Headsets
Headphones

SteelSeries Siberia V2 Limited Editions Review

i know its hard to belive, but if you dont have good hearing, then good headset is waste of money.

however, yeah, siberia is awesome since always. especially if u get it with external sound card

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Computer-Gaming-H...232a09d5bf

this one?

Looks shady.
Would avoid.

These look like fakes.

Don't buy a headset

for PC and games it's okish. for listening proper music it isn't ofc.

i'd recommend Sennheiser above all for that price.

Yeah just get good headphones and this

http://www.modmic.com/
I got the 3.0 test version (purchase link in their blog) it's probably the best mic for gaming use instead of a headset. The sound quality is better on the 3.0, but it's less flexible and has a connector that sticks out the back. I asked them for a defective boom and did flexibility testing if anyone has questions on it.

Looks good. Never going to buy another 'gaming' headset again, I'll be getting decent headphones instead and using a separate mic, so this is of interest to me like.

Sony HeadSet 7.1 PS3, much better than pc gaming crap headphones, check awesome controls on youtube!

I'm not 100% sure but I think u don't necessarily need gaming headphones to have optimal sound in QL. If you have 130€ to spend, I would go for a Sennheiser or something.

If you play other games as well then it's a diffrent story.

Don't buy gaming headsets / headphones. Waste of money, dude.

Buy a pair of headphones from a real audio company and buy a clip-on microphone as well.
For your budget you could buy:
http://www.thomann.de/gb/sennheiser_hd380_pro.htm
http://www.thomann.de/gb/audio_technica_atr_3350.htm

Sennheiser HD 595

Go with this, + clip-on microphone

Had these headphones for a very long time. Very good sound quality. But it sounds watered down without an amp. Sound quality with amp was exceptional, the highs made it perfect for gaming too.

Don't look into these if you can't find a way to give them enough power since a cheap 30 euro headphones will sound the same that way.

Got the Audio Technica AT-HM50 now. These pairs do great with and without amp (38ohm). Recommend OP to look into these or headphones <40ohm to use unamped.

headphones amps - worthless

worth it for the right headphones. It's not a good idea to spend comparatively much on amps and dacs, which in the end are enhancers for the main piece of hardware.

(I know it doesn't apply on a very specific scenario, but still)


edit, days after lol: what I wanted to say is dac/amps aren't worth it for 99% of headphones, and for those that are the decision should be to spend the most money on the headphones themselves. Also, for music on the go portable amps aren't that much worth it really, now that there are specific products that do all aspects involved pretty decently (storage, playback, good dac, decent amp all in one).

worth it for the right headphones. It's not a good idea to spend comparatively much on amps and dacs, which in the end are enhancers for the main piece of hardware.

Thats partially correct, people often misleadingly believe that they will significantly improve their sound system with spending shitton of money on top-range components, focusing strictly on headphones or loudspeakers.In the end when they finally buy these components and plug them in, they find out theres is a minor improvement or not the kind they were expecting to.. my point is that Audio system is like a chain, that takes proper matching, it is only as good as the weakest link of it.Amplifier can mean this significant improvement, it can decide from hearing something and not hearing at all.. as the name says it AMPLIFIES low-level signals to a louder volume.It doesent help you maxing out the volume in windows eq. or something like that.. only an amplifier can amplify these background sounds, micro details!

That post is a simplification, that works for the vast majority of headphones on the market. Now, If anyone is shopping for hi-end (the 1%) even then the focus should be the headphones themselves, because it's the thing that by far matters the most in the chain and very few absolutely need amplification.

While it isn't high end for music by any means, the 595 are a top pick for gaming and they do not require an amp and won't benefit much from an amp, getting better cables and so on. Also note "hi-fi for music" doesn't necessarily mean better for gaming: for example I find the 595 better for that than the much more expensive and praised 600, including using an amp (the 600 really benefits from it, but it isn't an absolute must).
source: I own a soundstage modded 555 (same driver, materials and design as the 595) and a 600 (latest rev). Love both for their specific usage and that they both are money well spent.

