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Best gaming headphones right now?

Grexeno

Member
My Sony headset recently snapped in half so I'm wondering what the overall best replacement would be. Compatibility with the Switch would be a plus.

EDIT: To be more specific, my max price would be roughly $150 and in terms of sound quality, it only has to be "good enough."
 

bati

Member
A good pair of hi-fi stereo headphones is probably your best bet. Headphone amp to drive them if necessary.
 
Astro sets are great if you want something simple but still good quality. The Mixamp (receiver device accepts audio from optical, so you can get Switch audio by running an optical cable from your TV to the Mixamp. Other systems can run optical directly from the console to the amp. The Mixamp mixes game and voice chat for multiplayer, and you can even do stuff like voice chat on PS4 while listening to Switch audio.

edit - Alternatively you can buy a Mixamp standalone, and use whatever headphones and mic you like. I use DT990 premiums which are outstanding.
 

Kiter

Neo Member
Budget? Open or closed?
Headphones from Sennheiser(HD 598), AKG(K701), Beyerdynamic(DT990), Audio Technica(ATH-AD700X) are generally better than headsets in their respective price ranges.
 

Varvor

Member
Siberia 800 by mile than any other headset, but you will need to drop good money on it.

Its something i also use after heavy testing of various sets.

https://steelseries.com/gaming-headsets/siberia-800
siberia-800-transmitter.png__952x800_q85_crop-scale_optimize_subsampling-2.png
 

Arulan

Member
There is no best, but a good pair of open stereo headphones is where you should start. Despite headsets being a popular choice for gaming, and will likely be recommended in this very thread, avoid them at all costs.


This is what I use. They're both open headphones, but each serves a different purpose. The HD 600s are my favorite, and what I use most of the time, but the Fidelio X2s' larger soundstage and greater emphasis on the bass makes it a good choice for certain genres, such as first-person shooters.
 
You're going to get consensus from Headphone GAF on this:

If you have the money, buy as high-end of a headphone set as you can afford. Such a set of headphones will likely require an amp to drive them, so budget for that as well.

Gaming headsets are not made for high quality sound. They will advertise as such, but I'm sorry, they are not. Not Sony-branded ones, not any other "official" headsets, not any of the "major players" in the gaming headset market, none of them.
 

Akronis

Member
You're going to get consensus from Headphone GAF on this:

If you have the money, buy as high-end of a headphone set as you can afford. Such a set of headphones will likely require an amp to drive them, so budget for that as well.

Gaming headsets are not made for high quality sound. They will advertise as such, but I'm sorry, they are not. Not Sony-branded ones, not any other "official" headsets, not any of the "major players" in the gaming headset market, none of them.

Also this.
 
I use the Astro A50 Gen 3- wireless, super comfortable, self standing charge base, Mix Amp built into the right driver. Audio has been great to me for PC and PS4 gaming.

You're going to run into people who scream to avoid gaming headsets and find a Sennheiser or AT set. They aren't wrong but you can find some great gaming centric sets out of Astro, HyperX, Logitech, Steelseries, and the NEW Turtle Beach. If you go the route of the audiophiles in here, you'll need to buy a mic that attaches to the headset or a desk mic as your premium offerings won't have built in mics.
 
Siberia 800 by mile than any other headset, but you will need to drop good money on it.

Its something i also use after heavy testing of various sets.

https://steelseries.com/gaming-headsets/siberia-800
siberia-800-transmitter.png__952x800_q85_crop-scale_optimize_subsampling-2.png

I'm going to order the 840s this week. Can you give me some in depth impressions? PM me if necessary. Things like sound quality, noise cancelling, build quality, battery life, range, every day use, mic quality. As in depth as possible.
 

bomer

Member
I'm in agreement with the buy decent headphones.

Any good mic suggestions? I have an older mod mic but I'm sick of wrangling wires.
 
Something open with a big sound stage. You want to look at audiophile headphone not gaming one's, unless you value having a microphone. If you want a mic and good virtual surround sound actually look at gaming headphones that have DTS headphone X. I've heard good things but haven't tried it personally. If you tell us what you will use them for that will help
 

RoboPlato

I'd be in the dick
Is there any kind of good wireless amp that can hook up to the PS4 Pro? I have Sennheiser HD598s but I've just been running them through the controller.
 
Astro makes pretty good stuff. Otherwise a good set of headphones and a mod mic work wonders.

Also, the mix amp is a great alternative to an amp if you don't want to fuck with all that shit. It's basically a Mimi receiver/amp and is pretty versatile. I used one of years and was always happy with its performance.
 
