This is a particular section that I hold dear to my heart as an audiophile. Now this upgrade isn’t nearly as underrated as the seating on, but I feel like it is often left out of people’s budget. I’m going to try to keep this within a reasonable budget but I’m also going to provide some higher end sound options for those of you with deeper pockets.
Headphones
Now before you read all of this and get upset because I didn’t list your headset that you think is great. As a general rule of thumb I do not recommend gaming headsets because 9 out of 10 times you pay for a lot of marketing and get an inferior product. Also I am going to provide a mix of in ear, on ear, and over the ear headphones.
$15 – $50 USD
With most products in the budget category sacrifices are made somewhere in the product in order to offer it at such a low price, in the headphone market this is usually between Build Quality and Sound Quality. I won’t list anything that is just terrible in here, but some products will have great sound but feel cheap and vise versa.
Koss KSC75 – $15 USD
I owned a pair of these headphones when I was 11, my budget was pretty modest and I needed some decent headphones so I could listen to music that wouldn’t break the bank. Honestly for $15 you’d be hard pressed to find a soundstage as even as these. Now these headphones are made of plastic and feel pretty cheap but if you take care of them they should be fine. For those of you who are bass heads you should probable shy away because the bass can be pretty weak.
Panasonic RP-HTF600 – $28 (Amazon)
I’m a huge fan of over ear headphones because I find earbuds to be uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time. The RP-HTF600 is a solid entry in to the budget over the ear headphone market. As a musician I have bought a lot of headphones over the years of varying quality for one reason of another and I came across the Panasonic RP-HTF600’s while I was in High School as a budding keyboardist. These cans are incredibly bassy, the attacks on the bass are kind of weak but these things will still rattle your ear drums. The cable is really long on these so they are good for people whose PCs are a little bit of a distance away. The build quality is meh, but like I said, sacrifices must be made somewhere and the sound on these a pretty good.
Monoprice 8323 – $21
Monoprice makes good, well….everything. Ok that is a bit of an exaggeration, but they really make a wide variety of great products that are incredibly cheap. The 8323’s are no exception coming in at only $21. Now these headphones I don’t have an incredible amount of experience with. These cans I bought for my brother because I trust Monoprice and he needed a new set, but boy was a blown away by these. They have a removable cable which is always the first thing to fail on a pair of headphones and at this price range removable cables is usually unheard of. The build quality is nice and the mids really shine through on these. Unfortunately after long periods of use they can become pretty uncomfortable as they are really tight on the head, but then again I have a big head so your milage may vary.
Sennheiser HD 202 – $24
Sennheiser has been a well trusted brand among audiophiles for years and the HD 202s are no different. Although they don’t quite have the frequency response or soundstage of some of their more expensive brothers they are still a very solid pair of headphones at a great price. I personally don’t really have much experience with these, but they are talked about regularly on HeadFi as being a solid pair of budget headphones that will treat you right if you treat them right.
Sony XB500 – ~$50
S-S-SSSuper bass, seriously these headphones are so bassy that it muddies the mids and the highs a bit. I am still recommending these because they are incredibly comfortable and are still fun to listen to if you are looking for a teeth rattler. I picked up a pair of these before a trip out of the country because I didn’t want to risk any of my nicer pair of cans. Just don’t try to listen to metal on these because it just sounds awful, the kick drum just overpowers everything. These may be discontinued, but they can be picked up on Ebay as cheaply as $25 in some cases. I bought them for $50 new.
$50 – $100 USD
Now this is when we start getting in to the meat of things. For most audiophiles this is still considered budget as many have $600+ cans.
Sony MDR-V6/7506 – ~$70
If you are looking to step up your headphone game a bit without making a trip to the bank and watch as your bank account quickly depletes to support your audio addiction….. not that I would know what that’s like… then these are the cans for you. Sony makes a wide variety of headphones from the cheapest consumer pieces to cans trusted by professionals everywhere. These headphones have remarkable sound considering their price. They have a very neutral sound which means that no one pitch overpowers the other, but unfortunately in the case of these headphones their sound can be a bit flat. I still highly recommend these because their neutral sound offers a wide range of listening experiences.
