Since bfun hasn't created one of these yet, and OG10 is lurking, I'll go ahead. What headphones are you guys using to play games and listen to music? I love gaming with headphones. It's a much more immersive experience, especially with horror games like System Shock 2 or Dead Space. I currently have a set of Sennheiser HD 555s, which are a midrange set that can be found on Amazon for around $100. They have pretty good range. My HD 570s tended to over-emphasize treble, but these sound good across the board. They also have soft padding in the right spots that make them comfortable to wear for long stretches. My only complaint is that the headphone cable is not detachable. It's soldered on. I also no longer use a sound card. I run optical out to an old Panasonic receiver. I had a Zero DAC for awhile, but it overheated and died. It sounded great while it lasted, and could easily accept aftermarket op-amps, but considering the poor reliablity and the fact that it came all the way from Hong Kong, I can't recommend it. I would love a set of HD600s or HD650s, but I could never justify spending that much on headphones.
I use an older set of Sony MDR wireless surround headphones with my big screen TV, but only with movies. They're probably about 10 years old or so. Have to say that I think plain stereo usually sounds better than the simulated surround on those! I have a pair of Shure SRH440's for use with the computer, mostly music and games. I also have a couple of pairs of Ultrasone headphones...HFI-15G S Logics and Zino S Logics. I use the Zino's at work and the HFI for portable music at home.
Being that I am not too fancy when it comes to this sort of thing I am still using a set of Sony MDR-XD200's that I got about 3-4 years ago. The sound is pretty good and the bass is great, not the most comfortable I have to say and certainly not pretty but for occasional use they do the job. I still use Sennheiser CX-300 in ear jobbies with my iPod. Onto my 4th pair now as the build quality is pretty poor but for the price I haven't been able to find anything as good. Every time the right one has failed and I end up listening pretty much exclusively to the left channel of songs. The right is there but its so faint it feels like all the sound is in the left of your head and if you get a solo guitar part on the right then you get near silence.
I have got myself some Ultimate Ears SuperFi 4's. With that I am using a Cowon S9 (which is a really good combo because the Cowon's are the best in sound quality).
I have many but right now I'm only using my AD900. It's been my general purpose headphone for a few years now. I use an Audio GD Compass as my DAC and AMP. The combo is great for gaming. I recommend an AD700 to anyone who wants a good gaming headphone. It's just a slight step down from the AD900 and can be found for a good price. I don't do much portable listening at the moment but when I do I use the Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10 Pro. For long listen sessions I'll use my Sennheiser HD650. My crown Jewel though is my Grado HF2. These were a restricted limited release so the value went up after I got them. They are a fun headphone that make everything sound great. Here is a picture of an Elekit TU-882 Amp. I mostly use it with the HD650s. I've really wanted to try a Beyerdynamic DT800. Some say it's the greatest gaming headphone of all time. I have my doubts about that as I found my DT700 to be a overrated gaming headphone. I'd like to trade my Ultrasone Proline 2500s for a pair. Ultimately though I want to get STAX SR-404 LIMITED Electrostatic Earspeakers and dedicated amp. I'd have to sell my entire collection to fund it but it would probably be worth it. The detail that comes out of these things is only something I have experienced with $20k speakers.
Lol those stax are really big, they fit their name, Ear-Speakers And why those does the plug have 3 pins? Oh and am having the AKG K701, use it for gaming, music, movies, everything. Dont have any AMP or anything between it, just directly into my sound cards front breakout bracket.
The AKG701 is my highest ranking gaming headphone. The sound stage is just so accurate when it comes to distance and even obstacles. Comfort issues prevent me from wearing it for long periods and that’s why I’ll use the AD900 instead. I’ll say this. The AKG701 is about the worst sounding headphone I’ve heard when un-amped. It might not affect gaming much but you’re music will sound much better with a solid state amp. In my opinion tubes don’t agree with it. Unfortunately it’s also a very picky headphone and I don’t think there is a perfect amp out there for it. I’ve always wanted to try it with a Travagan’s Red.
Hehe okej, didnt know they were so good for gaming Asked in a local Swedish store and said i wanted a good gaming headphone, they said this one will do the job the best they could offer. Got it last xmax for about 270 euro's. No wonder i allways hear where the sniper's comin' from @ Arica Harbor lol @ the AMP, i dont have any, but it still sounds great, although am not having the 'ears' for it like you do and ive never had anything better so i wont hear the difference anyway.
I've realised my iPhone earphones are screwed so I need some new ones. Any recommendations for a good set of earphones? Don't mind semi-expensive but I'm no bfun either. Cheeeeeeeers.
Bought these a week ago for 20 bucks, their supposed to be iphone headphone clones lol http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826106484 OFC they just went out of stock just after I bought them :/ I'm still waiting for them to arrive. But Newegg always takes about a week to deliver :/ and their just one state away oh, also bought these on a 48 hour sale http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826735021 don't really care if their good I gpt them for 15 bucks... but I expect them to be decent.
What's you budget? <$50 <$100 <$150 $200+ Here is a guy that has ranked headphones he has tried by value, sound quality, and price. http://www.inearmatters.net/2009/01/list_01.html
I'd guess I'd be happy to pay up to $100 if the quality difference versus standard iPhone headphones was worth it. Is there much of a difference?
both of mine seem to be equal to the apple earbuds. If I'm understanding that right, quite happy with my 20 dollar and 15 dollar purchases
Some difference. You'll get more detail, separation, and clarity but it wont be night and day difference. There are some really good ones under $50 dollars but they can be difficult to locate. IEM change so fast and there are so many it's hard to keep track of whats out there. Look for ones that say balanced armature. They sound better than dynamic drivers unless you want lots of bass. Monster Turbines can give you lots of bass. http://www.amazon.com/MEElectronics-A151-BK-Balanced-Armature-Headphones/dp/B004OBZ2XQ/ref=sr_1_9?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1312056372&sr=1-9 http://www.amazon.com/SoundMAGIC-PL50-Isolating-Monitor-Earphones/dp/B004HCBX44/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1312056487&sr=1-1 Says in stock and out-of-stock. Not sure which it is. http://www.bugdenaudio.com/store/Sunrise-Audio-SW-Xcape.html http://www.head-direct.com/product_detail.php?p=38
IMO, don't spend $100 on in-ear headphones. I've purchased highly rated in-ear phones on Amazon that sound worse than the standard Apple ear buds...and I'm not going to claim the Apple ear buds are anything more than average.
Some people really are just as happy with the iBuds. I guess it depends on what you expect from your audio.
For things like ear buds, I expect a convenient form factor, durability, and moderate sound quality...something that's good for commuting on the subway or workouts. I think I also just dislike the feel of the in-ear phones, where it's more tightly fitted into your ear. Less comfortable, and they have the tendency to fall out during workouts. I greatly prefer over the ear headphones for anything else though.