Advice on headphones

[lazyicon]

I have some very old Sennheiser HD 419 headphones, which I have quite enjoyed but i have no real sound knowledge of highs, lows what not. I guess they sound kinda bland. But they are starting to fall apart. So I have been researching and because of the huge choice I don't really know what to get. I don't want a headset, I would like to get some good headphone primarily for gaming (as I play a lot of FPS games and I know that soundstage is very important). I'm not sure whether to get a standard 7.1 jack headphones, or a type of audiophile headphones. I'm also not sure about open backed or closed, as mine are currently closed headphones and I have never used any open back headphones. I'm worried about the leakage of sound (especially of the sound of my keyboard). I also have basically no knowledge on amps. But I few headphones that I am considering:

 

Sennhesier Hd 599, 600 or 650 (good audiophile headphones but I have heard that they are better for music than gaming)

beyerdynamic DT 990 Pros (Have heard good stuff about them)

 

I know that audio technica make some good headphones and Hyper-x.

Overall, I would like some clarification of audiophile headphones, if they are good for gaming or if there is something better than audiophile headphones for gaming. 

 

Thanks.

[Rhoban]

Audiophile headphones are designed to produce the best and most accurate sound possible. So they would be great for gaming too, I guess. 

 

People say true 7.1 headphones are crap. Because of the smaller speaker size, the sound quality suffers. 

Those aren't made to give you quality sound, they are made to give you an advantage in competitive FPS, where sound quality doesn't really matter. 

 

HyperX Cloud headphones are among some of the best gaming headphones out there. You can't go wrong with them. And they are good for music too. 

Their high frequency range 15Hz - 25000Hz (most headphones have 20Hz - 20000Hz) bring it into audiophile territory. 

The HyperX Cloud II headphones also come with their own USB sound card that emulates 7.1 surround sound at the press of a button. 

So you would have that covered too, although people say the USB sound card provided is garbage. But you can use them without the USB sound card too, though then you would lose the 7.1 feature. 

[lazyicon]

8 hours ago, Rhoban said:

Audiophile headphones are designed to produce the best and most accurate sound possible. So they would be great for gaming too, I guess. 

 

People say true 7.1 headphones are crap. Because of the smaller speaker size, the sound quality suffers. 

Those aren't made to give you quality sound, they are made to give you an advantage in competitive FPS, where sound quality doesn't really matter. 

 

HyperX Cloud headphones are among some of the best gaming headphones out there. You can't go wrong with them. And they are good for music too. 

Their high frequency range 15Hz - 25000Hz (most headphones have 20Hz - 20000Hz) bring it into audiophile territory. 

The HyperX Cloud II headphones also come with their own USB sound card that emulates 7.1 surround sound at the press of a button. 

So you would have that covered too, although people say the USB sound card provided is garbage. But you can use them without the USB sound card too, though then you would lose the 7.1 feature. 

Thanks for helping me out,

 

What is the affect of having a higher frequency? You say that it brings the headphones into audiophile territory, but wouldn't it be better to just get audiophile headphones? I'm also not sure what the advantage the HyperX Cloud headphones have over audiophile headphones, would the higher quality sound not have any positive affect on game play? 

[Rhoban]

Higher frequency range means the headphones are able to produce a wider range of sounds. Sounds in the 25000Hz area for example. 

If a headphone only had 20000Hz, then it would not be able to produce any sounds above that. 

 

That is somewhat useless since the human ear has a range 20Hz - 20000Hz. But some may have a more sensible ear. I guess this is what we would call audiophiles. 

 

Audiophile headphones are more expensive. And yes, I guess audiophile headphones would give you great sound in games as well as other stuff. But, as I said, they are more expensive. 

Also, they don't have microphones if you need one. 

Audiophile headphones would also need some sort of amplifier or a dedicated sound card to get the most out of them. 

 

 

[lazyicon]

3 minutes ago, Rhoban said:

Higher frequency range means the headphones are able to produce a wider range of sounds. Sounds in the 25000Hz area for example. 

If a headphone only had 20000Hz, then it would not be able to produce any sounds above that. 

 

That is somewhat useless since the human ear has a range 20Hz - 20000Hz. But some may have a more sensible ear. I guess this is what we would call audiophiles. 

 

Audiophile headphones are more expensive. And yes, I guess audiophile headphones would give you great sound in games as well as other stuff. But, as I said, they are more expensive. 

Also, they don't have microphones if you need one. 

Audiophile headphones would also need some sort of amplifier or a dedicated sound card to get the most out of them. 

 

 

I don't really want any headphones with mics, I feel as if they are cheap and i would rather have a stand alone microphone. But as you were saying is the frequency the only real benefit to a audiophile headphone? I thought the sound stage was greater.

[johnukguy]

A pair of Philips SHP9500s and a V Moda boompro mic would beat many of the headphones mentioned and cost less. If you can pick them up for around $60, which they regularly go on sale for, they're a great deal:
 

 

[lazyicon]

2 minutes ago, johnukguy said:

A pair of Philips SHP9500s and a V Moda boompro mic would beat many of the headphones mentioned and cost less. If you can pick them up for around $60, which they regularly go on sale for, they're a great deal:
 

 

Kl, but they are open right? How does that affect playing games? I have a razor blackwidow v2 with the yellow keys (they are silent ish). I'm not sure if my keyboard would be distracting but I have never tried open backed headphones before. Whats your take on them?

[johnukguy]

1 minute ago, lazyicon said:

Kl, but they are open right? How does that affect playing games? I have a razor blackwidow v2 with the yellow keys (they are silent ish). I'm not sure if my keyboard would be distracting but I have never tried open backed headphones before. Whats your take on them?

