Guide to Gaming Headphones\Headsets

[canoners]

Credit to phospholipid of Overclock.net
Source: http://www.overclock.net/sound-cards...-headsets.html

Hello! Jadi lu ada budget lebih terus pengen coba beli gaming headphone/set and ninggalin punya lu yg jelek? Sep! Here's a section breakdown:

1. Getting Started - Hal2 yang harus dipikirkan sewaktu memilih model
2. Hal2 yg harus dihindari
3. List headphones yang bagus - JUMP to this part of Guide

Getting Started - Hal2 yang harus dipikirkan sewaktu memilih model
Sewaktu beli headphones/sets, ada bbrp hal yg musti dipikirkan, ini hanyalah bbrp hal:

• Berapa budget lu?
• Kenyamanan penting atau ngga?
• Ini buat maen apa denger musik? Kira2 brp % masing?
• Apakah lu bener2 butuh ada microphone?
• Apa lu ada soundcard yg bagus?
• Genre musik apa yg lu biasa denger?
• Apakah lu lebih milih open/closed headphones?

Berapa budget lu?
Ini rasanya paling penting. Tapi usahain ada budget lebih buat beli yg bagusan.

Kenyamanan penting atau ngga?
Bbrp headphones suaranya mantap, tapi pas dipasang itu ga nyaman banget. Lu musti mikir brp lama lu bakal pasang ni headphones di kepala, kadang2 lu bisa save some money dari ini.

Ini buat maen apa denger musik? Kira2 brp % masing?
40% maen, 60% musik? Bbrp headphones bagus di 2-2nya, bbrp musik and vice versa.

Apakah lu bener2 butuh ada microphone?
Bbrp gaming headphones yg terknal, ngga di advertise buat gamers. Sebenarnya, hampir semua "gaming" headphones/sets punya suara sampah dan merupakan tipuan biar lu bayar $70 buat harga yg sepantasnya hanya $30 cuma +mic. Hampir tiap waktu, semua penggemar audio di Overclock.net bakal nyaranin lu beli mic yg terpisah yg bisa di tempel di baju/meja (+quality micnya biasanya lebih bagus).

Apa lu ada soundcard yg bagus?
Sound cards itu penting. Like Soloz (orang dari Overclock.net) says, kalo lu punya suara jelek ke headphones bagus, tetep aja qualitynya jelek. Kalo lu ada headphones bagus, simpen duid buat beli sound card yg bagus.

Genre musik apa yg lu biasa denger?
Ini juga penting. Bbrp headphones specialize di satu hal, jadi lu musti consider ambil headphones yg kyk gimana (bassy? crystal-clear sound? big soundstage?)

Apakah lu lebih milih open/closed headphones?
Ini juga penting. Masing2 punya kelebihan/kekurangan sendiri. Kelebihan utama headphones yg open adalah soundstage. Hampir semua headphones bisa denger langkah kaki datang dari mana, tapi dengan open back headphones yg bagus, lu bisa denger dengan sangat akurat. Kekurangannya, open headphones suaranya bakal merembes kluar dari headphones dan masuk dari luar.
Untuk closed headphones, mereka lebih ke suara ledakan etc. Suara akan susah kluar/masuk. Sebenarnya closed hampir tidak ada kekurangan, hanya saja soundstage dia kira 3/4 dari open headphones. Juga, closed bakal lebih cepet hangat kalo dipake lama.

Hal2 yg harus dihindari
Akan selalu ada hal2 yg harus dihindari sewaktu membeli. Biasanya mereka cuma tipuan ato buang2 duid doang. Sisanya bukannya buang duid, tapi hanya kurang cocok buat gaming.

