Looking for a new gaming headset/headphone

[hardcorelegend]

Hello,

First post here . although been a frequent visitor to this site for more than 2 years now

I have been looking for a good gaming headphone or headset(doesnt matter which one,I have a good gaming rig which i use almost exclusively for gaming and a little bit of movies.I do not have a sound card in my PC. i am from India.
I have done a good deal of research on the internet looking for good gaming headphone. Now the problem is that I live in India, most of the good stuff i end up finding on the internet are not available here. Also the price pattern seems to be different here sometimes. (For eg, when i started out, i looked at razer megalodon and the Logitech G35.contrary to whats published on net, the razer headphone is considerably cheaper than the Logitech ones near where i live.)

Thankfully, i managed to find a sennheiser dealer who claims to have all models(sadly very overpriced when compared to the price quoted online )

Please help me out here.
i have a budget of around $200 to spend right now. It must cover headphones and sound card or must be a headset having its own built in sound card.

I will list the prices of some of the headsets which are available here and I believe are good for my needs.. which is primarily gaming,mostly racing(NFS, Dirt) and sports(FIFA). little FPS although not competitive (mostly single player action/adventure games like CoD, bioshock etc) and some high level play in MOBA games( DoTA, LoL, HoN etc.). Based on the games I play, i would think positional sound is not VERY important coz i play only little competitive FPS games. i like to have decent bass for movies though.

1. Roccat Kave - abt 137$
2. Razer Megalodon - abt165$
3. Logitech G35- abt 180 $
4. Sennheiser Pc 161 - abt 122$
5.Sennheiser HD280 - abt 122$
6.Sennheiser PC 330- abt 150$

Those are the headsets whose price i have enquired. please suggest me as to which is better to buy considering teh above prices.

Also, if you know a better headset ,please let me know and i will try to get the local price for it.

Sorry if type of question has been asked many times before but i really couldn't decide on which headset to buy as the price for which they are reviewed is different than the price at which they are available here. Also, this is my first time buying a premium headset, So i could have screwed up with the list i posted.

Looking forward to your replies guys. let me know if i missed out any important info on my post

 

[gnomio]

Do you have a soundcard?

 

[hardcorelegend]

Do you have a soundcard?

No . I dont have a soundcard with me now. As i said in my earlier post, my budget is around 200 $ for now. I dont really know if headphones alone or cheaper headphones +soundcard within that budget will provide better sound . Please give your sugestion on this .

 

[hardcorelegend]

no replies? Please help me out guys.
i just asked nearly all the pc and electronics dealers around my place..
The only good brands they have heard and can procure are Sennheiser(though bloody expensive here), Logitech, Razer, Plantronics. They dont even have a clue about other Real good brands such as grado, audio technica etc.

Now i am NOT a razer fan boy but razer does seem to have the better pricing of the lot( Shocking , i Know )

I also searched a alot for online stores in India., finally found one which i think is reliable,Just to give you guys an idea, ill send you a link http/www.theitdepot.com/products-H...es_C19.html.or http/www.theitdepot.com/products-G...es_C9SU16.html . I would reeeaallllly appreciate if any of you could please browse the store and recommend a pair of headphones which are available. Please recommend one within Rs. 7500. I know this is asking a lot from you guys. But please help me out. Its my first time purchasing premium headphones and most of dealers near my place dont have any idea about headsets and the internet is the only good source of information i have access to currently.
Thanks

 

[hardcorelegend]

also my onboard sound is realtek 7.1 ALC 889 if thats of any help

 

[wiinippongamer]

This'd be a great choice: http/cgi.ebay.com/Beyerdynamic-DT-770-Pro-80-Closed-Studio-Headphones-NEW-/150628674344?pt=DJ_Gear_Lighting&hash=item23122b2b28#ht_2499wt_1139 ships worldwide.

7500Rs=$170

Your onboard soundcard will be able to drive them to loud enough levels but i serously recomment getting a good DAC/AMP combination later to see what they're really capable of, sound quality will improve quite a lot, you'd be wasting money if you only used them out of an onboard because some much cheaper phones' would have served, but if you use them out of a good source and amp, they'll blow your mind.

Have a read here too it'll be helpful: http/www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/534479/mad-lust-envy-aka-shin-cz-s-guide-to-headphone-gaming-particularly-with-dolby-headphone

 

[hardcorelegend]

thanks a lot for the sugesstionand the link. it was really helpful , but the listing you linked has expired.. and on ebay india the price is Rs.15330 :O http/shop.ebay.in/i.html?_nkw=Beyerdynamic+DT+770+Pro+80&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=

It just isnt fcking fair more than twice the price

could you please suggest a cheaper headphone which would meet my requirements?( so that the net price i have to pay is more or less 7500 rs. I think that would amount to buying $100 headphones from here )

Im trying to find another listing ofr the headset you recomended. btw, would be helpful if anyone used them can give an opinion about them

 

[wiinippongamer]

These are said to be one of the best for gaming, though many people complain about it's bass-lightlyness: http/cgi.ebay.com/New-Audio-Technica-ATH-AD700-Open-air-Dynamic-Headphone-/160612086647?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item256539f377

There is also a closed version of it that has more bass but not as big soundstage: http/cgi.ebay.com/ATH-A700-Audiophile-Headphones-Audio-Technica-/150619544694?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item23119fdc76

These have alot of good reviews aswell: http/cgi.ebay.com/AKG-K240-K-240-Studio-Headphones-Made-Austria-NICE-/200627223217?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eb6507ab1#ht_1867wt_1139

again an amp is highly recommended, especially for the AKGs.

There are lots of reviews of those from people who know their stuff here: http/www.head-fi.org/

 

[gnomio]

also my onboard sound is realtek 7.1 ALC 889 if thats of any help

Ok. The Sen 350s would be the best choice out of that lot. For gaming you want positional audio. Now for that to happen on your cans you need something that can give you Dolby Headphone. Go for the Sen 350 but get this as well
http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132020
It has a dolby amp. Its cheap and will provide you with positional audio and better quality on the cans

 

[kss207rc]

If you want the headset mainly for gaming you should also take a look at the tritton ax pro.
http/www.amazon.co.uk/Tritton-AX-Pro-Precision-Surround/dp/B0017IUFAE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310227780&sr=8-1
It connects to the pc through an optical cable so the signal is proceed by the amplifier that comes with the headphones and you dont lose quality.
I bought them a couple a days ago and they are very nice.
But if you want to use them for music the quality is pure.
I dont know if thay will performe better with a better sound card but i also have the alc 889 built in from realtek.

 

[hardcorelegend]

guys, thanks a lot for your replies..
Just wanted to tell you that my friend is desperately trying to convince me against buying gaming headsets. He strongly suggested i get a asus xonar dx soundcard and a cheap sennheiser headphones..
So the question is , is that the best solution for my needs? mostly games +fewe movies?
Will cheap headphones(looking at the 20-40$) along with the asus sound-card provide better results than getting good headphones alone(like 100-150$ range w/o soundcard)

Sorry if thats a stupid question. Im new to buying quality audio equipment.

 

[hardcorelegend]

thanks for the reply guys.. Appreciate all your replies..
i ve decided on buying ASUS xonar DX soundcard and a JVC RX700 (60 $ here :S)for now.
Plan on upgrading to a higher headphone later.
Wanted to get a feel for quality sound first before exploring into more expensive options..

 

[hardcorelegend]

Best answer selected by hardcorelegend.