What are the best headphones for PC gaming

[KFC263]

nothing over $400AUD what are the best headphones for games like R6 to be able to hear the most without an amp (preferably with a bit of bass for music).

[PDifolco]

Imo the best are the Audeze Maxwell but they're well above 400AUD

There are still good headphones in you price range, I've found this interesting vid (before buying my Maxwell haha)

 

 

[191x7]

2 hours ago, KFC263 said:

nothing over $400AUD what are the best headphones for games like R6 to be able to hear the most without an amp (preferably with a bit of bass for music).

Just headphones aren't the solution. And there is no "single best".

 

If you want the lowest latency, using the onboard audio chip (usually Realtek and that means a modern Realtek like the 1200 series or newer) is recommended.

Suppose you want the best audio experience (but a bit higher latency) with perhaps hard-to-drive headphones/IEM-s (high impedance or low sound-to-noise ratio or both). In that case, a decent DAC AMP unit or a stack (separate AMP and DAC one-on the other) is recommended, and eventually a good dongle DAC with inbuilt AMP.

 

Then you have to decide if you want open-back or closed-back headphones. or IEMs. or both to interchange.

In-ear monitors (IEM-s) sit between open and closed-back headphones when it comes to sound, but they do not cause "gamer hair" since there's no part that would sit on top of the head and push your hair down.

 

Soundwise, you want gear that doesn't limit you as the player and lets you hear all the stuff you're supposed to hear.

And that's for headphones - Sennheiser HD 560S, HD 490 Pro,  Fiio JT1, Beyerdynamic DT 990, DT 900 Pro X, 1990, HarmonycDyne Zeus

For IEMs models like - QKZ x HBB, Truthear Nova, Moondrop Lan, Truthear Crinacle Zero, Simgot EM6L or better.

Check Fresh Reviews for the reviews and comparisons, he does for Apex, Valorant, CoD, and RS6.

 

As for the AMP&DAC, I'd say you'd be fine with an Akliam PD4, Truthear Shio, Moondrop Dawn Pro, or something similar.

[Cocococo]

Best is a subjective question, if you're wanting closed back headphones I'd search high and low for a deal on a pair of Audeze Maxwells, if you can't get a pair then AKG K371 are the closest 2nd place for closed back headphones in your price range

For Australia buyers Sennheiser is a complete no-go, they keep raising prices on everything good and AU imports are so crazy expensive that ordering a pair of Drop HD6XX's will probably wind up more expensive than buying the inflated MSRP's of HD650 and HD600 (in this price range I wouldn't consider any other Sennheiser headphones) 

For a definitive best (or just closest to your wants) then the FiiO FT3 is untouchable, easily the best soundstage and imaging in its price range, the fabric pads offer a better bass boost while the leather pads give a lighter and more open sound. If you can't find a pair/ find earcups too small (my only complaint with the FT3 is earcup size, they're not small but some people do find them too small) 

Another really good option is the Audio-Technica R70X, they sound like a mini FT3, less bass and slightly worse soundstage and imaging, still very much in the top 3 of their price range though, replacement OEM earpads and headband padding is readily available, this is the main reason to buy them over the competition, earpads change sound drastically and replacements 99% of the time change sound for the worse. 

 

Amps are a solved problem and even the little USB-C dongles you can buy for smartphones does just as good a job as most $100 dac/amps don't feel like you need to buy a "good" amp to get the most out of your headphones. Most of the top recommended dacs and amps suck anyway, if you're spending more than dongle money a Qudelix 5k is the only headphone amp I recommend most people buy (this obviously changes if you're planning to run speakers from your desktop, but you generally need to spend around $400 USD before you get speakers that are actually better than headphones available)