[Thomefan]

Hello

My neighbours have recently commented on how noisy my surround sound system is so in order to keep the peace I am looking at the best headphones I can buy so that I can damage my eardrums when playing on my PS3/Xbox360 and keep the neighbours happy.

I have read alot of posts already on here and am a little confused as to which set people recommend.

What do people think of these: Astro Gaming | Professional Gaming Equipment | Product Detail | A40 Audio System

Are there better ones out there - maybe the JVC Dolby headphone encoder with some Sennheiser's instead? There is no budget really - I want the best.



Cheers for any help you can give me

[rousetafarian]

Originally Posted by Thomefan

Hello

My neighbours have recently commented on how noisy my surround sound system is so in order to keep the peace I am looking at the best headphones I can buy so that I can damage my eardrums when playing on my PS3/Xbox360 and keep the neighbours happy.

I have read alot of posts already on here and am a little confused as to which set people recommend.

What do people think of these: Astro Gaming | Professional Gaming Equipment | Product Detail | A40 Audio System

Are there better ones out there - maybe the JVC Dolby headphone encoder with some Sennheiser's instead? There is no budget really - I want the best.



Cheers for any help you can give me

Hi,

I had a similar dilemma, but is SWMBO that complained about the noise not the neighbours. I did my resesarch and plumped for the Sharkoon v3 5.1 Dolby gaming headset available from Scan near Bolton, although they do mail order and collection.

These are a great set of 'true' 5.1's as opposed to 'virtual' and support chat for both Xbox and PS3 with the built in mic.

The only downside I had, and the reason I sold them online was that I had to keep swapping over the opitcal cables when I had finished playing. The sound quality when playing Gears or Cod4/5 is amazing and hearing the footsteps approaching gives you a massive advantage.

The retail is about £115.00 but check out reviews on AVf and you will be very pleased you spent the money

Cheers

Chris

[rousetafarian]

Sorry forgot to link it;

SHARKOON Technologies GmbH

[Drubbing]

Do your wallet a favour; for gaming (and music) there's nothing a good pair of stereo headphones can't do for the less money than the marketing hype of overpriced 5.1 headsets, that are anything but.

Good 'surround' or sound-stage / separation is about better drivers, not lots of cheap ones crammed mm from your ears. Your ears being the things that perceive where sound is coming from. So the better the drivers, the better your ears perceive it - all within the limits of the basic soundcards in consoles.

[Thomefan]

Thanks for the advice guys - I appreciate it.

I have seen a few people suggest getting a decent pair of standard headphones over these surround sound cans.

The big question I have for anyone recommending these is this: Will a top quality pair of headphones replicate the 5.1 surround sound that is crucial when playing fps shooters etc.

If they don't then should I hook the up to one of these:

Amazon.com: Surround Sound Headphone Adaptor: Electronics

My surround sound set up is awesome so I don't want to sink money into something that is going to disappoint (I do expect the cans not to sound as good as my speakers)

[Drubbing]

Nothing will replicate the 5.1 surround of satellite speakers and a sub placed around a room. You can't cram the extra drivers of 5.1 headsets mm from your ears and get that sort of effect.

But good headphones will produce good enough sound-stage for FPS games.
Also the isolation (even from open backed phones which are better for sound-stage) gives you a more intimate space in which to hear things.

Also, both 5.1 headsets and phones will be limited in their ability to reproduce sound-stage via the source they're used with; this means your console and games. No amount of money can add in something that isn't there in the sound files, and games consoles are built more with video in mind, than audio.

So my point is, even if the claims of 5.1 sets were true, they are limited by the capability of your sources. So it's worth looking (and trying if poss) some headphones instead, which will cost less for the same/better results.

Plus the'll sound way, way better for music.

[mabuk]

You could have a listen of the official dolby headphone demo here:

Dolby - Dolby Headphone with 5.1 Surround Sound Stereo

[asarao123]

I Had this problem 7 months ago,I have the logitech z-5500 and my neigbours were complaing about the noise.I bought a pair of Sharkoon x-tactic v2's(my first surround sound headset).I could hear people behind me well but the bass always overpowered the highs and mids,this made the sound quite muddy.Then i had the problem that i couldnt hear other people.

