View Full Version : best headset/phones for music/gaming ?
XenatR
08-17-2006, 11:01 AM
hey, i currently have an Audigy 4 soundcard + Icemat Siberias as headset
i will be buying an X-Plosion, and wanted to know a great headphone for gaming/listening to music (through the pc!!)
ive heard good things about Beyerdynamic DT770s..
two questions:
1) their SPL is only 96dB, so do you think i would need an external amp to have them loud? (my siberias do 99-104dB)
2) i presume they dont come with a volume control, so could i use the one from my icemat siberias (on an extension which plugs straight into the soundcard), without any noticable sound quality loss?
basically i want a really good (ear covering) headphone, which will give awesome 3D spatial sound, with nice bass for my happy hardcore music :p
edit: ive just seen the Audio-Technica ATH-A900s.. they seem to have an awesome range, and 101dB SPL! any ideas?
Helmore
08-17-2006, 01:16 PM
About the external amp, you have to look for the impedence rating to see if you need an external amp. Don't ask me at what rating you will need an amp, because I'm not very experienced with those thing, but I do know (from user comments) that the Audio-Technica A900s are great for gaming and don't need an amp. I don't know if the Audio-Technica A900s will fit your music needs though.
ripken204
08-17-2006, 01:25 PM
http://www.auzentech.com/images/x-purity/index.htm
this is their new sound card coming out in mid-september. its 114db.
XenatR
08-18-2006, 12:47 PM
i listen to a lot of UK Hardcore music, which has a lot of bass..
ive heard that the beyers would be much better for that
but as far as gaming is concerned.. any idea?
Helmore
08-18-2006, 02:05 PM
Beyerdynamic: Beyer make some great cans, which are good for gaming, music, and movies, and famous for their monsterous bass. Described by some as sounding similar to the Sennheiser house sound, but with more bass. Definitly worth a look at.
This is what they say about them in the headphone FAQ and I think you can trust that info. So these headphones are probably suited for your needs. They will do fine without an amp if you plug them staight into your PC, unless you really want the extra sound quality. They will probably not suite very well with a portable player as they might or might not be able to provide sufficient power to them.
EDIT: maybe you should also check this thead (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=111192)
the dt770s are great for gaming, just make sure you get the 80ohm version, and make sure you dont get the drummer version.
They will do fine without an amp if you plug them staight into your PC, unless you really want the extra sound quality. They will probably not suite very well with a portable player as they might or might not be able to provide sufficient power to them.Yep, 80ohms is little too much for most portable players.
http://www.auzentech.com/images/x-purity/index.htm
this is their new sound card coming out in mid-september.Funny how they're claiming support for most standards despite of supporting only up to EAX2 when EAX is currently going in version 4. :nono:
"Advertising is legalized lying."
-H. G. Wells
EAX is actually at 5.0 now in the X-fi.
stayfrosty
08-29-2006, 03:54 PM
Whatever you get STAY AWAY FROM INLINE VOLUME CONTROLLS! they are junk
SPL is just an advertising gimmick its basically just and "efficiency rating"
also listening to anything even near 96db would do terrible damage to your ears over any ammount of sustained listening.
I would say that 99.8% of all portable players could drive the dt770/80's to uncomfortably loud sound levels but doesnt mean it sounds good
afireinside
08-31-2006, 10:32 AM
DT770s are the best. They sound "ok" unamped and are fine for gaming, but they really shine with an amp, especially the bass.
spacemanspliff
09-28-2006, 03:03 PM
http://www.headphile.com/page8.html
Darth Beyer's are modified Dt770s which need an amp and completely own.
About $400 to enter this door but damn fine sound.
The Xplosion will be an excellent music soundcard but for gaming and especially FPS gaming there will be some drop in fps as it eats up more cpu cycles than an x-fi. Sad but true.
spacemanspliff
09-28-2006, 03:30 PM
oh yeah old school Metallica sounds best on the Darth's.
Summers618
09-28-2006, 04:56 PM
ATH-A900s are very comfortable, but may get a little hot on your ears. They are fairly easy to drive, but benefit from an amp. They give some of the best soundstage that you can get. Most people seem to really like them
SturmoV
09-30-2006, 08:42 PM
I had DT770/80's. They were pretty good but beware of the bass - for me it was so strong that it would make my ears hurt after awhile. I had to get rid of them.
spacemanspliff
10-01-2006, 05:25 PM
I had DT770/80's. They were pretty good but beware of the bass - for me it was so strong that it would make my ears hurt after awhile. I had to get rid of them.
lol there's a volume control and bass eq ya know. they are very powerful tho.
SturmoV
10-01-2006, 09:34 PM
lol there's a volume control and bass eq ya know. they are very powerful tho.
Volume control does nothing, because then the mids and highs disappear as well. EQ, I don't have an EQ, neither hardware nor software one, besides any headphones, especially 200$ ones, that need to be equalized to sounds good/balanced aren't worth it. I hear DarthBeyer-modded dt770's have its bass under control, so I might consider getting them in the future because I need a pair of sealed cans anyway. So far, though, I've been enjoying my DT880's.
flavoraid
10-11-2006, 02:16 AM
im likely going to buy a set of MDR-SA5000's or Sennheiser 595/650 not sure which I gotta test them out MDR-SA5000's my friend uses for his djing needs and I borrowed them for some gaming and they sounded great on my cmoy. Ill test the sennheisers and sony's again once I build a millet hybird or a PPA or have one built since im still a noob at DIY amps. Either way MDR-SA5000's = sick headphones very comfy too. My experiance with Audio technica is for long periods of gaming the inbalanced and suprisingly slightly heavy cord annoys the hell out of me and they are kinda uncomfortable compared to the sony or sennheisers. (I have a big head)
kimbo
10-11-2006, 02:38 AM
Which model AT do you speak of flavor?
flavoraid
10-11-2006, 02:49 AM
ive had a few and tried many.
pro-5's and pro-700's are the ones ive owned and sound awesome but were uncomfortable for my large head and also i dont like the cord on one side.
kimbo
10-11-2006, 03:01 AM
The ATH series are usually the ones recommended for gaming, havent heard much on the their other phones. From reading on head-fi and numerous other sites ppl seem to agree that the best gaming headphones are the ath-a900 if you are running them unamped.
flavoraid
10-11-2006, 08:14 AM
as said it's only because I got a big head and I don't like how the wire makes them lop sided man.
they sound amazing. and their easy to drive (cmoy does wonders)
playah
10-28-2006, 06:58 AM
Might be worth looking into for gaming,
http://www.doomedpc.com/?q=node/121
mrkram
10-28-2006, 07:25 AM
Beyerdynamic DT770s. i have a set and love them, i highly recommend them as they are well worth the money spent.
kimbo
10-28-2006, 11:55 AM
I compared my ATH-A500's with a friend's DT770 and I actually preferred the AT sound. He is much more of an audiophile than me and he even noted that the highs were much clearer on the AT's. The DT770 had a boomy sound with more bass, but overall it was a bit muddled imo. Also the AT's came out louder at the same volume settings.
Results through an amp would most likely vary.