# Headset died - will my HD600 be a good replacement?



## alonbl (Dec 3, 2020)

So my Plantronics HD800 wireless died and I don't want to buy another expansive headset. I also have Sennheiser HD600 with Magni 2U/Modi 2U. Will the HD600 be good with FPS games? or should I buy a low cost gaming headset like HyperX Alpha or Sennheiser GSP 300?


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## newtekie1 (Dec 3, 2020)

I don't see why the HD600 wouldn't be good with FPS games.  I know I have the HD599SE and they are great.


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## kayjay010101 (Dec 3, 2020)

I have the HD599 and they're excellent for FPS games. The ability to instantly know where a sound is coming from is very good for more tactical FPS', for hearing footsteps and such. The HD600 is just a better HD599 afaik, so yeah, I think it'll be very good.


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## Rei (Dec 3, 2020)

alonbl said:


> and I don't want to buy another expansive headset.


Didn't realize that headsets can be "expansive".   Is that a new feature?  

So what's your budget limit? Considering your Plantronics 800HD could go for US$90 & you don't want another $90 headset, I suppose you want something cheaper. HyperX Cloud Alpha goes for US$60-80 while Razer Kraken X goes for US$50-70.


kayjay010101 said:


> The ability to instantly know where a sound is coming from is very good for more tactical FPS', for hearing footsteps and such.


That is alotta qualifiers for alotta headset. Even my US$30 headset could do that.


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## alonbl (Dec 3, 2020)

Rei said:


> Didn't realize that headsets can be "expansive".   Is that a new feature?
> 
> So what's your budget limit? Considering your Plantronics 800HD could go for US$90 & you don't want another $90 headset, I suppose you want something cheaper. HyperX Cloud Alpha goes for US$60-80 while Razer Kraken X goes for US$50-70.
> 
> That is alotta qualifiers for alotta headset. Even my US$30 headset could do that.



When I bought the RIG it cost $130. My question is would it be a good idea to buy something like HyperX Cloud or stay with the HD600? will the HD600 provide good experience in games?


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## TheLostSwede (Dec 3, 2020)

alonbl said:


> When I bought the RIG it cost $130. My question is would it be a good idea to buy something like HyperX Cloud or stay with the HD600? will the HD600 provide good experience in games?


Sorry, but I don't understand your logic here.
You have a $400 pair of headphones and your questions is what exactly? They're obviously going to be better than any kind of crappy "gaming" headset.
Do you really think the likes of Corsair, Kingston, SteelSeries etc. can compete in terms of audio quality with your Sennheisers?
"Gaming" headsets are largely a marketing thing and nothing more. Sure, there's the convenience of a built in mic, but they are otherwise in general just cheap headphones with a lot of branding and marketing slapped on them to appeal to "gamers".
I only have the headset I have because I didn't have to pay for it. I admit I used to have a cheap Plantronics headset before, but that was no more than $50 and the plastic broke on the end.
Been years since I had a pair of Sennheiser's, but I see no reason whatsoever that they wouldn't be good for gaming. I have used my Sony WH-1000MX2's for gaming earlier this year, as I got stuck in Sweden for a few months and they were just as good as my Corsair Virtuoso SE's, if not quite as comfortable due to the smaller ear cups.
Maybe I'm not picky enough, although that said, wireless headsets do have one advantage that I didn't really expect to like, but it turns out that cutting the cord is quite nice.


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## milewski1015 (Dec 3, 2020)

TheLostSwede said:


> Sorry, but I don't understand your logic here.
> You have a $400 pair of headphones and your questions is what exactly? They're obviously going to be better than any kind of crappy "gaming" headset.
> Do you really think the likes of Corsair, Kingston, SteelSeries etc. can compete in terms of audio quality with your Sennheisers?
> "Gaming" headsets are largely a marketing thing and nothing more. Sure, there's the convenience of a built in mic, but they are otherwise in general just cheap headphones with a lot of branding and marketing slapped on them to appeal to "gamers".
> ...


This right here. To quote Z Reviews: "And the problem with an RGB gaming headset is A: it's got an LED in it which usually means it came from the manufacturer of your keyboard, and B: the manufacturer of your keyboard shouldn't be making fucking audio equipment". Agreed, the most redeeming quality about the "gaming" headsets I've used before was the wireless capabilities, but since switching away from them I've gotten used to being tethered to my PC. I use the Philips SHP9500s paired with the V-MODA BoomPro hooked up to this SybaSonic DAC and am quite happy with the combo. As aforementioned, I do miss the wireless capabilities of the previous gaming headsets I've used, and the light clamping force these headphones have make them quite susceptible to sliding off my head when I tilt my chair back, but I'm very happy with the improved soundstage and mic quality.


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## Deleted member 202104 (Dec 3, 2020)

The biggest problem for me with the open-back Senn's is that sometimes it's difficult to know if what you're hearing is from the headset, or something else going on in the house.  If your computer area is quiet, probably not an issue.  I ended up picking up a pair of Beyer DT 770 Pros simply because they're closed back and block out anything going on around me.

