I’m looking for the best headphones for “competitive” gaming, don’t care for single player or immersion and they won’t be used for music or movies.
They will be used for Hunt Showdown, Tarkov, R6 Siege and battlefield games.
Imaging is key obviously, I looked at alot of tier lists but it’s hard to see a clear winner.
I’m currently testing
Beyer Tygr, 880 and 990 both 600ohm - treble doesn’t bother me at all.
Akg k702
Audio Technica Ad700x
Sennheiser Game One
All used on a Creative G6 but I understand I will need to upgrade to a tube amp to get the best out of some of them
Atm I’m playing hunt and it seems easier to hear footsteps on the k702, most other sounds seem a few dB lower and the footsteps stand outas with the beyer’s everything else is loud enough to drown them out alittle but not sure if that’s an amp issue or for that game the k702 is just better to pick them up. Open to any other headphones aswell.
Hmm, curious where this info came from that you’d need a tube amp to get the best out of them… Maybe in the case of the beyers on regular music or casual use but tubes add warmth and bassy tones to the sound which is the opposite of what you would be looking in terms of competitive sounds
Beyers are more aggressively intimate, dampened, and in your face in comparison to the K702 there… while extremely good headphones they don’t fit with everybody. K702 can at times provide a wide clearer image and its signature is recessive bass with mids and highs as the focus point… making it usually the more agreeable signature.
R70x may be a solid alternative to what your testing with the k702… 1990 is going to be just as aggressive but sound clearer than 880 and 990.
Really don’t have other recommendations in this case. seems like your on the right track and just need to find what works for you… I would say if you needed a more in your face intimate headphone you’d have to look towards Sennheiser but that was about it…
I’ve been on so many forums and reddit reading about all the headphones listed and a few more and theres never a clear answer, some say it needs an amp some say it doesnt, others say wide soundstage and others say its narrow and same with imaging.
As the for R70x, i’m returning them, the sound was great on hunt, I thought the imaging was better than the TYGR specially behind and above but god i hate the cups, my ears were so sore after a couple of hours and i know i can change them but spending £340 on headphones to then “fix” them is annoying lol.
I’ve ordered the Sennheiser 560s, they have been on my list but closer to the bottom but after a few more reviews i thought i might aswell give them a try.
I think i wont get any better than the K702, i know theres an issue with central imaging(?) but atm it looks like a clear winner
Sounds about right, it’s all massively subjective is the thing since we all hear differently there won’t ever be a clear and obvious answer in most cases. That’s why people in this hobby will call it a Journey rather than a buy it and stop
Ah, yeah… I am in agreement here on the comfort… I despise the comfort of the audio technicas I really wish they would redesign them with better comfort as the sound is very good.
Something to note here, the 560s will be more intimate than these others you are trying and the cups are relatively small meant to hug around your ears not really float with big cups like the k702 does. The thing is though that the k702 is extremely comparable to the others like the r70x since they are similar in signature and in many ways performance… the issue with k702 is as you mention that it does have imaging problems. I think trying the sennheisers may be good for what you look for in the future at the very least since you will have a very good idea of the changes within the soundstage, since some people prefer a close sound compared to the encompassing large soundstage the k702 offers. K702 does have its sidegrades such as k712 or q701 but these are really just because it has more bass and a slight change in its overall signature. The only other options that won’t destroy your bank account in terms of brand would be Hifiman which comes with its own troubles and the headphone i use beyerdynamic T1 2nd gen since its the one without all the extreme dampening but even then the k702 can be a bit clearer.
I have been checking FR’s of all the headphones and basically skipping alot that have a high line on the bass am i wrong?, I was waiting on the DT1990 but i have cancelled the delivery, i’ve seen alot of people saying the sound is alot clearer but imaging and soundstage is still quite similar to the 990 but looks like its still bassy which wont help me on my main game of hunt showdown.
I was interested in the k712 and Q702 but couldnt find the Q and the k712 looks like it has more bass so skipped that.
Was thinking of ordering the Sundara and 400se/400i, i did look at the sennheiser 600/650 but most people said the 560s was better for gaming so didnt think to test them.
It’s hard to find a good youtuber that knows what good competitive headphones are some are casuals that think certain headphones are good enough, I found Fresh Reviews last night and i think he said hes an ex pro CS player so ive been listening to some of his videos and he recommends the 560s.
