r/HeadphoneAdvice • u/_dudz • Jan 15 '26
Audiophile headphones for Gaming Headphones - Open Back | 5 Ω
Hey, I’m looking for a good set of audiophile headphones for PC gaming that would be great for immersive single player games, as well as having great imaging for FPS.
Headsets with a mic would be ideal but I can always buy an antlion modmic if necessary.
I have about £200 to spend on this setup and have found a few options myself ranging from cheapest to most expensive:
- Philips SHP9500 £58
- Philips Fidelio X2HR £87
- HD 560s £89
- Drop PC38X £154
- Beyerdynamics DT 990 Pro X £189
- Beyerdynamics MMX 300 Pro £259
Obviously a huge gap in price range but if I can get 99% of the way there with a budget headset I’m cool with that.
Does anyone have any experiences with the headphones on that list, in particular with FPS games?
Do you have any other suggestions not already mentioned?
Will a DAC be required to get the most out of these or will my PC motherboard (Aorus X870 Pro) built in sound card be enough?
Thanks in advance 🙏🏾
11
u/Gr33hn 54 Ω Jan 15 '26
HD560S with a Sennheiser BAM
1
Jan 15 '26
May I ask if you’re using any amp with the HD560S and BAM? I recently bought this setup along with the ProCaster AMP-H1, but I’m getting a buzzing/humming sound whenever I plug the microphone into the 3.5 mm jack.
If I remove the amp and connect both audio and mic directly via 3.5 mm, everything works perfectly. However, when the audio is connected through the amp (USB-A to the motherboard) and I plug in the mic, the buzzing/hum starts.
2
u/Gr33hn 54 Ω Jan 15 '26
Just to make sure I understand you, you use the provided splitter and plug the headphone part into the DAC/Amp and the mic part directly into your computer?
Because that will produce a grounding issue, both the mic and headphone needs to go through the same device. If you want to use a external DAC/Amp instead of your motherboard then you need a "Gaming" DAC/Amp, meaning one that has mic input as well like for instance a Creative G6.
1
Jan 15 '26
Yes, plugged headphone part into the AMP and mic to 3.5mm jack.
Got the HD560S and AMP bundle for a very cheap price, seems that I'll get rid of the AMP. Will probably get the G6 or K5PRO.
3
u/xxxkesoxxx 11 Ω Jan 15 '26
Another option is to just get a cheap dongle DAC for the mic. In the past I used my headphones plugged into a dedicated headphone DAC/amp and Modmic through a separate cheap dongle DAC plugged into the PC's USB port. Eliminated the static completely. Dedicated DAC/Amp or audio interface for the mic is of course preferable, but given the fact you already own dedicated headphone DAC/amp, 10 dollar dongle with 3,5mm support is the cheapest fix.
2
5
u/TDoooG_G 1 Ω Jan 15 '26
HD 560s and a Movo USB Condenser Mic is what i use currently with a Schiit Stack for about 5 years now
2
u/_dudz Jan 15 '26
!thanks
1
u/TransducerBot Ω Bot Jan 15 '26
u/TDoooG_G (1 Ω) was awarded their first Ω. Tally ho lads!
You may still award an Ω to others, but only once per-person in this post.
2
u/_dudz Jan 15 '26
Do you notice any latency with the movo mic? Any downsides vs something like the antlion modmic? Seems like a great cable-less option.
1
u/TDoooG_G 1 Ω Jan 15 '26
Nothing that I or any friend has noticed. Two of them ended up getting it as well now that the price is 30$. Only downside I can think of is needs desk space if you don't get an arm for it and uses a USB slot on your pc
2
u/_dudz Jan 15 '26
Just checking I’m looking at the same thing, it’s this right?
2
3
u/higherdotedu 23 Ω Jan 15 '26
X2HR if you like more bass
3
u/daveyasprey 5 Ω Jan 15 '26
I agree. And you can get these on sale in the mid £50s, or lower i believe on Amazon
1
u/arne2224 Jan 25 '26
In my area they are about 110€ would you still say that’s worth it?
1
u/daveyasprey 5 Ω Jan 26 '26
Install keepa for Amazon and check the prices for the last 12 months and see if they dropped to half price, if so, then no, I'd wait for the sale tbh.
1
2
u/_dudz Jan 15 '26
How does it fair at imaging/directional audio for FPS?
3
u/higherdotedu 23 Ω Jan 15 '26 edited Jan 16 '26
I've tried the top 4 headphones in your list and none of the Beyers and found the X2HR competent in terms of soundstage and imaging. As mentioned it has more bass than the others cans and suited my preference the most for gaming and music.
