Headphones for gaming advice - positional sound

[TerminatorUK]

Hi folks,

Looking for some advice for a headset / headphones to mod that fulfil the following criteria:

- Mainly aimed at gaming with occasional music and movie watching
- Excellent positional sound (this aspect is key for me)
- 3.5mm jack connection - I want to use my existing Auzentech X-Fi Hometheather HD 7.1 PCI-E soundcard that I still love. It has a dedicated headphone jack which an drive up to 600 ohm cans. I also love how creative's Crystalizer sounds too.
- Closed Accostic design (I like how Open sounds but I go to LAN parties and like noise cancellation so I can concentrate in all conditions)
- GOOD mic quality. Integrated mic useful but not required as I already have an Antlion ModMic 4 that I can use with any headphones
- Portability/ case is useful
- Budget = flexible but circa £100-£200

To give some history, I'm at a bit of a crossroads.

For about 10 years, I have diehard 'real' surround-sound fan and have gone though Speedlink Medusa 5.1, Roccat Kave 5.1 (and XTD) and Razer Tiamat 7.1 headsets in the search of surround sound perfection (go easy on me!).

They do have their place and I love the clarity and precision they provide, however, there is always a trade off in overall audio quality.

I've always hated virtual surround sound solutions such as CMSS-3D, Corsair Void's and Astro A40's Dolby Surround, Hyper X Cloud 2's virtual 7.1 etc... however, that changed very recently when I tried Razer Surround which I am finding to be both clear and positionally correct.

As I test, I got a 3.5mm extension cable, de-coupled the usb sound card from a pair of Hyper X Cloud 2's, plugged then directly into my sound card and was opened up to a new world of possibility.

The Hyper X Cloud 2 sounds pretty good but now it has opened a world of curiosity - now no-longer chained by having to have 'real surround sound - what headset/phones can give me the experience I'm looking for?

Specifically, plugged into the sound card, the Hyper X Cloud 2 has plenty of bass but if I'm understanding right, especially when the action gets hectic, the sound can become a bit 'muddy' and lacks precision in the bass department (strong but 'unclear' if that makes sense) - sometimes footsteps are lost in the heat of battle.

I'm not sure if this us Razer Surround or the limitations of the headphones but I feel there is room for improvement.

I think I like the look of the Sennhesier Game Zero headset but I've recently been seeing a lot of praise for the Sennhesier HD 380 Pro which I'm thinking might be an ideal candidate for gaming.

I'm just wondering, is such a studio type headset suited for gaming are am I barking up the wrong tree?

I've noted people saying they have an excellent sound stage for a closed-style headphone?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give - sorry for the long post!

 

[TerminatorUK]

Wow thanks for all the replies guys - I really appreciate it.

I'll try and answer a few if the very useful pieces of information here.

I think I've got my heart set on a closed-back design for practicality reasons so I'll use that criteria first to filter my searches.

I know I love the feel of open-back (and conversely don't like the 'thrusted' feel the sound right in your ear of the Hyper X Cloud 2's) so the recommendation of tbe AKG550 has been a real eye-opener in that regard.

I see there are 3 versions of it and also an AKG553 now which is meant to be a better version of it from what I've read.

The DT770 Pro Black Limited edition looks nice too - I know Beyers are the only phones where you get a choice of impedance rating.

I found a pair thatvis 80 ohm - very different to the 32 omh of the AKG550.

Is it true that the higher ohm = better sounding if you have sufficient drive for the headphones or is that false?

The AKM's have 50mm drivers too...not sure what the DT770's have...

 

[TerminatorUK]

Different, not better or worse.

I've got a pair of MMX 300, but I don't think I'd recommend them for what you're after. It sounds like you're after something closed back with a large soundstage and considerably more analytical sound.

Which games are you playing? For me, I didn't find simulated 7.1 to be that good for positional audio, it just gave a sense of space.

Indeed - that is exactly what I'm after really.

I play FPS games mostly and currently playing Overwatch a lot at the moment.

I think you guys have persuaded me that there are other good closed-back choices beyond the Sennhesier HD 380 and I think I'm edging towards the AKM 550/553 but there's a few reports I've read that the clamping force isn't very strong which can affect the sound quality? I do like their rugged / industrial looks though - look very nice!

The DT-770's sound very good (I love the look of the all-black special edition too), but I worry that they might be a bit 'bass heavy' and I've seen it said that the mid-tones are less pronounced than the higher trebles and bass?

To be honest, I think I'm going to be blown out of the water with any decent headphone upgrade but I'd quite like to get it right first time to get a set of cans suited to FPS gaming out of the gate.

Really appreciate the advice - I'm not going to lie that some of this is going over my head but I'm learning and find this all very interesting

 

[TerminatorUK]

Lol AKM...haha sorry; you can tell I'm a gamer yes AKG I meant.

I think there is a richer sounds nearby but, to be honest, nothing beats trying them on your own system I feel so you know exactly how they will perform); I'm sure they wouldn't be impressed if I crack open a game if Overwatch or CS:GO in the middle of the shop and game for a few hours.

