[XHitman]

whats the best Best Headphones For Serious Competitive Gaming

ones thinking about getting

with

ATH-AD700 + Astro Mixamp

Audio Technica ATH-AD700 Open-Air Dynamic Headphones | SALE Now On!

Ultrasone 780 + Astro Mixamp

Ultrasone HFI-780 Headphones | SALE Now On!

Qpad QH-1339 + Astro Mixamp

Qpad QPAD QH-1339 Gaming Headset with Free uk shipping included - QP1339

is qpad any good ??

whats the best one to get or do you recommed another headphone

[llama]

HD595 are very good too, IMO.

[jamienufc]

Hi,
I've got the mixamp and have just upgraded my astro a40s to a pair of Audio Technica AD700s.

I did alot of research to try and find out which headphones are best for gaming. I wanted fantastic sound quality and also a set of headphones that had an impressive sound stage so as I could detect the direction of sound in games.

I looked at the closed ultrasone headphones you posted the link to, but went for the AD700s because they are open dynamic headphones and if you read other forums and review sites people rate the Ad700s so highly and say the ability to detect the direction of sound is easier on a set of open headphones rather than a closed set.

Like I said at the start of my post I did have the Astro A40s and used these with my mixamp, and tbh I was very happy with the results. The sound quality imo was excellent in both games and movies and the sound detecion was very good also. However, I kept reading good things about the ad700s and read many comparison pieces that rate the ad700s over the a40s. With this in mind I've put my a40s on ebay and have got a pair of ad700s.

I can honestly say that the sound quality coming out of these headphones is fantastic and I havent burn't them in yet. The bass is excellent and when I pair them up to the mix amp the dolby digital is amazing. You can clearly hear the direction of sound in movies and games better than you do with the astros. The ad700s are better than the a40s in terms of sound quality and they are more comfortable than the a40s.

The advantages the a40s have over them are that they look cooler (if this is a factor to you?), have a detachable boom mic for voice chat and come in a travel case. I'm not worried about the boom mic because I've ordered one to go with my headphones. Theres a simple mod that you can do with a labtech boom mic. I'm sure theres a link in the 'decent headphones for rhe 360 part 2 thread' over on the 360 forums. Basically someone has cut the headband piece of the boom mic off and attached the actual mic to the headphones. I'm going to use velco. The mic in question can be found on the american ebay and can be had for £15 including p&p. If you dont like the sound of modding a boom mic alot of people use the zalmon clip on mic.

If you want to go for the astro package the best places to buy them from are

LIME | A40 Audio System Headset and Mix Amp

or

| Astro Gaming

If you decide to just get the maixamp, you can buy it on its own from either of the above sites.

I got my ad700s from...

Audio Technica ATH-AD700 Open-Air Dynamic Headphones | SALE Now On!


The mixamp on its own is £99.

The astro a40s and mixamp are £199

The Ad700s are £99

The zalman clip on mic is £10-12 if you can find it

The labtech boom mic is £15 on ebay

For the best result you should go for the ad700s and mixamp, plus something like the zalman mic. However if you want to get the astro package that is excellent also. You wont get quite the same sound quality than you would with the ad700s, but you'll get excellent quality none the less.

For christ sake, dont get sucked into the idea of going for a wireless gaming headset. Things like the x4s and x41s by turtle beach maybe more convenient, but you'll never get anywhere near as good sound quality as you would through the mixamp and something like the ad700s. Plus due to them being wireless they can suffer for interference and are known to hiss at high volumes. The only reason to go for something like this is if you dont want to spend much money. I cant understand people paying £150 for the X41s, but thats just my opinion.

Jamie

[XHitman]

Originally Posted by jamienufc

Hi,
I've got the mixamp and have just upgraded my astro a40s to a pair of Audio Technica AD700s.

I did alot of research to try and find out which headphones are best for gaming. I wanted fantastic sound quality and also a set of headphones that had an impressive sound stage so as I could detect the direction of sound in games.

I looked at the closed ultrasone headphones you posted the link to, but went for the AD700s because they are open dynamic headphones and if you read other forums and review sites people rate the Ad700s so highly and say the ability to detect the direction of sound is easier on a set of open headphones rather than a closed set.

Like I said at the start of my post I did have the Astro A40s and used these with my mixamp, and tbh I was very happy with the results. The sound quality imo was excellent in both games and movies and the sound detecion was very good also. However, I kept reading good things about the ad700s and read many comparison pieces that rate the ad700s over the a40s. With this in mind I've put my a40s on ebay and have got a pair of ad700s.

I can honestly say that the sound quality coming out of these headphones is fantastic and I havent burn't them in yet. The bass is excellent and when I pair them up to the mix amp the dolby digital is amazing. You can clearly hear the direction of sound in movies and games better than you do with the astros. The ad700s are better than the a40s in terms of sound quality and they are more comfortable than the a40s.