Lately i’ve seen people talking about the HarmonicDyne Zeus but looking at the FR it doesnt look good to me and it’s not on amazon
Not particularly, no not if your looking for competitive fps… A little bass is fine but a lot of times it clouds things up in fps games
Depends on the pads your looking at… 1990 is a special case since it comes with two sets of pads. The A pads are the analytical set and has the bass more neutral while the B pads have a more V shape and are much bassier on the graph.
the alternatives are all mainly just bass heavier or a completely separate tuning really in those cases. Developed a headphone then flipped the tuning every which way reselling it as a separate headphone
560s are better because they are brighter and have more stage than the 600 series… otherwise 660s has the better imaging just small soundstage
400SE far exceeds 400i so I would encourage trying that if you do otherwise trying a Sundara if you have the budget
Most of them are for views or a certain demographic… I normally don’t listen to any of them when it comes to gaming because half of them don’t know what they are talking about either in terms of playing professionally or in terms of audio there is never a proper balance there
I will save you the trouble of this and say to skip it. It’s a fun headphone, while it has the technical performance you’d look for sure it’s too much in the bass less you equalize it back
Does the A pads change the bass alot? compared to the 880
The 660s are just too expensive for me atm so i’ll test the 560s from sennheiser and skip the rest, I can order the Sundara tonight but i noticed there is 2 versions, 2018 and 2020, does it matter which one?
This is why it is soo difficult to find good info and theres soo many forums and reddit giving out info but nothing about themselves so i dont know if its just someone that watched 1 youtube video or a casual player or someone that is super competitive with some audio experience
It seem’s harder to find aswell so ill test everything im waiting for now and hopefully get lucky.
I’ve been PC gaming for 22 years with some semi competitive years and i hear all the time that headphones wont make you a better player and just get one that sounds good but if theres 1 headphone that sounds good and 1 that sounds ok but allows me to hear footsteps clearer and louder and allows me to wall bang because of the imaging then im going for them, I want kills in my games not to enjoy the audio and immersion
heres a comparison for you… A pads are in Purple B pads in blue. 1990s signature changes rather dramatically depending on the pad choice… 880 shares this as well as the T1 2nd generation where a simple change of pads can dramatically change its signature
Forget exactly what they did but go for a more up to date variation if you can. I believe they have a stealth magnet version of it too these days but I haven’t sat with that… but most of those stealth magnets just have more bass presence
Those who are in the competitive scene but don’t want to be bothered vs those in the audio scene who want noticed lol. I am in both crowds but mainly the competitive scene who studied more into the hobby.
It’s not so much that it’ll make you a god or anything but it will notably help… however the problem I see, and get messaged about a lot, is for some people lead under the delusion that the headphone will make you some weird aim bot like god. While yes, in some cases you could see maybe 20% improvement these things still take time… it still takes time to adapt to that headphone and your placements, to take the time to listen… your not going to see as much change though either if your sprinting running and gunning without listening either lol. However, in the case of raw imaging and placements most of the headsets do not prioritize this… they prioritize sales and appealing to as many people as possible while sacrificing a lot… meanwhile headphones cater to very specific uses and genres alongside more accurate reproduction of sound and things of that sort… which even in games help them along.
Course if your planning to go to a tournament a closed back would be the recommendation less the tourney is online based… as in lans / in person you wear a closed back sometimes with IEMS under that closed back.
Nonetheless, finding the headphone that best suits you comfort and performance definitely does make the difference.
Actually looks decent, I might give them a try after the 560s
Just noticed on another site theres a 2021 version that looks quite abit different
The 2nd image being the 2021 model.
So many times over the years my friends would think im cheating because they cant hear anything while i can hear people in siege crouch walking around or in pubg when it first came out i could hear people and they didnt have a clue, I think i was using the ad700x back then while they were using some razer crap
Even in hunt when an explosion or gun shot goes off i can pick what compound it came from easily with the TYGR while they just agree lol.
How bad does a compressor/volume leveler screw with imaging? I tested the volume leveler on dolby access tonight and it seemed to help with footsteps, I know things will sound louder and could throw off the soundstage or atleast how close i think stuff is
welcome to HFG, Boba! if you have a decent amp, take a look at the HE-400se or the Drop HE-4xx. those two planar headphones are well thought of for their gaming performance in addition to just how good they sound for music at their price. the 400se is considered the best of the two but the difference is minor, so I suggest you check your local used audio markets (US Audio Mart, HiFi Shark, Reverb, etc) and see if you can find some significant savings. The HE-400se goes on sale for $150 all the time, which is the regular price for the 4xx I think, so I suspect you should either around the $100 or so mark.
really depends on the settings and headphone itself as well as the game so I can’t particularly answer this… sometimes it may help even alot other times it may destroy the sound and imaging. I usually don’t encourage all that stuff less it helps
yeah that sounds bout right, 700x is one of the budget kings with its performance.
