulate up to 7.1 surround sound on stereo headphones. Need more bass? Use the integrated EQ to boost it. You can also move the virtual speakers around to suit your taste and it'll simulate the space. That's what I do in my "gamer" configuration if I'm aiming for the more cinematic atmosphere.
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- Jul 18, 2012 10:16 pm GMTNVIDIATI wrote:
^With your love for bass I'm not surprised you didn't like the sound of the K701/2s
Haha ikr. Though I ditched my audio technicas for being too bass heavy in quantity. I wouldnt call myself a basshead in general since I dont pump the car sub all the way with rap music like some people do, but in terms of headphones than I am.
I had grew to like the k701 a bit more since then, but I think sound is a bit too(??) "neutral" or true for me to enjoy.
Steam id: Biko is L1nsani7y Rig: i5 2500k 4.1ghz + 9700cnps Nvidia ed. l GTX 570 Evga (960/1920/2400~max) l 2x4gb PNY Optima l Corsair HX520 l e7dac/e9amplifier > Ultrasone Dj1 l Alienware M11x r1
[QUOTE="NVIDIATI"]
^With your love for bass I'm not surprised you didn't like the sound of the K701/2s :P
[/QUOTE]
Haha ikr. Though I ditched my audio technicas for being too bass heavy in quantity. I wouldnt call myself a basshead in general since I dont pump the car sub all the way with rap music like some people do, but in terms of headphones than I am.
I had grew to like the k701 a bit more since then, but I think sound is a bit too(??) "neutral" or true for me to enjoy.
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- Jul 19, 2012 7:41 am GMT
There is too little information here to give a reliable answer. Are you a console gamer? Is this just for PC? Do you want to use it for anything outside gaming? Does appearance matter to you? Are you aware of the benefits and limitations of headphone surround sound? When you get past the $200 mark, as a rule of thumb you'll typically want a dedicated amplifier and/or DAC. If you're a PC gamer, you might prefer to go with a dedicated sound card if you don't have one already. If you're a console gamer, a dedicated DAC/Amp. Happy gaming, Boz- Please wait. Quick reply will be available shortly.
- Jul 19, 2012 10:22 am GMT[CPU: i5-2500K @ 4.4GHz] [Heat Sink: Hyper 212 EVO] [GPU: Sapphire 7950 OC Edition] [Memory: Vengeance 2x4GB] [MoBo: ASRock P67 EXTREME4] [HD1: Crucial M4 128GB SSD] [HD2: Western Digital 1TB 7200RPM] [PSU: CORSAIR HX750] [Case: NZXT Phantom White] [Keyboard: Razer Blackwidow Ultimate] [Mouse: Razer Deathadder] [Monitor:23" Planar 120Hz 3D Monitor]Best PC gaming headphones. I don't really care about console gaming and my main focus is gaming, not music/video. I also plan on getting a dedicated sound card. Thanks for the replies, I'll look into some of those options.
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- Jul 19, 2012 11:14 am GMT[QUOTE="NVIDIATI"]
$200-$300 normally I'd say AKGs K701/K702/Q701, but you want bass, which most would say this headphone does not have.
For that the Denon D2000 isn't a bad choice, but the imaging and depth wont be at the level of the AKGs.
The semi-open back Beyerdynamic DT880 might also be worth a look at it has a little more bass than the AKGs and greater imaging/depth than the Denons.
[/QUOTE] [QUOTE="jcbullen"]Best PC gaming headphones. I don't really care about console gaming and my main focus is gaming, not music/video. I also plan on getting a dedicated sound card. Thanks for the replies, I'll look into some of those options.[/QUOTE] I'll second all of NVIDIATI's recommendations with a slight lean towards the Beyerdynamic headphones. I'd also suggest you consider the Asus Xonar Essence STX to complement whatever headphone you select.. It has an excellent built-in DAC and amplifier that will really help bring out the low-end in a high-quality headphone like the AKG or Beyerdynamic. In this case you get what you pay for. Happy gaming, Boz- Please wait. Quick reply will be available shortly.
- [QUOTE="jcbullen"]Best PC gaming headphones. I don't really care about console gaming and my main focus is gaming, not music/video. I also plan on getting a dedicated sound card.[/QUOTE] Do you play anything that makes use of the DirectSound3D or OpenAL APIs? That makes a big influence on what sound cards I recommend. It looks like you're set on headphones, though. My only concern with the DT880 is that it's said to handle directly-from-the-rear positioning with Dolby Headphone rather poorly, but does everything else well.
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