Gaming headsets

I've been thinking on getting the Sennheiser 598hd SR for gaming use (mainly listening, I'm on a PS4), for a budget of 150 USD, can I do better? Is it worth investing a couple of more dollars to get a better experience? This is probably a one and done purchase.

I prefer wired, with the chance to exchange the cable that connects the headphone (the weak link), so reliability and durability are preferred.

@Madmick thanks in advance
 
Lone Coyote said:
I've been thinking on getting the Sennheiser 598hd SR for gaming use (mainly listening, I'm on a PS4), for a budget of 150 USD, can I do better? Is it worth investing a couple of more dollars to get a better experience? This is probably a one and done purchase.

I prefer wired, with the chance to exchange the cable that connects the headphone (the weak link), so reliability and durability are preferred.

@Madmick thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Also, at this moment, HiFi man 400i are just a bit more expensive than the 598hd Sr, is the differential worth it?
 
Lone Coyote said:
I've been thinking on getting the Sennheiser 598hd SR for gaming use (mainly listening, I'm on a PS4), for a budget of 150 USD, can I do better? Is it worth investing a couple of more dollars to get a better experience? This is probably a one and done purchase.

I prefer wired, with the chance to exchange the cable that connects the headphone (the weak link), so reliability and durability are preferred.

@Madmick thanks in advance
Click to expand...

Lone Coyote said:
Also, at this moment, HiFi man 400i are just a bit more expensive than the 598hd Sr, is the differential worth it?
Click to expand...
I'm a Sennheiser whore, but the HiFiman 400i are considered a full tier above those in terms of sound quality. Those cans debuted with an MSRP of $499. It's a bit nuts to see them for $185 on Amazon (the Sennheiser HD 598 base model debuted for $319, comparatively). Biggest difference between the two is the transducer type. The HiFiman are Planar Magnetic, not Dynamic, and I can offer you no insight there since I have never used Planar Magnetics. Talk to @nhbbear, but without reading back through the thread, I can't remember if he ever purchased a pair built on that technology. Don't think he did.

Nevertheless, I wouldn't ignore the user reviews. Sennheiser just kills it. The 599 is supposedly a bit better, but on paper, they're spec'd nearly identically, and the 598 SR has higher sound pressure which I've noticed most tend to prefer, so I estimate it's the better value among the Sennheisers.
The other major player to consider here is a closed-back headphone. I don't like closed-back, but many do for the greater noise isolation, especially with gaming, and these cans are legendary:

Hopefully Bear has more input. I can't guide you better than that, but if you don't mind wires, and don't mind modding the mic, then I definitely think you want to pick from one of these four. I'm a Sennheiser man, and I'll leave it at that.
 
Last edited:
Madmick said:
I'm a Sennheiser whore, but the HiFiman 400i are considered a full tier above those in terms of sound quality. Those cans debuted with an MSRP of $499. It's a bit nuts to see them for $185 on Amazon (the Sennheiser HD 598 base model debuted for $319, comparatively). Biggest difference between the two is the transducer type. The HiFiman are Planar Magnetic, not Dynamic, and I can offer you no insight there since I have never used Planar Magnetics. Talk to @nhbbear, but without reading back through the thread, I can't remember if he ever purchased a pair built on that technology. Don't think he did.

Nevertheless, I wouldn't ignore the user reviews. Sennheiser just kills it. The 599 is supposedly a bit better, but on paper, they're spec'd nearly identically, and the 598 SR has higher sound pressure which I've noticed most tend to prefer, so I estimate it's the better value among the Sennheisers.
The other major player to consider here is a closed-back headphone. I don't like closed-back, but many do for the greater noise isolation, especially with gaming, and these cans are legendary:

Hopefully Bear has more input. I can't guide you better than that, but if you don't mind wires, and don't mind modding the mic, then I definitely think you want to pick from one of these four. I'm a Sennheiser man, and I'll leave it at that.
Click to expand...

Thanks @Madmick

The reviews heavily favor the Sennheiser, this is my first "high end" headphone purchase, so I wanted to know if money was better spent anywhere else.

I've never had an open headphone, but I've read that open headphones are almost universally preferred.

I don't like to struggle with sync not battery life, that's why I prefer wired, keeping it simple. I know that the weakest link is always the cable, so I'm trying to be ahead of it by buying headphones that allow cable changes.

Let's hope that @nhbbear gives us his insight
 
Lone Coyote said:
Thanks @Madmick

The reviews heavily favor the Sennheiser, this is my first "high end" headphone purchase, so I wanted to know if money was better spent anywhere else.