• USB Headphones
• "5.1" or Multiple speaker Headphones
• Yang di advertise sebagai "GAMING"/"GAMER"/"FPS"/"KILLER"
• Front Audio Ports
• Inner Ear Modules [IEMS]

USB Headphones

USB headphones pake USB buat connect ke kompie (ya iya lah). Mereka biasanya simple, tinggal plug and play. Tapi, USB lu yg hanya punya soundcard simpel yg bakal produce suara, bukan suara analog yg bagus. Dan juga, USB punya banyak electronic interference dengan signal USB lain sewaktu berjalan melewati hub. USB juga bermasalah karena memakan power untuk menyalakan driversnya. Akhir2nya, sound quality bakal jelek.

"5.1" or Multiple speaker Headphones

5.1 hanyalah tipuan. Take it from the audiophiles here, who have done side by side tests, that a good 50$ set of headphones will beat out a "5.1" set of headphones any day of the weak. Just because there are 5 drivers, does not mean positional audio will be better. Typically, you're get 150% better sound quality and sound staging audio from standard stereo headsets than 5.1 headphones.

Using 5.1 headphones will surely give you exact surround, better surround than stereo headphones, even the best ones, but surround "5.1" headphones have one major weakness, they have to compromise most of the sound quality to get multiple drivers just to make that surround sound. On the other hand using stereo headphones won't give you better positioning than surround headphones, even with effects like dolby headphones or CMSS3D, but to compensate that, some of them have really amazing sound staging(imaging) that almost projects the same surround effects just like surround headphones and since they only have to make 2 drivers on each headphones, of course all the sound quality of each drivers will be far superior than surround headphones.

Yang di advertise sebagai "GAMING"/"GAMER"/"FPS"/"KILLER"

Ini sangat2 basic. Hindari headphones seperti ini. Terkadang, barang seperti Sound Blaster OEM X-Fi cards seharga 60$ akan berfungsi sebagus X-Fi PLATINUM FATALITY THUNDER F@CK card (mksdnya yg murah bahkan suaranya bisa ngalahin sesuatu yg dilabel gamer/gaming/etc). Jadi, semua yg di advertise buat gamer biasanya hanya tipuan dan hyped up. Baca2 dulu, cari di internet dan 90% kemungkinan lu bakal denger headphones dari brand yg lu ga perna denger di recommend.

Front Audio Ports
Hindari jack audio yg ada di depan desktop, usahain untuk selalu pasang yg di blkg komputer. Karena interference etc2.

Inner Ear Modules
IEM's mereka bagus di portability, tapi mereka sangat2 kurang di soundstage.

[canoners]

Gaming Headphones - No Microphone attached.


Hampir semua maniak audio bakal bilang ke lu, lu bakal ngorbanin quality suara kalo lu beli headsets. Kita bakal selalu ngerecommend headphones dengan Zalman clip-on mic ato mic lainnya. Stereo headphones juga selalu lebih bagus. Here are the list of headphones good for gaming.

NOTE: HARGANYA HARGA DI USA, DI INDO MUNGKIN BEDA



1$-50$


Koss KSC75 - 15-20$ **EXCELLENT VALUE



-Comfort [3]
-Size: Small, Portable
-Build Quality: Decent [4]
-Ease to drive: No amp needed [1]
-Noise Isolating? Not Really [3]
-Signature Sound: Rock
-Open backed.

There is a relative prominence of treble and bass over midrange with these little guys, bass thumps, treble is forward Tends to have "more exciting, placement of the upper and lower registers." They are your run of the mill clip on headphones you can pick up at your local Wal-mart/Best Buy/Circuit City. Cables are rubbery, and cable tangles. Comfort is called into questions, as the the headphones are clipped onto ears, so if you don't like weight on your ears, these won't be good for more than an hour on counter strike. Also, carries a lifetime warranty.