I then bought a pair of Beyerdynamic Dt990 Pro's to use for music on my pc and gaming on the xbox.I bought the Project Headbox MkII Headphone amp .The sound quality was amazing and the soundstage was good (opemn back cans have the best soundstage) but i couldnt pinpoint the enemy's location.

2 Months ago i wanted to get another pair of gaming headphones.The contenders were TurtleBeach X4(130),Astro A40(250 inc P&P),Tritton AXPRO(160),Sharkoon X-tactic V3(110).I spent 2 weeks gathering as much information as i could to decide which ones to get,I left out the Turtle's because the SQ is not that great.One of my friends had the New Sharkoon's and they were a huge improvment over the v2 but they still didnt have the SQ that i wanted.I found out that the Trittons are the Sharkoons but with a diff design and an extra power cable.Both the sharkoons and Trittons need power cable what is a problem in my opinion.

I then bought the Astro's from astrogaming.com,it came to £270 as i bought the rechargeable pack and the PS3 Adaptor.I am so happy with them,They are on a different league to the sharkoons.They can run on batteries or by USB cable.They allow you to connect any headphones in the world.They use 2 High quality drivers and use actual dolby processing.They allow to control the voice volume incase you can't hear other people.They actully look good and you can get different speaker tags like MLG.You can connect it to yout ps3 to watch Blu-ray's.When i'm playing online on xbox i get bored of listening to constant guns sounds,you can plug yout ipod in and listen to music and hear the game at the same time.I promise you will not be dissapointed with them.

I bought The sennheiser 650's and the mixamp powers them fine and they sound so amaing with dolby headphone.I reccomend getting the a40 headset and mixamp as the headset has a great mic,if you do not want to use a mic get a good pair of Quality headphones like Beyerdynamic,Sennheiser,Audio Technica ETC.

I hope you make the right decision,you said money is not a problem so if i was you i would order the Astro's,they take 10 days to get to England and i didnt get any charges

[Drubbing]

Originally Posted by asarao123

I then bought a pair of Beyerdynamic Dt990 Pro's to use for music on my pc and gaming on the xbox.I bought the Project Headbox MkII Headphone amp .

I bought The sennheiser 650's and the mixamp powers them fine and they sound so amaing with dolby headphone.

That's a lot of money on high end phones and very little on a decent amp to run then to their ability and get your full value for money from them. To say a gaming headset amp runs the 650s fine is like buying a Ferrari and taking it out on a Sunday morning in heavy traffic.

Give both those phones a good desktop amp and they go to another level - at least for music.

[Thomefan]

I have been looking at the A40's - mmm - decisions decisions. Are there any other Dolby Headphone amps that I could look into? I am thinking of maybe the Sennheiser HD800 with a decent Dolby Headphone amp or the A40's - which look fairly decent for the cash.

I think I will decide one of the above options.... Cheers fellas

[asarao123]

HD800!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is alot of Money and The A40 Amp will not power that,I dont't think you want to get HD800's for gaming,I think you should get a pair £200 Openback Headphones and the A40 Mixamp.Go to Headfi.com,they helped me to decide what headphones to get.

The A40 Mixamp Powers the Hd650's but you have to put it on full Volume,still it is loud wnough and the sound is good enough.I'm not sure how i can amplify the Sennheiser's if i'm using Optical.

[Drubbing]

Originally Posted by asarao123

HD800!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't think you want to get HD800's for gaming.

Such an unintentional gift for understatement

Thomefan - spending ridiculous amount of money on phnoes for gaming is pointless. It's not logical that "200 quid phones have great soundstage, so 1000 quid phones will have more/unbelieveable soundstage."

Diminishing returns on phnoes kick in big time around 200 quid, probably even lower for gaming purposes. Soundstage in gaming is limited by the files (and the source used). You simply can't extract what isn't there in the first place.

Originally Posted by asarao123

The A40 Mixamp Powers the Hd650's but you have to put it on full Volume, still it is loud enough and the sound is good enough. I'm not sure how i can amplify the Sennheiser's if i'm using Optical.

Mate, you've missed my point. Amping phones just so they go 'loud enough' is not the aim. Amping phones like this with adequate power, activates the drivers properly. Poor or underpowered amps (for demanding phones) can go loud without making the phones perform anywhere near their ability - it's not about volume.

Sure the 650 can sound good enough, but why buy such a phone and run it to a fraction of its ability? To me, that's a terrible waste of money.

