Gaming Headset for a big head!

MBH38

MBH38

MBH38

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Joined
25 Dec 2012
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54
I have a big head and need a headset that doesn't feel like it is crushing my ears.

Have been using a Corsair wireless head set but sadly they are now being held together by tape. Tried a set of the Hyper Could X-2 but these felt like I was wearing a vice on my head. . .very sore ears after only about 30 minutes.

So I am looking for a headset for the larger head, with good sized cans, wired usb, 5.1/7.1 preferred. Anywhere in the region of £100 or there abouts.


Also looking for some reasonable 2.1 speakers, just for gaming use (it's not been a good week sound wise) and nothing too audiophile if you know what I mean. =)
 
roachyuk said:
lol ive no idea...probably not really big to be fair but dont like headsets that clamp your head
Click to expand...
Beyerdynamic has really lots of adjustment amount in DT770-990 headband.
With length maxed there would be enough length for basically ~2cm "padding" around head.
Could see Chinese manufacturers cutting over half of that adjustment range away because of not thinking anyone could need that much headband length.
(actually done by Taiwanese Superlux in Beyer design imitating HD-330)

With some expensive luxury parts in your PC you really shouldn't look to go cheap in long life audio parts.
Of course earpads wear and need replacing (not much of replacement parts for gaming headphones) but beyond that good headphones can easily last ten years.
Just how many motherboards/graphics cards for how much money you need in same time to keep PC up to date?


Anyway in general there's the thing in do you have quiet environment or noisy environment needing insulation of external sounds?
Besides more sweating causing prone closed design tends to be more or less compromise in sound stage size.
But it gives easily strong lower bass so lots of (especially cheap) gaming stuff use it.
While having harder time in achieving good all around bass open design headphones from proper makers can achieve big sound stage working well with binaural sound.
 
And are the DT770-990 good for gaming as well...i already use a blue snowball mic so mic is not a deal breaker anyway.

Also would i need a DAC to power these properly?
 
DT770 should be one of the better closed headphones for its price in positioning and decent sound stage.
Closed design tends to reduce sound stage size lot compared to open headphones and only some more expensive ones can offer bigger sound stage.
(cheap gaming garbage have sound stage size of bucket on head)
But if you have noisy environment, there's no other option than closed headphone.
Also having all around strong bass for good "fun factor" compromises "competitiveness", because it also makes it harder to distinguish foot steps etc.
But it's lot safer to decrease strong bass with equalizer than boost weak bass.
(no danger of signal clipping)

If environment is quiet DT990 would be overall better.
("loudness" curve shaped frequency response common in Beyers can just require some lowering of 8kHz band in equalizer for music)
Open design gives big sound stage and while it can't match closed design in lower "rumbling" bass DT990 has really good bass impact for open headphone.
Also open design and well breathing velour pads lower sweating causing to minimum in warmer weather.
While balancing quite well between offering fun sound with strong bass and enough neutrality to not weaken mids in comparison that of course prevents it from being top class in competitiveness.

Before DT990 used bass neutral Sennheiser HD595 (succeeded by first 598 and now 599) and those are better for picking up foot steps etc.
But such bass is very neutral and at moderate volumes sounds really shy lowering fun factor.
(not to mention fancy mechanical design not so great for durability)

DT880 would be rather compromise for gaming:
While having more neutral frequency response semi-open design weakens sound stage compared to DT990 apparently also losing in directionality/positioning.
So it loses in competitiveness while also unable to match DT990 in "fun factor".


Technically DAC doesn't power anything, it just converts digital signal to analog.
They always need at least buffering circuitry to drive anything.
Obviously anything playing digitally stored sound and giving out analog sound signal contains these converters...
And even less DACs do binaural-simulation for 3D sound on headphones.
That's where separate sound cards have overall advantage over most motherboard integrated ones.
(in signal conversion quality better Realteks are basically above human hearing accuracy)

600 ohm Beyers require lots of voltage swing from output to cover all situations but Beyers aren't very power hogging and 250 ohm versions don't need specially strong output.
All better sound cards drive them easily.
250 ohm impedance also makes them pretty much immune to all effects of any possible output impedance.
 
As for what binaural sound means this is good page with good example:
http://berkeleybside.com/sound-dimensions-of-binaural-recording/
Strange to feel sound of quitar coming coming from behind despite video showing it in "front", isn't it?
(assuming you have anything approaching decent headphones)
That's because if you look closer you'll notice that dummy head with mics being in center of players.

In case of games we can't put that dummy head into game and get binaural recording...
So either game's sound renderer needs to model that mathematically or sound card/separate software is needed for taking surround/5.1 from source and doing binaural-simulation.

For gaming first minute of this is very good for testing sound stage of headphones:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1_20T8x_OI
 
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