Help: Which Surround Sound Headphones to buy?
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As the title says, I need to know which surround sound headphones to buy. With so many options out there for specific things, it's really hard to know which ones from which company are the best ones to purchase. It's especially hard when you're a total noob when it comes to sound.
So, I want surround sound headphones mainly for PC gaming, and a option to use it on the Playstation 3 would be nice too. I actually want to record a "Let's Play" series sometime later, so I would rather have a good mic which is also good when it comes to online gaming. My desired price is around 150$ at the moment, but I know how expensive these things could be so any suggestions with higher prices are welcome, as well as lower than 150$.
Hopefully, somebody here knows their stuff.
Thanks in advance.
So, I want surround sound headphones mainly for PC gaming, and a option to use it on the Playstation 3 would be nice too. I actually want to record a "Let's Play" series sometime later, so I would rather have a good mic which is also good when it comes to online gaming. My desired price is around 150$ at the moment, but I know how expensive these things could be so any suggestions with higher prices are welcome, as well as lower than 150$.
Hopefully, somebody here knows their stuff.
Thanks in advance.
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http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1285726
This thread is fantastic for gaming. It also is one of the MANY threads that will establish the surround pecking order: Speaker-based Surround Sound System > Good Headset w/ dedicated virtual surround device (Soundcard or mix-amp.) > Surround headsets.
The Head-fi thread is identical, except it is sprinkled with more unrealistic choices at the end. This is surround specific however. Outside of surround, the ATH-M50 is probably the best bang-for-buck in the midrange.
Gaming(Competitive) vs Gaming(Immersion)
As a headphone buyer and a gamer, you need to make a distinction between these two and be aware of them. In general, most gamers who want to win do not blast themselves with surround-sound systems like they would in a movie theater. From that perspective, there is a split between clear headphones that give you a lot of information at once verses headphones that immerse you.
From personal experience:
ATH-AD700 is a great headphone if you don't have people that would be bothered by an open design. Big, comfortable and has abnormally good sound-stage for the price. It lacks bass thump, but it's clear and textured. It is one of the better home-competetive phones because of its clarity and comfort.
KSC75 or Portapro are excellent entry choices for a headphone. If you're looking for a good sound experience but aren't willing to sacrifice a large budget, I would give them a try. The KSC75 is the same as the portapro, minus the band. If you can find a ball-joint headband, I would opt for the KSC75, but if you can't, don't suffer those vicious ear-clips on the KSC75.
This thread is fantastic for gaming. It also is one of the MANY threads that will establish the surround pecking order: Speaker-based Surround Sound System > Good Headset w/ dedicated virtual surround device (Soundcard or mix-amp.) > Surround headsets.
The Head-fi thread is identical, except it is sprinkled with more unrealistic choices at the end. This is surround specific however. Outside of surround, the ATH-M50 is probably the best bang-for-buck in the midrange.
Gaming(Competitive) vs Gaming(Immersion)
As a headphone buyer and a gamer, you need to make a distinction between these two and be aware of them. In general, most gamers who want to win do not blast themselves with surround-sound systems like they would in a movie theater. From that perspective, there is a split between clear headphones that give you a lot of information at once verses headphones that immerse you.
From personal experience:
ATH-AD700 is a great headphone if you don't have people that would be bothered by an open design. Big, comfortable and has abnormally good sound-stage for the price. It lacks bass thump, but it's clear and textured. It is one of the better home-competetive phones because of its clarity and comfort.
KSC75 or Portapro are excellent entry choices for a headphone. If you're looking for a good sound experience but aren't willing to sacrifice a large budget, I would give them a try. The KSC75 is the same as the portapro, minus the band. If you can find a ball-joint headband, I would opt for the KSC75, but if you can't, don't suffer those vicious ear-clips on the KSC75.
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Do not get an actual surround sound headset, they achieve their surround sound by sticking crappy speakers into one can to achieve surround sound, are in reality very terrible and actually worse at positioning sound than a hi-fi dual channel headphone system. If you want surround sound on headphones then your best bet would be to go for a good pair of headphones (Audio Technica AD700s are renowned for their performance for the dollar regarding sound positioning in games). Anyway, if you want another pair and not the $95 Audio Technicas, just keep in mind that for gaming you will need to look for a pair of headphones that is known for positioning audio well, usually this will lead to towards brands like AKG, Audio Technica, and Sennheiser that have wonderful sound positioning. Someheadphones will also perform like miracles with headphone amps, it sometimes better to get a cheaper (decent) pair of headphones and and amp instead of just splurging all your cash on the headphones, at your price range though I recommend you get a pair that perform well amped and unamped (once again, the AD700s fit this). Also, if you're worried about not having "true" surround sound, keep in mind that you can get something such as the astro mixamp or a sound card that can virtualize surround sound (this is really the only way to get anything close to a surround sound speaker system with headphones, and actually is sometimes better). You would be looking for devices with Dolby Headphone or something similar like Creative's CMSS3D on their sound cards. Also keep in mind that more expensive does not necessarily mean that it's better for you.
If you want more advice, i suggest you head over to the head-fi forums, they know their shit there.
If you want more advice, i suggest you head over to the head-fi forums, they know their shit there.
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I wouldnt really use Headphones, cause i love speakers so much more. But if its headphones, id get Bose. Bose beats those headphones that are like so focused on design, bose isnt focus on design, but quality.
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dalester23 wrote...
I wouldnt really use Headphones, cause i love speakers so much more. But if its headphones, id get Bose. Bose beats those headphones that are like so focused on design, bose isnt focus on design, but quality.It's actually the opposite, Bose tends to mark up their prices a bit because they managed to market their name as a "prestige" brand, a 2 minute search on google will easily reveal that a lot of their marketing is bullshit. Almost no professionals and people who are actually knowledgeable about sound actually buy from Bose. Also, almost every audio forum out there will tell you the same thing.
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EpicPfail wrote...
dalester23 wrote...
I wouldnt really use Headphones, cause i love speakers so much more. But if its headphones, id get Bose. Bose beats those headphones that are like so focused on design, bose isnt focus on design, but quality.It's actually the opposite, Bose tends to mark up their prices a bit because they managed to market their name as a "prestige" brand, a 2 minute search on google will easily reveal that a lot of their marketing is bullshit. Almost no professionals and people who are actually knowledgeable about sound actually buy from Bose. Also, almost every audio forum out there will tell you the same thing.