TPU's Gaming Headphone/Headset Thread

Kursah · Jul 26, 2009

I was thinking, we've had a few headphone/headset threads out there, and yet we don't have a good reference thread. So that's what this thread will be dedicated to, is what headphones/headsets you've used for gaming purposes, what you liked/disliked, what you replaced them with, what source/sound card you're using, etc. We might not have an audio section yet, but this thread could be helpful to many looking to get better sound or replace their busted headsets. Please no arguements, flaming, trolling, thread-crapping of any sort, if there is any it will be reported immediately to the moderation staff. This thread is to help others and post your experiences, everyone has a different ear for different sounds, games, movies and music, so don't expect because you had a good experience everyone will with the same setup.

THIS thread was created not just for me to write my own experiences, but for you to also add your experiences, whether or not a pair of heaphones or gaming headset has already been reviewed, add your experiences and opinoins of them and others, share with the community here and others just stopping by or lurking in the background! Donate to this thread and make it something for viewers to find a valuable resource in an area that's not nearly covered enough on TPU, sure there are other places to look, but I've seen nothing like this thread elsewhere and would like to see it be a useful thread worth keeping around.

Here's my post format for each headphone/headset I've owned, you don't gotta use it if you don't want to, just something I've done for a while so it's habit.

TPU Member Submitted Reviews! :rockout:

Code:

[B ]Headphone[/B] - Smiley Rating - [I ]Mini-review[/I]

I'll start with what I can remember:

Logitech Headset w/boom mic - :shadedshu:

-

The Good:

Affordable

In-Line Volume/Mic Mute

Integrated Mic

Easy to drive

The Bad:

Chincy Volume Control

Mic pics up too much background noise

You get what you pay for, read: crap

Uncomfortable after about an hour

The Review:

This was my first pair of gaming headsets, back in 2006 iirc. Had 40mm drivers, in-line volume and mic mute controls. Issue one, was the small rotary style volume would bind, I had to dissassemble the in-line unit many times...the rotary was actually warped, I had to grind it down...and after too long it eventually caused a short issue. The final straw was when I lost all sound due to the volume control. Though they did last me about 14 months before finally failing.

Note: The model linked is the replacement for the model I originally purchased, which is no longer available. I have not personally tested the replacement model.

Summary: Spend a little more on a much better quality Plantronics product.

Plantronics .Audio 350 (iirc) w/boom mic -

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The Good:

Affordable

Decent sound for the price

Decent Mic for the price

In line volume and mic mute

Good durability

The Bad:

Uncomfortable after about 1-2hrs, on ear style headphones

The Review:

Purchased these the day the logitechs failed, I wanted to try something different. I had actually purchased a couple other logitech headsets and returned them, and tried a different brand I'd never heard of which was Plantronics. Similar setup, on-ear pads, was much more comfortable, the boom mic was semi-flexible and folded, had in-line volume control and mic mute. I never had an issue with these, in fact I still have them. They were very consistent in performance, but definately not the best out there. For a cheap headset, the durability is 2nd to none though. I expected it to be weaker because of it's 99% plastic build, and they've been through some rough times without so much as a couple of scratches. Though if I ever need a backup pair, and since I don't wear glasses they're somewhat comfy for about 1-2 hours, I'm golden, and since they were about 20 bucks I don't feel bad about storing them as a backup set.

Summary: One of the best sub-$30 headsets I've ever had the pleasure of owning.

LTB Magnum 5.1 AC97 - :wtf:

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The Good:

5.1 Audio Placement is OK

Volume/Mute controls on LH Cup

Mic integrated to LH cup

The Bad:

5.1 Audio Placement is OK

Mic picks up EVERYTHING

Chincy build quality, chincy sound quality

Overpriced for what you get

Ears get hot and uncomfortable after about an hour

Crap durability

The Review:

I had high hopes for these, they were by far the most I'd ever spent on a gaming headset, but they features 5.1, 3 speakers in each cup. The front was also the sub, then center and surround...the amp was built into the cups, the mic was built into the lh cup, no boom though..it picked up everything...very bad for gaming and comms. There was also volume and mute buttons on the side of the LH cup, it had 4 3.5mm jacks + USB for amp power. They were ok, but nothing amazing, and eventually my first pair decided to lose the RH cup audio. Sent in for RMA, the 2nd set failed in 2 weeks all together, sent that set in, the 3rd set lasted me about a year and eventually had an issue where it'd lose the LH front channel and I'd have to smack the cup to get sound back. They were a pain to dissassemble, they got hot and uncomfortable after an hour or two, and were only good for gaming, though the positional audio left a lot to be desired. I hope noone else was as stupid as I was and gave these a shot...definately a big waste of money and time. Gave this pair to my fiance, she hated the random muting, and they pushed on her glasses so she couldn't use them much...but she wasn't gaming too much at the time so she was fine with them.

Summary: Not worth $20 on a good day. Absolute crap in comparison to others whether 5.1 or not in it's price-range.

Turtle Beach Ear Force HPA2 5.1 Rv.1 w/Wall Plug Power 2112 -

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The Good:

True 5.1 in a headset

4 speakers per cup, front, center, surround, sub

In-line Amp with master volume and level controls for each channel

Very comfortable for many hours of use

Plenty of bass, works well with onboard and add-in sound cards

Boom mic records loud and clear, removable and adjustable

Decent durability

The Bad:

Needs an extra power connection for amplifier (this model needs 120v connection)

Can rattle at louder volumes, generally louder than one should listen to

LED on Amp can be very annoying

Surround sound is good, but not amazing

Prices constantly changing, I've seen them as low as $50 and over $100...not worth more than $60-$70

Open back design allows sound in and out.

The Review:

My first experience with these was at a friends' house, he'd just downloaded the CoD4 demo and wanted me to check it out. I tried them on, they were comfy, the removable mic boom was perfect, the cups fit around my ears, the pads were very soft and nicely padded, and the sound was amazing, crisp hi's and booming lows. Made for a great experience in gaming and music. They feature 4 speakers per cup, front, center, rear, sub. They also feature in-line amplifier w/volume control and level control for each channel. They had 4x3.5mm jacks for audio connections and a wall-plug 120v for powering the amp. The LED on the amp unit itself was an annoyance, I usually taped over it. I ended up tossing these at a friend when he bought my x-fi xtreme music, his sound card went out and his dog chewed up his headset...perfect reason for me to replace them...only issue...I bought the same headset again because I was so content with it's performance in gaming, music and movies. Sound placement was great, overall I was really happy...though they were open backed, which meant sound leaked out and I could hear my fiance nagging at me.

Summary: Decent first try by Turtle Beach, though no longer in production.

Turtle Beach Ear Force HPA2 5.1 Rv.2 w/USB Power 2114 - :rockout:

-

The Good:

Improved sound over original HPA2 model

USB power means less wiring mess, easier to get connected and going

True 5.1 in a headset

Same great mic, loud and clear, adjustable, removable

Comfortable for many hours of use

In-line amp w/volume and level controls

Decent durability

The Bad:

Amp LED is annoying

Can rattle at higher volumes with too much bass

Surround sound is good, but not amazing

Prices can be all over the place

Open back design allows sound in and out.

The Review:

Well, I ordered up my new set as I mentioned above, when I recieved them, I was kinda curious how well the USB would power the amp in comparison to the wall-plug style. Nothing else physically seemed to have changed...I hooked them up to my new x-fi (found another xtreme music I had gotten to replace the one I sold, again, solid performer, found one cheap). I was amazed, the output was louder, clearer, the bass seemed to punch a little harder and go lower. Nothing else beyond that changed, the soundstage was still decent, or what I considered great at the time. I ran these for a long time before my fiance finally killed the LTB's and took these from me before I got home from work. But she loved them, they sounded way better, they didn't cause pain w/her glasses on...I don't have eye issues yet, so that's not an issue for me, but that gave me good reason to upgrade...I couldn't go for the HPA2's a 3rd time. So I considered other options, see this thread: Considering New Headset

What ended up happening was me going for a decent pair of headphones for something new. But I also wanted to note that the Razer HP-1's are based on the HPA2, but from what I've read and researched are more expensive with a crappier amplifier and lesser quality. Not saying that's necessarily true, but I did find quite a bit about it while researching.

