Wireless "Audiophile" Headphones (Single Player Gaming)

[BlairH]

Hi folks,

I currently have the Sennheiser RS175s; which I use for single player gaming in my setup (I plug the wireless base station into my AVRs headphone jack when I want to use headphones). However, they're starting to disintegrate and I fancy an upgrade.

I tried the Focal Bathys, but they seemed to clip like mad when I used them together with a Sennheiser bluetooth transmitter. They sounded good on normal bluetooth sources, like my iphone, for music, etc; but were useless for gaming. This being the case, do you think I'd be better off with a headphone that uses a wireless base station (like the RS175s I already have)? This being the case, the Steelseries Nova Pro wireless seems to fit the bill; but I'd have hoped for something a bit more "audiophile" if that makes sense?

Anything like that out there?

 

[srekal34]

Audeze Maxwell is the only decent choice you have. They sound awesome, and they are far more capable than RS175 - they are in totally different league than Nova Pro Wireless.

 

[BlairH]

Audeze Maxwell is the only decent choice you have. They sound awesome, and they are far more capable than RS175 - they are in totally different league than Nova Pro Wireless.

Seems like a good shout.

I'd have been willing to pay more for a bit more; but -as you say- these seem like the only wireless option.

 

[srekal34]

Yeah - B&O Portal is more expensive, but simply worse in every aspect

 

[BlairH]

Yeah - B&O Portal is more expensive, but simply worse in every aspect

I assumed they'd be terrible (they seem to be going for as little as £152 on Amazon; reduced from £400).

But yeah, the Maxwell seems like a solid choice. Out of stock everywhere; but I've now preordered the Xbox version (which I understand I might also be able to get working on my PS5).

 

[srekal34]

Yes, xbox version the right choice - only thing that will be worse on ps5 is the lower max volume(ps5 needs special calibration)

 

[BlairH]

Yes, xbox version the right choice - only thing that will be worse on ps5 is the lower max volume(ps5 needs special calibration)

Yeah, the Dolby Atmos license appeals; as does compatibility with the proprietary Xbox wireless system. I'll make it work with PS5 somehow.

 

[JollyJamma]

I tried the Focal Bathys, but they seemed to clip like mad when I used them together with a Sennheiser bluetooth transmitter.

Try them again but with a different Bluetooth dongle transmitter thing.

Might just be Sennheiser not wanting the dongle to work with a different brand (unlikely, more likely a compatibility issue but hard to say).

I have the Sony XM5 which work well with single gaming and office meetings on Zoom.

10/10 would get the Bathys if I had the choice and make them work over my pair of Sony’s.

 

[srekal34]

Bathys are not that great for the price. Putting incredibly heavy weight of Maxwells aside, I would say Maxwells have much better bass, while Bathys has only a slight edge in treble - for half the price - for £700 I would rather hunt for a discounted 5909. But I agree, Sony xm5 sound laughably bad in comparison, but it is a sub $100 headset in terms of sound quality, only worth it for its amazing ANC.

 

[JollyJamma]

Bathys are not that great for the price. Putting incredibly heavy weight of Maxwells aside, I would say Maxwells have much better bass, while Bathys has only a slight edge in treble - for half the price - for £700 I would rather hunt for a discounted 5909. But I agree, Sony xm5 sound laughably bad in comparison, but it is a sub $100 headset in terms of sound quality, only worth it for its amazing ANC.

I think the Sonys are much better than a $100 headset in terms of quality and alll of the reviews agree that for the money they are amazing but it’s personal preference (WhatHifi gave them the best wireless headset of the year award for 2023 and I trust their judgement)

I would also get the Bathys in a heartbeat based on reviews.

Each to their own.

 

[srekal34]

Well AKG N700NC M2 was a $100 headset and sounds better than XM5...
But if you prefer to listen to the website that doesnt even have a measuring equipment than its ok, lets agree to disagree.

​

 

[BlairH]

Well AKG N700NC M2 was a $100 headset and sounds better than XM5...
But if you prefer to listen to the website that doesnt even have a measuring equipment than its ok, lets agree to disagree.

​

Agree, nothing worse that What Hi Fi's so-called "reviews". These are the guys who talk about cables sounding "airy" or "warm".

 

[WhiteHartMart]

Yeah, the Dolby Atmos license appeals; as does compatibility with the proprietary Xbox wireless system. I'll make it work with PS5 somehow.

You won't need to work very hard with the PS5 - switch the Maxwell dongle to PC mode, plug in using the adapter in the Maxwell box - then enjoy. My Xbox Maxwell had no issues whatsoever with PS5 - max Volume was still far beyond my tolerance. Of course, something could change but for now at least it'll be great.

 

[docsonic]

How about these?

 

[siumatfung]

Hi folks,

I currently have the Sennheiser RS175s; which I use for single player gaming in my setup (I plug the wireless base station into my AVRs headphone jack when I want to use headphones). However, they're starting to disintegrate and I fancy an upgrade.

I tried the Focal Bathys, but they seemed to clip like mad when I used them together with a Sennheiser bluetooth transmitter. They sounded good on normal bluetooth sources, like my iphone, for music, etc; but were useless for gaming. This being the case, do you think I'd be better off with a headphone that uses a wireless base station (like the RS175s I already have)? This being the case, the Steelseries Nova Pro wireless seems to fit the bill; but I'd have hoped for something a bit more "audiophile" if that makes sense?

Anything like that out there?

Just get a gaming headset it'll do all the things you need and want such as the hyper x or steelseries

In regards to the bathys I'd say its the codec that really determines if you get the best out of them even with a Bluetooth dongle if it's not using aptX then still be a waste of time sadly so make sure you research if you buy another dongle but would definitely be an improvement over the sennheiser transmitter

 

[WhiteHartMart]

Audeze Maxwell (just got the Ultraviolet version) is a great all rounder (for music as well as gaming). Also have the Beyer MMX200 which have impressed me (not as good as the Maxwell for music but enjoy them for fps gaming while the Maxwell win for SP/immersive gaming).

 

[Grim5]

The Maxwell is currently the best cans on the market for someone who is looking for something that's good for gaming and also decent at music, without blowing out the budget

 

[srekal34]

Agreed, there is hardly anything that can match it(being wireless), even for 3 or 4 more times the budget.
They truly learned on Penrose mistakes, credit to them.

 

[sgavan]

One headset I just remembered that may be worth looking at, not out until February next year, is the PlayStation Elite, Planar headset and about £130 could be great on PC.

PULSE Elite™ wireless headset | lifelike gaming audio for PlayStation 5

Enjoy lifelike gaming audio on PlayStation 5 with a comfortable headset design equipped with a retractable microphone and built-in long-life battery.

www.playstation.com

 

[BlairH]

One headset I just remembered that may be worth looking at, not out until February next year, is the PlayStation Elite, Planar headset and about £130 could be great on PC.

PULSE Elite™ wireless headset | lifelike gaming audio for PlayStation 5

Enjoy lifelike gaming audio on PlayStation 5 with a comfortable headset design equipped with a retractable microphone and built-in long-life battery.

www.playstation.com

Sony recently bought Audeze. One assumes the driver tech is from them.