It’s quite nice… I preferred the T1 2nd over it personally but to each their own… I went to the T1 for the less dampening and bigger soundstage.
Sennheiser 560s arrived earlier and first impressions are, I like them, there light and comfortable and imaging seems better than the TYGR’s especially with sound above you.
I had my friend run around and both are great but when i had him run towards me from behind and above i could instantly tell it was above but when i repeated the test with the TYGR i couldnt really tell the difference when he ran towards me on the same floor and above.
The DT1990 arrive in around 10 days so i’ll continue to test these headphones in Hunt and a few other games and see how i get on
Rather curious if you prefer the 560s over the k702. Sennheiser are very good headphones for sure but they seem to turn people away due to their skull crushing head clamp(can be stretched to fix this) and smaller soundstages… other than that, personally I loved the 560s, 598s(classic sennheiser very old now), and the later headphones like 660s, 600, and 650(would take 660s over any of the 600 series for it’s imaging… other than that I think it just comes down to preference in the 600 series…)
it definitely has more presence than the tygrs where in the tygrs the mids appear hollow/recessive by a heavy degree. Hard toss really… 1990 is extremely analytical and flexible as a headphone topped with very strong build qualities. Personally speaking though, for mids I would stay take sennheiser for it’s clarity and details
I feel like the 560s was made for my head and ears lol, clamp is perfect for my head and the cups feel like they fit around my ears nicely, I do like the sound and imaging is great, i do feel like the AKG K702 out of the box makes it easier to hear low footsteps but i think i could be very happy with the 560s
My DT1990 arrived today, tracking did say 10 days but whatever. out of the box i do feel like the 560s is better for picking up footsteps, especially crouch walking and other low noises, I did try and lift the treble alittle with an equaliser which helped alot.
I’m gonna play a few more games, atm i really dont feel like there worth the £200 more for what i need.
Well i know it’s only been 1 day with the DT1990 but i can honestly say the DT1990 is better for Movies, Music and Gaming -If you care for good audio quality in games.
The 560s is easily better for competitive games, Imaging seems to be good on both but the 560s has a much easier time hearing the footsteps.
Glad you were able to narrow down what works best for you, personally for me, sennheisers didn’t cut it and I had to go to beyers for their respective sound but I think the headphones you have been sitting with are really some of the absolute best you can get and it really does boil to a preference… I think 560s though really strike a chord for hitting everything you want in fps while also being at an extremely good price point, especially if bought third party… I bought my copy in like-new condition for $100 which comparing that to the $400+ dt 1990… the price / performance in game at that point is… very subjectively debatable to say the least depending like as you say the audio quality overall.
Sennheiser’s 560s being 2.5mm also allows the attachment of a 2.5mm boom mic too outside of mod mics… making it an easily accessible headset for most people… the only downside imo is that it’s still a headphone with a power requirement so some may need an amp/dac module of some sort like the apple dongle dac or something to bring it up
Sounds like you have a toss up between your k702 and 560s
I got my 560s for £149.93 which was only £10 more expensive than the 990 and 880 600ohm, I did order the 800 250ohm for £109 but cancelled it. The AKG K702 were £140 so not much between that and the 560s, I would give comfort to the 560s and build quality to K702, for competitive games i really like both but i think i will take the 560s
The DT1990 were £368.00 so for me it’s definitely not worth it but they are definitely great headphones and if you care about audio i would say to give them a try.
I might order the Sundara to test them just for curiositys sake.
Thanks for your help!
Edit: I’m currently using the Beyerdynamic Fox mic that was bundled with the TYGR but i might eventually buy a modmic again
Very large soundstage, very airy, bright and planar… They are fantastic sets of cans but riddled with quality control problems throughout the company so I would advise caution with them. Also, Planars like their headphones can be a bit more fragile too so make sure to handle them well.
Tried that microphone myself, but honestly I hated it… made my voice far too warm and unnatural.
