Headphones for Console gaming only

Gaming Audio Competitive
1

Hey there!

I’ve recently found this Forum and read about all sorts of Threads but most didnt answer my question completely and so i decided to make a Thread in here.

I bought a PS5 and never bothered buying a Headset but now that i have more time for gaming (Warzone, Apex, Rainbow Six, some Fortnite etc.) i am looking for one!

I have read Falkenors List and other Threads where a DT 880 600 Ohms gets recommended and that a Headphone + Mic is always better than a Headset but i was wondering how much does it depends if im strictly on Console as i have no PC? When do i see diminishing returns because sure i could get the DT 880 + Amp but will it matter for Console Gaming?

Some Users suggested the MH751/2 for Budget and Competetive and i was about to order them but Amazon raised the Price on those so im looking for other alternatives/suggestions.

Since im from Europe i cant get the SHP9500/9600 + Mic for a cheap price to begin with and my Budget would be around 100€ but i could stretch it a little if necessary.

Im not going “Pro” anytime soon so i dont need an End Game Setup at first, i just wanna get something that i can use for competetive games (that also have a vertical sound) for a couple of years without worrying too much.

I never tried Open Backs before mostly closed ones but i have no Preference as i would like to try those out too.

I have looked up some Reviews and i know those wont be the best ones i can get but whats the consesus for the GSP300 + maybe a somewhat decent (USB) DAC?

The MH751/2s cost around 80€
THE GSP 300 around 53€

Im mostly looking for a easy Solution so thats why i was preferring Headsets but if there would be some serious improvement to switching over to a Headphone + Mic Combo please let me know.

Hope that someone can help me out on this one!

Regards,
Zim

2

Hey there, welcome to the forum… I will try to answer questions if I can.

Who is this Falkenor!? That poser!

in terms of sound like this, console vs pc does not change anything. They have the same sound engine, same placement, and same benefit as one another. The only difference is the the console is harder to obtain an amp dac for due to the connections and not all dacs are capable of being used.

if you wanted a closed gaming headset that was solid… yes that would be fine. PC38x would be your best bet for an open headset though… these are strictly headsets

I would encourage saving up a bit before moving into this territory where amps and dacs will most likely be a requirement. MH 751 over there doesn’t need an amp connected to newer generation consoles since the new gen have a better audio codec. Just go with that for the time being and upgrade later if you wish as in this case since it appears most will be outside of budget… the only other one… thats actually a headphone that comes to mind would be AD700X but that does not have a mic if you can find that cheap it will work as well for strictly competitive use and is an open back with very good performance… you can get a modmic to go with it if you have the budget… usually ad700x I have seen for around $60-$70ish

skip doing this considering budget… dacs and amps are more investment you actually want to make sure to put money towards them so you get a good one as they last very long. Just get something ampless for the time being as suggested above.

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:sweat_smile: :rofl: My Bad i misspelled your Name, wasnt my intention :slight_smile:

I was looking at the PC38X, though im from the EU these get somewhat expensive and in case i need a repair sending it back to the USA isnt the most effective way, thats why i didnt get it.

Okay for now i will go with the MH 751 and see where it will get me as im trying to get into the whole thing and wanna start slow and easy before i spend a whole lot on Headphones and Amps :sweat_smile:

Which ones would you recommend that would acutally work on the PS5?
Didnt find much other than the G6 but for 150€ i wasnt sure if its overpriced or not?
If i ever switch to PC Gaming there would be more options i suppose, as the PS5 only supports UAC 1 and not many Amps and Dacs do support that.

Thanks for your help @Falenkor ! Appreciate it alot

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Understandable, I only bring it up if someone wants a headset though… to be fair many headphones beat out the 38x so I wouldn’t worry too much about that.

Absolutely, typically speaking a cheap but very good gamer setup will run roughly around 200 maybe slightly more. That’s the amp dac headphone and mic

Currently? Unless schiit made changes to their stock then that would be JDS since their units can come compatible with the correct firmware

From my experience so far with g6 its very strong but it relies heavily on its software programming. It has a great dac and decent amp with alot of game options. I can confirm it will drive a 600 ohm beyerdynamic with headroom if you put its settings to high gain from the software

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If i was from the USA i would have bought and tried it for sure but we Europeans got the short end of the Stick, as usual… :sweat_smile:

I wasnt sure how much “good enough” was in those terms as i just started investing more time playing on the PS5 and i didnt want to spend too much right from the get go as its such a spiral finding “the perfect” Headphone since everyones different

Might hold off for a moment, maybe there will be some new Products coming out as i think the G6 would be overkill for my (current) usecase.