Summary: 2nd revision of HPA2's are a joy to listen to for music, movies and gaming, matched with a decent sound card they can really shine. 5.1 is decent from a good source, plenty of bass. Definately worth a serious look for those that feel they "require" a "true 5.1" gaming headset.

JVC HA-RX700 Headphones - :toast:

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The Good:

Amazing value! Current market is around $33 shipped

Sounds better than many gaming headsets for much cheaper

Easy to drive with onboard and add-in sound cards

Can provide plenty of bass, while still providing good mids and hi's

Utilizing sound card 3D emulation tech such as CMMS-3D or Dolby Headphone can creat a solid 5.1 gaming experience that easily competes with true 5.1 gaming headsets

Comfortable for hours of use

Decent build quality, they feel and sound much more expensive than they will cost you

The Bad:

Ears can get hot, sore and sweaty after a few hours, very cheap mods are available due to large support for these in the gamer/listener communites

Not a true 5.1 may be a con for some that don't have proper sound card technology, or feel emulated 5.1 isn't good enough...though I recommend doing what I did and actually comparing both side-by-side

Availability due to popularity can make finding these a challenge at times

The Review:

I wasn't sure what to expect, but if you read my considering new headset thread, I found a few threads that praised these cheap $33 shiped (at the time of this writing) pair of headphones as competing with much more expensive cans. There was a lot of good info, some mods, and they were half the price of the HPA2's so I figured I'd give them a go. Needless to say, I was blown away. Everything sounded better, they were comfortable, they went much louder, they had much lower bass that you felt, the mids and hi's were much more pronounced and identifiable...I noticed stuff in music I'd never heard before, sounds in games were clear and crisp. I had read that I could emulate 5.1 sound to my headphones using the CMMS-3D of my X-Fi. Naturally I had to compare this to my "true" 5.1 headset as the JVC's had 1 speaker per cup...and there were many headsets that were using 5.1/7.1 emulation I was very skeptical. Here's how you do it, go into Windows Control panel, Sound, speakers, set to 5.1. Then go into X-Fi control panel, game mode, headphone or 2.1 output, cmms-3d on. Set the game to either windows default or 5.1, and voila, now CMMS-3d will emulate 5.1 channels to your headphone...I gave it a shot in CoD4 and I was extremely suprised. The soundstage was huge in comparison to the HPA2's, sounds had distance to them, their placement was easily matching the HPA2's if not easier to locate, I was amazed. So far, I can't believe I spent so much on gaming headsets when a decent pair of headphones would do the trick.

So how did I use a mic you ask? Because this pair of headphones is my gaming headset you see...all I did was get about 8ft of 3.5mm cable, routed it along my headphone cable round the desk, and zip-tied the end to the top support of the LH earcup, then I ordered a non-lock style boom mic for a Turtle Beach HPA2 (in replacement parts), plugged it in and had the crisp recording and adjustability of the HPA2 without much hassle at all, many also use a Zalman clip on cable mic too...but i did prefer the HPA2 mic, even though I failed to mention it above, it records clearly and cuts out a decent amount of background noise...though it will pickup some voices if they're a couple feet from ya, but aside from that, communication is great through that style of mic, and I wanted to keep it that way. Overall, this is the BEST gaming headset I've ever owned, it meets or beats the HPA2's in every aspect, from bass/mids/hi's to gaming, movies, you name it. I would definately recommend this to anyone that doesn't want to spend an arm and a leg on a gaming headset, even with the extra cable and mic I was under $50. But one word of caution, they don't sound too good from onboard unless it has a decent EQ...it'll need a healthy V shaped EQ at that. I am now currently running an Auzen X-Fi Forte that has an integrated heapdhone amp, which was a nice improvement over my X-Fi Xtreme Music, but even the old creative X-Fi trumped the onboard of my P5Q Deluxe AD2000 and GB P35-DS3L ALC885 onboard, no contest and it was VERY noticable. So having an add-in sound card is the way to go, and adding amplification be it a home reciever, headphone amp, amp/dac or sound card is greatly helpful and makes these headphones really shine.

I did a couple of mods to mine, added some foam under the cusions not only for added comfort but it also increased the sound stage a bit and let the bass extend while letting it be more defined. I also did the felt removal mod to help clear up the mids/hi's, both were extremely easy to do and took no time at all to complete, but are not necessary at all to enjoy this set.

Summary: For $33, you can't lose. They beat every gaming headset I've listened to in everything with the right source and features that is. Easy to drive, and a ton of information out there on them. I forgot why I wanted gaming headsets after owning these.

JVC HA-DX3 Headphones -

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The Good:

Extremely Comfortable

Nice Build Quality

Very well defined mids and treble, brings out more detail

Can provide decent bass but it's more boom than punch

Utilizing sound card 3D emulation tech such as CMMS-3D or Dolby Headphone can create a solid emulated 5.1 gaming experience that competes with true 5.1 gaming headsets

The Bad:

At $100, I feel they're overpriced for what they provide

Bass quantity and detail may be dissapointing going from an HA-RX700 or similar headphone, not completely lacking, but it has a more boomy bass that is just present enough to notice which might be perfect for some

Not a true 5.1 may be a con for some that don't have proper sound card technology, or feel emulated 5.1 isn't good enough...though I recommend doing what I did and actually comparing both side-by-side

The Review:

I wanted to see where I could go next from the RX700's, the DX3's seemed to be a fairly popular choice, they have good specs, solid build quality, metal cups, and are extremely comfortable. They actually look a tad similar to the build of the Turtle Beach HPA2's but better. On the sound front they definately bring out the mids and hi's, but I noticed right away there wasn't much on the bass front even with the same EQ-ing I used on the RX700's. Now the DX3's are 90 ohms compared to the 700's 48ohms (iirc), so they are a tad harder to drive. Frankly I feel this is the design of the DX3's, they're meant for more detail to be brought out and that does mean attenuating the bass down a bit.

On the gaming front they have a larger soundstage than the RX700's, placement seems a little better, but not leaps and bounds. But overall they sound extremely good, but at this point I don't feel they were worth the retail price necessarily. Though many will definately enjoy them, and in fact I do...what suprised me most after getting these was just how good the RX700's truly are. TBH, save your money and try the RX700 first, both are good, but at least to me the 700's are easier and more enjoyable to listen to, even if less comfortable. One last note is that they leak more sound due to the cloth earpads, more comfort must mean more sound leak, oh well I still enjoy them! But when it comes down to just grabbing a pair of headphones to use, I reach for the RX700's almost every time.

Summary: Very nice pair of headphones, not quite worth the money imo, but they bring out a lot of detail are very enjoyable for gaming, extremely comfortable for many hours of use. Wait till you can find them for around $70-80 imo.

Now I've tried more than I've purchased including a few more plantronics, turtle beaches, logitechs, skull candy, bose, sony, etc...but I really only wanted to comment on the ones I owned and had a decent amount of use on. I hope this thread grows and can help many others while in search of something new, I may change the format to add more info/links, I haven't decided yet, but I figured I'd get the ball rollin and see what you guys come up with, what are you using? How do you like it? What else have you used/owned? Post it up here!

Denon AH-D2000 Headphones -

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The Good:

Extremely Comfortable

Nice Build Quality

Well defined on all channels

Can provide amazing bass with plenty of depth and punch

Well driven off of a regular sound card or sound card w/headphone amp

Best closed can I've used in movies, music and gaming

No need for CMMS-3D, stereo mode works amazingly well..better sound stage and quality over all previous headphones

The Bad:

At $200+, I feel they're overpriced for what they provide overall, it's more about comfort, and a little extra in all areas...but at the same time is sweeeet

Need to mess with more stuff to get games, music and teamspeak to work well together

Not a true 5.1 may be a con for some, also seems to perform in CMMS-3D worse than previous heapdhones.

