Headphones/Headset

[gozzygozborn]

I need a headset or headphones and a modmic with a budget of around $200. i will be mostly watching youtube videos and gaming with a little music listening, my motherboard is an asus maximus VII hero. I came close to buying the m40x but after further research, i found that they are not very good for gaming. I like the idea of a headset for convenience and i know many will recommend the hyperx clouds but i was wondering about better ones in my budget even if they aren't as good of a deal (maybe sennheiser  g4me zero or pc 350 se).

[nike290]

You should check out the HD558 from Sennheiser.

[gozzygozborn]

You should check out the HD558 from Sennheiser.

yea i started looking at open a little bit when i realized that people can only hear mumbles from around 10ft away. just wondering if they were similar to their gaming headsets anyway.

[gozzygozborn]

does anyone know the similarity between sennheiser's headsets and headphones? i noticed their headsets look similar to the HD 518 so maybe thats it. shearme might know

[Verne]

does anyone know the similarity between sennheiser's headsets and headphones? i noticed their headsets look similar to the HD 518 so maybe thats it. shearme might know

PC350/G4ME Zero is most likely based on HD280 Pro while the PC360/G4ME One is based on HD518 or HD558.

[gozzygozborn]

PC350/G4ME Zero is most likely based on HD280 Pro while the PC360/G4ME One is based on HD518 or HD558.

maybe its an easier question if i say it this way: if the sennheiser headsets are the best at the $200 price point, are they good enough for use other than gaming?

[Verne]

maybe its an easier question if i say it this way: if the sennheiser headsets are the best at the $200 price point, are they good enough for use other than gaming?

Of course.

[gozzygozborn]

Of course.

I just realized a problem with them, they have a 150 ohm impedance so i would need an odac. if i go the separate headphones route, will it play the sound of me speaking into the headphones?

[gozzygozborn]

bump

[gozzygozborn]

i really need help. is there a headset around $200 that has good sound quality (better than the hyperx cloud)?

 

if i go the separate headphones route, will it play the sound of me speaking into the headphones?

[BoredErica]

I just realized a problem with them, they have a 150 ohm impedance so i would need an odac. if i go the separate headphones route, will it play the sound of me speaking into the headphones?

Ok, you've got it backwards. If a headphone is hard to drive, you need an amp, like O2, not an Odac. Why would a headphone play the sound of your voice lol.

DT770-250ohm is available on Amazon used for $166, that is a bargain. No mic. It's got a V shaped frequency response... so you're getting quite a bit more low bass and more treble. That will probably need an amp too, but then again you suggested a $200 headset price range that needs an amp.

 

Or you can go HD558 + mic. That's much cheaper and with that you have a pretty good chance of not needing an external amp.

[gozzygozborn]

Ok, you've got it backwards. If a headphone is hard to drive, you need an amp, like O2, not an Odac. Why would a headphone play the sound of your voice lol.

DT770-250ohm is available on Amazon used for $166, that is a bargain. No mic. It's got a V shaped frequency response... so you're getting quite a bit more low bass and more treble. That will probably need an amp too, but then again you suggested a $200 headset price range that needs an amp.

 

Or you can go HD558 + mic. That's much cheaper and with that you have a pretty good chance of not needing an external amp.

Headsets play the sound of your voice so i was wondering if you could do the same thing with headphones and a separate mic. I i have pretty much decided that if i am going to do separate headphones and mic that i would go with the hd558 for open or the m40x (possibly mox) for closed which would come with a fiio e6. I am just wondering if i could go with a headset and get good enough quality. I do not want to spend $200 on a headset and then another $150 for an amp.

[BoredErica]

What mobo do you have?

[gozzygozborn]

so when do you need a dac?

[gozzygozborn]

What mobo do you have?

 

my motherboard is an asus maximus VII hero. 

[gozzygozborn]

bump

[Lauen]

Please do not bump your own threads.