Probably just try it and see?  It's really on how it sounds to you.  While I love my 650's for music, they're a little boring for gaming.  The 598's are more fun.


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## kayjay010101 (Dec 4, 2020)

Rei said:


> That is alotta qualifiers for alotta headset. Even my US$30 headset could do that.


There's a difference between having stereo and being able to exactly pinpoint where a sound is coming from. The soundstage on the HD5xx+ headphones is insanely precise. No $30 or even <$150 headphones (and certainly not gaming ones) even comes close. Just because something is able to do something doesn't mean it does it well. My 2002 Toyota Corolla physically can go to 115mph, that doesn't mean it'll do it in any reasonable timeframe to make it worth mentioning, while the 0-~120mph figure on a more expensive car is perhaps a lot more impressive. Being able to do something does not mean it instantly makes it as good as other things that do the same thing. There's doing it, then there's doing it well.

Most gaming headsets and <$100 headphones have awful soundstage precision in my experience, but yes, they do have stereo so you can hear what general direction (but usually just left or right and no more precision than that.. unless it's faked with post-processing but then it's not accurate) sound is coming from. But with the HD599's, and this applies to the HD600's as well, the precision is so good you can tell instantly if something is behind you, 3 feet back and 2 feet to the right, to a very accurate degree.


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## TheLostSwede (Dec 4, 2020)

@kayjay010101 feet aren't a very exact measurement though...


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## kayjay010101 (Dec 4, 2020)

TheLostSwede said:


> @kayjay010101 feet aren't a very exact measurement though...


Do prefer meters myself but I've gotten into the bad habit of using the imperial system when I speak English.


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## Vya Domus (Dec 4, 2020)

alonbl said:


> Will the HD600 be good with FPS games?



Aren't those open back headphones ?

Those are really only for music listening and not much else, you will hear everything from the outside so they're probably going to be terrible for gaming as you need very good noise isolation for that. They're meant to create a "stage/concert" feel.


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## Valantar (Dec 4, 2020)

I went from a pair of HyperX Cloud Cores - which for the price is arguably an excellent set of headphones, with pretty decent audio quality - to my current Sennheiser HD 599, and I couldn't be happier. (I've been powering both off an Optoma uDAC 3.) There are probably a lot of bass-hungry teenagers (and adults, probably) who would complain about the neutral sound signature, but IMO it's a perfect all-round headset. There's no doubt my ability to identify the source of a sound has improved, which stands to reason given the massively improved sound stage, and the overall impression is just that they deliver great sounding audio no matter the use. I see no reason why you should need to buy a cheap set of headphones when you have a great pair lying around.



Vya Domus said:


> Aren't those open back headphones ?
> 
> Those are really only for music listening and not much else, you will hear everything from the outside so they might actually be terrible for gaming as you need very good isolation. They're meant to create a "stage/concert" feel.


Depends on your environment I guess - I absolutely love my open-backed headphones for gaming. I see absolutely no reason why gaming would require more isolation than music. And one could argue that an open sound stage is even more important for gaming than music.


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## Frick (Dec 4, 2020)

Vya Domus said:


> Aren't those open back headphones ?
> 
> Those are really only for music listening and not much else, you will hear everything from the outside so they're probably going to be terrible for gaming as you need very good isolation for that. They're meant to create a "stage/concert" feel.



This is a hugely personal preference. I definitely prefer open headphones.


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## kayjay010101 (Dec 4, 2020)

Valantar said:


> Depends on your environment I guess - I absolutely love my open-backed headphones for gaming. I see absolutely no reason why gaming would require more isolation than music. And one could argue that an open sound stage is even more important for gaming than music.


Agreed. As long as you're in a quiet environment nothing beats open-back. The opened soundstage actually is beneficial for gaming specifically IMO


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## Chomiq (Dec 4, 2020)

Been using quality open back headphones for years, can't complain. I've got modmic also so I don't need a separate headset, simply attach the mic whenever I need it. Closed headphones will give you slightly better positioning in FPS games but other than that there's nothing major stopping you from using them for gaming.
You've got a great pair of cans there, simply use them. There's no point in spending extra money.


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## milewski1015 (Dec 4, 2020)

From what I understand, the precision of the sound comes down to the imaging in the headphones. A lot of the "gaming" headsets have poor imaging such that you only really have 90 degrees left, 90 degrees right, and forward to go by. Conversely, headphones with good imaging are a lot more granular with their audio so when you hear something to the right, you know it's approximately 60 degrees to the right instead of just somewhere to the right.


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## R-T-B (Dec 4, 2020)

Rei said:


> Didn't realize that headsets can be "expansive".  Is that a new feature?



It is one of the main features of AKG's soundstage when described, so not really.

But we all know what he meant.



Frick said:


> This is a hugely personal preference. I definitely prefer open headphones.



Me too, for gaming and all scenarios.  Then again, I don't leave my room much.


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