I've never had an open headphone, but I've read that open headphones are almost universally preferred.

I don't like to struggle with sync not battery life, that's why I prefer wired, keeping it simple. I know that the weakest link is always the cable, so I'm trying to be ahead of it by buying headphones that allow cable changes.

Let's hope that @nhbbear gives us his insight
Click to expand...
Indeed. You're not in an arena.

Sure seems to me that once a guy goes high-end open-back...he never goes back. It's otherworldly.
 
So damn funny, but the phillips shp9500a are selling for $240 and the phillips fidelio X2 are $230. I love my SHPs and they are my daily driver i bought them for $66 and a boom mic for $30(vmoda). The fidelios arena greaf, and it makes me sad that i stepped on them, but gun to my head; i take the fidelios
 
Madmick said:
I'm a Sennheiser whore, but the HiFiman 400i are considered a full tier above those in terms of sound quality. Those cans debuted with an MSRP of $499. It's a bit nuts to see them for $185 on Amazon (the Sennheiser HD 598 base model debuted for $319, comparatively). Biggest difference between the two is the transducer type. The HiFiman are Planar Magnetic, not Dynamic, and I can offer you no insight there since I have never used Planar Magnetics. Talk to @nhbbear, but without reading back through the thread, I can't remember if he ever purchased a pair built on that technology. Don't think he did.

Nevertheless, I wouldn't ignore the user reviews. Sennheiser just kills it. The 599 is supposedly a bit better, but on paper, they're spec'd nearly identically, and the 598 SR has higher sound pressure which I've noticed most tend to prefer, so I estimate it's the better value among the Sennheisers.
The other major player to consider here is a closed-back headphone. I don't like closed-back, but many do for the greater noise isolation, especially with gaming, and these cans are legendary:

Hopefully Bear has more input. I can't guide you better than that, but if you don't mind wires, and don't mind modding the mic, then I definitely think you want to pick
from one of these four. I'm a Sennheiser man, and I'll leave it at that.
Click to expand...

I am drunk, but are you asking between 598s and hifi400i? I say the hifi. I have them both, and before I sat on them and they bent and the ear came off, they were my movie headphones. Now that they are temporarily out of commission(they can be fixed) I alternate between the 598 and beyer dynamic dt990. The 598s are nice and compact, the hifi are not. But the hifi are very comfortable and the planar magnetic sound is just richer more vibrant than the 598.

Someone asks me which are my favs, it’s my phillips fidelio(also out of service after I stepped on them-i have bad luck) or the phillips shp, but they are both mid $250. The 598 when i bought them was $140 and the hifi were $160. If it’s close with hifi
 
Lone Coyote said:
I've been thinking on getting the Sennheiser 598hd SR for gaming use (mainly listening, I'm on a PS4), for a budget of 150 USD, can I do better? Is it worth investing a couple of more dollars to get a better experience? This is probably a one and done purchase.

I prefer wired, with the chance to exchange the cable that connects the headphone (the weak link), so reliability and durability are preferred.

@Madmick thanks in advance
Click to expand...

If you get an intact set of 598s, there is a built in mic on the wire. If you buy used, or the cord gets damaged, you will not easily be able to have game chat because of sennheiser’s propriatary jacks.
 
nhbbear said:
If you get an intact set of 598s, there is a built in mic on the wire. If you buy used, or the cord gets damaged, you will not easily be able to have game chat because of sennheiser’s propriatary jacks.
Click to expand...

Thanks bro. That drastically affects the durability, I still haven't figured out how to place a built in mic on the 400i. Especially when one of the most common fixes is around 80 dollars.

I've also seen beyerdynamic 990, but the lack of replacement cable turns me off.

Choosing a pair of headphones isn't easy.
 
@Madmick @nhbbear

Got the 6xx from massdrop. As right now there's a drop in 200usd.

Apparently, is the same as 650, different color, different cable length, and that's it.
 
I've just used a cheap set from gamespot for 30 bucks or so, seemed to work good when I was playing
 
Lone Coyote said:
@Madmick @nhbbear

Got the 6xx from massdrop. As right now there's a drop in 200usd.

Apparently, is the same as 650, different color, different cable length, and that's it.
Click to expand...
Goddamn, what a score. I am genuinely excited for you. Mine are the HD650's in name, but you and I are on the same cans. Open-back ftw.
nhbbear said:
I am drunk, but are you asking between 598s and hifi400i? I say the hifi. I have them both, and before I sat on them and they bent and the ear came off, they were my movie headphones. Now that they are temporarily out of commission(they can be fixed) I alternate between the 598 and beyer dynamic dt990. The 598s are nice and compact, the hifi are not. But the hifi are very comfortable and the planar magnetic sound is just richer more vibrant than the 598.

