Which Sennheiser is best for FPS Gaming

[Physkx]

I think you're both right, from my experience the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Casual competitive gamers that are ranked in the top 10% (which is the bracket I also fall under these days) may see some improvements to their gameplay from using a more suitable headphone, just because they are not pro level with their mechanical skill, game sense, reaction times, strategy or consistency. So a high tier casual competitive gamer playing only at home with the best sound possible - this can in some cases somewhat make up for them not being "pro level" in other areas. Having the best sound can help this kind of player improve their mechanics, game sense, reaction times (although age is bigger contributing factor here unfortunately), strategy and consistency. But what about pros who are already at the very top when it comes to these metrics? How can "better" sound help them if they have already reached or are very near the current skill ceiling/stats for a human player in all these areas? Short answer: it can't.

Long answer:

To be in a pro team means you are already at the very top when it comes to mechanical skill, game sense, strategy and most importantly consistency under pressure. I'm telling you now there are no pros out there who reached the skill ceiling and got the highest rank/stats in the game they play by going out and buying a pair of HD800S (Although it wouldn't hurt while they are still learning to improve). They all got there with a combination of natural talent and lots and lots and lots of practice honing the metrics mentioned. Once a player has reached pro level on all those metrics the most important thing concerning sound for them is that they can hear the sound cues they need to hear clearly. That is all. Open back headphones are out of the question as more often than not they are playing right next to each other in a team of five, and sometimes in a packed stadium. Noise leakage and background noise interference are the biggest factors they consider. Usually big competitive events are sponsored by plantronics these days, and all the pros wear $1000 plantronics noise cancelling headsets made for pilots - but they are not used for game sound. There is still not enough isolation in a stadium packed with screaming fans, so they use IEMs underneath those headsets to block out as much background noise as possible. I would say that is the most important concern to do with sound for a pro player - it's not how good the soundstage and imaging are, how much lower treble there is etc. - it is how much background noise gets in, and whether they still hear their sound cues clearly when people are screaming all around them. The majority just use cheap wired IEMs. A smaller percentage of pros use higher quality wired IEMs from AKG AudioTechnica Sennheiser Shure Fiio etc. and an even smaller percentage use very high end or custom wired IEMs from brands like 64audio, moondrop, ultimate ears etc.. but there is no correlation between the pros that do use high end IEMS and their skill level. Some of the very best players in the world use the stock wired IEMs that came with their phones.. Pros do not care what headphones they are using. They don't need laser pinpoint accuracy with sound because their game sense is so good that a basic sound cue on a pair of budget IEMs is all they need to know exactly what is happening and where team mates and enemies are. They have heard the same sound cues thousands and thousands of times and their brains are well and truly trained to respond to them. As long as their brains have been trained to the delivery there is very little or no advantage to be had for them switching to headphones that deliver positional sound better.

 

[Robbo99999]

I think you're both right, from my experience the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Casual competitive gamers that are ranked in the top 10% (which is the bracket I also fall under these days) may see some improvements to their gameplay from using a more suitable headphone, just because they are not pro level with their mechanical skill, game sense, reaction times, strategy or consistency. So a high tier casual competitive gamer playing only at home with the best sound possible - this can in some cases somewhat make up for them not being "pro level" in other areas. Having the best sound can help this kind of player improve their mechanics, game sense, reaction times (although age is bigger contributing factor here unfortunately), strategy and consistency. But what about pros who are already at the very top when it comes to these metrics? How can "better" sound help them if they have already reached or are very near the current skill ceiling/stats for a human player in all these areas? Short answer: it can't.

Long answer:

