Headphones - Simple Questions - Need Simple Answers

[WhOaMi-Gaming]

I have a 150$ balance at amazon.com + prime - looking to buy strictly there - unless there is an insane deal elsewhere.

 

I am a noob when it comes to headphones.  I have been big into subs, amps, tweeters, etc for a car system, however never looked into headphones too much.

 

 

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•  Is it possible to have quality gaming headphones that are considered quality for smartphones (Apple iPhone 6+).
  

• If I do not invest in a sound card - realistically what's the most I should spend - or recommendations for headphones for PC gaming (FPS, MOBAs, movies? music? - My focus for these is PC gaming.
  

• Comfort is a must.  I may have these headphones on for 8+ hour sessions at a time.  I'd like them to be so comfortable I don't even notice them 
  

 

 

Budget Ideally, under 100$ without investing into a soundcard, but I am willing to spend upwards of 300$ if further research and comments motivates me (for one headset that meets all my needs).

 

State your music tastes These are to be primarily used with PC Gaming (CS:GO, DOTA 2, etc).

 

State what perks are highly desirable  Excellent for gaming, COMFORT!! - if possible high quality for a smartphone (iPhone 6+), able to handle highs + lows as recorded

 

State what products you already have and are planning on using with your recommended item

Windows 7 x64, no sound card (atm), if possible - with equal quality - iPhone 6+

 

 

State how you are going to use the item .  I need headphones for PC gaming and my iPhone 6+.  I am willing to buy two pairs if need be.  

Gaming - Comfort is a must, 8+ hour sessions, (I've been that sucker using gaming headsets and well, I hate them).

iPhone 6+ - These will be for the gym, airplane, long drives or road trips, etc..  All purpose (if thats possible)?  I listen to all music from old school rock, hip hop, country, metal, dubstep, and so fourth.  I am big into bass - though, I don't want headphones that only sound good for hip - hop and dubstep but are crappy for rock because they are aimed to be bass heavy.

 

 

 

 

P.S.

 

Suggestions for a mic to go with these headphones (since I don't expect to see suggestions for a gaming headset (maybe hyper x)?.  

 

At this time I'm not looking to invest too much $ into a mic.   My old headset broke (Steelseries v2), and I went through the Corsair 2001 wireless, and A50's at best buy.  My current feelings towards these headphones is 1) Wireless seems to be **** or I just need a soundcard 2) Screw gaming headsets with 0 comfort.

 

Thanks!

[rafazafar]

snip

How bout two headphone?

1 for comfort at home and one portable?

Those that can do everything in one tend to cost quite abit more than 150.

 

something like :

an audio technica ATH-AD700X  with zalman mic  or  ATHAD500X and modmic

and a Sennheiser px100-ii for portable use.

 

since we need to think bout the cable length also when going portable, its a hassle to lug around long cables

[KaminKevCrew]

Honestly, if you're going to use them at the gym, an IEM (In Ear Monitor) is really your best bet. Good IEM's are really quite good a positional sense, believe it or not, so you don't really need a full size headphone. Also, since they go in your ear (and your ear canal does not sweat) it will keep you from ending up with gross ear pads or something like that. (and they get nasty in gym use) Plus, most good IEM's have removable cables so you can easily get a cable with a mic for your phone. 

 

The Shure SE425 is very good (I like it a bit better than the higher end 535 because it has more bass...)

Shure and Westone make excellent headphones, and they are well worth their price (yes, even the $300 for the SE425.) 

Also, the Shure and Westone design fits inside your ear, and simply disappear on your head. (I've worn them for 12 hours or so with no fatigue at all)

For your desktop, it would be really easy to get a cheap USB mic that sits on your desk. 

 

You don't need a sound card (at all) as in, never buy one. Basically, you can take your thoughts on headsets, and move them right over to sound cards. They are pointless, and just about always sound the same (or worse) compared to your on board. Unless you need the connectivity, don't get a sound card. If your onboard sounds like crap (like EMI interference, etc.) then you should get an external solution, and still stay away from sound cards.

[WhOaMi-Gaming]

Yea, I was thinking about that.  I have pretty good ones for the gym - just threw it in there emphasize I'd be jamming out - 

 

350$ what exactly am I getting that 100-200$ can't get me?

 

Edit:  Nevermind, I see them on Amazon - I can't imagine that's comfortable for 12+ hours!?  I'll look into them, thanks!

[rafazafar]

Yea, I was thinking about that.  I have pretty good ones for the gym - just threw it in there emphasize I'd be jamming out - 

 

350$ what exactly am I getting that 100-200$ can't get me?

i would second the suggestion of going with an iem thats light and fits firmly for gyms.

 

You get better seperation, soundtage, bla bla pretty much just overall better representation of sound. 

I personally just use basic non crappy headsets  for excersize, since you might need to answer calls and such.

 

 

iems are more detailed. headphone have better soundstage generally. there are always exceptions.

[KaminKevCrew]

Yea, I was thinking about that.  I have pretty good ones for the gym - just threw it in there emphasize I'd be jamming out - 

 

350$ what exactly am I getting that 100-200$ can't get me?

 

Edit:  Nevermind, I see them on Amazon - I can't imagine that's comfortable for 12+ hours!?  I'll look into them, thanks!

Legitimately, 12+ hours. (If you get the tips to fit right) Also, with Shure you can, at some point, get some custom silicone sleeves for them, which are a perfect fit to your ear, and make it so that you don't have to worry about comfort... at all... If you look at the CSGO majors, every pro uses a pair of in ears inside of the headphones that they have under their headsets. This is because they are the only things that give good sound, while being able to block out just about all of the sound from the crowds.

 

As for cost, once you get above the ~$100 range, IEMs start to come with BA drivers instead of Dynamic ones. The advantages of that are small size, and the fact that you don't need a port for bass (which you generally do with dynamics) which allows for much better sound isolation. The problem that they have is that, due to their small size, they can only really produce a small range of frequencies well (think sub vs. regular woofer vs tweeter) so you end up having multiple BA drivers in an IEM, which is where the greater cost comes from. The more you spend, generally, the more drivers you get, and the better you'll be able to have all of the frequencies represented.

 

I think that the SE425 is a better IEM (not even taking cost into account) than the 535, but that's because the 535 seems to have trouble with bass in complex passages. My experience with the 425 is also fairly limited, so bear that in mind. 

 

Also, IEMs in general are a lot easier to keep on your person, since you can just leave them tucked under your shirt all day, and nobody will really mind.

 

If you want a better explanation of BA vs Dynamic drivers, I can do that, just let me know!