The advantages the a40s have over them are that they look cooler (if this is a factor to you?), have a detachable boom mic for voice chat and come in a travel case. I'm not worried about the boom mic because I've ordered one to go with my headphones. Theres a simple mod that you can do with a labtech boom mic. I'm sure theres a link in the 'decent headphones for rhe 360 part 2 thread' over on the 360 forums. Basically someone has cut the headband piece of the boom mic off and attached the actual mic to the headphones. I'm going to use velco. The mic in question can be found on the american ebay and can be had for £15 including p&p. If you dont like the sound of modding a boom mic alot of people use the zalmon clip on mic.

If you want to go for the astro package the best places to buy them from are

LIME | A40 Audio System Headset and Mix Amp

or

| Astro Gaming

If you decide to just get the maixamp, you can buy it on its own from either of the above sites.

I got my ad700s from...

Audio Technica ATH-AD700 Open-Air Dynamic Headphones | SALE Now On!


The mixamp on its own is £99.

The astro a40s and mixamp are £199

The Ad700s are £99

The zalman clip on mic is £10-12 if you can find it

The labtech boom mic is £15 on ebay

For the best result you should go for the ad700s and mixamp, plus something like the zalman mic. However if you want to get the astro package that is excellent also. You wont get quite the same sound quality than you would with the ad700s, but you'll get excellent quality none the less.

For christ sake, dont get sucked into the idea of going for a wireless gaming headset. Things like the x4s and x41s by turtle beach maybe more convenient, but you'll never get anywhere near as good sound quality as you would through the mixamp and something like the ad700s. Plus due to them being wireless they can suffer for interference and are known to hiss at high volumes. The only reason to go for something like this is if you dont want to spend much money. I cant understand people paying £150 for the X41s, but thats just my opinion.

Jamie

thanks for the great reply.. i wasant interested in the astro headset because of the gimick of such

i was told the ultrasone have wider soundstage and alot more thump in the bass which would be good for music as well so im not sure which to go for yet i thought ad700 had the best soundstage. i dont really care what they look like as there going to be on my head and i wont be looking at them lol

however i do like the feature of the mic attached to the headset however you menioned that there is a way to stick it on..

Qpad's come with a mic. looks pretty styleish but i dont know about this headset. i heard they are good but i would hope so for 200 pounds!

AD700 + Mixamp = 215
Ultrasone + Mixamp 240
Qpad + Mixamp = 315

so ultrasone and ad700 price is nearish i guess 315 is my max price but the reason i will pay alot is because i will be using them alot so kind of works out.

does anyone have any experience with the qpad's?

[jamienufc]

Heres a link to the labtech boom mic mod I was talking about

FraGTaLiTy's Audio-Technica AD700 boom mic Mod - MLG Forums

Here's where to pick one up from

Labtec LVA-7330 ClearVoice Head Microphone 3.5mm Plug on eBay (end time 15-Nov-09 01:27:18 GMT)

There maybe something similar you can pick up for cheaply in the uk?

The Zalman clip on mic can be found here

Amazon.com: Zalman Microphone Zm-Mic1 High Sensitivity Headphone Microphone Retail: Electronics

or here

Zalman ZM-MIC 1 Microphone: CrazyPC Computers

Note sure they are sold by uk retailers.

The option of the AD700s, mix amp and zalman mic sounds messy, but it isn't. Pairing the ad700s with the mic and mix amp is turning them into a fantastic gaming headset which will out perform everything else including the astros.

[Drubbing]

THe Qpad is essentially a blinged up DT770, a terrific music headphone, but any of the other products will perform just as well for gaming, for less money.

[XHitman]

what about these

Beyerdynamic MMX300 Gaming Headphones (MMX 300) HiFi Headphones

http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/senn...rodid-242.html

would it require a better amp?

[Spinning Plates]

The MMX300s are very easily driven (32 ohms) so the mixamp would have no problem powering them.

There will be a good write up on the MLG forums comparing several headsets (A40, HPX, PC350) along with the Sennheiser HD595/HD650.

The Showdown Of The Three Giants: HPX vs PC350 vs A40 (Review) - MLG Forums

[jamienufc]

Originally Posted by Spinning Plates

The MMX300s are very easily driven (32 ohms) so the mixamp would have no problem powering them.

There will be a good write up on the MLG forums comparing several headsets (A40, HPX, PC350) along with the Sennheiser HD595/HD650.

The Showdown Of The Three Giants: HPX vs PC350 vs A40 (Review) - MLG Forums

If you've got £240 to spend on a set of headphones alone then it seems the Sennheiser HD650 are well worth considering.


