Are HD6XX Headphones Good for Gaming?

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Some people can be really skeptical when it comes to gaming headphones and look for the best ones available.

On the other hand, some of them will be content with anything that gives them sound; they will, indeed, ignore the discomfort and all the downsides that are present because of ”how deeply they care”.

I won’t lie; belonging to the second group will make life simpler. The less you care or you know the happier you are.

Being an audiophile or into headphones, in general, makes you picky about all headphones, not just gaming ones, you don’t want to miss a single tone.

If you fall into this category, keep reading because we will go into more detail about whether HD6xx headphones are suitable for gaming.

Sennheiser and the HD6XX are briefly discussed before we get started on the subject so that we are aware of our situation and have a general understanding of what we are working with.

Are Sennheiser Headphones Any Good?

It’s like stating water is wet when you ask about my opinion on Sennheiser.

It goes without saying that  Sennheiser is a great brand, their old age, and longevity on the crowded market of headphones is a testimony of that.

Like, imagine how good you can be to produce headphones that are released 2 decades ago and still compete to this day with newer flagships?

Sennheiser is one of a few audio behemoths and when compared, Sennheiser headphones consistently outperform headphones in a similar price range.

The Sennheiser HD6XX

Few people are familiar with the Sennheiser 6XX, although many are with the company’s well-known flagship model, the HD650.

The open-back Sennheiser HD 6XX headphones provide you with better performances than ever before and are based on the HD 650, which served as Sennheiser’s flagship headset from 2003 to 2009. I mean, I can confidently say that to this day the HD650 is still going strong.

The Sennheiser HD 6XX is outstanding in terms of balanced sound. Vocals and lead instruments are crystal clear, present, and in-depth due to their fairly neutral, well-balanced sound profile.
Their open-back design contributes to the creation of an open and roomy soundstage, and they feature a respectable passive soundstage.

After considering everything, it is clear that these are a set of professional headphones that are mostly used for monitoring and hearing the music without any distortion or colors behind them.

We understand that they are excellent, so are they suitable for gaming?

You’re probably wondering and saying that right now, aren’t you?

Are HD6XX Headphones Good for Gaming?

Let me just cut to the chase and express my thoughts and opinion.

Despite being excellent headphones, I believe the HD6XX will fall short in the gaming department.

Please keep in mind that those are just my thoughts; others may disagree, and at the end of the day, no one is telling you what headphones to wear when gaming.

Anyway, back to the matter at hand, there are a few reasons why I believe they are not suited to gaming.

The balanced sound profile would be the most significant factor.

You’ll hear some of you argue, “But isn’t that good?” Well, when it comes to gaming, not quite.

For example, if you try to play games like CS: GO or Warzone with them on, the sound of gunfire and footsteps will come in the same manner, and you will hear them both equally.

It would be wise to get something where the sound of gunfire doesn’t drown out the sound of footsteps, what I want to say is that one of those sounds should be louder than one another — mainly because it helps you in locating your opponents and also in reducing confusion during intense firefights.

You are probably already aware of how chaotic CS: GO can be when a bomb is planted and the opposing team is attempting to retake the area, or in the final ring of a Battle Royale game, when you can hear explosions and gunfires coming in all directions. Now imagine hearing all of that in a very wide, balanced soundstage, not so pleasant right?

I’ll repeat it again: those are just my opinions, and I believe I’m making a strong case for why they’re not a good idea. However, other people have demonstrated that they work just fine as gaming tools, so it is ultimately up to you whether you choose to use them or not.

The Open Back Design and The Noise Cancelation

Sadly, their open-back design is another reason I believe they wouldn’t be suitable for gaming.

By now, you should know what I mean, if you’re familiar with this type of design.

Because of the open-back design’s ability to let air pass through the ear cups, noise cancellation will not be effective; not only will you be able to hear background noises, but other people will also be able to hear your sound.

The latter part doesn’t matter that much but the noise isolation sure does.

Some people may be put off by the lack of noise isolation since when we play video games, we want to totally concentrate on what is happening in the game and not hear our mother yell at our young siblings or hear the dog bark.

This doesn’t really apply to you if you live alone and play games in a peaceful environment. You can continue to do that and enjoy your lonely life.


Final Words

In conclusion, I hope I was clear and didn’t make a comment only based on my personal preferences.

Instead, I tried to reason it by giving strong evidence, at least for me it is.

Again, nobody is advising you to quit using the HD6XX if you enjoy playing your games with them. I’ve just expressed my ideas and the reasons why I don’t think they’d work out too well.

Still, nothing changes the fact that they are a great option for professional use, in fact, they are quite underrated.

It’s also important to note that all open-back headphones with a broad, balanced soundstage have this issue; the HD6XX is not the only one.

I am aware that audiophiles demand the highest caliber sound in their video games, however, there are headphones designed expressly for this purpose, Sennheiser even offers some of them in collaboration with Drop, one of them being the Drop + Sennheiser PC38X.

This concludes pretty much everything, thank you for taking your time to read through my article, until next time, enjoy.

Further Reading

Now that we have answered a question, we can continue answering a few other questions such as, do headphones cause earwax, do headphones attract lighting, do headphones degrade overtime, or is headphone burn-in real. 

Whether you’re looking for information on audio equipment, looking to learn more about how things work in the music field, or looking for reviews of products, we got you covered!

 
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