Headphone gaming, is there an upgrade to my setup

Born_2_Kill_83

Born_2_Kill_83

Born_2_Kill_83

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So been busy upgrading everything else in my PC in recent months and feel as though I've not touched the audio side of things for some time.
I mostly play battlefield, sound stage in this game is my number 1 priority, I must hear where people are coming from, I enjoy listening to music from time to time but mainly just gaming.
I currently have a Sounder Blaster Z powering my old HD555 headphones which are so comfy.

I've seen a nice new set of HD599's which have caught my eye has any-one has any experience of these, or should I look elsewhere for a nice set of cans.
No doubt there will be a upgrade to my SB-Z but is it a worth while one, am I going to notice any difference? Don't really want to shell out £200 on cans and over another £100 on a sound card if not.
 
I had a similar setup with a HD598 on an Xonar Xense soundcard. I upgraded to a HD650 plus Schiit Vali+Modi mostly for music.

It's made games a little bit better, battlefield 3/4/1 sound amazing on both setups. Mirror's edge was the most improved and games with great music benefit as well. Directional wise there was no change as I always my old setup in stereo mode cause virtual surround sounds garbage. Never had any issue hearing people coming either.
 
AKG make the best gaming headphones in my opinion.

Soundstage is wider than Sennheiser.

For instance I have some AKG K550 MK2 which you can get for £129 which I prefer over my HD650's for gaming, even though they are closed back, which is good for late night gaming if you want to keep the noise down.

You should also look at the AKG K702 for an open design for wider soundstage.

Another excellent gaming headphone is the Philips Fidelio X2. Decent soundstage and mammoth bass rumble which makes games like BF1 really come alive. They can also be driven really easily.

Might be selling mine as I am stuggling to justify three sets of headphones. :o
 
^ just the three? ;)

If sound stage is your priority then the AKG K702 is about as good as it gets and are my goto gaming headphone.
For music it's my Senn HD650s, Sonys (MDR-1A and MDR-100AAP) or IEMs (several), depending on circumstances at the time.
 
Thanks for the reply guys, I like a bit of rumble in my BF experience though, my HD555 (modded) are fine in terms of bass, sounds like the K702's are lacking in that department a bit though?
My sound card's ok to drive all of these I take it?
 
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Thanks for the reply rids57, wondering if I should just be done with it and go for the HD650's they aren't much more than the HD599's and my HD555 have always been so comfy. How are the HD650's for gaming, if I get the same soundstage as my HD555's I'd be happy.
 
Born_2_Kill_83 said:
Thanks for the reply rids57, wondering if I should just be done with it and go for the HD650's they aren't much more than the HD599's and my HD555 have always been so comfy. How are the HD650's for gaming, if I get the same soundstage as my HD555's I'd be happy.
Click to expand...

They are pretty much the best all-rounder I have tried. They absolutely excel with music and are pretty damn good for gaming.

if I had to have just one headphone, it would be it, in fact, I have been mulling voer today shifting all of them apart from the 650's.

X2's going up in the MM this weekend if you are interested. ;)
 
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HD650s have a much smaller sound stage than K702s but for music are a much better headphone.
If you want a more bassy sound then the X2s in the MM are a good choice.
 
Out of all the headphones I've owned, I'd say the widest sound stages are

HD800
K701
AD700X
K612


If you want a fuller sound that has a good stage but a trade off of width for other benefits like fuller voices on dialog and more engaging background music or sound effects I'd recommend

MA900
K712/K7XX
K612
DT880


Going for the widest soundstage will affect other areas. The HD800 is a rare breed in that it gives you deep sub bass, equally wide stage to some of the AKG's but with equal depth and gives you a more immersive feel with sounds that seem to pop out of thin air but it's silly money. The K612 also does a good job of being an all-rounder for only £100, sub bass and imagining is great.

The HD650 is more intimate and personal sounding I wouldn't re mend it if soundstage is your main priority but it's very engaging.
 
Hi!

Dont really wanna highjack this thread, but I have a similar question.

My current gaming/music setup on PC consists of an ASUS XONAR DGX with Dolby Headphone (incl. Headphone-Amplifier onboard XONAR DGX) and a pair of Creative Aurvana Live 1 Headphones.

What would be my options to improve the audio experience significantly?
Price Range would be max 200€. With more focus on music than gaming.

Thanks in advance.

CmdCool

PS: I have no problem with my actual setup, but i would like to know, what could i do to improve it within reasonable investions.
 
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