FPS Headphones

[calebp123]

Ok so I'm wondering what headphones would be the best for fps games and being able to pinpoint footsteps diretionally. I bet most people would recommend ad700 or hd 558, but is there anything else? my budget is $200 max. Thanks for any help.

[Volbet]

Any quality headphones will do you good. I personally like the Beyerdynamic DT770's better than the HD558's, but that is a taste issue.

 

It also depends on your sound solution. Do you have a dedicated soundcard?

[Stav Kats]

Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro.

Shure SRH840.

Beyerdynamic DT 900(I like them more from the DT 770).

[t0wer]

ad700 or HD5x8 are the best for gaming IMO.

[calebp123]

Any quality headphones will do you good. I personally like the

Beyerdynamic DT770's better than the HD558's, but that is a taste issue.

 

It also depends on your sound solution. Do you have a dedicated soundcard?

I dont have a souncard yet but what would you recommend?

[Volbet]

I dont have a souncard yet but what would you recommend?

I recommend whatever Asus Xonar card is in your budget. I don't know to much about Creative or Filo though

[LAwLz]

If you are going to play games, then the AD700.

For the sound card I would recommend the FiiO E10. It's a DAC and AMP combo which costs ~100 dollars and is really good as an entry solution.

 

I would not recommend the Custom One Pros by the way.

[exyia]

598's if you can find some used or bump your budget a bit

 

it sickens me how overrated AD700's are. I sold mine for a set and debated a long time - ended up with Senn 598's.

 

AD700's are extremely anemic in sound quality. They're rated highly because most people have never had a non-"gaming" headset so it's mindblowing to them. Everyone on Hi-Fi forums who's actually owned multiple headphones doesn't recommend them

 

Someone summed it up as: "Buy AD700's, and you will eventually buy another set of headphones. Buy HD 598's, and it will probably be your last" (unless you become an audiophile and constantly want to try/upgrade)

[LAwLz]

598's if you can find some used or bump your budget a bit

 

it sickens me how overrated AD700's are. I sold mine for a set and debated a long time - ended up with Senn 598's.

 

AD700's are extremely anemic in sound quality. They're rated highly because most people have never had a non-"gaming" headset so it's mindblowing to them. Everyone on Hi-Fi forums who's actually owned multiple headphones doesn't recommend them

 

Someone summed it up as: "Buy AD700's, and you will eventually buy another set of headphones. Buy HD 598's, and it will probably be your last" (unless you become an audiophile and constantly want to try/upgrade)

I think the problem here is that you find the AD700 too cold, which is a preference thing. They do lack bass which a lot of people get annoyed at, but it is actually more neutral than the 598s when it comes to the midrange frequencies. They are far better than the 598 when it comes to sound stage as well, which is why they are so often recommended for gaming. If he is going for music headphones then I would recommend the ATH-M50 over the 598.

 

Strictly for gaming, the AD700 are better. If you want to listen to music with lots of bass, such as hip hop then yes, the AD700 are subpar. The Sennheiser 598 are better all around, but not for gaming.

[Lyons]

598's if you can find some used or bump your budget a bit

it sickens me how overrated AD700's are. I sold mine for a set and debated a long time - ended up with Senn 598's.

AD700's are extremely anemic in sound quality. They're rated highly because most people have never had a non-"gaming" headset so it's mindblowing to them. Everyone on Hi-Fi forums who's actually owned multiple headphones doesn't recommend them

Someone summed it up as: "Buy AD700's, and you will eventually buy another set of headphones. Buy HD 598's, and it will probably be your last" (unless you become an audiophile and constantly want to try/upgrade)

Yeah, this. They might be ok for gaming, but that's it. For music they are pretty gross, almost no bass, crap mids. For the sub $100 price tag I guess they can be forgiven, but still...

Also , anyone have an opinion on the 558 -> 598 foam mod?

