New headset for gaming

[Witto]

It's been a long time since I upgraded my audio setup so I'm very much out of the loop and would welcome some advice on a new gaming headset/mic, this is specifically for FPS gaming, with a focus on positional audio (footsteps being a high priority). Currently I'm pretty much only using the headset to play DayZ, but that may change.

Although my current headset (PC38X) does a decent job, being a glasses wearer I'm really struggling of late with the clamp pressure, after 30 mins or so I'm having to remove it periodically due to the pain it causes pressing the glasses frame behind my ears. So looking for something that's more comfortable to wear whilst hopefully upgrading the sound quality at the same time, certainly I don't want a worse audio experience if possible.

Current setup:
At the moment I am using a PC38X headset connected to a Sennheiser GSX1000 (not using the surround sound, just 2.0 HD Stereo).

This setup seems to work quite well for me, certainly I'm able to pick out footsteps earlier and much more accurately than the people I play with.

Other things I own.
AKG702 - were good in their day but never managed to find a good mic option to pair with them, guessing they are too dated now?
SoundBlaster AE-5 - I use this with desktop speakers for everything else, but have never managed to find a setting that matches the GSX1000 when it comes to locating footsteps and general positional audio.

Budget:
Birthday and Christmas are both fast approaching so no real budget in mind, but lets say £400 ish for now.

DAC/AMP:
I'm also willing to consider buying a new DAC/AMP too if there is something that is worth the investment (e.g. Schiit Gunnr?), the £400 estimate doesn't have to include both.

Having done a little research (but by no means extensive) the Audeze Maxwell 2, SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni, Beyerdynamic MMX 330 Pro, Razer BlackShark V3, and Sennheiser HD490 Pros* all seem like possible options, so would value any opinions anyone has on these, or better options if there's something I've missed.

*I'm not against going for headphones with a separate mic if needed, but if someone has experience of a good headset/mic pairing that works well that would be appreciated.

Any recommendations/advice will be gratefully received.

 

[sgavan]

I have the Audeze maxwell v1 for about a year and love them, great sound and clarity, people mention the weight but personally never notice it and highly recommend them. Not really a big FPS player but when I play some I find they work positionally very well.
I also have DT990 250ohm and these may be slightly better positional but they are wired and I have a Antlion attached which works well. Had these for years and still going strong.
I had some AKG 702 and I think I slightly preferred the DT 990 over them but it was marginal and passed them to a family member who loves them.

 

[fraps]

I’ve heard the Sony Inzone H6 air are quite good. Light on the clamp force. Haven’t got a pair myself as I can’t justify it over my HD560s but they’re one to look at.

 

[Timber]

From a personal perspective I like the Sony Inzone H6 Air. They use the Sony MDR-MV1 driver with some small tuning changes for gaming (slightly more v-shaped). For the £140 they can go for (£180 RRP) they are fantastic. Compete with the PC38X (which I also love) as a gaming headset. I tend to use the PC38X, Beyerdynamic TYGR 300R and Inzone H6 in rotation for gaming. All are great for that.

The AKG K702 - I used to own the K702 and K712 and loved both. I preferred the K702 for reasons including it's tuning. It won't stop being a good headphone for gaming, particularly the open-world stuff because of the massive soundstage and reasonable amounts of treble. Needs an amp though.

HD 490 Pro and MMX 330 Pro will be great for gaming too. I don't own those two though. But I suspect the former will be better for music. I've not owned the Maxwell either partially because I have a preference for lightweight headphone/sets. I think as long as you are fine with the weight it's probably the best wireless gaming headset. The ASUS Kithara is another planar headphone, albeit wired which is worth considering.

From a DAC/AMP point of view loads of solid options; Shiit Gunnr is fine if you can get it. Fosi Audio K7 is probably a better value pick, but certainly right up there in terms of audio quality and features. Both of these have mic input. If mic input isn't as important you could look at the new Topping DX1 II.

 

[fraps]

From a personal perspective I like the Sony Inzone H6 Air. They use the Sony MDR-MV1 driver with some small tuning changes for gaming (slightly more v-shaped). For the £140 they can go for (£180 RRP) they are fantastic. Compete with the PC38X (which I also love) as a gaming headset. I tend to use the PC38X, Beyerdynamic TYGR 300R and Inzone H6 in rotation for gaming. All are great for that.

The AKG K702 - I used to own the K702 and K712 and loved both. I preferred the K702 for reasons including it's tuning. It won't stop being a good headphone for gaming, particularly the open-world stuff because of the massive soundstage and reasonable amounts of treble. Needs an amp though.

HD 490 Pro and MMX 330 Pro will be great for gaming too. I don't own those two though. But I suspect the former will be better for music. I've not owned the Maxwell either partially because I have a preference for lightweight headphone/sets. I think as long as you are fine with the weight it's probably the best wireless gaming headset. The ASUS Kithara is another planar headphone, albeit wired which is worth considering.

From a DAC/AMP point of view loads of solid options; Shiit Gunnr is fine if you can get it. Fosi Audio K7 is probably a better value pick, but certainly right up there in terms of audio quality and features. Both of these have mic input. If mic input isn't as important you could look at the new Topping DX1 II.

Kithara seems a bit heavy? Might be too much of a squeeze.

 

[Timber]

Kithara seems a bit heavy? Might be too much of a squeeze.

Yes, true. Again a reason I've not gone for it. 420g for the Kithara. 560g for the Maxwell 2. I suppose the Kithara wins a little bit so might be more tolerable.

But I suppose like a lot of these things it's going to be preference. Personally I love the stuff under 300grams; TYGR, 6x0, PC38X, InZone H6 Air etc. I suppose in this sense IEMs are going to be the ultimate. Annoyingly I just don't like them.

 

[fraps]

Yes, true. Again a reason I've not gone for it. 420g for the Kithara. 560g for the Maxwell 2. I suppose the Kithara wins a little bit so might be more tolerable.

But I suppose like a lot of these things it's going to be preference. Personally I love the stuff under 300grams; TYGR, 6x0, PC38X, InZone H6 Air etc. I suppose in this sense IEMs are going to be the ultimate. Annoyingly I just don't like them.

Agreed, anything in ear and I’ll build up too much wax. And the convenience of a headset mic is too good to pass up.

 

[Witto]

Thanks for all the replies, very much appreciated.

As an interim I've dusted off the AKG702's, I'd forgotten how decent they are for open world type games.

I've also borrowed a wireless mod mic to see if that's a cheaper option, although I'm pleasantly surprised with the audio quality it seems to pick up every mouse and keyboard click unless I drop the input level down very low, so low that you can barely hear my voice!!

 

[Casdawer]

Another vote for the H6 Air's.

Recently went from a PC38X to them and the weight / clamp difference is huge. I can wear them all day without issue.

I would say the sound is a little better but not by much.