Sennheiser Game One Upgrade?

[Baden]

Sup guys,

Looking at maybe getting a new headset as my Sennheiser's are getting pretty worn out. I've been doing some digging and from what I have seen the AKG K702 are a pretty decent headset? I'm not bothered about not having a built in mic as i'm happy to buy separate.

I mainly game on my PC, FPS & RPG's. Movies here and there.

I have a Sound Blaster Z sound card which it will connect to.

Happy for any other suggestions.

 

[Baden]

I'd probably spend my money one a better dac/amp instead.

What would you suggest? Thought about getting the Sound BlasterX AE-5?

 

[Baden]

You already have an excellent headset, just replace the pads if they need replacing. The K702 are not really going to give you much more at all.

They are good but I don't find them the most conformable. I just wondering what other options are good.

 

[Baden]

Audio technica ad500x are another good shout for that price. No detachable cable but they're footsteps gods if you're in to fps.

I've seen Audio Technica, I always thought they were crazy expensive but the ones you quoted are a good price. Do you have these?

 

[Baden]

What "part" of comfort is not so good in them?
Size of ear pads? Headband clamping force?

Ears are fine, Headband isn't that good and after long sessions can be a bit sore on the top of the head. Also fancy going for closed ear headphones rather than open.

 

[Baden]

Game One's headband looks similar to HD595, which has decently soft padding.
Though clearly behind Beyerdynamic DT990's headband padding. (at least Edition)
AKG again doesn't have any padding in its flexible leather band.

Unless having noisy environment closed design is overal worser for gaming.
It has lot easier time in giving strong bass, but beyond that it's challenge/drag for getting accurate reproduction needed by binaural cues.
Stereo sound like music doesn't really give a damn about accuracy to still sound good, but binaural cues start suffering fast:
"Sound stage" starts collapsing and instead of having good feel of distances of sounds coming from farther away they start sounding coming from more and more next to ear.
Also directionality can suffer greatly.
Instead of feeling like being in that game environment with sounds at different directions and distances, typical cheap closed headphone would be more like having head in bucket.

If you have missed what binaural sound gaming can feel first minute of this is good headphone test:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1_20T8x_OI
(disable any effects/processing of sound)

So do you have a headset to recommend at all?

 

[Baden]

DT990 works really well for gaming, if you want fun bass immersion, but without it hindering details that much.
If you want maximal details AKG K702 is one the absolutely best headphones.
With binaural sound next step up would be game showing positions of sound sources around you on map.

Myself have Beyer DT990, AKG K712 and second hand bought K702 for neutral bass reference.
(old tape keeping pieces of plastics falling HD595 can rot all it wants)

Ok cool, would you get the K702? or is it worth getting the K712 for the difference?

 

[Baden]

That depends if you're happy to bass level of Game Ones.
Though while neutral K702 has actually quite low reaching bass for open dynamic headphone and its lower bass is better than in HD595.
So would likely improve lower bass.

K712 adds general ~3dBs to bass for more DT990 like sound with good bass immersion in place of occasional "shyness" of neutral bass.
Trading some of that K702's top level "competitiveness" for details to good "fun factor".
DT990 and K712 have rather similar sound signatures.
K712 has overall advantage in details, though DT990 feels having slight advantage in some particular details, likely because of K712 having dip at IIRC 2kHz.
DT990 again has about similar advantage in feel of bass.

Comfort wise Beyer's manually adjusted headband likely works for lot more different head shapes/sizes.
AKG's automatic adjustment realies partially also on pressure to keep cups positioned.
And in small head, especially if downward narrowing, it could feel like cups are trying to creep downwards.
For ear pads AKG has slightly bigger ones, while Beyer's velour pads are very soft.

If it helps i currently have a Soundblaster Z sound card and i'm thinking of getting either Sound BlasterX AE-5 or the G6. With either of these sound cards which would benefit best for competitive gaming and casual?

 

[Baden]

just a note: all of the headphones that EsaT has recommended are open back.

Yeah i noticed, to be honest i did some digging and they are right, unless you have a lot of background noise there is no point. So i'll go for open back.

I think i'm pretty set on K702. Just need to decide if i should upgrade to either the Sound BlasterX AE-5 or the G6

 

[Baden]

Sound Blaster Z would drive 250 ohm Beyers fine.
While needing slightly more voltage, DT990 draws lot less current and is hence less power hungry than AKGs.
Again it might struggle in driving AKGs in some circumstances, if you don't care about hearing safe sound pressure.
AE-5 and G6 again can certainly drive those without problems.
AE-5 can even push out more power than AKG specs those headphones to survive. (200mW)


But actually there's possible development coming in sound cards:
We hear in 3D with two ears, because head causes direction dependant changes to signal received by both ears from sound source.
Unfortunately that "upstair's guy" forgot to standardize human head shape.
So if listener's head shape isn't close to average, immersion can suffer because binaural cues aren't accurate.

Creative has developed and finalized tech with head and ear shape customizable HRTF algorithm.
But so far it's available only in audiophile priced USB dongle for phones/tablets without sound card's normal features, or even PC based control software.
So might be that Creative is readying some new sound cards to replace Z-serie.

#

I know i'm probably asking some really silly questions so apologies. But is the AE-5 better than fiio e10k?

 

[Baden]

Asking Esat if he thinks the AE-5 is better than the E10K, would be like asking an Apple fan if he thought the iPhone was better than a Samsung Galaxy.

FiiO E10K is a good choice though, for those who don't care for gaming much, don't want any kind of positional surround sound locating or need microphone input. For those who do want those things, the AE-5 is clearly the better choice.

Ok cool, you have to understand I'm not very clued up on the sound side of PC's.

 

[Baden]

Well think i'm getting there with my decision, i'm pretty set on AE-5 but should i get the K702, or is it really worth going all out and getting the K712?

 

[Baden]

I have the Game One, Sennheiser HD58x and K702 currently (having owned the K712 Pro in the past). Keeping the Game One for use through the Xbox Pad - the others are used through a Creative G6 on PS4 (AKGs need the grunt of the amp). Up until yesterday, the 58x with clip on Mic were my choice - after doing the K702 bass mod, they are my preferred gaming headphones (have an adaptor on mine to use the VModa BoomPro Mic which makes it easy to convert to an awesome headset for voice chat).

Bass mod on the K702 has made a difference without damaging the strengths of that headphone - still would take the 58x for music listening (just) but imho the K702 + bass mod negates the need to spend an extra £90+ on the K712 Pro. Now if only AKG didn't charge so much for those replacement K712 pads

What is the bass mod? because yeah, judging by the comments and suggestions its just the bass that lets the K702 down. So if there is a way to improve it then I will probably just get them.

 

[Baden]

Very interesting, I find it crazy that just removing that little sticker makes that much of a difference! Nice find!