Any Open Back Headphone + Mic (if possible not the ones you stick on the Headphones as its such a hassle keeping so many Wires on or around me just for Gaming) Combo you can recommend maybe in the upcoming years?

Im currently happy with my MH751 but is there any “improvement” i can do in terms of Amps or Dacs that wouldnt break the Bank, or should i just skip this part and save up for a better AMP and Dac right from the start?

Again, thanks for your help and time its so much appreciated!

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as usual? lol, maybe in that case man… you see the difference in beyerdynamic? You guys can actually go to their stores and like rent their equipment for 30 days we can’t in most cases and I can’t find a beyer store anywhere nearby lol. At the same time it costs more than EU I believe. So you guys do get some benefits… I do believe sennheiser is the same way over there if you go to their stores.

Oh, absolutely. That’s why I mentioned that as that is usually what I have found in my research that is the general ball park range for good enough… more ideal is right around 300 ish and then you get end game which will go anywhere from $400 - $750 depending on what your looking for. Though for just gaming… honestly $200 is fine… You don’t need some overkill amp and dac as long as it powers the headphone and in most cases the usual DT series beyer or Sennheiser like 560s will suit you fine as they will top out most game engines anyway.

You will get some games like tarkov where the game can capitalize on every single ounce of your soundstage and imaging but fps right now that are like that are few and far between… even warzone is pretty bad in this regard so its not something I particularly worry about or tell people to be worried on.

Just go with whats in your budget and if you really feel like the proper upgrade setup you can swing for it. If its just the ps5 though, I do believe the Tygr can be driven off them and thats an ampless headphone… beyer sells them sometimes for like… $149 and it gets a 10/10 from me personally for both competitive and casual gaming… it just doesn’t have a mic.

g6 would be sort of like a buy it and not look back scenario… since it can drive 600 ohm beyers it opens a lot of doors. 600 ohm beyers can be found used mint condition at roughly $100 - $125. There are cheaper units that dont have so much power behind them but for consoles in particular you dont have a lot to choose from. JDS may be found a bit cheaper I think, but youd have to dig around a little. Schiit did upgrade their amps like fulla and hel but fulla is rather weak and Hel while very strong is around $200 which imo is not worth

Depends on budget, but I can absolutely recommend a ton… lots and lots of time and research man, and I always get something new in at some point(makes it hard to upgrade my guide due to that as well).

if a mic suggestion is needed it depends… if the wires an issue you can always get some cable clamps or some wire loom that goes over the wires making it essentially one larger combined unit so it doesnt get all tangled and in the way… doing that is rather cheap and modmic actually comes with those clamps too.

Other than that… you can probably get something like a samson q2u for dynamic or like a blue yeti blackout for around $60 if you shop around

Save up, get the right amp and dac. Don’t settle on less… take that from me you may regret it later. As long as you get one that you know is good and will power your stuff if you decide to upgrade later… your fine… but say you buy like a fiio e10k… it will only drive around 250 ohms(will struggle a bit on the beyers) so its not that great… always good to future proof that a bit, you get better sound quality from doing that anyway.

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True that, regarding the Headphones Europeans have a better selection than you but in terms of Headsets regarding Drop Versions we are out of luck :sweat_smile:

I tried the MH 751 for a while in a Party Chat and it unfortunately got the Cross Talk Issue which is a bummer and im sending them back… i was thinking trying the GSP 300 out but im not sure… dont wanna spend too much on a TYGR right from the start, as i need to power them appropriately + a mic and whatnot which will get more expensive if i want to use it on my PS5… any suggestions for good maybe Open Back Headsets in a somewhat decent Budget? like 100-150$?

Wanted to order the Game Ones from Sennheiser but those are like 170€ which is way too much, even more expensive than the PC38X if i calculate shipping and import fees +duties

Sometimes they can get down to 75€ if their on their B-Stock List and i might get them then

Well i researched a ton myself but most people choose gaming Headsets or Headphone + Mic Combos for their PCs and i dont know how different it is for a console only player.

Budget would be around 100-150$ maybe if theres no Budget for Headphones + Mic, maybe some open back Headsets maybe?