HiFiMan RE-400 – $79 (Amazon)
Now for those of you who travel and need a good pair of noise isolating headphones then these in-ear headphones are where it is at. HifiMan is well known for making some very technical headphones and these are no different. Now although the bass can be weak I wouldn’t say that these headphones are clinical because the mids are still very pronounced so a wide variety of music can be enjoyed, but rap/hip-hop lovers are left out in the cold.
Audio-Technica ATH-AD700 – ~$80
Alright so if you are someone who likes to listen to a lot of classical music which in most cases caters to sharp clarity then these cans are for you. Now while these over the ear headphones are all about the details they can often feel like audio razorblades because they are just so precise. The sound feels very cold and clinical, but for competitive FPS gamers this is ideal as it will allow you to pick apart what is going on around you.
Fostex T50RP – ~$90
These cans sound great and are heralded by the audio community as one of the most easily modifiable headphones on the market. I picked up a pair for some modding applications and after a lot of trial and error they sound just as good as some headphones that I have experienced that cost in the $300 range. Now one downside to these headphones is they are ugly as hell. Usually how a set of cans looks doesn’t bother me, but holy sweet god these are ugly. Un-modded these sound pretty neutral without being overly technical, but with mods the sky is the limit. For those of you who are interested in modding, you can buy an excellent kit from Mayflower Electronics. Now keep in mind if you plan on modding these you may need to buy (or build) an amplifier to get the volume you are looking for.
Grado SR80e – $100
Now these headphones I don’t personally own, but my friends know how much I love listening to different pairs so I often get a lot on loan. I have roughly 40 hours of experience with these cans so I’m no expert, but in my short listening time if there was one thing that stuck out pretty strong was the treble. These cans are BRIGHT which isn’t really my preference, but drum tracks sound great and gun fire in FPS games sounds amazing. Hearing bullets slap the walls around me in Metro was truly terrifying. Now comfort was a major issue with these in my opinion because I have a large head and the band pressed hard on the top of my head. Now you can greatly improve the comfort of these on the cheap with a little weather stripping tap from a hardware store. I recommend this stuff. Now that link is to a hardware store in the US, this is just to show the product I am referring to I’m sure you can find something similar in other areas.
$100 – $200
This price range is usually the cap for PC gamers unless they have other applications in mid for their setup so this is where I am going to stop even though I have a lot of experience with higher tier headphones.
Creative Aurvana Live 2! – $105
Now at times these headphones can be found as low as $60 as matter of fact they are on sale on Amazon US right now. These cans are great for general purpose listening because they have really strong bass while still having super clean mids and highs. I was super impressed with these cans as they as incredibly comfortable and even have a removable cable. The isolation in these are mediocre, but that isn’t really a selling point for me as I usually game in a quiet area.
Audio Technica M50x ~$150
If you can pick these up manufacturer refurb DO IT. This usually knocks $50 off the price and because of their popularity you can usually find a lot of these. These cans have good solid bass highs without overpowering each other. The mids are pretty weak on these, but that is a sacrifice many of us are willing to make. These cans are super popular among musicians as they fold up nicely, have a removable cable, and are super comfortable. These are my number 1 pick for gamers who have a decent budget because they just sound great across a wide variety of games and remain comfortable after MANY hours of continuous use.
Dunu DN-1000 – $150
If you are looking for good in-ear headphones with nice punchy bass then these are the headphones for you. This is another pair I got on loan (don’t worry I always use my own tips on these things). These things are CLEAR which is a rare find for ear buds outside of true in ear monitors. The bass is pretty heavy without being muddy although the highs can be a bit sharp at time depending on what you are listening to, highly dependent. The sound isolation is pretty good but will diminish as the rubber tips age.
Beyerdynamic Dt990 Pro 250 Ohm – $180
Now before you go out and buy any DT any model from Beyerdynamic there is something you HAVE to keep in mind and that is the resistance on each pair (Ohms). So far throughout this entire article I have not included a single pair of headphones that require a separate amplifier, but I am including these because I am actually using a pair as I write this article. Unfortunately I do not have any experience with the 32Ohm model which will have a different sound. This model out of all of the DT series has the most recessed mid so its sound is very V shaped with incredible bass and pretty sharp highs. Psychedelic Rock from any era is really fun to listen to with these cans. I have played a lot of CS:GO as well as other shooters with these on and footstep clarity is amazing, I have often been accused of using wall-hacks because of it. Despite its V-shaped sound these cans are great for day to day gaming with its downfalls only really noticed when listening to certain genres of music. For a cheap headphone Amp if you feel like a little DIY I recommend you build this little guy. If not the same company sells pre-built models. If there is a lot of interest I may do a video build guide for this one.