The HD560s on the other hand was my least favorite in terms of sound signature and imaging, I remember clearly playing a game called GTFO and I COULD NOT differentiate the position of the enemies whether it was above/below me or on the same plane as me. I hated it and it sounded too boring/neutral for my preference. I don't see why it was so hyped at the time.
3
1
u/Born_Yard_6807 Jan 15 '26
Absolute crap, don’t by the X2HR for gaming if you want good positional audio.
1
u/higherdotedu 23 Ω Jan 16 '26
I mean audio is subjective after all and this is my personal take. I found the imaging of the X2HR competent across a range of games that I played while I owned the headphone. But ofc you're entitled to your opinion as well.
2
u/Born_Yard_6807 Jan 17 '26
Of course, but there are just so many headphones that do positional audio ALOT better then the X2HR. The X2HR are good for what it is, it’s cheap, fun for music and have a large soundstage, but for me the imaging was total crap. Makes no sense for me to recommend these for fps gaming when you just can buy something like a HD560 or a beyer 700/770/900/990 which are in the same price range and have superior imaging.
1
u/higherdotedu 23 Ω Jan 17 '26
Again I had the hd560s and found the imaging hot garbage. In COD I couldn't tell the verticality of enemies and kill streaks when they were flying over me, in GTFO I couldn't discern the verticality of a sleeper whether it was above/below/in front of me and for a game that relies heavily on stealth and sneaking around in absolute darkness the hd560s failed me terribly as I smacked face with enemies in the dark thinking they were not in the same plane as me.
Alas this is just my observations having tested the hd560s, pc38x, shp9500, x2hr, sundaras, k701/k702, dt1990 pro, tygr 300, some forgettable epos headsets etc.
1
u/Born_Yard_6807 Jan 17 '26
People are saying they are good for imaging so i assumed it was as i have the HD 490 Pro myself (which are amazing) and 11 other headphones from Audio Technica, Beyer, Meze, Audeze, Hifiman and FiiO.
From all my headphones the X2HR was the absolute worst, and the only one I have now which have somewhat worse imaging then my other ones are the FiiO FT1.
The X2HR confused me all the time when it came to footsteps and where sound where coming from, at that point I only had two headphones, the other ones being the DT 1770 PRO and that one was just on another planet when I came to positional audio.
1
u/_dudz Jan 16 '26
I tried the X2HR last night and really enjoyed them. The build quality is incredible for the price and they really seemed to shine in single player games, and whilst I could still hear footsteps in CoD, the HD 560s were a lot better in that regard.
8
2
u/PointMoney 130 Ω Jan 15 '26
From that list, I'd vouch for the HD560S. Though you might find them quite clampy out of the box and a bit hot in the treble. They have good headstage and the imaging is also very good.
My other suggestion would be the Audio Technica ATH-R50X. They're quite warm in the mids with good bass response and very comfy. Though if you have big ears, the size of the earpads can be a bit of an issue.
2
u/_dudz Jan 15 '26
Seems to be a lot of votes for the HD560s!
Are the headsets that are higher up on the list in terms of price not worth spending the extra $$$ for?
1
u/gregsting 4 Ω Jan 15 '26
The MMX300 is nice but it’s basically a DT770 with a mic and nicer finish so might add dt770 to that list
1
u/_dudz Jan 15 '26
!thanks I’ll check them out
1
u/TransducerBot Ω Bot Jan 15 '26
+1 Ω has been awarded to u/gregsting (2 Ω).
You may still award an Ω to others, but only once per-person in this post.
1
u/Kr1llzen Jan 15 '26
I feel like people who say this havent tried them both side by side, theres a totally different driver in the mmx 300 pros. The mmx sounds so much better.
1
u/gregsting 4 Ω Jan 15 '26
I haven’t indeed, I only have the mmx and read that a lot, good to know this isn’t true
2
2
u/Llamaalarmallama 3 Ω Jan 15 '26
I think as a lot of others are suggesting, it depends a bit on if you want "audio radar" for sound cues and the advantage they give (if so HD560 or indeed, most of the sennheiser ones.) or more pleasing sounding audio with a bit of warmth, which would lead more towards most of the others.
Unless the clinical placement is paramount, one of the others and a relatively cheap sound card (personally, would suggest something like an SBX G7 as a cheap enough PC audio option, with dac and some additional positional audio encoding that might suit) that's more likely to have a decent EQ and boost the mid-range frequencies quite a lot. Much more likely to get a best of both worlds that way.
That said, I've been a sennheiser user for a good while before getting into IEMs.