True that, i will save up for now and take a amp and dac later on for now a good headset will be more important. Might hit you up once i have saved up to get the best i can get? :smiley:

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like headset gaming wise? there isnt many that are open back and cheap honestly… least not good ones. You got GSP 500 over there but that thing is bassy as hell… I don’t really encourage getting the GSP series as every one of them was pretty lackluster imo… Game one has always been a big classic… which spurred the creation of pc37x later on drop and now 38x which is essentially the best variation of that… in truth though… 38x is like an inferior hd 560s…

Outside of that… hmm, I mean… if you can find it cheap(search used markets) the SHP9500 headphone can be found at like… $50 range you can attach a V-moda Boom Pro microphone to it which is like… $30 or something. That’s like ultra budget but it damn sure beats the headsets. You can further mod the shp9500 if you get the pad adapters and swap them out to like shure or dekoni pads.

console doesn’t change anything in this regard outside of the choice of amp and dac of course since theres a limitation there. Regardless, pc or console… the headphones are the best choice followed by headsets as one would expect. Headsets are just convenient really… an all in one package with passable traits.

The only two HEADSETS in the gaming brand variety that I could even feasibly bring up is an Astro a40 or the Sennheisers like game one over there… thats really it, if this was casual gaming many of the others would work but most of the actual gaming headsets are all closed back anyway…

by all means, I get messages on the regular(shocker I know) and try to get to everyone when I can

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Im seriously debating buying the PC37X since it gets a bit lower taxed since its under 150€ including shipping therefore i only have to pay VAT and nothing else but is it “worth it” as in does it have any issues that are common for that Headset as like the cross talk issue on the MH751?

If not and you could recommend it to me without a doubt do you have a Drop Link, so you can basically get rewards if i buy it off of your link?

Oh and how much difference is there between the PC37X and PC38X?
Some said not much some are saying a bit more than that,

Thing is im just starting to get into more and more gaming again as i have more time now and im not looking for the Grail right now its just that Headsets obiously are the far easier choice and i dont mind losing some of the benefits that i would get if i get a seperate Headphone + Mic Combo its just that many say that the gaming branded Headsets are all trash and im unsure how bad they truly are? And also as you said there arent many open back headsets anyway which limits me to either something like the Astro A40s or the Sennheiser PC37X/38X

Well this was my choice from the beginning i just chose the MH 751 because of their praise even tho they are closed backs.

Thanks alot!
Dont want to ask you too many questions but sometimes i just cant find many information on the internet and would rather ask those questions than not :sweat_smile:

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it has some issues with mic bleeding through due to some weird sensitivity problems… granted this issue was far more severe in the game one but is still present in some cases… other than that? Never really had issues with them…

I really try not to take any forms of charity of the like, been offered alternatives as well for helping people and I turn them down

if you check drop on pc38x you will see the comparison on the frequency response at the same time the overall presentation is a bit different and its sharper with a bit larger on the stage… it performs better than 37x pretty much all around in most cases… though I will admit quite a few of the changes are a bit minimal/negligible.

I want to say… about 95% of them are horrid… Those that are good like the pc38x have cheaper better alternatives in the headphone market… which is the real issue. The heavily touted logitech g pro whatever the hell its at now and things like steel series are just straight up junk that only excels in decent sound and good imaging yet charge you a fortune for them.

In truth, headsets like the pc37x and game one are just similar to the hd 500 series like the classic HD 598(if you watched markiplier you know this is his go to headphone btw), others like hyperx and coolermaster like mh751 took the takstar pro 82 headphone and converted it to a gaming headset just with some tweaks here and there which they keep redoing and changing the price. Steel series you got me there… they are decent though.

The only headsets I have found even remotely worth a damn were let me think

Pc37x/38x/game one. 38x is over hyped as shit though.
Astro A40(not a50 it had some issues) with its mixamp ONLY with its mixamp
Steel Series arctis pro with game dac. over priced as shit but decent… however only good with its dac
Audeze penrose… this thing is astonishingly good for a headset thats wireless just expensive as hell
Hyperx Flight: wireless… bassy as shit… damn solid for casual gaming
GSP 500/600 good for casual gaming… good clarity… good tonal balance from a sennheiser but only good as a gaming headset
Logitechs I mean, these have become pretty standard these days when it comes to competitive venue practice… so I have to mention them… absolute junk but if someones just wanting a practice headset… good spot for it here
Mh751,752,630,650,670… probably the absolute best budget closed back headset on the market for both types of gaming… sound is very good, comes with equalization software and each variation has a somewhat different tonal presentation and pad choice.

