Headphones for gaming.

uncle_sam_ie

My son took my Plantronics GameCom 780 so, I'm looking for a new set of headphones. I've narrowed it down to these two,
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beyerdynamic-DT770-PRO-Headset-OHM/dp/B0016MNAAI/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1384306056&sr=1-1&keywords=DT770+80+OHM#productDescription
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-High-End-Open-Circumaural-Headphones/dp/B0042A8CW2/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1385082109&sr=1-1&keywords=hd+598+sennheiser

Plus this, http://www.modmic.com/ and this http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SC-012-AS&groupid=701&catid=11

I was leaning toward the DT770's but, the DT770 is closed and HD598 is open and I'm hearing you get a better sound from open headphones. Now I don't know which to go for.
Does anyone have experience with any of the two?

BloodBath

That soundcard is pretty pants. It's probably not much different to your onboard sound.

If you're going to invest in a soundcard get something decent. I'd balance out the soundcard to headphone budget ratio a bit more.

What was wrong with the plantronics by the way? A decent sound card would up the sound quality level a lot more even with those.

uncle_sam_ie

Yeah, I was think of getting this instead of the sound card, http://www.hifihut.ie/wireless-bluetooth-headphones-beats-by-dre-ireland/headphone-amplifiers-ireland/fiio-e10-headphone-amplifier-with-usb-digital-to-analogue-converter-fiio-e10.html

BloodBath

I don't know much about the audio area to be honest but I think you would be better off getting a decent internal sound card like this.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/CREATIVE-Sound-Blaster-Express-Card/dp/B009RPQA2G/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1385083534&sr=8-2&keywords=creative+sound+card&tag=fczbkkcom04-21

smileyj1987

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SC-010-AS&groupid=701&catid=11

What about something like this ?

ED E

If the 770s are anywhere near the 990s then you'll have a really good time with them.

frozenfrozen

I'd recommend closed cans as you'll get less bleed picked up by your mic, although it will be fairly close to the sound source so won't need too much gain*. Audio technica ath m50's are nice closed low impedance flat line cans... Sennheiser 25 1 II's are nice if you like more on ear, similar money and they're a bit more hard wearing and could be used as an edc for around the place so not just for at home on the computer.. Definitely look at getting a nice interface and headphone amp.. A dirty signal will be accentuated by really nice headphones so its better to get a nice balance between the two.

* if you go for an interface you could run the mic into that and get a much cleaner signal from there too, and also some handy physical control over the level of your mic...


Just looked at the current price of ath m50s and they've dropped even lower than before.. best value headphones in that price bracket for sure.

uncle_sam_ie

Yeah, I think I'll go with the DT770 pro's along with the FiiO 10 DAC. I really like the look of the HD598 but you're right about them bleeding into the mic.

Here is a great guide I've been looking at for all the different headphones. http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lust-envys-headphone-gaming-guide-updated-9-2-2013-sony-ma900-added

yimrsg

uncle_sam_ie wrote: »

My son took my Plantronics GameCom 780 so, I'm looking for a new set of headphones. I've narrowed it down to these two,
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beyerdynamic-DT770-PRO-Headset-OHM/dp/B0016MNAAI/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1384306056&sr=1-1&keywords=DT770+80+OHM#productDescription
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-High-End-Open-Circumaural-Headphones/dp/B0042A8CW2/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1385082109&sr=1-1&keywords=hd+598+sennheiser

Plus this, http://www.modmic.com/ and this http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=SC-012-AS&groupid=701&catid=11

I was leaning toward the DT770's but, the DT770 is closed and HD598 is open and I'm hearing you get a better sound from open headphones. Now I don't know which to go for.
Does anyone have experience with any of the two?

I've both OP, very pleased with them both as the complement each other well as they're pretty different.

Sound characteristics.
Soundwise the 598 is more suited to classical, vocals and the like as it doesn't put much emphasis on the bass. The 770 is much more bass heavy and it suits those genres like Rock, dance etc. down to the ground. That's not to say that you can't enjoy dance music on the 598 or classical on the 770 as it'll come down to your preference and individual songs. It's more a case that each one will reveal something different to what you're listening to, whether you like it or not is up to you. For gaming, the greater emphasis of the 770 on bass can be distracting if you're trying to hear an enemies footsteps, explosions and the like can overshadow the more subtle sounds. But it also means that it'll make action movies more exciting.

