Best gaming headphones for no higher than $150

[Flutterblade]

Hi Tom's Hardware,

Looking to get a really nice pair of headphones soon but am not sure what to get. I look at the Audio Technica AD700s and the Grado SR80is but am not sure about the open backed design. I do not want surround sound, just stereo with a really good soundstage. My budget is around $150. I have a Asus Xonar DG 5.1 PCI sound card. This is for FPS gaming.

Thanks in advance

 

[ModernWarfare]

Best gaming headset with excellent sound quality.

http/pcpartpicker.com/part/razer-headphones-rz0400700200r3u1

 

[Flutterblade]

Best gaming headset with excellent sound quality.

http/pcpartpicker.com/part/razer-headphones-rz0400700200r3u1

Thanks, but I've bad things about Razer headphones/headsets. Also, I briefly read the reviews and it says 'booming bass' but doesn't bass affect positional audio accuracy?

 

[ModernWarfare]

Haters gonna hate. this Headphone is really good my cousin has it its brilliant also saves up alot of money but if you want a different one heres a much better brand logitech.

http/pcpartpicker.com/part/logitech-headphones-981000257

 

[ssddx]

@modernwarefare

razer is only a mid end brand at best and many such bad reviews are well founded. i'm not going to say that they are terrible however there are certainly other options which might be better.

also i have to say that your avatar is quite distracting. so much so that its hard to concentrate on the text. i would suggest changing to something a little less flashy although you have the right to keep it as is ( although if people continue making flashy banners which annoy users we might not have such priviledges in the future). pm me if you have any questions or if you need help making one. again, just a request not a demand of any sort.

@op

another option would be to buy some stereo headphones and use a clip on or modmic. the dt770 have a decent soundstage for being a closed design however open type designs are the best for soundstage. if you dont like open then something like the dt770 is likely the best you will get for soundstage. personally i like my m50s for the price but the soundstage isnt terribly broad and is where the dt770s beat them out.

 

[ModernWarfare]

Hey. sorry for that. i thought it was quit disturbing also i will change it.

 

[Flutterblade]

@modernwarefare

razer is only a mid end brand at best and many such bad reviews are well founded. i'm not going to say that they are terrible however there are certainly other options which might be better.

also i have to say that your avatar is quite distracting. so much so that its hard to concentrate on the text. i would suggest changing to something a little less flashy although you have the right to keep it as is ( although if people continue making flashy banners which annoy users we might not have such priviledges in the future). pm me if you have any questions or if you need help making one. again, just a request not a demand of any sort.

@op

another option would be to buy some stereo headphones and use a clip on or modmic. the dt770 have a decent soundstage for being a closed design however open type designs are the best for soundstage. if you dont like open then something like the dt770 is likely the best you will get for soundstage. personally i like my m50s for the price but the soundstage isnt terribly broad and is where the dt770s beat them out.

Ok thanks, what would be the best open-backed headphones with a large soundstage?

 

[ssddx]

@op

well, i remember reading that closed cans are a less open soundstage than open cans because the soundwaves cannot escape but in open cans they can. however, the whole term "soundstage" is a bit misleading in and of itself and the whole discussion on what is good and what is bad is still hotly debated. to be completely fair the source has a fair bit to do with things.

now i cant comment heavily on many models since i only personally own one pair of headphones however i can tell you that even though almost universally across audiophile forums the ath-m50s are noted for their lack of a wide soundstage while at the same time noting how great they sound for quality considering the cash that i personally havent noted any real issues. when i played games with them (which wasnt terribly often) i didnt note any real issues with determining distance and direction so i'm not quite sure what the audiophiles are thinking in that regard. now unfortunately i dont have another headset to compare against so perhaps that is why but i'm happy regardless.

as far as models audiophiles seem to recommend for a wide soundstage:

audiotechnica ad700
akg k-701 (gaming)
sennheiser hd598
sennheiser hd650 (music)
grado sr80i

i would also like to list a closed design model which you might like. it has a wider soundstage than the m50s apparently and isnt bad for a closed can. not that i've ever noticed such a thing on my m50s but again i dont have anything to compare them against.

beyerdynamic dt770

honestly i'm not convinced myself about all the buzz about soundstages for headphones and i think its more psychosematic than a real issue or that someone prefers how a certain can sounds than another one. besides the open vs closed argument which i could see as being valid the rest is just up to interpretation.

 

[Flutterblade]

@op

well, i remember reading that closed cans are a less open soundstage than open cans because the soundwaves cannot escape but in open cans they can. however, the whole term "soundstage" is a bit misleading in and of itself and the whole discussion on what is good and what is bad is still hotly debated. to be completely fair the source has a fair bit to do with things.

now i cant comment heavily on many models since i only personally own one pair of headphones however i can tell you that even though almost universally across audiophile forums the ath-m50s are noted for their lack of a wide soundstage while at the same time noting how great they sound for quality considering the cash that i personally havent noted any real issues. when i played games with them (which wasnt terribly often) i didnt note any real issues with determining distance and direction so i'm not quite sure what the audiophiles are thinking in that regard. now unfortunately i dont have another headset to compare against so perhaps that is why but i'm happy regardless.

as far as models audiophiles seem to recommend for a wide soundstage:

audiotechnica ad700
akg k-701 (gaming)
sennheiser hd598
sennheiser hd650 (music)
grado sr80i

i would also like to list a closed design model which you might like. it has a wider soundstage than the m50s apparently and isnt bad for a closed can. not that i've ever noticed such a thing on my m50s but again i dont have anything to compare them against.

beyerdynamic dt770

honestly i'm not convinced myself about all the buzz about soundstages for headphones and i think its more psychosematic than a real issue or that someone prefers how a certain can sounds than another one. besides the open vs closed argument which i could see as being valid the rest is just up to interpretation.

