• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

What kind of headphones should I get for gaming and general use ?

Joined
Jan 11, 2016
Messages
48 (0.02/day)
Processor I5 8400
Motherboard H310M DS2
Cooling 1 stock case fan
Memory 2x8GB 2400
Video Card(s) Inno3D GTX 1070 TWIN x2 v3
Storage CT240BX200SSD1 (240GB SSD) + TOSHIBAHDWE140 (4TB HDD)
Display(s) G246HL 1080p 60hz
Case Thermaltake V3 Black Edition
Power Supply Seasonic M12II-520 EVO
Mouse Madcatz MMO TE
Software OS : Windows 10 Pro 64 bits
Hello there !

My 2 year old headset just died. It was shit. It was a cheap french off-brand gaming headset that I got for 30€, before I acquired a proper appreciation for money and quality.

I have now, though, and I want something durable and good quality that can last me for a decade. I don't want to spend more than 100€ though as I'm also saving for a pc upgrade.

So I spent the last few hours looking at options, and I'm leaning towards the HyperX Cloud 2 headset, which I read is the best out of all the gaming headset "shit show". Lowest I found here was 70€.

If I look at separate headphones + mic options, I can see popular options that are sadly rather expensive. Sony MDR 7506/Audio Technica ATH-M40x for 98€, Sennheiser HD 429 for 79€, Monoprice 108323 for 52€. There's also the Superlux hd681 at 20€ which fits into the budget ... but is open (more on this later).

As far as mics go I read that the zalman clip-on mic was shit. The other 2 that stand out are the Antlion ModMic 4 at 47€ and the VModa Boom Mic at 15€.

Here are a few details on how I plan to use the headphones :

- Mainly gaming, also watching shows and movies and listening to music. I'm no audiophile, but I still enjoy good audio quality.

- Won't be transporting them often, if ever.

- Comfort is a big factor, for long gaming sessions. I don't have a big head or big ears though.

- I'm reluctant to use open headphones both because I don't want to wake up people sleeping in an adjacent room and because there can be at times a lot of noise that breaks my immersion.

- The mic is an important part because I'm often playing with friends and communicating in online games. I'm also reluctant to use a desk mic because my mechanical keyboard and sometimes noisy background would get picked up and annoy everyone.

- A huge thing that bothered me about my now dead headset was the mic picking up sound from the headphones. I was told that cheap headsets tend to do that. So, I really want to be rid of this problem now.

I'm looking for opinions before making my choice. Should I go for the HyperX Cloud 2 or non-gaming headphones with a separate mic ? If the latter, am I losing much by going for closed headphones ? Is the sound coming from open headphones as loud as I think or is it more like mumbling ? Sound isolation here is shit. Finally, any opinion about the 3 mics I wrote about ?

Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks for taking the time to read :)
 
Joined
Feb 13, 2018
Messages
159 (0.07/day)
Location
Finland
Processor i7 4770K
Motherboard Asus Z87-Expert
Cooling Noctua NH-U12S, &case fans all controlled by Aquaero 6
Memory 2x8GB TeamGroup Xtreem LV 2133MHz
Video Card(s) Vega 64
Storage Samsung 840 Pro + 2x 5GB WD Red@RAID1
Display(s) Dell U3014
Case Lian Li PC-A71B
Audio Device(s) Sound Blaster ZxR, Objective2 (2x), AKG K702&712, Beyerdynamic DT990
Power Supply Seasonic Prime Titanium 650 (+Eaton 5P 1550 as "backup power")
Mouse Logitech G700
Keyboard Logitech G810
- I'm reluctant to use open headphones both because I don't want to wake up people sleeping in an adjacent room and because there can be at times a lot of noise that breaks my immersion.

Should I go for the HyperX Cloud 2 or non-gaming headphones with a separate mic ? If the latter, am I losing much by going for closed headphones ? Is the sound coming from open headphones as loud as I think or is it more like mumbling ?
If sound leaking from open headphones would bother anyone in adjacent room that only means two things:
A: Your hearing is guaranteed to "retire prematurely".
B: Better hope bird won't accidentally get inside because it could break those walls by flying through them.