To be in a pro team means you are already at the very top when it comes to mechanical skill, game sense, strategy and most importantly consistency under pressure. I'm telling you now there are no pros out there who reached the skill ceiling and got the highest rank/stats in the game they play by going out and buying a pair of HD800S (Although it wouldn't hurt while they are still learning to improve). They all got there with a combination of natural talent and lots and lots and lots of practice honing the metrics mentioned. Once a player has reached pro level on all those metrics the most important thing concerning sound for them is that they can hear the sound cues they need to hear clearly. That is all. Open back headphones are out of the question as more often than not they are playing right next to each other in a team of five, and sometimes in a packed stadium. Noise leakage and background noise interference are the biggest factors they consider. Usually big competitive events are sponsored by plantronics these days, and all the pros wear $1000 plantronics noise cancelling headsets made for pilots - but they are not used for game sound. There is still not enough isolation in a stadium packed with screaming fans, so they use IEMs underneath those headsets to block out as much background noise as possible. I would say that is the most important concern to do with sound for a pro player - it's not how good the soundstage and imaging are, how much lower treble there is etc. - it is how much background noise gets in, and whether they still hear their sound cues clearly when people are screaming all around them. The majority just use cheap wired IEMs. A smaller percentage of pros use higher quality wired IEMs from AKG AudioTechnica Sennheiser Shure Fiio etc. and an even smaller percentage use very high end or custom wired IEMs from brands like 64audio, moondrop, ultimate ears etc.. but there is no correlation between the pros that do use high end IEMS and their skill level. Some of the very best players in the world use the stock wired IEMs that came with their phones.. Pros do not care what headphones they are using. They don't need laser pinpoint accuracy with sound because their game sense is so good that a basic sound cue on a pair of budget IEMs is all they need to know exactly what is happening and where team mates and enemies are. They have heard the same sound cues thousands and thousands of times and their brains are well and truly trained to respond to them. As long as their brains have been trained to the delivery there is very little or no advantage to be had for them switching to headphones that deliver positional sound better.

I don't agree when you say that accurate positional sound wouldn't help pro players in fps gaming. I'm not a pro, but I am very experienced in BF1 and would definitely be considered as one of the best (I don't know what percentile) of the current crowd that play it (albeit limited to TDM) - battlefield stats show I'm in the top 2% of score per minute, top 0.5% of kill per minute, top 3% of K/D, Top 6% of Win Percentage (and that's not playing in a clan or a regular squad), and the top 0.1% in terms of total hours played. But anyway, I certainly benefit from using accurate positional sound location in that game, which I've confirmed based on my testing of tweaking Virtual 7.1 Surround Sound processing variables in Creative SBX software, experimenting with different headphones & sometimes different EQ's. I hear a sound cue of an enemy nearby and I can spin to that sound when it's all setup properly, that gives you a definitive advantage because it helps you get them in your sights first, or just plain helps you find them on the map. Professional players aren't going to be immune to these advantages - the game environment is not totally predictive (so you can't rely on just experience and strategy) there's a large element of reacting to a fluid & unpredictable environment & that's where accurate sound location really kicks in. We literally don't have eyes in the back of our heads, but with good positional sound location you go some of that way.

 

[FlanjeUK]

I don't agree when you say that accurate positional sound wouldn't help pro players in fps gaming. I'm not a pro, but I am very experienced in BF1 and would definitely be considered as one of the best (I don't know what percentile) of the current crowd that play it (albeit limited to TDM) - battlefield stats show I'm in the top 2% of score per minute, top 0.5% of kill per minute, top 3% of K/D, Top 6% of Win Percentage (and that's not playing in a clan or a regular squad), and the top 0.1% in terms of total hours played. But anyway, I certainly benefit from using accurate positional sound location in that game, which I've confirmed based on my testing of tweaking Virtual 7.1 Surround Sound processing variables in Creative SBX software, experimenting with different headphones & sometimes different EQ's. I hear a sound cue of an enemy nearby and I can spin to that sound when it's all setup properly, that gives you a definitive advantage because it helps you get them in your sights first, or just plain helps you find them on the map. Professional players aren't going to be immune to these advantages - the game environment is not totally predictive (so you can't rely on just experience and strategy) there's a large element of reacting to a fluid & unpredictable environment & that's where accurate sound location really kicks in. We literally don't have eyes in the back of our heads, but with good positional sound location you go some of that way.

There's a reason BF isn't played professionally... Also no pro FPS player is just running around the map reacting to sound cue's, they pretty much know exactly where every player is by using teamwork and communication. Sound just isn't as important a factor when playing an FPS in a professional environment, they don't need that crutch.

 

[Robbo99999]

There's a reason BF isn't played professionally... Also no pro FPS player is just running around the map reacting to sound cue's, they pretty much know exactly where every player is by using teamwork and communication. Sound just isn't as important a factor when playing an FPS in a professional environment, they don't need that crutch.

