I’m looking to upgrade from my Sennheiser 598CS to a high end closed back headphone for immersive gaming. I’m not competitive, so I don’t need super pinpoint accuracy for footsteps in FPS games. I’m looking for headphones where you really can take it all in, have rich delicate detail, but feel the rumble of earthquakes, the power of explosions, and the impact of gunshots. I know that sounded overly poetic. I’m not a basshead, so I don’t need bass that vibrates my skull, but definitely would like some impact and depth to it. I also wouldn’t mind if it’s versatile enough for some music sessions too, but it’s primarily for immersive gaming.
After a lot of reading and watching videos, I’ve narrowed it down to a few candidates:
ZMF Eikon
Denon AH-D9200
Fostex TH900 Mk2
Audeze LCD-2
ZMF Verite Closed
Do I just go all in and go for the ZMF Verite Closed? I heard a lot of good things about those headphones. Are there any alternatives that I’m missing here? I’ve looked into a lot of other brands, but they didn’t seem totally appealing from a “fun listening” and gaming perspective.
Any help would be appreciated! If any of you own any of the above, how was your experience in terms of gaming? Which do you prefer the most?
I mean, I would really lower your budget here, IMO I wouldn’t go this high right away. You would really want to make sure your preferences are cemented, and also you would end up spending about equivalent on an amp and dac imo. Have you tried any higher end headphones, and if so which ones? I would really just say you start a bit lower, play around in the 300-500 range to get a good idea for what you might like, and go on from there. Once you get in the above 1k range, it’s highly based on preference and imo before you go into that range, experiencing the more midrange offerings is very helpful
That’s a good point. From my perspective, I’d rather skip to the top. Usually when I buy a new piece of gear, I don’t replace it for at least several years. However, any mid-range cans that you find are very close and comparable to higher end cans? I’ve been hearing of the Vokyl Erupt recently. Someone was telling me that he actually preferred them over even the Verite C’s for gaming.
I was gonna say the same… $500 maximum range is perfectly fine… any higher and there isnt much point for gaming purposes… You can only take a game so far… music on the other hand is a different story.
I personally don’t know if I would say that, the erupts are fairly mediocre from my experience imo, and the verite is a whole different tier of headphone
So I get the appeal for sure, but again I would suggest you consider something a bit more reasonable. I think for what you are looking for, the fostex th x00 ebony or the emu teak would be a great match. It is a tad intimate though, but would give you the sound you are looking for. If you pair with with something like the asgard 3 and a dac like the e30, sounds like a good setup that would last awhile. That would be a good lower budget alternative to the eikon, 9200, and th900mk2. Obviously not on the same performance tier, but imo I would really suggest giving the teak or ebony a try, but you would be looking used here (or ordering direct from emu for the teaks if needed)
I wouldn’t say this is the case, you can go much higher and still be rewarded for gaming. I just think that jumping from a 598CS without hearing the high end stuff, and not having a whole ton of experience isn’t the smartest idea imo
The verite opens are a fantastic immersive gaming can as well as being an incredible all-around great detailed headphone for music. The closed ones would give you this as well, so if you can afford it and want to make the jump, by all means, JUMP! : )
The TRP-50 can be modded for competitive gaming to be fast and offensive on the treble. I’ve got some good reviews of people who used that headphone to hear footsteps when they clearly should not have. Just know some sounds will be distracting.
I actually remember reading somewhere someone actually took the drivers from the trp-50 and put them inside a dt 990 for competitive gaming wasnt sure why. I kinda like the design of the trp 50s
Haha, I was listening to Z’s sound demo of the Verite Closed, and MAN they sound good…to be honest though, his sound demo of the TH900 Mk2 stock was also very impressive. I’ve been reading the Denon 9200’s are incredibly comparable too but I can’t find a sound demo of them anywhere
I know, I know, going from a $200 headphone to the “high end” is a massive jump especially for gaming. I should have been more clear and said that I’m looking for immersive gaming AND immersive music, lol. Has to be closed back though because of sound leakage issues.
But I’m keeping an open mind to all options, and I really appreciate everyone’s ideas, definitely giving me a lot to think about.
If that’s the case, then the 9200 and th900 mk2 won’t be the best, they leak a fair bit actually, more semi open than closed (and also by extension the teaks and ebony)
Semi-open is ok. It doesn’t have to be SUPER quiet like a monastery. I remember seeing in Z’s sound demo that the leakage didn’t sound too bad with the TH900’s
Gotcha. Well for what you are after, if you are just going to skip to the high end, the eikon imo would be something you would enjoy. It would have the great impact of the th900 mk2 and 9200, but imo a more fun signature with better comfort and build, and also isolates and doesn’t leak much like the th900 and 9200 do. It’s a bit warmer tuned with a pretty spacious sound that I would call immersive, and also isn’t harsh but still gives great detail. You could pair it with a dac like the bifrost 2 or ares ii, and an amp like the monolith liquid platinum if you wanted slam, impact, and a bit more energetic signature, or something like the hagerman tuba if you wanted something a bit more neutral and refined
The sony mdr z1r is also fairly immersive, but is a bit controversial in terms of signature, but is pretty immersive imo