Sound leak from open headphones isn't even enough to cause problems with microphone attached to them.
In quiet environment listening at hearing safe volume it would be detectable inside couple meter distance. (in same room)


Closed design is huge challenge even for old audio makers and very few closed headphones can somewhat match just good open headphones.
Good big sound stage open headphones and binaural sound simulation gives besides 360 directionality also good sense of distance.
Sounds will literally feel like genuinely coming from farther away and different distances...
Instead from bucket around your head with some sounds just being more muffled than others.

That below 100€ is just where these traditional audio makers don't really yet have good level full size headphones.
For example AKG K612 (pretty neutral bass) and Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro (fun punchy bass) go little over 100€.

Though from cheaper ones Superlux HD-330 is certainly impressive for its price having compared it to Beyerdynamic DT990 and Sennheiser HD595.
Sound stage is step smaller than in those and feels little more bass emphasized than DT990.
But it's still heavenly compared to "head in bucket under water" of closed bass heavy gaming trinkers.
Ear pads just feel little bit made for Asian measures...

First minute of this is excellent quick test for gaming fitness of headphones with gun shots at different directions and distances.
 
Joined
Oct 26, 2008
Messages
155 (0.03/day)
Location
Whittier so california
System Name Rubens
Processor Intel Core I5 3570K
Motherboard MSI Z77 Mpower
Cooling Air
Memory DDR3 8 Gigs
Video Card(s) 2 AMD Radeon HD 7850 Crossfire
Storage 3 Sony Hard drives
Display(s) LG 24"
Case ThermalTake X Series
Audio Device(s) Realtek onboard
Power Supply Antec 650
Software Windows 7
Benchmark Scores Not OCed yet 3.40
Hello
You should check out the great reviews here on gaming head sets.
I found them very helpful.
I got the steal series artic 7 wireless and I am very happy with them.
All around nice set of head sets.

Ruben
 
Joined
Mar 18, 2015
Messages
2,960 (0.90/day)
Location
Long Island
My son had a pair of $355 Sennheisers that broke because they were real comfy and when he got up for a bio or snack, he'd rip them off his head which eventually pulled the cable from the headset. He grabbed a Logitech G930 cause that was what was available at local store and sent the Senn's out for repair ... but when the Senn's came back, I noticed he was still using the 930s and when I asked why, he said they were better for gaming. He only uses the Senn's now when lying in bed listening to music.

Right now we have two G933's and two G930s, plus two Senns for music ... most expensive Logitech purchases was $105. Unfortunately, for reasons I can't quite fathom, Logitech products are extremely expensive in Europe.

HyperX Cloud Alpha has gotten good reviews s does the Steel 7eries Arctis 7 (and 5 at low cost) ... but again, European pricing, at least outside of UK, is a bit puzzling. I'll check with a few folks from across the pond and see what they use.
 
Joined
Nov 29, 2016
Messages
667 (0.25/day)
System Name Unimatrix
Processor Intel i9-9900K @ 5.0GHz
Motherboard ASRock x390 Taichi Ultimate
Cooling Custom Loop
Memory 32GB GSkill TridentZ RGB DDR4 @ 3400MHz 14-14-14-32
Video Card(s) EVGA 2080 with Heatkiller Water Block
Storage 2x Samsung 960 Pro 512GB M.2 SSD in RAID 0, 1x WD Blue 1TB M.2 SSD
Display(s) Alienware 34" Ultrawide 3440x1440
Case CoolerMaster P500M Mesh
Power Supply Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
Keyboard Corsair K75
Benchmark Scores Really Really High
"I want something durable and good quality that can last me for a decade. I don't want to spend more than 100€ though..."

Umm, not much choice there...

Corsairs maybe?
 