I use Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80ohm. Closed headphones, but still have decent soundstage. Deep bass. Pretty easy to drive - doesn't really need an amp for many devices. The Switch may have been a problem before the system update that increased the audio levels, but it's fine now.
 

Hazaku

Member
Do you need a microphone? If not the hi-fi headphone + DAC/amp (if needed) route is a good option.

Because an external microphone + headphone + headphone amp + stuff like the astro mixamp or xbox headset adapter if you want to manage game chat balance can be a lot of cables to deal with ... lol.
 

BiggNife

Member
HyperX Cloud IIs are relatively cheap for how good they are. Solid build quality, surprisingly comfortable, and great sound. I've gone through a ton of gaming headsets and they're easily the best I've owned.
 

Varvor

Member
I'm going to order the 840s this week. Can you give me some in depth impressions? PM me if necessary. Things like sound quality, noise cancelling, build quality, battery life, range, every day use, mic quality. As in depth as possible.

Isn't Steelseries very gamer-y?

Gamer-focused headsets are usually too bass-heavy.

I am going to go ahead and nip this one right in the bud about need of purchasing high-end standalone headphones as the ONLY solution for playing video games. While that argument is not wrong, its just...one denominational where an audio purist trying to justify their purchase VS poor quality "gaming" headsets.

I can call grounds of speaking from some experience as someone who has dubbled in to audiophile grade sound in terms of both large audio and headphones. My audio collections includes healthy array of sets from various brands including DT990 from mid range to high end of Audeze 2.

Some of my pics to make a point (shameless self promotion):

17309652_10158325174570032_3087025992274361735_n.jpg

17309659_10158325174335032_4652114094101519493_n.jpg

17309139_10158358300130032_6095781702743257542_n.jpg

17390605_10158358294575032_4242138289573836404_o.jpg


I clearly need help (old pics):


Now you ask a question: Is it posible to have "Good" gaming headset that sounds great, has good mic and comes with good fucntionality?

Answer: Yes.

But it comes at a price tag, as result you have to go down the more price-heavy territory of headphones, that shares it with before mentioned brands of mid-to-high end headphones. So arguments becomes more mute.

Having access to variety of sets, i prefer to use my Siberia 800 for gaming exclusively. It has ridiculously good sound stage for a gaming headset, but that fact becomes even more insane that they are CLOSED headset, so it always amazes me how well it handles that front.

If you are a bass-head (trust me, i love me some skull shaking every now-and-then), than this headset is not for you, as its designed to be light on that front for clarity of sounds. Id say its treble is pretty high, but when it comes to gaming that might be a good thing as you need to hear every sound, every step and every shot.

Beauty of Siberia 800's & 840's , that it comes with two batteries and charge dock built in to receiver. So you can charge one battery while using other. On subject of battery life: it lasts easily 12-16 hours for me and i can go for days before i swap battery.

As long as you keep mic not-retracted, its quality is real good, and noise cancellation is decent. Its just a supper convinient set that is easy to use, no BS with wires or set up. Its just works.

Review:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ho0JmaLiOYo
 
Despite headsets being a popular choice for gaming, and will likely be recommended in this very thread, avoid them at all costs.

The last part is a bit strong. Gaming headsets work fine and are convenient, but some are worse than others.

I'd never recommend Razer, but the few Steelseries and Logitech headsets I've tried have been alright.
 
I have a bunch of steelseries stuff (arctis 3 and 5, the 9h, the siberia 650s, V2s and V3s), got them all for free (it's a long story don't want to get into it). I would not recommend any of them for the sole reason that their customer support is trash. They don't have a phone number.......you're supposed to email their reps.

These reps take forever to respond and sometimes mess up your shipments.

The products themselves are okay but they're for gamers so the bass is gonna be heavy. Not really for audiophiles. More casual friendly.

I should note i use an amp for all these headsets.
 

Varvor

Member
Been rocking these for 5+ years. I would've gone through at least 5 shitty LED gaming headsets in the same timeframe.

Seriously don't buy headsets.

Good headhones, with amazing bass (arguably best in its class?). However, much like my HD 280s, id never use them for gaming, as they are far to narrow for sound stage (being closed) and would give headache for gaming usage.
 

Renekton

Member
.Having access to variety of sets, i prefer to use my Siberia 800 for gaming exclusively. It has ridiculously good sound stage for a gaming headset, but that fact becomes even more insane that they are CLOSED headset, so it always amazes me how well it handles that front.

If you are a bass-head (trust me, i love me some skull shaking every now-and-then), than this headset is not for you, as its designed to be light on that front for clarity of sounds. Id say its treble is pretty high, but when it comes to gaming that might be a good thing as you need to hear every sound, every step and every shot.

