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What are the best ~$200 audiophile headphones for gaming?
Hello, I'm a gamer/audiophile interested in buying ~$200 headphones for music and gaming. Gaming is the priority, and the wider the soundstage, the better.
The headphones I've heard are the best in this price range after a bit of research are the Dt 990 Pros, K7XX, Shp9500, and 58X's. Which of these would be the best for gaming (widest soundstage mainly), which is the best for bass-y electronic music, and which is the best for hi-fi, accurate sound reproduction? I'm open to other suggestions, these are just the ones I've heard are the best.
To anyone who owns two or more of these, comparisons are greatly appreciated. If anyone has any reccomendations for a budget-friendly amp, I'd love help with that as well. Thanks in advance!
(Edited)
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keyboard_arrow_downMist_x
88
Jan 8, 2019
HD 598, DT 990 are good for the price and have a wide sound stage. HD 598 is neutral and DT 990 is more bassy, I own both although the 598 is a little old... I personally love the bass for hip hop and it does pretty well when I play FPS games on the DT 990. K702, K7xx is also something I heard that's decent but the imaging I'm not so sure about, I know it's on the neutral side and a little bright. You might need an amp for K702/k7xx, something like a JDS Labs atom will set you up for a while, just plug it in your PC and that will give you more volume, but always test first to see if you are happy with the volume level. Personally I haven't found the need for an amp for the DT 990 250 ohms, and you definitely won't need an amp for the HD 598. 58x and 6xx, and other 600 series headphones sound stage are extremely SMALL. Like even some closed backs I heard have a better sound stage which is why I don't like them too much.
I heard some other people recommending AD-900x and 700x too although I don't know much about them, supposedly they have a wide sound stage too.
SHP9500 I believe don't have a huge sound stage either, I heard people recommend the HD 558 over them in the past for gaming headphones albeit they are discontinued now and I believe HD 579 is there replacement.
(Edited)
JAMF
0
Jan 8, 2019
Mist_xCan't say I missed not having an amp with my K7xx on an Auzentech Prelude or Asus Xonar DGX. Now running without a dedicated sound card on the Mayflower ARC DAC/Amp (with microphone ADC for the Modmic). I'm very satisfied with the sound stage and imaging of the K7xx, but I have no other headphones yet to compare them with.
ModernPerpectiveTechnology
24
Jan 8, 2019
Alright thanks. I'm definetely leaning towards the 990s right now.
Keth
760
Jan 7, 2019
A lot of people recommending the HD6XX, must not have read the bit about wanting sound stage. The K7XX is a decent choice, but if you scrap the amp and toss more into the budget I'd snag a pair of Fidelio X2's...they've got a lot of bass, wide sound stage, but are not great for competitive FPS games as the imaging is hazy and imprecise.
TubeHead35
12
Jan 7, 2019
Get a (BoomPro) microphone from Vmoda and add it to a set of VMODA headphones. Of course, if u want stage I like the K7xx,or Sennheisér X5júbilee
SeanWasTaken
9
Jan 7, 2019
I have the 6xx for gaming and absolutely love them. I play mostly FPS and I pick up on sound cues my team mates miss quite a bit. For ps4 you need an external amp. You can run them through the controller but its pretty quiet. I have my ps4 running through my reciever and that works great. My computers onboard sound card runs them just fine.
(Edited)
DannyRogue
8
Jan 5, 2019
You don't want bassy headphones for gaming, you will induce fatigue which makes gaming a bad place to be.
HD6XX are excellent for gaming, but you would need an external amp to drive them, the 660S would possible be better but still requiring an amp.
Your best bet is to go and listen to a short list of cans in person, take some recorded game audio, yes do this as it will give you an understanding of what the cans will sound like when gaming.
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