best non gaming headphones for gaming

[rosdan13]

Hello there.
I was thinking about getting myself headphones for gaming (currently I'm using speakers).
At first I wanted to buy a gaming headset, because it usually features virtual surround sound, which is important for gaming, but I've read that it isn't that different from open back headphones, that sometimes sound actually better. Now I DON'T USE THE MIC. I DON'T NEED IT. And buying a gaming headset means that some of the money goes on something I don't need. On the other hand, gaming headsets use their own sound card, while regualr open back headphones depend on my onboard sound card. I also want the headphones to be good for music. NOW THIS IS THE QUSTION: I HAVE AN ALC1150 SOUND CARD (from gigabyte) AND I CAN PAY UP TO 150$, SHOULD I BUY A GAMING HEADSET OR REGULAER OPEN BACK HEADPHONES? AND WHICH MODEL SHOULD I CHOOSE?

Thanks for the help!

 

[PsyKhiqZero]

1. Most gaming are closed back. Closed back headsets are better for isolation and bass. Open back headsets are better for sound immersion but will leak sound to their surroundings.

2. USB gaming headsets will have their own sound cards. But you can get them without. Those without will use your PC's sound.

So I guess I have 2 questions
1. Do you want open back or closed back headphones. You can buy both types.
2. Here is my personal first choice for open back headphones
https/www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-AD700X-Audiophile-Headphones/dp/B009S332TQ/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1477237827&sr=8-9&keywords=audio+technica

 

[aquielisunari]

Hello there.
I was thinking about getting myself headphones for gaming (currently I'm using speakers).
At first I wanted to buy a gaming headset, because it usually features virtual surround sound, which is important for gaming, but I've read that it isn't that different from open back headphones, that sometimes sound actually better. Now I DON'T USE THE MIC. I DON'T NEED IT. And buying a gaming headset means that some of the money goes on something I don't need. On the other hand, gaming headsets use their own sound card, while regualr open back headphones depend on my onboard sound card. I also want the headphones to be good for music. NOW THIS IS THE QUSTION: I HAVE AN ALC1150 SOUND CARD (from gigabyte) AND I CAN PAY UP TO 150$, SHOULD I BUY A GAMING HEADSET OR REGULAER OPEN BACK HEADPHONES? AND WHICH MODEL SHOULD I CHOOSE?

Thanks for the help!

I do need to say I am not an audiophile or even close. That being said it may explain why I like https/www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007XJSQC/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza along with https/sourceforge.net/projects/equalizerapo/ . I wouldn't have liked them that much if I hadn't had that equalizer. The potential is there(think Six Million Dollar Man). They are a bit quiet out of the box. After increasing the gain and changing the sound settings to my liking I really do like these headphones, a lot. They are not noise cancelling headphones but they do reduce ambient noises. I was immersed in Batman AC(going from speakers to over the ear headphones is an experience) when my phone rang, which was about a foot away. I have it on the classic phone ringer and it broke the spell the phones had on me. Other than LOUD noises such as a phone or a crying baby these headphones do help to make your gaming experience more enjoyable. No, I don't have a sound card. After about 3 hours of happily gaming they did get a bit sweaty. A dustless cloth and less than a minute later they were good to go. With my larger than average head and ears phones have a tendency to pinch my ears or clamp too tight. These do not. I can only assume their more expensive model numbers just get better and better but I am satisfied with these.

 

[ssddx]

we can do without the caps lock. try to type normally. with that said, a few answers...


...features virtual surround sound, which is important for gaming...

not true. this is highly circumstantial and based on preference. it can be helpful in some scenarios and some people may like it but its not required. games which are coded well will already have good audio elements and visual cues which make virtual not as needed. virtual will add some ambiance and the effect of a more 3d sound but its not going to fix poor quality game coding for audio. this is why counterstrike sound is so horrible and not much can be done to completely fix that.

...it isn't that different from open back headphones, that sometimes sound actually better...

its not the same thing. what open headphones can give you is called soundstage. this is in laymans terms how well distance to sound source is portrayed. for instance, if the sound is close does it sound close? if its far away does it sound far away? generally an airy sort of sound signature is also common. closed headphones or ones with small soundstage sound more boxed in with sound that seems to always be at your ears. positional audio is also a similar term which refers to how well in a 360 radius the sounds appear. such as does it sound like its from behind? the side? some odd angle between the two? part of this is game coding, part of it is the nature of headphones. generally headphones with wide soundstage are suggested.

...gaming headsets use their own sound card, while regular open back headphones depend on my onboard sound card...

not all gaming headsets use a soundcard, only usb models. analog headsets still use your system. both headphones and analog headsets can use your onboard audio, a slot based soundcard, a usb soundcard or external dac+amp option. you are not limited to just using your onboard.

... I also want the headphones to be good for music...

generally what are considered good gaming headphones (wide soundstage without much bass impact) are not as ideal for music (which benefits more from v-shaped heavy bass/heavy treble or flat (neutral) sounding headphones) so you might need to make some decisions on what is important to you. a flat shaped signature is a good "all in one" type headphone but may be a little less vibrant and fun sounding than something with a v-shape.

yes, as described before open back has wider soundstage generally but will leak some sound in and out. normally not an issue unless you live in a loud environment or have people who sit/sleep close to you and you enjoy having volume levels high. closed has less soundstage but more passive isolation against sounds leaking in or out.

for $150...

you could go with an ad500x or ad700x if you want bass light. if you want neutral then an hd518 or hd558. both are open. the first will have wider soundstage but not much bass. the second group will be a bit more flat and neutral. neither need an amp specifically so you can use them with onboard or get a cheap soundcard like a xonar dg. there is budget to do so.

