I'm glad you are opening up to the audiophile world for gaming. I have the Hifiman Edition XS and the Drop/Sennheiser HD58X which happen to be my daily drivers. Techne, I have been following you and watching your content for at least a year! Keep the vids coming! A game that you should try these as well as the Audeze collection you have is Red Dead Redemption 2! You will not be disappointed!

One gaming headset that I highly recommend, and I feel doesn't get the publicity they deserve is the NUBWO G06 headset. The black pair has cloth ear cushions, whereas the pink pair has leatherette. I own both of these, and for being a budget pair, holy cow, the sound, volume and comfort for me puts these at almost my top current pair. They are wireless with a dongle, and they also have bluetooth that you can switch between on the fly. Absolutely recommend these for you to review.

Techne! Love your videos man and I'm still waiting on that HD800s review! Keep up the great content and reviews

Sensitivity and Ohm is what you should look at when determining how much power a headphone needs. 90db - 98db should be hard to drive regardless of how many ohms a headphone has. But 300 ohm and 104db should also be hard to drive.

You can turn them into powerful beast with proper EQ 20-40hz +10db, 50-70hz +6db, 80hz +4db, 250hz -3db, 1-7khz +0db, 8-10khz -3db, 11-20khz +0db, on good AMP these HE400se can produce deep bass without rattling of planar film, also you can unbend the headband and reduce clamping force significantly, it will give you more air in mids and increase bass quantity after losing the vacuum inside of the pads

When I saw the title and thumbnail I said wait a minute….Techne likes an open back for gaming?!? I’ve gotta see this one lol

I own the original HE400i love them a lot

I use the Sennheiser Gamer One headset and the Hifiman XS. The XS is a killer, its the best you can get in the product stack under a thousand dollars. I have at least 500 hours on both.

You should try HE4XX as well. If that ever happens, would love to see a comparison video.

I have two open back headphone , Hifiman he400i and the HD450 they are really well with competitive games like Valorant as well as triple A games / open world games , but yeah everyone is different

the headband foam will break in just in time , when mine breaks in oh my their so comfy as hell night and day when it first arrived I could wear them all day long. but they are harder to drive because of it being a low sensitivity headphones but they respond so well if you have a amp that can drive them.

Would love to see you check out the røde nth-100 and see how they stack up compared to others

Been daily driving these headphones for a few months now and they are absolutely 10/10, definitely got to make up an extra bit of soft velour for the headband. But the sound is just so good for virtually everything, and whether that's music from your phone or through a nice amp at your PC.

Hey! Great video as always. Since you seem to star trying audio stuff not strictly for gaming... may i suggest you give a look to the Philips Fidelio X2HR? I stress "X2", not the X3. I believe you will really appreciate them!

The headband is genuinely painful for me after a while but I will buy some extra padding for it soon

you should test the hifiman he-r9... since some months I used the hifiman sundara, great open back... but with the closed back r9 I can now really here where the enemy is in hunt showdown. really heavy

Hey what’s your personal choice for games like COD and halo? I like pinpoint accuracy and to hear footsteps. Plus maybe an optional choice to listen to music

Waiting on your Sony Inzone H9 review and comparison with Arctis nova pros and Audeze Penrose...Please make it Happen Techne...

Sony inzone h9 review will be coming out? Thank you for your videos!

I use Bayerdynamic 990 pro plugged into zan Dac/ and zan cann it’s really great

I was wondering when are you going to do the blackshark v2 pro vs kraken v3 pro. You never directly compared them. On kraken you praised them alot. So how do they stack against your blackshark. Also its mid 2022. Would be nice to get another top headset video. Mentioning all the popular and big name ones and how they stack up. (The a50 gen 4, arctris pro, cloud 2/ alpha, logitech g pro x, the razer ones etc...)

Hi Techne, have you ever tried the B&O Portal for the playstation? Really curious on your take about that headphone... R they any good? XD. Already saw others review but i kinda want your take on that headphone. TIA. 😊

Hey Techne, what should I upgrade to for better comfort and positional accuracy? I currently use a HyperX Cloud Alpha S, but it hurts my jaw.

And also try dt 1990 for gaming they r open backs but u can play competitive with them

Uh oh is techne gonna end up down the audiophile rabbit hole. I game in openbacks and this headphone is legit especially for the price. Another great choice under 100 bucks is the phillips shp9500 with some modded pads, also I can vouch for the sennheiser hd58x probably my favorite. I listen to alot of music as well as gaming so ive spent way too much on headphones and iems, but its a fun hobby and I dont need to spend an insane amount to get great sound.

