Currently I'm looking at Sennheiser's HD555 and ATH's AD700, but I'm not certain which to go with. My budget of around $200 for a pair of a headphones, mic, and possibly a better soundcard. So which combination of headphones + mic or headphones + mic + soundcard would you go with? Currently I'm using onboard sound, so it's pretty much horrible!
i own the HD555's and they are great headphones, clear, durable, have sufficient bass and perfect treble. oh, and how can i forget - comfortable. for the price, the ad700s win in my opinion. nearly all audiophiles say they are superior to the hd555's
I've heard lots of good things about the ad700's. The only con I have heard about them is that they are too big. I saw a picture of some guy wearing them and it looked as though they were about to eat his face!
But I did some research a while ago, and the ad700's were reccomended more by musicians than the AKG's. Overall the AD700's are better, especially for music. You can also check out www.fpslabs.com for a review on them.
AKG headphones are nice, no doubt, but the AD-700's are some of the best price-performance headphones you can get. The HD-555's are nice, the 595's are better, but they are still not any better than the 700's. It's a little more about preference though, the 700's don't have a lot of bass compared to the Sennheisers.
It's a toss up here. Those AKGs are NOT a bad buy at $100, by any means, and they'll probably be close enough quality the 700's and 555's to be worth the money if you want to get a good soundcard too. The problem with the 700's is that they've gone up in price tremendously over the past year or so, they used to be a lot more affordable.
Ooh yeah, I'd say get an x-fi card for your sound card. Not sure which one is good, or if it even makes a difference (probably does....I don't know because I have an Audigy 2 :\ )
#13 used to be the X-Fi XTREME Music, for basic card. Now I'm not sure. If you can find the XTREME Music, probably the best all around card for the price, the others have some options that aren't even supported yet.
I'm giving the Edge GX400 IEM's a shot, they got a little uncomfortable after a while, but apparently in-ears require some getting used to. Directional sound is superior to my HD595's, they are really good for gaming because of that. Not much bass-- and you don't want bass for fps games in terms of figuring out where sounds are coming from.
If you really want a solid answer you need to give more information. For example, what are you going to be using them for mostly? Do you only game or do you listen to lots of music. Will you be using them with your ipod as well or just on your computer? Are you a neat freak who takes great care of his stuff or will you just be leaving them lying around?
If you're only using them for gaming than all these headphones are going overboard. If the only thing you care about is getting the best quality for your money then go with the 700's. If you're planning on using them with your ipod as well then get the HD555's because you will look normal in public. In terms of which is a better made product I know the hd555's are sturdy as hell and have a great warranty but I can't speak for the 700's because I dont own a pair.
Gaming, lots of music, movies, pretty much everything I could use them for! :>
Basically I'm sick of cheap headsets that sound horrible, look terrible, and fall apart in a matter of months. I do treat everything I buy with definite care, but I don't want purchase headphones with a reputation of falling to pieces.
Also, are there any other suggestions than the Zalman microphone? If not I'll go ahead and order it today, my current microphone needs to be replaced ASAP anyway.
The Zalman mic is a good mic, if you can find it for a decent price. I just ordered a cheapo clip-on Lapel mic from Ebay, and it works just as good, but the shipping took forever because it was from Hong Kong and had to go through customs...
Which headphones?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001FTVE0?smid=..
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controlle..
i own them currently, i've owned hd555s and other "quality" headphones
the AKGs are the best sounding headphones under $200
http://www.akg.com/personal/cproducts/pow..
for the price, the ad700s win in my opinion.
nearly all audiophiles say they are superior to the hd555's
But I did some research a while ago, and the ad700's were reccomended more by musicians than the AKG's. Overall the AD700's are better, especially for music. You can also check out www.fpslabs.com for a review on them.
It's a toss up here. Those AKGs are NOT a bad buy at $100, by any means, and they'll probably be close enough quality the 700's and 555's to be worth the money if you want to get a good soundcard too. The problem with the 700's is that they've gone up in price tremendously over the past year or so, they used to be a lot more affordable.
the ATH-AD700 are better in terms of soundstage (surround) which makes them better for gaming.
in terms of quality i think the ad700 are as well better.
and they are extremely confortable (but you need kinda of a big head).
look at the zalman mic (clips on headphone wire, it's what i use and it's perfect, $5 too) or this one :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp..
If you're only using them for gaming than all these headphones are going overboard. If the only thing you care about is getting the best quality for your money then go with the 700's. If you're planning on using them with your ipod as well then get the HD555's because you will look normal in public. In terms of which is a better made product I know the hd555's are sturdy as hell and have a great warranty but I can't speak for the 700's because I dont own a pair.
Basically I'm sick of cheap headsets that sound horrible, look terrible, and fall apart in a matter of months. I do treat everything I buy with definite care, but I don't want purchase headphones with a reputation of falling to pieces.
Also, are there any other suggestions than the Zalman microphone? If not I'll go ahead and order it today, my current microphone needs to be replaced ASAP anyway.
unfortunately only available in the US but a friend, who goes to the USA next month, can send them to me :)
PS: Zalman Mic does the job
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/S..
they are cheaper and much better sounding.
and it doesn't matter on LAN really. just put the volume higher if you need.
again, if you go to a LAN with those headphones, you better watch them carefully because someone will steal them for sure.
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