Open vs closed.
If you've a quiet place then the open 598 is a joy as it's got a huge soundstage (how far apart the music seems) but if you've a noisy gaming area or others around you then it won't be able to shine. The closed 770 still has a big soundstage for a closed headphone but if you want to sound whore then it'll come up short to the 598.

Comfort.
A tough one to call here, the 598 is incredible at not being noticed when worn. It honestly feels like it disappears when you're wearing it. The 770 is more like getting a good hug as the velour pads are always noticeable but not in a bad way. I'd imagine in a long session, the greater discreetness of the 598 winning out but the 770 are still very comfortable.

Ease of use and build quality.
This is where the greatest disparity lies, the 598 has a very thin cord and massive 6.3 to 3.5mm jack converter which in combination with the thin cord just seems cheap. The Beyer has a very sturdy strain relief and cable and feels very sturdy. If a chair wheel was to roll over the cable repeatedly then the Beyer would be the clear winner.


If you've any more questions, ask away.

BloodBath

uncle_sam_ie wrote: »

Yeah, I think I'll go with the DT770 pro's along with the FiiO 10 DAC. I really like the look of the HD598 but you're right about them bleeding into the mic.

Here is a great guide I've been looking at for all the different headphones. http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lust-envys-headphone-gaming-guide-updated-9-2-2013-sony-ma900-added

Here's the thing though. That dac is only going to be converting the sound from digital to analog where as a proper internal sound card has support for advanced 3d sound effects. That external DAC is more for music than games. You also can't plug a mic into it.

Getting an external sound card makes no sense for a pc either. You can get internal sound cards with external controls and inputs. A good internal sound card takes the sound processing load off of your cpu as well.

The creative card I linked earlier comes in a few flavors. You can get the zx version which comes with external volume controls, stereo microphone with background sound cancellation and jacks in 1 unit.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-Sound-Blaster-ZX-Soundcard/dp/B00A152RYG/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1385163515&sr=8-4&keywords=creative+sound+card&tag=fczbkkcom04-21

uncle_sam_ie

BloodBath wrote: »

Here's the thing though. That dac is only going to be converting the sound from digital to analog where as a proper internal sound card has support for advanced 3d sound effects. That external DAC is more for music than games. You also can't plug a mic into it.

Getting an external sound card makes no sense for a pc either. You can get internal sound cards with external controls and inputs. A good internal sound card takes the sound processing load off of your cpu as well.

The creative card I linked earlier comes in a few flavors. You can get the zx version which comes with external volume controls, stereo microphone with background sound cancellation and jacks in 1 unit.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-Sound-Blaster-ZX-Soundcard/dp/B00A152RYG/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1385163515&sr=8-4&keywords=creative+sound+card&tag=fczbkkcom04-21

The problem is my PCIe x1 slots are blocked by my GPU and NH-D14 (MB P8Z68-V-Pro) Can I put the card into a x16?

BloodBath

I'm pretty sure you can. You would just want to make sure that there are no issues doing that with that card though.

I don't know if you need some sort of clip to fill the rest of the slot and keep the card secure or not either. Probably not. The separating clip in the slot should do the trick.

uncle_sam_ie

BloodBath wrote: »

I'm pretty sure you can. You would just want to make sure that there are no issues doing that with that card though.

I don't know if you need some sort of clip to fill the rest of the slot and keep the card secure or not either. Probably not. The separating clip in the slot should do the trick.

I had a read of my MB manual and yes it will be fine to use it. I went ahead and bought the DT770's and will most likely get the sound card next week.

The sound card comes with a mic, would that be good enough to use while gaming or should I just get the mod mic that I linked above?

Burgo

You won't be disappointed with the 770's, love them myself.
I'd go for something like the zalman clip on mic

I have the mod mic but have stopped using it. The quality is grand but i just found it kind of awkward to use.

BloodBath

The reviews on the built in mic are mixed. Maybe grab the other mic to be sure or you could test the creatives one to see how it goes first.