Bottom line: Cheap, Easy to carry around. Clips can create issues, and be uncomfortable for long use. In a tight spot but need a pair of gaming headphones that will fair better than your dinky plantronics for 20$, these are it. [** and 1/2]


Sennheiser HD202 - 25$



-Comfort [5]
-Size: Average, Portable
-Build Quality: Average, Resilient [6]
-Ease to Drive: No amp needed [2]
-Noise Isolating? Can't hear the wife [5]
-Signature Sound: Drums/Hip Hop
-Closed back

Ah, the HD202's. Now they're not bad headphones, they're better than most walmart headphones for the price. They tend to be bloated with far to much bass, to the point where it's muddy, not the tight clean bass that is needed The HD202 is extremely warm, dark and bass heavy, with a recessed midrange and very subdued top end. If you like BOOMS and sudden explosions, not moving feet, these are the headphones for you [Looks at UT players]. These are good gaming headphones for RTS, extremely fast FPS, or MMORPG's. They get the job done. Comfort is average, but the headphones feel cramped at times. If you can find the HD201's though, pick them up.

Bottom line: Heavy on the bass, muddy, solid, gaming headphones. [**]


Sennheiser HD201 - 25$ [202's Non-bassy brother]



-Comfort [5]
-Size: Average, Portable
-Build Quality: Average, Resilient [6]
-Ease to Drive: No amp needed [2]
-Noise Isolating? Can't hear the wife [5]
-Signature Sound: All around sound
-Closed back

The HD201's tend to picked amongst true audiophiles more often, but are overlooked due to their availability. The HD201 to most ears much better balanced than the 202's, which means a much leaner but clearer bass, clearer midrange and a good top end without becoming overpowering or sibilant (given decent source material of course). These are considered to the best bang for your buck under 75$ , some might even argue under 100$. It's the cleaner, tighter brother to the HD202's, very good for any game you throw at it.

Bottom Line: Clean, balanced, extremely good bang for your buck. [***]


Koss Porta Pro - 35$



-Comfort [4]
-Size: Average, Foldable, Portable
-Build Quality: Average, feels dinky, Resilient [5]
-Ease to Drive: No amp needed [2]
-Noise Isolating? Kinda hear the wife [4]
-Signature Sound: All around sound
-Opened back

The Porta Props emphasize bass and they both roll off highs. They're good for all around gaming as well. There's not many reviews on the porta pros, but are told to be a decent performer. Good news about them though, you can modify/upgrade the pads to HD414 pads for cheap, for better comfort and so forth. Just, most people over look them as they are ugly as all get out. People love these cans over at head-fi and they are excellent for people with glasses, as they fit well.

Bottom line: Warm, fun, no sound leaking, but no isolation. Might as well call them birth control they're so ugly.


Sennheiser HD212 - 50$



-Comfort [5]
-Size: Average, Portable
-Build Quality: Average, Resilient [6]
-Ease to Drive: No amp needed [2]
-Noise Isolating? I have a wife? [6]
-Signature Sound: Electronica, Hip hop, heavy bass.
-Closed back.

These cans have bass, in LARGE amounts. For some people who aren't use to bass, or have it EQ'd to be tame, these cans are not for you. The bass is forward, dark. I like to "feel" my music, I want it in my ears, without being in my face, and I can feel the picks of the guitar in acoustics, and you can feel the bass just punch and flood your ears. Only on the heaviest electronica do the cans stumble, as they're not as tight as their older brothers the HD280s.As for the mids,they're present, but that's about it. The sit and let the bass take off. The highs are rolled over. People who don't like bass, would say it drowns out the mids. The soundstaging is excellent as out of any Senn's, letting instrumentals perform, although not letting them flourish. Comfortable, light,they can take a beating. The earpads sit on the ears, and do get warm after an hour or two of play,

Bottom line: Warm, dark, deep bass, a technolovers dream. Excellent for only 50$ or less.



50$-100$


AKG K 81 DJ - 60-70$ [no longer produced but still sold, now known as K 581 DJ's]

K81DJ review:

First impressions
Heavy, tough build quality, very very nice. The 3D-Axis folding system works like a charm, although not as nicely as the system Ultrasone uses on their DJ1-Pros. Generally, a pair of durable cans all-around that can take abuse, although it's main weak point is the plastic swivel.

