Gaming Headset Advice

Hello headphone enthusiast,

a few days ago I asked about gaming monitors and now I find myself down another dark rabbit hole with gaming headsets. I have done A LOT of research and I found something that makes me want to re-evaluate which headset to get. I just discovered this wireless mic (https://www.amazon.com/Antlion-Audio-Attachable-Microphone-Headphones/dp/B07KQF165L) that attaches to any headset. I've watched some reviews, and despite being a little pricey, I'm in to get this to games with friends.

I know next to nothing about headphones for pc gaming so bear with my bad question; do a good pair of wireless headphones (not made specifically for gaming) hit all the surround sounds and features many gaming headsets tout? Should I invest in a pair of Bose or Sony WH-1000XM3 (#1 on every 2019 wireless headphones list)? What headphones are people using that they like? Throwing on a quality mic (gaming headset mics sound awful) on any headset is cool, I just have 0 clue if a top of line headset, not made for gaming, will be good for gaming. I'd prefer to go wireless with everything but if you have any input or help it is appreciated.

I'm a bit of an audiophile, I've tried dozens of gaming headsets (not an exaggeration). I don't think Bose is very good for gaming, too much bloated bass and a reduced soundstage. Definitely don't go with a brand like that. The thing to consider with gaming headsets is that you want a wide soundstage with good separation (being able to accurately place where sounds are coming from). Also, I've used the Antlion Mod Mic (maybe a previous version of what you've linked) and I did not like it much at all.

My favorite gaming headsets: Audeze Mobius (for my money, the best wireless headset, hands down) and Hyper-X Cloud II (not wireless) (and most Hyper-X variants, they feature solid build quality and good sound backed by good customer support).

Of course, those are just my personal preferences. To recommend something more specific I'd need to know more about what kind of games you play, where you'll be using them, in-ear, on-ear, or over-ear, open-backed or close-backed, and price range.

I've been through quite a few headsets and none of them really compared to just a good pair of headphones.

For reference, I've used Seinheiser's Game One's, and Steelseries Arctis 7's most recently. I also had some Logitech G(somethings) in the past My normal listening headphones are Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro 250 ohm.

The Seinheiser were the closest ones that felt acceptable. Otherwise there is too much artificial distortion. I'm not much of an audiophile, but the sound felt "clausterphobic" as best as I can represent it.

I mean, I'm not a pretentious an audiophile, so the Skullcandy Hesh 2 has been working pretty well for me on a phone over bluetooth, so adding a ModMic to either that, a Hesh 3 or Crusher would be a move that I'd personally make since Antlion Audio makes the best attachable boom mics in the business according to various reviewers like Hardware Canucks.

As for the headset with the best microphone that I've head about: That would be the Logitech G933 Artemis Spectrum. The mic has great audio quality based on reviews I've seen, one by Hardware Canucks included. But I didn't get them because I want to more subtle and less "gammery" look. So I went with the bluetooth version of the SteelSeries Arctis 3 instead. The native sound signature is a blank canvas where you'll have to add some bass in Windows' sound settings, and the mic quality is just passable. But it's capable of using two audio sources simultaneously, meaning you can play a game or whatever on your PC while the headset is connected to a phone via bluetooth and listen to both, which is perfect for "podcast games."

I have too may earphones, I can see 7 pairs never mind the ones I can't. I may have an addiction.

I would also put in a word for the Hesh 3, they have a good sound stage, are light, low latency and not too expensive. Also worth having a look at Audio Technica, they have a big range across closed and open back type headphones, wired and bluetooth, gaming and no-gaming. My best ones have come from them, the ATH m50x are my go to at the moment.

If you want something in-ear Shure IEM's are very good if a bit odd to get in your ear to start. I have the SE215's which were wired but purchased a very good bluetooth adapter. I can wear them all day and have even fallen asleep with them in, very comfortable. As they are IEM's background noise is almost non existent and the sound is very focused, sound stage could be better, maybe not so good for multiplayer games of FPS.

I don't do chat in games so I can't say how these perform on that front but for most situations I find these both more than adequate.

Heya folks,

ModMic staff here - first, thanks for bringing up our ModMic Wireless Kevin!

For headphone recs we have Plenty - but more important are the questions to answer:

First, price: Audio prices tend to go in tiers, entry level is about 50-100, mid range is around the 150-250 area, and high end in the 300 - 500, with true audiophile stuff landing in the 500 - 20k+ range (yes, you can buy headphones for 20 grand). Since you're clearly willing to spend a bit here, I'd aim at the mid-range options, as high end stuff tends to require amps and its better to upgrade audio slowly so you can appreciate the subtle differences. I'll also include some entry level gear recs for anyone else reading.

Do you want full wireless for gaming? If so we recommend the Sennheiser RS165. The Sony and Bose headphones you list are AWESOME for travel, but they have a higher latency which can make movies and games problematic. RS165 so far is the best low-latency wireless headphones we've tested, and pretty reasonable in price (~150).

If you don't care about full wireless:

Do you plan on using them outside or for travel? If so, you want closed back headphones. Depending on your budget, these can be as cheap as the Sony MDR7506 or as nice as the Beyerdyanmic DT770 or M50x.

If you care about the best gaming/audio experience you generally want open back headphones. They're just not good for noisy environments like travel.

Wired options here to look at are vast. Start with the Philips SHP9500, Sennheiser HD559 / 599, Beyerdnamic DT990, or Audio Technica AD500x / 700x for research. AKG 701/702 are also a nice alternative to the Sennheiser, though I personally prefer the Senns, they're very similar in my opinion.

That should get you started on your descent journey into this rabbit hole :D.