Hmm, I can see how squad communication via headset/mic can help mitigate the need for sound to some degree, but it wouldn't erase it entirely - and besides I'm not suggesting people should "just [run] around the map reacting to sound cue's", but I don't think it would remove the need or added value of being able to accurately localise sound, I just don't agree with that based on my experience.

 

[markanini]

I just don't agree with that based on my experience.

This would be interesting with volume matched blind tests and combat stats.

 

[Robbo99999]

This would be interesting with volume matched blind tests and combat stats.

lol

 

[markanini]

lol

why lol?

 

[bodhi]

why lol?

If you just know it based on your experience then that kind of fuss is useless. If the difference is like night and day, putting the more revealing headphones on is like having a veil lifted.

Oh, just a moment now...

 

[markanini]

If you just know it based on your experience then that kind of fuss is useless. If the difference is like night and day, putting the more revealing headphones on is like having a veil lifted.

Oh, just a moment now...

Much fuss has already taken place, by comparison a test would be easy at this point.

 

[bodhi]

Much fuss has already taken place, by comparison a test would be easy at this point.

Was kind of joking there. But comparison test would not be easy. The variance in FPS ELO rank games is kind of crazy and it's hard to see how good or bad you did just based on stats. So you would need a LOT of games (maybe 100) and compare win percentages. You could maybe do better with single opponent and running specific scenario over and over again, but there isn't one that would capture all the alleged benefits of better headphone.

I myself am ready to agree to disagree and recommend aspiring equipment updater to google around a bit and see what kind of information can be found, there is lots of it.

 

[markanini]

Was kind of joking there. But comparison test would not be easy. The variance in FPS ELO rank games is kind of crazy and it's hard to see how good or bad you did just based on stats. So you would need a LOT of games (maybe 100) and compare win percentages. You could maybe do better with single opponent and running specific scenario over and over again, but there isn't one that would capture all the alleged benefits of better headphone.

I myself am ready to agree to disagree and recommend aspiring equipment updater to google around a bit and see what kind of information can be found, there is lots of it.

If it takes that much effort to find the evidence, then maybe the claims were overblown to begin with. Some would say it stands to reason. You can perform a simple IRL test with a dart game. In a first trial the subject focuses on hitting the center point. In a second trial the subject focuses on being immersed by the environment, the air resistance as the arm moves through a shot, the banter of drunken patrons. Hot take, but I think the second trial will have a significantly reduced score.

 

[bodhi]

If it takes that much effort to find the evidence, then maybe the claims were overblown to begin with. Some would say it stands to reason. You can perform a simple IRL test with a dart game. In a first trial the subject focuses on hitting the center point. In a second trial the subject focuses on being immersed by the environment, the air resistance as the arm moves through a shot, the banter of drunken patrons. Hot take, but I think the second trial will have a significantly reduced score.

If the better headphone increases your win ratio 5% (can't believe it would be that big difference) it will take a lot of tests to be confident, but that kind of consistent improvement would lead to pretty steep climb in the ranks.

 

[markanini]

If the better headphone increases your win ratio 5% (can't believe it would be that big difference) it will take a lot of tests to be confident, but that kind of consistent improvement would lead to pretty steep climb in the ranks.

"Magic headphones exist, trust me, bro."

From an audio standpoint FPS games require reproducing gun sounds at high SPLs, mixed with footsteps and rustling sounds at low SPL. Certain headphones excel at reproducing the nuances of intimate performances, like a singer-songwriter playing acoustic fingerstyle guitar. The same headphones will probably not be equally optimal for FPS games. FPS games would require a consistent performance across varying SPLs, that implies a balanced tuning rather than a clear or transparent one. The latter would come with higher risk of ear fatigue, negating benefits over time. High SPL gun sounds, remember? The circumstances call for a warmer tuned headphone. A high-passed headphone is probably good too, high SPL subsonics are a trigger of ear fatigue to some people. The arguments for diverging objectives vs. hi-fi reproduction should dictate recommendations IMO. Many would enjoy spoiling them selves and game on a HD800 on occasion, that's probably not what the average gamer would want or need long term.

 

[Robbo99999]

If it takes that much effort to find the evidence, then maybe the claims were overblown to begin with. Some would say it stands to reason. You can perform a simple IRL test with a dart game. In a first trial the subject focuses on hitting the center point. In a second trial the subject focuses on being immersed by the environment, the air resistance as the arm moves through a shot, the banter of drunken patrons. Hot take, but I think the second trial will have a significantly reduced score.

