Please recommend good headphones for gaming.

Kevkas

Estimable
Oct 25, 2015
6
0
4,510
Hi guys, I hope you can help me figure out what to buy, or at least point me in the right direction. I want to buy headphones, which I'll be using mainly for gaming, but also to listen to music. I'm NOT interested in buying a 'gaming headset', I don't want a mic cause I already have one, and I also prefer to get a decent pair of headphones, I feel the same way as the guy who posted this sometime ago:

Going with a pair of quality studio headphones would be a much better choice compared to buying a "gaming" branded headset which likely has mediocre sound and build quality for the money.

What I have right now
Right now I have Beats Studio.... yeah, I know, I fall for this piece of crap. I'm not an expert in sound quality, so I don't find these that bad to be honest, they have a bit of bass which I like (in fact I don't really like A LOT of bass, just a bit suits me fine), but their materials and quality are awful. I like that the over-earpads, they cover my entire ears which is very nice, but its build quality is awful, the earpads are easily torn and the headband is starting to show the foam underneath it after less than a year using them sparingly, to the point that I'm looking for alternatives just because the materials are making them almost useless.

What I'm looking for
- Decent quality pair of headphones (both sound and built quality)
- Mainly for gaming, but also for music.
- Noise Cancelling if possible, I've tried it with the Beats Studio and it's a feature I like.
- A bit of bass, I'm not someone who craves bass at all cost, the amount of bass the Beats Studio has is fine (I've seen some with more, and some with less, but these are fine I think).
- Wireless/Wired... I'm open to both, if wired a detachable 3.5 mm cord would be nice (would give me the chance to at least salvage the 3.5 mm wires from the headphones I'm using now).

What I'm not looking for
- As I said, I don't want 'gaming headsets'.
- I don't care about mics in them (in fact I prefer not to have them)
- I don't care about flashy RGB LED lights
- I don't care about extra buttons for gaming (just a volume up/down button or wheel is fine).

My buget?
Up to $200-$250 I think. With that amount I hope to get something decent at least.
 

Carlrg2

Estimable
Nov 8, 2015
1
0
4,510
ath m50x audiotechnica Beyerdynamic DT1350 Sennheiser HD25-1 II V-Moda Crossfade M-80 / V-80 all of these suit you're budget and are top tier in quality headphones never get a wireless as quality gets degraded over signal beats 3.5mm wires are bad some of these have detachable 3.5 mm but don't use beats when you will need new ones in 4-5 years maybe more just go buy from those brands you just made a great choice to learn what is great music Ps: i would get an amp with the money left too those babies need some juice the fiio's are great and inexpensive for portable use and desktop use have fun
 

Ironsounds

Distinguished
Hello... http://www.headphone.com/
I use Sennheiser HD280pro... Low cost, And they have replaceable cables and ear Pad/Cushions... as many of their PRO product's do.
But I feel headphones are like shoes... you have to try them on first for an idea of comfort and fit... I have worn these many times over 6 hours, and comfort and sound did not distract me from my work... I did not like a coiled cable for my needs and replaced them with my own custom straight cable later... consider the cable type for your needs.
If your in humid environment, most closed back will not breath, and moist ears is the result, Open design will be better to prevent this with long hours of use.
 

Kevkas

Estimable
Oct 25, 2015
6
0
4,510
Thanks for the replies guys, I'll take some time to go over each model you mentioned, read/watch reviews and see where I go from there.

One question though, regarding this:

If your in humid environment, most closed back will not breath, and moist ears is the result, Open design will be better to prevent this with long hours of use.

I've seen reviews in which 'closed back' and 'open back' are mentioned, but I don't understand what it refers to. Could any of you explain it to me?

Btw, I should have mentioned, I live in Argentina, so I'll see what models I can find here, it's a bit tough to buy things abroad and have them shipped here (lots of regulations with imports and stuff like that if you buy from stores like Amazon and the like), I'll see what I can find.
 

RazerZ

Honorable
Herald
Aug 18, 2013
615
1
11,260
That sounds like me :lol:

Beats studios actually have quite a good amount of bass to them.... you might prefer a bassy headphone if you want something similar to what you currently own sound wise.

Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pros are nearly indestructible and are great for the price. For isolation you would want a set of closed back (ear cups are completely closed, open back have holes or vents where air can flow through) headphones not open such as the Sennheiser HD 5xx mentioned above. They do not have a detachable cord though if you are up for a little DIY there are mods out there. I found them very comfortable. They have a nice foam headband padding and use good quality velour earpads which are much nicer on the ears compared to pleather. They really feel like pillows on your ears. The DT 770 PRO 80 ohm is the version I owned and the one I would recommend. The sound is V- shaped, the low and high frequencies are boosted while the mid range is slightly recessed. Great for pop, rap and electronica. They have a decent soundstage for a closed back headphone and work great for gaming. Depending on your device and hearing you may need a headphone amplifier to go along with them.

 

Kevkas

Estimable
Oct 25, 2015
6
0
4,510
Quick question, to those who posted specific models. Have any of you tried these while gaming? If so, how's the sound? Are they comfortable for long gaming sessions? How about tightness in the head while using them? Sweat on the earpads?

Also, do any of those have Noise Cancelling features?
 

