Steps.
I did some latency tests but only with P2 (motherboard), FiiO DAC, USB 3.0 and USB 2.0
IN VALORANT
P2 Latency: 170ms (FPS CAP 300)
Fiio E10K: 210ms (FPS CAP 300)
Tascam HR 2x2 (Audio Interface)+ 256 buffer: 225ms (FPS CAP 300), If I use buffer to 4 samples I got 205ms but somehow It affected my FPS?
USB 3.0: 230ms (FPS CAP 300)
USB 2.0: 285ms +- (FPS CAP 300)
Your FPS in-gaming will influence your audio latency btw.
Realtek drivers will always increase latency over 10-25ms in my tests, so I really recommend to stay with Windows driver if you prefer but It's acceptable worth 25ms if you prefer to use EQ settings, etc.
CSGO had a option to change audio buffer called "snd_mixahead" it lower your audio latency but will affect your FPS because your CPU will need to handle audio more faster (back in days where people had 2-4cores it affected really hard)
People say Sennheiser hd560s are amazing for gaming because of their imaging and soundstage, havent tried them but ive seen reviewers on youtube and reddit threads swear by them for FPS games, theyr're open back so they will leak audio and you can hear the world around you, they dont require and amp(120 ohms ), if you have a decent mobo but something like an ifi zen dac v2 will help and it has a bass boost which adds some bass to the reference style flat sound signature. I'd say take a look at those.
beyerdinamic dt770 (open & closed back) , Beyerdynamic DT 800 (Semiopen back), philips fidelio L2 (open back) , meze 99 (Closed), Philips fidelio x2r (Open back), Sony MRD1AM2 (Closed back), Sony MDR-750 (Closed back).
The difference with open and closed back is the soundstage, u have more soundstage with open back, with the con that u hear everything around you, and the other people can hear the sound that u hear, also if u live in noisy pleace, that it´s not recomendated. The semiopen back happen the same thing.
This it´s my recomendation of headphones for audiophile and used to play fps. Also check the comment of OceanR, this dude know.
oh also Shure Se215, Shure Aoinic 4 or 5, and Shure Se846, they are in ears headphones, and one of those models are used in VCT Champions, so yeah Shure it´s one of the best brands doing in ear headphones for studio, so they have a good reference in the audiophile. Personaly I don´t like play with in ears, but it´s my case, many people play with that.
dont listen to anyone on this thread. the biggest thing you should take into account is comfortability. if youre going to be playing for a long time you dont want a brick on your head clamping for hours. get earbuds. literally any cheap/apple wired earbuds will do. audio quality does not matter in any way shape or form when playing valorant. you wont hear where they are coming from any better than 1000$ headphones. THEY won't get you to immortal/radiant i'll tell you that. ifyou do really want heahphones then go with the pc38x from drop https://drop.com/buy/drop-sennheiser-pc38x-gaming-headset you dont need a dac amp for it.
but if you are in the budget for IEMs then 100% go for the Sennheiser IE300s. it's miles above headphones in comfortability and the audio quality comes with the price tag.
About Gaming Part: I tried myself many expensive Headsets like Arctis Pro, Astro A40, A50, Sennheiser Game Zero for Valorant, CSGO, PUBG and Music/Movies and if you need an EQ, DAC, External/Internal Sound Card for an expensive Headset, dodge here, if you play only Valorant.
For Valorant all you need is HyperX Cloud 2/Alpha!! These don't want you to do something. You plug it in and you have awesome Sound for anything you do i meantioned.
Expensive Headsets are only good for Music and Games where you wanna hear Birds sing, the wind, every single Raindrop and 1.000 other Sounds. Expensive Headsets only pay out when you really wanna experience an Eargasm somehow. You won't benefit from these small details anyway.
The HyperX ones give you all the details that matter as strong as needed. No playing around with EQ or DACs or whatever.
I would recommend you buying HyperX Cloud 2 or Alpha for Gaming and any Studio Headset with a good rating for anything else, if you really want something for your Ears. You won't get both in one. Not even with the best EQ settings, because you also need the right Earcups for the experience you are looking for. And it's not worth transforming your Headset whenever you wanna do something else. I switched back to my Cloud Alpha and everything is perfect, again.
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