Newbie finding a headphone for tarkov + in general

[Lism]

Introduction:

Hello, I am looking to upgrade my JBL QUANTUM 400 to something better.
My preference is headphones that can hear Tarkov's enemies' footsteps really well and are nice to listen to music with.
After 2 days of searching, I became overwhelmed and got lost on what to get.

I have been recommended multiple headsets, such as the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro (250 ohm) and the HyperX Cloud II, but I couldn't decide due to conflicting posts about their quality.
Therefore, I am hoping someone on this forum can recommend something.


What I want (priority: hard priority, medium priority, low priority) :

1. Able to hear footsteps better. Why? Because my friend and I have a common problem where he can hear the footsteps fine and I cannot. I have heard about dual drivers fixing that, but that could just be misinformation
2. Great sound quality.
3. Comfortable
4. Uses Detachable cable

What I really don't care about:

1. If it's noise canceling or not
2. Open back or closed back
3. A mic ( i don't need one )

My budget:

Lastly, my budget is 260 euros, but I can go up to 300 if it's worth it, and I live in the Netherlands.
If there is a headset that is good for Tarkov but has lesser audio quality, still mention it, but include the downside, such as if it has lesser audio quality but can hear enemies well.




Thank you to everyone who takes the time to respond/recommend!

 

[Lism]

Forgot to add this to What I want
5. Hear where sounds are coming from (I don't know if that's 7.1 surround sound or what's in the headphone)

 

[solderdude]

HD560S.
It has slightly emphasized upper mids which is what you need to hear 'details'.
You can also look into headphones with a 1kHz-2kHz peak (think AKG K701/K702) or even Grado SR60.

Also you can EQ any headphone to emphasize those details and use a different EQ for listening to music.

Assuming it can be an open headphone (most gamers want closed)

 

[Lism]

HD560S.
It has slightly emphasized upper mids which is what you need to hear 'details'.
You can also look into headphones with a 1kHz-2kHz peak (think AKG K701/K702) or even Grado SR60.

Also you can EQ any headphone to emphasize those details and use a different EQ for listening to music.

Assuming it can be an open headphone (most gamers want closed)

Do i need a amp and(or) dac for any of the mentioned headphones?

 

[solderdude]

Depends on how loud you want to play.
When it needs to go LOUD you may want some amplification.

 

[Lism]

Depends on how loud you want to play.
When it needs to go LOUD you may want some amplification.

Any recommendations on which amplification I should get if I do get one?

 

[solderdude]

Schiit Magni, JDS Labs for instance. No need to spend more than $ 100-150 on it.

 

[Sombreuil]

The 560S is a good recommendation. I used to play CS, Quake, etc a lot and the main thing you want for games is a decent soundstage. Hearing fatigue is easy to get with headphones with a narrow soundstage, so I'd also say the 560S is the obvious and best choice.

 

[Lism]

Alright, thank you both!

 

[Lism]

Schiit Magni, JDS Labs for instance. No need to spend more than $ 100-150 on it.

I have another question.
I have the HD560S headphones and they keep switching all the audio to my right ear.
If I twist the cable, it fixes itself.
Do you know how to fix this issue?

 

[solderdude]

Is the headphone cable properly 'locked' in the headphone.
The connector is twist-lock.

Cable could be broken as well but is unlikely.

 

[Lism]

Is the headphone cable properly 'locked' in the headphone.
The connector is twist-lock.

Cable could be broken as well but is unlikely.

The HD560S cable doesn't feel and look twisty.
And it's fully in my PC headphone input.

But when it's inside it'll twist

 

[solderdude]

The HD560S cable into the headphone is twist-lock.
When it is only inserted you run the risk of one channel dropping out.
So the cable into the headphone must be inserted and then rotated clockwise so it locks. Not the connector into the PC.

 

[Lism]

The HD560S cable into the headphone is twist-lock.
When it is only inserted you run the risk of one channel dropping out.
So the cable into the headphone must be inserted and then rotated clockwise so it locks. Not the connector into the PC.

Can the twist-lock also be used for 3.5 mm adapter, or is it only compatible with the 6.3 mm jack?

 

[solderdude]

ONLY the connector into the left cup is twist-lock.
It has nothing to do with the 3.5 threaded connector that takes the 6.3mm adapter.
It is about the connector that on the other end. The one that plugs into the headphone itself.
That plug is twist-lock.
It must be inserted into the headphone and twisted to the right.

It is not about the screw-thread on the plug on the amplifier/PC side.

 

[markanini]

Keep in mind that if you listen at a high volume, something many do to hear distant footsteps, and the headphone is bright, sounds like gun shots will tire your ears fast. This is maybe why some gamers use something like Sennheiser HD599 which has a light warm tilt: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...best-for-fps-gaming.40803/page-2#post-1467210

 

[b7676]

Hated the 560s for hiding footstep queues and playing all the garbage noise loudly. Never fault the 990's. For music the 990 eq'd sounds like engineer intended, the 560s was frequently uncanny.

 

[digitalfrost]

I've been playing Tarkov for a couple of years. Some comments.

- If your buddy can hear footsteps but you can't I would be surprised if it's the equipment. Are there level differences between you two? Perception on Master increases hearing distance 15% https://escapefromtarkov.fandom.com/wiki/Perception Do you both use binaural audio? You're wearing the same headsets ingame?

- Personally I've used DT990s in the past. I agree with @b7676 that the DT990s can be EQed quite nicely. But out of the box their curve is not very good. Also at least for 250ohms you will most likely need a power headphone amplifier.

- I would recommend either closed headphones or IEMs. I am sitting in a quiet room, I have two PCs running it's not very loud. Still the move away from open back headphones to IEMs massively raised the signal to noise ratio just because all the background stuff is gone. You hear a lot of details without the need to make it very loud.

- If you play during summer IEMs are really nice since you will sweat into the pads during long gaming sessions. If using closed headphones your ears will get warm as well.

- Protect your hearing. I used to play Tarkov really loud hoping it would help me hear, but really your ears just get tired and you're not better off than with a sensible volume

 

[Lism]

ONLY the connector into the left cup is twist-lock.
It has nothing to do with the 3.5 threaded connector that takes the 6.3mm adapter.
It is about the connector that on the other end. The one that plugs into the headphone itself.
That plug is twist-lock.
It must be inserted into the headphone and twisted to the right.

It is not about the screw-thread on the plug on the amplifier/PC side.

I twist-locked (left cup) it but it kept happening.

 

[mmmdc]

I can't recommend the DT990 Pro enough. It's absolutely awesome for doing stuff like pinpointing footsteps. To the point where if say in CS GO someone is running around above you, not only can you clearly identify where they are, you can pinpoint it so accurately you can decide to shoot them in the right or left foot if you want.

It's true that the frequency response isn't exactly ideal for music, they still sound very good and way better than most consumer headphones, and ideal FR for music isn't the priority here anyway.

They do have a peaky treble and if you think you're treble sensitive, they won't be a good fit and the HD560S are a good alternative. But honestly I can't overstate how great the DT 990 are, you need to spend like $400 for headphones that do it better than them.

For an amp, a used FiiO E10K is fine sound quality wise, provides enough power, costs like $40.