Gaming headphones vs. normal headphones

[Pandora's Box]

Sennheiser Game Zero or nothing at all imo.

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-GA...09&sr=8-2&keywords=sennheiser+g4me+zero+black

 

[DigDog]

Does this work on a Mac?

I game on a '15 MBP.

yes, there are no drivers or even USB connections involved.

 

[JSt0rm]

I never heard of that, but checked reviews and they are crazy about it - though it's $3700 in a package, which the reviews say it the best money they've spent on any item.

It sounds awfully complicated - and they keep talking about how the value is in 'modeling expensive setups' and needing to get such setups to let them use them to get the setup.

Yeah. I hire someone to do the impulses for me. I only have 3 rooms modeled but really how many do you need? I normally sit in a Meyer asheron mix stage in my house.

You need a laser level that has degree readings? Not sure what that is called.

On the flip people have shared a bunch of rooms and some of them work for me. It really depends on how close they are to your head. Center channel always falls apart though.

The thing about the realizer is you can go into 500k rooms and get a model of that and take it home. I will say that I use my regular speakers more though as the headphones are uncomfortable for long periods (10 hours). But I'm working with it so yeah.

 

[biostud]

I'm going to buy a pair of beyerdynamic dt 880 and attach a modmic mike.

 

[DarkRipper]

I used to have everything pumped through a nice Klipsch speaker set up in surround with a boom mic for my voice input, but moving in with my current wife put the kibosh on that and I had to get a headset with mic.

 

[DigDog]

i'd like to say one thing; because it what aaaalways needs to be said when these threads appear.
there is nothing inherently wrong with a headset being a "gaming" headset. the gaming tag does not make a headset automatically inferior to another.

now, two things to consider. first, headset which do have the gaming tag are, generally speaking, more expensive(for the level of quality they provide) than the equivalent semi-pro set. some cheap model are a total waste of money. but .. if you buy stuff like a $200 siberia, is it that bad, compared to a reference set? no, it isn't. sometimes the addon price you pay, for the microphone and "cool looks" is not even a bother.

second;
while semi-pro sets *do* offer better quality, and better sound at the price point, buying one is still not easy. people both wind up buying $400 sets that they don't need (diminishing returns), and some other times wind up buying (especially low-end) models where the brand name makes up 90% of the costs. yeah, because Sennheiser pulls the same SOAB stunts that Creativity does.

 

[JTDSR]

I own the Logitech G35, Razer Kraken, and Microsoft LX-3000 headset. I do just as well on the Microsoft $20 headset as the other two. I am not much of an audiophile, but there is honestly no reason for me to ever buy premium gaming headsets again.

 

[Craig234]

I voted for the m50x ...

Oops, you did. It's hard to pick a set out of that list. My $35 Plantronics are good...

 

[destrekor]

i'd like to say one thing; because it what aaaalways needs to be said when these threads appear.
there is nothing inherently wrong with a headset being a "gaming" headset. the gaming tag does not make a headset automatically inferior to another.

now, two things to consider. first, headset which do have the gaming tag are, generally speaking, more expensive(for the level of quality they provide) than the equivalent semi-pro set. some cheap model are a total waste of money. but .. if you buy stuff like a $200 siberia, is it that bad, compared to a reference set? no, it isn't. sometimes the addon price you pay, for the microphone and "cool looks" is not even a bother.

second;
while semi-pro sets *do* offer better quality, and better sound at the price point, buying one is still not easy. people both wind up buying $400 sets that they don't need (diminishing returns), and some other times wind up buying (especially low-end) models where the brand name makes up 90% of the costs. yeah, because Sennheiser pulls the same SOAB stunts that Creativity does.

Sennheiser doesn't really do much like that in reality.

There might be a general premium on their gaming sets, but their premium gaming sets are actually based on their premium headphones, universally-praised sets like the HD598, HD600, and HD650 IIRC, but they integrated a mic boom and some on-head controls in some models.
I haven't fully compared the price of their gaming models versus their standard premium cans, but a small markup is to be expected considering the extra equipment... and are less likely to get massive sales like the headphones they are based upon, due to the lower volume of the gaming models in comparison.