A nice selection to research, thanks. What do you know about sound leakage from open-backed headphones?

 

[ssddx]

as far as what? how bad the sound leakage is?

sorry i cant tell you how bad the leakage would be as i dont own a set of opens however if its anything like the other non closed headphones i've had in the past (on ears) then it can be fairly substantial at high volumes but not too bad at low.

the whole reason we have closed headphones is for sound isolation (to shut the outside world out and to keep our sound to ourselves so everyone else doesnt have to hear it). closed headphones also tend to have more substantial bass output but that isnt always the case.

if you want to know anything in particular you would need to be specific with your question.

 

[Flutterblade]

as far as what? how bad the sound leakage is?

sorry i cant tell you how bad the leakage would be as i dont own a set of opens however if its anything like the other non closed headphones i've had in the past (on ears) then it can be fairly substantial at high volumes but not too bad at low.

the whole reason we have closed headphones is for sound isolation (to shut the outside world out and to keep our sound to ourselves so everyone else doesnt have to hear it). closed headphones also tend to have more substantial bass output but that isnt always the case.

if you want to know anything in particular you would need to be specific with your question.

yeah i was asking how bad the leakage is. it's just that i live with my mum and i wouldn't really want her hearing what goes on in my headphones all the time. when i'm on skype with a rowdy bunch of friends for example.

 

[ssddx]

sound leakage
https/www.youtube.com/watch?v=53t_8UrB9xg
https/www.youtube.com/watch?v=pieNphZivQY
http/www.head-fi.org/t/537545/how-much-do-open-cans-actually-leak
http/arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=887857

difference between closed and open (description)
https/www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqsyaHlZ6ro

difference between closed and open (sound samples)
https/www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BT_jFel_3s

in general:

if you like to have your volume up high some open headphones can be heard across the house although barely. if you like to keep your volume low you arent likely to hear them in another room. if you are talking alot then your voice is going to be louder in most cases however if you arent talking (like if she is sleeping) then the sound might be heard if you have them up high.

closed cans might still leak a little however they are much less than open cans. semiopen are between the two.

you lose a bit of soundstage with closed cans however if anyone will be in close proximity to you its almost required. if they are a room away with a door closed then its not required but you still might need to watch volume levels depending on what you get and what you are doing with the headphones at the time.

 

[Flutterblade]

sound leakage
https/www.youtube.com/watch?v=53t_8UrB9xg
https/www.youtube.com/watch?v=pieNphZivQY
http/www.head-fi.org/t/537545/how-much-do-open-cans-actually-leak
http/arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=887857

difference between closed and open (description)
https/www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqsyaHlZ6ro

difference between closed and open (sound samples)
https/www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BT_jFel_3s

in general:

if you like to have your volume up high some open headphones can be heard across the house although barely. if you like to keep your volume low you arent likely to hear them in another room. if you are talking alot then your voice is going to be louder in most cases however if you arent talking (like if she is sleeping) then the sound might be heard if you have them up high.

closed cans might still leak a little however they are much less than open cans. semiopen are between the two.

you lose a bit of soundstage with closed cans however if anyone will be in close proximity to you its almost required. if they are a room away with a door closed then its not required but you still might need to watch volume levels depending on what you get and what you are doing with the headphones at the time.

Those videos were really helpful, thanks. You can still get good soundstages on closed-cans though right? I was thinking something like this: http/www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009F4BV8C/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1YNF9I7GLIBWZ&coliid=I2NBX76F4K4TP4

 

[ssddx]

i've never heard of that company before so cannot say anything about them. it would be a complete gamble. personally i would stick with a well known (and reviewed) brand of headphones like audiotechnica, grado, sennheiser, beyerdynamic, akg, etcetera but thats your choice.

as i mentioned before for closed cans and a half decent soundstage the beyerdynamic dt770 is often recommended. its not going to be the same as open cans but there is nothing that can be done about that. closed and open have their own pro/cons to them which is why both exist.

 

[Flutterblade]

i've never heard of that company before so cannot say anything about them. it would be a complete gamble. personally i would stick with a well known (and reviewed) brand of headphones like audiotechnica, grado, sennheiser, beyerdynamic, akg, etcetera but thats your choice.

as i mentioned before for closed cans and a half decent soundstage the beyerdynamic dt770 is often recommended. its not going to be the same as open cans but there is nothing that can be done about that. closed and open have their own pro/cons to them which is why both exist.

Will probs go for Beyerdynamic. Thanks for your help!