FPS Comp Gaming + Music

[kingbrayd]

I am new to the headphone space, but am looking to just get one headphone (for now as I know its not ideal) .. Budget of around $1k..

What would be the best, in your opinion for gaming and music? If you could only have one headphone at your desk, which would it be type of question. I included headphones that seem to be universally respected, from the reviewers and people I have seen. Open to any suggestions!! Thanks!

 

[Dunring]

I've had these and an avid gamer also.
Audio Technica adh1000x, doesn't need an amplifier. Amazing female vocals and gaming soundstage and imaging.
Hifiman Ananda stealth, needs a JDS Atom + stack or similar clean power.
For IEMs the Seeaudio Yume 2 takes the win for soundstage front to back and width as big as most open back headphones.
The HD800S is nice, see my profile photo They just aren't a good value though, the law of diminishing returns gets horrible over a few hundred dollars.

 

[kingbrayd]

Thank you! I actually have a K7 and an Atom Stack (got both for a solid deal)

 

[SuicideSquid]

I am new to the headphone space, but am looking to just get one headphone (for now as I know its not ideal) .. Budget of around $1k..

What would be the best, in your opinion for gaming and music? If you could only have one headphone at your desk, which would it be type of question. I included headphones that seem to be universally respected, from the reviewers and people I have seen. Open to any suggestions!! Thanks!

What interface are you using? Investing in a decent preamp/amplifier by Topping, SMSL or another respected brand is definitely worthwhile.

For $1,000, I consider putting about $300 into the interface (if you don't have one), buy a pair of Truthear Reds for $50, and if you're not worried about sound bleed, look at a good set of open headphones - I have a pair of AKG702s that I love, and Sennheiser HD560s are very well-respected and reasonably priced. Total price for interface, IEMs, and headphones is about $600. You really don't need to spend more - as Dunring said, the law of diminishing returns kicks in *hard* on headphones once you're spending around $300 or so.

 

[markanini]

My suggestion is to avoid anything too bright, because it will cause ear fatigue sooner which will negatively affect your stats, and you won't know why.

 

[ZolaIII]

Creative Sound Blaster G6 + AKG-K702 for not that much money and an system wide EQ and if you aren't in WDM formats EQ APO will do or you could consider buying JRiver with WDM driver (which pretty much work on all).
G6 is relatively inexpensive (around 130 $/€ last time I checked) support basic Dolby's and do a proper downmix on it's self and has a scout mode (button with related EQ), while performance is good enough. AKG K-702 aren't best in anything but are pretty good for gaming (sound stage) and not that bad for music all do a little bright (you fix the response with EQ). They aren't very hard to drive and G6 does the job very good, price ain't bad either nor is the comfort. Of course there is better but for lot more money and less convenient for the purpose. In the end some things depend on your self (fit/comfort) and condition you have like need for noise cancelling. So what ever you chose to buy be sure you do it from a place that accepts returns (so that you can try it out yourself) with minimal loose to yourself.
Best regards and happy hunting.

 

[usern]

Sennheiser HD 560S + Equalizer APO. This type of Sennheiser build is light and does not heat up ears as much as other models during long gaming sessions. Very good sound performance is a bonus.