 

[cmdrdredd]

.
second;
while semi-pro sets *do* offer better quality, and better sound at the price point, buying one is still not easy. people both wind up buying $400 sets that they don't need (diminishing returns), and some other times wind up buying (especially low-end) models where the brand name makes up 90% of the costs. yeah, because Sennheiser pulls the same SOAB stunts that Creativity does.

Except sennheiser models their gaming headsets after their HD500 lineup. For example the pc360 were pretty close to the HD598 which is a very well received and popular entry level audiophile headphone model.

 

[moonbogg]

I'm going to buy a pair of beyerdynamic dt 880 and attach a modmic mike.

I was considering those, but went with the Phillips Fidelio X2's instead. Great headphones with more bass than DT880 while remaining open for large sound stage. Great for gaming, movies and music.

 

[mnewsham]

Sennheiser doesn't really do much like that in reality.

There might be a general premium on their gaming sets, but their premium gaming sets are actually based on their premium headphones, universally-praised sets like the HD598, HD600, and HD650 IIRC, but they integrated a mic boom and some on-head controls in some models.
I haven't fully compared the price of their gaming models versus their standard premium cans, but a small markup is to be expected considering the extra equipment... and are less likely to get massive sales like the headphones they are based upon, due to the lower volume of the gaming models in comparison.

This is true, but the gaming headsets dont use any of the better drivers found in HD600 or higher.

The same drivers in the HD555/598 are used for the "high" end gaming headset.

 

[Sabrewings]

You should be able to tell the difference. Without accurate modeling of your outer ear, pina and face shape the filtering wont be accurate. They can get close but center channel information is the hardest because your brain uses the shape of your head to filter that sound.

Fair enough, but either I have a perfectly modeled head, I'm easily tricked into the proper positional data, or they work quite well.

I'm not the only one who thought so:

After playing the demo through the studio’s impressive hi-fi setup, we donned our G633 headphones. When the demo played, it sounded absolutely identical to the room’s speakers. It was like wearing nothing at all. Not only Headphone X’s room modeling spot on, but even the most spatially separated sounds (e.g. far front, far rear) were perceptually identical. It really sounded like there were actual speakers behind me and in front of me. An adjacent tech journalist was so shocked he actually remove his headphones in disbelief. He suspected they were cheating by playing audio through the speakers. Of course, they weren’t. Kudos to DTS and Logitech. I’ve never been impressed with headphone surround, but Headphone X through the G633 was an eerily perfect 7.1 experience. Sure, it was under ideal conditions, but this was definitely the best surround sound I've experienced on a headset.

http://www.techspot.com/article/1057-logitech-artemis-spectrum-audio-hq-tour/page2.html

They really are quite good for a "gaming" headset and suit my needs perfectly (I'm no audiophile). 7.1 for when I don't need or want the full theater system going. Mic is pretty good to, in my experience.

 

[JSt0rm]

As I said surrounds are a easier cheat. Listen to the center channel. That guy is making a pretty bold claim that wouldn't stand up to secondary questioning. For instance without a ir head tracker moving the sound stage with the subtle movements of your head you will not have an exact experience. Even with the realizer with the ir head tracker removed it becomes kind of weird to have a stationary image. I question that guys reporting.

I own a pair of Logitech "gaming" headphones. The g502. They suck. The surround "works" but it's shit. The sound is bad and the drivers sucked. The things have cardboard sticking out of them lol.

My favorite cheap headphones are the dt770 and the audio technica m50. They don't have mics though.

 

[destrekor]

This is true, but the gaming headsets dont use any of the better drivers found in HD600 or higher.

The same drivers in the HD555/598 are used for the "high" end gaming headset.

oh really? That's a bummer - I thought they used the drivers of the high end models. Got a source?

Also, they could still work some magic voodoo - the HD555 and 598 aren't supposed to sound the same from what I've heard, yet they do share the same driver.

There is more to a set of headphones than the driver itself, some of which might lend a lot of difference between sets.

 

[sweenish]

This is true, but the gaming headsets dont use any of the better drivers found in HD600 or higher.