Joined
Feb 11, 2008
Messages
607 (0.10/day)
Location
Omaha, Nebraska, USA
System Name Built By Me
Processor Intel Core i9 9900K @ 5.1 GHz
Motherboard Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Ultra
Cooling Custom Water Cooling - CPU Only
Memory 32GB (2 x 16) GSkill Ripjaws V DDR4
Video Card(s) RTX 4080 - ASUS ROG Strix 16GB OC - P Mode
Storage 1TB Samsung 970 Evo NVMe
Display(s) Alienware AW2723DF @ 280 Hz @ 1440P
Case Fractal Design Define S2
Audio Device(s) Corsair Virtuoso Pro
Power Supply 850W Seasonic Platinum
Mouse Razer Viper V2 Pro @ 2k Hz
Keyboard Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless - ROG NX Snow Switches
Software Windows 11 Pro
I use some "free" earbuds that came in the box of a new cell phone for the sound portion of a game and use some $15 Logitech H110s for the voice portion of a game and that has worked perfectly fine for me. My friends don't have any complaints about my voice quality and I can hear what is going on around me without issue.
 
Joined
Oct 19, 2007
Messages
8,185 (1.36/day)
Processor Intel i9 9900K @5GHz w/ Corsair H150i Pro CPU AiO w/Corsair HD120 RBG fan
Motherboard Asus Z390 Maximus XI Code
Cooling 6x120mm Corsair HD120 RBG fans
Memory Corsair Vengeance RBG 2x8GB 3600MHz
Video Card(s) Asus RTX 3080Ti STRIX OC
Storage Samsung 970 EVO Plus 500GB , 970 EVO 1TB, Samsung 850 EVO 1TB SSD, 10TB Synology DS1621+ RAID5
Display(s) Corsair Xeneon 32" 32UHD144 4K
Case Corsair 570x RBG Tempered Glass
Audio Device(s) Onboard / Corsair Virtuoso XT Wireless RGB
Power Supply Corsair HX850w Platinum Series
Mouse Logitech G604s
Keyboard Corsair K70 Rapidfire
Software Windows 11 x64 Professional
Benchmark Scores Firestrike - 23520 Heaven - 3670
Love my corsair void headphones.
 

AlienIsGOD

Vanguard Beta Tester
Joined
Aug 9, 2008
Messages
5,111 (0.89/day)
Location
Kingston, Ontario Canada
System Name Aliens Ryzen Rig | 2nd Hand Omen
Processor Ryzen R5 5600 | Ryzen R5 3600
Motherboard Gigabyte B450 Aorus Elite (F61 BIOS) | B450 matx
Cooling DeepCool Castle EX V2 240mm AIO| stock for now
Memory 8GB X 2 DDR4 3000mhz Team Group Vulcan | 16GB DDR4
Video Card(s) Sapphire Pulse RX 5700 8GB | GTX 1650 4GB
Storage Adata XPG 8200 PRO 512GB SSD OS / 240 SSD + 2TB M.2 SSD Games / 1000 GB Data | SSD + HDD
Display(s) Acer ED273 27" VA 144hz Freesync |TCL 32" 1080P w/ HDR
Case NZXT H500 Black | HP Omen Obelisk
Audio Device(s) Onboard Realtek | Onboard Realtek
Power Supply EVGA SuperNOVA G3 650w 80+ Gold | 500w
Mouse Steelseries Rival 500 15 button mouse w/ Razor Goliathus Chroma XL mousemat | Logitech G502
Keyboard Logitech G910 Orion Spark RGB w/ Romer G tactile keys | Logitech G513 Carbon w/ Romer G tactile keys
Software Windows 10 Pro | Windows 10 Pro
Joined
Oct 28, 2012
Messages
1,159 (0.28/day)
Processor AMD Ryzen 3700x
Motherboard asus ROG Strix B-350I Gaming
Cooling Deepcool LS520 SE
Memory crucial ballistix 32Gb DDR4
Video Card(s) RTX 3070 FE
Storage WD sn550 1To/WD ssd sata 1To /WD black sn750 1To/Seagate 2To/WD book 4 To back-up
Display(s) LG GL850
Case Dan A4 H2O
Audio Device(s) sennheiser HD58X
Power Supply Corsair SF600
Mouse MX master 3
Keyboard Master Key Mx
Software win 11 pro
Joined
Mar 27, 2018
Messages
10 (0.00/day)
My son had a pair of $355 Sennheisers that broke because they were real comfy and when he got up for a bio or snack, he'd rip them off his head which eventually pulled the cable from the headset. He grabbed a Logitech G930 cause that was what was available at local store and sent the Senn's out for repair ... but when the Senn's came back, I noticed he was still using the 930s and when I asked why, he said they were better for gaming. He only uses the Senn's now when lying in bed listening to music.

