I've been following this thread with interest ever since the headphone reviews started making an appearance last autumn. I was especially interested in how well you all found them for audio cues: I tend to play first person shooters (especially CoD) so I want to make the most of the positional audio in game.
I've had a pair of Audio Technica ATH-AD700s since forever (and I bought them second-hand) and they're still going strong. They're good for hearing footsteps, shots and relative distance, but I sometimes struggle to work out how far away those sounds are or pinpoint them with confidence, so I was curious to see whether either the
Sennheiser GSP 600s or the
Audio Technica ATH-ADG1Xs had improved on my 10 year old headset (discontinued years ago). In the interest of science, I bought both to test.
So first off, I'm not an audiophile. I know the difference between a good pair of cans and a bad, but as long as they sound good, I'm happy. The really important thing to me, is how good is the positional audio and, as I game for hours at a time, are they comfy?
I tested all the sets (including my AD700s as the base) by playing CoD Infinite Warfare on the PS4 Pro and listening to FrekeOne's
Quick test You can do,
The Virtual Barber Shop, SOZO 3D's
Adding 3D sounds to a mono film and HiHACKER's
ULTIMATE HEADPHONE TEST !!! on PC.
Audio was piped through my SoundBlaster X7 with SBX on. I played CoD using Od1n’s custom Call of Duty settings and the rest with the <Rock> preset.
The whole process took about five hours.
My conclusion, the ADG1Xs are better that my current headset for positional audio, the GSP 600s are not, but all three are great headsets.
The ATH-700s are pretty light and comfy but the lavender-coloured mesh does not look cool. The cable is long but sends noise to the speakers when rubbed. It also likes to twist itself into a pretty spiral when you turn your back. The 3D wings are an acquired taste: I like them, but some don't. The earpads are super comfortable.
Sound is rich and balanced, but with only a little bass. They produce a very natural sound (although I can only hear up to 15000Hz so there may well be higher pitched noises that I just can’t hear). The soundstage is wide (open-backs) creating immersion and depth. Footsteps are easy to hear, distance is easy to work out, direction and specific angle from the player are sometimes difficult to determine.
The GSP 600s are relatively heavy and clamp your head more firmly than the ATs, even with the adjusters fully down. They’re not uncomfortable but they certainly feel more substantial than the other two. They look pretty ‘gamy’ and I don’t like the silver-grey plastic bits, but at least the red accents aren’t too in-your-face. The braided cable is fantastic. It never twists and feels really light. No noise when brushed and it’s removable so you can replace it if it’s damaged.
Sound is rich with quite a bit of reverb in the lower end. It makes explosions and gunshots more punchy. IMO, Sennheiser have created a ‘gamer’ character to the headset that, whilst not garish, is a touch too cinematic for me. They are closed-back headphones though, so the soundstage is reduced. Footsteps are easy to hear but their direction and distance are sometimes challenging to pinpoint.
The ADG1Xs are light and are even more comfortable than the 700s. The earpads are outstanding, but of course, they are new. The 3D wings are still present, but they feel lighter than the ones on my own headset. Looks as though the design has been tweaked slightly. The black and grey colour is very unobtrusive. The cable was wound circularly in the packaging, and even after several hours of use, hasn’t yet unwound properly.
Sound is similar to the AD700s, but ‘brighter’, distinct without an increase in the treble. There’s noticeably more clarity between noises which makes it easier to separate individual sound cues. The bass is about the same as the 700s and so they also sound very natural. The soundstage is nice and wide but the direction of footsteps and gunshots is much easier to pinpoint than either of the other two. Each of the three headsets was good at picking up subtle or quiet noises, but the G1Xs have the edge.
Bottom line is, the GSP600s are going back to Amazon and the AD700s are going on eBay. I’m keeping the Audio Technica ATH-ADG1Xs.