Honestly, the JVC HARX700's are a close competitor...if you spend a little to mod the 700's...while the D2000's are amazing, they're not +$170 amazing.

The Review:

Well I loved the DX3's comfort and overall higher quality sound, but loved the RX700's value and serious and punchy bass with an overall good sound...but I wanted both. I now realize that will cost over $200 new, a little under used. But...is it an amazing experience...at least to me. I'm no audiophile, but I really enjoy something that can provide what I'm looking for, and that responds well to my setup. Granted I have a sound card with a heapdhone amp built-in...it's not the best but was much, much less than any close competitor at the time I purchased it. Either rate, the Auzen Forte is great for all I do...plus it was affordable...yet could better push my headphones via amp without needing an external amp that was uber expensive and more clutter. For me it works well, for some, a true amp will definitely win, and others on-board is as good as they'll ever go.

Onto the headphones, they're definitely upscale. They feel better, higher quality overall, they use a separate wire for each can, a thick main cable with plenty of length for routing, and overall impressed me. I try them on...seeing the pleather and expecing an RX-700 type experience..I was surprised...they were MORE comfortable than my DX3's...something I really didn't expect. Then I fire up some tunes, set my basic EQ setup (heavy bass, slight bump on 2-4k, and flat on the rest) and was blown away. They don't hit quite as hard as the 700's..but hits hard and has a much lower, more realistic bass. Plus clear mids and hi's was exactly what I was looking for. Too bad it cost more than the previous two headphones new, combined...for a used pair of these. But hell they sound great.

So I hop into a game, CMMS-3d on..ready to go..had to turn up TS a little and winamp ( like to run tunes while gaming and bs-ing). I was not too impressed...it wasn't horrible..but placement seemed a little off and the sounds were just odd in tone. So I turned of CMMS-3d, left windows in 5.1, game in 5.1 and Control Panel in Headphone mode, and was amazed. The soundstage kicked ass for a closed can...blew away both the DX3's and RX700's, yet none are crappy...and all were better to my ears than pretty much every gaming headset I've ever tried. Racing, Strategy, FPS area ll genres I "primarily" play...though not much beyond any 3 of them. Needless to say I gotta say this pair of headphones is amazing to my ears driven by my setup. Many say they're bass heavy, but imo that's with a good amp...even a setup like mine needs EQ to extract bass from these or any headphone/headset I've used. But I can get more bass than I'd ever want really easily that goes very, very loud and low.

Summary: Best pair of headphones I've used yet, gaming rocks, comfortable, great sound, great bass, easy to tune with EQ, a lot of good...but at the end of the day...they need to be cheaper because the RX700's do a bang-up job competing. But while the Denon's may be a "little" better in all areas, it's a noticable improvement and a much more refined sound, along with a larger sound stage for gaming. If you got money to blow get these, if you are just getting into headphones for headsets...start out cheaper, especially if you don't have a sound card yet. Get the RX700 and an X-Fi Xtreme Music or Audio or similar in another brand that has a solid EQ, feature set and output level, or if you have bucks and want good sound a better Auzen or Asus with an integrated headphone amp or dedicated amp using digital out from on-board with these headphones and you'll be set for a long time to come...but you will pay for it dearly (imo, there are some uber expensive headphones, cards and amps...this is more for the mainstream gamer...and for that my setup imo is higher end...$100+ sound card and $200+ pair of headphones is hella expensive...that's half a solid budget PC gaming build!).

Grizzly Buds Ear Buds

(Formerly Ironbuds, successful Kickstarter for the most part)

The Good:

Affordable @ $35.

Modular, so you can replace either bud or the cable easily.

Replacement parts fairly priced.

Easy to drive.

Great bass.

Decent mids and treble.

Sounds great out MP3 players and dedicated amps.

The Bad:

Cable keeps kinks from shipping for a long time.

Strong chemical smell for weeks after new.

Company not well known, and so-so customer service previous to Grizzly Buds.

Limited soundstage (par for the course with this design).

The Review:

I backed the original Ironbuds and received my cheaply painted wood encased pair that came with adapters, extra buds, tips, and a case. Was blown away by the bass they produced, but they always lacked a clear midrange and treble was just okay. They made good buds for workouts because they were modular and came apart under accidents. But only about a year in the cable had a seperation at the left connector and when I tried to order a new cable they were out of stock and could only tell me they were waiting on suppliers. Not very impressed, but at least they replied.

Enter the Grizzly Buds in 2014, and they seem to be trying to change face. The new model has aluminum housings, and much higher quality standards for near the same price, without the extras of course. I haven't needed to order any spare parts, everything seems much better built and more solid though. The sound improved tremendously.

One thing both pairs have in common? They're easy to drive! Every device from smartphones to my little Sansa MP3 player to my Aune T1 dac/amp, to my Denon AVR-1613 receiver, they scale well. The Grizzly Buds scale much much better though.

The bass, as much as your ear drums and EQ can handle. I've tried to find the end or limits...without too much permanent damage and haven't found it. Do be warned, you will reach a point where the bass starts to overpower the rest of it before you find clipping...at least that's my findings. The mids and treble are so much better than the Ironbuds that its almost astounding. One will toss those first gen units after listening to these.

I've mostly listened to sub-$100 buds, and these compete with all of them to me. The buds are large and heavy, but sound great. I was even impressed with how well they were for gaming, the soundstage is clearly limited but it pulls out the excitement of all the aural goodness that modern games provide. Which is nice if you have a significant other that hates hearing your music and games or you prefer isolation.

On that note, isolation is great too, sure with no volume you can hear someone you have to pay more attention because it will be muted as most ear buds do. Honestly I'm glad I gave these guys a second shot, these earbuds have been fantastic, durable, and strong. They have complemented my full size headphones greatly and are my go-to when I want the best sound I can have without big ass headphones on my dome. Sure I could likely find better if I really wanted to look and had the money, but with these I'm content.

Summary: Good and cheap if you're willing to take a risk on an unknown name.

HiFiMan HE-400

The Good:

One of the most affordable planar magnetic headphones.

Very well built, tough, durable, feel almost industrial.

Detachable cable.

One of the bassiest open headphones I've ever heard!

Really benefit from amplification and EQ.

Pleather and Velour pads available.

Premium sounds that rivals much more expensive headphones.

Amazing speed and seperation of instruments in music or sounds in games due to planar technology.

Did I mention the amazing bass?

Clear, crisp and energetic mid and treble. Brings out new details in every sound played.

Amazing soundstage, games like Elite Dangerous really benefit from this, so does music.

The Bad:

Heavy, and can be uncomfortable after a couple hours or so.

Extremely open for open headphones, no isolation, at all, whatsoever.

I dislike the mini-ST style cable connections at each cup. But it is effective.

Harder to drive than many other headphones, especially if you expect decent bass response an amp is required.

The Review:

Well I bought these in December 2013, and have loved them ever since. Best $300+ headphone I've ever owned or listened to. Just been blown away by the planar magnetic experience. The speed of the drivers, the response, the clarity and detail all just amazing. Makes my D2000's feel lazy, makes everything else seem a little shrouded.

While some complain of the weight, I never really minded it and the memory foam pad on the headband was okay...though the newer strap design on the 400i and 560 is MUCH more comfortable. The earpads from those headphones will transfer to these and many report massively improved comfort, some also buy a snap-on headband pad from Amazon to increase comfort.

When I first listened to these, I pretty much HAD to listen to my entire music collection all over again. It sounded like I had missed so much...like all my songs were new. Sounds in games I never noticed. Soundstage that was wide and vast, yet crisp and focused. The bass, while not as low as the D2000's, the bass seems to have more punch and still reaches very very low. Doesn't ever overpower the rest. Vocals and instruments sound amazing, as do gunshots and explosions and the amazing ship noises in Elite Dangerous and Star Citizen. Battles in SupCom or PA are truly epic and vast. Movies are also amazing.

