best possible gaming headphones set up?

[christianscott27]

let me try and make my confusing question understandable -

i'd like to upgrade my audio experience, getting a home theatre set up would be out of my price range and mostly useless since i cant blast the speakers in our apt. that leaves me with headphones.

currently i have a fairly nice pair of earmuff style phones running thru a stereo, the stereo is nothing fancy and only outputs left right speaker. it sounds alright but is there anyway to take it to the next level? buy some sort special reciever or something?

[WanganRunner]

The B E S T? Or just really good?

Because it's a BIG difference brudda...

Here's the BEST headphone setup in the world:
http://www.headphone.com/layout.php?topicID=3&subTopicID=26&productID=0020089090

The Sennheiser Orpheus, all $12,000 of it. It will easily match loudspeakers that cost a half a million dollars (yes, they do exist).

So now that we've established that we're not going for the absolute best, what do we need? The most important thing to remember is that no matter HOW good the component you're plugging the headphones into, I guarantee you that the sound coming out of that headphone jack is CRAP.

The headphone jack on any piece of equipment is driven by a seperate tiny amplifier, and it is usually a $5 afterthought in the construction of even the best gear. What you need is to use your line-out (or AV out, or whatever) on your reciever to get un-muddied sound, unamplified sound.

Once you have this unamplified sound, that's been untainted by the $5 POS, you need to amplify it, with a standalone headphone amplifier. I'd recommend something like this:
http://www.headphone.com/layout.php?topicID=3&subTopicID=27&productID=0010010010

Make sure you're using high quality cable too. Skimping on cable is selling short the rest of your gear. So now we have clean sound from a clean source that's been properly amplified. What are we going to listen to it with?

I use Grados, I've got 2 different pairs (SR60s and SR225s). I recommend the SR60s for portable use when you can't lug a headphone amp around, but for home, I wouldn't go lower than the 80s, and I really recommend the SR-125s, which will handle anything any game will ever pump out. Here they are:

http://www.headphone.com/layout.php?topicID=3&subTopicID=26&productID=0020090125

Before you ask, I do NOT work for Headroom, it's just a good place to get pictures of all this stuff from. I do order some stuff there.

This setup will be, sonically speaking, the equivalent of a very formidable home theater. You'd be hard pressed to match the SR-125s with sound from speakers even in the $5-10k range.

As you can tell, I'm pretty serious about this stuff. At work I use a Sony IVO-V11 Portable CDI player as my CD player, line out to a Musical Fidelity X-CANS Tube headphone amp, with the SR-225s. Got any more questions, shoot me a PM. Headphone audio rules, for those of us (a la me) without the cash to buy serious home gear.

EDIT: These guys (Antique Sound Labs) also make KILLER headphone amps.

http://www.divertech.com/antiquesl.html#HEADPHONE

[christianscott27]

well taking a step back from that, i mean i'm on a limited budget here. thanks for the advice, i just cant spend like that. i'm looking at these things here

http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4013853

http://europe.thrustmaster.com/products/d_prd.php?p=T176&fam=62

useful or gimmicked up crap?

[The Manimal]

i have senns...not sure of model number. they are pro monitor ones ...

[Jibbajaba]

I also use headphones for playing games. You should get a "Sennheiser DSP Pro".


The Sennheiser DSP Pro has a Dolby ProLogic decoder, a Toltec virtual surround processor, two memory presets (for favorite settings) and outputs for two pairs of headphones. There are surround modes to simulate the ambiance of a theater, concert hall, center speaker and night club. Of course, bass, balance, volume, delay and mute controls are included. The mute button is an extremely important feature if you use the DSP Pro for TV watching. The gray metal case is plain looking but sports red LEDs for late night adjustments.

The DSP Pro tricks you into thinking you're listening to surround sound on a pair of headphones. The Toltec system takes the DSP Pro's 5-channel ProLogic signal and computes the time delays and differences in loudness for each of the five speakers of a surround system, then feeds a virtual surround stereo signal to its two-channel output. It's great for late night movie watching or catching the X-Files in surround sound.

There are two of them on eBay right now and the bidding is very low. Pick one of these up and then just get whatever pair of headphones you want. This thing is great because you plug the audio outs on your console directly into this thing, without needing a stereo. I don't know how they manage to simulate surround sound, but it really works.

Chris

[WanganRunner]

useful or gimmicked up crap?

Gimmicked up crap

Firstly, do not buy "force feedback headphones". Don't buy wireless either, before you ask.

If your purposes are primarily gaming, pick up one of those Sennheiser DSP Pros Jaba's talking about (I've used one, they DO work), and a pair of Grado SR-60s.

I believe the DSP Pro actually includes a headphone amplifier of some sort or other.

If you can pick up that Sennheiser thing for less than $30, and then spend $70 on the Grados, you've got a VERY nice sounding setup for under $100. It'll almost certainly outperform any PC soundcard, and probably also most commercial recievers (and those gawdawful "Home Theater in a Box" things).

[hydr0x]

i have a Plantronics/Sennheiser DSP 500 for my PC, it has a build-in soundchip, it
's great! if something like that is available for TV (seems so looking at the posts above), go for it

[The Manimal]

Watch the sensitivity on those bitches if your receiver or TV sucks! It may make everything sound crappy. My Senns do that. :( But either way, they are the best headphones I've ever had.

[junglehunter]

I'd go for Sennheisers as well. I have 2 pairs (one wireless), and they've been the best I've had, ever. My dad has a pair that are still going strong and I believe he said he bought them in about 1988 or so. 8-)