AKG K712 Pro VS. highend Game Headsets - Please Help

[Andraman]

Hey guys,

i've literally spend 15h+ reasearching and trying to find a replacement for my broken Sennheiser G4me Zero.

Though the SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless does look amazing, i somehow feel like its a brand just like Razer. Customer Support seems shocking and generally i have a bad feeling with them..


so Currently i am thinking of following setup:
- AKG K712 Pro
- FiiO E10K Amp
- BLue Yeti Microphone

(i've also checked the Teufel, Beyerdynamics and ATH Headphones/Headsets, but AKG K712 seems better spec wise?)


I will mainly use the Headphone for everyday PC use. Playing Quake Champions/ Rocketleague, watching youtube, listening Rock/Metal and stuff like that.

The Budget generally does not matter.. but if i can get above setup for approx 300 euros (with discounts currently in my stores) and that would be better than a Sennheiser GPS600 or so, i'd prefer to spend it more reasonable.


What do you guys think about aboves Setup? I'm generally considering myself quite audiophile.
If Money would not matter too much (not keen on just throwing it out, but i had more budget at hand) what would your way to go choice be?


Thanks a lot for helping. i'm seriously lost in all the marketing nonsense and i really just want a setup that will replace my Sennheiser G4me Zero without it being a downgrade.

Edit:
or would the steel series arctis pro wireless still be a good choice, eventhough the sometimes sketchy and kinda "bought" reviews?



Kind Regards,
Roman

 

[Andraman]

I have just slightly looked into it.. so far i dont get why it is that hyped.. the problem that i face is, that we dont have a return policy for headphones.. they fall under "hygene articles" and cannot be returned.. aswell as it is hard to find them to "try" them out.

so i would rather not jump just to a random gaming headset that appeared recently.. atleast the marketing does just look as hyped as the one for steelseries and i just feel like thats just overhyped.. no?

Is there any reasonable argument to go for the moebius over the steelseries? or a major accustical benefit over the AKG Setup?
(not saying i dont consider the moebius.. i just have a bad feeling about that one aswell... do you own it and would recommend it?)

Cheers

 

[Andraman]

i'd love to just use one device.. just more convenient.

i currently own:
- Sennheiser PC363D (with the G4me Zero USB-Audiocard) (unfortunately broken.. they were great though a bit too open for my taste, eventhough i do appreciate openback headsets (not a must though)
- B&W C5 Series (amazing in-ears.. one of my favourite ones)
- Sennheiser Momentum 2 (theyy are okayish for music.. but somehow the treble is annoyingly high on my pc and makes them unusable, also they are uncomfortable)
- Bose SoundSport Free (EarBuds for during sport=))
- And i do also own a pair of Teufel Massive (though they are mainlyy my gfs)

Decent Wireless would be nice to have, would not be a must if there is good arguments against it appart from just the price.

i'm from switzerland... unfortunately thats the case for all headphones.. quite a **** policy... i had major fights years ago when i switched back my Logitech G933 beause the microphone was just shockinly bad and bought the Sennheiser instead which were quite okay, but i hoped to find an upgrade.


Sorry for being so clueless.. but it is really hard to get a good and solid overview.


Thanks for the help already=)

 

[Andraman]

I've had pc360D (or 363, can't remember). Great mic, decent enough cans, comfy. Ran them with a modded zxr. Could easy live with them.

Tried mobius, didn't get on with them for various reasons.

Tried arctis pro with the fancy DAC. Great sound, super comfy, but the mic is garbage.

Have gsp600/gsx1000. Decent enough sound, good direction but far from comfy compared to others and not cheap for what they are. Bass bloated. Won't be keeping.

Akg712. Keepers. Touch more bass than 702, I use them for casual music listening, YouTube etc hence choosing these over 702. Fantastic for gaming, super comfy - don't even feel them on your head, great directional sound. Currently paired with Soundblasterx g6 and mod mic.

Also tried h5xx/6xx for gaming, not great for fps, loose direction and soundstage.

Amazing, the sennheiser were pretty alright. i never struggled with them. So these are some great references.

What about using the Steelseries Arctic pro but with a Blue Yeti mic or so? would that be the go to choice if possible? Because i do also do digital art and i really really hate if a wire is somewhere tangling. Wire is definitely no deal-breaker BUT if i could go for something as good audiowise in wireless as in wired, i'd probably lean towards the wireless option.

Or would you think that the AKG712 pro would beat the Steelseries Wireless in terms of audioquality,etc.?

Cheers for the answers from you guys and sorry for the maybe dumb questions..=)

 

[Andraman]

the question is. are wireless alternatives appart from headsets like the CloudX and such?

also.. on the otherhand. the G712 and G702 just have stunning reviews... i feel like you really cant do anything wrong with that (except for the wired thingie.. *cough*)

 

[Andraman]

Hey Lads,


thanks a lot for the awesome suggestions and sorry for the long responsetime.

Since i simply could not decide and all, i have ordered the SteelSeries arctis Pro Wireless from amazon. Just for a try. if i like them, good. if i have a slight doubt in quality compared to my PC363D, i won't hesitate to ship it back and really do the AKG712 non-wireless setup.

For now due to my digital art and generally my PC placement, the flexibility that would come with Wirelessheadphones won against the wired option.. atleast for a tryout.

I will keep you updated how i like my SS Arctis Pro.

Thanks a lot guys! Majorly appreciated

 

[Andraman]

What?? You said you couldn't return headphones? LOL Why not just buy the 712pro or the mobius or whatever headphones you wanted from Amazon and return them if you didn't like them?

yeah.. i cant in swiss stores. but i found a way to get it from Amazon germany to switzerland (via a friend that lives over there).