If you don't believe the difference that different headphones (& measured frequency responses) make during fps gaming in terms of accurate sound location then that's your prerogative, and if you're a gamer and you're curious then just experiment yourself based on some of the commentary in this thread.

"Magic headphones exist, trust me, bro."

From an audio standpoint FPS games require reproducing gun sounds at high SPLs, mixed with footsteps and rustling sounds at low SPL. Certain headphones excel at reproducing the nuances of intimate performances, like a singer-songwriter playing acoustic fingerstyle guitar. The same headphones will probably not be equally optimal for FPS games. FPS games would require a consistent performance across varying SPLs, that implies a balanced tuning rather than a clear or transparent one. The latter would come with higher risk of ear fatigue, negating benefits over time. High SPL gun sounds, remember? The circumstances call for a warmer tuned headphone. A high-passed headphone is probably good too, high SPL subsonics are a trigger of ear fatigue to some people. The arguments for diverging objectives vs. hi-fi reproduction should dictate recommendations IMO. Many would enjoy spoiling them selves and game on a HD800 on occasion, that's probably not what the average gamer would want or need long term.

A good gaming frequency response doesn't have to be fatiguing, my personal preference based on what works the best for sound location in Virtual 7.1 Surround combined with a subjectively realistic sound tuning (not crazy bright for instance) is simply the Harman Curve without the bass hump and instead just linear bass (horizontal) from around 300Hz down to 20Hz.

 

[Physkx]

I don't agree when you say that accurate positional sound wouldn't help pro players in fps gaming. I'm not a pro, but I am very experienced in BF1 and would definitely be considered as one of the best (I don't know what percentile) of the current crowd that play it (albeit limited to TDM) - battlefield stats show I'm in the top 2% of score per minute, top 0.5% of kill per minute, top 3% of K/D, Top 6% of Win Percentage (and that's not playing in a clan or a regular squad), and the top 0.1% in terms of total hours played. But anyway, I certainly benefit from using accurate positional sound location in that game, which I've confirmed based on my testing of tweaking Virtual 7.1 Surround Sound processing variables in Creative SBX software, experimenting with different headphones & sometimes different EQ's. I hear a sound cue of an enemy nearby and I can spin to that sound when it's all setup properly, that gives you a definitive advantage because it helps you get them in your sights first, or just plain helps you find them on the map. Professional players aren't going to be immune to these advantages - the game environment is not totally predictive (so you can't rely on just experience and strategy) there's a large element of reacting to a fluid & unpredictable environment & that's where accurate sound location really kicks in. We literally don't have eyes in the back of our heads, but with good positional sound location you go some of that way.

There's a reason BF isn't played professionally... Also no pro FPS player is just running around the map reacting to sound cue's, they pretty much know exactly where every player is by using teamwork and communication. Sound just isn't as important a factor when playing an FPS in a professional environment, they don't need that crutch.

Yeah Battlefield is absolutely an example of an FPS game where having better positional audio than other players would give you a distinct advantage, but there are no "pro" players or teams in battlefield, no esports tournaments etc. It is not a true competitive game. The sheer size of the maps is the main reason - the objectives are too spaced out, camping gives you an advantage etc. True competitive shooters are balanced around map size, points of entry, how much counterplay is possible, and a small amount of objectives that are not massively spread out. Think counterstrike, valorant, some cod gamemodes and maps (but certainly not all, for instance large maps are banned in competitive cod for the same reasons listed above). In a competitive FPS, once you are pro level, teamwork and communication combined with basic sound cues are enough to know exactly where other players are in 99.9% of situations. A pair of HD800s might help a pro more accurately place the enemy in the other 0.1% of situations, but even then I doubt it. For one, it is quite a rarity for a pro to find themself in a situation where they don't expect or know where an enemy likely is and therefore need to rely soley on sound cues. High level game knowledge, team communication, or basic sound cues will have given away the enemies position already. Even if they do need to rely soley on sound cues - pros know when they hear the cue exactly how far away it is, even if it is not accurately represented by the IEM they are using as good as something like an HD800 would do. They know because they have heard the cue so many thousands of times and each time they have heard it they have cross-referenced in their brain what they have heard with where the enemy actually was. This is why I say even in true competitive FPS having better positional audio does help if you are not a pro with ten thousand hours already - if only to train your brain faster at cross-referencing what you hear with the enemies actual placement. Using a pair of cheap IEMs would certainly take you a lot longer to train your brain with than a pair of HD800s for instance. To sum up I definitely agree that having better positional sound is a lot more helpful to casual competitive FPS players and it can help improve overall gameplay and rank/stats - but not for competitive FPS pros.

