Hi, I'm looking for an awesome headset to use on the Ps4. As the title says, I want a headset with excellent sound-quality. I prefer wired headsets, which have a pretty good mic too. Surround sound isn't necessary because in my opinion stereo headsets sound better.
I already found 2 headsets:
Audio Technica Ath-Ag1
Sennheiser G4me One
Please let me know if you got some more suggestions to fill up this list. Thanks in advance!
the audioengine d1 is certainly a nice amplifier for about $120 and you can use it with the optical out jack of your ps4 for better quality audio then you would get connecting up to the controller. your microphone would still need to connect up to the controller though (or using one of those usb to 3.5mm dongles if they work.. not sure if they do or not). for the price it is excellent but it would have a little trouble with 250ohm + headphones.
the schiit magni+modi external amplifier+dac combo for $210 ($110+$100) is also an excellent buy and has superb quality for the price. the dac comes in usb or optical flavors (you would pick optical) and the amplifier plugs into the dac. similar to the d1...
the ath-ag1($295) is basically an ad-700x($150) with a microphone. while certainly good its not worth the price considering you can just pop a modmic($50) on the side and accomplish the same thing while saving $100.
similarly the pc363d($299) is a hd555 (discontinued now but were $110) with mic and the mmx300($315) is a dt770 premium (discontinued now but were $150)
the sennheiser g4me one($250) is what replaced the pc350/pc360 line i believe which while i'm not sure what they are based on are likely similar to the hd555 above.
on thing to keep in mind: the ath-ag1 (ad700x), pc363/g4me one(hd555) and mmx300(dt770prem) are all very bass light headphones with a more mid/treble focus. the highs can also be a bit "bright" on them as well. all are open soundstages however the ath-ag1 will have the largest soundstage but least bass. the mmx300 will likely have the smallest soundstage.
honestly i would recommend going with a seperate pair of headphones and putting a modmic on them to make your own headset. also, depending on what you get you might need an amplifier for them. i'm not sure if you plan to connect them to your controller or to the ps4 itself?
other good gaming headphones: dt880 (neutral, semi open) and dt990 (fun, open), ad900x (open, improved version of 700x).
if you wanted something with a little more bass without getting rid of the soundstage then the 990s are what you may want. however you would need to use them with an amp.
if you wanted even more bass than that...you might have to go with a closed design however that will mean small soundstage as well.
if you absolutely needed a headset and did not want to deal with seperates or possible amps.... then the g4me one isnt a terrible choice (if you dont mind low bass output) and the u320 is decent for the price and very easy to drive which means it would work fine hooked up to your controller.
How do I find headphones, that aren't made exactly for gaming but for music or other things, but sound perfectly for gaming. Because otherwise I'll maybe buy €300 headphones, that don't even sound good for gaming...
Now, I looked at these sites, Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic and Audio Technica. I saw some great headphones, like the DT990/DT880, HD598 and the ATH-AD700x. But I don't really know if I should connect them to the controller or the playstation itself. Which option is the best? With or without amp? And does a modmic connect to the amp? Will this all work good on the Ps4? Because all of these headphones aren't really made for the Ps4...
generally, open design headphones are most suggested for gaming since they have a wider soundstage. they do however typically have less bass response. the ad700x, ad900x and hd598 fall into this category though the 598 has a bit more bass then the ad's but less soundstage. the hd558 has more bass than the 598 but less clarity and a smaller soundstage.
however, which one is right for you depends on what kind of sound you like. bass heavy? bass light? treble heavy? treble light? neutral? fun V shape (treble/bass with recessed mids)?
the dt880 is neutral with more bass, less treble and smaller soundstage then the others. the dt990 is fun shaped with more bass/treble and recessed mids. it has a wide soundstage but not as big as h988 or ad's.
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unfortunately there are only a few ways to connect up a 3.5mm headset to a ps3 to receive sound.
-on the controller. this works for cheap earbuds and headsets but you might need to connect this up to an amplififer if using something heftier. also doing this means you always have a cord on the controller which could be annoying.
-the optical jack on the back of the ps3. this can be connected up to an amplifier such as the audioengine d1 which means good sound quality and no cabling to your controller.
-splitting it off the hdmi with a hdmi audio extractor. generally such things arent expensive however you would be needing an amplifier for anything you hooked up to it. while not a bad way to get sound it is certainly not my first choice here.
-using a usb to 3.5mm adapter. i've heard the iluv adapter works well but you may want to look into it more than i have.
however... your options are even more limited when connecting a headphone
-connecting it up to the jack on the controller. this works perfectly however means cables on your controller.
-connecting up to a 3.5mm to usb adapter such as the iluv.