Audio Technica ATH-AD900x – $200
Shoot for the closed back version of these which while unfortunately have been discontinued can still be bought on Ebay. The closed back version will give much stronger bass and better sound isolation, but if you must the open back ones are $50 cheaper and while have weaker bass have a wider sound stage. Either model is incredibly clear and super comfortable and is just all around a great pair of headphones.
Conclusion…sorta
Ok so even though I would like to list headphones $200+ I realize It’s likely for naught just based on comments on previous articles about what you guys are willing to spend on different things. I also was going to include microphones but this article is already incredibly long so I am going to save microphones for next week so stay tuned.
Let me know what you thought of this article below in the comments. I love talking about audio so ask any and all questions you have, I will TRY to get to all of them.
Matt Followell is another contributing author here at DSOGaming. A long time fan of PC Gaming and a huge supporter of the open source and homebrew movement. You’ll see him interacting with the community from time to time going by the user-name of Radapples.
Contact: Email
Great post Matt!
Thanks man! I always love hearing feedback from you guys.
keep it up, we need more informative posts like this!
Fantastic post.
My audio consists of a Philips Fidelio X2 going into an ODAC and I use a Blue Snowball as a microphone
The Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro is the best headphone set that I have ever used.
DT770 are better for gaming, and overall imo.
Not sure why you keep on yelling around about DT770 which are objectively worse for gaming immersion than 990s due to more pronounced details and better depth.
Closed -> isolation and better lows for explosions etc. To be honest I have tried 990’s but not in gaming use.
Yeah, bottom end is obviously better, but sense of space and detail & clarity of the sound are better in 990s (and open back, in general), so the overall immersion is much better. Closed backs are also more tiring to wear for longer periods of time since sound pressure within the cups is higher.
I’d go for good open backs in every situation if isolation isn’t necessary.
Too bad most of games aren’t that good with representing the directions of sounds and the virtual space. I haven’t noticed ear fatigue from the sounds/music themselves, but I guess you could turn up the volume on open back headphones more.
Got a new razer phone…still wondering how or and if it does affect my gameplay…till now great!
#Steam #GoVegan
I used to have DT990’s and one of the ears stopped working 3 months after I bought it. Now I have AKG K612 Pro’s and they’re just as good but a little less heavy on the bass. I have them hooked up to a Schiit Magni amp and Creative Titanium HD sound card.
I have the Asgard 2 (also made by schitt) as my desktop amp. How does the Magni sound? I thought about getting one for my father as a gift for his birthday as it is right in my price range.
It’s the only amp I’ve ever owned so I don’t have anything to compare it to. But I bought it based on the good reviews, so I’m assuming it’s good for its price.
Send Beyerdynamics an email, they replaced my 102ie’s no questions asked, they even upgraded them to the iDX120’s all i had to do was send proof of purchase (amazon invoice) they even paid for the shipping.
Got my Roccat Kave XTD Digital True 5.1, have to say, this is the best audio investment of my life, 5.1 games have never been so “sound precise”. With true 5.1 surround (non emulated) you can really pinpoint the position of your enemy. Awesome.
You know it’s not “true” 5.1 right? “True” 5.1 requires the sound to come from actual 3d points in space equally distant around you. It’s a close approximation at best.
Well indeed. But each ear piece has 3 driver (3 little speakers). So in my book, this looks alot like center, front, back + subs to me which we would call 5.1. Anyways, the point was that many are mistaken when they buy a 7.1 surroud sound headset. Most of the time they’re emulated via the soundcard which is ok but it’s nothing close to a real 5.1.
Have to say this is really important for gaming and general media consumption
100% good audio is essential in my opinion.
I own an Edifire 5000Pro 5.1 surround Home Theater, its really great,
I have the DT990 Premium, best headphones I have ever owned.
I almost sprung for the premiums when I bought these, but I heard the Pros had clearer highs so I went for the pros.
