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Headphones or Speakers

SliChillax

SliChillax

Member
I have a good headphone setup with dac and amp and they are great, crisp clarity excellent for everything. Problem is that headphones get very annoying to use after long use so speakers in my opinion are a much more comfortable experience to enjoy media. Also sometimes headphones expose too much audio flaws sometimes which you don't always notice with speakers.
 
D

deletethis123

Banned
Is there an audiophile gaf community? It would be great to discuss about this stuff with people in the know about both audio and video games.
 
T

TronLight

Everybody is Mikkelsexual
5.1 home theater for life! Both on PC and consoles. Mine's not super high end but it sounds great. I've been playing Bioshock 2 lately and it has a relly great surround and positional audio system. I think it would be much less enjoyable with headphones.
 
C

Cqef

Member
I've been using headphones for years and I don't think I'll ever change this.
I got myself a wireless Sennheiser RS120 to use with my consoles about 6 years ago and still doing great.
For handheld stuff and PC, at first I was doing okay with cheap Philips earbuds, then went for some other cheap Panasonic earclips (RP-HS47E), but when they died I really decided to upgrade and got a Philips Cityscape Downtown on a sale. And these were absolutely great and totally would recommend them if you have less than $100 to put in cans.

But they died not too long ago, so I pushed even further and went fullweeb... and got a Sony CD900ST and a Fiio E07k Andes mini-DAC USB headphone amp. And I'm a happy man.
 
F

family_guy

Member
I switch up depending on time of day. I have a 5.1 surround sound system that is way better than my astro mixamp simulated 5.1 with AKG K702. I live in an apartment though. If I owned a house, it would dedicated surround sound all the time. Now if we're talking about 2.0 speakers vs headphones, I'd go with headphones...assuming the headphones aren't cheap quality.
 
H

Hero Prinny

Member
Normally use headphones but i get tired of having them on so i use my monitor's built in speakers, theyre not that great but they get the job done
 
B

Bold One

Member
Afrikan said:
Lossless sound for my gaming and movie watching on my PS4.

DSC01121.jpg


hw7_0510.png
Click to expand...

needs more speakers
 
E

EekumBokum

Member
I use a 5.1 sound system set up that I'm pretty happy with. I've tried headphones before but everytime it made my ears hurt and turn extremely red after 2 hours of play. Maybe those were just bad headphones idk.
 
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draughn101

Member
Not really sure where to post this question, but I grabbed a Turtle Beach XO One headset, which sounds great until you turn on the mic and then you get constant static washing over the game sounds. Is that normal?

Other than that they rock.
 
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Timu

Member
Headphones are best for horror games, but everything else, definitely shooters, are better with speakers to me, definitely the Battlefield games.
 
nikos

nikos

Member
Sound quality is just as important as video quality. I either use home theater, studio monitors, or a good pair of headphones depending on the situation.
 
drotahorror

drotahorror

Member
5.1 system. I've had a receiver and surround sound for everything since the late 90's. I've had a few sets of headphones but my sound system is always better.
 
G

Genio88

Member
Depends on the game, the time and my mood, my 7.1 dolby surround headphones are for sure better than my LG TV speakers, but when i play sports games or i just do side quests in a freeroaming game i just use the speeker without having to put up anything, cause even as comfortable as certain headphones can be they're always more invasive than nothing.
That said when i play a AAA story driven game headphones are a must
 
A

AYF 001

Member
I've had Turtle Beach headphones for years and they've never steered me wrong. Not to mention there's way too much noise in the background where I play for anything else to be viable.
 
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ChronotriggerJM

Member
Open backed headphones, there's absolutely nothing like them. You can hear outside noises just fine (talking to the wife for example, crying baby perhaps), and the soundstage is so much better than a closed system. I recommend the Sennheiser HD 598's http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-598-Over-Ear-Headphones/dp/B0042A8CW2

How do you guys do that thing where you wrap a link in text >_>?