I prefer open backed headphones and they're not an issue generally unless you have someone blaring music in the same room perhaps. They let sound in yes but not to the extent that it gets distracting, unless you are OCD about things like that. As for what you hear ingame, for FPS games at least they're very good for picking up on sounds that might otherwise go unnoticed. I even use a pair of Koss KPH30i's, which are even cheaper, with a $6 adapter for the mic, and they also have great sound but you can't really go wrong with these, provided you can find them for a decent price. The only downside is that now the price is going up on some sites but the deals do still come around. I wouldn't suggest paying more than $70 to $80 max for them though, as after that, then other headphones might be more viable. But for $60ish they're pretty much unbeatable and they really do put much more expensive headphones to shame.

[lazyicon]

3 minutes ago, johnukguy said:

I prefer open backed headphones and they're not an issue generally unless you have someone blaring music in the same room perhaps. They let sound in yes but not to the extent that it gets distracting, unless you are OCD about things like that. As for what you hear ingame, for FPS games at least they're very good for picking up on sounds that might otherwise go unnoticed. I even use a pair of Koss KPH30i's, which are even cheaper, with a $6 adapter for the mic, and they also have great sound but you can't really go wrong with these, provided you can find them for a decent price. The only downside is that now the price is going up on some sites but the deals do still come around. I wouldn't suggest paying more than $70 to $80 max for them though, as after that, then other headphones might be more viable. But for $60ish they're pretty much unbeatable and they really do put much more expensive headphones to shame.

Do you suggest any amps? I have heard that they do great things but I'm not sure about them. 

[johnukguy]

3 minutes ago, lazyicon said:

Do you suggest any amps? I have heard that they do great things but I'm not sure about them. 

To be honest my idea of a good, budget AMP is very subjective and I would recommend something like Z Reviews and seeing what you like of what he recommends. He has a list up on Reddit, with general specs and links to the relevant reviews that you may find useful:
 

 

[lazyicon]

5 minutes ago, johnukguy said:

To be honest my idea of a good, budget AMP is very subjective and I would recommend something like Z Reviews and seeing what you like of what he recommends. He has a list up on Reddit, with general specs and links to the relevant reviews that you may find useful:
 

 

Well that's a long review, I will look at it when I have time. Thanks. But you said about spending more on a better set of headphones if the price of the Philips was to high, what others do you have in mind. I don't have much of a budget to say, but I don't really want to spend more than £250 (that's $350 ish). 

[johnukguy]

6 minutes ago, lazyicon said:

Well that's a long review, I will look at it when I have time. Thanks. But you said about spending more on a better set of headphones if the price of the Philips was to high, what others do you have in mind. I don't have much of a budget to say, but I don't really want to spend more than £250 (that's $350 ish). 

It's Zeos' list of Dac's, Amps and so on at difference price points and is a great resource to start with. If that's your total budget, subjectively, I'd still recommend the Philips SHP9500s with a V Moda boompro mic but I'd add something like the SMSL AD18 Amp/Dac. If you listen to music as well as game then you won't be disappointed and, if prices aren't too different for you, you should be able to fit in the Amp/Dac and the headphones and mic, which is a great option in my opinion. Though once you get started on this road, there's no turning back I warn you.
 

 

[lazyicon]

33 minutes ago, johnukguy said:

It's Zeos' list of Dac's, Amps and so on at difference price points and is a great resource to start with. If that's your total budget, subjectively, I'd still recommend the Philips SHP9500s with a V Moda boompro mic but I'd add something like the SMSL AD18 Amp/Dac. If you listen to music as well as game then you won't be disappointed and, if prices aren't too different for you, you should be able to fit in the Amp/Dac and the headphones and mic, which is a great option in my opinion. Though once you get started on this road, there's no turning back I warn you.
 

 

In terms of headphones, are there any upgrades from the Philips you would recommend?

[johnukguy]

Without a DAC/AMP, then perhaps Audio-Technica ATH-M40x's.

[lazyicon]

On 3/10/2018 at 6:14 PM, johnukguy said:

Without a DAC/AMP, then perhaps Audio-Technica ATH-M40x's.

I was looking at the Philips SHP9500s, and I'm not sure if I can get them (due to them being discontinued internationally I think), I will try to look elsewhere to find them

[johnukguy]

On 3/12/2018 at 12:52 PM, lazyicon said:

I was looking at the Philips SHP9500s, and I'm not sure if I can get them (due to them being discontinued internationally I think), I will try to look elsewhere to find them

You should be able to get them direct from Philips if you have any issues. The SHP9500 is the older model that is discontinued. The 9500s is the replacement, newer model that should still be available.

[lazyicon]

On 3/14/2018 at 1:02 AM, johnukguy said:

You should be able to get them direct from Philips if you have any issues. The SHP9500 is the older model that is discontinued. The 9500s is the replacement, newer model that should still be available.

I've found the headphones on sale at newegg, (https://www.newegg.com/global/uk/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826138190). Currently they are at 63% off - but when you include shipping and VAT its like 50%. I think I am going to get them. I might by them, then look for a amp and when I get the amp I can then see the difference (as is a problem that I normally do when i get new products because i don't notice the improvement because i don't test them i just use the new stuff all at once).

Hopefully they arrive in one piece!

[johnukguy]

5 hours ago, lazyicon said:

I've found the headphones on sale at newegg, (https://www.newegg.com/global/uk/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826138190). Currently they are at 63% off - but when you include shipping and VAT its like 50%. I think I am going to get them. I might by them, then look for a amp and when I get the amp I can then see the difference (as is a problem that I normally do when i get new products because i don't notice the improvement because i don't test them i just use the new stuff all at once).

Hopefully they arrive in one piece!

That is actually a really good price and I can just about guarantee that you won't be disappointed with these headphones.