Actually, you can use the Astro mixamp for consoles and still get to use a dedicated amp. It's a convoluted solution but it works fine for me.
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Best gaming headphones right now?
- Thread starter Grexeno
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Actually, you can use the Astro mixamp for consoles and still get to use a dedicated amp. It's a convoluted solution but it works fine for me.
Zack Zavage
Member
This.
If you're looking for headphones, then I recommend staying away from gaming products.
They're highly overpriced and generally inferior to experienced headphone manufacturers.
Zack Zavage
Member
Be careful with that combo. If your headphones and amp are good enough, you will notice how bad even such a premium gaming product like an Astro MixAmp is. You may hear all its faults and your experience WILL suffer.
The Xtortionist
Member
Mixamp definitely seems like one of the better solutions for consoles. Lets you use whatever headphones and mic you want, plus mixing game and chat audio is effortless. Audio for Switch and other consoles that don't output via optical can be solved by running optical from your TV to the Mixamp if the TV supports that output. Just gives stereo but at least you can chat easily.
I don't know how much power the Mixamp has, but it seems to drive my 32ohm DT990 premiums well enough.
ndawgdrake
Member
Do you need a mic on it?
If not, the HD598's are the headphones of choice. They are open back so you can pinpoint the direction of footsteps and gun fire on FPS's.
I've owned mine for 2 years. Great build quality.
If not, the HD598's are the headphones of choice. They are open back so you can pinpoint the direction of footsteps and gun fire on FPS's.
I've owned mine for 2 years. Great build quality.
kill that cheap plastic crap with fire.
Pretty much. My A50s were ok but certainly not worth the price. Sennheiser's wireless headphones are far better in my opinion, and cheaper.
Yep one of the many 'gamer' branded headphones out there where they've clearly spent more money on making it look cool than the actual components.
Had a set of A40's and will never go back, they completely broke after about 9 months and the Mixamp would cause this awful buzzing noise when it was near anything electrical (guessing they cheaped out here again and didn't bother to insulate it properly.)
Anyone looking for decent headphones please stay away from anything 'gamer' branded, do yourself a favour and get one of the many normal headphones mentioned in this thread and if you really need it - a separate mic.
OP wants a replacement for his Sony thus I'm assuming it'll be for the PS4. Why are people recommending PC desktop setups? Also, are people expecting the OP to plug Senn 598s\DT990s\insert high-end can of your choice with a clip-on mic into a god damn DS4 and have it sound good?
Get a midrange wireless headset and call it a day.
Get a midrange wireless headset and call it a day.
Spartancarver
Member
Step 1 is to ignore every single gamer-branded headset you see.
Step 2 is to get the best open-backed headphone you can afford from a brand such as Sennheiser, AKG, Beyerdynamic, Phillips, etc.
Step 3 is to get an amp if needed to drive the above.
Step 4 is to get a stand alone mic, either desktop or modular that can attach to the headphones.
If you want to be able to use them with the DS4 you can get an adapter on amazon that splits the single 3.5mm jack into dedicated ports for the headphones and a separate mic
Step 2 is to get the best open-backed headphone you can afford from a brand such as Sennheiser, AKG, Beyerdynamic, Phillips, etc.
Step 3 is to get an amp if needed to drive the above.
Step 4 is to get a stand alone mic, either desktop or modular that can attach to the headphones.
If you want to be able to use them with the DS4 you can get an adapter on amazon that splits the single 3.5mm jack into dedicated ports for the headphones and a separate mic
HyperX Cloud IIs can plug into the PS4 both via USB or by the headphone jack on the DS4 and both work fine. It's a perfectly capable console headset.
Flying Toaster
Member
That would be true if there was no other way to get sound out of the console outside of the jack on the controller.
I'd say the audio quality isn't bad, it's the mic quality which gets filtered through the Mixamp that suffers. I use a Modmic and there's a night and day difference when I'm using it on consoles vs. directly into my PC.
I use a monitor so I actually had to get a HDMI audio extractor so I could use optical on my Switch. My entire setup is a mess of cables but it works fine.
You'd end up with 30 feet of headphone cable running across your living room, from the console to your headphones. I'll leave it up to the OP to decide if this is how he wants to play games.