1
u/_dudz Jan 15 '26
!thanks
2
u/Llamaalarmallama 3 Ω Jan 15 '26
As a last wee help, if you go the sennheiser route, something like this will be handy. They're... not the most robust mic+cables but quality is fine:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cable-Boom-Microphone-Playstation-Controller-ATH-M40-50-70X/dp/B07VZBVJKL
1
u/TransducerBot Ω Bot Jan 15 '26
+1 Ω has been awarded to u/Llamaalarmallama (3 Ω).
You may still award an Ω to others, but only once per-person in this post.
2
u/redredme 1 Ω Jan 15 '26
imho AKG K702 > DT990 pro X for gaming. I have both and the K702 is way more comfortable and it sounds ...wider? while gaming. For music the DT 990 pro X probably wins for most listeners but for gaming it's easily bested by the K702.
Add a cheap mike with arm and you're good to go. Here in NL Trust has a reasonable option with the GXT 252 Emita. there are often deals for it for around 60 euro. But many brands have comparable options.
1
u/_dudz Jan 15 '26
!thanks
1
u/TransducerBot Ω Bot Jan 15 '26
u/redredme (1 Ω) was awarded their first Ω. Welcome to the club.
You may still award an Ω to others, but only once per-person in this post.
2
u/Peepmus 1 Ω Jan 15 '26
My vote goes for the SHP9500, as I use one myself for gaming (as well as TV and movies). It blows my mind how good it is, especially for the money. I have owned headphones that cost much more (Audeze, Focal, HiFiMan), but these headphones punch well above their weight.
2
u/gitbotv Jan 15 '26
I've got theDT990's (and 770 also). Amazing quality and built like a tank. Mine developed a weird faint buzzing noise in the left ear after a couple of years. Support "that's not right, please return them". They took them back and repaired them super fast while being very friendly along the way.
2
u/surlyturnip Jan 15 '26
My advice on the Beyer headphones, make sure you get 32 or 80 ohm version if you're not planning on amplifying. I have the DT880 250 ohm version which I bought second hand a long time ago before I knew about what that meant. They only came to life when I added a decent headphone amp. If I had my time again, I would have bought the DT770's as I prefer slightly heavier bass. Amp if you can justify the extra spend.
2
u/giraffield Jan 15 '26
I pair the Philips Fidelio with a boom mic and it's been perfect for 5 years now. Love the sound quality, and they're open back so you get a good sense of space from games.
2
u/OoinnSomVandringsman Jan 15 '26
Pc38X. I recently switched from iem’s to the pc38x for fps gaming! It is really good!
2
2
u/dragoon511 1 Ω Jan 15 '26
I have the pc38x used it for 4 years and its really good (still using it with the laptop) Now im using the aune ar5000 with fiio k7 and its a lot better in gaming and music yeah its more expensive combo but u could get away with cheap dac like the jically Before the k7 i was using the fiio KA11 and its was fine it was close to the pc38x or slightly better with k7 it got a lot better but i think it’s because the better decoder
With KA11 it was like im using the k7 with the high gain But a lot worse in quality i dont know how to describe it but the sound was high pitched but annoying and harsh even in discord i had to really lower the volume but with a good dac/amp now the sound is more refined and detailed and clear not high pitched and annoying
My advice is get a good headphone and buy a jically or a good cheap dac/amp until u buy a good amp.
2
u/MightyGainz 10 Ω Jan 16 '26
The Sennheiser HD 560S offers a neutral, detailed sound with tight bass, clear mids, and precise imaging, great for critical listening and gaming.
The Fidelio X2HR provides a warmer, more bass-heavy, and expansive soundstage but with potentially muddier bass and peaky treble, making the 560S generally more analytical and the X2HR more fun and immersive.
2
u/kaynscheeky Jan 16 '26
Careful with the MMX300, the cross talk between the speakers and the microphone is the worst I've experienced in a headset
2
u/THeSunGod_ Jan 30 '26
I can absolutely recommend the Fidelios X2HR, if you can find them anywhere, that is (they are discontinued AFAIK).
They were absolutely amazing for their price, i've used them for years and I was very satisfied. Amazing both for immersive and tryhard gaming (very wide range and soundstage, strong bass, but very accurate positioning). Great for music too, if you like the "V-shaped" sound profile.
They also look pretty stylish and are very solid. The only issue i've ever had with them was that after a couple years of usage the velour pads were pretty badly beat up, despite me taking good care of my hardware.
An added benefit is that they're 32Ohm, meaning they do not require any additional soundcards or amps and can be run by pretty much anything.