Sennheiser HD650 | SALE Now On!

[llama]

the soundstage for gaming on the 650's is awful aparently. and it will need an amp or it will sound horrible

[XHitman]

i need the best headphones with widest soundstage and low bass

whats the best options AD-700 or is there better?

[Drubbing]

Originally Posted by XHitman

i need the best headphones with widest soundstage and low bass

whats the best options AD-700 or is there better?

AD700 is a hugely popular choice for gaming, wide soundstage and is light on bass. Soundstage maxes out with games files at a certain point, so more $$ doesn't = more soundstage.

[XHitman]

do you think i should just get astro mixamp and ad700 then?

[crazy8s]

Originally Posted by XHitman

do you think i should just get astro mixamp and ad700 then?

mixamp + ad700

or

su-dh1 + ad700

either setup shouldn't cost you more than £200

[Bonessi]

Originally Posted by crazy8s

mixamp + ad700

or

su-dh1 + ad700

either setup shouldn't cost you more than £200

That's exactly what mine cost - add delivery and it came to about £210. Both dispatched yesterday (headphones from iheadphones and mixamp from astrogaming.co.uk, expecting today / tomorrow delivery)

NB: It's also what another forum member is using (JamieNUFC). We both did a lot of research into them (seperates and came to the same conclusion for the price).

[jamienufc]

Originally Posted by Bonessi

That's exactly what mine cost - add delivery and it came to about £210. Both dispatched yesterday (headphones from iheadphones and mixamp from astrogaming.co.uk, expecting today / tomorrow delivery)

NB: It's also what another forum member is using (JamieNUFC). We both did a lot of research into them (seperates and came to the same conclusion for the price).

Great to hear you kits been posted chris

I'll ping you a FR when i'm on later.

Let us know how you find your Ad700s and mixamp.

[Bonessi]

Originally Posted by jamienufc

Great to hear you kits been posted chris

I'll ping you a FR when i'm on later.

Let us know how you find your Ad700s and mixamp.

just this minute unboxed them... Mixamp should be here in a day or two.

Had a quick listen through the Sony receiver I've got and instantly impressed. About to put it through some burn in though while I work today / tomorrow and prior to getting the mixamp.

[XHitman]

mixamp is 115 pounds here and ad700 is 99.00

[jamienufc]

Originally Posted by XHitman

mixamp is 115 pounds here and ad700 is 99.00

Mixamp is £99.95

MixAmp - A40 MixAmp | Astro Gaming

Ad700s are £99.99

Audio Technica ATH-AD700 Open-Air Dynamic Headphones | SALE Now On!

[XHitman]

Originally Posted by jamienufc

Mixamp is £99.95

MixAmp - A40 MixAmp | Astro Gaming

Ad700s are £99.99

Audio Technica ATH-AD700 Open-Air Dynamic Headphones | SALE Now On!

its £110.99 from astrosite m8 a wippy 4 pounds wahoo

[Bonessi]

Originally Posted by XHitman

its £110.99 from astrosite m8 a wippy 4 pounds wahoo

£106.50 with delivery from Astrogaming.co.uk (not the com)...

From lime it's £115 and I don't think that includes delivery.

These are the only two places you can get it from in this country brand new.

Anyway, it's an excellent piece of kit and cost the same as the JVC (when you add import tax etc)

[XHitman]

Originally Posted by Bonessi

£106.50 with delivery from Astrogaming.co.uk (not the com)...

From lime it's £115 and I don't think that includes delivery.

These are the only two places you can get it from in this country brand new.

Anyway, it's an excellent piece of kit and cost the same as the JVC (when you add import tax etc)

thanks then ill get it for 106.50

[jamienufc]

Originally Posted by Bonessi

£106.50 with delivery from Astrogaming.co.uk (not the com)...

From lime it's £115 and I don't think that includes delivery.

These are the only two places you can get it from in this country brand new.

Anyway, it's an excellent piece of kit and cost the same as the JVC (when you add import tax etc)

I didn't add p&p but I guess you realised that once you'd gone through the motion of putting the mixamp in your basket and going through the checkout hitman.

I've heard astrogamings customer service is very good and your likely to get your mixamp in a couple of days as long as astro dont use RM.

Have you decided to get the ad700s or are you still undecided?

[XHitman]

Originally Posted by jamienufc

I didn't add p&p but I guess you realised that once you'd gone through the motion of putting the mixamp in your basket and going through the checkout hitman.

I've heard astrogamings customer service is very good and your likely to get your mixamp in a couple of days as long as astro dont use RM.

Have you decided to get the ad700s or are you still undecided?

yh i think so m8

[Bonessi]

Originally Posted by jamienufc

I've heard astrogamings customer service is very good and your likely to get your mixamp in a couple of days as long as astro dont use RM.