 

[Robbo99999]

Yeah Battlefield is absolutely an example of an FPS game where having better positional audio than other players would give you a distinct advantage, but there are no "pro" players or teams in battlefield, no esports tournaments etc. It is not a true competitive game. The sheer size of the maps is the main reason - the objectives are too spaced out, camping gives you an advantage etc. True competitive shooters are balanced around map size, points of entry, how much counterplay is possible, and a small amount of objectives that are not massively spread out. Think counterstrike, valorant, some cod gamemodes and maps (but certainly not all, for instance large maps are banned in competitive cod for the same reasons listed above). In a competitive FPS, once you are pro level, teamwork and communication combined with basic sound cues are enough to know exactly where other players are in 99.9% of situations. A pair of HD800s might help a pro more accurately place the enemy in the other 0.1% of situations, but even then I doubt it. For one, it is quite a rarity for a pro to find themself in a situation where they don't expect or know where an enemy likely is and therefore need to rely soley on sound cues. High level game knowledge, team communication, or basic sound cues will have given away the enemies position already. Even if they do need to rely soley on sound cues - pros know when they hear the cue exactly how far away it is, even if it is not accurately represented by the IEM they are using as good as something like an HD800 would do. They know because they have heard the cue so many thousands of times and each time they have heard it they have cross-referenced in their brain what they have heard with where the enemy actually was. This is why I say even in true competitive FPS having better positional audio does help if you are not a pro with ten thousand hours already - if only to train your brain faster at cross-referencing what you hear with the enemies actual placement. Using a pair of cheap IEMs would certainly take you a lot longer to train your brain with than a pair of HD800s for instance. To sum up I definitely agree that having better positional sound is a lot more helpful to casual competitive FPS players and it can help improve overall gameplay and rank/stats - but not for competitive FPS pros.

That's some good rational & explanation, but I still struggle to get fully on board with it. The reason I say that is because the BF1 that I play is pretty much always in TDM mode, I very rarely play the large mapped 64 player full map game modes, and I very rarely play even the smaller mapped domination and conquest modes, so I really only play the small mapped TDM modes, which was one of your points of argument. So still sound is very much a key factor for me in TDM mode of BF1. I have to say that in terms of multiplayer fps gaming, although I've done a hell of a lot of it and put thousands of hours into it since about 2014 when I started playing Titanfall - in terms of multiplayer fps I've only played Titanfall / Titanfall 2 / Battlefield 1 (aka BF1) - but I have a few thousand hours in Titanfall, shy of 1000hrs in Titanfall 2 and something like 3000hrs in BF1, so I've been a bit obsessive about certain games - I just like the satisfaction of being the best I can be in each of the ones that I play, and because multiplayer is so unpredictable it never seems to get boring putting so many hours into just one game - I basically only ever play one fps shooter at a time - I did all my Titanfall gaming in one stint from like 2014-2017, all my Titanfall 2 gaming around 2017-2018, all my BF1 gaming from 2018-present. Thinking back I think I find sound most useful in BF1, although I never had Virtual 7.1 Surround Sound in my Titanfall days, principally because I didn't really become seriously interested in audio until I found ASR in late 2019, so never occurred to me to seriously optimise audio for computer gaming before that time. I'm still not fully on board with what you're saying, as it doesn't fit with my experience of the importance of audio in fps gaming, but it may be partly down to the games that I play, but I struggle to really accept that as the total determining factor - I still think optimising audio is extremely important in fps gaming.