Past that, there's a concern of the headband. AKG should rename these as K-Headclamp-DJs. Literally clamps your head like there's no tomorrow. Before wearing them, take the time to stretch it out between some books or speakers and use a hairdryer to soften up the plastic/metal while on the books/speakers. This will effectively 'lock-in' the desired/fixed shape. Aside from the headband issue, the cans are fairly comfortable. Pads are made from supple pleather with some medium density foam behind it.

Other than the headclamp, there aren't really glaring comfort problems, except some form of padding could be installed on the headband as it is a bit uncomfortable to have the headband sink into your head.

Sound

Right off the bat, it's quite obvious that these are very bassy cans. It's not 'bad' bass per se, just that it's very overwhelming and can dorwn out the other frequencies. This can be remedied somewhat by removing the thick foam circle protecting the driver cover from damage. It tames the bass down quite a bit and allows the mids and highs to shine through. Soundstage is also fairly wide, although not as wide as it can be. Highs suffer a bit, but I suspect it'll improve as I continue to burn them in (currently at 45 hours or so). Imaging is also pretty decent, living up to AKG standards, so it's a decent can to play CS with (the bass gives CS quite a noticeable oomph). It's also a closed can, thus no sound leaks out---perfect for late night gaming session.


Cost and misc. info

These can be picked up quite cheaply on the secondary market (around $40) like Head-Fi, and are a fantastic bargain. Just so people don't get confused, these are NOT the K181DJs---those are different and cost more. However, this IS the same as the K518Dj...just has silver accents, whereas on the K518 the accents are blacked out.

Review written by Brendan

http://www.headphone.com/products/he...kg-k-81-dj.php

Sennheiser HD555 -100$ **** Highly Recomended, most OCNer's have these



-Comfort - Tight on my head, but soft [7]
-Size: Larger, Sitting.
-Build Quality: Solid, Resilient [9]
-Ease to Drive: No amp needed, benefits from amp though [4]
-Noise Isolating? Still hear the wife. [2]
-Signature Sound: rock, classical, blues.
-Opened back.

These headphones are the staple for gaming headphones. Often recommended and widely used by OCNer's, HD555's are very well balanced headphones, although the mid ranges have more life to them then the bass or highs, great overall headphones. Fell free to pick these up as an entry level headphone for gaming/music/movies. Beware of the noise bleeding though, not good for late night gaming in small spaces, as others in the room may hear you (dorm, apt.). This is because they are opened backed, so they bleed in a lot, bleed out a lot. As stated, these cans at first can be tight on the ears, but nothing a couple of hours on a tripod to stretch them won't fix. Soft on the ears once broken in. Easy to drive from iPod/Sound Card.

Bottom line: well balanced, crisp, great performance and build quality. [Review by Hellscream]


Denon AH-D1001 - 100-130$*phospholipids favs



-Comfort - Lightweight, soft [7]
-Size: Little larger than average cans
-Build Quality: Light Weight [6]
-Ease to Drive: No amp needed, benefits from amp though [4]
-Noise Isolating? Average. [5]
-Signature Sound: Warm, Deep.
-Closed backed

The sound quality is very impressive at this price point. The frequency response is U-shaped. This means that there is very strong bass (particularly mid-bass) and well-articulated but not a very bright treble but the soundstage is small .You can still hear if someone is addressing you from about 20 feet away. Leakage, on the other hand, is more pronounced. I think someone 5 feet away could hear some sound leaking out, but someone 10 feet away might not hear anything unless the volume was turned up excessively loud.It seems like the AH-D1001 was specifically tuned to be used with these low-fi devices with no additional amplification -- partly because these devices tend to roll off the treble slightly and lack the juice to produce powerful bass. So paired with the U-shaped frequency response of the AH-D1001, the result is a very balanced sound. The pads are soft, and rest nicely, and the cans themselves are rather lightweight

Bottom Line elivers good SQ with a bassy tone and clarity all in an extremely comfortable package.


