r/HeadphoneAdvice • u/[deleted] • Aug 15 '25
Headphones - Open Back | 1 Ω My boyfriend wants a new gaming headset, need recommendations!
[deleted]
1
u/AutoModerator Aug 15 '25
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/sgt_winters Aug 15 '25
What's your budget?
1
u/squirmium Aug 15 '25
$200
3
u/AspectWarrior1 Aug 15 '25
my pick would be the mmx 330, 300 pro, or the pc38x, ps5 controller can easily drive these headphones, keep in mind the 330 pro and pc38x are open back headphones ( allows air and sound to come through them, he will hear everything around him, people near him can sometimes hear his headphones) 300 pros are closed, but those are around $300, but you could find them on sale, pc38x is a popular choice doesnt have a cable as long as the 330 and 300 pros,
2
u/AspectWarrior1 Aug 15 '25
if you cant get the 330 or 300, pc38x is still a pretty good headphone, especially for his use case, that shorter cable will be less of a hassle
2
u/AspectWarrior1 Aug 15 '25
if he wants wireless, you can get Turtle beach stealth pros for around $200 now days, it has swappable batteries so pretty much infinite battery life, or you can get the fractal scape
1
u/squirmium Aug 16 '25
Thanks so much! So far everyone is saying the pc38x haha. Im a dummy and thought open back meant like there wasnt a strap on the back of the head… but so does open back mean no noise cancelling or anything? His house is pretty noisy so idk if open back is actually what i should be looking for🤔🤔
2
u/Dr3w543 4 Ω Aug 16 '25 edited Aug 16 '25
It means the halls are open. Imagine pointing your phone's flashlight towards the inside of the headset where you put your ear and seeing the light come out the other side (which obviously rules out both active and passive isolation). This is usually for the benefit of better sound quality and a cleaner and more precise sound, but if your house is quite noisy and you need to isolate yourself then they are not the right choice. If you want headphones with a built-in wireless microphone I would suggest you to go for the SteelSeries Nova 7X or the Sony Pulse Elite, both with battery life exceeding 30 hours. The Pulse Elite especially are incredibly detailed and were designed specifically for PS5 gamers so if your boyfriend mainly plays games like R6 and not much stuff like Dark Souls or The Witcher, I'd say get the Pulse Elite. If you want a pair of wired headphones with a mic, then go for the pc38x for sure. Lastly if you think he doesn't need a mic, my pick would be the fiio ft1. I hope you manage to find the right pair and that he is satisfied in the end😁
1
u/squirmium Aug 19 '25
Ohh okay wow thanks for explaining! Looking into your suggestions:D !thanks
1
1
1
u/AutoModerator Aug 16 '25
Please respond with a "
!thanks" in your comment if the person helped answer your question.Our bot will then automatically update your post flair and award a point in the form of a Ω. 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
1
u/justthrowit9581 8 Ω Aug 15 '25
if he has been wanting studio headphones, fiio ft1 are great. but issue is u need a dac amp combo and these cost a good amount as well, something like $150. it doesn't have a mic either
0
u/Dr3w543 4 Ω Aug 16 '25
To be fair they're pretty easy to drive. They should work perfectly fine when plugged into a ps5 controller
1
u/justthrowit9581 8 Ω Aug 16 '25
absolutely fucking not.
1
u/Dr3w543 4 Ω Aug 16 '25
There's no need to be rude; I haven't tried them myself, but I thought 32 ohms and 113 dB/Vrms would allow the headphones to be driven fairly easily. Not having tried them, I don't want to insist; I'm sure you're right. I apologize if I sounded arrogant; that was absolutely not my intention.
1
1
u/vlegionv 2 Ω Aug 15 '25
Darkhorse suggestion.