Spartancarver
Member
OP, check out /r/buildapcsales and use the filter on the right to look for headphones:
From a quick glance I see these:
Sennheiser HD558, $70
Phillips SHP 9500S, $50
Sennheiser HD598-C, $99
From a quick glance I see these:
Sennheiser HD558, $70
Phillips SHP 9500S, $50
Sennheiser HD598-C, $99
ieptbarakat
Member
I've been currently looking at getting the Audio-Technica ath-m40x as a step up from my sennheiser hd201 that recently broke and and I've been using Sony MDRZX110NC Noise Cancelling Headphones I've had as an interim. I'm aware through searching that the ath-m40x has a narrow soundstage and is supposedly light on the bass (which in my case is a good thing since I can't hear people easily through bass heavy sounds.
All in all, would the ath-m40x be an all around improvement to what I've been using for general purpose headphones?
All in all, would the ath-m40x be an all around improvement to what I've been using for general purpose headphones?
Yes, it's pretty much the defacto recommendation for general purpose usage. If you can save up a little more get the M50x.
shira
Member
People actually drop $300 US on single use gaming headphones?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
They must sound out of this world for that price.
Gaming headsets are like gaming chairs. Good ones really don't exist and you'd better off getting a good office chair/audiophile headset and with headsets getting a wireless amp.
sonycowboy
Member
I have no issues with volume level on my hyperX cloud II's and it's plugged in via the 3.5mm jack, and the PS4 controller supports both.
dead monkey uk
Member
As said in a few posts, buy a good set of traditional headphones. I bought a set of Philips X1s a few years ago and still use them daily and still love the sound.
I've seen the DT770 pro 80s mentioned as one of the best headphones for gaming, apparently their positional tracking is one of the best out there. Anyone have an experience with these?
Killer Queen
Banned
I'd assume that they don't only use them for gaming. I use my Cloud 2s for just about everything.
ZedLeppelin006
Banned
After struggling with getting pain in the top of my head from wearing A40's for more then an hour, I just took the mixamp and bought Sennheiser 598c's on an Amazon sale and am quite happy with that setup.
Flying Toaster
Member
Depends on setup. We could argue back and forth all day but saying one cannot hook up a decent setup to the PS4 is misleading.
Duxxy3
Member
For a closed headphone they have excellent positional audio. Not quite there with some of the better open headphones, but really good for closed. If I had to give up all of my headphones except for one, I'd keep the DT 770's.
IMACOMPUTA
Member
I've used various Sennheisers with added microphones, AT M50s, etc.
I'm using the HyperX Cloud II's now and they're by far the most comfortable. I have a big head and the M50's felt like they were clamped to my head.
Cloud II's sound great and have good build quality.
I got them on an Amazon Warehouse deal and paid like 60-70 bucks. The box was dented.
I'm using the HyperX Cloud II's now and they're by far the most comfortable. I have a big head and the M50's felt like they were clamped to my head.
Cloud II's sound great and have good build quality.
I got them on an Amazon Warehouse deal and paid like 60-70 bucks. The box was dented.
molnizzle
Member
The point is that the vast majority of people are plugging in to the controller, which completely negates the purpose of expensive audiophile headphones. If you want to benefit from the actual quality of the cans you end up with a complicated, expensive setup with multiple wires running all over your living room. Most just plug in to the controller.
I have no issues with volume level on my hyperX cloud II's and it's plugged in via the 3.5mm jack, and the PS4 controller supports both.
^ Like this guy. He doesn't even know.
I have a wireless headset (Afterglow brand, older model) with 50mm drivers that accepts either optical or 3.5mm in. The difference between optical and DS4 3.5mm is night and day. Y'all don't realize it, but the audio quality you get from the controller port is real bad.
Best bet is to buy a headset like the kind I have. Optical in from your TV, USB chat to PS4. True, full wireless headset for PS4. For Xbox One, an additional 3.5mm cable connects from the headset to the controller (or smartphone for the Switch).
You have to hunt a bit to find these because most of the new ones don't have the optical port which is key. They exist though, and give you a far better "comfy couch" experience than running long ass wires across your living room and clipping an external mic to your shirt.
Don't get Astro's though. There's a ringing in the right ear that they still hadn't fixed as of about a year ago. I ended up returning them and sticking with the cheaper Afterglows.
Is there a dedicated thread for this topic, specifically for gaming?
I see the AKG K702 are regarded as one of, if not the best in positional audio and clarity. Anyone have these?
I wonder what would be the best setup for these (PC) with an amp and dac or a sound card. I also wonder about a magnetic mic working well with these open headphones.