Sennheiser HD280 -100$





100$-150$


Audio Technia ATH-A700 -120$




-Comfort - Average weight, paddles rest on head and Pads are ultra comfy [8]
-Size: Very Larger, not portable .
-Build Quality: Solid, Resilient, feels flimsy though [7]
-Ease to Drive: No amp needed, benefits from amp though [5]
-Noise Isolating? Average. [6]
-Signature Sound: All around/Gaming
-Closed back.

These can's are excellent introduction cans to the Audiophile world. While they don't have a defined signature sound, they have great sound quality, and perform well in all avenues [rock/hip-hop/instrumentals]. The bass is on the low side in terms of quanity, but its punchy with good extension but nicely controlled. Midrange is well-rendered, coherent, smooth, and reasonably transparent. These cans make excellent gaming cans as they rest on the head for hours and and are discomforting, thanks to the padded paddles that push the cans away from the head.Soundstage is wide, and reasonably deep, so you can hear people creeping up in you in CS and other games where footsteps are important.

Bottom line: Clean, comfortable, big, and all around excellent choice. Better choice if you don't want the open back of the HD555's.


Audio Technia ATH-AD700 - 110$



-Comfort - [8]
-Size: Very Large / You look goofy in public
-Build Quality: Average, Resilient [6-8 debated]
-Ease to Drive: No amp needed, Benefits from being Driven [5]
-Noise Isolating? Still hear wife. [3]
-Signature Sound: Classical, House, Techno.
-Open back.

These cans are the most comfortable things you can place on your head, the wing design, and velvet ear liners, make these cans feel like they're not even there. For around $100 they're a great entry level headphone, great for gaming and music or movies. Well balanced although they have a more distinct bass compared to the HD555s, great for house, trance, techno, euro, and that sort of thing, although I fell in love with them when I heard Pachelbel's Cannon on them, so I find them great for the Classics as well.

Bottom line: Balanced, good performance, sooooooo comfy....... [Review by Hellscream]


BeyerDynamic DT770 Pro 80 -150$ [ebay usually, new in stores is 200$]



-Comfort - Firm, but soft pads[7]
-Size: Large / You look goofy in public
-Build Quality: Excellent, Resilient, Like a Tank [9]
-Ease to Drive: Can run off a Sound Card, Benefits from being Driven [6]
-Noise Isolating? Blocks out most sound [7]
-Signature Sound: Bass, Bass, hip-hop, things that go BOOM.
-Closed back.

The DT770 Pro 80's are typically what is suggested to bass heads. These cans pack tons of deep, deep bass that rolls over the mids and highs. The mids and highs are present by not as clean as other cans. The bass sounds excellent for Sub 200$ cans, and there's plenty of it. When gaming, you hear and feel the explosions in your spine. The soundstage is good, but not that of a pair of HD555's. These can's are excellent for movies and gun shots, hip hop, electronica music, but classical music/acoustic will flounder. Also, these cans are built extremely solidly, like tanks. The velour pads are comfy, but are firm at first. Recommend for the messy guy who drops his stuff all the time.

Bottom Line: Tough, Bassy, and loud. Excellent for movie watching aand canon shots.


150$-200


Sennheiser HD580 - 150-200$ *[Extreme value, but rare/hard to find]




Sennheiser HD595 -180$




Ultrasone Proline 550 -180$



-Comfort - Firm, isolating pads, adjustable fit
-Size: Medium-Large
-Build Quality: very good, Simplistic, dont store them outside the box[8]
-Ease to Drive: Can run off a Sound Card, Benefits from being Driven initially ( for detailed positioning, higher end card highly recommended, x-fi+ ) [8]
-Noise Isolating? what did you say? [8]
-Signature Sound: tight bass from a decent soundcard, brings out bass in bass shy tracks ( brighter jazz, brings out rock-bass and the like, but not too far ahead of the rest of the spectrum )
-Closed back.