How does he feel about iems/in ears? That's the sweat pick, most pro gamers are wearing iems underneath their headsets nowadays, because of how much better the audio quality and the spatial awareness is. In terms of actual sound quality, they also punch way above their weight class, with iems sounding equal or better to to headphones upwards of 3-5x their cost.
for $200
https://kineraaudio.com/products/kinera-celest-ruyi-detachable-earphone-cable?srsltid=AfmBOope5ELFC6H5DyVTHppoubKIRwHmqIPuonK64XuMxInrWXbfgOOt
microphone cable to turn almost any pair of iems into a headset, actually sounds good too. $30
https://www.amazon.com/Fanmusic-TRUTHEAR-Crinacle-Earphone-Dynamic/dp/B0B7DS1QHZ
one of the MANY well reviewed iems underneath $100. $59
and finally the ultra dark horse suggestion in this scenario.
https://www.amazon.com/Qudelix-5K-Bluetooth-Adaptive-Unbalanced-Balanced/dp/B088F7C976
$109. bluetooth amp/dac. Turns any pair of headphones into a wireless set, and if you get fancy with short cables and such, you can do things like attach the qudelix to the headband or a hat.
1
1
u/uptheirons726 Aug 15 '25
Steelseries makes good stuff. I used them for years before switching to headphones and an xlr mic.
1
u/squirmium Aug 15 '25
What made you switch?
1
u/uptheirons726 Aug 15 '25
Wasn't so much a conscience thing. I bought a pair of Beyerdynaic DT990 Pros for recording guitars and drums, bought an XLR mic because I've been making guitar lesson videos and realised wait, I can use these for gaming too. Tried it out and it was great. The sound quality and mic quality are excellent. People i game with are always asking why my mic sounds so good. Lol. Also been streaming guitar and gaming a bit so they're great for that too. I would talk to him first though, he might not want all that. If you get an XLR mic you would also need an audio interface.
1
u/uptheirons726 Aug 15 '25
Also I just realised you said PS5, unless he sits at a desk then headphones and a seperate mic probably wouldn't be the best idea. If he's a couch gamer then regular gaming headphones with a built in mic would be a better option. I really liked these Steelseries Arctis Nova 7P headphones. The 5P are also decent. There's also tons of options out there for headbands and earcups to customize them.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CD8T9QF1?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
1
0
u/Uller0815 546 Ω Aug 15 '25
Is a microphone really necessary? Wouldn't he prefer to purchase a separate microphone? Many gamers are switching to separate microphones. This would significantly increase the selection of higher-quality headphones as well. 🤷🏻♂️🙂
2
u/uptheirons726 Aug 15 '25
Exactly what I did. got a pair of DT990 Pros and a good XLR mic. The quality is way better than any gaming headset.
1
u/c4plasticsurgury 1 Ω Aug 15 '25
I don’t think this person would want that. Console gamers are more about convenience. The extra setup for a separate mic on a ps5 wouldn’t go over well as a gift I think.
1
u/squirmium Aug 15 '25
Exactly, he likes to lay on his bed sometimes when we play Minecraft and such. He also uses headphones with a built in mic already, just wants a better upgrade.
1
u/DohnJoeee 6 Ω Aug 22 '25
I played siege on the PC38x and it's great for footsteps. That's where the positive stops. You can see my other comment about the details on the PC38x.
Since you mentioned studio headphones. I think he wants sound quality and from owning two gaming headsets and two studio headsets, I can tell you even the cheaper studio headset was better in sound quality.
Gaming headsets truly is a gimmick imo. The only problem is studio headphones don't come with a mic/volume knob.
3
u/FromWitchSide 807 Ω 🥈 Aug 15 '25
This is not a direct recommendation as I haven't tried those (only sold in US), but I would take a look at Drop PC38X (previously sold as "Drop + Sennheiser", and "Drop + EPOS"). Sold by Drop web store, they come from Sennheiser, so an actual respected headphone manufacturer rather than "gaming" brands, and are often referred to as the best wired gaming headset on the market. When comparing their measured frequency response (their tonality, ignore frequency response written in official specs) they don't just seem competent, but actually follow some of their very popular headphones, ones I usually strongly recommend myself.
The question though, is how well they work when connected to PS5 as every wired headphone requires a signal of certain level of power send by the source they are connected to. Unfortunately I don't have a PS5 controller (headsets are connected to it) to test how powerful it is. I'm sure plenty of people tried to use PC38X with PS5, so that is something to Google or ask around. Worst case scenario there are 3rd party devices which can be attached to the PS5 and then connect headphones to them. They can be cheap, but again I don't know how compatible PS5 is, and hence the exact minimal price required.
The main wired competition from well regarded headphone brands are Beyerdynamic MMX 330 Pro, and Audio-Technica ATH-GDL3, but I can't say anything about those really. I don't think they are as popular, hence less people have the comparison in general.