Someone asks me which are my favs, it’s my phillips fidelio(also out of service after I stepped on them-i have bad luck) or the phillips shp, but they are both mid $250. The 598 when i bought them was $140 and the hifi were $160. If it’s close with hifi
Click to expand...
My bad, you own so many I'm afraid I'm wasn't certain on the inventory & opinions off the top of my head after this much time had passed. I knew the Fidelios were your favorites, but I'd also forgotten that you like the HyperX Cloud II's so much, though that doesn't surprise me considering my own experience with v1. Kingston still rules among the sub-$100 wired gaming headsets.

I'm surprised we haven't seen more questions about the forum concerning the Beyerdynamic DT990's considering those are the headphones Ninja famously wears and swears by for their positional accuracy (he combines them with one of the external headphone DAC amplifiers). Unlike his two NZXT PC rigs (or his lumninescent Red Bull man cave) there is no sponsorship dictating this choice:


Here was an article from this past March about the headphone setup of the Top 10 Fortnite Streamers, and I think these lists are more useful than Pro lists because those guys are all concerned with noise isolation, not necessarily the ideal setup if that isn't a burden. Streamers are like gamers at home. Most of these guys are former pros, so you'd expect them to gravitate towards closed-back since they are accustomed to that style from all the hours preparing and competing, and yet half of them use open-back headphones. Meanwhile, 3 of the 5 who use closed-back headsets are on either Astro or Logitech because of sponsorship. In fact, Dakotaz was poached from Astro by Logitech just this past summer, and switched to the Logitech G933 from the Astro A40 meaning the only sponsored open-backed choice on the list is now a sponsored closed-backed choice.
https://www.headphonesty.com/2018/03/best-fortnite-streamers-and-their-gaming-headsets/

Conversely, the Sennheiser streamers there don't even have a Sennheiser webstore referral on their Twitch pages.
 
Madmick said:
Goddamn, what a score. I am genuinely excited for you. Mine are the HD650's in name, but you and I are on the same cans. Open-back ftw.

My bad, you own so many I'm afraid I'm wasn't certain on the inventory & opinions off the top of my head after this much time had passed. I knew the Fidelios were your favorites, but I'd also forgotten that you like the HyperX Cloud II's so much, though that doesn't surprise me considering my own experience with v1. Kingston still rules among the sub-$100 wired gaming headsets.

I'm surprised we haven't seen more questions about the forum concerning the Beyerdynamic DT990's considering those are the headphones Ninja famously wears and swears by for their positional accuracy (he combines them with one of the external headphone DAC amplifiers). Unlike his two NZXT PC rigs (or his lumninescent Red Bull man cave) there is no sponsorship dictating this choice:


Here was an article from this past March about the headphone setup of the Top 10 Fortnite Streamers, and I think these lists are more useful than Pro lists because those guys are all concerned with noise isolation, not necessarily the ideal setup if that isn't a burden. Streamers are like gamers at home. Most of these guys are former pros, so you'd expect them to gravitate towards closed-back since they are accustomed to that style from all the hours preparing and competing, and yet half of them use open-back headphones. Meanwhile, 3 of the 5 who use closed-back headsets are on either Astro or Logitech because of sponsorship. In fact, Dakotaz was poached from Astro by Logitech just this past summer, and switched to the Logitech G933 from the Astro A40 meaning the only sponsored open-backed choice on the list is now a sponsored closed-backed choice.
https://www.headphonesty.com/2018/03/best-fortnite-streamers-and-their-gaming-headsets/

Conversely, the Sennheiser streamers there don't even have a Sennheiser webstore referral on their Twitch pages.
Click to expand...

I discarded the DT990 for the lack of user replaceable cables. I mean, you can open change the cables, but that's a lot of effort for something that could be plug and play.

Thanks for the help, I'm super excited. Can't wait to try them.

I'm not so excited because apparently, to "fully" enjoy the headphones you need an amp/dac, totally different animal and requires a sustancial budget and research
 
Madmick said:
Goddamn, what a score. I am genuinely excited for you. Mine are the HD650's in name, but you and I are on the same cans. Open-back ftw.

