Sennheiser headsets

[Gersemi]

I'm looking to buy a pair of Sennheiser and I'm trying to decide between the Sennheiser Game One or the Sennheiser HD598 + a mic. Do I need an amp or sound card for either of these headsets? I have an on-board sound card with my MSI Z97 Gaming 5 motherboard. I have "Realtek HD Audio", whatever that is. I was leaning more towards the Game One because it comes with a mic already but I don't know if it's good quality. The HD598 would require me to buy a mic, making the final cost over $200 easily. What would you guys recommend from experience?

[Sonatine185]

The Game One headset is a repurposed hd 558 with a built in microphone. So the audio quality is a notch down from the hd 598s. I'm not sure about the mic quality but it's usually what breaks first when you buy a headset. I have the ivory and the black hd 598s so I really do enjoy the headphones. It does everything well enough, more like a jack of all trades and is not exceptional at any one thing except comfort. The realtek audio is just the default audio from your motherboard and is below average in quality. If you really care about getting the best audio quality you should get an amp/dac or soundcard but that is more for music.

[aysatsana]

The realtek audio is just the default audio from your motherboard and is below average in quality. If you really care about getting the best audio quality you should get an amp/dac or soundcard but that is more for music.

HD598's (or the Game One) will sound pretty much the same on realtek onboard as it will on a fancy external AMP/DAC. They don't much to be powered & an external DAC is not needed. Anyone telling you otherwise is just being fooled by the placebo. This is coming from someone who owns a schiit stack so it's not like I'm against buying an external amp/DAC, but these particular headphones just don't need it.

If I were you I would buy the HD598's + a mod mic, unless you really prefer the convenience of the headset already having a mic.

[Arbiter]

As an HD 558 owner, a simple DAC/Amp combo unit got rid of the slight static sounds caused by interference during gaming sessions and raised the volume quite a bit. Granted, I never needed more volume even on integrated.

I wouldn't say they're useless for 558/598 headphones. They're just not necessary as the difference is minimal. I wasn't going to live with the static I was getting so a DAC was required for me. Amp is just kind of a bonus. If someone is suffering from similar issues then a DAC is the way to go.

[Deleted]

I've got ones, not Sennheiser, that go from 5Hz to 22KHz, are at 24Ohm, and 104 dB/mW. They're pretty awesome, for 40€ or so. I think they're listed at $60 or something.

Although, these aren't a "headset". They do have a microphone on the cord, but they work from a hybrid jack, ie. no separate mic jack.

EDIT: Meant to post this just to give those spec limits and price as a comparison. Anyway, was talking about these:

https://www.sony.com/electronics/hea...es/mdr-xb450ap

[the boar]

I've got ones, not Sennheiser,

what are they?

[Miyagie]

Checkout the PC 363D.

[Ciddy]

I'm using the Sennheiser HD598 with a Modmic, and I absolutely love it. Sound quality is amazing, even though I'm just using onboard sound. I've also heard no complaints at all about the Modmic when I'm on Teamspeak/Ventrilo with others.

They're also very comfortable. I've been dealing with some ear infections / other hearing problems over the last several months (currently going back and forth with an ENT and had ear tubes inserted less than a month ago), and the 598s still sound great to me with no pain or discomfort even when I've been wearing them for a few hours.

I also play guitar every once in a while, and I like how the HD598s have the 6.3MM connector so I can plug them into my amp (they include the adapter that lets you plug into a PC's audio ports).

Yes, it's pretty close to $200 if you get the 598s + Modmic combination, but in my opinion, it's very much worth it. I got the whole setup for a bit less because Amazon had a good deal on the headphones at the time (around $120), and I had a $100 Newegg gift card (Christmas present) with some money still left on it that covered the Modmic. Typically, you'll pay around $150 for the HD598s (some sites go crazy and want like $300 for them, but that's bullshit) and about $50 for a Modmic.

You can also remove the cable. It's not soldered in. My old headset (Corsair Vengeance 1500) broke because it had one of those little volume controllers halfway down the cable, and the quality of the wire they use for that model is complete shit, so it'll eventually fray and cause you to lose sound even if you're very careful with the headset. Everything is soldered in there, so you can't just replace the cable unless you're good at electronics repair/soldering (I'm not). If something happens to the cable for the HD598, all I have to do is buy a $20 cable instead of having to buy a whole new $150 pair of headphones.

Just another note: I haven't used it myself, but I've also heard good things about the Blue Snowball if you'd prefer a tabletop mic instead of one that attaches to headphones. It'll run you about $50, which is about the same you'll pay for a Modmic, so your choice there.

As for the Game One...I have no opinion there because I've never used it. I had a Corsair Vengeance 1500 for almost 3 years and really loved it until it broke. I posted a similar "what headset should I buy?" thread here, and a few people suggested the Sennheiser HD598 + Modmic. I'm glad I listened to that advice.

[Deleted]

what are they?

Dese ones: https://www.sony.com/electronics/hea...es/mdr-xb450ap

Not exactly hifi or expensive, but for their price they're pretty damn decent. Just thought I'd post them as a price-spec comparison.

Anyways, posted a bit drunk and didn't realize this was more about headsets than just headphones. These do have a mic but they're designed for phone use I suppose, what with not having a separate mic jack, and the mic being on the cord. It does have a button as well, for some functionality, but I don't really know what it does.

[Shimejii]

If you want an all in one headset, there are a few to choose from. Sennheiser is not a bad choice, but there are some other options. I personally use Astro A40 TR, got it off ebay for 140$ new. Its a great headset and for the price its not terrible compared to the $250-300 in store. You also have to keep in mind the type of environment you are in. Open back headphones will offer better sound but you can hear more of your background, closed back you hear less of your background but loose a bit of the sound.

If you decide you want the best sound possible, you can get a headphone for 100-140$, and get a mod mic for 30-60. This will offer you the best sound and microphone. You will have to do research into what headphones best suit your music needs and gaming needs.

[reef]

I picked up a pair of Sennheiser HD 598's and an Antlion ModMic 4.0 last year and I've been very satisfied.

closed back headphones will offer better sound but you can hear more of your background, Open back you hear less of your background but loose a bit of the sound.

I think you mixed things up a bit here. Closed-back headphones block out more background noise, but offer less of a soundstage, relying fully on internals, and have generally worse sound quality due to that as well as resonance. Open-back headphones, on the other hand, block out hardly any background noise, but offer a much broader soundstage and very little resonance, creating generally better sound quality.

[Deleted]

Check out this huge gaming headphones guide.
If you can try the ones you want before purchasing, do it.
Add a ModMic and you're good

[Tomservo]

The HD 558s are excellent and you can grab them for less than $70 on an Amazon Warehouse Deal(torn packaging) and then add a mic of your choice.