The caveat? Open headphones are for limited applications. I've listened to these HE-400's almost daily since I bought them, and they are in great shape. The painted "L" on the left adjuster faded off almost right away but the R has remained. Beyond that, I had a cracked cable shield that was replaced under warranty, and the longest period I went in between listening to these. Living with someone whom is noise sensitive, especially when they're trying to sleep and I'm only 10 feet away means I can't enjoy these at a comfortable volume. These are best when you have the house to yourself or the others don't mind what you're listening to you. It will be loud outside and inside of these phones. The only isolation you'll get from these when listening to them is volume. Beyond there there's a couple of foam pieces a metal grid and the planar membrane and magnets separating you from the outside.

I have sadly decided to sell these because I cannot enjoy them as much as I wanted to, except for as I write this because everyone's gone and my Aune T1 is warmed up!

I will miss these headphones and look forward to finding one with isolation that can reproduce even 2/3 the sound these did. While I still enjoy my D2000's, they really do pale in comparison to these. Really everything else I've listened to or owned has paled in comparison to these. The 400i's are supposed to be better, more comfortable, easier to drive and lighter, but with less bass. Ymmv.

From what I've found, which my experience and reach is limited due to budget and where I live, these are the best headphones in this price-range if you can be alright with the open design. I consider myself a basshead still, not as hardcore as I once was but these produce more than I need and are easy to EQ up for that need. These also are more sensitive to different DACs and AMPs than I was used to. These show the most notable difference between the Aune T1 and Denon AVR-1613. While the T1 hit a little harder, the Denon reached lower and sounded smoother overall. Was an interesting find. Enjoy losing your free time if you have a large music collection, you'll want to hear it all. Be warned, crappy quality will sound crappy as these headphones expose everything. Still worth every penny.

Summary: Amazing experience. If you can find comfort with them, they're worth it!

AKG K553 Pro - - Link 1 - Link 2 - Link 3

The Good:

Easy to adjust and lightweight means they're easy to make comfortable.
Large cushions with large opening for big ears like mine equals more comfort.
Responds very nicely to amplification and equalization. If you want more bass, it is easy to find.
Clear and open sound, very surprising for a closed headphone.
Excellent passive isolation, better than any other closed can I've ever owned.
Massdrop prices insanely good, still going in 2016 too! But even MSRP for these is absolutely worth it.
Easy enough to drive on portable devices too.
Replaceable ear pads.
One of the few headphones I can enjoy w/o EQ. The mids and treble are very enjoyable with an open presence.
Easy to get all the bass you need with amplification and EQ-ing.

The Bad:

Thin padding on top can cause some slight pain if adjusted too tight, some folks feel the need to slightly bend the frame inward to allow for more pressure on the cups. This will improve bass quantity.
Does not feature a detachable cable like some other strong contenders in its price range do.
Can sound flat and empty without EQ, barely any bass.
If you want to replace the factory pads you gotta contact Harmon-Kardon support as of 4/2016.

The Review:

Where to start...I pretty much covered some important points above. These are very enjoyable for closed cans...I had to give up my favored pair of HE400's due to the noisier environment I was in. I needed something closed, fast, clear and capable of decent bass. I searched high and low, even tried a $400 pair of Oppo PM-3's factory direct. They were good, but not $400 good to me and didn't fit my needs nor comfort level.

I kept passing the Massdrop on these AKG K553's and I had missed and at one point regretted missing the AKG 7XX deal until I couldn't listen to open-backs anymore. I decided for the price ($120 at the time of drop), I'd bite and resell if I didn't enjoy them. Well they're still on my head and I just ordered a spare pair off the most recent Massdrop...the fifth drop this pair has seen on Massdrop since launching last April/May.

For the price I am amazed and content. They sound great and so much more open than they should...while still being able to keep an amazing level of passive noise isolation. Though they don't clamp too tight on your head that can be adjusted by slightly bending the head band...frankly after letting the pads wear-in a bit I feel they're plenty fine.

These are also very easy to fit for comfort in my opinion. Which helps greatly with the sound...even allowing some tuning. Tilt the cup forward and you'll get more mid and treble and lowered bass...tilt back to reverse the effect.

While being easy to drive from my cell phone and Sansa MP3 player, they really shine being powered from my Aune T1 with a bassier EQ tune. The only range really lacking without EQ is bass...and honestly this is the only headphone I can actually listen to and enjoy without EQ-ing. Because the mid and treble have some meat and depth and are fun to enjoy. Add bass, and you can easily keep that and add some thump and boom.

These headphones will vibrate on your head too...I've yet to find them distort either. They will crank very loud and also are able to run nice and quiet while being clear.

I enjoy gaming with these, and really enjoy it. The imaging is very good for the games I play the immersion is very much there. Music sounds amazing, but crappy recordings are like the HE400's and will be rougher...but the K553 Pro's are a little more forgiving being less analytical.

Overall, after months and months with these K553's I'm extremely content and feel no need to upgrade. They have the right kind(s) of bass and sound for me, easy to tune for different needs, comfortable, lightweight and affordable. The only other headphones I purchased spares of were my JVC HA-RX700s (sold the backup pair after 7-8 years on my shelf in the package...original pair still going strong), Sony XB-500's (kids use one pair, she has the other pair), and now these.

I cannot recommend these enough for someone wanting more without spending an arm and a leg. Will these beat $400-500 headphones? Likely not...but they won't beat up your wallet either. For what they can provide with the crisp and floaty treble, clear and accurate mids and very capable thuderous-when-equalized-and-amped bass...in audio alone they win. In comfort they win again, and then isolation too...top notch. These aren't for everyone, but for me they did what I needed...replaced my HE-400's with isolation, without losing all the speed and detail my other headphones did. Winning!

Now replacing the ear pads is a different story, I searched high and low before contacting Harmon support...only to wait several days for a response. The cost was around $34 shipped for a replacement pair. They are purchased individually. I bought spares just to have...my original pads are still in excellent shape with no sign of giving out at all. Harmon support was easy to work with and easy to order from, albeit there was a shipping mistake and they sent one wrong pad (doh!), they immediately replied to my contact and worked to make it right. Better than I can say for other vendors I've purchased various products from.

The hinges also turn 180 degrees which allow these to lay flat...I do this every day when I'm done listening to them..and the hinges are solid, no sign of give. Same with the frame and the whole kit...solid and feels well built and engineered. I have no worries of these breaking or failing any day soon. But should they...my spare pair would be here soon!

My worry? She will finally try them out and find she really likes them...the real reason I have a spare pair!

Summary: Excellent value on Massdrop, excellent sub-$200 headphone period. If you want an open sounding, closed headphone that has far better than average isolation...look no further. If you don't mind playing with an EQ to get the sound you seek, these are an excellent option!

Now I've tried more than I've purchased including a few more plantronics, turtle beaches, logitechs, skull candy, bose, sony, etc...but I really only wanted to comment on the ones I owned and had a decent amount of use on. I hope this thread grows and can help many others while in search of something new, I may change the format to add more info/links, I haven't decided yet, but I figured I'd get the ball rollin and see what you guys come up with, what are you using? How do you like it? What else have you used/owned? Post it up here!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DreamSeller · Jul 26, 2009

cool thread keep it updated :toast:

Zoelef · Jul 26, 2009

Kursah said:
JVC HA-RX700 Headphones - - I wasn't sure what to expect, but if you read my considering new headset thread, I found a few threads that praised these cheap $33 shiped (at the time of this writing) pair of headphones as competing with much more expensive cans. There was a lot of good info, some mods, and they were half the price of the HPA2's so I figured I'd give them a go. Needless to say, I was blown away. Everything sounded better, they were comfortable, they went much louder, they had much lower bass that you felt, the mids and hi's were much more pronounced and identifiable...I noticed stuff in music I'd never heard before, sounds in games were clear and crisp. I had read that I could emulate 5.1 sound to my headphones using the CMMS-3D of my X-Fi. Naturally I had to compare this to my "true" 5.1 headset as the JVC's had 1 speaker per cup...and there were many headsets that were using 5.1/7.1 emulation I was very skeptical. Here's how you do it, go into Windows Control panel, Sound, speakers, set to 5.1. Then go into X-Fi control panel, game mode, headphone or 2.1 output, cmms-3d on. Set the game to either windows default or 5.1, and voila, now CMMS-3d will emulate 5.1 channels to your headphone...I gave it a shot in CoD4 and I was extremely suprised. The soundstage was huge in comparison to the HPA2's, sounds had distance to them, their placement was easily matching the HPA2's if not easier to locate, I was amazed. So far, I can't believe I spent so much on gaming headsets when a decent pair of headphones would do the trick.