[calebp123]

ok so how much bass are we talking with 558 because I would want to listen to some music so which is the best for gaming but you could also listen to music and not suck (also I wouldnt be listening to rap so I dont want them to be super bass oriented)

[exyia]

I think the problem here is that you find the AD700 too cold, which is a preference thing. They do lack bass which a lot of people get annoyed at, but it is actually more neutral than the 598s when it comes to the midrange frequencies. They are far better than the 598 when it comes to sound stage as well, which is why they are so often recommended for gaming. If he is going for music headphones then I would recommend the ATH-M50 over the 598.

 

Strictly for gaming, the AD700 are better. If you want to listen to music with lots of bass, such as hip hop then yes, the AD700 are subpar. The Sennheiser 598 are better all around, but not for gaming.

 

have you actually tried the 598's? or anything other than the ad700's?

 

gunshots sound like they're being played through a tin can on the ad700's. voices sound completely flat. heavy LMG's in BF3 sound completely fake

 

Malveaux's post on them

http://www.head-fi.org/t/569857/ath-ad700-vs-hd598s#post_7725992

http://www.head-fi.org/t/623964/ad700-good-to-be-used-as-a-gaming-headset#post_8634152

 

and you just have to check his profile to see his massive headphone list

 

going from ad700's to 598's was a pure upgrade. I didn't feel any loss in soundstage. If I lost any, I gained the ability to hear way more realistic gunshots, and gunshots that sound different since there's actually bass. I can hear suppressor's much more distinctly because every sound feels much more fleshed out

 

plus I hate the comfort of the ad700's. they have no headband (literally none) so they rest down on your ears. Unless you're the intended size, the "wing" design is useless. I tried the rubber band mod, but they still felt annoying after a while

[Pipinhot]

Im in the same boat also, i was considering the AD700x because of the apparent audio overhall, to find they are.....identical, just a bit less comfy.

soo based around the same price are 558's i just hope the soundstage is good enough while also giving me some bass.

 

Edit: Was just recommended Beyerdynamic BT-440's

[ShearMe]

Also , anyone have an opinion on the 558 -> 598 foam mod?

 

My opinion is: try it, because why the hell not.

[Kev]

No one has recommended ATH-M50s yet so yeah, those are great.

[t0wer]

Also , anyone have an opinion on the 558 -> 598 foam mod?

 

I wish I did, I gave my hd595's to my friend.

gotta get them back for a quick review now. lol

[OddballMV]

Ok so I'm wondering what headphones would be the best for fps games and being able to pinpoint footsteps diretionally. I bet most people would recommend ad700 or hd 558, but is there anything else? my budget is $200 max. Thanks for any help.

 

If you have $200 then there is much more. Have you noticed the Audio Technica AD900X is only $209 on Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Technica-ATH-AD900X-Open-Back-Audiophile-Headphones/dp/B009S331VU/ref=sr_1_45?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1374479608&sr=1-45&keywords=headphones

 

Some other options below:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDRMA900-Over-Style-Headphones/dp/B007DCCK60/ref=sr_1_51?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1374479630&sr=1-51&keywords=headphones

http://www.amazon.com/SoundMAGIC-HP100-Premium-Folding-Headphones/dp/B0086YJ86Y/ref=sr_1_111?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1374479674&sr=1-111&keywords=headphones

[AlexYoon]

Ad 700x

[Gorgatron]

Ok so I'm wondering what headphones would be the best for fps games and being able to pinpoint footsteps diretionally. I bet most people would recommend ad700 or hd 558, but is there anything else? my budget is $200 max. Thanks for any help.

AD700/X is pretty good if you don't mind the lack of bass. Which for FPS gaming, I find that the bass isn't really needed. I've had my AD700 for about four years now. I haven't used them in a while since I picked up my DT 770 but I still love them.

[LAwLz]

have you actually tried the 598's? or anything other than the ad700's?

