Need advice picking between the Game One and Lucidsound Ls40 headset

[Bigboss123x]

Im struggling to pick between the new Lucidsound LS40 and sennhieser game one.
It would be great if anyone has experienced these two headsets. I game exclusively on the PS4 if that's makes a difference.

I Don't know whether to go with the higher fidelity open back audio of the Game one or the memory foam comfort and wireless capabilities of the LS40.
Open back apparently produces the most natural audio.
The game one has a larger frequency response range but the LS40 has DTS headphone x. I like to be immersed in gaming worlds, don't really care about footsteps and competitive audio and all that jazz.
So there you have it, if anyone can give some feedback on this, It would be greatly appreciated!

 

[ssddx]

i have no experience with lucidsound. it seems hard to find any "credible" well done reviews or comparisons. those that i do find are just comparing the ls20 to ls40. from the little i did read on lucidsound it seems that they at least were not terrible though competing with the a50 and similar better headsets in that budget range for quality and comfort. not bottom rung but certainly not perfect either.

the game one is based on the hd518/hd558 so will be fairly neutral with perhaps just a hint more bass. it has a more well known signature that you can compare with other well known headsets fairly easily. it is easier to know if it will work for you or not.

headphone setup is a little more complicated with the ps4 over usb headsets but there are devices to give you virtual surround if you cared for it. virtual is not strictly required (its a love or hate it scenario) and technically it distorts the audio quality to get the effect. some purists are perfectly happy with stereo while some people cannot seem to live without virtual. pick your poison.

whether you wanted to invest in equipment to get headphones to work with ps4 well depends on your preferences for audio honestly. if you would rather have something "nice" sounding or just want something "good enough" but easy to hook up.

if you end up going that route, there are other headphones open to use and the modmic can turn any of them into a headset.

since you specify immersion over competitive audio it sounds like a "v-shaped" signature might fit you. these emphasize explosions and vocals so often give that "fun" sound to audio. the dt990 (or dt770 if you want closed) do this well. fairly neutral with just a hint of bass could also be up your ally. the dt880, hd518/558/598 and some akg cans do this well.

TLDR:

it comes down to if you want the convenience of usb hook up without additonal devices or if you want to focus on sound quality over convenience. also, if you care about virtual surround would influence if/what you would need for a non usb set.

 

[Bigboss123x]

i have no experience with lucidsound. it seems hard to find any "credible" well done reviews or comparisons. those that i do find are just comparing the ls20 to ls40. from the little i did read on lucidsound it seems that they at least were not terrible though competing with the a50 and similar better headsets in that budget range for quality and comfort. not bottom rung but certainly not perfect either.

the game one is based on the hd518/hd558 so will be fairly neutral with perhaps just a hint more bass. it has a more well known signature that you can compare with other well known headsets fairly easily. it is easier to know if it will work for you or not.

headphone setup is a little more complicated with the ps4 over usb headsets but there are devices to give you virtual surround if you cared for it. virtual is not strictly required (its a love or hate it scenario) and technically it distorts the audio quality to get the effect. some purists are perfectly happy with stereo while some people cannot seem to live without virtual. pick your poison.

whether you wanted to invest in equipment to get headphones to work with ps4 well depends on your preferences for audio honestly. if you would rather have something "nice" sounding or just want something "good enough" but easy to hook up.

if you end up going that route, there are other headphones open to use and the modmic can turn any of them into a headset.

since you specify immersion over competitive audio it sounds like a "v-shaped" signature might fit you. these emphasize explosions and vocals so often give that "fun" sound to audio. the dt990 (or dt770 if you want closed) do this well. fairly neutral with just a hint of bass could also be up your ally. the dt880, hd518/558/598 and some akg cans do this well.

TLDR:

it comes down to if you want the convenience of usb hook up without additonal devices or if you want to focus on sound quality over convenience. also, if you care about virtual surround would influence if/what you would need for a non usb set.

Thank you for the long reply.
See, i thought I would prefer neutral sound over v-shaped signature because isn't neutral supposed to have more clarity whereas v-shaped drowns out clarity with bass and treble?
I don't really want to buy any further equipment like a Mixamp or anything to improve the sound. The less clutter the better. Can the Game One be used to full effect through the PS4 controller?

I guess i don't really have a preference for either Virtual surround sound or stereo. So i guess my main question is if the wider frequency response of the Game One is better than having DTS headphone X from the LS40?
The game One having a frequency response of 15-28,000hz whereas the LS40 has the standard 20 - 20,000hz.

 

[ssddx]

i think of clarity as how clear or unmuddled sound quality is. this is not (completely) related to signature shape. all signature cans can be crystal clear or muddled - it depends on the model and what they are being marketed as.

a good example is the dt770. it is known for heavy sub bass yet treble still is rather clear.

there may be other terms used for what you might be thinking about but i will use the word 'balance' or 'quanity' of one frequency versus another.

yes, v-shaped cans will accent bass and treble and leave mids a little lacking. yes, neutral cans will have levels at about the same. yes, mid focused cans will peak on mids and have subdued treble and mids. this does not make any of them bad or good. neutral cans, while generally the most 'tonally accurate' can also sound very boring to some people. likewise, the fun sounding v-shaped cans people enjoy might sound a bit unnatural to someone else. mid focused cans might be enjoyed by some but hated by others. much depends on your own preferences.

game one on ps4 controller without amp? i'm not sure just how much the ps4 controller can support. i know it works fine with earbuds though i can not say about normal headphones. the hd518 (game one) is easy to drive though so it might work. worst case scenario you can buy a budget cheap amplifier and put it in line.

honestly you can generally take the frequency response # - # and mostly throw those numbers out. actual frequency response curves matter more. while the information is certainly handy i would not rely on that alone.

which is a better choice? that depends on your preferences honestly.