SO, This would be my third post requesting advice on a headphone. Long story short I brought my headphones, dt990 250ohm, to a buddies house and now I have multiple friends asking me for advice on new headphones. Me being me wanting to help others out agreed and said I will look a bit into it, Glutton for punishment I guess? I don’t know I like to help people I guess. Anyway, so I am posting this to ask for some help in pinpointing some good headphones based on what I know about each one… SO here we go. Note all of these are fellow gamers but with each different tastes. Budgets all are $100-$300 less is better. all are pc and console gamers meaning headphone choice is limited. Waiting on sales is a definite possibilty as well.
First person. Prefers a microphone either built in or attachable via either modmic or something like a v moda boom pro. Wide variety of music tastes and heavily competitive in gaming loves guitar riffs and a balanced sound plays console and pc if buying a modmic price cannot exceed the maximum Does not have preference between open back and closed back just wants the best sound for his preference. Says he would prefer his next headset to be more casual oriented though as he already has a go to headset for competitive gaming
Second Person Prefers a microphone like the first person built in, attachable, or modmic. This guy is a bass head the guy who loves his subwoofer everything is heavy deep bass and hes a rocker everything rock and heavy metal another competitive gamer he currently uses an astro a40 so he may prefer more open backs to closed backs.
Third Person: This one is a bit of a strange one microphone he would be okay with a modmic if it meant getting the best sound out of his headphones as he would prefer the best sound otherwise a built in or v moda would be okay just not preferred if it means sacrificing quality, may be a new audiophile dunno yet but he showed the most interest. He Prefers Closed Backs, Competitive gamer, likes a depth in his music, listens to a wide variety of music rock and techno are the two he gave me as reference and mentioned bands like ozzy and rob zombie, preferred a good smooth vocal with a lot of clarity just not to overpowering and heavy deeper bass he likes a good hum from his bass. Budget $200
And lastly, yours truly as I want another set of headphones. So I fixed the whole issue with my dt990s waiting on my setup and decided to keep it for my competitive gaming among other things I love the sound but I am rather curious as to another headphone if theres a better headphone for overall immersion for rpgs and music focus… in other words a more casual sense like a single player… something to immerse you with an incredible sound… I suppose I can count movies in here too. of course going to set my Budget in the $100-$200 range this time and I don’t plan to buy these soon maybe during sales time later this year. my amp and dac are the Liquid Spark and Topping d10. I want something with a little more aggression more immersion and more balance cause sometimes I just want a break from that heavy treble. Closed back or open back is fine as long as they are really comfortable. Unlike the rest in this post I don’t need a console or mobile capability. Considering the results from how yall helped me with the dt990s I have faith you guys will steer me in the right direction!
I told them that… but they are console gamers mixed with pc so they need that mic… the only one whos okay with the modmic and would prefer it for the best sound is the third one the others not so much unless its within a good price range. Myself personally? nah I dont need a mic to go with it. @Soren_Peregrine
Definitely need help on this one guys looking for a lot of advice and I know it’s a long read. I am to new to audiophile stuff and not the most versed in headphones especially like this to make a solid recommendation.
I mean, you could just share a link to this site (https://forum.hifiguides.com/)?
Why ask urself and tell them?
There are many and many topics on cheap gaming headphones already and new popup almost ever day. Also the recomended list headphones is pretty much the same, every time.
I’ve got a Blue Snowball in front of me. Would recommend heartily. However, it’s like a quarter of the $200 budget .
I would suggest just getting an standalone mic to your friends @Falenkor. Generally more durable and higher quality (as well as giving you the ability to focus on audio w/ no modmic restrictions). As someone who games actively, I’m sooooo fucking happy I don’t have a mic attached to the headset anymore.
They dont want to use the site. 2. I offered to help. 3. its hard to relatively pinpoint a headphone by spending hours digging through a forum site and potentially not finding what your looking for especially in this case where you are looking for multiple different styles of sound including your own. I do apologize if you feel that I am posting needlessly or something. I felt the need to post this up for advice on it so I don’t have to sit there for over an hour digging through the forums hoping to find some useful information. @MadGman
a standalone is out of the question in this case. While I understand its the better quality and I completely understand where your coming from, as I have a standalone myself, in this particular instance its a no go less its a modmic or aux 3.5 in the headphone. It makes things a tad complicated and limiting… annoys me but thats just their own preference ya know? its why I created this post as I am definitely not the greatest at this stuff but also I guess it was to ask about my own other set of headphones for a recommendation too. @Pr3ssAltF4
I have seen this headphone pop up on here a few times now I am aware of the cooler master brand for pc parts but definitely not headphones… how good is this as its definitely not expensive. With the price budget given it would be in competition with philips fidelio and beyerdynamic custom one pro plus.
mmmm. yea, fair enough. If I could I’d just tell them to try it and see the freedom it provides
If they have to settle, grab the arctis 5 or arctis pro. Worth. Own both and they’re great for games and/or commuting.
