Headphone Choice

[jdogg707]

I am looking for a good sounding set of headphones that will be good for gaming, watching movies, and listening to music (Rock, Club, Classical,, Rap, etc.). I have narrowed my choices down to the following two choices:

1. Sennheiser HD 497 OpenAir Dynamic Stereo Headphone - These are 59.00 @ Newegg and have gotten good reviews around the web.

2. Zalman ZM-RS6F 5.1 Headphones - These will be about 59.00 shipped from SVC and really intrigue me. I am wondering how the surround separation of works and if it would be useful on games and DVD's using my Audigy 2.


Any other opinions are welcome....I am not looking to really spend anymore than the amount above. Which would you choose?

 

[InlineFive]

If you get the Zalman I would be interested to see how they work!

 

[beenlurkingforyears]

I dug around with Google recently, because I was wondering the same thing. I found that, as a rule, audiophiles do NOT like the sound quality of the Zalman's. The gamers did not really care that much about audio quality and were divided on how well they worked in games; some said they really helped to identify the direction of a sound and others say they didn't help much.

One reviewer (more of an audiophile than a gamer) put the headphones over his ears without plugging them in and found that the headphone shells distorted the music playing in the room. He believes it won't be long before Zalman either corrects that with a design change or installs baffles or other material to clear up that problem.

It seems to me that there may be significant variations in how well the Zalman's work with variations in motherboard audio, sound cards, or audio settings. I did not find testing where was done with variations in the source of the audio and various audio settings.

Bottom line: For now I'm keeping my money in my pocket and sticking with my current (cheap) headphones.

 

[Derango]

Go with the HD 497s. Awesome headphones that don't need a gimick (5.1) to sell

 

[Auric]

I think given the same price, a two speaker headphone is going be much higher quality and particularly better for music than the ZM but the surround feature may be nifty. In the case of the Sennheiser you are prolly paying more for the brand so the quality may balance out but I think for the budget you can prolly do better than either. Personally, I prefer closed over the ear headphones for the isolation, otherwise I figger I may as well be using speakers.

 

[blazerazor]

Dude, the best are TECHNICS. Their headphones are built to last. If something breaks, you can replace just that part. They cost around 100 dollars. and are DJ quaility.

Stay away from sony headphones. They are cheap and break after about 3 months.

 

[jdogg707]

Originally posted by: blazerazor
Dude, the best are TECHNICS. Their headphones are built to last. If something breaks, you can replace just that part. They cost around 100 dollars. and are DJ quaility.

Stay away from sony headphones. They are cheap and break after about 3 months.

I am replacing a pair of Sony MDR-V300 Studio Monitor Headphones, they broke for no reason and I won't be going back to Sony. I don't think I want to go $100 bucks, because I do like using my speakers, but need something when it gets late and my roommates want peace and quiet.

 

[Stealth1024]

I own and highly reccomend the Sennheiser HD280 Pro headphones

 

[FishTankX]

I know you said you don't want to go back to sony, but there is a particular make of Sony earphoens that have withstood the test of time, and quality. I know someone who has had a pair for 20 years. These things sound great and are built to last.

The Sony V-6 Avaliable here has been used in studios and been a favorite of gamers for a long time. They have been discontinued, but are still kicking around. If you want closed sound, solid bass and clear highs, these are the phones.

(P.S. The MDR-V6 was engineered around 1980, and thus are completly different from the Sony MDR-DJX00 series. They're built to last and have been kicking it around for the past 2 *decades* and I think that says something about quality.)

 

[Auric]

Originally posted by: jdogg707

need something when it gets late and my roommates want peace and quiet.

Then the open type don't fit the bill. Denon, Audio-Technica, Pioneer, and even KOSS are other brands to consider. Look for 50mm Neodymium drivers, wide freq response, and as said, replaceable parts are a good thing -a detachable cord is particularly nice. Perhaps narrow it down to a few that have the best quality sound for your budget then settle on the best of those for comfort. Hit those head-fi and headwize forums.

 

[jdogg707]

Originally posted by: Stealth1024
I own and highly reccomend the Sennheiser HD280 Pro headphones

Have you used them for gaming? And if so are they any good? How about movies and music? Clear sound? How's the Bass? These look to be a very good fit for what I am doing and Amazon.com has them for 69.99 with a 10.00 MIR.

 

[Bovinicus]

I don't have experience with those particular sets of headphones, but I have had experience with a couple of different sets of Sennheisers. I would go with Sennheiser over Zalman. That 5.1 headphone nonsense sounds like marketing BS that has very little value in real world situations. This is just my instinct, so take it for what it's worth. Also, sound engineering is not Zalman's strongsuit. Sennheiser, on the other hand, is very versed in this area.

I have a set of Sony MDR-V700s, and I think they replay positional audio as good as any headphones, or 5.1 speaker setup for that matter, that I have ever heard. However, they are $100. I'm not recommending these to you unless you are willing to spend the extra cash, but I was just pointing out that I somehow doubt the "5.1 headphones" make much, if any, difference in positional audio and sound quality.

 

[jdogg707]

Alright, I think I am going to go with the HD 280 Pro Headphones, they seem to offer great performance at a great price with replaceable parts and a quality backing. Thanks a lot for everyone's help.

 

[waitingforprescott]

In my mind grado's are the best open headphone. I have a pair of sr-80's that are just amazing. I would recommend checking out head-fi.org they have a good forum.

 

[Auric]

Originally posted by: jdogg707
Alright, I think I am going to go with the HD 280 Pro Headphones, they seem to offer great performance at a great price with replaceable parts and a quality backing. Thanks a lot for everyone's help.

That's a good price on 'em too, especially with free shipping. I'm sure you made the right choice.

 

[chiggachu]

Senns usually are pretty good, regardless of what others say. I haven't heard a pair of senns that i thought were bad. I have heard sony's, koss, and others that stunk. good choice...report back when you get them!

 

[jdogg707]

Originally posted by: chiggachu
Senns usually are pretty good, regardless of what others say. I haven't heard a pair of senns that i thought were bad. I have heard sony's, koss, and others that stunk. good choice...report back when you get them!

Will do. Thanks for the opinions.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Originally posted by: jdogg707
Alright, I think I am going to go with the HD 280 Pro Headphones, they seem to offer great performance at a great price with replaceable parts and a quality backing. Thanks a lot for everyone's help.

You have chosen... wisely. Damn good headphones. Be aware you'll probably need to break them in a bit before you're really impressed by them. Before I got mine I heard people say this and doubted it, but it is true. I can't stress enough how pleased I've been with my pair.

 

[0roo0roo]

senns all the way, those zalmans are ok for gimmic, but thats all theyare. but unless you really need closed headphones(for use in public places), get the 497 over 280.

 

[0roo0roo]

http://www.headphone.com/layout.php
http://www.head-fi.org/

useful links.

 

[Johnbear007]

One of the editors aroudn here once commented that the Zalman are pretty gimmicky and dissapointing.

You cant really beat sennheiser quality I would go with the senns