Good gaming headphones for PC, budget within $150-200

Discussion in 'Soundcards, Speakers HiFI & File formats' started by johnny87au, Apr 23, 2019.

  1. johnny87au

    johnny87au Guest

    Hey guys,

    Looking for a good gaming headset which will help hear enemy footsteps etc, i was thinking of getting the razer thresher headphones but wasn't sure if there are better ones out there for the same price range ?
     
  2. Chastity

    Chastity Ancient Guru

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    Any headphone that resolves well and has fast attack/decay qualities make for good aural locating headphones. In your price range The Massdrop HD6xx would be king. :D (And great for non-gaming too)

    My Sony MDR-SA5000 unit is scary accurate, to the point that I've been accused of being a bot.
     
  3. mbk1969

    mbk1969 Ancient Guru

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  4. Darkest

    Darkest Guest

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    If your goal is clarity and accuracy, you generally want to look at open back solutions. I'm not personally a fan of physical surround sound headphones, and I find 'gamer' branded stuff to be generally poor. I'd lean toward a good set of stereo headphones and a separate microphone.

    What are your system specifications, as in what are you going to plug the headphones into? Some modern motherboards come with built in headphone amplifiers, or alternatively if you have a sound-card that has one it will open up the number of available options.

    I'd highly recommend giving a look over Mad Lust Envy's guide on Head-Fi, he's tested a lot of headphones at different price points for gaming over the years.

    Link: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/mad...d-massdrop-x-hifiman-edition-xx-added.534479/
     

  5. johnny87au

    johnny87au Guest

    THanks guys for the reply, after research seems like the Hyper Revolver S headphones are pretty good for the price range ? I've never used the Massdrop HD6xx but would you say they're better then the hyper headphones?
     
  6. johnny87au

    johnny87au Guest

    would the
    Massdrop x Sennheiser HD 6XX require an amp , or would the supreme-FX onboard sound with my Asus rog maximus XI hero board be enough ? I could always try my x-fi auzentech forte card with them ?
     
  7. Darkest

    Darkest Guest

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    Massdrop is a website that allows consumers to collaboratively purchase technology and other items in order to save money over retail prices. The headphones Chastity recommended are by a company called Sennheiser, and are almost certainly better than the Hyper Revolver S, but would depend on whether or not you have adequate hardware to run them in the form of a headphone amplifier.

    That said, Hyper X headsets have generally been decent in the past, but I've little knowledge of the more modern iterations.
     
  8. johnny87au

    johnny87au Guest

    Thoughts on the Senheiser HD700's ? I know they're $999 but i guess if it's worth it i can save up as i'll have them for a long time.
     
  9. Darkest

    Darkest Guest

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    That motherboard sports a Sabre Hi-Fi ES9023P 32bit DAC with a RC4580 headphone amp, which I believe runs 32-600Ohms. That being the case it should run the HD6XX very well, it's actually quite impressive being on-board sound.

    The HD700 are something I'd look into more if I were you, at that price range you're in a totally different ball park with a lot more on offer. The audio world can be a very deep rabbit hole so it's a good idea to consider what you want and why you want it, it's easy to fall down the hole and spend a lot more than you ultimately feel is worth while.
     
    Last edited: Apr 24, 2019
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  10. mbk1969

    mbk1969 Ancient Guru

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    I consider all audio equipment with price higher than $500 as an audiophile`s toys. And "audiophiles" is a sect, a religion.
     

  11. johnny87au

    johnny87au Guest

    So I wouldn't need a DAC as my motherboard uses a Sabre Hi-Fi ES9023P DAC with a RC4580 headphone amp. From what I've been reading apparently they run the best using an external DAC ?
     
  12. mbk1969

    mbk1969 Ancient Guru

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    Because usually external DAC and AMP are better than integrated, and the amount of external ones are much greater.
     
  13. johnny87au

    johnny87au Guest

    So I wouldn't need one right ? Just making sure as I want the best sound possible haha
     
  14. Darkest

    Darkest Guest

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    You wouldn't need one, and you'd be hard pressed to really get a better DAC. It might be an idea down the line to switch to a better AMP if you feel the need, but as stated it wont be necessary for the HD6XX with your motherboard.
     
  15. johnny87au

    johnny87au Guest

    When you mention amp, could you link me to one so I can get a idea what you mean. I'm not all that knowledgeable when it comes to audio haha ..
     

  16. nhlkoho

    nhlkoho Guest

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    Before spending $1000 on a set of headphones I would try to find somewhere to try them if possible. What sounds good to people here might sound like complete trash to you.
     
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  17. mbk1969

    mbk1969 Ancient Guru

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    For footsteps - no, you do not need one.
     
  18. Darkest

    Darkest Guest

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    The DAC (digital to analogue converter) is what converts the files you listen to into something audible, the DAC on your motherboard is actually quite good. The AMP stage is something which supplies power to the headphones or speakers you use. Some headphones/speakers require more power than others in order to function properly, there's more to it than this but that is the crux of it. The HD6XX will run off your motherboard, but as I said there's more nuance to the way things work than just the claimed output of the device, the HD4580 is a fairly low end device but should be competent for your needs and as such a better quality AMP will very likely improve your experience, but hold in mind this is going to set you back 100-300 bucks (although you could end up spending a lot more). It's best to see how you feel about them with your current setup before jumping the gun. If you do want to look at something better, you'll need to decide on whether you want a solid state or tube AMP. You could probably find a Bottlehead Crack second hand for $200-300 if you looked around and that's often touted as one of the best pairings with the Sennheiser HD6XX series.

    Here's a link to the Crack: https://bottlehead.com/product/crack-otl-headphone-amplifier-kit/

    Hold in mind that that this is a DIY kit, so unless you were comfortable with making it yourself you'd need to get someone else to do so or go second hand. I'm doubtful you can get better for those headphones without spending upward of a grand, but there are other cheaper options that may be worth looking at. As I said earlier, audio can really be a rabbit hole so it's something you need to set limitations with from the get go. If you get those Sennheiser (or similar) headphones see how they work with what you already have and go from there. nhlkoho's recommendation of auditioning before you buy (if you intend to spend a lot) is also a good idea, although if you buy from a company with good returns like Amazon it shouldn't be much of a problem.

    Here's a more in depth explanation of headphone amplifiers if you want to learn more: https://www.innerfidelity.com/conte...hat-headphone-amplifier-and-why-do-i-need-one
     
    Last edited: Apr 24, 2019
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  19. sverek

    sverek Guest

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    Just get HD599 and be happy.
     
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  20. mbk1969

    mbk1969 Ancient Guru

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    I think all this is relevant only for music. For games OP can go to much chipper headphones and without external pieces.
    I suggested Beyerdynamic DT-770 only because they are chip, they have good sturdy implementation, and they offer good sound isolation (in both directions). Plus the cord is long and jack is switchable from 6.3 to 3.5.
     
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