Although not as much of a waste as buying a HD800/A40 combo for gaming.

[Uriel]

The best that money can buy? For surround sound over headphones rather than Dolby Headphone per se - probably the Smyth Research SVS realiser.

Smyth Research

Obvioulsy not tried it myself but it's gaining a very enthusiastic following over at Head Fi.

It comes with a set of Stax headphones and amp but you don't have to use them.

It'll set you back $3000 though.

Edit: my own recommenation would be a receiver that's capable of Dolby Headphone and a good set of cans like the Senn HD600. You might need to add a dedicated headphone amp, depending on how good the headphone circuitry on the reciever is. Several Marantz receivers have Dolby Headphone build in.

I personally use Dolby Headphone from a Xonar D2 soundcard on my PC. It sounds fantastic on my Goldring NS1000s andalmost as good on my DR150s. Dolby Headphone can sound rather artificial on some headphones with soundstage enhancements like angled drivers (e.g. HD555, ATH-AD700). It also needs the drivers to be very well controlled throughout their range. I can recommend Goldring NS1000, Sennheiser HD580 and HD600 (as long as they're adequately amped) from expereince.

[MikeyD]

Haha HD800's for gaming would be ridiculously awesome but expensive. There's a number of Sennheiser headphones in their PC models that are very good for gaming, especially if you want a solid pair with a built in mic. Also the HD201 and HD 515 will do the trick.

[Thomefan]

Hmmmm - I may email Arcam and ask if they plan on integrating Dolby Headphone into the AVR600 (which I have) - then the HD800 would be a perfect choice. I have read about the SMithy SVS - there is also this:

http://www.iheadphones.co.uk/headpho...c+Headzone.htm

Not sure whether this is a good alternative to Dolby Headphone or not.

I do see the points people are making - I think I need to look into it more before I dig into my wallet for the HD800's as I do not want to waste money.

Maybe the A40 would do me fine considering the Audio quality that will be pumped through them

[Uriel]

I don't think HD800s and dolby headphone would work very well together. HD800s are designed to give an 'in front' headstage using angled drivers an other trickery.

Dolby Headphone is designed for headphones with a 'central' headstage (i.e centers in your head). It lifts the soundstage out apparently in front of you. On HD800s (or most other headphones with angled drivers etc) I would expect this to effectively 'warp' the soundstage.

HD800s might actually work better with a combination of crossfeed and a virtual speaker surround algorithm, rather than virtual headphone surround.

Just my opinion, of course but one that's based on having tried quite a few different headphones (not the HD800 though) and surround headphone technologies.

Edit: A forum post here of someone comparing Headzone with SVS: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f11/be...review-347815/

[asarao123]

I get what you mean,the HD650 don't sound amazing on The A40 Mixamp,The Project Headbox powers them fine but not to their optimum performance.I need to buy a better Headphone amp.

I really don't think u want to spend that much on gaming headphones,Get the A40 bundle and you should be happy with that,if ur not happy you can change the headphones as the Mixamp is the best thing you can get for gaming on the xbox,Then you can buy a pair of high end headphones(the best ones don't have mics but Sennheiser Make some great cans with mics).And then you might need a Headphone amp,I'm not sure how you can do that as i have not seen any Optical input Headphone amps(there should be some out there).That should cost you no more than £750.The A40 headset is fine for xbox gaming,i would recommend a pair of quality of cans for Movies and Music

[Drubbing]

Originally Posted by Thomefan

I do see the points people are making - I think I need to look into it more before I dig into my wallet for the HD800's as I do not want to waste money.

Er, you seem to be completely missing everyone of them.

The HD800, with dolby, Mega-expensive surround widget A, or even a 1000 quid amp, and a 1000 quid source, is not going to be any better for gaming than something 100-150 quid, for all the reasons already given regarding the limitations games files and Xbox/PS3 sources. No amount of surround technologies can magically input any more sound-stage than are in the files already, and games SFX are pretty basic files.

THe only thing 'awesome' about it would the the huge amounts of money flushed for no gain whatsoever.

If you're a music nut, then different story, as these phones are apparently the current top of the pile for music, according to some. But again, if all you're going to do is plug them in an iPod and play 128kbps files, you might as well be gaming with them too.