Also, headphones are way more practical, they can be used for night sessions, and they're discreet.

Oh and for a gamer who's more on a budget, these Koss headphones are mindblowingly good for the price (though you can find them for cheaper quite often). http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00001P4ZH/?tag=neogaf0e-20 Open backed, surprisingly punchy
 
The Lamonster

The Lamonster

Member
ChronotriggerJM said:
Open backed headphones, there's absolutely nothing like them. You can hear outside noises just fine (talking to the wife for example, crying baby perhaps), and the soundstage is so much better than a closed system. I recommend the Sennheiser HD 598's http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-598-Over-Ear-Headphones/dp/B0042A8CW2

How do you guys do that thing where you wrap a link in text >_>?

Also, headphones are way more practical, they can be used for night sessions, and they're discreet.
Click to expand...
Yep - open headphones are perfect for video games. I have the Philips Fidelio X2s and they are amazing.
 
M

Mbrill82

Member
I love both options, speakers and headphones, but I usually use speakers just for the convenience (don't have to get my headphones out of their case and plug them in) and because I usually don't need to be quiet for any reason.

I have a stereo that I love, Wharfedale speakers and Emotiva amp. Not top of the line but sounds phenomenal.
I also love my headphone set-up, Philips Fidelio X2s run through a Magni amp and a Modi DAC. The speakers are also run through the Modi DAC. I love this set-up and would recommend the gear to anyone. The speakers and headphones especially are great bang for the buck I feel ($300 for the headphones, about the same for the pair of bookshelf speakers)
 
P

Peltz

Member
Rhazer Fusion said:
I got a surround sound 7.1 Denon system with Infinity tower speakers and a Polk Audio subwoofer and I think it sounds great considering how old it is. I always think about buying some headphones for the night, but honestly, it seems like the really good ones with surround sound cost almost as much as an entire surround sound receiver. Cheapest early heigh end headphones I've seen are $50 for the Sony headphones or headset with 7.1. Might get that later, but imo nothing beats a good surround sound system with sound and bass bouncing off your walls. People who do not have surround sound of some type do not know what they are missing. I cannot play games though TV speakers anymore.
Click to expand...

Yea, I can't imagine headphones ever giving you the feeling of being immersed in super high quality sound like a sound system could provide.

Being able to actually feel the sound is more immersive than headphones.
 
A

Akronis

Member
HD 700s
HD 650s
Beyerdynamic DT 990s
AKG K7XXs
Astro A50s because lol

Using any of these on the ASUS STX Essence card.

Headphones are the best for people that can't get true surround sound. Dolby Surround software encoding is about as good as it's going to get.
 
C

ChronotriggerJM

Member
Peltz said:
Yea, I can't imagine headphones ever giving you the feeling of being immersed in super high quality sound like a sound system could provide.

Being able to actually feel the sound is more immersive than headphones.
Click to expand...

On the other hand, I feel headphones are much better at connecting the listener with the more intimate sounds. Headphones typically make me hear things that I would otherwise miss with a bigger setup. In the ideal world I'd have headphones and some ass kickers lol. Getting best of both worlds.
 
T

TheKeyPit

Banned
Fbh said:
Headphones for sure. Much better immersion IMO and does a better job at blocking outside noises.

Also, your friend migh have hearing issues if he can't tell the difference between $10 speakers and a good pair of headphones
Click to expand...

Someone could invade my home, break all the stuff, scream a little bit. I still wouldn't hear them.

Best 150€ investment.
 
R

Rizific

Member
whynotboth.jif

i have a logitech z623 2.1 system and audio technica headphones hooked up to my pc. majority of the time im using the speakers. but my pc is also in the living room with the tv. so if i dont want to hear the tv or my wife/son dont want to hear my pc, ill use the headphones.
 
The Lamonster

The Lamonster

Member
Mbrill82 said:
I love both options, speakers and headphones, but I usually use speakers just for the convenience (don't have to get my headphones out of their case and plug them in) and because I usually don't need to be quiet for any reason.

