production question My problem with gaming and music production (Headphones/Headsets)
Honestly this sounds like a troll post but I'm bored.
"Gaming" headSETS aren't inherently better for gaming. The only reason they're gaming headSETS is that they come with a mic attached so you can use voice comms. Some gaming headsets advertise that you can hear footsteps easier and have virtual surround and stuff like that. I've tried a few virtual surround setups (Logitech G35, some Creative software I can't remember), various built-in game setups, and the one that came with my ASUS Xonar soundcard way back in 2013ish. I also got to try a Razer Tiamat 7.1 with actual physical surround in a headset. It was pretty bad.
All they do is add reverb so things sound like you're drunk, and very often boost the bass. The worst was trying to listen to music with it, as all the punchy attack from drums and palm muted high gain guitars just sorta disappeared. Vocals often lost their center stage place and got sorta ethereal, as if a divine being would speak inside your head.
The best you can do for yourself is to get a good pair of open headphoned. Open headphones will give you a wide soundstage which will help you pinpoint where footsteps and gunshots are in games, and they'll for the most part sound fairly natural. If you want bass, Beyerdynamic DT990. If you want a more neutral sound, Sennheiser HD600/650, or if you can't afford those you can step down to Sennheiser HD518/558/559/599/598, whichever of those fit your budget. They sound very similar, a fairly neutral response but veeeery slightly "veiled" meaning some of the highs are a little subdued. Not my personal choice but they're very easy to listen to.
If you need sound isolation / passive attenuation, closed headphones like the Sennheiser HD569 is pretty decent and sounds a lot like its brethren. Beyerdynamic DT770 has more bass and a decently wide soundstage for a closed headphone. I can also recommend the Shure SRH440 / 840. If you get the 440 I recommend you get the pads for the 840s for better comfort, the pads are called HPAEC840. If you want even more bass you could even go for an Audio-Technica ATH-M40X (M50X is overpriced when the M40X sounds almost exactly the same). I'm sure there are other headphones in the category that are good but I haven't been paying attention to anything for 5 years.
If you need a mic for voice comms, a Blue Snowball is very simple and sounds pretty good if you get it close to your mouth.
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