Planar drivers benefit from more power from amps (typically)

I just got the Philips x2hr on prime day i love them 32 ohms and 100db so i can drive them any thing going to get the steelseries dac still though

here i can find these Hifiman and the Audio Technica ATH-AD500X at the same price... which one would you recomend from out of those 2 if i only play RPG and i want the immersion

Hifiman has some of the best sound imho for budget planar headphones. The major downside for them is durability, specifically pad durability.

Quick question, how does this compare to the Audeze Penrose?

This headphones are good for musics and movies. If you trying to be competitive with an open back 🙄 good luck buddy. Loving the Steelseries arctis nova pro x.

New dac/amp combo Sabaj a10d 2022 works on ps4/ps5

will it be an upgrade over the X2HR ?

LETS GO!! Try all the headsets and headphones! Have you reviewed HD800s?

the GOAT

What amp dac do you use to run these on Ps5 . Thanks

Love your videos. Do you think this headphones is suitable for using with portable devices like switch & steam deck without needing a dac amp?

Do you think if you gamed on open backs longer and got used to them maybe your competitive gameplay experience would change? I've been using open backs for years for competitive games and found the fuller soundstage provided by them allowed me to have better directional audio in some games.

Will a modmic attach to that grill?

Hey Techne, can you review/give your opinion on the tygr 300r

I saw these on Amazon and half considered them, they're only $150 CAD which is nice. I'm the end I still went with the HyperX Cloud Orbit S as I also wanted the 3D audio feature (and have been loving the crap out it so far). Plus the Orbit has its own built in DAC/amplifier, which means it can drive itself very nicely, even when using the 3.5mm jack on my phone. I will say though, I may keep this headset in the back of my mind for a potential open back in the future, perhaps if they go on sale at some point.

Guys how are these compared to Sundara for gaming? I usually play compeitive fps games like Valorant/CS:GO

I've used these as a speaker for my PC with a Fiio Q3 DAC for more than a year and a half now, they are loud and they are very crispy and clear, but I hate the fact that the bass is very lackluster and they can't isolate the noise, I hear my loudass PC fans even when I put them on my ears at maximum volume and it's no fun. At this price, can't complain about it.

Nice video, you need review de sundara 😉

The biggest difficulty I’m having right now with headsets is comfortability with wearing glasses, most I’ve used put an annoying amount of pressure on the bridge of my nose where my glasses rest (Rayban style) so far the best fitting headphones I have are my Sennheiser momentum 2.0s but they aren’t the best for gaming have to have them wired and I prefer something wireless

Tehcne we need wicked cushions for this one

Test the h9 !

try the Sennheiser HD660 S, INCREDIBLE headphones for gaming, but do not change the earpads

I had these. They sounded great, very similar to my Sennsheiser HD560s. The problem with these is that they are much harder to drive being planar magnetic than the HD560s. I had to plug them into an old AV receiver to provide them enough juice to have an apples to apples comparison. The soundblaster g3 was no match for these babies. I kept the 560s because I didn’t want to upgrade my amp as I play on PC and PS5 and the G3 fits that use case perfectly. These headphones are very nice though, the newer version 2 comes with the better cable (the original cable was horrible), and build quality is excellent.

Try the akg 712pro

Amazing video as always!! Also, have you done the gaming accessories giveaway?

Do you know the new Sony INZONE headphones? What do you think about them?

Guys can you help me out? I'm torn between HE400SE, EPOS H6PRO and SHP 9600. I'll be using it mainly for Valorant/FPS. Can you help me decide though?

Does it work on Xbox?

Planars do not usually have bass . Also ohms you should almost never really look at but more so the sensitivity , planars usually require some power and it is known if these do not get the correct amount of power the detail will be super fuzzy and the highs can be super sibilant , that’s probably what you’re experiencing on something like the ps5 .