I have DT880 Pro 600ohm’s (amoung a few other sets) i like em but not for gaming, too much bass.
$250-$300 price range there’s only one set of options, Sennheiser’s GAME ONE/ZERO’s.
Do not waste money on Razer’s ridiculous “Surround Sound” Headsets.
The Sennheisers also require a headphone amplifier, so you’ll want either a Motherboard with a mid-range Sound Card (Gaming Series in MSI etc.) or a mid-high end range Soundcard from Asus/other. Make sure they mention the headphone amp in the product description.
This is hardcore audiophile territory only though, & people who like to buy really expensive PC accessories 😛
There’s also the great option to buy the Superlux HD688B headset + some soundcard, like Asus Xonar DG. For around 60-70€ you get best sound quality possible in that price range both for music and games.
Cool, interesting and unusual article; I just want to ask why as a self proclaimed audiophile the writer did not even list any real speaker setup, from my experience I can tell you that playing AAA games with my 10 years old +-$2,000 HT speaker setup is not only visual but also audio treat, and unlike gpu these hardware can last decades given the adequate maintenance
Currently i own Polk monitor 70’s, with Polk monitor 40’s for the back and a CS2 center this is a modest 600$ setup and i love it and prefer it to my AKG 553 however i can not listen to it very loud at all unlike my headphones and amp.
I considered adding speakers to this list, but my experience with them isn’t nearly as good as my headphone experience. I’m a headphone guy and while I do have my own speaker setup I wouldn’t be able to make a real list out of my experience.
I got in to audio at a young age thanks to my father, but my mother was always an opposing force. She would constantly badger dad about listening to music too loud which is probable why my focus has been more on headphones because I can listen to them as loud as I want without disturbing people. Well in most cases.
You’re missing a lot, but I agree it’s easier to test headphones than speaker set-ups.
Guide should have been, Audio-Technica ATH-AD700 than AKG Q701… done.
really depends on what you play but bass is good for immerison, but god awful for situational awareness aka competitive FPS.
Hmm … I think the article lacks a bit of more of the technical aspects that should be known like if it features 2, 5.1 or 7.1 channel and whatnot (not really an audiophile so I don’t really have that much knowledge on these things). I know you could just search the item on the net but I think it will be better if you include it here 🙂
All of these headphones are 2. Most headsets you will buy utilize virtual surround sound which is all software. Now some headsets include multiple drivers within each ear cup, but these often sound terrible in my opinion. If you want surround sound and your on-board audio doesn’t support it, you’ll want to buy a sound-card for any of the headphones I have listed.
All Analog Audio (jack plugs, can actually use a Soundcard) is Stereo, unless the device in question markets itself as a “Surround Sound” Audio product, in which case it varies between 5.1 & 7.1.
The big difference between the two is that the Analog “Stereo” set only has one driver per-ear, relying on Software to “simulate” the Surround Sound experience, whereas the Analog “Surround Sound” product has way more drivers per-ear, & thus instead attempts to create an Analog Surround Sound experience in the limited space available. It’s my experience that most audiophiles consider such products to be absolute failures at generating “true” Surround Sound, hence if you want real Surround Sound, you get a Speaker setup, & nothing but.
All Digital Devices (USB port, don’t use Soundcards) are crippled to varying degrees based on what Software comes bundled in with them, since the Software tries to simulate Surround Sound, instead. I believe 90%+ of these are 7.1-compatible these days, but regardless, yeah, it’s in the product description either way.
The big difference between Digital & Analog is that Digital doesn’t compare to the power of Digital-to-Analog-Converting (DAC) Hardware (all Audio that originates from a CD, PC, Music Player etc. is Digital until converted using DAC’s), hence Analog is the only thing Audiophiles can ever go for.
Footnote: No, Gramophones are Analog.
I went a bit dummy-proof on the explanation just in case anyone else reading this can’t figure something out 😛
An excellent explanation at that Zatara. I have featured your comment so that everyone can see it. 🙂
Cheers ^^
Further Footnotes: Ever since the late ’60’s Music’s been mixed in Stereo by default, so iTunes/CDs/etc. Music is always Stereo, though you can find (at least Physical) releases that advertise themselves specifically as Mono because they were originally recorded like that before being Remastered for Stereo (ex: The Beatles in Mono).