So how did I use a mic you ask? Because this pair of headphones is my gaming headset you see...all I did was get about 8ft of 3.5mm cable, routed it along my headphone cable round the desk, and zip-tied the end to the top support of the LH earcup, then I ordered a non-lock style boom mic for a Turtle Beach HPA2 (in replacement parts), plugged it in and had the crisp recording and adjustability of the HPA2 without much hassle at all, many also use a Zalman clip on cable mic too...but i did prefer the HPA2 mic, even though I failed to mention it above, it records clearly and cuts out a decent amount of background noise...though it will pickup some voices if they're a couple feet from ya, but aside from that, communication is great through that style of mic, and I wanted to keep it that way. Overall, this is the BEST gaming headset I've ever owned, it meets or beats the HPA2's in every aspect, from bass/mids/hi's to gaming, movies, you name it. I would definately recommend this to anyone that doesn't want to spend an arm and a leg on a gaming headset, even with the extra cable and mic I was under $50. But one word of caution, they don't sound too good from onboard unless it has a decent EQ...it'll need a healthy V shaped EQ at that. I am now currently running an Auzen X-Fi Forte that has an integrated heapdhone amp, which was a nice improvement over my X-Fi Xtreme Music, but even the old creative X-Fi trumped the onboard of my P5Q Deluxe AD2000 and GB P35-DS3L ALC885 onboard, no contest and it was VERY noticable. So having an add-in sound card is the way to go, and adding amplification be it a home reciever, headphone amp, amp/dac or sound card is greatly helpful and makes these headphones really shine.

I use a pair of HARX-900s + Zalman mic with onboard audio and I'm still impressed by the overall quality.

Here's some links to those parts:

Headphones:
$34 - JAC HARX-700 [free s/h]
$55 - JAC HARX-900 [free s/h]

$6 - Zalman Microphone attachment (standard shipping is < $2 to my zip code)
$8 - HPA2 non-lock microphone part [Fedex Ground shipping is ~$6.50 to my zip code]

Sir_Real · Jul 26, 2009

I recently brought a 5.1 Silverline Headset 751B. Second user off ebay. Only payed £10 inc p&p.

The sound quality is spot on. The bass has to be turned quite low as the built in bass speaker literally vibrates your head if turned up high.

However I find the suround sound is not clairly directional. I brought this headset hoping when gaming with games like cod4 i'd be able to tell the direction of sounds around me. I.e weather a gun shoot or someone moving was behind me or infront.
Turned out even though you can defo tell its suround sound its still hard to tell the direction the sound came from.
I dont know if its just this headset or its 5.1 headsets in general. Does anyone else found this is the case with their 5.1 or 7.1 headset?

Homeless · Jul 26, 2009

I'm actually using the JVC HA RX 700's right now w/ a zalman clip on the mic. The zalman mic isn't too good as expected since I paid <$10 for it, but the $30 I paid for these headphones are completely phenomenal

Mussels · Jul 26, 2009

[B ]Sennheiser HD-555[/b] -

Pro's:

Long cord.
Great (and i mean great, accurate sound)
Great positioning in 3D gaming, despite being 'only' stereo
Open cans (allows ears to breathe - comfortable for hours and hours of use)
Circumaural cups (doesnt touch your ears at all)
Spare parts for sale cheap from distribitors. I got new padding and cord for $60 au, after owning my pair for 5 years
Fairly cheap, considering their sound and build quality

Cons
Open cans - doesnt block out the environment. Not the best for noisy locations like LAN's
Big. not for street wear.

Kursah · Jul 26, 2009

Zoelef said:
I use a pair of HARX-900s + Zalman mic with onboard audio and I'm still impressed by the overall quality.

Here's some links to those parts:

Headphones:
$34 - JAC HARX-700 [free s/h]
$55 - JAC HARX-900 [free s/h]

$6 - Zalman Microphone attachment (standard shipping is < $2 to my zip code)
$8 - HPA2 non-lock microphone part [Fedex Ground shipping is ~$6.50 to my zip code]

What onboard audio are you using? It might be helpful as a reference to other users to check to see if they have a simlar chip. I know the ALC8xx series are decent, out of the two boards in the rigs I have running atm the GB P35-DS3L's ALC885 seems a tad better and clearer than the P5Q Deluxes AD2000. I almost purchased the 900's, and still might just to try them out someday, but I gotta say thus far I'm extremely happy with the 700's.

:toast:

exodusprime1337 · Jul 26, 2009

i use a set of plantronics gamecom 777 5.1 circimural headphones with a usb dongle. I've been very happy so far, sound is rich and clean, crisp highs and some pretty impressive lows. here is a link to the website for them, paid about 75 bucks for em, Plantronis-Gamecom 777

Kantastic · Jul 26, 2009

I bought the Sennheiser PC 151 headset a short while ago and I must say they are superb!

Spaceman Spiff · Jul 26, 2009

Ezonics 5.1 USB -

- Got 'em from newegg a while back to use for my Laptop with shite onboard sound. I was incredibly impressed at the time and they held up very well after 3 years or so. They have tape on the cans since the plastic broke that held them to the head piece. Glue to hold the wires in since they had been pulled out quite a few times and tape to hold together the driver "case" halfway down the cord. Yeah they were abused, but damn they were good, or so i thought...

Sennheiser HD201 -:shadedshu - Well for 20 bucks I didnt expect much, just something to replace my aging Ezonics and that I could use with my mp3 player. It had a 3.5mm jack and the Sennheiser name and was cheap, figured I'd give it a go. I was not too happy, the sound quality was poop. But they were damn cheap. Well, these went into my closet, my Ezonics got pulled out and I got some 10 buck Philip earbuds from CVS for my mp3 player.

Audiotechnica ATH A700 + Turtle Beach Audio Advantage Micro USB - :rockout:

- My oh my, what an experience. I had the Ezonics out when I received my ATs to do a back to back comparison so I listened to the Ezonics first and then the ATs. The Ezonics went into my attic after 2 min of listenin to the 700s. With the TB Audio Adv Micro which is a bit like a mini amp, although it doesn't need it, it sounds glorious. I've never heard anything like these before. Even through my Zune music is just eargasmic. I now make sure the songs I get are 320kbs and nothing lower. I finally realized what "audiophiles" are talking about. I wanted a closed set of cans so the Senns were out of the question and I was thinking about getting a headset with a mic but so many people say that a good set of cans and a separate mic is the way to go, and Im so happy I did. Got the 700s for 99.00 shipped and if you could legally marry electronics, I would be faithful to the 700s forever, they make my ears very happy to be alive. :toast:

Kursah · Jul 27, 2009

exodusprime1337 said:
i use a set of plantronics gamecom 777 5.1 circimural headphones with a usb dongle. I've been very happy so far, sound is rich and clean, crisp highs and some pretty impressive lows. here is a link to the website for them, paid about 75 bucks for em, Plantronis-Gamecom 777

Yeah I almost bought a set of these when they first came out, it seems they use the same driver my older .Audio 350's feature, but in a larger housing. My .Audio's sounded pretty good for the price though. One thing to note about these is the fact they use emulated dolby headphone for 5.1 surround. This is NOT a bad thing from my findings, not bad at all...imo I'd rather have 2 better speakers with 5.1 emulation than 6-8 crappier speakers for "true" 5.1 after my experiences on both ends. The gamecom series is very popular and has some very good affordable models such as the 367 and 377 too. Definately a good pair for gaming!

