New Headset

Spriggan43 · 01-13-2007, 05:51 AM

K.. i am a gamer.. i currently have a set off zalman 5.1 headsets.. i only got them for it said 5.1..

now what is the best way to rate headsets is it by Frequency response or some thing els... should i aim for some thing like sennheiser HMD 280 PRO or is there better..??

dai · 01-13-2007, 10:50 AM

moving you to gamers as they will have more knowledge on it

okay player · 01-13-2007, 08:40 PM

headphones are a very personal thing...and every set is different. there is really no "best" set of headphones because different people like different sound signatures,,,more on this later.

you should know that, generally speaking, 5.1 or "surround sound" headphones are regarded as gimmicky and are nowhere near the quality as phones from brands like sennheiser, beyerdynamic, akg, audio-technica, etc.

HOWEVER if you are happy with the way they sound and they are comfortable, that is all that matters. i cannot stress that enough. there is a forum i frequent which deals solely with headphones (www.head-fi.org)... the people there suffer HEAVILY from "upgrade-itis". that is to say, they will buy a new set even if they are satisfied with their current pair, just for the sake of curiousity and/or the possibility of better sounding audio. it is a very expensive and addicting hobby... that being said, if you do want do dabble a little, there are a few things we should know:

how much are you willing to spend?

what type of sound signature do you prefer? warm and bassy, bright and detailed, or neutral/balanced?

do you prefer open or closed headphones?

are these strictly for gaming purposes or will you also be using them for portable music purposes?

if you can answer these questions i'll be able to assist in narrowing your selection down.

Tiber Septim · 01-14-2007, 05:16 AM

okay player stole the words form my mouth, there will be very little difference if you get into the specifics.
Personally, as long as they are comfortable (quite a rare case, sadly) and are not crackly or so appalling that you can't understand basic english when listening to them, you may as well stick with what you have.
Though i'm sure there are some audiophiles on here that will disagree with me

.

Spriggan43 · 01-24-2007, 03:10 AM

how much are you willing to spend? = $400

what type of sound signature do you prefer? warm and bassy, bright and detailed, or neutral/balanced? = balanced

do you prefer open or closed headphones? = closed headphones

are these strictly for gaming purposes or will you also be using them for portable music purposes? = mostly games

**gamerman0203** · 01-25-2007, 10:20 AM

I tell ya what...over a year ago I bought a $10 pair of generic headphones from a local department store and I haven't turned on them yet! The sound quality is amazing, even compared to a $45 pair of Logitech's I tried! That just goes to show that it all depends on your preferences and comfort.

Spriggan43 · 01-29-2007, 01:49 AM

well i want to spend 400$ for a set..

okay player · 01-29-2007, 10:55 AM

IMHO, $400 for a pair of gaming headphones is a bit overkill.

However, based on the information you've given me, the audio-technica ATH-A900 are your best bet. Large soundstage (read: very layered/3-dimensional), very accurate in terms of positioning in FPS, nice balanced sound, closed, extremely comfortable and deceptively light on your head.

The one downside to these phones is that they are HUGE. the diameter of each cup is about the size of a CD, for reference. Also the cord is your standard studio-length at about 3 metres/10 feet. These are the best cans for gaming, hands down. I have their little brother (ATH-A500) and they are fantastic.

The A900's are on sale for $169 at audiocubes.com
The A500's go for $89. It's been said that the A500's are 90% of the quality of the A900's, (but with plastic cups as opposed to aluminum, I believe).

Link to A900

Whichever route you go, you will be happy. These are great phones, and they will last you a long time if you treat them right. (My A500's are just over a year old and still going strong.)