Out of all that the best are pc38x and its clones for open , MH series for closed, and audeze penrose for wireless.

I personally found the mh630 to be more in line with my taste… I like the cloth pads and lighter feel to the sound… plus its just as customizable… its just a bit more casual friendly to me personally not to mention cheaper… though mh751 definitely has the better imaging. The mh751 and its 752 counterpart have some of the best fps capabilities of the closed back gaming headsets I have tried to date which explains their praise… they really are damn good for what they are.

you are more than welcome here to ask myself and others in the audiophile hobby questions. I just happen to be on the gaming side of things. I tried to be subjective and give people a lot of thought and facts so they can choose… theres too many bs reviews out there these days that just scream how great a lot of things like certain headsets are or that for gaming your headphones dont matter. when all that is just junk information. Since I retired from the competitive circuit(might make a comeback? no idea… depends on how halo infinite goes honestly) I found getting into audio to be the next best thing so helping other gamers experience that thrill as well is something I enjoy doing.

11

Okay i will keep an eye out for them then, maybe i can get them imported through Amazon if not then i might choose them as my last resort.

Too bad as you are giving really insightful tips and help wherever you can but in case i get them from drop i will ask you again in case you changed your mind :smiley:

Im only looking for open backs and unfortunately there arent many at the moment, i think other than the PC37X and the Astros A40 there arent many choices to make?
Closed backs arent necessary as im alone in my room and wont disturb anyone.

Wish they were open tho :sweat_smile: other than that they are perfect for FPS

And thats why im doubting most of those reviewers as they praise every headset they get and would “recommend” it but thats just BS and thats why im researching and ask questions rather than buy the next “recommended” Headset and probably pay way more than i should

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not sure on the whole importing I would think thatd be more expensive

suit yourself, but I highly doubt i will change my mind. People been trying that for some time now about as badly as trying to get my real nametag or pull me into a discord lmao.

for strictly gaming headsets that are good at competitive thats really it… that and the technical headset shp9500 with its v -moda plug in which makes it a headset.

its kind of a missing spot for gaming headsets in my opinion… alot of these companies focus on the competitive scene which relies on closed back and they target younger audiences which have louder environments… makes sense from a money standpoint I just wish there was better open headsets on the market. Honestly, if Tygr 300r had an attached mic like mmx300 over there does it’d most likely be hands down the best gaming headset on the market

If I had a nickel for everytime I had someone come talk to me about one of the “top # gaming headsets” or whatever… or like recently with crinacle’s claim that headphones dont matter.:no_good_man: god help my inbox when zeo’s review popped up over the pc38x alongside DMS…

go with what you feel more comfortable with or cut some corners and save up for the better options seems like the best choice here.

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If i order them via Drop.com they wont declare its Value and then i get charged the usual VAT + a flat fee that is mostly arbitrarily and sometimes Amazon does the whole importing but they wont deliver to my Country i see which is a bummer.

I wont ever force you to do anything, i just wanted to give you something back in case i buy it from the drop website :smiley:
Obviously you dont have to do it but i would feel bad atleast not contacting you before i would buy it in case i dont find any other Headset

I did look around earlier for the SHP9500 but they are discontinued and way too overpriced here so i doubt that it will pay off.
Also heard they arent good at imaging and if im correct thats whats important to know where the sounds are coming from?

How are the Astros and PC37X in that regard?
Some said they are lacking, yet some said its perfect. I am by no means an Audiophile im gaming on my Apple Earbuds for a while now and they are by no means perfect so i doubt that any of those two will “disappoint” me in that regard i suppose (?)

If that was the case i would have ordered it asap but i dont understand why they never attempted it. Seems like a missed opportunity.

I generally never trust any of those Youtubers and never watch them since all they care are their clicks and the money generated from those “recommendations”.
Thats why i looked around for hours on this forum and researched a ton but in the end didnt find what i was looking for and made a question rather than buying the first thing someone on youtube recommends.

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If you’re just gaming with them, I think the Audiotechnica AD700x is pretty good. They were on sale on Amazon for like $70 a few weeks ago, and I got an open box set for like $65.