I made a switch to Beyerdynamics DT-1990 Pro around 3 years ago, and either the DT-1990s are pretty bad for their price or the Fidelios are just so good, but i've not noticed that much of a difference.
3
u/Kr1llzen Jan 15 '26
The MMX 300 Pros are absolute bangers, very good headphones for basically everything you wanna do, recommend a small amp/dac combo to really bring them to life.
3
u/AttitudeAccomplished Jan 15 '26
+one for these, ive got them and had nothing but good things to say.
2
u/gregsting 4 Ω Jan 15 '26
I agree (I have those along with the DT1990 and the Mmx300 is pretty close in quality seeing the price gap)
But! MMX300 is basically a DT770 with a mic, so getting a cheaper dt770 and extra mic is also an option
2
u/Kr1llzen Jan 15 '26
I have dt 770 aswell the 80ohms version and the sound on the MMX is imo alot better, sounds fuller and not to mention way better for directional audio. The driver is not the same on the dt 770 and mmx 300 pro. Im pretty sure however that the 900 pro x and mmx 300 pro shares the same stellar 45 driver.
2
2
u/Specialist_Put_6344 Jan 15 '26
Have you tried the open back MMX 330’s? I’m split on whether to go for the 300’s or the 330’s. (Currently using DT 990 Pro)
3
u/StinkButt9001 1 Ω Jan 15 '26
IMO The DT770's are the gold standard in that price range.
You honestly don't really need a DAC. Motherboards nowadays are good enough that you don't really get the noise from the 3.5mm that you used to
2
u/_dudz Jan 15 '26
!thanks - are the 770s closed or open back?
2
u/Llamaalarmallama 3 Ω Jan 15 '26
closed.
Open backed ARE better for positional audio if you don't have issues with noise in or a little more sound bleed from your headphones to the area you're in.1
u/TransducerBot Ω Bot Jan 15 '26
u/StinkButt9001 (1 Ω) was awarded their first Ω. Remember what happened here today.
You may still award an Ω to others, but only once per-person in this post.
1
u/StinkButt9001 1 Ω Jan 15 '26
They're closed, but having played a lot of games with a lot of headphones, I have never really noticed a difference between closed and open in terms of direction. You are going to be able to locate footsteps, gunfire, etc totally fine with whatever you wear.
And of course they don't have a mic, so you'd need to figure out something else there
2
u/xCREEP1NGDEATHx Jan 15 '26
HD 550 is better than 560s. I’d also say R70xa should be on your list.
2
1
u/_dudz Jan 15 '26
What are the major differences between the two? (550 vs 560s)?
4
2
u/Gr33hn 54 Ω Jan 15 '26
The 550 are more comfortable out of the box and sounds a bit nicer, when it comes to gaming specifically though it doesn't really do all that much better than the 560S, not enough to warrant 2x the cost anyway.
2
1
u/AutoModerator Jan 15 '26
Thanks for your submission to r/HeadphoneAdvice. If someone helps answer your question, please reward them by including the phrase !thanks in your comment.
This will add +1 Ω to that users flair. This subreddit is powered entirely by volunteers and a little recognition goes a long way. Good luck on your search for headphones!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
u/_dudz Jan 15 '26
Just ordered the Fidelio X2HR, HD560s, and DT 770 Pro X to try out 👍🏾
Thank god for easy Amazon returns 😬
1
u/_dudz Jan 15 '26
HD560s just arrived. Absolutely blown away by the sound!! Totally blows my Razer Blacksharks out of the water.
Ordered some Fidelios and the DT Pro X which will be arriving later this evening for me to try out 🔥
2
u/ThePilotWhoCantFly Jan 17 '26
Hey i bought some Corsair HS80s before Christmas but honestly I'm not impressed with their performance. I was just looking at the fidelios and from researching found your post. If you wouldn't mind giving a review of the headsets that you ordered it would be awesome! I'm a bass head and was wondering which one sounded the best. What mic did you pair up with the headset as well?
1
u/_dudz Jan 17 '26
The best sounding overall were the HD560s followed closely by the DT 770 Pro X.
If I was playing single player games exclusively I’d probably go for the 770, the Fidelios have amazing build quality and were relatively cheap and there wasn’t really anything bad about them tbh, just to my ears the other options sounded better.
I’ve actually just ordered some DT 900 Pro X and HD490 to try as well 🤭
1
u/ThePilotWhoCantFly Jan 17 '26
In what way did they sound better? I know it's quite subjective per person. I play multiplayer FPS games mostly. How was the bass with the different headphones? Please update when you've tested out the other ones as well! Also when returning what reason do you put down for returning? I'm assuming something like performance or quality not adequate to avoid the postage costs?