I know this guy isn't an audiophile (even know he kinda is) but the way he reviews the build and comfort is satisfying and very informational unlike most audiophile youtubers. Also he almost dropped and broke the headphones and still put it in the video 2:57

Let’s go first like first comment hehehehe

🌼

From my experience, the Hifiman HE400se is most suitable for music and general listening but can still perform well enough for gaming. People often assume that they NEED gaming headsets or a headphone that is strictly great (or assumptively great) for gaming, that is not needed and truthfully 80% of people should not rely on that unless they know what they actually need. You can get away with any headphone if you have good game sense. I might as well write a short review as I've had the HE400se for almost a year. The Hifiman HE400se has a clear, mostly neutral sound with mild emphasis on treble (not harsh at all). Imaging is generally good but most sounds will be coming from the wings (L R), or slightly in front or back. You won't notice much verticality with the imaging / soundstaging, so generally the sound delivery is pill shaped like lots of headphones anyway. Soundstage width seems about average, just slightly less than the Philips SHP9600 open back (maybe you can do a vid on it?), and I firmly believe that for a lot of games, the SHP9600 will perform better for imaging specifically, but not for separation. For example, in Warframe (great game) I always use the HE400se because there's tons of sounds happening at once, and I sometimes have to identify high priority targets in the mist of constant noise, and the good separation performance of the HE400se shines in this regard. Again, the SHP9600 has less separation performance (sound can blur during heavy noise), but noticeably better forwards and back imaging with slightly wider L R staging. Short comparison between HE400se and SHP9600 (average < good < great): HE400se is mostly neutral, average staging/imaging (in context of gaming), above average comfort, and great detail and separation. Notable con: This headphone likes to have at least an entry level DAC/Amp like an iFi Zen DAC. Won't get much volume from some integrated DACs (phone, PC, etc.), and bass may be weaker otherwise. SHP9600 is warm and mildly dark, above average staging/imaging (in context of gaming), good comfort, average - above average detail, average - slightly below average separation. I agree with the comfort, I found that the comfort of my set has improved over time and the headband is less stiff than it was new, but I still have to readjust the positioning every hour. The Philips SHP9600 is better for long term comfort but fitment is not as good because it wants to slide around when the clamp reduces from overall usage. I use an iFi Zen DAC V1 with all my headphones. The HE400se is using the balanced output. I do not use any headphone outside the $150 as of writing this. What do some of you think of your own pair?

Planar magnetic headphone ohms are different than regular dynamic headphones. Need more power for planars even though ohms seem low....

They do not have much soundstage for gaming in my opinion

Unreal price difference between US and EU . My friends from US please have fun.

agree with grandpa, i did try so many open back even the pricey one that tuned for gaming. my experience from them always the same. i can hear every thing very open and natural. but i can't pin point any thing when come to pvp game. let's say you can forget some super natural believe such as an open back head phone let's you hear your enemy who sneaking to your back. because it totally not true. use it for music or movie this kind of headphone is for you. however if you want to gain advantage on the game such as Apex, valorants, R6 siege.........i am sorry but you pick the wrong one.

Bruh this stresses me out holy shit 3:17, its a headphone. Not a toy, Jesus christ

Can I just simply plug it into my ps5 controller and expect good sound quality?

only $100.........I wish

Do you ever give a genuine review? Or do you only push things you have affiliate links for?

These headphones sounds like they have great quality sound. However, in my opinion, I think majority of people get sound quality confused with sound characteristics. I’ve seen some people comment on previous videos stating closed back gaming headsets are not a match to quality open back headphones. I only care about the competitive edge with headsets and I’ve tried many headsets and headphones. I can honestly say no open back headphone can match the frequency characteristics of a good gaming headset. I want say again, I’m not talking about sound quality. No gaming headset can match the audiophile sound quality of a headphone, but gaming headsets are tuned in such a way that those footsteps come through much better.

"this headphones is great ..." shouldn't it be "these headphones are great..."? or am I trippin'?

These cheap Hifimans are mediocre at best when it comes for competitive gaming. I have Hifiman HE 400i ver. 2020 wich are almost the same with SE edition but with a little more bass, and the detail retrieving is average at best. When you are into multiplayer shooters you want details and very accurate pinpoint of enemy footsteps or these Hifimans cannot do that precisely, their just ok-ish,nothing to mention. I also have iFi Zen DAC paired with Fiio K5 Pro Ess. But for just music listening or casual single player games they are very good cans, especially for music. I tried some time ago a pair of Beyerdynamic Tygr 300 R and those can easily surpass big time my Hifimans in games. In conclusion,the only problem this headphones have in competitive gaming is poor imaging and restrain soundstage wich is really not a 3D one. If you're in multiplayer shooters do yourself a favor and get Beyerdynamic Tygr 300R, Sennheiser HD 560S or Audio Technica ADx series. Period.

yo

maybe your ears are blown out. If you can't hear footsteps clearly with these or pc38x's you might be losing your hearing at that 100-200 hz range.

FIRST

You're 1000% WRONG, but hey thanks for the video 🙂

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Techne stop trying to get me to buy me more sht man🫣