Right now we have two G933's and two G930s, plus two Senns for music ... most expensive Logitech purchases was $105. Unfortunately, for reasons I can't quite fathom, Logitech products are extremely expensive in Europe.

HyperX Cloud Alpha has gotten good reviews s does the Steel 7eries Arctis 7 (and 5 at low cost) ... but again, European pricing, at least outside of UK, is a bit puzzling. I'll check with a few folks from across the pond and see what they use.

EU VAT (+23%) + shipping has to be taken into account
 
Joined
Oct 21, 2005
Messages
6,874 (1.02/day)
Location
USA
System Name Computer of Theseus
Processor Intel i9-12900KS: 50x Pcore multi @ 1.18Vcore (target 1.275V -100mv offset)
Motherboard EVGA Z690 Classified
Cooling Noctua NH-D15S, 2xThermalRight TY-143, 4xNoctua NF-A12x25,3xNF-A12x15, 2xAquacomputer Splitty9Active
Memory G-Skill Trident Z5 (32GB) DDR5-6000 C36 F5-6000J3636F16GX2-TZ5RK
Video Card(s) EVGA Geforce 3060 XC Black Gaming 12GB
Storage 1x Samsung 970 Pro 512GB NVMe (OS), 2x Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2TB (data 1 and 2), ASUS BW-16D1HT
Display(s) Dell S3220DGF 32" 2560x1440 165Hz Primary, Dell P2017H 19.5" 1600x900 Secondary, Ergotron LX arms.
Case Lian Li O11 Air Mini
Audio Device(s) Audiotechnica ATR2100X-USB, El Gato Wave XLR Mic Preamp, ATH M50X Headphones, Behringer 302USB Mixer
Power Supply Super Flower Leadex Platinum SE 1000W 80+ Platinum White
Mouse Zowie EC3-C
Keyboard Vortex Multix 87 Winter TKL (Gateron G Pro Yellow)
Software Win 10 LTSC 21H2
I like my Audio Technica ATH M50X. I changed the pads to Auray sheepskin leather pads (the pads were intended for a Sennheiser HD280 but they fit perfectly on the ATH M50X). I use it with a Mod Mic and a SYBA SD-CM-UAUD as the mic input, because it allows for a louder volume due to higher preamp signal voltage. Extremely comfortable. The one thing I dislike is the mod mic cord was sold with it tightly coiled up and even a year later the cord is still kinked and makes for a wire mess that I have to straighten every couple days. I've had the ATH-M50X about 2 years. I don't know how durable it is as I baby it but I use it just about every day a few hours straight. It is very comfortable for me so it is easy to leave on. The hinge mechanism seems a little delicate to me. The mod mic sounds good if you use it with a USB product like that SD-CM-UAUD which is about $7. Without it, it can be too quiet. With it, a lot of people have actually complimented my voice quality in game. With headphones, they will basically wear out after a few years if you use it. I wouldn't spend more than $150 on a pair with that in mind. I have owned Sennheiser HD570, HD280, Momentum On Ear, and now this ATH-M50X. I like the M50X the best and it has lasted longer as well. I have had cables and jacks fail on the Sennheisers very quickly and they were very uncomfortable by comparison. The most durable pair of headphones I have ever owned was a Microsoft Life Chat LX3000 that lasted for 4 years without any problems, but not very comfortable though.