The same drivers in the HD555/598 are used for the "high" end gaming headset.

Literally just repeating what the user you quoted posted.

 

[mnewsham]

Also, they could still work some magic voodoo - the HD555 and 598 aren't supposed to sound the same from what I've heard, yet they do share the same driver

Yeah, there is a mod you can do to remove the foam padding in the 558s that make them sound like 598s. Same exact drivers though.

Literally just repeating what the user you quoted poste

Really? Literally? is that why I specifically said they DONT use the HD600 or HD650 like he was claiming... seriously reading comprehension?

 

[destrekor]

Really? Literally? is that why I specifically said they DONT use the HD600 or HD650 like he was claiming... seriously reading comprehension?

lol


BTW you got a source for that? At work and don't want to search about that right now.

 

[mnewsham]

lol


BTW you got a source for that? At work and don't want to search about that right now.

I mean I dont have a direct source but if you look at their specifications online they resemble the same specs listed on the lower end drivers HD300/400/500 series.

The HD600(~$300-400) for example have a frequency response of 12 - 40500 Hz with a 300 Ω impedance. The PC 363D (~$200-300) has a frequency response of 15 – 28000 Hz and a 32 Ω impedance. The other high end gaming headset sennheiser has is the Game ZERO(~$200-250) and the Game ONE(~$200-250). Both of which are 50 Ω impedance, and both similar frequency response (15-26/28000 Hz)

From this it is fairly easy to see they dont use the HD600 drivers in their gaming headsets.

They do however seem fairly close to the HD558($90-130) specs of 15 - 28000 Hz and a 50 Ω impedance. Which is why I think they use the drivers in the HD558, and the lower end gaming headsets likely use drivers from even cheaper headphones than the HD558. I think buying the HD558 for $100 on amazon right now and a microphone would be a LOT cheaper than getting the Game ONE headset for $220 on amazon.



So again, I dont have 100% proof, but the specs data speaks for itself.

 

[sweenish]

Sennheiser doesn't really do much like that in reality.

There might be a general premium on their gaming sets, but their premium gaming sets are actually based on their premium headphones, universally-praised sets like the HD598, HD600, and HD650 IIRC,

This is true, but the gaming headsets dont use any of the better drivers found in HD600 or higher.

The same drivers in the HD555/598 are used for the "high" end gaming headset.

Oh noes, you basically agreed with them. With a minor correction. Maybe I should have said figuratively since you take stuff a little too literally.

 

[mnewsham]

Oh noes, you basically agreed with them. With a minor correction. Maybe I should have said figuratively since you take stuff a little too literally.

Of the 3 he listed, one has gone for $100(the 598), the other two regularly go for $300-400+(HD600 and HD650)

They are DRASTICALLY different headphones. The HD598 drivers MIGHT be used by the gaming headsets, the HD600 and HD650 100% are not. That is a fairly big distinction I was making as there is 0% chance the HD600 or HD650 are being used. I'd say me correcting 2/3 is far from

Literally just repeating what the user you quoted posted

But again, reading comprehension doesn't seem to be your strong suit as I pointed out earlier.

 

[calyco]

I like beyerdynamic dt 770's

much comfort
such sound

Simple design and fantastic build quality too.

 

[runzwithsizorz]

I wanted comfort and open air and the Sens 598 are perfect. I do not game on line and for me, the sound is fine. I also have a high end gaming set of headphones(or rather hubby has them) and they were too heavy and awkward for me. I wear glasses, and the Sens are the most comfortable...I barely know they're on.
\
The Wife

 

[cmdrdredd]

I wanted comfort and open air and the Sens 598 are perfect. I do not game on line and for me, the sound is fine. I also have a high end gaming set of headphones(or rather hubby has them) and they were too heavy and awkward for me. I wear glasses, and the Sens are the most comfortable...I barely know they're on.
\
The Wife

Yeah I'm a pretty big fan of Sennheiser but I do like their signature sound so that's probably why. Some people like one brand or another for the same reason I like Sennheiser.

 

[JSt0rm]

I have a pair of sennheiser k240 open backs. They are good and not expensive.