As per the title. I'm looking to get a decent set of headphones, sub £100 I'd say as I don't wanna go too crazy, although if I can get mega-awesome over mediocre for an extra few notes then I might be persuaded. My priorities are sound quality (strange that) having an attached mic isn't a big issue ill just buy a desk mic, other than that I'm easy
Fischer Audio FA-003/Brainwavz HM5/Lindy Premium http://www.head-fi.org/t/491632/review-fischer-audio-fa-003-a-neutral-champ Incredibly good headphones for around £70 http://www.amazon.co.uk/LINDY-20378-Premium-Hi-Fi-Headphones/dp/B0057P09EK
The choices above are great, perhaps not suited to gaming though if that's a focus for you? I'd say the HD558 if it comes in your budget second hand. Audiophiles tend to baby their stuff a lot so used headphones are a great source of awesomeness.
Yeah gaming is a big thing but I watch films and all sorts on my computer so it's a mix really. What's the difference? Will using a "music" oriented set be a bad thing for games or vice versa?
Asus Vulcan headset is best gamer headset if its critical. If you don't need the mic you can find some nice headsets for your budget with top end sound Hd500 series is in budget if you go second hand and sounds awesome to boot.
Don't go for the 300 range, personally they make my ears throb after 5 minutes of using them (they aren't as flexible as you might think) other than that the sound quality from sennheiser products are immense.
Get a mic. A desk mic is so crap and cumbersome and many mics are now removable (eg, the ASUS Vulcan)
Any good headphone will be fine for music and gaming, but you can do so much better than "fine" tbh Headphones great for music will usually give you a very cinematic gaming experience, but may fall short in key areas. For gaming not just any cans will do, you want those that have a larger soundstage and better sound projection/directional audio. This makes a large difference in FPS games, where you can hear very precisely where the enemy is based on sound alone. Also look out for detail, clarity, perhaps bass based on preference so you can pick out sound cues. On the other hand headphones that are amazing in games will also be good for music, unless you have very specific and refined music tastes. Of the Sennheiser models, I am only familiar with the high end ones. I can vouch for the HD555, HD558 and more expensive ones. If you can find them within your budget then go for it. These have quite a wide soundstage and great directional audio, plus are detailed enough. They are open headphones. Another type of headphone that suits gaming is the bass heavy Beyerdynamic DT770 series. They are closed, isolate sound better, and have better bass than the Sennheisers mentioned. But they don't have the soundstage size as the Sennheisers. Just a few options
They aren't bad for gaming in any way, I use them for gaming. People usually categorize headphones as good/bad for a specific task based on if the headphones are open backed or closed backed. Open back headphones having a better soundstage but little to no noise isolation and closed back headphones having good noise isolation but less soundstage. The headphones I suggested have a very open soundstage for closed back headphones, making them an ideal choice if you need noise isolation without compromising the soundstage.
Another vote for the AKGs i have those and a clip on mic. i find it better than any combined headset ive used and ive been using plantronics Logitech etc for years