 

yea i started looking at open a little bit when i realized that people can only hear mumbles from around 10ft away. just wondering if they were similar to their gaming headsets anyway.

That makes no sense at all. PC360, 363D and G4ME ONE are all almost the same as the HD558.

 

Headsets play the sound of your voice so i was wondering if you could do the same thing with headphones and a separate mic. I i have pretty much decided that if i am going to do separate headphones and mic that i would go with the hd558 for open or the m40x (possibly mox) for closed which would come with a fiio e6. I am just wondering if i could go with a headset and get good enough quality. I do not want to spend $200 on a headset and then another $150 for an amp.

not all headsets do, I know the Steelseries Siberia v2 doesn't, and the HyperX Cloud doesn't, and the Sennheiser PC360 doesn't. M40X suck at gaming as the soundstage in them is really narrow, which sucks for positional audio (surround). neither the M40x nor the 558 need an amp, they should get loud enough on your motherboard. ASUS claims that your motherboard has an amp that should drive 300 ohm headphones anyway.

 

so when do you need a dac?

 

first off, a dac is a digital to analog converter, it takes the 1010101011 (binary signals) coming from your PC, and makes it into the signal that headphones can take. most dacs can't drive headphones as they are only at "line level" which goes into an amp, which then amplifies (obviously) the signal, and sends it to your headphones. a NEW dac would be needed if your onboard audio is having issues such as crackling, popping, audible hissing or something like that, but you need both a dac and an amp, although some things marketed as a dac come with an amp.

 

Lastly: I recommend the HD558, as they are great for a lot of things, only things they aren't that good for is use outdoors (as they do not isolate) and studio use, as they aren't the flattest headphones. The last two things, the M40x are better at, but the gaming performance suffers dramatically.

[gozzygozborn]

Please do not bump your own threads.

 

That makes no sense at all. PC360, 363D and G4ME ONE are all almost the same as the HD558.

Why does someone else have to bump my thread? Why does that not make sense? I wasn't looking at open headphones until I realized that other people can't hear them as well as I thought.

 

 

not all headsets do, I know the Steelseries Siberia v2 doesn't, and the HyperX Cloud doesn't, and the Sennheiser PC360 doesn't. M40X suck at gaming as the soundstage in them is really narrow, which sucks for positional audio (surround). neither the M40x nor the 558 need an amp, they should get loud enough on your motherboard. ASUS claims that your motherboard has an amp that should drive 300 ohm headphones anyway.

Ok i was just wondering if there was a specific configuration that would enable you to hear your own voice. If i was going to get the M40x I was thinking that I would use it with razer surround to improve some of the positioning. How much would that help?

 

 

Lastly: I recommend the HD558, as they are great for a lot of things, only things they aren't that good for is use outdoors (as they do not isolate) and studio use, as they aren't the flattest headphones. The last two things, the M40x are better at, but the gaming performance suffers dramatically.

Yea I will not be using the headphones outdoors or in a studio so I don't have to worry about that, I was just worried that I might bother other people in the house since they are open.

[Lauen]

Why does someone else have to bump my thread? Why does that not make sense? I wasn't looking at open headphones until I realized that other people can't hear them as well as I thought.

 

Ok i was just wondering if there was a specific configuration that would enable you to hear your own voice. If i was going to get the M40x I was thinking that I would use it with razer surround to improve some of the positioning. How much would that help?

 

Yea I will not be using the headphones outdoors or in a studio so I don't have to worry about that, I was just worried that I might bother other people in the house since they are open.

1: I'm not sure but everyone else has said it so I just follow the trend. Open headphones do leak, but unless you listen at INCREDIBLE volume it doesn't matter too much.

 

2: you can enable it within windows, "monitor mic" or something. the M40x has such a narrow soundstage, so it will not help at all, it will probably sound very muddy and garbled up.

 

3: see #1.

[gozzygozborn]

1: I'm not sure but everyone else has said it so I just follow the trend. Open headphones do leak, but unless you listen at INCREDIBLE volume it doesn't matter too much.