 

[Physkx]

That's some good rational & explanation, but I still struggle to get fully on board with it. The reason I say that is because the BF1 that I play is pretty much always in TDM mode, I very rarely play the large mapped 64 player full map game modes, and I very rarely play even the smaller mapped domination and conquest modes, so I really only play the small mapped TDM modes, which was one of your points of argument. So still sound is very much a key factor for me in TDM mode of BF1. I have to say that in terms of multiplayer fps gaming, although I've done a hell of a lot of it and put thousands of hours into it since about 2014 when I started playing Titanfall - in terms of multiplayer fps I've only played Titanfall / Titanfall 2 / Battlefield 1 (aka BF1) - but I have a few thousand hours in Titanfall, shy of 1000hrs in Titanfall 2 and something like 3000hrs in BF1, so I've been a bit obsessive about certain games - I just like the satisfaction of being the best I can be in each of the ones that I play, and because multiplayer is so unpredictable it never seems to get boring putting so many hours into just one game - I basically only ever play one fps shooter at a time - I did all my Titanfall gaming in one stint from like 2014-2017, all my Titanfall 2 gaming around 2017-2018, all my BF1 gaming from 2018-present. Thinking back I think I find sound most useful in BF1, although I never had Virtual 7.1 Surround Sound in my Titanfall days, principally because I didn't really become seriously interested in audio until I found ASR in late 2019, so never occurred to me to seriously optimise audio for computer gaming before that time. I'm still not fully on board with what you're saying, as it doesn't fit with my experience of the importance of audio in fps gaming, but it may be partly down to the games that I play, but I struggle to really accept that as the total determining factor - I still think optimising audio is extremely important in fps gaming.

Yeah no offense but tdm is the least competitive game mode possible, you won't find any esports teams in any FPS playing tdm matches, and for good reason. It encourages a certain playstyle, it promotes patience and camping to win. Players who score high in tdm tend not to move much since there are no objectives except kills. I also consider it a mode where soundwhoring would be more beneficial than other objective based game modes like capture the flag, domination, search and destroy etc. which are much more fast paced in comparison. I understand this thread is not only about competitive FPS games and professional players though. For more casual FPS players and especially in your situation (playing mostly tdm on Battlefield) yes better positional sound will give you a distinct advantage in that case as I have already agreed.

 

[riceFET]

I know this an audio gear message board instead of a gaming board, but as the topic is gaming, I'll chime in.

Efforts at attempting to gain an advantage through headphones is probably not going to be productive, especially because some games (R6S is an example, unsure if they changed this), the sound propagation is WEIRD. I don't have the links nor the will to find them, but there's an old video demonstrating this.

I've seen some proposals at using EQ to emphasize foot steps and deemphasize other sounds, but I've not tried this.

You're much better off trying other things to improve your results. Do you have a proper mouse that doesn't have crazy accel so your aim is true? Have you figured out your sensitivity? Have you learned the maps and the way players navigate around it? How about spots and strats? Flick shots? Tracking?

As long as your headphone doesn't have major deficiencies like a weird frequency response or super high distortion (compared to cheap ones), you should be gold. Not saying I'm some top level tryhard, but I've stomped servers with nothing but a $50 HyperX Cloud as my audio gear. 99% of the time that I found players, it's because I know the frequented areas, where people take cover, how those areas are usually approached, and as a consequence, how to flank those areas and paths of approach.

Rainbow6, learn strats, set ups, angles, where to puncture walls and such.
CSGO, same, minus the murder holes.
Old school FPS, like Quake and UT, movement, timing item spawns, area denial, etc.
Also, if your happen to be playing BF4, learn the Zou Zou Jump. Look it up.

 

[Robbo99999]

Yeah no offense but tdm is the least competitive game mode possible, you won't find any esports teams in any FPS playing tdm matches, and for good reason. It encourages a certain playstyle, it promotes patience and camping to win. Players who score high in tdm tend not to move much since there are no objectives except kills. I also consider it a mode where soundwhoring would be more beneficial than other objective based game modes like capture the flag, domination, search and destroy etc. which are much more fast paced in comparison. I understand this thread is not only about competitive FPS games and professional players though. For more casual FPS players and especially in your situation (playing mostly tdm on Battlefield) yes better positional sound will give you a distinct advantage in that case as I have already agreed.

Hey, I don't agree TDM is encouraging camping as a successful tactic - all the best TDM players in BF1 are not campers. I don't camp either, apart from temporary camping on just a couple of the many maps due to the specific way in which those 2 maps are laid out. Campers in TDM are the worst least skilled and generally least sucessful players in BF1 TDM. And there is certainly no "patience" aspect that you mention in BF1 TDM - it's very frenetic and dynamic and especially so if you're playing it in the most successful/efficient way - ie not camping.