So that way I can give them back to him and he sends it back to Amazon from GER. Also, it was more or less his idea when i told him about the "no return" struggle of Switzerland. So the idea came up pretty spontaneous. Also Amazon is not really a thing in Switzerland, or atleast not for my ordering habits1. Appart from the Kindle they dont ship most of their stuff appart from books to switzerland.

So i got quite lucky with the situation here and thought i'd give it a try.

Also, i'm just below the tax limit to import stuff into switzerland if i go for the steelseries, thats why i chose "only" this one. With two or or also the Audeze he'd have to either pay for it or smuggle it in, which i both found quite too much to ask (even if i would pay him back, he'd still have to go there and do the papercrap).

But the AKG 702/712 are by far not off the table... i still have insane doubts about the steelseries. But since i got that offer i thought it would not hurt to try it out, right? As i said. if the Arctis do not please me (or fit on my big head) then i will send them back and probably will "risk" buying the AKG setup from a store here.. Because i'm almost certain i would like them. but the Wireless option of the steelseries just kinda make me cuirous.. i really hope for a little miracle that they are unexpectedly good.


Also i really needed sleep.. i got cought in researching and not being able to decide without trying something on for too long. The offer was kind of a release, otherwise future Andraman can take care of this^^

Cheers and sorry, did not mean to mislead anyone.
Andra

 

[Andraman]

I can see that in terms of audioquality it will be a step backwards. BUT as i said... as much as i appreciate everything being connected by wire (keyboard, mouse, controler, etc). the wire of the headset coming off of my head and binding me in terms of movement and comfort was a bother to me forever... and since the research was giving me a headache i've decided that this is one of the priority factors..^^

So, if there is a better wireless option for sound over headphones that is enough latency free to play competitive games than either the mobius or arctis pro wireless, i'm totally listening to suggestions.
But so far my research made the cut at Wire/Wireless. Either you go for better Sound and better valued wired headphones OR you kinda are quite restricted to one of the gaming branded wireless headphones that feature the protocols to transmit ther sound fast enough to play games.


Also, i would have bought both, but as i said. with the SteelSeries i'm already just barely over the taxfree importation limit. The mobius would already be above, if i bought both, i'd have to import them to switzerland and pay extra for the tryout. So i decided to go for the Arctis first and check, if the wireless option does make up the worse sound quality and if i can live with that.


I'll see how it goes with the SteelSeries, should get them next wednesday or so. And even if i dont like them due to Soundquality or comfortability, i'll probably try and see if i can get my friend to try and bring me the mobius. I know i stray away from audiophile headphones here but audioquality for the cost of wirefree, right?

Thanks a lot, and again, did not mean to overthrow any suggestions.. in fact i am insanely surprised on how amazing people are on here.. did not know that such kindness and helpful people still exist on the net these days! XD


Cheers,
Roman

 

[Andraman]

Alright Chaps,

i finally received the SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless... and i already can say, i'm a bit underwhelmed. Though the "lack" of bass which many refer to is not really an issue for me. I find it quite strong enough.

First impression:
There are several issues i have with it... while i listen to normal spoken Videos and while having the Digital Sound enabled, i can hear a slight echo of the voice, making everyone sound like they are in an empty hall.
Furthermore there is an annoyingly too sharp Hiss whenever someone uses the letter S, this is quite an issue for me...
I also already miss my Openback headphones, i feel like i cant breath under the closed-back of the SteelSeries and i get separated by my (quiet) surroundings way too much for my comfort.

And to make things "worse" there is an insanely annoying white noise on the headphones whenever you dont listen to anything. Usually i do not bother putting my headphones off, even if i dont listen to anything at that time. But with these, the whitenoise is so annoyingly present, that i feel like i'm getting blasted with noise eventhough i actually would rather prefer to have a moment of silence, which is not possible except for removing the headphones.

Appart from that, the Sound quality is quite good, gaming feels nice aswell, the mic does its job in a decent quality for a wireless headset. Eventhough people mention that it does not fit on big heads, i do not struggle with this one so far (eventhough my melon sized head). What i do love is that it is wireless.. its really a blast not getting stuck at every movement, but on the otherhand the headset is really heavy and is present, so when walking away from the desk you kinda feel the weight and presence of that thing, which is not exactly a problem but it still is a constant reminder, that you have your heavy headset on.

This is my first impression after using it for approximately 3h. But i'm afraid that the WhiteNoise and the HISS in Videos are a dealbreaker for me. So i will give them another chance today and decide after that if i'm gonna return it. I'm currently considering if those downsides are made up by the fact, that i dont have to fight and constantly untangle my wire and have the wire over my keyboard, etc.

So yeah, i guess the struggle is not over..^^

 

[Andraman]

But because human hearing has no real memory and is very bad as absolute measuring instrument, they don't know they're listening seriously distorted inaccurate sound.

i just gifted a pair of Teufel headphones to my gf and eventhough they are not in the top league, they are way better than the Skullcandy and trashy plugs she used.
The day after when she came back from work she instantly came to me and was like : "wow... i did not know that i was listening to such horrible audioquality. This is not even compareable, i can hear different instruments and tones!"
i tried to tell her that for freaking 9 years already! *smh*

Still using the steelseries.. but they really lack in normal use.. like music is fine but some of the higher tones are kinda mechanical and distorted..
Anyone made a refund on amazon already? Can i simply not state why i want to return it and they would still take it back? Or would i have to say that i'm unsatisfied?

Cheers,
$me