 

2: you can enable it within windows, "monitor mic" or something. the M40x has such a narrow soundstage, so it will not help at all, it will probably sound very muddy and garbled up.

 

3: see #1.

Ok thank you! I guess open it is.

[ShearMe]

The quieter the room, the less you have to turn up an open headphone, and the less likely you will be to disturb others. There's always the chance you're one of those people who listen at a louder volume than they should though. I'd suggest at least giving it a go, and return ing them if it turns out to be an issue.

I have not tried the Sennheiser headsets personally, but by most accounts they are indeed "close enough" to the 280/380 and 500 series, though there have been a few reports of that not being the case. They should spool be pretty good no matter the situation, but people wanting the exact same sound cab get picky.

No matter what you choose, I'm a big fan of the Syba DAC for headset use. It drives my HD650's more than adequately, and without boring you with the sensitivity vs impedance speech I'll say it should handle anything but 250 ohm Beyerdynamics and maybe the higher end AKG's. if you install the bundled software, you can have 0 latency Mic playback through your headphones. It ain't the prettiest thing, but it is very nicely priced.

[gozzygozborn]

The quieter the room, the less you have to turn up an open headphone, and the less likely you will be to disturb others. There's always the chance you're one of those people who listen at a louder volume than they should though. I'd suggest at least giving it a go, and return ing them if it turns out to be an issue.

I have not tried the Sennheiser headsets personally, but by most accounts they are indeed "close enough" to the 280/380 and 500 series, though there have been a few reports of that not being the case. They should spool be pretty good no matter the situation, but people wanting the exact same sound cab get picky.

No matter what you choose, I'm a big fan of the Syba DAC for headset use. It drives my HD650's more than adequately, and without boring you with the sensitivity vs impedance speech I'll say it should handle anything but 250 ohm Beyerdynamics and maybe the higher end AKG's. if you install the bundled software, you can have 0 latency Mic playback through your headphones. It ain't the prettiest thing, but it is very nicely priced.

I would say that I am not one of those that uses very high volume, I am the type of guy that wears earplugs at a rock concert . Unfortunately I am very aware of what high volumes can do to your ears (I am a drummer). What DAC are you referring to? this one?:   http://www.amazon.com/Syba-SD-DAC63094-Present-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B00KGK5I38/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1413512144&sr=8-2&keywords=Syba+DAC

I think my on board audio should be fine but I might use something for my PS4. 

[ShearMe]

I would say that I am not one of those that uses very high volume, I am the type of guy that wears earplugs at a rock concert . Unfortunately I am very aware of what high volumes can do to your ears (I am a drummer). What DAC are you referring to? this one?:   http://www.amazon.com/Syba-SD-DAC63094-Present-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B00KGK5I38/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1413512144&sr=8-2&keywords=Syba+DAC

I think my on board audio should be fine but I might use something for my PS4. 

 

No, this one. Sorry I didn't link it earlier, I was on my phone. 

 

For console use I usually suggest connecting them to a PC's line in, but then that's another whole converter you need (if not built into the display you're using) thanks to the brilliant idea to not put analog outputs on consoles. The cheapest one I see on Amazon is $10 :unsure:

[gozzygozborn]

No, this one. Sorry I didn't link it earlier, I was on my phone. 

 

For console use I usually suggest connecting them to a PC's line in, but then that's another whole converter you need (if not built into the display you're using) thanks to the brilliant idea to not put analog outputs on consoles. The cheapest one I see on Amazon is $10

With separate mic and headphone connector, I  would need something that converts it into convert them into a single 3.5mm jack like this: http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-MUYHSMFF-Headset-Splitter-Adapter/dp/B004SP0WAQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1413543118&sr=8-2&keywords=PCV+05

But my display does have rca connectors if thats what you are asking. My last headset was a mess, I  had usb, 3.5mm and rca connectors attached   . (Don't ask me why)