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Those are like 170€ here, seems like it must be a steal to get them for the price you paid

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interesting, but least there are good ways to go about it…

fair enough

discontinued? really? alright then

the imaging is fine on them, I wouldn’t rate it bad whatsoever they just aren’t something fantastic is all

astros are a bit better on the imaging from my experience. PC37x suffers in the same way 38x does in that certain directions are a bit off or questionable such as diagonal placements… they also aren’t the best in terms of verticality imaging either.

depends on the game and how you adapt really… as I say, you can use any headset and feel its alright… doesn’t mean its actually alright though it can have flaws just like if someone uses say an akg k702… its a good headphone and works but it does have known imaging inaccuracies that can affect things.

nah, neither will actually disappoint… they work fine theres just better options down the way is all

I thought the same, instead they wanted to bundle tygr in with the fox and make it a $300 bundle… granted fox is a decent mic I don’t think its worth its price personally

yeah over here I see the same price on them as he found it… roughly $70… ad 700x are the budget king of competitve gaming that I have come across but only if you actually find them that cheap. Granted I personally hate the headband.

its good to watch reviews on things as long as you know the reviewer is trying not to shill or be rather biased… there are quite a few reviewers who do try to do an actual good review with people like resolve, dms, joshua, etc making decently indepth vids.

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Thats what i was reading too but i think it also depends on the Game you are playing since Warzone for example has a very bad Sound Engine, while others are better.

+You are absolutely right i just wanted to get a Headset/Headphone that is alright for me or my usecase.
I mean i could grab any gaming branded headset and call it a day but they are just so expensive nowadays that i would rather think twice than just blindly buying it. :smiley:

Yeah it would be better if it had a Headset like the MMX but i think the Bundle is alright, albeit the Microphone is a bit overpriced there.

I just checked everywhere and they are going for 150-170€ here thats a bummer then…

Usually i always read many reviews up on reddit but found this forum instead and honestly its way better than any other forum. You guys give such honest feedback and i really appreciate it since on reddit, depending on where you post u usually get some fanboys recommending you some headsets/headphones from a brand they are loyal to with no regard for what i was actually looking for

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warzone having a bad sound engine is an understatement and something I have to try to explain to many people as they also can’t seem to wrap their head around why such a popular game with a huge budget has an awful sound engine behind it… the cut corners of that game is just pathetic about as bad as their “anti cheat”

if gaming headsets were worth while, I would consider them more… there are a few oddballs I would still consider but in most cases, I just pass on them. Their marketing is what irritates me the most as most of it is just smoke and mirrors bs marketing talking about how well the sounds are placed and gain the upper hand in your games blah blah

I owned that fox for a bit… its a warmer sounding mic, I definitely wasn’t the biggest fan of it but it wasn’t bad. The reason for the mic also is that the mic itself can drive the tygrs strangely enough… since the tygrs plug directly into the microphone.

country prices. Do keep in mind you can always search used markets too… Hell, you can go on the buy/sell thread here even and find people in your country selling gear for much cheaper yet still in extremely good condition. Just saw the Sundara go up for 250€ which is normally quite a bit more

I would trust Linus Tech Tips on hardware more than I would reddit… however, this forum is fantastic for audio related things

If the feedback isn’t honest and something seems off it will be usually questioned or put on spot so always nice. Got a lot of people here with tons of experience with audio and some who actually work in music… so its good that we have knowledgeable resources.

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I mean i cant tell for certain since im using only Apple Earbuds but when i switch to Apex or lets say any other Multiplayer Game, doesnt need to be FPS i can clearly tell that Warzone is really bad regarding the sound engine.

Thats very true hence i wasnt looking to buy them at first sight and rather research and ask my question here so i can avoid making a mistake :smiley:

I do consider them, but i had some rather bad encounters on the used markets before and therefore i try to stay off, even though you are right, there are really good deals to be made. I might check out this forum in that regard and see for myself :smiley:

I did check his Forum too but i thought since this is a pure audio focused forum i will get way better and honest results than there in taht regard.

Honestly im so happy i found this Forum, i was lurking for almost a week and read through many posts and your guides and did so much research which narrowed everything down so much, which im really thankful for!

Im still debating if im going to try the A40 + Mixamp or teh Sennheiser Game Ones out if they go on sale or if i should stick to the consesus and take a headphone + mic and dac+amp combo :thinking:

Tough choice since im only using them for chat and gaming and nothing else, as i dont want to get something thats basically overkill, but dont wanna something thats underdelivering so to speak, if that makes sense? :sweat_smile:

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both this forum and Head-fi are good for audio related things.

in the long run, the headphone will out perform the headsets rather easily … but with that comes higher costs… id take the A40 over the game one personally but not if it means paying like 250+ at that point I am definitely opting towards the headphone.