You mention players scoring highly in TDM being the campers, that's the opposite, they don't get high enough Kill Per Minute and also they don't help their squad mates by doing so which means their Score Per Minute is low too - it's really the least efficient way to play BF1 TDM mode.

You also say that TDM is slower paced than other game modes, that's wrong - if you're playing capture the flag then defending a flag (which is an important part of it) means you're camping in various spots around the flag to defend it - that's not "fast paced". TDM in BF1 is a lot more fast paced than any of the other game modes as you're constantly roaming tactically about the map trying to find your next kill and finding them quickly due to the smaller maps.

You also say that sound whoring would be more important in fast paced game modes, and you're right about that, which in the case of BF1 TDM is absolutely the case.

 

[d3rF.]

First of all, hello to all ASR community members here!
My first time posting here, so a little greeting isn't bad to start with

Second of all, sorry for maybe hijacking this post, but since my question is gaming/Sennheiser/Beyerdynamic headphone related, i thought it was maybe best to ask in this post, instead of making a complete new topic again.

A good year ago i bought a SoundblasterX G6 DAC to pair with my current Sennheiser PC37x (bought in 2017 - EQ'd to Harman Curve). Sadly enough due to unforeseen circumstances i didn't really get the time to test my 'new' setup.
Now a year later we are back in business, but damn i'm so bored of my PC37x. It's been great in some ways, but damn after 6 years i just want something new!
And of course reading into all the audiophile posts doesn't make it any better.. Or maybe it just does..

Last week i gave in to the IEM side of life, and bought a pair of Crinacle's Truthear Zero's -for €50 why not test it-.
Compared to my PC37x, the sound straight away blew me away in COD and some music, but still having a hard time getting used to in ears. Still trying to find the best fit for the tips (Small, Medium, Large) so they stop irritating my ears. I will keep them and prolly use them from time to time, but i've always used headsets and atm they still have the best fitting/feeling for me.

As you can already guess, i'm looking for a new headphone -no headset anymore this time-, mostly for FPS gaming, some YT music and video's, that's it. Won't say i'm competitive, but hey, who doesn't like to win..
I know what has been stated in previous posts, and also by Crinacle for example, a new headphone isn't going to make me a pro, but hey i just want to enjoy my time when i'm gaming and enjoy it the fullest! So i'm not gonna go in to the whole 'debate' above here.

So after a 'little' introduction here, let's get to the point now.
A few years ago i tested a friends pair of DT990 pro's 250 ohms edition. Compared to my PC37x, i fell in love with the 990pro's (tested in PUBG and some music). Was the first time ever hearing a pair of BD, and since then i never stopped thinking 'bout them. Always been following BD since then.
A couple of months ago then i tested some pair of Sennheiser HD598's, they did sound better then my PC37x, but they felt kind of like missing some punch? I don't know how to say it in English, but they didn't give me goosebumps, they sounded to 'well behaved'? -They were also connected to a SBX G6 DAC-

So now that i'm on the search for a new pair, my thoughts have been going back and forwards to (open headphones)

1. Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro x
2. Sennheiser HD560s

My main thoughts go out to the BD's, simply cause i can't stop thinking 'bout the 990pro's from back then. And also after watching a comparison from Fresh Reviews on YT regarding the soundstage, details, pinpoint accuracy in FPS games,.. between the 900 pro x and 560s.
But when you start reading you always encounter the HD560's too. Lot's of people call them the 'holy grail' for gaming and the price. And i know, sound is different to everyone, but i just can't make up my mind.
I know there are other brands/headphones out there, but to be completely honest, i made up my mind, it's going to be one of those 2. Plus atm i don't want to spend more money than the cost of the BD's. Sennies are almost half the price here in the EU, that's of course always nice.
I wouldn't mind the 560s, but i guess i feel kinda they won't blow me away too.. Just like my PC37x's never did, nor the HD598's. Probably you can't compare them to the 560s, but that's the way i feel 'bout it.

No matter which one i will finally get, they will run with my SBX G6 (low gain mode will just be fine i guess) and EQ'd to Harman Curve (or maybe some little adjustments for gaming like @Robbo99999 mentioned here before).
So is there anyone who can pull me over the line here in making a decision, 'cause i'm completely lost

Thanks in advance!