:toast:

MadClown · Jul 27, 2009

I got the TB EF HPA2, they rock with my SB X-Fi XG. 5.1 on headphones seems kinda pointless, but you can tell its behind you, its just not very convincing.

They also block out some outside noise, which is a good thing for the most part(I have some trouble hearing my mom sometimes when im jamming).

Great Headphones IMHO, the mic is very clear too, works great on all the chat clients I use.

Duxx · Jul 27, 2009

It's about damn time there kursah! Hah you and your headphones

like a full time job

+1 JVC HA-RX700 thanks to kursah

Zoelef · Jul 27, 2009

Kursah said:
What onboard audio are you using? It might be helpful as a reference to other users to check to see if they have a simlar chip. I know the ALC8xx series are decent, out of the two boards in the rigs I have running atm the GB P35-DS3L's ALC885 seems a tad better and clearer than the P5Q Deluxes AD2000. I almost purchased the 900's, and still might just to try them out someday, but I gotta say thus far I'm extremely happy with the 700's.

Realtek ALC888S via a Biostar Tpower I45. A tipster from another forum stated that Vista + Onboard Audio + HARX-700/900 on a relatively new board would stand its own ground.

I wouldn't be able to compare the 700's vs. 900's because I went for 900's out of the gate and am very pleased with the results. The 700's go from 8Hz - 25KHz while the 900's go from 7Hz-26KHz, so you're probably not missing out on that much, but audio is definitely not an area I'm experienced with.

Kursah · Jul 27, 2009

Those 888S chips are supposed to be pretty damn good. I've heard people claim both sound great from onboard, I had to do a steep V EQ to get even similar sound to what my X-Fi could put out at an almost flat EQ. Not saying that's bad, it's just something I couldn't revert to without being annoyed, but then again if you're not used to it, it's something you probably won't notice or be bothered by, if it sounds good to you, that's all that matters in the end. It's just to my ears the onboard solutions I tried with the RX700's sounded so dull and almost muffled in comparison to what the X-Fi could do even after playing with EQ, loudness settings and what-not, I was still not happy. It could be done if the X-Fi went south, but I'd be finding another one asap. But you get used to a type of sound, and that's where ya want it to be, when you're content with it, then you're golden.

I do gotta say I'm extremely happy with my end result, and have ordered a pair of JVC HA-DX3's from buy.com recently...they're supposed to be much more well rounded, more comfy and sound that competes with much more expensive Denon headphones. I haven't decided if I'll keep the DX3's, but I'm for sure keeping the RX700's as they still continue to impress me.

:rockout:

EDIT: Would you guys like me to add your guys' reviews to the OP? Also would you like me to link to the headphones/headsets I've owned? (I might not be able to source the Logitechs as they were a Walmart special back in the day...but I could find something similar I'm sure). I want to make this thread very useful for newcomers, and something you guys can feel free to add to without too much maintenance or worry of not sourcing good info ya know? So far the turnout is amazing, thanks everyone!

Kursah · Jul 27, 2009

Just added some bullet points to each headset/headphone I have reviewed in the OP, added links for each set. The logitechs I had to link to what replaced them though. Added a summary after each mini-review.

Please let me know if there's anything else you guys would like to see! I can add your reviews to the OP if you like, I want this to be a really useful thread, so please keep the reviews of your headphone/headset stock (even if it's the same, that's good for consistency)! Thanks for the support thus far, and I hope to see this thread thrive here on TPU and be something many can come to when deciding on that next headphone/headset upgrade.

:toast:

Kursah · Jul 28, 2009

Sir_Real said:
However I find the suround sound is not clairly directional. I brought this headset hoping when gaming with games like cod4 i'd be able to tell the direction of sounds around me. I.e weather a gun shoot or someone moving was behind me or infront.
Turned out even though you can defo tell its suround sound its still hard to tell the direction the sound came from.
I dont know if its just this headset or its 5.1 headsets in general. Does anyone else found this is the case with their 5.1 or 7.1 headset?

That's the case of processing and soundstage not giving you the correct position, and what your brain is processing from the sound signal. With 2 channel audio that's what I noticed, but with both the LTB 5.1 and HPA2 5.1, I could definately tell if it was in front, behind, left, right, and even if it wasn't a direct location I had a good idea of where the gunshot originated. Though with the LTB's it seemed a little harder in the "surround" area to locate, the HPA2's were quite a bit easier but not perfect. As I stated before, I really do prefer the x-fi's cmms-3d and better headphones, the placement seems better and actually has distance to it...which is great in games like CoD4. It can also come down to what you expect to hear and what you interperet from the sound being put out.

It is really a challenge to have the ability of really good surround sound from headphones, the limitation of size, number of drivers or amount of emulation, the ability of the drivers, and what is expected of them...hopefully with this tread and the donation of others that have used other brands/makes of 5.1+ headsets could really shine some light on what's worth getting and what's not for different purposes.

:toast:

Kursah · Jul 31, 2009

Just got my JVC HA-DX3 headphones in today, got them at an ok price, but they generally run around 100-110 shipped. So far all I've done is listen to music with them, which is crisper and sharper than the HA-RX700's, but that's not what this thread is about...so I'll post after I've put a few good solid hours of gaming in on them. Be on the lookout within the next week to see if they're really worth around 3X the price of my coveted HA-RX700's or not. I purchased them after great recommendations off of some great people elsewhere. The claim is a larger soundstage and improved overall sound. So far I can say the overall sound is cleaner, seems a tad more enveloping in a sense than the 700's.

One thing I can for sure attest to is the felt padding is extremely comfortable, and the fitment is very comfortable and light in comparison, but that alone isn't worth the price difference to me. So stay tuned to see if I feel they're worth the investment for gaming or not...I'll be using my Auzen Forte via rear amp'd heapdhone jack in comparison. So far I'm happy comfort and tunes-wise, but not sold.

Though I'm hoping to see some more of you folks pipe in, I don't care if you have $10 headsets, post them up, what you think about them, I do believe in bang-for-the-buck even in the sound arena, and that's exactly why I snagged the HARX700's instead of getting another set of HPA2's. There are quite a few models I'd like to read about in this thread that I haven't and probably won't purchase, some cheap, some spendy, some in-between, there's plenty of room here, let's make this thread something worth referring others to when they ask about headphones/headsets to look into!

:toast:

d3fct · Jul 31, 2009

There currently unavailable from tigerdirect, but these are what ive been using for about 6 months now (triton usb 5.1) upgrade from logitech usb. Big differance with surround sound in a headset while gaming, these are for better than the logitech or anything else ive used. When I bought them, i got them for about $80 us, i think i got them from newegg, but i dont see them there.I recommend them if you want a nice set, almost forgot the guys on ventrilo say this mic is more clearer than the logitech too.

Kursah · Aug 3, 2009

Alright, well I recently purchased a set of higher end JVC HA-DX3's. I've only listened to them in music, so far what I first noticed was the comfort, it reminded me of the Turtle Beach HPA2's, but lighter. The velour pads were very comfy indeed. So far I've only done a little gaming and mostly music/movies, but thus far music/movie-wise I've noticed they need more bass increases via EQ and boost to achieve decent levels, they're a bass shy set and need more oomph to drive at 90 ohms. The bass isn't as sharp or defined as the RX700's, but the mids and hi's are in the next league, the detail and crispness were top notch. What I did hear in games, which has been very little with camping and other stuff going on recently, was what seemed to be an impressive soundstage for a closed headphone, it seemed larger and more accurate than my RX700's, and easier to hear minor noises, far gunshots, lighter footsteps, etc. I have ran both from my Auzen X-Fi Forte heapdhone amp connection, and I won't be kicking my 700's to the curb quite yet, as I need more time to see if the DX3's are worth the investment at nearly 3X the price or not. Really buying those made me that much more impressed with what the RX700's are capable of, and where they lack a little...but for the price...my god I appreciate them that much more. I will be adding a mini-review to the OP within the next week after I get some good hours of gaming, primarily CoD4 in on this new set. Until then folks. please keep posting your thoughts and experiences! I'm impressed at the submitted results thus far, and it doesn't matter if someone's done a mini-review/recommendation on a pair you use or have had, the more results the better imo.

