Gaming is a popular hobby enjoyed by millions of people around the world. The sound quality of your gaming setup is very important. In competitive gaming, an improvement in sound quality is the difference between winning and losing. For casual gaming, the sound quality improves the overall experience making it more immersive and enjoyable.
For most gamers, a gaming headset is the best audio delivery option. However, did you know audiophile headphones can be used for gaming and are far superior compared to gaming headsets?
Are Audiophile Headphones Good for Gaming?
Yes. Audiophile headphones are far superior compared to gaming headsets for gaming. They are designed to provide a hi-fi experience with the best possible sound in terms of fidelity, accuracy, transparency, soundstage, and imaging.
In the world of headphones, audiophile headphones are designed for discerning listeners who want to listen to more than music. Audiophile headphones maximize the amount of details you hear. They also minimize the listening fatigue that you would get while using lower-quality consumer headphones.
For audiophile gaming headphones, the likes of Sennheiser HD800S, AKG K702 Pro, Sennheiser HD 660S, Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro, Audio-Technica ATH-M50x, Philips Fidelio X2HR, and HiFiMan Ananda, all excel in their own rights.
The price you pay for an audiophile headphone depends on various factors. However, you can spend a couple thousands of dollars or less than 100 bucks on an entry-level audiophile headphone.
While expensive high-end audiophile headphones offer better sound quality and tuning, an entry-level option, like the Philips SHP9500S, is still good. Compared to similar-priced gaming headsets, an entry-level audiophile headphone delivers way better sound quality when gaming. The build quality is also superior.
Open-back vs. Closed-Back Headphones
Now that you know what audiophile headphones are and how they perform when gaming, it is time to understand them further. All headphones can be categorized into open, closed, and sometimes semi-open. All these refer to the design of the earcup enclosure, and they all affect how a headphone reproduces sound.
Open-back headphones have an open design, which means the back of the headphone has vents or a mesh. This allows the headphone driver to interact with the air, thus making the sound more airy, transparent, and accurate.
Closed-back headphones have a closed design, where the back of the enclosure is completely sealed. The advantage of closed-back headphones is they block out noise and sound from entering and escaping from the earcup. For the sound quality, with closed-back headphones, you’ll experience a boost in the lower frequencies, but the overall sound will be colored and not transparent and airy, like open-back headphones.
I have used both open-back and closed-back headphones for gaming before. I loved how closed-back headphones provided a deep audio experience and also blocked unwanted noise. However, if you truly want to enjoy your gaming experience, excel in competitive gaming, or make the experience more immersive, you can’t beat an open-back headphone.
Gaming Headset vs. Audiophile Headphones
I’ve used several gaming headsets, like Razer Kraken, CORSAIR HS80, SteelSeries New Arctis Nova 7X, and Logitech G PRO X 2, among many others. While gaming headsets are good in their own rights, nothing would come close to the overall sound reproduction of audiophile headphones.
However, you’ll lose noise cancellation and isolation with audiophile headphones, especially when using open-backs. Other than that, audiophile headphones are the way to go. Over the years, I’ve concluded that most gaming headphones are not good for gaming or anything. This is because manufacturers can get away with marketing their headsets over the actual performance.
Apart from the sound quality, most audiophile headphones’ comfort and build quality is better than gaming headsets. Most gaming headphones are overpriced despite their low-quality construction. Although quality gaming headsets are still in the market, they’ll be higher priced.
You can turn any audiophile headphone into a gaming headset by getting a detachable 3.5mm mic, like the V-MODA BoomPro Microphone for Gaming. Some popular budget audiophile headphones include the Philips SHP9500S, V-Moda Crossfade, and Samson SR 850. If you want a pair of audiophile headphones, check out our guide on how to choose audiophile headphones.
