hello! I’m a competitive gamer that plays mostly fps games most especially R6 Siege. I’m really new to the audiophile headsets. I plan to buy the shp9500. I saw in some post here that you could mod some parts of it to make it better. what do you think I should buy like the pads etc. should I also buy a dac/amp if so what kind ?
or should I just buy
Cooler Master MH751
Hifiman 400i 2020 edition
(these are in my budget range)
Hey @farmer_gamer Welcome to Hifiguides,
Few questions can help us here. What is your budget maximum for this? Are you in the USA or another country as this can cause different prices and definitely higher shipping prices. Do you also play casually? What’s your opinion on loose fitting headphones? Do you listen to music of any kind and would you prefer a headphone that can make that sound good as well? Do you play bigger sized FPS than R6 Siege? Is this PC or Console?
hello!
I don’t mind loose fitting but if there is a better fit I would like that better
i really dont listen to music of any kind tho i do prefer a headphone that can make that sound good
as of now I don’t play bigger fps games than siege and I play on PC
For headphones I am more concerned if you can run it off your motherboard. Some headphones require an amp and dac to run.
as for 400i vs shp9500 I would say the 9500 if you can afford the modifications due to issues of quality control with the hifiman company.
The modifications are fairly simple but they can rack up the cost. for the mic its simple… you want the V-moda Boom Pro microphone it just plugs into the headphone. For the pads you either need to follow an instructional video to cut and peel off the pads off the adapters without breaking the adapters or buy 3d printed adapters from Modhouse Audio(they are $10). For pads in particular, you want Velours for competitive and you can put a suede, hybrid, or leather for more casual ended use. I prefer suede as it keeps a good balance in sound. Dekoni’s pads work beautifully for fixing most of the clamp issue but it still fits rather loosely. For pad size you want the same pads that can fit onto a Beyerdynamic DT series(770, 880, and 990). Though for oval size I am not quite sure if you prefer ovals. You can of course use Brainwavz pads as they are cheaper but you will have noticeably cheaper materials for your pads and overall comfort is definitely very different.
Other alternatives if you want just a gaming headset. Grab the Sennheiser PC37x or if thats out of the question Astro A40 works well and is another open back typically comes with its own mixamp. Closed back would just still be MH751(752 if you want equalizer and 7.1).
They will tend to be expensive. You can get away with a FIIO E10k which are generally pretty cheap, Schiit Fulla will be alright, Ifi Zen Dac is another thats alright these are all combo units that can power up to 250 ohm headphones.
Post $200 USD though you should just consider dedicated setups. Like Monoprice Liquid Spark + Topping D10.
my mother board is b360m pro vdh. its says it has audio boost im not sure it it helps in any way
if i go for this route would I need a dac/amp?
same qAstro A40uestion for this one if i go for this one would i still need a dac since it has its own mixamp?
and last question how would you rank the headphones you mentioned? or which is best bang for the buck
400i
shp9500
Sennheiser PC37x
Astro A40
MH751/752
You might, it’s hard to gauge whether it will be strong enough but I doubt it as that’s a fairly old board without much to it. If you can utilize a return policy on the shp9500 I would try that if it’s feasible for you.
no, the astro mixamp is an extremely over priced amp/dac unit that comes with the headset bundle.
Best to least. Shp9500 → 400i → PC37x =/= Astro A40 → MH751/752(only because your comparing a closed back to open backs)
Thank you for the help ill go with the shp9500 and find a dac/amp for it
test it first. You may not need one. FX Audio DAC-X6(weak but works), Fiio E10k(can push 250 ohms but is the maximum so its a bit rough), Ifi Zen Dac(can definitely push 250 ohm headphones and if using balanced can push a bit harder), Schiit Fulla(definitely 250 ohm only maybe 300), Soundblaster X3(around 250 ohms), Soundblaster G6(around 250 ohms, and people have reported that the very cheap Syba Sonic(about as strong as a very weak motherboard so around 50 ohms probably) can run the shp9500.
thank you for all the suggestions