Whatever you do don't buy anything with a coiled cord. On HD280 Pros they are known to fail very quick. I owned a bunch of HD280 at one point and about half had failed coily cords. I think this is common with this type of cord.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Mar 27, 2018
Messages
10 (0.00/day)
i just bought a pair of Lucid Sound LS40 - the sound is superb and Wireless, with dongle.
Im hearing a lot of new things over my old Plantronix gaming headset. €200~ LS40

Dont know if I would recommend them (less than a week old) , build quality is ok (buttons feel cheap, hold for one and hold for off, gets annoying would rather analogue On/Off) but software isnt fleshed out (doesnt remember settings, you need Dolby Digital Live soundcard on SPDIF for 7.1 - used the hacked realtek driver on this forum to enable it on the cheapo realtek, livesaver! ).

So, maybe there is a better set with the same sound quality.
Also , Use amazon, you can order say 3-4 and try them out, then Amazon will take them back if you dont like.

- I have no affiliation to lucidsound , just couldnt think of a decent name
 
Joined
May 13, 2010
Messages
5,632 (1.11/day)
System Name RemixedBeast-NX
Processor Intel Xeon E5-2690 @ 2.9Ghz (8C/16T)
Motherboard Dell Inc. 08HPGT (CPU 1)
Cooling Dell Standard
Memory 24GB ECC
Video Card(s) Gigabyte Nvidia RTX2060 6GB
Storage 2TB Samsung 860 EVO SSD//2TB WD Black HDD
Display(s) Samsung SyncMaster P2350 23in @ 1920x1080 + Dell E2013H 20 in @1600x900
Case Dell Precision T3600 Chassis
Audio Device(s) Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 // Fiio E7 Amp/DAC
Power Supply 630w Dell T3600 PSU
Mouse Logitech G700s/G502
Keyboard Logitech K740
Software Linux Mint 20
Benchmark Scores Network: APs: Cisco Meraki MR32, Ubiquiti Unifi AP-AC-LR and Lite Router/Sw:Meraki MX64 MS220-8P
My Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80s are good with music, movies, and gaming. Very comfy I can wear em all day. I got mine paired with a Fiio E7K DAC and it's quite nice.

Just get something like a mod mic and attatch it to the 'phones and there - mic issue covered.
 

Fourstaff

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Nov 29, 2009
Messages
10,020 (1.91/day)
Location
Home
System Name Orange! // ItchyHands
Processor 3570K // 10400F
Motherboard ASRock z77 Extreme4 // TUF Gaming B460M-Plus
Cooling Stock // Stock
Memory 2x4Gb 1600Mhz CL9 Corsair XMS3 // 2x8Gb 3200 Mhz XPG D41
Video Card(s) Sapphire Nitro+ RX 570 // Asus TUF RTX 2070
Storage Samsung 840 250Gb // SX8200 480GB
Display(s) LG 22EA53VQ // Philips 275M QHD
Case NZXT Phantom 410 Black/Orange // Tecware Forge M
Power Supply Corsair CXM500w // CM MWE 600w
You may want to head to Head-Fi, their users have reviewed a lot of headsets across all budget levels.
 

las

Joined
Nov 14, 2012
Messages
1,533 (0.37/day)
System Name Obsolete / Waiting for Zen 5 or Arrow Lake
Processor i9-9900K @ 5.2 GHz @ 1.35v / No AVX Offset
Motherboard AsRock Z390 Taichi
Cooling Custom Water
Memory 32GB G.Skill @ 4000/CL15
Video Card(s) Gainward RTX 4090 Phantom / Undervolt + OC
Storage Samsung 990 Pro 2TB + WD SN850X 1TB + 64TB NAS/Server
Display(s) 27" 1440p IPS @ 280 Hz + 77" QD-OLED @ 144 Hz VRR
Case Fractal Design Meshify C
Audio Device(s) Asus Essence STX / Upgraded Op-Amps
Power Supply Corsair RM1000x / Native 12VHPWR
Mouse Logitech G Pro Wireless Superlight
Keyboard Corsair K60 Pro / MX Low Profile Speed
Software Windows 10 Pro x64
For good overall sound, generally stay away from gaming headsets.

Good sound card or DAC + Headphones = Win

Don't get fooled by surround sound gaming headsets.
 
Last edited:
Top