Same goes for speakers,a market in which tons of people spend absurd amounts in amplification compared to their speakers. In headphones this isn't as much of a problem since decent amps aren't that expensive (plenty of choices lower than $100), but there are absurdly expensive options too (over $1000).

Now, If anyone is shopping for hi-end (the 1%) even then the focus should be the headphones themselves, because it's the thing that by far matters the most in the chain and very few absolutely need amplification.

Well, thats up to every individual to figure out what suits him best.. personally I disagree.

While it isn't high end for music by any means, the 595 are a top pick for gaming and they do not require an amp and won't benefit much from an amp, getting better cables and so on. Also note "hi-fi for music" doesn't necessarily mean better for gaming: for example I find the 595 better for that than the much more expensive and praised 600, including using an amp (the 600 really benefits from it, but it isn't an absolute must).
source: I own a soundstage modded 555 (same driver, materials and design as the 595) and a 600 (latest rev). Love both for their specific usage and that they both are money well spent.

Youre comparing very different headphones between each other.The reason why you think 595 and 555 sound better over HD600 is the internal resistance of the phones.I assume that phones intended for gaming will range from 16-32ohm which makes them easy to drive from a soundcard imprinted on ur mobo.Your 595,555 range around 50ohm.. I dont know if these have 1/4 or 1/8 jacks, but lets assume you can plug them on your pc.A common receivers, amps and whatnot that you buy in your local stores have around 50ohm output impedance aswell, which matches your 595,555 perfectly, even if all of these components are cheap.Now when we move to your hd600, you can clearly see it has much higher resistance, around 300ohm.. it is a MUST to have an amplifier with higher power.This is probably a reason why AKG abandoned k240 production in traditional 600ohm version, but makes it in 50ohm instead etcetc.What im trying to tell you is, that you dont just use any amplifier, but you use the RIGHT one!!Hence why you receive dedicated ones with electrostatics and so on... those hd600 are top-quality phones that easily wipe both of others that youre naming here.

With loudspeakers its a little different.. like with any niche peripherals, products can range from 100e-100000e.Ofcourse you dont need to break your bank for this thing, something ranging from 150-250e would be enough.

Edit:Ah just noticed Alborzs post above.. he basically explains the same thing. :)

Hi, I just wonder - what amp would you recommend for HD650?
I'm actually on Essence ST soundcard, and as you can easily imagine, the 650's needs proper amping.
Yeah, I googled about but opinions, but they're so different from each other (from Lovely Cube to OTL Tubes amps), that's really hard to pick something that will be a perfect match for these cans. I'm intrested in your opinion :)
Cheers.

I too was once looking for a pre-amp for a pair of HD650's not too long ago :).

First things first, if you have a soundcard on the level of an Apogee Duet 2 you don't actually need to buy an amp - I was told this by the senior design engineer from Apogee who also uses HD650's! I say this because it's always best to get the clearest sound possible early on in the chain.

If you do want to buy a pre-amp for your HD650's though here are some not only recommendations but definitely the ones you should choose between.

For a solid state amp get the Objective2, very highly recommended.

If you want a tube amp, get the Little Dot MK III, no question.

Thx for the reply :)
Yeah I heard about those two amps. Some people on Head-Fi forums were saying that they're not _that_ good for 650's.
I mean, they are ok at the beggining, but in the long term, it's better to buy something lil' more expensive.
What do you think about Bottlehead Crack or DarkVoice 336?

Honestly couldn't say a word about either headphone amp. But you really have to trust me on this, those two that I previously stated are high quality and more than you will need.

I'm sure you already know this but take what you read on Head-Fi very lightly. For one, it's a sponsored forum. Secondly, most of the posts have no scientific merit whatsoever and sound is so subjective! Thirdly, the moderators also have shady practices of censoring posts as well. shocking really.

You should try consulting forums that are based around people who work in audio, such as Sound On Sound. Wish I could direct you to more -good- audio based forums but I've lost my bookmarks unfortunately :(

What people recommend these days is the Bottlehead crack.

About head-fi, in the end it's a forum. That means anyone can post there, so comments have to be taken with a grain of salt. For example no one takes hitsu and jamerio seriously and you shouldn't trust someone that says "dude you have to buy $100 cables".