I have Astro a40 like I mentioned before and it sounds good to me but I don't know what I'm missing. At least in PUBG positional is ok. Sometimes I can hear the enemy other times I'm not entirely sure where the sound is coming from. I'd love to have something that helped me tell exactly where other players are.
I see the AKG K702 are regarded as one of, if not the best in positional audio and clarity. Anyone have these?
I wonder what would be the best setup for these (PC) with an amp and dac or a sound card. I also wonder about a magnetic mic working well with these open headphones.
I have Astro a40 like I mentioned before and it sounds good to me but I don't know what I'm missing. At least in PUBG positional is ok. Sometimes I can hear the enemy other times I'm not entirely sure where the sound is coming from. I'd love to have something that helped me tell exactly where other players are.
Within reasonable budgets, Audio Technica M50x for closed back (doubles as headphones for music); Sennheiser HD 598 for open (think it comes with a retractable mic, haven't opened mine from prime day). Actually I would recommend the Audio Technica AD700X over the M50x, as its the successor of the AD700 which was godlike for gaming (still using it).
Under $100 I've personally had good experiences with HyperX headsets.
Under $100 I've personally had good experiences with HyperX headsets.
funroll-loops
Member
I have an pair of AKG K7XX, which are similar to the K702 (as far as I know). I also have an Audio Techica AD900X, which is sort of a similar design to the K702 and ver close to the AD700X mentioned above.
I like the AD900X way more in terms of both hearing the position of things and the way it sounds for the kind of music that you typically hear in video games. The positional sound on the Audio Technicas is amazing. Unfortunately, the build quality is kind of garbage compared to the AKGs. I think they're both a decent choice for games though.
I bought a modmic to attach to my headphones and haven't had any problems, but I guess you could use a desk mic too as long as you're playing on a PC.
PapaEmeritus
Member
I have the lucidsound ls20's that I personally think are incredible. I have a friend who has the ls30's and absolutely loves them
ThatsMytrunks
Member
I've got an M50X. What do I do about a microphone?
Spartancarver
Member
Mod Mic or desktop Mic
I hated them. Acoustics made it feel like the drivers were inside a big tin can. Super bloated badd and shrill highs, with a very recessed midrange. I have no idea what some of the audiophiles see in these. The Cloud X have better soundstage and tonal balance for half the price.
K702 sound fantastic, but that damn bump on the headband makes them super uncomfortable for extended sessions. I also think I've developped tinnitus because of them. They have so little distortion that you don't notice just how loud the sound is when you're using them.
Visualante2
Member
ATH-M50 are heavy, bulky, don't breath that well until you add velour pads. They sound decent, little bassy but hard to recommend for long gaming sessions.
Flying Toaster
Member
Clip on.
People seem to always forget this when it comes to gaming. Music headphones are often not designed for multi hour sessions. And you can't really tell just how comfortale a pair is until you wear them for an extended period of time. Again, take the K702 for example. Super light, no pressure on the ears...seems great at first. But then the headband starts digging in after about 15 minutes, and after an hour the top of your head really hurts.
Even Sennheisers like the HD598 have the dreaded clamp. You basically need to stretch then out for then to be bearable over extended sessions.
Comfort should be the #1 criteria for gaming headphones, ahead of sound quality.
The AD900x is 100 cheaper than the K702. I'm thinking I will pick one of these. I'm just not sure which. Will pick up a modmic as well. And probably an Asus Xonar card.
Got a lot of research to do tonight.
In your opinion, are the AD900 a lot better or are they pretty similar?
D
Deleted member 325805
Unconfirmed Member
I'm currently using a pair of Senheiser PC131, they're old but mostly fine, what would be a noticeable upgrade headphone wise for PC? I have an Asus XG 5.1 soundcard. I have idea what all specs mean.
Looking further, the only thing I would be able to use this with would be my PS4, so I don't know if going this route would be the right call.
Parmadillo Marshmallow
Member
For those of you recommending traditional headphones, how do you hook them up to the PS4 for wireless play?
I'd buy one as soon as it was announced. Would love higher quality audio than the DS4 provides without having wires all over the room.
My HD598s are the most comfortable headsets I've ever worn. I had the issue with pressure on my head with the Sony Elite headsets from the PS3 era but these feel great.
CrazyIvan1978
Member
WTF is an OLED transmitter?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