Headphones

N

Namdrater

New member
As I mentioned in a topic I posted earlier, I'm upgrading my soundcard and along with that will come the set of headphones. I know there's not really such thing as 5.1 headphones, but I don't really know much about quality headphones overall. The pair I'm looking at are the Sennheiser HD555. My primary use is for gaming. I'm quite sure these Sennheisers would be masters of music, but is gaming the type of thing that headset is suited for? My budget is R1000-R1500.
 
You can't go wrong with Sennheisers
Second to that I would recommend the Roccat Kave
 
Xero said:
You can't go wrong with Sennheisers
Second to that I would recommend the Roccat Kave
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Roccat is decent, but the hurt top of head over long periods of use.

Other brand though pricy for what you get I like is the steel series. Uber comfy :D


Sent from the MyGaming iPhone App
 
Roccat is decent, but mine recently broke, probably just the odd one out.

In that price range perhaps take a look at the Corsair HS1 - Prophecy
 
I currently have the Sennies 555. Got them from take2.co.za for around R900 and delivery took only 2 weeks so I thought it was a very good deal. They are excellent. Not too bassy, so for the modern kids who love their bass I wouldn't recommend this. But in all other areas it excels, and you can still toy around with the equalizer to bring the bass out. There is also a mod to convert it into an HD595 which has received much praise. Just google it. I'm going to do that soon - just want to give my set a few more hours to break it in completely. I made a similar thread with a similar budget here so you can have a look and maybe it will help. Personally though, I must say that the Sennies will blow away any other headphones mentioned in this thread - in terms of sound quality and comfort. No mic though.

http://mygaming.co.za/forum/showthread.php/13290-New-Headphones-R1000-Budget?highlight=
 
The feeling I seem to be getting is that the Sennheisers will give me the best audio quality. I'm not too sure about the virtual 3D software that'll come with it though, in comparison to other headphones. The Kaves sound like they'd be a really good option for surround sound, except that everyone says they're uncomfortable.

So how much worse could the Sennheisers actually be, in terms of surround sound, in comparison to the Kaves? If I've got a soundcard which can produce high-quality sound positioning, would that not be good enough to get the headphones to emulate that surround sound? How do the Kaves perform for music quality... would you say you were amazed when you heard them for the first time?

I've got a lot of thinking to do, thanks for the responses so far.
 
Look, if you are buying the headphones for gaming, then you should probably go for the Kaves and save a few bucks. I've never had good experiences emulating surround sound. Besides, if you are going to be using it for gaming and you will be attending LANs and the like you can rule the HD555s out.

The open design means better audio quality overall but a lot of sound leakage, and practically no isolation when you aren't listening to anything. You will mostly have to use them in a quiet environment for best results. In cases where you'll be sharing a room or small area with someone and you don't want to bother them, you will be able to listen to music at a soft but audible level - but don't expect to pick up on all the intricate details of your favourite track. I used my HD555s on an 11 hour flight and it was fine listening to music. I could crank the volume up a little higher because of the plane's humming. I don't think you'll be able to use them well at a LAN like the OC.

The Kaves are also more portable IIRC. And they have good bass response which is important for some people during some cinematic experiences. But the Sennies will have ten times better sound reproduction nine out of ten times compared to the Kaves. For gaming alone, I'd nominate the Kaves or the Corsair HS1. Throw in a need for good music quality, and I'd pick the HD555s. Bohemian Rhapsody and The Dark Side of the Moon in lossless is just beautiful.
 
Is it me or is both Take2 and Prophecy no longer selling headphones (like they still sell some but not like they once did...)

I have a pair of G35's that I bought for gaming and the 7.1 is good and they are generally nice headphones and oh so very comfortable... but sometimes I want to listen to music on iPod or something and I reach for my headphones and they don't have a 3.5 jack... just USB :(

But whatever. Think I'm gonna buy some Orca's for Music and keep these for lanning unless someone has some nice headphones with a mic that they want to swap with me for? Or to recommend so I can sell my G35's :( they served me well but do want to sometimes listen to music while not at my pc.
 
Don't ever trust anything made by a brand associated with gaming peripherals to produce excellent music quality. More often than not you can get a much better set of cans by brands actually known for audio quality for the same price (Shure, Sennheiser, Bose, Audio Technica). Gaming brands are overpriced. The only decent priced sets I know of - for what they offer - are the Kaves and the HS1s.

Just to throw a spanner in the wheel here, these make my mouth water:

http://more.take2.co.za/moreusa-aud...dynamic-audiophile-headphones-b000cms0xu.html

EDIT: Actually I'm quite unhappy now that they didn't have those ^ for that excellent price when I was looking for a pair of cans.
 
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Staple2 said:
Don't ever trust anything made by a brand associated with gaming peripherals to produce excellent music quality. More often than not you can get a much better set of cans by brands actually known for audio quality for the same price (Shure, Sennheiser, Bose, Audio Technica). Gaming brands are overpriced. The only decent priced sets I know of - for what they offer - are the Kaves and the HS1s.

Just to throw a spanner in the wheel here, these make my mouth water:

http://more.take2.co.za/moreusa-aud...dynamic-audiophile-headphones-b000cms0xu.html

EDIT: Actually I'm quite unhappy now that they didn't have those ^ for that excellent price when I was looking for a pair of cans.
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Looks good, won't mind getting myself a pair of these bad boys!
 
I've decided on getting the Roccat Kave. Read that long thread about them, some reviews and it seems like the best option especially for the X-Fi Titanium Fatality Pro
 
XeroS1x said:
What he said, damn those things are heavy. After a while feels like they have indented your cranium, might look like a cartoon character after a while
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I have both the roccat and the steelseries and the steelseries doesn't give head hurt. Main problem is with the design itself as you place it on-top of your head the edge on the one side presses down and this causes it.

This ends me up shifting the headset now and then to accommodate for it which is not optimal, I had the headset fell of once because of this. then there is the feedback it started to give from time to time feedback like short buzzz or beep. This is at least once a session at least two to three times...
 
I would have gone for the HS1 USB over the Kave, tbh. Many reviews have called it the most comfortable gaming headset today.
 
Pr⊕phet said:
I have both the roccat and the steelseries and the steelseries doesn't give head hurt. Main problem is with the design itself as you place it on-top of your head the edge on the one side presses down and this causes it.

This ends me up shifting the headset now and then to accommodate for it which is not optimal, I had the headset fell of once because of this. then there is the feedback it started to give from time to time feedback like short buzzz or beep. This is at least once a session at least two to three times...
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I sometimes find it's directly ontop that the pressure dissipates from. In terms of feedback I have sometimes heard strange crackling or buzzing, quite annoying, but disappears relatively quickly.
Staple2 said:
I would have gone for the HS1 USB over the Kave, tbh. Many reviews have called it the most comfortable gaming headset today.
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Bought the HS1 yesterday after my Kave's broke. So I have yet to experience it's goodness.
 
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All the reviews say it's one of the most comfortable headsets. Everyone here says they're uncomfortable. Hopefully I have a skull made of steel.
 
Namdrater said:
All the reviews say it's one of the most comfortable headsets. Everyone here says they're uncomfortable. Hopefully I have a skull made of steel.
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Ag, it's not that.. bad, it's more a mild annoyance than anything else, and only really occurs after a few hours of continuous use. What I sometimes do when I feel it pressing on my head is move it slightly forward towards the front of my face. Seems to alleviate the pressure a bit.
 
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