[mabuk]

There are also wireless dolby headphone systems available:

Philips vs Pioneer - which is the best Dolby Headphone system?

I bought the Pioneer version for £90 (eBay) a few years ago. Not sure if either are still available.

If you want a receiver with built in dolby digital then Denon, Marantz (eg SR-4001) and Teac (eg AG-15D) have incorporated it into past models which might now be picked up on eBay.

[Thomefan]

I have placed an order for a set of Astrogaming A40's and can always buy a pair of Beyerdynamic dt770's if I feel the headphones supplied are not up to much.

Thanks to everyone for all the advice posted in this thread - you have all been really helpful - so thanks for that. Will let you guys know what I think when they arrive. 10 days and counting.......

Cheers

[Thomefan]

One thing to those who may know...

If I was to upgrade the A40 headphones would I be best going for the Beyerdynamic dt770 or Beyerdynamic DT 880 or Beyerdynamic DT 990.

Does anyone have any epxerience of using the Mixamp with these headphones?

Cheers

[asarao123]

thats good to hear,loads of people think the astro's are like sharkoons(headphones that claims real 5.1 and have 4 speakers in each cup,they sounds awful). They have two 40mm drivers in each cup,trust me you will be happy,for gaming the headset is fine,if you want music it will do but if you want the real deal i recommend a pair of good cans.I got the dt990 pro,they sounds great,i have heard that they are the worst of the 3,they are also the cheapest.I think if you are not happy with the sound get a pair of dt880,try getting the 80ohm version.

Good luck with the astro's,it'll suck if you get customs charges

[Drubbing]

Don't get any of those DT's in 250ohm versions. They need decent amping, and while anything less will run them, they'll fall way short of what they're capable of (for music). So lots of flushed money otherwise.

[Spinning Plates]

Thomefan...

You might want to consider the Beyerdynamic MMX 300's. They are easily driven (32 ohms) and it's pretty much the best headset on the market.

Beyerdynamic MMX300 Premium USB Gaming Headset | £199.99

[Thomefan]

Woooaaah fellah - those look ideal! Thanks - will look into reviews of these cans. Cheers!




UPDATE: Ordered!

[MikeyD]

I would probably definitely do all the research before spending the kind of coin hat the 800's cost. Personally I prefer the Sennheisers, but there are many great brands out there. But if you want some more info on the Senns, here is a link where you can find out about the sound tour they are doing, and actualkly try all of them out and see what you like. Also they are giving out free headphones too if you're lucky.

[Stinja]

Originally Posted by Drubbing

The HD800, with dolby, Mega-expensive surround widget A, or even a 1000 quid amp, and a 1000 quid source, is not going to be any better for gaming than something 100-150 quid, for all the reasons already given regarding the limitations games files and Xbox/PS3 sources.

Yes, but surely the most important thing most gamers want is front/rear and left/right sound separation. It's no good have quality stereo headphones designed for listening to music if they're rubbish at pinpointing if those footsteps are from left-rear or straight left.

Clarity? Meh.

Tonal purity? Whatever.

Acoustic crispness? Blah.

I can stand if everyone sounds like James Earl Jones, and music comes out as bipolar tinny or bass-booms if only the manufacturers could get the surround precision correct.

So back to recommendations; anyone for best surround (virtual/simulated or real) in a pair of headphones? Or is it just not there yet?

[Drubbing]

Originally Posted by Stinja

Yes, but surely the most important thing most gamers want is front/rear and left/right sound separation. It's no good have quality stereo headphones designed for listening to music if they're rubbish at pinpointing if those footsteps are from left-rear or straight left.

BETTER, not MORE (cheap) drivers do that. And better. Besides, there's only so much you can squeeze out of game files, footsteps, whatever aren't exactly difficult to reproduce.
THe whole point is, stereo phones aren't rubbish for that, in fact they're much better, and cheaper. Competitive gamers I know use nothing else.

[Thomefan]

Hello folks

I have here a box with my Astro Mixamp + headphones, and another box with a pair of Beyerdynamic MMX300 headphones.

They arrived a couple of weeks ago but I have been to busy to try them out. I will do so as soon as possible and post my findings on here

Cheers

[roosta]

audio technica AD700's are always recommended for gaming over at head-fi. AKG k601's as well. huge soundstage for both. make sure you ge the AD700's not the A700's if you do go for them, they are different headphones.