My bad, you own so many I'm afraid I'm wasn't certain on the inventory & opinions off the top of my head after this much time had passed. I knew the Fidelios were your favorites, but I'd also forgotten that you like the HyperX Cloud II's so much, though that doesn't surprise me considering my own experience with v1. Kingston still rules among the sub-$100 wired gaming headsets.

I'm surprised we haven't seen more questions about the forum concerning the Beyerdynamic DT990's considering those are the headphones Ninja famously wears and swears by for their positional accuracy (he combines them with one of the external headphone DAC amplifiers). Unlike his two NZXT PC rigs (or his lumninescent Red Bull man cave) there is no sponsorship dictating this choice:


Here was an article from this past March about the headphone setup of the Top 10 Fortnite Streamers, and I think these lists are more useful than Pro lists because those guys are all concerned with noise isolation, not necessarily the ideal setup if that isn't a burden. Streamers are like gamers at home. Most of these guys are former pros, so you'd expect them to gravitate towards closed-back since they are accustomed to that style from all the hours preparing and competing, and yet half of them use open-back headphones. Meanwhile, 3 of the 5 who use closed-back headsets are on either Astro or Logitech because of sponsorship. In fact, Dakotaz was poached from Astro by Logitech just this past summer, and switched to the Logitech G933 from the Astro A40 meaning the only sponsored open-backed choice on the list is now a sponsored closed-backed choice.
https://www.headphonesty.com/2018/03/best-fortnite-streamers-and-their-gaming-headsets/

Conversely, the Sennheiser streamers there don't even have a Sennheiser webstore referral on their Twitch pages.
Click to expand...


Yeah, I have the dt990. First serious purchase I made. Very comfy, but oddly not as comfy as Astro 40s or rig800s, both gaming headsets.

The dt’s are my movie headphones with the sennheiser 598s. The hifi 400i were my everyday set before they got crushed by my chair.
 
Lone Coyote said:
I discarded the DT990 for the lack of user replaceable cables. I mean, you can open change the cables, but that's a lot of effort for something that could be plug and play.

Thanks for the help, I'm super excited. Can't wait to try them.

I'm not so excited because apparently, to "fully" enjoy the headphones you need an amp/dac, totally different animal and requires a sustancial budget and research
Click to expand...

Amps and dacs are expensive as fuck and I believe that most of the comments found in the net are based on placebo and purchase bias.

Electricity is scientifically measurable
 
Madmick said:
I'm wearing them right now.

Yeah, the HD 6xx & 7xx series are sort of a tier above the HD 598, but I definitely doubt they're so much better it would be worth the $285 to buy them. Some who have owned both offer detailed side-by-sides don't seem to be that impressed with the HD 600:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sennheiser-hd598-vs-hd600.571752/#post-7754531
Others disagree, and appreciate the HD 600:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sennheiser-hd598-vs-hd600.571752/#post-10272822

I'm in the group of listeners who adore "neutrality" in sound balancing, and love the HD 600's for that quality. Principally even those who diss the HD 600 seem to believe or acknowledge that the HD 600 is a tier above, but only with a powerful headphone amp and DAC combo to drive it, with the "cheap" combos they mention costing $75-$100+.
Click to expand...
Apparently, there's a new choice for an amp, the JDS atom. And for a dac amp combo, topping dx3 pro seems to be the ideal "budget" option, with enough power to drive heavy impedance headphones.

Whatever that means.
 
I haven’t read through the thread yet, but I will go back. I’m looking for a pretty good headset, but most “gaming,” branded headsets are shit tier. Especially those with mics built in. Any recommendations on a good set of cans with no mic? Something like Sony or Sennheisser? In the $150-$200 range(better if theyre in that range on sale).

Thanks guys.
 
Jumpy said:
I haven’t read through the thread yet, but I will go back. I’m looking for a pretty good headset, but most “gaming,” branded headsets are shit tier. Especially those with mics built in. Any recommendations on a good set of cans with no mic? Something like Sony or Sennheisser? In the $150-$200 range(better if theyre in that range on sale).

Thanks guys.
Click to expand...
Check post #184 from above. You're after the exact same thing in the exact same budget range as @Lone Coyote. I added a few headsets to our list (you might find post #85 & post #89 interesting to consider):

Open-Backed
Closed-Back

Don't forget to check Massdrop. Coyote scored huge with them:
https://www.massdrop.com/audiophile
Lone Coyote said:
@Madmick @nhbbear

Got the 6xx from massdrop. As right now there's a drop in 200usd.

Apparently, is the same as 650, different color, different cable length, and that's it.
Click to expand...
Looks like this deal is still active. This is the one you want:
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-sennheiser-hd6xx

 
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