Suggestion on headphones.

Looking to buy some decent headphones, for under $120.

Preferably with good/clean bass reproduction.

I'll only be using them for music and gaming.

TIA

 

I own a Steelseries Siberia v2 headset and i must say damn what a nice headset, light on your head, nice sound, and i'm using these for gaming and music, sometimes movies too. The price isn't too bad, 85 €

 

Some general rules;

1. USB Headsets = No no, unless you don't have a Soundcard.

2. Higher end headsets have higher Impedance and may require an Amp, if one is not built into the Soundcard. USB Headsets do not have this issue, but the Bass & Audio is not nearly as good.

3. Headsets have a "Burn in" Period, usually 40 hours, for all the parts inside to work correctly and give out proper audio.

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Sennheiser HD555




http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD555-HD-555-Audiophile-Headphones/dp/B0001FTVDQ/ref=pd_cp_e_1

A common combo to use with a clip on Mic or Desktop Mic. It provides professional headphone quality, with decent mic quality.

http://www.amazon.com/Zalman-Microp...-Headphone/dp/B00029MTMQ/ref=pd_bxgy_e_text_b

Good mic for it, Amazon says they're bought alot together.


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Sennheiser PC350

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-PC-350-Gaming-Headset/dp/B0012XFDWO/ref=pd_cp_e_3

Real headset, not Headphones. Normally 230$, half off pretty much. Great audio and awesome mic quality, professional mic. I own this and I attest to it being a very awesome headset, and great positional 3D Audio, as well for music & games. High impedance, 150 Ohms, may need a soundcard with a built in Amp or just buy one yourself.

People complain about weak bass, but it's great for me, and you can always do this:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/modding-sennheiser-pc350-headset-406187/

It's called Hero's mod, and it works wonders from what I read. I haven't done it yet.

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Sennheiser PC151

Old, but effective, dirt cheap and high recommended. Sennheiser has won Audio awards for it's Headphones. Full Headset.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826106157&Tpk=PC151


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Logitech USB HS-1000

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cm_re=Creative_headset-_-26-158-075-_-Product

It's a USB, but I owned it for a year. It's good if you don't have a Soundcard. Gave it to my cousin and he's enjoying it a ton. Decent price, if you don't have a Soundcard, get this over the PC151.

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ATH-700


http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-A700-Audio-Technica-Headphones/dp/B000E9VKUQ/ref=pd_cp_e_1

These come highly recommended with a clip on Mic. I hear they have a great Soundstage. Again, only if you have a soundcard, as they make it shine.

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Grados SR-60i

http://www.amazon.com/Grado-Prestig...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1264835135&sr=1-1

Come recommended from a friend as really good. Get a Desktop mic for them. Again, for Soundcard users only.


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G35 from Logitech(USB):

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-7-1-Channel-Surround-Sound-Headset/dp/B001O5CCQK/ref=pd_cp_e_1

Comes recommended from a friend. No soundcard required and I hear it's exellcent. I don't really use USB anymore since I got my PC350, as they sound amazing. It has interesting features like Voice Morph, 7.1 surround sound, and Stereo mode you can click right on the side.

I hear it has problems with Vent and causes a load whine, that hasn't been fixed yet.

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Sennheiser 280 PRO

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1264835638&sr=1-1

Another Headset only, but get a clip on or desktop Mic, and use a soundcard, they sound excellent I'm told.

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These are just some recommendations. I'll update it if I feel the need to. I've researched for about a month, asked many people, and mostly these seem worth buying.

You can shell out for over 200$+, but I don't think it's worth it, unless you're a serious audiophile. Also

DO NOT GET RAZER HEADETS, THEY USE CHEAP PARTS, BREAK EASILY, AND DON'T SOUND THAT GOOD,

Alot of people get tricked by Razer. They make good mouses, but that's it. They use 5.1 drivers in their headsets for actual 5.1 Surround Sound, but that's 5 small drivers, you see? Normal headphones / headsets use two large drivers. Razer's 5 small drivers are really low quality and sound like ****.

 

Sony MDR-V6 might also be a good option, but of course, sound quality is dictated more by your source than by the headphones you are driving, so you may want to look at that as well. :thumbup:

Link to Sony MDR-V6 :-

$109.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826159110

Also the Sony MDR-7506 Professional Studio Headphones :-

$90.95

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR7506-...?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1265575199&sr=8-35

 

Ultrasone HFI-550 http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-list...p?ie=UTF8&qid=1265575654&sr=8-1&condition=new

$110 with 5$ shipping.

 

I say if you can find a pair of Beyerdynamics DT660s , them be the ones to get.

 

+1

But there is one difference between the two. Although they are basically the same, the MDR-7506 comes with a gold plated plug and comes with a better warranty. Other than that, they are basically the same thing and a wonderful set of headphones. To my ear, they are pretty transparent and will kick some bass if you want. The power handling on them is pretty robust so you can crank them up well.

