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Evshrug
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Mar 17, 2020
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Best Headphone = Best Color of the Rainbow As the first reviewer of the Soundblaster X7 on Head-Fi, Amazon, and the web in general as far as I’m aware (got it right at release, spent a long time with it everyday after work, bunch of prior experience with Creative products), I’ll just tell you that you’ve got a solid platform to drive almost any headphone. I’ve gamed with the X7 + an HD 700, HD 800, and even a Stax electrostat headphone connected to the speaker taps on the back! If you ever feel like buying a new $500 amp or something to take off a bit of tinny/cold sound, I recommend first looking at the price of upgrading the four OpAmp chips inside... effects the headphone outputs and rear outputs. Search EvShrug on Head-Fi if you want the full review. As I hinted, “best headphone” is up to personal taste, and there are many good options. If I could pick one headphone as “best” by any metric, I would say the Sennheiser Orpheus (HE-1) is truly a life-changing experience and an all-out engineering effort, the headphone equivalent to a Koenigsegg Agera exotic hypercar. It makes me giddy to imagine someone using it to play games, but no offense, I doubt gamers can afford it. In the sub-$1000 category, I’d recommend researching Sennheiser (several available here on Drop), Mr Speakers (Now renamed Dan Clark Audio, but most reviews of the ÆON and Ether will use the old company name), Audeze (and their HyperCloud cousins), AKG (like the K7XX here on Drop), Audio Technica and their AD or GD series (these would benefit from the Soundblaster’s bass boost settings), and more. I game with an HD 800 or an HD 660 S (lately been using the latter), but my go-to recommendation for most gamers who don’t mention a budget is the Sennheiser PC37X and it’s special price here on Drop. Just a killer deal, supremely comfortable, and a full sound that has plenty of bass and a balanced amount of mids and treble. Even though it’s less expensive, I think it’s sound is more natural than the HiFiman you already own, and easier to wear for hours and hours. If you’re looking to upgrade from the HiFiman and spend MORE money, check out the ÆON open or closed headphone, also there are incredible deals on HD 800 and HD 800 S.
(Edited)
Mar 17, 2020
Evshrug
3772
Community
Mar 19, 2020
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EvshrugBTW, bypassing your Soundblaster X7, the best PC only Gaming focused headphone I know of right now is the Audeze Mobius (and it’s HyperCloud rebranded brethren, with all the same features except Bluetooth). With a USB-C connection to a computer, the Mobius will accept 7.1 Surround feed, process a binaural Headphon Surround mix, use headtracking to keep your brain calibrated to the out-of-your-head feeling, has a number of EQ presets, and a boom microphone. However, you can also unplug the microphone and USB, and then it is a pretty amazing Bluetooth planar magnetic headphone for listening to music in stereo. The HyperCloud versions cost a bit less and don’t have Bluetooth, there’s also another step down in price to cut out the headtracking feature (but IMO the headtracking is worth it... even though we sit in a chair in front of our computer screens, we make small shifts in our seat to stay comfortable, and it’s just enough to make the sound seem to come from a persistent location). Generally speaking though, the best sounding Gaming Headsets are audiophile headphones. The exceptions to that are models like the Sennheiser PC37X and Beyer MMX that are based on audiophile headphones (HD 598 and DT770) with a microphone added. The Audeze is also a bit of an exception, because it was designed from the ground up by an audiophile company.
(Edited)
Mar 19, 2020
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