Gaming headphones?

ObstSkwerl

Hi PAers, I have a quick question about headphones.
I've been running on the etymotic er6i canalphones for a while. I am wondering that is this earphones the best option for gaming (PC/XBox360)? Or would you recommend a closed-circumaural headphones instead? Thanks for any help in advance!

Sorenson

In-ear? Those sound awful - you'd probably be better off with a decent pair of Seinheisers or whatever the brand is. I've got a Seinheiser headset I've been using for about six-nine months now and it's been working pretty well, and if you do anything with VOIP on a regular basis you'd definetily want a set like that.

Now that that's settled, if anyone else is reading this: what's a good gaming headset that can either take a hell of a beating or has a detatchable and replaceable cord? I'm due to break my current set in about 2 months given my patterns, and I'd like something that'll be able to last longer than the cord/headset junction.

EDIT: Damn it, PAINFUL is what I mean. Sheesh.

Evangir

I use two Sennheiser sets of headphones. I have the Sennheiser 1141 headset for Ventrilo, and it works very well. The sound is surprisingly good, and the mic itself works extremely well. For single-player games (and when not on vent), I use the Sennheiser HD555 headphones. They're inexpensive ($199 CAD a few years ago), and the sound is just incredible.

If you want something with Surround, I've heard those Zalman surround headphones are pretty good. Cheap too. Never used them myself though.

Nissl

Ety's have pretty good sound for in-ear phones from what I hear, but I expect the design would make it difficult to locate enemies positionally, which is of course a must in FPS games.

My roommate and I both love the Audio Technica A-900's, they're closed cans. Great, well balanced headphones. Bioshock on these headphones is a mindblowing experience.

Check out headfi.org for more recommendations and comparisons, that's the most useful headphone nerd site. Edit: Sennheiser HD-280 pro's, Sony V-7506 (I think?) and the A-900's little brother the A-500 all are great in the $100 price range. Moving up to the $200 range there are some competitive AKG and Beyerdynamic models along with the A-900.

Faricazy

Sorenson wrote: »

In-ear? Those sound awful -

what

jesus you're dumb

Stregone

I've got a set of Sennheiser 280 pros and they are freaking awesome. They are very well built and comfy to wear for long periods.

TychoCelchuuu

You first want to figure out if you want circumaural or supra-aural (or whatever they're called) which is basically whether you want them to entirely encompass your ears or just sit on the outside. Some people like the former because it blocks sound better and some (like me) like the latter because the others make my ears feel sweaty and caged in.

For supra-aural, which I like, (I think) I wear a pair of Sennheiser PC161s. The sound is great, it's so comfortable I can barely tell they're on (although for a week or two it took getting used to) and the mic is handy and high quality. I probably would have gone with PC151s or PC160s if I had a chance, because I can't see much of a difference, but any of those three will do ya if you want those kind.

The-Pimp

Just joining the Sennheiser club

I recomment them because they are all fantastic I own a cheap pair of PC-150's and they are very good the sound is great and the microphone is extremely clear and noise free. The internal wiring are coating with some sort of fabric, they are really top quality.

meatflower

I highly recommend the Sennheiser PX100's. They sound amazing for the price. One thing I like about them is that they're meant to be portable (they actually can fold up) so the frame is very light. Even after having them on for several hours I can hardly feel them. I use them with my Zune and on my PC.

jb7

Here is a good article about headphones with lots of terms for you to learn! http://shsc.info/HeadphoneGuide

Xenocide Geek

Faricazy wrote: »

Sorenson wrote: »

In-ear? Those sound awful -

what

jesus you're dumb

thank god somebody said it

i was gonna have to bust some ass.

Marlor

For games with lots of bassy explosions, the Ety canalphones mightn't be the best bet. They are brilliant headphones, but their bass is really tight and controlled. I like my bass to be a bit boomier when it comes to games.

I personally use Beyerdynamic DT231pro headphones for gaming. They are light and ultra-comfy, and don't leak as much as open headphones (while still offering a reasonably "open" sound). They have a decent amount of bass and great overall sound.

ObstSkwerl

Thanks all, I narrowed it down to ATH-A900 and Sennheiser HD 595. I went with the A900 as to Nissl's testimony.

steeef

Xenocide Geek wrote: »

Faricazy wrote: »

Sorenson wrote: »

In-ear? Those sound awful -

what

jesus you're dumb

thank god somebody said it

i was gonna have to bust some ass.

Totally. As long as you know how to correctly insert canal buds, you'll get great sound out of them. If you don't, they end up sounded as bad as those shitty ear buds that come with iPods.

Dracil

Also, while you don't need it for your use, in-ears are a must if you do any portable gaming, unless you like ruining your ears with the huge volume needed to drown out the outside noise.

Daedalus

Dracil wrote: »

Also, while you don't need it for what your use, in-ears are a must if you do any portable gaming, unless you like ruining your ears with the huge volume needed to drown out the outside noise.

Or you can do what I do and use big-ass circumaural headphones that end up being larger than my DS that help cancel out outside noise.

I can't stand earbuds.

Jasconius

Best headphones under $150:

http://bssc.sel.sony.com/BroadcastandBusiness/DisplayModel?id=52568

HyperAquaBlast

I've been looking at these since I have been getting complaints from the neighbors that my games are too loud. I don't think they are but the bass is much boomier on my 360 than when my 5.1 is on my PC. Anybody have any thoughts on those?

ObstSkwerl

Hyper, from reading headphones enthusiasts' discussion, I havent really read anything positive about 5.1 headsets... so I guess we're better off waiting for the tech to mature.