To be fair I ordered my AD700's at the same time as the Astro's and they got delivered by Royal Mail for £3.99 and arrived earlier than the Astro's (UPS)...

[XHitman]

Originally Posted by Bonessi

To be fair I ordered my AD700's at the same time as the Astro's and they got delivered by Royal Mail for £3.99 and arrived earlier than the Astro's (UPS)...

how are you finding the ad700 and the mixamp?? how do they sound without the mixamp does the mixmap make it alot better?

[Bonessi]

Originally Posted by XHitman

how are you finding the ad700 and the mixamp?? how do they sound without the mixamp does the mixmap make it alot better?

Well if it means anything, I've been gaming with my headphones on the past 2 or so nights and preferring to do that instead of using my 5.1 seperates set up I have. If I could turn my seperates up full blast I'd use that, but for the neighbours, I don't...

I have a long enough optical cable, but I can see why people would want a longer one for their needs.

Few things...
- You hear a lot more that you woulnd't normally do
- They are extremely confortable and light - I wore mine for 5 hours straight last night and was fine.
- Obviously, there's no mic with this set up, but I picked up a cheap desktop mic for the time being although I've not had chance to try it yet so can't comment on that (I'm looking to get / make a boom mic though (the desktop mic I have can be easily modified to act as a boom mic)
- Putting the headphones through the amp, rather than running them alone makes a huge difference imo. Much louder, much clearer, it makes the game more immersive for me.

Initially just ran them through the ipod to make sure they worked etc. Then ran them direct through my 5.1 receiver (non dolby headphone) and watched a bit of some HD film on Sky - it's very, very good.
I got the mixamp and had a blast on Borderlands running through that and the clarity on it is amazing. I'm running it at about 10 o'clock on the dial and that is way loud enough for me.
- There is enough bass. I ran a bass-heavy album by Tricky and the bass was as good I've heard on other headphones. I still need to connect my ipod to the amp and run the same album through that and see what the direct comparision is though.

I don't think you'll be disappointed. The packaging I got mine in wasn't as professional / as good as the Astro headset is (no case etc, but I didn't want phones with a mic and (from what I've read, have better audio quality). I'm not dissappointed.
The mixamp box is very professional looking though and comes with all the cables you need to get going (except the optical) I'm running the power through the USB port at the back and it's fine (I didn't get the battery pack as an additional)
Oh, these are open headphones and as such, they do let out sound. However, I deliberately got open ones and I won't be using these on the bus. I could have them as loud as I wanted though and the neighbours wouldn't know I was in, which was my main driver for getting them.

Bit of a brain dump...

[jamienufc]

Originally Posted by Bonessi

Bit of a brain dump...

Some good points about the mixamp and ad700s though.

I really need to put some stuff through mine and burn them in for the recommended 200 hours.

[HaZ]

I'm currently using a pair of pre-owned ATH-A900's and previously used Sennheiser HD555's from new (still got them)

Both are great for gaming. I kinda prefer my hd555's in terms of soundstage and comfort. I could pinpoint players positions with ease with just an x-fi xtreme music.

I purchased the A900's mainly for LAN as they'll probably isolate/keep outside noise out a bit better than the open 555's.

Probably best to stay away from the so called *Gamer* headphones, although the PC350's from Sennheiser are supposed to be quite decent.

[jamienufc]

Originally Posted by har1bo

I'm currently using a pair of pre-owned ATH-A900's and previously used Sennheiser HD555's from new (still got them)

Both are great for gaming. I kinda prefer my hd555's in terms of soundstage and comfort. I could pinpoint players positions with ease with just an x-fi xtreme music.

I purchased the A900's mainly for LAN as they'll probably isolate/keep outside noise out a bit better than the open 555's.

Probably best to stay away from the so called *Gamer* headphones, although the PC350's from Sennheiser are supposed to be quite decent.

You mentioned it in your post, but the hd555's will produce a better soundstage, due to them being open.

Good call about 'gaming headsets'

I can never understand people paying around £150 for something like the turtlebeach x41s, when for £50 more they could pick up a mixamp and something like the AD700s.

I always get flamed when i mention this in the 360 headphones thread. I understand some people want 'wireless' headsets, but how much freedom do you need playing a game? you play infront of your tv. I've also heard that wireless gaming headsets can suffer from hissing at high volumes and interference (although not in all cases). I don't understand why you'd put up with this and restrict yourself with a gaming headset? A proper set of headphones are more versitle and can be used for watching movies, listening to music etc. Plus time and time again they have gone head to head and come out on top in terms of overall SQ and soundstage.

(apologies to anyone reading with a gaming headset, its just my pov, no offence meant).