Let us know hat you end up doing

01-13-2007, 05:51 AM	#1 (permalink)
Spriggan43 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 289 OS: win xp 64bit	New Headset K.. i am a gamer.. i currently have a set off zalman 5.1 headsets.. i only got them for it said 5.1.. now what is the best way to rate headsets is it by Frequency response or some thing els... should i aim for some thing like sennheiser HMD 280 PRO or is there better..?? __________________ Years ago I discovered the meaning of life but forgot to write it down…

01-13-2007, 10:50 AM	#2 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,268 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	moving you to gamers as they will have more knowledge on it __________________

01-14-2007, 05:16 AM	#4 (permalink)
Tiber Septim Asst Manager, Games Team Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Queensland, Australia Posts: 2,829 OS: Fedora 11 / Windows 7 My System Blog Entries: 5	okay player stole the words form my mouth, there will be very little difference if you get into the specifics. Personally, as long as they are comfortable (quite a rare case, sadly) and are not crackly or so appalling that you can't understand basic english when listening to them, you may as well stick with what you have. Though i'm sure there are some audiophiles on here that will disagree with me . __________________ First Steps - System Specs - SIW Help TSF beat Cancer and other serious Illness.

01-24-2007, 03:10 AM	#5 (permalink)
Spriggan43 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 289 OS: win xp 64bit	how much are you willing to spend? = $400 what type of sound signature do you prefer? warm and bassy, bright and detailed, or neutral/balanced? = balanced do you prefer open or closed headphones? = closed headphones are these strictly for gaming purposes or will you also be using them for portable music purposes? = mostly games __________________ Years ago I discovered the meaning of life but forgot to write it down…

01-25-2007, 10:20 AM	#6 (permalink)
gamerman0203 Retired Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Grand Rapids, MI Posts: 2,144 OS: XP MCE, Ubuntu Gutsy My System	I tell ya what...over a year ago I bought a $10 pair of generic headphones from a local department store and I haven't turned on them yet! The sound quality is amazing, even compared to a $45 pair of Logitech's I tried! That just goes to show that it all depends on your preferences and comfort. __________________ Follow These Steps First! CPU-Z \| SensorView \| WinXP Clean Boot \| Latest DirectX \| ATI Catalyst \| Nvidia ForceWare Posting System Specifications

01-13-2007, 08:40 PM	#3 (permalink)
okay player Registered User Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 207 OS: Vista Home Premium	headphones are a very personal thing...and every set is different. there is really no "best" set of headphones because different people like different sound signatures,,,more on this later. you should know that, generally speaking, 5.1 or "surround sound" headphones are regarded as gimmicky and are nowhere near the quality as phones from brands like sennheiser, beyerdynamic, akg, audio-technica, etc. HOWEVER if you are happy with the way they sound and they are comfortable, that is all that matters. i cannot stress that enough. there is a forum i frequent which deals solely with headphones (www.head-fi.org)... the people there suffer HEAVILY from "upgrade-itis". that is to say, they will buy a new set even if they are satisfied with their current pair, just for the sake of curiousity and/or the possibility of better sounding audio. it is a very expensive and addicting hobby... that being said, if you do want do dabble a little, there are a few things we should know: how much are you willing to spend? what type of sound signature do you prefer? warm and bassy, bright and detailed, or neutral/balanced? do you prefer open or closed headphones? are these strictly for gaming purposes or will you also be using them for portable music purposes? if you can answer these questions i'll be able to assist in narrowing your selection down.

01-29-2007, 01:49 AM	#7 (permalink)
Spriggan43 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 289 OS: win xp 64bit	well i want to spend 400$ for a set.. __________________ Years ago I discovered the meaning of life but forgot to write it down…

01-29-2007, 10:55 AM	#8 (permalink)
okay player Registered User Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 207 OS: Vista Home Premium	IMHO, $400 for a pair of gaming headphones is a bit overkill. However, based on the information you've given me, the audio-technica ATH-A900 are your best bet. Large soundstage (read: very layered/3-dimensional), very accurate in terms of positioning in FPS, nice balanced sound, closed, extremely comfortable and deceptively light on your head. The one downside to these phones is that they are HUGE. the diameter of each cup is about the size of a CD, for reference. Also the cord is your standard studio-length at about 3 metres/10 feet. These are the best cans for gaming, hands down. I have their little brother (ATH-A500) and they are fantastic. The A900's are on sale for $169 at audiocubes.com The A500's go for $89. It's been said that the A500's are 90% of the quality of the A900's, (but with plastic cups as opposed to aluminum, I believe). Link to A900 Whichever route you go, you will be happy. These are great phones, and they will last you a long time if you treat them right. (My A500's are just over a year old and still going strong.) Let us know hat you end up doing