:toast:

Kursah · Aug 8, 2009

Alright, well I added the JVC HA-DX3 review to the OP, it might be revised later on, but as of this point that's where they stand with me. They're comfy, and very detail oriented on sound output, which turns out to be fun for gaming but not as fun for my kind of music especially with the lack of bass punch the RX700's provide. Check the OP to read more about it.

:toast:

ste2425 · Aug 8, 2009

you mentioned audio sources. I use an alesis multi mix 8. This is more over a mixer as too a sound card that you guys would be used too but it hooks up through usb.

pro's
huge, infinate, flexibility,
can have four jack inputs playing through at once(i understand the most u'd use is two but it meant easy volume changes for my games and any music i have running through it.

Doesn't need to be hooked up to your pc to run

amazing sound quality (no hiss no pops clear crisp high and defined bass not just a blur of bass with most cards)

means you can record things if you into that

multipull outputs, control roomout, main mix out, line out, aux out

con's
not sutable for most users

only 2.1 so for headphone use primarily

whilst it is compact and small most people wont want it on their desk

in short this is hugly powerful piece of kit, its like the hd 4890 of the sound world. Great recording quality and thanks to the usb no need for anoying tape decks and easy mastering. But this device will only be fully utilized with someone with more use then just playing music through. In the end it is a recording device and should be used for that.

Kursah · Aug 8, 2009

Nice setup ste, definately a tad overkill for the gamer out there

But I bet it puts out some seriously nice sound. I love my Auzen Forte and chose it over external solutions this round for the fact I wanted to keep my sound output within my case at this point in time. But that thing does look very sweet, makes me want to start recording lol! Nice find!

What are you using for headphones/headsets being driven by that mixer? Nice source review, I think I'll do one on my X-Fi Xtreme Music and Auzen Forte eventually, nothing too technical, keep it simple similar to your review and the ones I have in the OP.

Anyone else gonna pipe in and give their experienced opinions on their headphones and headsets? It doesn't matter if others thinks it junk, or even if you do, hell if you don't like it, let us know...save some fellow TPUer's some money! If you have a good diamond in the rough, definately post it up! Let's get this thread thriving with info, it's off to a good start imo, but I know there's plenty more of you out there that have some good gaming sound gear that would fit right in here.

:toast:

ourfpshero · Aug 9, 2009

my 1st post- Kurash invited me here from headfi to share some headphone opinions. i have tried many headphones and headsets- probably close to 100!

i'll share a few of my faves:

Denon ah-d2000
these go for about 220$. metal cups, leather earpads. metal swivels, braided cord. have a nice feel to them. very comfy. reaches very low bass notes and pretty high notes also. slightly recessed mids. very clear sound, no harshness at all. my overall fave headphone at the moment, these are just fantastic for gaming.

pros
-fantastic bass, never harsh or thudding
-decent soundstage
-quality materials
-very clear highs, you miss nothing with these

cons
-price. might be hard to jump in to an expensive headphone for some
-the metal yokes seem fragile. i have heard of them breaking once.
-not a flat neautral sound. these arent for mixing or monitoring duties

toxirau · Aug 9, 2009

steelsound 4H -

-

Pros

Cheap
Great sound
Retractable Microphone
Comfy for very long gaming sessions
Super Durable Cord
Amazing construction for being plastic I have stepped on them countless times.
The in-line mic/volume control works well
Easy repair if someone does break them.

Cons

Short cord for my use (5')
The cord will break if someone gets mad at you and rips it in half
Does not make me lunch.

I got mine off woot right after they came out for 17.99 and I have been using them for around a year and a half. Someone broke the cord on them but I repaired it with little to no trouble but I think it would have been fine if that person did not rip it.

System Name	Kursah's Gaming Rig 2018 (2022 Upgrade) - Ryzen+ Edition \| Gaming Laptop (Lenovo Legion 5i Pro 2022)
Processor	R7 5800X @ Stock \| i7 12700H @ Stock
Motherboard	Asus ROG Strix X370-F Gaming BIOS 6203\| Legion 5i Pro NM-E231
Cooling	Noctua NH-U14S Push-Pull + NT-H1 \| Stock Cooling
Memory	TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 32GB (2x16) DDR4 4000 @ 3600 18-20-20-42 1.35v \| 32GB DDR5 4800 (2x16)
Video Card(s)	Palit GeForce RTX 4070 JetStream 12GB \| CPU-based Intel Iris XE + RTX 3070 8GB 150W
Storage	4TB SP UD90 NVME, 960GB SATA SSD, 2TB HDD \| 1TB Samsung OEM NVME SSD + 4TB Crucial P3 Plus NVME SSD
Display(s)	Acer 28" 4K VG280K x2 \| 16" 2560x1600 built-in
Case	Corsair 600C - Stock Fans on Low \| Stock Metal/Plastic
Audio Device(s)	Aune T1 mk1 > AKG K553 Pro + JVC HA-RX 700 (Equalizer APO + PeaceUI) \| Bluetooth Earbuds (BX29)
Power Supply	EVGA 750G2 Modular + APC Back-UPS Pro 1500 \| 300W OEM (heavy use) or Lenovo Legion C135W GAN (light)
Mouse	Logitech G502 \| Logitech M330
Keyboard	HyperX Alloy Core RGB \| Built in Keyboard (Lenovo laptop KB FTW)
Software	Windows 11 Pro x64 \| Windows 11 Home x64

Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 (OC'd to 3.17 GHz @ 1.2V)
Motherboard	Biostar TPower I45
Cooling	OCZ Vendetta II (CPU)
Memory	4GB G.Skill DDR2-800
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte Radeon HD 4850
Storage	WD6400AAKS
Display(s)	Acer X263WBI (25.5", 1920x1200)
Case	Antec Twelve Hundred
Power Supply	OCZ PowerXStream 1000W
Software	Windows Vista x64

Processor	PC 1: Q6600@3.25,1.34v / PC 2: E8200@3.88,1.35v
Motherboard	PC 1: Asus P5Q-SE / PC 2: Asus P5Q-E
Cooling	PC 1: Air / PC 2: Air
Memory	PC 1: 4gb Ocz PC8500 / PC 2: 4gb Kingston hx PC8500
Video Card(s)	PC 1: Saphirre HD4870x2 2GB / PC 2: 2x XFX HD4870 1GB in xfire
Storage	PC 1: Samsung 750GB (win7) + Seagate Barracuda 500GB (XP pro) / PC 2: Seagate Barracuda 160GB
Display(s)	2x HANNS-G HH251 24.6" 1980x1080 LCD
Power Supply	PC 1: CIT gold 750watt / PC 2: Powercool 850watt modular
Software	PC 1: Win7 home 64 + XP pro 32 / PC 2: Win7 home 64
Benchmark Scores	PC 1: 3Dmark2006: 18674 PC 2: 3Dmark2006: 19250

System Name	Rainbow Sparkles (Power efficient, <350W gaming load)
Processor	Ryzen R7 5800x3D (Undervolted, 4.45GHz all core)
Motherboard	Asus x570-F (BIOS Modded)
Cooling	Alphacool Apex UV - Alphacool Eisblock XPX Aurora + EK Quantum ARGB 3090 w/ active backplate
Memory	2x32GB DDR4 3600 Corsair Vengeance RGB @3866 C18-22-22-22-42 TRFC704 (1.4V Hynix MJR - SoC 1.15V)
Video Card(s)	Galax RTX 3090 SG 24GB: Underclocked to 1700Mhz 0.750v (375W down to 250W))
Storage	2TB WD SN850 NVME + 1TB Sasmsung 970 Pro NVME + 1TB Intel 6000P NVME USB 3.2
Display(s)	Phillips 32 32M1N5800A (4k144), LG 32" (4K60) \| Gigabyte G32QC (2k165) \| Phillips 328m6fjrmb (2K144)
Case	Fractal Design R6
Audio Device(s)	Logitech G560 \| Corsair Void pro RGB \|Blue Yeti mic
Power Supply	Fractal Ion+ 2 860W (Platinum) (This thing is God-tier. Silent and TINY)
Mouse	Logitech G Pro wireless + Steelseries Prisma XL
Keyboard	Razer Huntsman TE ( Sexy white keycaps)
VR HMD	Oculus Rift S + Quest 2
Software	Windows 11 pro x64 (Yes, it's genuinely a good OS) OpenRGB - ditch the branded bloatware!
Benchmark Scores	Nyooom.