 

Awesome, guys!

I still have an older Audigy2 ZS card laying around here. Would you all suggest I install it, or upgrade to something newer? ..Especially since last I recall, driver support is/was lacking for that card.

Also, If I do end up getting some headphones with higher impedance, would my HTIB system suffice as an amp? ..or, does it not work that way?

Thanks!

 

I used my Yamaha RV-x363 front headphone out for that with my Asus Xonar HDAV1.3 standard til i sold it the sound card of course. It will work but later on you might wanna get a headphone amp or a sound card with a headphone amp on it.

 

Hm...Not much more to say but :
Buy normal headphones. When u take game headphones u will pay more for "game" word and less for quality. Best move is to buy good headphones and normal jack or usb microphone ( i got an usb microphone in web cam and normal mini jack microphone ( about 4 euro 0_0 and works same as usb one - sound is good and clear. it will be alot cheaper AND u will have headphones not only for pc. Dont even think about headphones that have 5.1 speakers. Have few of them and to be honest it rly sux. Speakers are too close to ur ear to hear bigger difference between them. For example audigy se cards with moded drivers or x-fi cards and xonar have 3d emulation system that is dmn good imo - tested with my small gaming team and with closed eyes u will always know what is where and feel difference between front and rear and all u need is a good quality stereo.

I use senheiser hd555 + audigy se ( for gaming mostly - FPS ) If u want sth even cheaper or lighter and good quality check Koss porta pro.

 

Alright, I've decided to replace the on-board audio. For the simple fact that I despise creative's drivers and don't feel like choosing which "modded" driver to use, I'm not using the Audigy2 ZS.

So, I'm thinking about going with Auzentech X-Fi Bravura. Anyone have any feedback on these, other suggestions?

 

Creative is a bad choice, yeah.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829156010

I recommend this personally, it's what I wish I had.

 

Thanks, man.

Read the review on here, looks good!

On the Bravura, I was also wondering which audio processor it uses. ..Which someone just added a new review for it on newegg, answered that. It uses CA0110, the Forte uses EMU20K2 (Better).

Only thing is, they are back-order. :thumbdown

 

Well yeah, they sell like Hotcakes man lol. They're good cards.

 

lol.. Indeed

Well, I added it to the auto-notify, so, here's hoping.

 

The Bravura is aimed at a diffent market, It aimed at Music as well as surround market because of swap able op-amp on all channels. It does have a better headphone amp over Forte headphone amp. Also It has other functions which fits the market its aimed at which the forte doesnt have.

It still alouds for gaming but up to EAX4HD isntead of Eax5 with the forte. Having a EMU10 chip dont make the forte better because the bravura has CA0110 chip. it just they are aimed at diffent markets. It just like how both ST/X and HDAV1.3 is aimed at diffent markets and so forth.


I bought the Bravura my self earlier today just waiting for it to ship, I didnt get the forte because the forte dont have muiti channel op-amp dip sockets. So I wouldnt been able to slot in op-amps into the muiti channel op-amps for my Reciver. Plus I didnt like the Forte Vga looking cable adaptor. I my self can do without EAX5 if I deal with emulated eax5 on the Xonar.

But if you want EAX5 that bad then the forte would be your better choice.

Also http://www.ncixus.com/products/?sku=35596&vpn=AZTXFF7105551&manufacture=AuzenTech&promoid=1196 there are forte in stock at NcixUS They are $129

 

Yeah, I should've said "better suited for my needs". It's cool though..

Thanks for the heads up on the Forte being in stock.

 

Sony mdr-v700 picked up on amazon for around $80, can't be beat at that price.

 

I just got these headphones (AKG K-601): http://www.akg.com/personal/K_601,pcatid,4,pid,2,_psmand,1.html and got an Auzentech X-Fi Forte http://www.auzentech.com/site/products/x-fi_forte.php along with them because the K-601's really need an headphoneamp in order to funcion as intented. All I can say is wow! The field of sound (if thats what it's called) is really impressive and the sounds are crisp and dynamic. Watching films is a totally different experience now. Before I had Sennheiser HD465 headphones and a Creative X-fi Xtreme Gamer and the difference between these is like night and day. So if you're still looking for your headphones, I really recommend trying out the AKG K-601's and ofcourse the Forte! Best update in a long time!

 

Thanks again, guys..

I decided to go with the Sennheiser HD555. I guess i really don't need an amplifier on these, but it'll give me room to upgrade in the future.

I think it was time to replace the on-board sound anyway, so, it was a good excuse.

Cool thing about it, both the sound card and headphones are out for delivery as I type this. ...I thought for sure i wouldn't get the sound card until sometime next week.

EDIT: That was quick, both of them are here!

EDIT:..again

You all knew this was coming. ..Should I go with the 1.1 drivers on Auzentech's site, or Daniel.K's? (or any others that are lurking out there, that are "better".)