 

gunshots sound like they're being played through a tin can on the ad700's. voices sound completely flat. heavy LMG's in BF3 sound completely fake

 

Malveaux's post on them

http://www.head-fi.org/t/569857/ath-ad700-vs-hd598s#post_7725992

http://www.head-fi.org/t/623964/ad700-good-to-be-used-as-a-gaming-headset#post_8634152

 

and you just have to check his profile to see his massive headphone list

 

going from ad700's to 598's was a pure upgrade. I didn't feel any loss in soundstage. If I lost any, I gained the ability to hear way more realistic gunshots, and gunshots that sound different since there's actually bass. I can hear suppressor's much more distinctly because every sound feels much more fleshed out

 

plus I hate the comfort of the ad700's. they have no headband (literally none) so they rest down on your ears. Unless you're the intended size, the "wing" design is useless. I tried the rubber band mod, but they still felt annoying after a while

I like how you automatically assume that I own a pair of ad700 and the only reason why I don't recommend the headphones you own is because I haven't used them. I don't even own a pair of AD700s, since I got much better headphones already. I have listened to them though. I did not listen to anything like hiphop, and I am used to my K702s so maybe that's why the lack of bass didn't really bother me as much as it might bother some other people.

Did you actually read the posts you linked? He is basically saying what I said before. The 598 are overall better, but for gaming the AD700 will be better (as in, more accurate soundstage and easier to pick out things like footsteps). Linking to one person (no, having lots of headphones does not make you any more creditable than someone with 2-3 headphones, no idea why you're bringing that up) saying X does not mean X is the absolute truth and should be blindly trusted by everyone.

You are also recommending a pair of headphones which are ~25% over the price OP said was his max budget. Don't let personal bias decide what you recommend, please. If he had said his max budget was 250 dollars, and he wanted headphones for music, movies and gaming, then I would probably have recommended the Sennheiser 598 as well (or probably the Audio Technica M50 and the Fiio E10), but he didn't.

 

Also, since you seem to like lists of headphones people own, I currently own these:

AKG K702

Shure SRH 440

Corsair Vengeance 1500

SteelSeries Siberia

and then a few IEMs such as the Sennheiser CX 400-II, lots of stock ones (a few different Samsung, a two different Apple and a bunch of different ~10 dollar ones from different brands).

 

Headphones I no longer own, but have owned or tried are:

Sennheiser 555

Sennheiser 595

Beats Studio

Beats Solo

Audio Technica ATH-M50

Audio Technica ATH-AD700

Sony V6

Sennheiser PC360

A few different Razer headsets

 

Feels like I am forgetting a few but I can't remember which ones.

[exyia]

LOL why so mad?

 

all I did was ask if you tried the 598's? did I say "ZOMG DID YOU TRY DEH 598 U NOOB LOLZORS? YOU'RE WRONGZORS"

 

no, having lots of headphones does not make you any more creditable than someone with 2-3 headphones, no idea why you're bringing that up

 

then you go on to list the ones you have....because it....what, you're trying to win the internet? prove how right you are?

 

all I did was provide input on headphones I actually owned for long periods of time

but SOMEONE DISAGREES WITH ME ON THE INTERNET I HAVE TO ARGUE AND PROVE HOW RIGHT I AM!

 

:lol:

[calebp123]

Ok can we please not turn tnis into any arguments about why x headphones are better then x headphones. Ok so does anyone recommend 558 for fps gaming?

[t0wer]

I'm looking at the innerfidelity graphs right now on the HD595's and the AD700

they are both extremely similar in the overall frequency graph.

 

what is vastly different is the Impedance at different frequencies.

ad700 sticks around 32-40ohm but the hd595 goes from 50 all the way up to 225.

 

I'm not positive, but are the sound cards just not able to deliver current needed for the lows on the ad700?

[ShearMe]

I'm looking at the innerfidelity graphs right now on the HD595's and the AD700

they are both extremely similar in the overall frequency graph.

 

what is vastly different is the Impedance at different frequencies.

ad700 sticks around 32-40ohm but the hd595 goes from 50 all the way up to 225.

 

I'm not positive, but are the sound cards just not able to deliver current needed for the lows on the ad700?

 

That's probably it - I assume most people buying a $100 headphone aren't going to shell out big money for their source.

[Aphexx]

I usually trust what malveaux has to say

 

mal usually has a laid back, almost cold analytical way of talking. this is the first time I've seen him inject any emotion into what he says. weird

 

owning the bassy dt770 and the ws55 I don't think that the lack of bass is that far off with the ad700. even less so when you mess with the EQ