 

[rosdan13]

we can do without the caps lock. try to type normally. with that said, a few answers...


...features virtual surround sound, which is important for gaming...

not true. this is highly circumstantial and based on preference. it can be helpful in some scenarios and some people may like it but its not required. games which are coded well will already have good audio elements and visual cues which make virtual not as needed. virtual will add some ambiance and the effect of a more 3d sound but its not going to fix poor quality game coding for audio. this is why counterstrike sound is so horrible and not much can be done to completely fix that.

...it isn't that different from open back headphones, that sometimes sound actually better...

its not the same thing. what open headphones can give you is called soundstage. this is in laymans terms how well distance to sound source is portrayed. for instance, if the sound is close does it sound close? if its far away does it sound far away? generally an airy sort of sound signature is also common. closed headphones or ones with small soundstage sound more boxed in with sound that seems to always be at your ears. positional audio is also a similar term which refers to how well in a 360 radius the sounds appear. such as does it sound like its from behind? the side? some odd angle between the two? part of this is game coding, part of it is the nature of headphones. generally headphones with wide soundstage are suggested.

...gaming headsets use their own sound card, while regular open back headphones depend on my onboard sound card...

not all gaming headsets use a soundcard, only usb models. analog headsets still use your system. both headphones and analog headsets can use your onboard audio, a slot based soundcard, a usb soundcard or external dac+amp option. you are not limited to just using your onboard.

... I also want the headphones to be good for music...

generally what are considered good gaming headphones (wide soundstage without much bass impact) are not as ideal for music (which benefits more from v-shaped heavy bass/heavy treble or flat (neutral) sounding headphones) so you might need to make some decisions on what is important to you. a flat shaped signature is a good "all in one" type headphone but may be a little less vibrant and fun sounding than something with a v-shape.

yes, as described before open back has wider soundstage generally but will leak some sound in and out. normally not an issue unless you live in a loud environment or have people who sit/sleep close to you and you enjoy having volume levels high. closed has less soundstage but more passive isolation against sounds leaking in or out.

for $150...

you could go with an ad500x or ad700x if you want bass light. if you want neutral then an hd518 or hd558. both are open. the first will have wider soundstage but not much bass. the second group will be a bit more flat and neutral. neither need an amp specifically so you can use them with onboard or get a cheap soundcard like a xonar dg. there is budget to do so.

Sorry for the caps lock.

First, I do know that gaming headsets don't necessarily have their own sound card, and that they can use my sound card anyway. My question was wether it is better to go with a gaming headset that has its own sound card, so not to care about the quality of my onboard sound card, or maybe my ALC1150 is good enough and I can go with regular headphones that use this card.

Now what I understand from your answer is that my ALC1150 isn't good enough for the headphones you mentioned, and I should go with a xonar dg.

I also understand that open back headphones aren't that good for music and immersive gaming, as they don't have much bass.

I'm not an audiophile in any way, and not a competitive gamer either. I only want a balance that will make both music and gaming fun to listen, but will also have a wide soundstage (I don't care about sound leakage). Two possibilties I was thinking about are the Sennheiser hd598 and the Beyerdynamic DT 990 pro. The DT 990 is said to have good bass, while the hd598 has neutral bass. Now these are my questions:
1. What do you think about these options (or if you have a better suggestion)?
2. Are you completely sure I need another sound card? the manufatcturer says the mobo has '115dB SNR HD Audio with Built-in Rear Audio Amplifier and High Quality Audio Capacitors' as you can see in their site http/www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5552#ov.

Thanks in advance.

 

[ssddx]

i left room for a soundcard in case you had issues with your onboard or if you were not happy with it for (insert reason here). your onboard would be fine for the ad500x/hd518 lineups except in odd cases with very poor amps and very poor onboard.

not true about open back.. there are some models like the dt990 and some others which do have a fairly decent amount of bass. also, you dont necessarily need heavy bass for immersion - neutral models are okay as well. much depends on your preferences. my statement about bass-light was for cans like the ad700x. its only a tendency for open back to lack bass and closed back to have more not a rule per se.

1. both are good headphones depending on your wants and needs. i did not mention the 990 given your budget of only $150 though as it WILL need a good amp or soundcard to get the most out of it.

2. you can ignore what most manufacturers say about their onboard audio. even the very best quality onboard is only about the same as a cheap soundcard like the dg. now, as i said before your onboard likely will work with products like the hd518/558/598 or ad500x/ad700x or any other easy to drive headphone. as far as how it will sound.. that depends on your particular board. most onboard sounds fine while some has static, buzzing or other anomalies. you would need to test it out yourself to see what it sounds like.. i left you room in the budget to get a soundcard later if you didnt like it. as for powering them.. again it should except in odd cases and poor quality onboard.

i've seen the very best boards have static and buzzing issues and the very worst have none.. its a hard call to say if your onboard will be good based on reading only. again, listen for yourself and see what you think.. you can always upgrade later if you think its not good enough.

the dt990 can be powered by weaker amplifiers but really loses out on bass and vibrancy when you do this. at minimum i'd have a soundblaster z or e10k but ideally a schiit magni powering it if you want to get the most out of it. the similar dt770 - 80 is a closed model with more bass and a bit less soundstage with more v-shape.

 

[L0stChild]

pioneer hdj 2000 many djs use these.
or u can have both sides of the world with hyper x cloud II. It comes with a dongle for volume control and 7.1 via usb. The headphones are connected to this with the 3.5mm which you can disconnect from the dongle and use as ur everyday headphones. Oh and the mic piece is removable as well. The quality of sound and craftsmanship of the headset is quite good for its price. I have them myself .. so far ive sat on them and dropped the dongle a few times.. still givin it.