.... now you can certainly have the mic plugged into a different way then the headphones are but i'm not sure which options you would find most comfortable to use so you need to let me know.
probably the easiest would be to hook up to the controller and just have a splitter with one end going to your microphone and the other to your headphones or amp with the third leg in your controller.
likewise, if it works the usb jack adapter would be simple but you might get better audio quality if using an amp if you hooked the amp up the the optical jack instead (if the amp you get supports one).
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will seperate headphones and mic work good on the ps4? yes. many audiophiles prefer this way.
while what i said above may sound complicated it really is not and i was just listing all of the options that i know of so that you were not limited in choices. if you want me to just pick one... then i can do that too and simplify things for you.
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let me know what sound profile you like .... and if you mind connecting up to the controller. also if you have any interest in anything i've noted such as a particular headphone let me know.
Okay, thanks for the advice. When it comes to soundstage, normally I like some bass, but not too much, I also like a wide soundstage and a pretty natural feel. The problem is, I don't know what kind of soundstage gives the best gaming-experience. The hd598 seemed to be pretty nice, because it's semi-open, it has a pretty wide soundstage and some bass. I really don't mind to connect it to my Ps4 controller, so I think this will make things easier then. I really don't know that much about amps too... Please let me know if you have some more advice!
by cool design if you mean something with flashy led lighting, futuristic gaming look or other things then no... most of those are typically junk.
the sennheiser headsets (ie pc363d, game zero, game one) are pretty sharp looking though.
any open headphones will be fine for gaming.
if you want a little bit of bass then the hd558/hd598 should work fine. if you didnt want an expensive amplifier you could even use a small $30 fiio e6 portable for them if you wanted to use your controller jack.
the dt990 would need a bigger amp but will have a bit more low end though nothing excessive. its also has a "fun" v-shape sound curve. not sure which you prefer.
That Fiio e6 seems great, if you know something even better/more expensive like $50-$100, let me know too. Also, do you have some more suggestions when it comes to the headphones? Something like $200-$350. Because now I think I might be missing lots of options.
the audioengine d1 is certainly a nice amplifier for about $120 and you can use it with the optical out jack of your ps4 for better quality audio then you would get connecting up to the controller. your microphone would still need to connect up to the controller though (or using one of those usb to 3.5mm dongles if they work.. not sure if they do or not). for the price it is excellent but it would have a little trouble with 250ohm + headphones.
the schiit magni+modi external amplifier+dac combo for $210 ($110+$100) is also an excellent buy and has superb quality for the price. the dac comes in usb or optical flavors (you would pick optical) and the amplifier plugs into the dac. similar to the d1 above in connectivity. this would power even your 250ohm+ headphones fine.
in terms of headphones...cost is not always a factor in terms of sound quality but if you wanted options under $400....
the ad900x certainly competes and it has a wide soundstage. if you like huge soundstages, a sound which is a bass light (but good if you arent a basshead) with clear mids and highs then they may be for you. if you wanted a bit better quality than that with a bit more bass then there is the ad1000x which is a step up.
then there is the he400 ($300) which is said by some to be a do-it-all and make-everyone-happy headphone. it has a wide soundstage and a fair bit of bass for it being an open set of cans without it having bad treble or mids. however, the treble is bright so may be extremely fatiguing to people who dont like high crisp "sibilant" treble.
we also have akg q701/k701 which have a fairly wide soundstage but like the ad series are bass light and treble focused. while good, generally they arent for people who like decent bass response as they are weak in this regard.
as i stated before the dt990's are certainly in the running. the dt990 pro is cheaper, with a heavier clamp and more bass and 250ohm only. the dt990 premiums are more expensive, much nicer looking, have a lighter clamp with less bass but better clarity and come in 32, 250 or 600ohm.
the hd600 is a rather neutral sounding headphone in that price category. good for monitoring but not really "fun". the hd650 is a bit more "fun" but normally runs a bit higher than budget.
the hd598 still competes and has a good soundstage, more bass than the ad series but less then the he or dt, with a fairly wide soundstage and decent treble without it being sibilant. they are a bit ugly though if you ask me.
you might also want to look into some of these which were listed by a user over on head fi... i have no idea about some of them though as i havent read any information on these particular ones to form an opinion.
2.) the (indefinable and sonically unique) Philips Fidelio X1
3.) (sadly overlooked natural sounding ) Sony MDR MA900
keep in mind that if you're getting a $120 or $200 amp/dac combo and then likely a $50 mic on top of that things can start adding up quickly in price.
it also may be better to get something "good" in the 150-250 range to test the waters to see what kind of sound you like first before jumping completely in and getting even more expensive equipment. completely your call though.
i would also suggest listening to whatever hifi cans you can to try and form an opinion on what you do and dont like. if you have a guitarcenter near you they have tons of audiophile cans you can test out in store to get an idea of what you like and dont like. best buy might have a few of the 150-200 models on display which you can use to sort of form an opinion as well. you may even have some other electronics shops around.
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