These cans are used widely in the recording industry for single source monitoring, they lack the detail required to mix tracks of audio together. They benefit gaming by the use of passive resonators built into the mounting plate for the drive, as wella s an offset driver, bass comes mainly from behind the ear making it sound a bit more omnidirectional, and the mids-highs seem detached as the driver isnt firing off micro waves into your eardrums. The S-Logic does have the ability to detach the sound from your head, but it does depend on how fast and strong the drive of your source is.

Bottom Line: Excellent for positional audio ( games, binaural listening, including 'binaural codecs' used in some games ) and just plain stereo positioning. not as accurate on distancing as the cans higher end bretheren, but if you want to be in the game, these will help considering the right source. [review by Xinoxide]


Audio Technia ATH-A900 200$




AKG 501 - 150-250$





200$+


Denon D2000 -210-300$




AKG 601/701's -250$





BeyerDynamic DT 880 -270$




Sennheiser HD600 -300$




Denon D5000 -400$

[Rsync]

brb nyimak

ada versi indonya?

versi inggris lama bacanya

[canoners]

btw ini bukan thread serius tapi mohon pengertiannya ya.. jangan kbnykan ngejunk tq

Spoiler untuk Misc. :

Spoiler untuk Headphone reviews :

Audio Technica ATH-AD700 Review

Spoiler untuk Audio test :

Spoiler untuk 5.1 headphones is a gimmick :

Surround Speakers


5.1 Headphones

[Hesa]

versi indonya dong, grp sent~

[canoners]

ini lagi pengen coba translate sabar

[luna_croz]

gan ada gambarnya ga? gw lagi nyari seinnheiser dan sekelasnya.
cuma yang kemaren gw ketemu 1 tapi modelnya ga terlalu bagus uda gitu ga ada noise reductionnya dan harganya 60$ imba..
ama headset 40ribu masi kalah. cuma gw lupa namanya px apa.

tambahan headset yg bagus dan murah ga perlu 10ribu juga uda dapet.

Spoiler untuk hs :

[the_omicron]

mana ada sennheiser kalah ama MIC

lawak ah tante

[dexdim]

gan ada gambarnya ga? gw lagi nyari seinnheiser dan sekelasnya.
cuma yang kemaren gw ketemu 1 tapi modelnya ga terlalu bagus uda gitu ga ada noise reductionnya dan harganya 60$ imba..
ama headset 40ribu masi kalah. cuma gw lupa namanya px apa.

tambahan headset yg bagus dan murah ga perlu 10ribu juga uda dapet.

Spoiler untuk hs :

wkoakowakowakwkaowkoakowkok~

amajing lu tan~

[AldyBennet]

ya elah kaleng....

[Andy-K]

apapun yang anda katakan untuk jalan2 saya lebih pilih pake ini:

[Jin_Botol]

Despite I don't need any headphones now, it's still a nice thread.

[canoners]

skullcandy lebih ke gaya

gan ada gambarnya ga? gw lagi nyari seinnheiser dan sekelasnya.
cuma yang kemaren gw ketemu 1 tapi modelnya ga terlalu bagus uda gitu ga ada noise reductionnya dan harganya 60$ imba..
ama headset 40ribu masi kalah. cuma gw lupa namanya px apa.

tambahan headset yg bagus dan murah ga perlu 10ribu juga uda dapet.

Spoiler untuk hs :

gambar nanti gw post

di indo mungkin sennheiser overpriced kali ya =S
di sini yang px rasanya $20-30an doang

[canoners]

ok selesai

yg post #2 kalo ada yg ga ngerti inggrisnya tanya aja

gw males translate 1-1

[Alter_Ego]

ah senheisser 202
beli di Indocomtech dgn harga 275k....

setelah gue pake ini sptnya COD4 gue tambah jago...