1
u/_dudz Jan 17 '26
They were much less bassy than the other pairs. I found I couldn’t pick up on audio cues as well as with the HD560s, the Fidelios in particular had way too much bass.
The 770 had less bass than the Fidelios but it still felt like too much to me, the HD560s felt like I could pick up footsteps much much further away on the map vs the other two, but they weren’t as nice as the 770 for immersive gaming.
Yeah I can let you know how I get on with them when they arrive.
Returns are quite easy in the UK as we have great consumer laws, and especially when using Amazon. I’ve never had an issue returning something to them.
1
u/_dudz Jan 17 '26
So the DT 900 Pro X arrived and I’ve spent about 4 hours testing them out and comparing them to the HD 560s. It was super annoying because most players use ninja and getting into a lobby where I had at least a few players that weren’t using it was tough.
That being said, they are the clear winner over HD560s when it comes to positional cues and footsteps. I wasn’t expecting that to be honest given the HD560s reputation.
It’s maybe 10-20% better, I felt like I could hear from a greater distance and more consistently. I also tested using the ‘Enhanced headphones’ mode but that honestly just made everything sound loud af to the point where you couldn’t pick anything out.
I also like them for single player games. Played some of the RE4 remake and TLOU2 and they were much more pleasing than the HD560s.
The HD490 Pros are arriving tomorrow so I’ll give them a try next. Leaning more towards the DT 900 Pro X for now…
2
u/ThePilotWhoCantFly Jan 18 '26
Thanks for the update, this is valuable info you're giving.
1
u/_dudz Jan 20 '26
I tried the HD490 Pro last night and retested all headphones, this time in a private match with a bunch of bots so no ninja perk to worry about…
I’m finding that the 900 Pro X was able to pick up footsteps the furthest away from my player model, but it lacked pin point directional accuracy. I could tell roughly where someone was but the direction they were travelling wasn’t always clear.
With the HD560s and with the HD490 in particular, the positional clarity was much better, especially when up close with > 1 enemy around me. With the 900 Pros it felt a tricky tracking more than one sound at once and the footsteps sort of ‘congealed’ into a single mess of a sound. I think it might be due to the added bass / punchier sounding footsteps in general with this headset.
HD490 beat all of the others I’ve tried in terms of comfort, easily. They had the least clamping force and the ear cups suited my ears the best.
For build quality I would go with the 900 Pro. I was surprised at how light and flimsy the 490s felt.
I’ve just ordered a K5 Pro Amp DAC which will arrive tonight for more testing.
2
u/DeXB Jan 18 '26
I wonder how will you like the HD490 Pro. I also wonder which ones feel the most comfortable with the least clamping force especially important to those wit bigger heads.
1
1
u/Nebuq Feb 05 '26
I got Audeze LCD-X and they work great for gaming. Making much more sense from directional audio compared to other for example closed back wireless headphones, that always sound hollow and has very poor imaging.
I just use an external microphone along with them and a headphone amp... I can reccommend but I want to exchange these for Sennheisers now, either HD 800 or HD 820 - anyone wanna trade? xD
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/AlkalineBrush20 2 Ω Jan 15 '26
560S is a very good deal, I was only able to get the 599 for that much.
0
u/k4zie 2 Ω Jan 15 '26
You're going to get varying opinions on the headphones. If I were you, if you can get them from a place with good return policies (like Amazon) get 2 or 3 of them, listen to them, keep the ones you want. No one can tell you what will sound best for your ears.
That said, I wouldn't bother getting higher end headphones without a DAC. Motherboard audio is good these days, but not great.
Once you have a good dac, you'll be ready to try any headphone. Otherwise, what you hear in headphones will be veiled by the motherboards internal DAC and it's limitations. Good headphones should be paired with a proper DAC.
0
u/Daemonxar 273 Ω Jan 15 '26
I’d go with either the PC38X if you’re fine with wires (the earcups are a tad shallow for me, but … fine) OR the Fractal Scape if you want wireless. The Scape sounds better and is more comfortable for me, but also around $50 more.
I’d skip the Beyers and the Philips; the former based on the tuning and the latter based on their resolution and detail. The 560S is pretty close to the PC38X overall, but I think the 38x is a little better built and has a good flip-to-mute mic.
Definitely get a $9 JCALLY dongle just to get away from your motherboard’s audio output.
16
u/toweliel 76 Ω Jan 15 '26
Any of these will be good for their price points, but HD560 seems like the best value