For you, if I had to grab any pair of headphones I’d grab the Sundaras again. Fucking perfect for games and music, and as much as you’ll ever need if you aren’t endlessly chasing perfect audio. Which means you won’ t need an upgrade every couple of years (so it’ll be worth saving a bit).
For reference, I have the Geshelli Labs Archel 2.5 + Enog2 with my 990s @ 250ohms. Love it. But sundaras blow them out of the water.
For the modmic it just needs to be dual 3.5mm jacks?
Also shameless plug for Sony MDR 7506. Used em for games for a bit. They’re actually sufficient, but not comfortable and very little soundstage. However, imaging is pretty good, and detail is good. Great for hearing footsteps and stuff.
I’t nice to help and it’s ok help but you kinda wrote it “where you are looking for multiple different styles of sound including your own”
that’s why it would good for them figure it out. What kinda sound and properties would they like
They actually are pretty great. They are technically the Takstar Pro 82 headphones, which were ‘budget studio’, and those were already highly-rated and respected headphones, just rebranded by Cooler Master.
@Pr3ssAltF4 mod mic has three versions. a 3.5mm a usb and a bluetooth adapter of course more expensive as you go. I did consider the arctis honestly but I was curious if there was a better headphone in this case. I have personal experience with the arctis pro + Gamedac its a very solid unit. I have had the sundaras recommended to me a couple times actually… I have been thinking about it would it be good for an all rounder though? I had the 400i and they were pretty aggressive especially on the mids and snares I wasn’t sure on the sundara since its the more expensive option.
@Soren_Peregrine well I am looking at them but I don’t know the overall sound signature on them… all headphones sound different. as provided theres multiple people for this.
@MadGman as someone whos pretty new at this… I would rather ask outright explaining the likes and wants of the person particularly and ask for some advice on it… makes life a little easier. I did write their preferences… to clarify. one needs a balanced or all rounder he loves guitars, another is an extreme bass head, the other is a bass lover but loves his vocals hes a singer, and myself I need a different type of balance which I think I described what im looking for decently well.
Sundaras are a consumate all-rounder imo. I take work calls, listen critically to music, monitor(though 770s are better), play games, and just have em on my head all day. No complaints at all. Which is rare for me.
Hmmm. Okay. Am a percussionist. I like drums. I also like bass. The sundara doesn’t have an overbearing presence for either. If I had to quantify it’s interpretation it would be ‘appropriate’. Enough definition, detail, resolution, and punch to satisfy me. Of course I need to try other headphones to be sure, but I would say they interpret everything appropriately. Nothing stands out, but you can listen to all the parts. It’s quite nice
I think the 400i are supposed to sound closer to the HE-4xx (which I have)? Also not bad headphones. Would recommend 4xx’s in a pinch. Still quite good for gaming too, but pale in comparison to the Sundaras.
Would solidly recommend arctis 5 to your friends. Cheap (relatively), comfortable af, great mic, decent sound. If you haven’t listened to better they’d sound amazing. Would recommend, and still use my work pair.
EDIT : after comparing the three. 990s > 7506 >>> arctis pro. The MDR 7506 is significantly better than the arctis in every way 0_0. If you’re looking for something cheap… (though I have swapped the pads)
@Pr3ssAltF4 what did you swap the pads to and are they compatible with a mic? I will have to look more into the sundara… perhaps when it goes on sale though I have no clue how cheap itll go
I suppose that helps me out greatly on recomendations from there… I generally have the idea of what headphones should be considered… and I need to look more into hifiman however. I do need to ask this as well. Like I said those two are bass fantatics… one is a total extremist bass lover the other loves vocals and bass… what would be the best recommendation for that? I would assume the Fidelio x2 hr and the arctis for the bass extremist? however the one who likes bass and vocals is okay with a mod mic… that opens a LOT of doors as we can go into actual headphone territory on that one. In the $200 budget range… he prefers the closed back competitive headphones.
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