RazerZ

Honorable
Herald
Aug 18, 2013
615
1
11,260
I have used my 770 PROs while gaming. Very comfortable and probably the most comfortable full sized headphones I have tried in that price range. Though I bought a pair of mine used from a recording studio so they have been broken in like the way you break in a shoe. I have read they have fairly high clamping force out of the box.They are good for fun factor (bass) but if you are after positional accuracy for competitive gaming they can't hold their own against an equally priced open back pair. The velour pads did get warm after a while but do not get nearly as hot and sweaty as a pair of pleather pads like those on the Audio Technica ATH m50.

I am unaware of a good pair of noise cancelling headphones that doesn't compromise sound quality for active noise cancelling. Your best option would be to get a pair of closed back headphones that can isolate noise well without the need for nc.
 

Ironsounds

Distinguished
Hello... a "closed backed"... 1) You can't listen to people in the same room 2) People can't hear what your listening to. 3) humid ears over time. 4) Recording into a Mic preferred... no sound bleed thru into Recording Mic.
"open back"... 1) You can listen/tak to people in the same room 2) People around you can hear noise or what your listening to.

What are you going to plug these into? impedance of the HP's are made for different amplifier outputs.
 

Kevkas

Estimable
Oct 25, 2015
6
0
4,510
First of all, I appreciate all the info you guys are giving me, it's allowing me to at least know a bit more of what I'm looking for.

I forgot to specify that I want earpads that cover my entire ears, the ones in Beyerdynamic DT1350 and Sennheiser HD25-1 II seem to be smaller than what I'm used to with the Beats Studio, the size in these are big enough to cover my ears which I like, gives a nice noise isolation feeling. In that sense, I was leaning towards the Sennheiser HD 598 based on what I've been reading since yesterday, and also because Sennheiser has such a good reputation (though I've never tried any of their products), but I think the 'open back' design is something I won't like. 'Closed back' also seems to acomplish passive noise isolation, which could work as an alternative to active noise cancelling if I can't find something like that.

Also, I'll be using my headphones with my PC most of the time, maaaaybe with my cellphone but unlikely (kinda dangerous to walk around with expensive headphones around here to be honest), so I can plug them either in the frontal CPU audio 3.5mm jack, or in the frontal speakers 3.5mm jack (my speakers are a couple of very common Edifier R18, I don't use them much cause I prefer headphones). So I don't really know what 'amps' I have, the speakers have some power but not that much probably, and the cpu... well, does the integrated sound card in the MoBo have any amp at all? Oo

So I guess by now I'm either looking at the Audio-Technica M50X, or Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro (80 Ohms I assume)... or perhaps something different that I still haven't found. One thing I feel I need to point out again is: I will be using my headphones mainly for gaming, now I know there are gaming headsets but I don't like them, which means the headphones I end up choosing need to be comfortable for long gaming sessions. I'm not looking for possitional accuracy for competitive gaming either, I'm not into that (even though I do play FPS, but I'm not an online competitor or anything like that), more like general purpose gaming is fine, I just want to find good audio in headphones with build quality that can last a long time.

 

RazerZ

Honorable
Herald
Aug 18, 2013
615
1
11,260
The m50x will be less comfortable than the 770 PRO though slightly more convenient since it can fold up and has removable cables. I would not recommend them for gaming since they have a forward "in your face" sound that can become fatiguing and has pleather pads which become hot and sweaty in no time.

The Brainwavz Hm5 is also a good headphone and is on sale for a good price (99 USD, free worldwide shipping) and comes with a few extras such as a portable headphone amp, headphone hanger, and extra set of earpads.

http://www.mp4nation.net/brainwavz-hm5-studio-monitor-headphones

Not quite as well built as the beyer or audiotechnica though they are a big improvement over your beats.
 

Kevkas

Estimable
Oct 25, 2015
6
0
4,510
I've been reading some more about the ATH-M50X and the DT-770 Pro and between those two the Beyerdynamic seems like a better choice for me, the design isn't that appealing but who cares, what matters here is the sound quality (besides, the Beats had great design and it proved to be a crappy choice). The DT-770 also have different material for the earpads (don't know the name of the material, but looks comfy).

Quick question though, if I'm going to plug them into my CPU 3.5 mm jack (so basically into the integrated MoBo sound card), should I be looking at the 80 Ohm? Or the 250 Ohm version?

I'm check the other ones mentioned in the previous post when I get home (am at work right now).
 

Kevkas

Estimable
Oct 25, 2015
6
0
4,510


Sorry, I don't understand what you mean by that. You say I shouldn't even be looking at the 80 Ohm version?

The MoBo I have is the Gigabyte Z68X-UD3H-B3, which has an integrated Realtek ALC889 sound card. Now I've been trying to find which is the output impedance it has, so as to know what I could be pluging into it, but I can't seem to find it. Can anyone help me figure this out?
 

Ironsounds

Distinguished
Hello... I have no experience with those headphones or their impedance of 80 ohms, but not to worry, reviews are great... What happens is you need more Voltage, to Power and drive higher impedence speakers/loads.

If your output AMP is the RealTek, I would recommend a lower impedance headphone, for more perceived output Volume... Typically home speakers, earbuds, musical instrument speakers are 4- 8- 16 ohms, ( most products have this information printed on the home speakers, earbuds, musical instrument speakers ).

Most people use a RealTek output with a Exterior AMP/receiver with their headphones, that have higher Voltage/Power to drive High impedance headphones... it's all about OHM's LAW, an electrical physics equation.