Gaming Headphone Questions

[Xoted222]

So, a bit of background. I am a big WoW player but also play a lot of DayZ and steam games with my guild buddies. Just recently i have been in the market for a new headset, i wanted to go wireless due to my hatred of wires but decided to go down the wired route to ensure quality eventually. At the moment i have been using a pair of Turtlebeach x12's for around a year and have had no problems with them, however i would like to upgrade to something with surround sounds etc for my setup.

Whilst for a long time I had settled on upgrading to the Turtlebeach z300's for the PC I have discovered there is a large amount of people who say buying a set of headphones + detached mic rather than a gaming headset will net you far higher sound quality for your money. Is this statement true? Which brands are known for the best headphones?

I also looked into upgrading my sound card from my integrated motherboard sound, but was made aware that with a headset/headphones this will have very very little influence on the quality of sound, only really being an advantage in that it will give me more options for sound manipulation.

Whilst i did a lot of research into the best headsets i have done limited research into headphones, what should i be looking out for? Is it still driver size, surround sound etc?

My price range is between £80-170

Any suggestions/ info is much appreciated, thanks.

[Confucius]

Yes, it is true that buying headphones and a microphone cheaper will net you better sound quality for a much cheaper price. Gaming headsets tend to be very, very overpriced and are not known for their sound quality. I recommend you check out Head-Fi.org - Headphone forums and reviews for audiophiles if you want to see some good reviews for lots of different headphones.

Here are some I can name off the top of my head that won't require additional amplification.

Beyerdynamic dt 770 pro 32 ohms
Audiotechnia m50s
Senheiser HD 598


There are obviously a lot more options, I really suggest you go over to Introductions, Help and Recommendations and ask for some help where people more knowledgeable than me can help you out.

[Eryx]

100% agree with what Confucius said. Also recommending you to take a look at Sennheiser Momentum and AKG K272 and K142.

[DonnyBoostingBV]

I was in the same situation as you about 6 months ago. I found out about the website that confucius linked, and that really helped me a lot! I got the audiotechnica m50s and it's the best sound that i've ever heard. The first time that I heard it my brains actually got confused and I got a headache for a few days. In that time my brother lend it and got a headache to lol.. I decided to not wear them for a week, but after that weak i was used to the sound. It's just a different world i'm not kidding. I can hear things that I've never heard before. I tested the Sennheiser HD598 in the store as wel. Was not really impressed, but that is mainly because you don't have any good test material in a shop. I don't think that you can go wrong with either headphones. I suggest that you take a look into that website and test the headphones ( if possible ) in a shop with your own music/sound.

[Freefall552]

Is it possible to get quality headphones for around 50-60€? Mainly for music.

[DarkStopDying]

I recommend steel series. Had the first set that made for 10 years. Still work great. Just bought an updated set with an awesome Mic for 65$ on Amazon. Steel series Siberia I believe it's called.

[Freefall552]

I recommend steel series. Had the first set that made for 10 years. Still work great. Just bought an updated set with an awesome Mic for 65$ on Amazon. Steel series Siberia I believe it's called.

From now on I'm avoiding all the "gaming brands" since they are usually trash for music.

[Confucius]

From now on I'm avoiding all the "gaming brands" since they are usually trash for music.

I'd check out Amazon.com : AKG K 240 Semi-Open Studio Headphones : Musical Instruments for that price range. There are more options though, the best way to look around for headphones in that price range is to google $80 headphones head fi and read the threads then compare reviews until you find the set that fits your music taste best. Sorry for the late reply.

[Zathan]

Big fan of the Audio Technica ATH-AD700. Doesn't include a mic but you can get modmic : AntLion Audio ? Welcome
Much better than the clip-on Zalman (I really hate it).