Best Headphone for Immersion and competitive gaming or 2 pairs that fit each.

[MassMayhem]

Alright so I'm looking into making a good sound setup for gaming. I want a HEADPHONE as I'll be purchasing an At2020 so I don't need a mic. I play games like CSGO, Arma 2/3, DayZ, Fallout, Skyrim, GTA V, Gmod, etc. I'm looking for a headset that is good for competitive games (like CSGO) (as I wanna be able to hear the enemies' every move) yet good on the immersion side (if I'm playing Fallout, Skyrim, or scary/story mode games). So I was thinking of getting either one really good headphone that's good for both or 2 pairs that fit each category (and I'll switch it out depending on which game i'm playing.

For Immersion I was looking at: http/www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-770-PRO-250-ohms/dp/B0006NL5SM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449702191&sr=8-1&keywords=beyerdynamic+dt770

For Competitive play I was looking at: http/www.amazon.com/Technica-ATH-AD900X-Open-Back-Audiophile-Headphones/dp/B009S331VU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449703614&sr=8-1&keywords=ad900x

I couldn't find anything that's good for both competitive play and immersion without sacrificing anything.

If anyone has any experience with these or can recommend any others that fit the bill that'd be awesome.

I also have the motherboard: http/www.asrock.com/mb/AMD/Fatal1ty%20990FX%20Killer/

Will the Onboard audio be good with these? Or should I buy a soundcard?

I was looking at this: http/www.amazon.com/Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Forming-Microphone/dp/B009ISU33E?ie=UTF8&

Is it good?

Orrr not being a huge "audiophile" I legit just want a headphone where it can sound good and have like directional hearing yet be immersive.
Should I save $150 and just get

http/www.amazon.com/Logitech%C2%A0G633-Artemis-Spectrum-Surround-981-000586/dp/B013P0K8OE/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1449704863&sr=1-1&keywords=logitech+g633

or is it worth it to invest in higher quality sound? Is an open headphone (like the ad900x) as good as virtual 7.1 audio? Kind of new to this.

 

[basroil]

The AD900X will be better than "7.1" headphones, but it seems to be a bit overkill for those games. That said, for $150 it's probably the best bet if you don't have to worry about external noise.

 

[MassMayhem]

The AD900X will be better than "7.1" headphones, but it seems to be a bit overkill for those games. That said, for $150 it's probably the best bet if you don't have to worry about external noise.

So what should I go with?
Should I go with a "closed ear" "noise-cancelling" to not worry about external noise?
What would you recommend?

 

[basroil]

Where do you use the headphones? Usually noise canceling will reduce sound quality while being useless except in really loud places. Even in a normal office closed back is enough, and if it's just a small room with nothing but your PC, open is fine (unless your PC sounds like a jet, in that case you have bigger issues)

 

[ssddx]

here is your problem:

"immersion" generally means a v-shaped sound signature with good treble and good bass.
"competitive" generally means a treb/mid sound signature with poor bass. weak bass lets you hear footsteps easier.

if you want immersive, the dt990 has strong bass and strong treble and a nice soundstage. you can be competitive with them but given the bass output you might miss some things a less immersive but more competitive set might give you. they are open.

the dt770 is a good alternative if you require closed cans for noise isolation from the outside however given that you want a 2020 mic you will need a quiet environment so going closed cans really is not required at all. the 250 would be your better choice unless you want substantial bass which the 80 ohm would have.

if you want something a bit more mellow.. and in between both competitive and immersive.. look at the hd518/558/598 lineup.

again, if you will be recording with a high sensitivity mic you want a quiet room as sensitive mics although great for how nice they sound with crisp detail WILL pick up room noise if you are not careful. you shouldnt have a problem with headphone leak even on open cans unless you crank the volume so closed cans i would say are optional. if you have lots of room noise you might want to consider using a less sensitive microphone or a boom mic closer to your face.