Beauty of Siberia 800's & 840's , that it comes with two batteries and charge dock built in to receiver. So you can charge one battery while using other. On subject of battery life: it lasts easily 12-16 hours for me and i can go for days before i swap battery.

As long as you keep mic not-retracted, its quality is real good, and noise cancellation is decent. Its just a supper convinient set that is easy to use, no BS with wires or set up. Its just work.

Review:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ho0JmaLiOYo
Thanks, sounds really good. Guess it has to be for that price.
 

anddo0

Member
Any opinions on this set of headphones?

Probably definitely not full audiophile but it was suggested in the PC building thread and the price is just right.

Listening to some tunes on my ad900x now.

These are "bright" headphones, paired with a good amp/dac (any modern on-board soundcard will do) and a few EQ settings they sound amazing.

If you're gaming on PS4 I definitely recommend getting an amp. It's not needed but helps a lot with volume output.
 
I am going to go ahead and nip this one right in the bud about need of purchasing high-end standalone headphones as the ONLY solution for playing video games. While that argument is not wrong, its just...one denominational where an audio purist trying to justify their purchase VS poor quality "gaming" headsets.

I can call grounds of speaking from some experience as someone who has dubbled in to audiophile grade sound in terms of both large audio and headphones. My audio collections includes healthy array of sets from various brands including DT990 from mid range to high end of Audeze 2.

Some of my pics to make a point (shameless self promotion):

17309652_10158325174570032_3087025992274361735_n.jpg

17309659_10158325174335032_4652114094101519493_n.jpg

17309139_10158358300130032_6095781702743257542_n.jpg

17390605_10158358294575032_4242138289573836404_o.jpg


I clearly need help (old pics):


Now you ask a question: Is it posible to have "Good" gaming headset that sounds great, has good mic and comes with good fucntionality?

Answer: Yes.

But it comes at a price tag, as result you have to go down the more price-heavy territory of headphones, that shares it with before mentioned brands of mid-to-high end headphones. So arguments becomes more mute.

Having access to variety of sets, i prefer to use my Siberia 800 for gaming exclusively. It has ridiculously good sound stage for a gaming headset, but that fact becomes even more insane that they are CLOSED headset, so it always amazes me how well it handles that front.

If you are a bass-head (trust me, i love me some skull shaking every now-and-then), than this headset is not for you, as its designed to be light on that front for clarity of sounds. Id say its treble is pretty high, but when it comes to gaming that might be a good thing as you need to hear every sound, every step and every shot.

Beauty of Siberia 800's & 840's , that it comes with two batteries and charge dock built in to receiver. So you can charge one battery while using other. On subject of battery life: it lasts easily 12-16 hours for me and i can go for days before i swap battery.

As long as you keep mic not-retracted, its quality is real good, and noise cancellation is decent. Its just a supper convinient set that is easy to use, no BS with wires or set up. Its just works.

Review:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ho0JmaLiOYo


For reference I already own a pair of m40x's and Hyper X Cloud 2s. But rarely are headphones not on my head and cords are becoming a pain in the ass because I ruin them fairly often. I also Skype and Discord every day so I thought that getting a wireless headset would solve a lot of my issues.
 

Grexeno

Member
Listening to some tunes on my ad900x now.

These are "bright" headphones, paired with a good amp/dac (any modern on-board soundcard will do) and a few EQ settings they sound amazing.

If you're gaming on PS4 I definitely recommend getting an amp. It's not needed but helps a lot with volume output.
Any suggestions? I'm open to getting one but it can't really be more than $50-$75
 

Nasbin

Member
I've had my Philips Fidelio X1s for three years now. Amazing sound quality yes, but just as importantly they never get uncomfortable, even after 8+ hours of listening. They don't require an Amp either. I liken the experience of upgrading to a good pair of headphones to the experience of upgrading to an SDD from an HDD for the first time. You will ask, "why didn't I do this sooner?"
 

Kysen

Member
One more recommendation for Ath-m50x. I initially balked at the price considering I break headphones a lot but these are sturdy and come with extra cables.
 
I love love love my AKG k240s. They are Studio Headphones, so you will get linear sound, instead of reidiculously overdone bass.
Playing games like Alien Isolation, Zelda BotW, Witcher 3 and especially BF1 is a treat. Especially in BF1 it actually helps locating enemy footsteps thanks to it's amazing sound separation.
 

Spuck-uk

Banned
Logitech g930s, good sound, good mic, wireless, and you get their really good customer service.

OP did specify he's not looking for the best possible audio, but best headphones for gaming.
 
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