surround gaming headphones, or stereo headphone? advice please

Z

zella

New member
sup guys.

I recently decided that i was going to get some headphones.

I have a complicated situation where by I cant really decide what i want to get, so I need some advice.

Initially i knew that i wanted to get a good pair of stereo headphones, as i will be using them to play games, but also listen to music.

but i recently just bought a oculus rift virtual reality headset (check it out if you havent heard of it, its the future, its arriving in a few months). and where as before i wasnt to fussed about the surround sound effect, now im thinking that stereo headphones wont cut it.

i was going to get sennheiser hd25-c ii, they are top quality headphone and they cost about £160, i guess i would go up to £200, and just a note a mic is not a priority, i wont care if i have one or if i dont.

so what i would like to know is, what is the surround sound effect in some of these gaming headsets like. is it any good, how do they compare to normal headphones when listening to music.

also to note, i am very lucky to have about 15k worth of hi-fi, so i have a pretty high standard when it comes to surround sound.

why do i want a headset you ask, well im not at home all the time, so when im away ill be using the headset.

in my rig i have an asus xonar essence stx, which is about the best headphone card you can buy, before you start going into crazy money.

so whats the verdict guys, stick with the sennheisers or get a surround sound headset.

thanks
 
The Sennheisers are more for portable use on iPods than use with the STX.

As they're portable, they're on ear headphones, rather than over-ear, and so will not be as good as a pair of over-ear phones.

You'd be better with a proper over-ear construction like Beyerdynamic DT770/990 depending on whether you want an open or closed design.
 
thanks for your reply but you didnt answer my question.

re the sennheisers, you can get 600 ohm version of the same headphone that have a full size jack, but i feel that the lower impedance version is more flexible for what i want, as i do sometimes use my iphone.

also the sennheisers are closed headphones, although you are right in that they dont cover you whole ear.

so still waiting to hear what surroundsound is like with some of the gaming gear?
 
Gaming headsets are terrible compared to proper headphones. More so if you have the STX... Stick with proper headphones. To answer your question with surround sound though...the virtual 7.1 surround on the STX does a good job IMO with surround. Considering the card only puts out in stereo though, you can't really use a surround sound gaming headset with your card anyway... and even if you could - as I said, proper headphones would be better.

The Sennheisers that you linked are meant for DJs, not for home use whatsoever - and so not really what you should be looking at.

You wouldn't want anything as high as 600Ohm. I'd say 250Ohm maximum.
Anything over about 80Ohm you'd need an amp really to use with your iPhone, like a Fiio for example.
 
great, thats what i wanted to hear, and pretty much exactly what i suspected. yeah i realise you cant use the 600 ohm versions with anything other than an amp. i think the sennheisers i was looking at were only 70 though.

and the stx does output in multi channel using coaxial. although im sure the gaming headsets dont have digital input for true 5/7.1

ill do some research regarding the beyerdynamics are they the best brand iyo?
 
Yes, but doing that bypasses the DAC, which negates the best part of the card.

Beyerdynamic make great headphones. Very good build quality and great sound. More fit for purpose than the Sennheisers you linked first.
 
yeah i realise, but the DAC is of no use to me when im watching films.
i bought the card with a future headphone purchase in mind. currently its main use providing 5.1 to my preamp
 
Depending on whether you want closed or open back headphones, you might want to look at the AKG range. Semi-open would be K240s or K242s, and K271 for closed back. Of course they are quite low in price when looking at your budget but they might be worth a look into.
 
If you don't want to break the bank, don't plan on going into public with these on, and want one of the best pairs of headphones for surround gaming, look no further than the Audio Technica ATH-AD700. They're quite possibly some of the ugliest headphones ever created, but they're comfy and sound great, with both music and positioning in game.

 
@SuB

hey man. just ordered the 702s!
i actually lol'd when i looked at their amazon page. 30 reviews, every single 1 is 5 stars.
now maybe they are all just trying to make themselves feel better about spending 250 kwid on headphones, or im on to a winner.
there coming in a few days, will report back. thanks for the advice
 
Hey Zella,

You won't regret it buddy, I bought mine and got a Xonar Essence STX with them and I tell you this, you won't go back ;)

Lovely and light so very little wearing fatigue, but they feel very well built :) the sound is just.. stunning, clarity, punchy without being boomy, veyr accurate with 7.1 'headphone surround' setup in xonar panel and open up a whole new level of wow for music.

If you need a mic, I've got a Modmic coming for mine, I'll be putting some kind of review up for this once it arrives. :) All I hear so far is good though so I'll already recommend it. http://www.modmic.com/
 
u genius. that mic is exactly what i was thinking off.
was going to get some kind of clip on shirt mic. tv style. but that is a far better solution.
I have an essence stx, so cant wait to pair the two up.
with that mod mic thing this is definitely the way to go, i knew that gaming headsets wouldent cut it

EDIT: and a quick question. have been reading online that leather bumps on the headstrap are a bit of a pain. i have some foam that would deal with it, and i dont care if they look like a botch job, just as long as they are wearable for long periods.
how do you find them?
 
I honestly don't even notice them, they're one of, if not the comfiest pair of cans I've ever worn :) I have mid-length hair but i doubt that makes much difference, honestly you barely notice them at all.

Before you worry about the mod-mic having a neodymium magnet (as I did) and it interfering with your shiny new 702's don't worry they've been testing it all over the place and no-one has had any issues at all with it.

My modmic still not here :verysadface: but hoping it arrives today before the weekend. Getting annoyed at having to use a crappy one lol.

Also, you'll totally care if they look a botch job once they arrive, the headphones are very nice looking :P don't ruin it!! :)
 
hey man, thanks for your reply, im not bald, not yet anyways, so i reckon ill be ok.
im sure your right, once i see them i wont want to go ducktaping foam to them.
good to hear about the mic.
it comes from the us right? be careful, i have order from US before, and u can get a cash charge at customs, which you have to pay UPS or whoever delivers
 
No worries, I'm positive you'll love them :)

Yeah i've had stuff from US before, usually have to pay a fedex bill when we order hottoys/sideshow stuff but it's no biggy. it's only 20% of £30 anyway so I'm not fussed.

My order tracking from USPS seems to have stopped in LA at the moment.. so I guess it's nearly here (at least i hope so). Strangely, I get stuff from china/hong kong ALL the time n never pay import tax...

*shrug*
 
Sub

they are eppic. i could go on, but you already know.

what do you have your gain on, i got mine on max, i know they arent even close to 600 ohms, but i like my tunes loud. and they can handle it
 
I love my Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro 80Ohms to bits. Bass might be too much for some, though.

Bah, didn't even realise there was a second page. Time to sleep I think.
 
Hi Zella,
Sorry i missed your post mate, I have mine on the mid level setting, no need for them to be any higher at the minute :P
 
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