System Name	Kursah's Gaming Rig 2018 (2022 Upgrade) - Ryzen+ Edition \| Gaming Laptop (Lenovo Legion 5i Pro 2022)
Processor	R7 5800X @ Stock \| i7 12700H @ Stock
Motherboard	Asus ROG Strix X370-F Gaming BIOS 6203\| Legion 5i Pro NM-E231
Cooling	Noctua NH-U14S Push-Pull + NT-H1 \| Stock Cooling
Memory	TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 32GB (2x16) DDR4 4000 @ 3600 18-20-20-42 1.35v \| 32GB DDR5 4800 (2x16)
Video Card(s)	Palit GeForce RTX 4070 JetStream 12GB \| CPU-based Intel Iris XE + RTX 3070 8GB 150W
Storage	4TB SP UD90 NVME, 960GB SATA SSD, 2TB HDD \| 1TB Samsung OEM NVME SSD + 4TB Crucial P3 Plus NVME SSD
Display(s)	Acer 28" 4K VG280K x2 \| 16" 2560x1600 built-in
Case	Corsair 600C - Stock Fans on Low \| Stock Metal/Plastic
Audio Device(s)	Aune T1 mk1 > AKG K553 Pro + JVC HA-RX 700 (Equalizer APO + PeaceUI) \| Bluetooth Earbuds (BX29)
Power Supply	EVGA 750G2 Modular + APC Back-UPS Pro 1500 \| 300W OEM (heavy use) or Lenovo Legion C135W GAN (light)
Mouse	Logitech G502 \| Logitech M330
Keyboard	HyperX Alloy Core RGB \| Built in Keyboard (Lenovo laptop KB FTW)
Software	Windows 11 Pro x64 \| Windows 11 Home x64

System Name	HOMECOMPUTER
Processor	Intel i9 - 9900k @ 5.1Ghz - 1.31v
Motherboard	Asux ROG Maximus XI Hero Wifi
Cooling	ek supremacy evo full nickle, 2xEK 360 Radiators, ek d5 pump/res combo, ek full cover 2080ti block
Memory	16GB DDR 3600 Trident Z RGB
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte RTX 2080TI
Storage	1xWD black NVME 500GB, 1xSamsung 970 Evo Plus NVME 1TB
Display(s)	2 Dell Gaming 27" 1440P Gsync
Case	Lian LI PC-011 Dynamic
Audio Device(s)	onboard
Power Supply	Evga P2 1200Watt
Mouse	Zowie FK1+
Keyboard	Corsair Strafe rgb silent
Software	Windows 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores	i'm working on that

System Name	Dust Collector
Processor	AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
Motherboard	Asus B550I Aorus Pro WiFi AX
Cooling	Alpenfohn Black Ridge V2 w/ Noctua NF-A9x14
Memory	Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB DDR4 3200MHz/CL16
Video Card(s)	Power Color Red Dragon RX 5700 XT
Storage	Samsung EVO+ 500GB NVMe
Display(s)	Dell S2721DGF
Case	Dan Case A4
Power Supply	Corsair SF600 Platinum
Mouse	Logitech G603
Keyboard	Logitech G613

Processor	i9 9900k @ 4.8 Ghz
Motherboard	Asrock Z370 Taichi
Cooling	Xspc raystorm direct die, 2x 480 swiftech rads + 2x 120 block ice rads D5, Monsoon Dualbay Res
Memory	32gb G.Skill DDR4 3200mhz CL14
Video Card(s)	Gigabyte Aorus 3080 Ti Waterforce WB shunt mod
Storage	Samsung Evo 860 500gb, Samsung Evo 860 1Tb x2, WD White 12tb x2
Display(s)	Acer xb270hu 144hz 2560x1440
Case	Enthoo Primo
Audio Device(s)	Schiit Modi Multibit/Magni3 - M1060 (fuzzor+LQi cable+Eikon suede)/ATH-W1000X (Purrin's mod+suede)
Power Supply	EVGA SuperNova 1300w
Mouse	Razer Orochi
Keyboard	Tesoro
Software	TeamOS W10 Pro/W7 Pro

System Name	Turbo_Fighter/Pitbull
Processor	AMD FX-9590/Intel i7 6700K 4.7GHZ @ 1.41 volts
Motherboard	Gigabyte 990FXA-UD3 Rev 4.0/Gigabyte GA-Z170N-Gaming 5
Cooling	Corsair H105/Corsair H100iv2
Memory	32 GB G.Skill Ares/32 GB G.Skill Trident-Z
Video Card(s)	XFX Radeon R9 Fury X/Sapphire R9 Nano
Storage	Mix of HDDs SSDs Externals and a 256GB Samsung M.2 in the pitbull
Display(s)	24" Nixeus 144hz freesync/24'' Benq XL2420TE/21.5'' Asus VH226/Panasonic 42" Plasma
Case	White Phantom NZXT/Fractal Define Nano S
Audio Device(s)	MayFlower O2 ODAC/HT Omega Claro+/Turtlebeach Earforce DSS
Power Supply	Corsair AX1200i/Thermaltake Smart 650Watt(EVGA GS 650 Watt took a shit on me)
Mouse	Logitech G502
Keyboard	Corsair K70
Software	Windows 10
Benchmark Scores	They can run Crysis.

System Name	no remorse
Processor	i7 2600k @ 4.7 ht on
Motherboard	gigabyte z68x-ud3p-b3
Cooling	xspc rasa cpu block, bitspower restop, mcp355
Memory	4 x 4gb corsair vengance 1600 8-8-8-24
Video Card(s)	570 gtx
Storage	2x32 gb patriot ssd's in raid 0 (os & games) / 2 x 500gb barracuda (storage)
Display(s)	25 inch 1080p widescreen i-inc
Case	cooler master haf x
Audio Device(s)	turtle beach earforce px21 headset (usb)
Power Supply	corsair HX850
Benchmark Scores	super pi 1m : 7.160 sec. 34,837 3dmark06

System Name	Ultra 64
Processor	NEC VR4300 (MIPS R4300i)
Motherboard	proprietary design
Cooling	Fanless aircooled
Memory	4.5MB 250 MHz RDRAM
Video Card(s)	62.5 MHz Reality Coprocessor
Storage	32 - 512 Mbit ROM Cartridge
Display(s)	720x576
Case	Clear Blue Funtastic
Audio Device(s)	16-bit CD quality
Power Supply	proprietary design
Mouse	N64 mouse for use with N64DD
Keyboard	N64 keyboard for use with N64DD

System Name	The Computer ?
Processor	AMD 9850BE 2.9Ghz
Motherboard	Gigabyte GA-MA790GP-UD4H
Cooling	Artic Cooling 64 pro
Memory	8 Gigs budget OCZ 5-4-4-15@2.22v
Video Card(s)	2 Sapphire HD4850's in X-Fire 700/1200
Storage	2 2nd Gen 74.5gb Raptors in RAID0
Display(s)	Dual Samsung 2343BWX
Case	Antec 900 one
Audio Device(s)	Creative X-Fi Extream Audio
Power Supply	Seventeam 850w
Software	Vista x64 Ultimate

*TPU's Gaming Headphone/Headset Thread*

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TPU's Gaming Headphone/Headset Thread