Im not familiar with the soundcards nor the SS-amps, all I did in head-fi was posted my ecc32 collection so dont ask me for specific products..

Same thing applies to 650 as to 600 theire both 300ohm.Judging from your otl question.. you want to try tubes?The perfect match would be anything based off the ecc230/6080, because it has rp somewhere around 300ohm aswell.

http://www.mif.pg.gda.pl/homepages/frank/sheets/030/e/ECC230.pdf <--- page 2, Ri marking.

All of them strive for the same thing either going for transformer coupled or output transformerless.. but keep in mind OTLs are cheaper.What you do with ecc230 based amps is basically use the tube itself as an output transformer for the drive stage in cathode follower configuration, because then.. your amplifier will have the same output resistance as the tube youre using as cathode follower which means ecc230=300ohm.

So going through swiftly I guess this should work flawlessly with your phones:
http://www.bottlehead.com/store.php/products/...lifier-kit
http://www.wooaudio.com/products/wa3.html
http://arkhipovs-laboratory.com/amps_eng.htm

Notice how all of them use the same ecc230 tube?Just look for that Im certain theres someone in your local area that builds these things no need to order from the other side of the world and pay shippments.If anything I can sell you the material I stock several thousands of tubes, got all sort of it

The reason why I prefer those for gaming is they have a bigger soundstage and more precise sound than the 600, compared with and without amplification. More expensive phones doesn't necessarily mean they are better on every aspect, or even better at all.

"Requiring" an amp is a matter of opinion really. All proper hi end phones benefit from amplification, but saying that a specific product requires amplification depends on what a person thinks about what "requiring" means.
Following the prior example, it's safe to say the 595 doesn't need amplification. Then comes the 600, which clearly benefits from it to the point some people will say it's a must to buy it with an expensive external amp ($200+), while others will say $100 is enough and the rest will think you should buy it when you want to, though it'd be nice.
I'm on the third position because amp-ing them isn't night and day, as in them sounding twice more expensive, and in the end they work anyway. In other cases it is a must though, like in 600ohm, he-X hifiman series and stax.

I though I already clearly explained this to you.. you dont plug such phones to any jack available, but to a proper amplification.

Let me try with examples then:

http://www.alldatasheet.com/datasheet-pdf/pdf...M2768.html

This is a classis opamp builtin in the dvd/cd players you find used by random manufacturers.If you look at page 2 and look for Power output 1/2 you can see the rates at 32 and 16 ohm.These numbers dont tell us anything yet, lets proceed.

http://www.jdslabs.com/item.php?fetchitem=o2full

This one was suggested from one of the above posts.I will take it because its battery run and somewhat similar to the one in cd-rom.Now take a good look at how much output power this amp has at 32ohm!!!

So you see how can you say 555/595 sound better if you havent even listened your hd600 properly??????The reason why 555/595 feel better is just because theire more suitable to the amps youre using right now which is around 50ohm and power output is perfectly suitable for that kind of phones.But when you try plugging in hd600 into such low current thing then its just... sure u hear the sound and they play, but still youre not receiving what youre supposed to, get the picture??Take a good look at AKG for example, theire entire STUDIO line is based around 50ohm load.. that makes them suitable for common nowadays equipment.Son you need some more power for your hd600, then come and let me know if theire still crap the way you think they are now.

Edit:

With the first example.. Im just trying to demonstrate how the equipment is from your pc nothing else.Such opamp is builtin in every dvd player etc.

Who said I don't own an amp? Probably my whole office-only sound setup costs more than your pc, maybe car.

maybe you do.. but like said owning one doesent make it suitable to hd600 you can take V-meter and measure it yourself.

edit: or check the datasheet of your amp

again edited post.. maybe care to share this office-only setup u happen to own, now I got curious?

well now you edited your post stax is electrostatic these are not related to topic

Edited by megaman3 at 10:13 CLT, 2 July 2013
Comment #47 @ 11:04 CLT, 2 July 2013 >>

Nope.

http://en-de.sennheiser.com/professional-dj-h...hd-280-pro
http://geizhals.de/eu/?phist=49452
http://us.akg.com/akg-product-detail_us/k272-hd.html

i know Sennheiser have good headphones but i have onboard music card ;x

what´s wrong with 30€ headphones?