I have a stereo that I love, Wharfedale speakers and Emotiva amp. Not top of the line but sounds phenomenal.
I also love my headphone set-up, Philips Fidelio X2s run through a Magni amp and a Modi DAC. The speakers are also run through the Modi DAC. I love this set-up and would recommend the gear to anyone. The speakers and headphones especially are great bang for the buck I feel ($300 for the headphones, about the same for the pair of bookshelf speakers)
Click to expand...
Bro fist! I am using X2s with a Modi 2 and Sys to route to speakers as well as the amp, which is a Vali. I read that Magni can be pretty harsh on treble so I opted for Vali. People say they're actually pretty similar as Vali is just a hybrid.

Anyway, it sounds great whether I'm using the M-Audio AV40 speakers or the X2 headphones.
 
J

J 0 E

Member
Anyone used PS Gold wireless headset with Xbox One?

I have the new controller which have the 3.5 audio jack and it doesn't work, do I need the headset adapter?
 
P

Phat Michael

Banned
dropthebobomb said:
Is there an audiophile gaf community? It would be great to discuss about this stuff with people in the know about both audio and video games.
Click to expand...
Kinda. But they are incorrigible. Everything recommended is basically Sennheiser hd598 or below and anything more than $500 and considered "wasteful" and "no one can tell the difference"

Also, they hear no difference between cables, mp3 compared to 384khz wav or DSD etc.

There are a few members with some nice bits of equipment but on the whole there isn't much discussion. It's more like "what earbuds can I get for my iPhone under $30?" type questions.
 
P

| Praxis |

Banned
I have both. Surround sound for in the day (which hardly ever gets used, because gaming in the day is a thing of the past) and good stereo headphones for the night. Love my Audio Technica's, comfiest headphones I have ever used, despite their size. I have tried numerous surround sound headphones, from expensive to cheap and they all sound like shit.
 
TGO

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
1000w Home Theatre.
I have the Sony PS Golds but I rarely use them.
The difference is massive.
 
I

IvanJ

Banned
I game when my family is asleep, so I always use headphones. They are some cheap €5 headphones, all I need them for us to hear the sounds, I don't give a damn about fidelity.
 
L

Lettuce

Member
Wask said:
Headphones all the way. Ever watch a movie on living room speakers where the dynamics of the audio are such that you're always turning the volume up for dialogue and down for explosions? Same thing with games, and headphones don't have that problem. Having said that, iPod earbuds are never the optimal way to listen to anything. Get some real headphones like my M4Us.
Click to expand...

That just the way 'modern' movies are mixed for cinema, this was never a problem 10 -15 years ago. You need to enable the ALC (Automatic Level Control) or DRC (Dynamic Range Compression) setting on your amp
 
J

JudgmentJay

Member
If I'm playing at the PC I use a pair of HiFiMan HE-500s connected to an external DAC/amp. If I'm playing on the home theater... I'm using the home theater. Despite my speaker setup costing quite a bit more than my headphones, if I had to pick which one I prefer for video games I'd go with headphones.
 
styl3s

styl3s

Member
Headphones 100% of the time i just feel more part of the world and it's just more intimate to me. As for comfort i don't buy cheap cans so they feel nice and comfortable and even after 10 minutes i forget i even have them on.
 
P

PillarEN

Member
I have speakers for my TV and never use headphones when using the TV but I love headphones much more. When listening to music I prefer headphones 100% of the time. Plus apartment living so... walls suck.
 
E

eMpTy23

Member
I exclusively use speakers. This is because I don't think in-ear headphones are comfortable, and I've never worn full-size headphones that didn't give me headaches within an hour since I wear glasses. I tried all sorts of tricks as a kid, but these $100-$200 headsets rarely lasted me a year on top of causing pain.

I also sit 6feet from my PC these days which I assume would be an issue with many headsets.
 
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