Open or Closed Headphones? (Gaming + Music)

in general you'll sacrifice soundstage with a closed headphone. i personally only used closed headphones because background noise bothers me, it pulls me out of the music/game. i can't comment on many open headphones (at least not with my own personal experience) so i'll stick to closed.

DT770 Pro 80's - i've been using these for about a year and half now and think they're great. the current amazon price is a little over your budget but they fall to $170 all the time. they have great soundstage for a closed headphone. they are bass-heavy so keep that in mind. a bass emphasis is not ideal for competitive FPS playing, but makes for a great experience. my choice of music (indie rock, folk, acoustic) sounds great on these too. nice and warm.

M50's - i've only auditioned these at guitar center with my iphone, so take my advice with that in mind. these are great for music, similar sound signature to the DT770 Pro 80's but with a little more clarity in the mids to my ears. shallow soundstage so not very good for gaming where positional audio is needed. i personally wouldn't go with these since i game a lot. a counter-point though - i own a pair of HD280's which also have a shallow soundstage. i can make due with them in FPS games.

Brainwaivz HM5 - i'm discussing these on rep alone, i've never heard them myself. i have a pair (one of the clones, the NVX Audio XPT100) coming to me tomorrow to try out. if you read all the info on these and their various clones, they are supposed to be fantastic for music and gaming. very neutral and a large soundstage. they look 'cheap' to me, but that's subjective. the hype-machine was in full swing on these for a while, so impressions may have been over exaggerated. guess i'll see.

if you decide to go with open headphones there are many options available, and more qualified people on OCN to weigh in.

edit: give this a read if you haven't already, will probably answer all your questions: http://www.overclock.net/t/1014902/ocns-most-recommended-audio-products
Edited by Porter_ - 10/21/12 at 11:31am

AD700. There one of the best headphones for positioning, they have a huge soundstage and OUTSTANDING for gaming.

Quote from Mad Lust Envy's headphone gaming guide

Edit: If you are playing on Xbox I highly recommend the Astro mixamp
Edited by CorruptEagle - 10/21/12 at 2:08pm

I'm not sure about the closed version of the AD700, but there are many alternatives to the Astro Mixamp Pro like the Turtle Beach DSS, Astro Mixamp 5.8 but the best for console is the Astro Mixamp Pro (although not sure if price is justified).

Also to answer your earilier question about attachable mic the Antlion Modmic is amazing.

I wish I could hear a benefit using the 5.1 conversion stuff, to me positional audio is actually more accurate in stereo.

One way it was explained to me was if you want better bass, go with closed. If you want soundsage, go open.

That said, part of the reason I went closed was because I wanted to block out external noise and not get nagged for it being too loud.

I also use my headphones on airplanes so there is the added benefit of blocking out the engine noise there too if you travel alot.

P.s.

I am very happy with my SteelSeries Siberia V2 w/ USB soundcard. They are mainly good for gaming as the audio jack doesnt work with my ipod for some reason. That said I use AKG K 271 Mk II for music.
Edited by madbrayniak - 10/21/12 at 5:22pm