Steelseries Arctis Pro Wireless Gaming Headset Black or White $389 + Shipping (Free C&C) @ Umart

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• 

  monchee on 24/01/2020 - 14:35

  +1

  How is this different with my Arctis 7? I'm currently leaning at going back to wired getting a Sennheiser 6XX + DAC&AMP or maybe a Philiips Fidelio X2HR. How do those compare to this aside from being open/closed back?

  • 

    jasswolf on 24/01/2020 - 15:05

    +5

    It's a step up, but honestly the HD6XX and a good DAC & Amp are going to come up better, depending on your listening preferences. The Arctis generally follows the Harman curve (which relates more to bass and mids), while the Sennheiser HD 6XX is more of a neutral, clean sound that tries to mellow the treble a dash so that everything is easy to listen to.

    You can demo a HD 650 (which is basically what the HD 6XX is) and then an Arctis Pro Wireless easily enough in stores these days (though maybe not the same stores, so call around). Keep in mind that the Sennheisers are open back, and that you'll be hearing a bit of your PC and local environment when listening.

    For a great value desktop amp and DAC combo on the cheap, I highly recommend looking at the Schiit Magni 3+ (not the Magni 3) if it becomes available locally (or via the US if not), and then looking into the Khadas Tone Board when a big AliE sale comes up. Should be able to score both for around $270 after cashbacks and discounts, though you might want to look into getting a case for the Tone Board, as it is literally just a DAC board and a cable sent to you in a box.

    All up it would be a pricier combo than the Arctis Pro Wireless, but you'd probably just enjoy it more for music and gaming. But definitely demo before you buy when you're outlaying this kind of money. The side benefit of the DAC/Amp combo I've mentioned is it will scale nicely with any headphone upgrades you might make along the way.

    • 

      snuke on 24/01/2020 - 16:19

      +2

      But definitely demo before you buy

      That’s hard enough to do with gaming headsets stocked by major retailers, let alone these that have almost no physical presence.

      • 

        jasswolf on 24/01/2020 - 17:14

        Like I said, best to call ahead, as I'd imagine PC stores would have a hard time selling these without a demo.

        But you're not wrong about the current state of so-called mid-fi products.

        • 

          SickDmith on 25/01/2020 - 01:58

          +1

          @jasswolf: I could not find any store with these headphones on display.
          They are usually in the box strapped with extra security device locked on the shelf.

          Wired always win in terms of sound quality.
          Are these one of the best wireless ones we can get?

          • 

            jasswolf on 25/01/2020 - 10:18

            @SickDmith: They are the best wireless gaming headset today, yes.

            I'm not sure how they stack up against bluetooth gear, but that's simply a perk in the context of gaming, and I personally can't justify the jump from a $100-$130 wireless set to these if the goal is high quality audio for the money.

            I'd still recommend the Sennheisers and a nice DAC and Amp, even though it would cost around $550 for the setup I'm describing. You'll definitely be able to find a place to demo the HD650.

            With wireless audio standards starting to click into place, including home theatre solutions for existing wired setups, it's only a matter of time before we see wirelessly-charged dongles that can offer a good wireless experience with OK audio quality sacrifices, allowing you to hot-swap between the experiences.

• 

  TsunamiInTheHouse on 25/01/2020 - 04:19

  In no reality is a 'gaming' headset worth $500 rrp retail.
  That doesnt make the $390 any better, if you want quality Audio for non gaming, get that.
  If you want a wireless gaming headset $200 should be your upper level budget.

  I have the Arctis 5, they cost me $100 about 2 years ago, the wireless version was $160 iirc.

  • 

    jasswolf on 25/01/2020 - 10:26

    The Arctis 5 are Bluetooth only. The Arctis 7 go on sale for sub-$150 a few times a year via Amazon, and sometimes credit and cashbacks align for a lower price still.

    Amazon also the Corsair HS70 for $100 (but you get half the battery life), and $130ish for the HyperX Cloud Flights (but it's a less neutral sound signature).

    That's where the value is for the time being.