 

[MassMayhem]

Alright I'll be playing in a really quiet room pretty much. There's like zero echo and I'm even getting foam soundproofing. But alright I see. I'll have a pop filter and all that on my At2020 with an open earred will the mic pick up the sound? I'll be recording, livestreaming, and being in a Skype call and stuff and I don't want that extra noise being picked up. Should I get a closed ear? I heard those were more immersive w/ noise cancelling. Do they work as well or atleast be able to compare to an open earred's directional audio?
And thanks @ssddx I understand it better now I'll check out the ones you suggested. If you were to choose the best price to performance, good for both CSGO but also amazing with Fallout, Arma, or like an super immersive game (which is 95% of games I play)(besides CSGO pretty much the only game I play competitively)(the other games I play are like DayZ -which I love) Idk I'm kind of leaning toward either the dt990s or the dt770s but the hd598s are a good mix? AGGGGHH I HAVE NO CLUE! I think I may go with an open earred though. Should I go dt990? Any have experience with it in games like dayz, csgo?

 

[basroil]

If you're in a room that quiet open types are better. Your keyboard is going to be the biggest issue after all, and the headphones shouldn't be picked up by the mic too much unless you're destroying your ears with loud sounds.

And no, noise cancelling is not recommended mainly due to the hiss that comes with most noise canceling sets have, as well as battery requirements. Unless you regularly travel on planes and want something that can handle that (my primary set was purchased with 14 hour plane rides in mind), avoid noise cancelling.

 

[ssddx]

generally i would say that no, in most cases users should not have trouble with open headphones leaking to he mic unless volume levels are high.

closed cans are NOT noise cancelling. they are noise isolating. think of noise isolating like wearing earmuffs to protect your ears from outside noise and how it muffles outside noise. that is similar to closed headphones but to a much higher degree. noise cancelling is software controlled and introduces the opposite noise frequencies to try and cancel out any exterior noise to the headphones. the trouble is that this distorts sound and can make it sound off. think bose noise cancelling headphones.

closed cans will have smaller soundstages than open cans. think of soundstage like bigger depth of field and more airy sound. closed cans can certainly have good 360 positioning though tend to lack depth or distance so often sound more closed in like sound is coming from just outside your ears.

the dt770 has a decent soundstage for closed cans. not as good as open cans, but certainly decent for closed.

i didnt mention pure advantageous cans like the ad500/700/900x [closed version is a500/700/900x] which are bass light with huge soundstages since you mentioned immersive. the ad900x has more bass than the lower end models though not as significant as the beyers by far. akg makes a few decent cans as well though most are not bassy and tend to be fairly hard to drive and very picky about what amps they sound good with.

will they need an amp? the senns likely not with your motherboard. the beyers maybe as i'm not sure how good your onboard really is [despite its claims]. you could certainly try them out before buying an amp or soundcard and see what you think. if you were looking at soundcards, the creative z is a good one. if you were looking at amps the fiio a3 is a good one. if you wanted an external dac+amp [pure 2.0 stereo sound no virtual surround] the fiio e10k is good.

 

[MassMayhem]

Alright so I'm definitely going with open earred headphones unless I find really good closed ear. I'm leaning toward the dt990s. How are they in csgo or like dayz? I heard they're really good immersion wise when it comes to like other games, so that's good. Now are they terrible with games like csgo or are they just "not as good". Will I have the upper hand when it comes to hearing the other team? Or are they not even that great or???

 

[MassMayhem]

Hmm alright @ssddx. Decisions, Decisions. Alright I'm gonna go with an open earred. What would you recommend from that category? I have so far the ad900x and the dt990 in mind. What would you go for a good competitive/immersive experience personally? And how is it comfort wise? I remember I had on ear headphones and my ear cartilage would be like destroyed and it would hurt so bad I had to get an over ear. over ears are so comfy. Are these good? Recommend any other open earred?

 

[ssddx]

as i said, its often a tradeoff between competitiveness and immersion. i described that earlier.

the dt990 will do fine in games. while not the most competitive, its not a bad choice if you're looking for something immersive.

you can hear the other teams footsteps easier with cans like the ad500x/ad700x or some akg cans due to poor bass response however you a bit of that bassy immersion you were looking for. they do have some tight midbass though lack much quantity so tend to be more analytical sounding and less exciting unless you really like treble and mids.

both the audiotechnicas and beyers have large earcups and are comfortable. not everyone likes the wing design on the audiotechnicas though i've heard it feels light. the beyers are heavier but also still very comfortable.

honestly what works best for you depends on your preferences as all the headphones listed are good.. depending on what your preferences/needs are.

the only negatives i can say about the ones you're interested in are the wing on the audiotechnicas i just mentioned and that the beyers are a bit bright that i mentioned before. you can adjust the eq down a bit if you find them too bright though they still will be detailed.