Movies usually get a 5.1/6.1/7.1 Lossless Surround Mix when they get a Blu-Ray Remastering, unless it’s not an actual HD Transfer (ergo just a lousy up-scaling job from the previous DVD release which unfortunately happens). Back cover/info panel should contain specifics, so if you’re a Blu-Ray buff, you definitely want Speakers for the full experience.
Can you recommend me a good 7.1 Speaker setup?
Speakers are more convenient, in my opinion. If you play longer using headphones you begin feeling pressure on your head, also ears and eardrums get tired. Not too good if you want to relax.
They really are, but Headphones are cheaper to get in to so it appeals to a wider market.
Not true. Well made and lightweight headphones don’t put pressure on your hear and unless very treble focused, shouldn’t be tiring to listen to. I could use my K7XX for 10 hours straight.
Yeah, probably you’re right if you take some top-tier headphones into account. But if you’ve not much money you’re better off buying speakers or your head and ears will get tired.
Dunno, K7XX are huge value for the money and you can’t get anywhere close to the level of fidelity within same price range of speakers. Bigger the element, the higher the price. Cheapest way to get good quality audio is earbuds, though headphones are best “middleground”. My speakers cost a bit over thousand euros and I still prefer using headphones for all my gaming needs.
Sennheiser 598’s and a Sound Blaster zx, perfect setup.
I’d just add another set to the list if anyone is interested? The Brainwavz HM5 is a very, very solid closed back set of phones that you can find re-branded cheaply around the world. I’ve owned Sennheiser HD580s, they have a similar sound, not as good but not a million miles away either.
“I do not recommend gaming headsets because 9 out of 10 times you pay for a lot of marketing and get an inferior product.”
AMEN
DT 990’s are partly open, I have no idea why you didn’t choose 770’s with 80ohm. 250ohm is hard to run and open headphones loose bass and let sound come in.
The DT990 Pros are fully open. I bought them for the wider sound stage and I have the amplifiers to push the volume wether I am at home or on the go.
Few people have amplifiers and I’d imagine better low end frequencys and closed system would be better for gaming.
Like I said, in my article I only listed those because I am currently testing them. I don’t really have any experience with any of the other DT models, only this one.
Lol DT990 250 ohms are surprisingly easy to push.
But still the manufacturer recommends a separate amplifier with them. You could just get the 80ohm version if you dont have one. The difference in driveability isn’t massive but why not, no reason to have 250 if you dont have the hardware.
High impedance =/= need for amplification. Get your facts straight.
Same headphones with lower impedance -> no need for amplification. What else could it be? That’s what I got from everything I read when deciding whenever to get the 250 or 80 ohm version of 770’s. Enlighten me.
Great article. After many trash “gaming” headsets I bought entry-level Audio Technica ATH-T500 and it is great. I had to get used to better sound for a few weeks, it was that different. It is worthy upgrade, more than many people think.
nice article. i currently have the syberia v2 that i bought a few years ago. they sound good in videogames but terrible for music. they are the most confortable headsets i’ve ever had but i think im done with “gaming” stuff.
that being said, it would be nice to see an underrated upgrades article on standalone microphones to use with all these headphones
Audio-Technica MSR7 is the best thing out there , got one 5 months ago
Sporting a DT990PRO 250 Ohm paired with an classic SB X-Fi Titanium….sound absolutely amazing!
Awesome. Thank you 🙂
Great article. I’d also highly recommend the Antlion Mod Mic to anyone looking at a pair of these headphones. It’s a $50 mic that attaches to any pair of over ear headphones via a small magnet (for easy detachment when you don’t need it). Now granted, it may not be good enough if you plan on doing recording of any kind, but it’s more than adequate for gaming with friends, etc. A decent pair of headphones combined with this product will likely blow most gaming headsets completely out of the water.
Not much of a point going higher than 200$ for headphones. If you’re a gamer, any multi-channel sound system will be must have above that price. If you’re a musician, a pair of good monitors. I don’t think there are many audiophiles on this site.
Headphones don’t give a good sound picture, which is required mixing. I’m using TB Isone and Redline Monitor, but it’s still not the same.
Asus D2 + Sennheiser HD 205 II = pure bliss