I'm definitely titling towards either the AKG550 mk3 or the AKG553. I have read the latter has more punch in the bass department which may not be perfect for my needs though. Thinking the fixed cable of the AKG553 might be preferable for security reasons at a big LAN that I can chain down with my other peripherals rather than the simple unplug of the mk3's.

I love the look of the velvet ear cups of the DT-770 but I fear the 'bassy' 80 ohm version may be wiping out what I'm looking to solve (more accuracy with positioning, clearer footsteps) and have less of a sound stage than the K550/553?

The DT770's have a 250 ohm version - not sure if that would trade the 80 ohm version's bass for more accurate sound stage?

 

[TerminatorUK]

Update on this folks - I've acquired myself a pair of AKG K550 mk2's from the wonderful folks at Richer Sounds on my visit to Exeter this week.

I got a bargain - it was their last pair and had no box so sold them for just £89.

I'm not sure what I was expecting to be honest but I wasn't "blown away" whilst listening in the shop. I bought them anyway thinking that it wasn't long enough and have used them with my phone - again good but somewhat 'meh' - it's hard to explain.

Overnight I even burnt them in for 8 hours placing them around a pillow and playing music though them but I don't think they sound dramatically different this morning.

Maybe this is a side effect of too many years of imbalanced cheap headphones but, with music at least, I found they were accurate but lack 'volume' and 'guts' - nothing really stands out or sounds that 'special'.

I guess that is the point of a 'neutral' headset and I'm jumping the gun before I get to try them with my own rig next week but I can't help but feel I've made a mistake at the moment

However, I have watched some Battlefield 4 positional videos on YouTube and I was very impressed by this - the space, positioning and accuracy of bass without being overpowering was just what I was looking for so excited to use these in action on my own rig.

I tried out the 'Virtual Barber Shop' binaural and was blown away by that - the clipping of scissors and the ruffling of the bag over the head was unnervingly realistic

Will update my impressions next week!

 

[TerminatorUK]

Thanks guys

I run a pair of 250ohm DT990's with an M-DAC whilst I'm gaming. The positional sound you get from them for games like BF/PUBG is superior to any simulated 7.1 surround sound software + gaming headset that I've tried. Studio headphones are definitely the way to go and you've picked a great set .

Good to hear - I'm sure I'm jumping the gun but we'll see.

I'm toying with the idea of open backed but I think It'll just lead to disappoint at LAN events.

 

[TerminatorUK]

They will sound very flat compared to other headphones, and so, may sound 'bad' to you.

And that's okay - they do to me too. I don't like a flat sound signature, so I buy headphones which don't.

If you're near me at all, you're more than welcome to give the MMX 300 a go, which have a much more V shaped sound

Very kind offer indeed but I'm sure I'd drive you mad with my fussiness / indecisiveness lol!!

I really like the look of the MX300 gen2 though - looks awesome.

Bit out if my price range and would mean I'd waste the use of the mod mic 4 I've got but tempting...definitelt tempting...

 

[TerminatorUK]

So update on this - I had a go on my PC with the K550's...

Definitely an improvement in music - games were 'ok' but I'm at still not blown away especially with positional audio which I though would be amazing. I'm not really feeling a significant difference to the Hyper x Cloud 2's...

I think they may be making a return to Richer Sounds...

I have, however, been swayed by the Beyerdynamic MX300 2nd gen headset which I found for a bargain 'houseware' deal at the forest which rains a lot for £100 cheaper than their normal asking price.

Their proclaimed sound quality, build quality, comfort and warranty stood out as well as a top quality mic that looks as if it could beat the modmic 4.

They will arrive later in the week and I'll post my findings... excited!

 

[TerminatorUK]

Closed design is always big challenge.

Though if signal doesn't contain proper spatial cues (stereo speaker mix doesn't) there's no positioning so did you check with these?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1_20T8x_OI
https://youtu.be/B8xZp0WPwxs?t=13m4s

And that standard stereo still sucks even with absolute top/high level headphones with sound inside one ear/in center of head...
I mean I got AKG K702/K712, Beyer DT990 and (tape keeping parts for mfalling) Sennheiser HD595.

Yeah I tried those on my phone when I was away the other week and they sounds pretty good then - but when I got them on my PC (well certainly playing Overwatch), I was disappointed.

 

[TerminatorUK]

Well folks - a massive THANK YOU for all your advice; I really, really have appreciated it - I think the journey has come to a (very happy) end now...

I eventually decided to return the AKG K550's today - unfortunately they were just not for me

I have, however, now got the Beyerdynamic MX300 Gen2 headset and I absolutely love it!

All-around sound quality is so clear, punchy and has an amazing soundstage - quite unlike anything I've heard before and I haven't had to tweak any settings at all (haven't needed to apply any EQ or additional bass etc..)

When coupled with Razer Surround, this is exactly what I was looking for - every sound is so distinct and I can really now make out every sound, footstep etc.. with such clarity.

Microphone quality is insanely good, the headset is so comfortable to wear and the build quality is insanely good.

Comes in a hard carry case with detachable (but not too easily - which is great) cables.

Very, very happy punter indeed - I think I'll be a Beyer fan for a long time now; these are the cans for me