Sennheiser pc160's are a firm favourite here. They have the best audio quality of the mic/headsets I've had before, and have also lasted the longest (by a year or so).

The AX360's are OK. You can have'em for around a hundred bucks and have real 5.1 surround sound and vibrating headphones. But the sound is not fantastic at all. The cables are shit so maybe replacing them will improve the sound.

the 5.1 medusa's get wide praise, you should check them out :)
I had a pair and they where amazing, now i have a pair of cheap logitechs as i broke my medusa's due to excessive and not careful use.

I have a pair of Shure SE530PTH Sound Isolating Earphones
about $500 .... best sound you will ever hear

pretty much anything from sennheiser are a go.

For earbuds
[www.amazon.co.uk]

Klipsch make some of the best and will even make custom fit ones, taking a cast of your ear to make sure the fit is superb. They are expensive a great pair will be £160 - $300 the custom are alot more!

Every time I see that picture my eyes avoid it like it's going to jump out at me. Like close up pictures of spiders in National Geographic.

Let us know the headphones you finally decide on. I've been on the look out for some good headphones myself, and what better way to find the best ones than through Owen's money?

The Speed Link Medusa 5.1's are spectacular. Pretty much impossible to find though.

I'm a Bose fan myself, but I have family that works there so we get very nice discounts.

What makes a pair of headphones "gaming headphones"? I use my skullcandy headphones for everything. Good sound and they look cool too just have a look on [www.skullcandy.com]

Personally I don't really use headphones but from my co-workers I've heard that the brand Smokin' Buds or something like that are pretty good.

Sennheiser are tough to beat.

@MasterOfPastures:
Nothing personal but...

Are we going to get comments like this now? Just pictures? That's going to get really annoying.

@slomo788:

I have the AX360 and I love it, for whatever that's worth. The surrounds sound is fantastic, and it makes playing late at night much easier (wouldn't want to wake the g/f!).

anything you do he's gonna see...

Fanboy scares me.

Bose or Shure. Yes they are premium priced but be prepared to be blown away. Since getting Bose products, I have never looked anywhere esel

If on a budget, Sennheiser is just most excllent.

If you're "serious" about audio, then you'll do what we require all of our students who take Critical Listening to do: buy Sennheiser HD650s. Grado RS-2 headphones are also fabulous, but they're kind of uncomfortable, and since they've changed the material of their cushions, bass coupling (in my opinion) has become problematic. HD650s are extremely comfortable (with velour cushions) and extremely accurate. And absolutely amazing for any kind of listening.

All this talk about 5.1 headphones... I don't get it. How the heck could that work?

@Cchrist: Are you somehow suggesting your life wasn't monumentally enriched as a result of that picture? Heretic.

I have a pair of Bose noise cancelling headphones that are amazing, I use them for music and gaming. I put them on in the underground and it's like I'm in a silent bubble, bass is amazing too.

@Asper: I have to admit i never understood whats so special about that picture.

I'll probably hear the audiophile crowd tell me how wrong I am, but I really recommend the sennheiser HD202s.

I had a pair of the HD280s, which were quite good, but the top-band broke. I picked up the 202s as a stop-gap until I could get a new pair of 280s, but a year later and I'm still using the 202s.

The big difference is comfort - the 202s are a light plastic with decent padded cups and a long thin straight cord. The light weight and the light cord have been much much more convenient when gaming, I find I have much fewer problems with cord tangle, and I can wear them for longer periods than heavier sets. They also sound much better with portable devices than the bigger sets, especially because I'm not going to carry around a headphone amp and the extra battery costs.

As a bonus, since they're only $25/pair I don't really care about losing them, or having them stolen, or them breaking - so I drag them around everywhere.

They are not for audiophiles, but for consumer-level $100ish phones, Sony MDR-XD100s handle stereo beautifully.

Then, everyone and his dog recommends Sennheisers. I've tried a few and indeed they're nice, I just don't see them as a foregone conclusion.

Wow, it's like gazing into the eyes of pure madness.

I have a few headphones but I got most of them on a Black Friday deal, and they're decent. I think Bose would be a good choice, albeit expensive.

i got some Razer Barracuda they look good sound is good but the finition it's not that well done and they are REALLY fragile :(

@ZhouYu: I have a pair of the Sennheiser PC 160s as well. I use them only for my PC.

[www.sennheiserusa.com]

@slomo788:

I'v read the same exact thing about the TRI-GA600 - AX360s. It's a shame because from the description ... they sound really hot.

@Daemonstalker:

Yeah, they're definitely great. I have a pair of the Shure SE530s, and the sound is phenomenal. I only use them for playing live tho, when I need to monitor my sequenced & sampled material ... as well as vocals. For a pair of earbuds, these things sound HUGE.

@SirCletus: - "If you're "serious" about audio, then you'll do what we require all of our students who take Critical Listening to do: buy Sennheiser HD650s."

The HD650s are great, and I've used them numerous amounts of time. But I'm more in love with my AKG K 701s. The burn-in time is a bitch, 300 hours ... which is about 100/150+ hours more than your usual nice set of cans. They sound amazing. To me they have more separation in the mix than the Senns HD650s, the AKG K 701s to me are the closest sounding thing you'll get to a real set of nice and neutral monitors.

A happy CATURDAY to you good sirs, Meow!

I right now am using Sennheiser 555 for both audio and gaming, but I'd love to get a pair of 650s with an amp for pure musical joy.

Sennheiser's are definitely the way to go.
I've had a pair of pc160's and loved them - till I accidentaly broke them an ear (haha get it?) later. Went and bought the same ones again - they're awesome.
And I take my audio very seriously as well.

@Cchrist: Hell. I was kinda hoping you'd explain it to me.

After being burned twice, stay away from Sony headphones.
They just suck.
Unless you happen to have a very deformed head.
In that your ears are on top of each other.

Like everyone else said: Sennhesier...

But, again dependent on use I would suggest you look into Grado, since their SR-60 has won every audio test, involving headphones below 100 bucks! But, note that these do not shut out the outside enviroment, instead it feels more like your wearing a couple of grade-A speakers 3 meters from your ears - which imho is a plus when you use headphones for commuting, I hear the music + I hear the traffic :)

That said, when it comes to uber-gaming you might wanna look into headphones which offer 5.1 surround since that would give you a plus online (hearing enemies come from behind, etc.)

But, like I said, it all comes down to use I guess.