i know a good cheaper one from AKG, but it is not closed i think
AKG K 540
http://geizhals.de/eu/?phist=598965

i have this headphones also
AKG K618DJ
http://geizhals.de/eu/?phist=760832
too much bass for playing ... i prefer the 540 if i had it ... but the DJ ones are closed and working fine with my cell phone

they awesome but have one big con - shit quality making them uncomfortable as hell

The Audio-Technica AD700's large sound stage and anemic bass make it the ideal headset for sound localization. This does not apply to quake unfortunately due the poorly implemented sound engine.

Assuming that you ever play games other than QL, then most "gaming" headsets wouldn't perform well sonically at all. Burning 130 euro on a gimmicky; overpriced pile of razer / steelseries shit that they spew out by the ton isn't a bright idea. Luckily more desirable options exist.

http://www.head-fi.org/f/ is a good place to start.

http://www.head-fi.org/products/plantronics-gamecom-780

i've got a sennheiser and am completely satisfied, it also plays music very well.

Superlux HD-681 B
http://www.thomann.de/pl/superlux_hd681_b.htm

+

Zalman ZM-MIC1
http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00029MTMQ

i have used steelseries 5h for few years, when tryed siberia , it was so shit, I coun't tell where is enemy . tryed in CS and QL, maybe it's different and need to adapt, but I would go for 5hv2 for sure if I need to pick btw these two.

I have a good sound example for a good headphone, if you can hear the sound very clearly then the headphones will work in Q3A & QL
Try diff headphone for comparsion ...

First i did not noticed that well the sound at all with the AKG K618DJ on my cell phone, then at home i tried it over an amp with the AKG K272HD ... well there it was very clear !

Rammstein - Bestrafe mich [HQ] English lyrics

There is a keyboard sound wich will repeat over the music, a *new years eve rocket sound* ... try it >8-)

Plantronics GameCom 780

Best headset in it's pricerange by far, will save you a lot of money as well since its around € 50.

http://www.plantronics.com/uk/product/gamecom-780
http://geizhals.de/eu/?phist=739614
[Review] Plantronics GameCom 780 PC gaming headset
GameCom 780 review

I guess split the money and get a decent audio card too

Grado PS1000 + plus a clip-mic
Koss Porta Pro + a normal mic

get a brain lmao :D

Koss SB-45 Communication Stereophones

ad700s for best game sound
sennheisher hd 558 for good music+game sound

Check out Superlux HD 681, basically an unbranded AKG K 242 HD for only 20€. In addition to that a clip-on or table microphone and you are good to go.

Superlux HD-681 B

Why the fuck did you post a German-English translation of a German review as a reply to my post? I'm speaking German fluidly :D. Or is it for Crash so he can read a review about them?

do i have to comment this ?
i don't think so >8-)
YES rage with *fuck* in it i like that !

since the topic maker is polish, do i have to translate to polish ?
i don't think so !

If someone is interested in USB sound AMP, there is one for 3.5mm Stereo Headsets ... if you are running a laptop or notebook

FiiO makes the E10 model, wich provides over USB Stereo sound and drives up to 600 Ohms big headphones

[Impression] FiiO E10

FiiO Olympus E10 prizes €EU

FiiO Olympus E10 prizes UK

Anyone have recommendations for headphones (not specifically a gaming headset) for max £100? I'd rather not need an amp, either.

If it's for gaming, get cheapest possible. No need to buy expensive audio hardware if its only for gaming. I've had high end sennheiser before, very good sound quality, although very bad bass.

unfortunately sennheiser, worst built quality i've ever come across on headphones.

Last two headset i got was cheap as fuck, and both works very well. 1st was cheapest sony v150 or something, going strong on 7y now or something, and second is a koss porta pro, because its design from 80's that have stood the test of time to be very sturdy design built to last.

HD 558 is a great allrounder if you want something for music too, also decent even without an amp imo. And you can make it near identical to the more expensive 598 with a simple mod.
Can't say anything about the durability yet, but I read there were some known issues with the plastic cracking that have supposedly been fixed with the newer batches.