I picked up a lightly used pair of HD700s. I actually like them better than the DT1990s that I had. GREAT soundstage. You should be able to pick up a used pair for under $500. Others on this thread also have spoken highly of the HD700s. That’s in fact why I bought my pair.
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I can’t speak to the Zeus since I’ve never tried them, but I owned the DT 1990’s and currently have a set of HD 800S. Overall I would say I much prefer the 800S, but it is a bit hard to justify at twice the price especially if you’re primarily using them for gaming.
First and foremost it boils down to comfort for me:
I can wear the HD 800S for hours with no problems. While working from home I will throw them on and listen to background music for most of the afternoon; later in the evening I will put them back on to use while gaming with my friends. This high level of comfort is thanks to the low clamp force and the fact that they cups are spacious and allow your ears to breathe well. The fit is a bit awkward at first since they just rest on the top of your head, but I adjusted quickly.
I found that the 1990’s gave me problems after a couple hours, both with stock pads and Dekoni Choice Suedes that I had. The clamp was higher and they were only semi-open, so my ears would get hot after a bit. I would inevitably have to take breaks (probably not a bad thing anyways) or swap to HD 600s for a bit.
In terms of gaming performance sound-wise, I would say the 800S also edges out the 1990’s, however, it’s not the most drastic difference from my memory. The directional cues are a bit better, and the wider soundstage also gives a better gauge of distance as well. That being said, I don’t think that the improved directional audio made much of a difference in competitive gaming, and I wasn’t picking up on cues that I wasn’t hearing previously. For single player games (with good sound design) the wider soundstage added great immersion that I wasn’t anticipating.
The one thing I sometimes miss from the 1990s is the bass because it seemed to extend deeper and had more impact as well. I love the 800S though and don’t plan on getting rid of them any time soon!
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I’ve owned a set of Razer Carcharias for probably 13 years now (has to be somewhere around there I bought them when I worked at Best Buy during college.) They survived 6 years of heavy WoW raid use and they’re currently laying on my desk for when I host webinars for work 3 times a week. I don’t know what all the online regarding them is about.
I hear a lot of good things about the HyperX headsets but I’ve never used one. I just bought a set of Razor Blackshark V2 for $100 while looking for some good gaming Headsets. They’re… good. I like the mic as much as the Razer’s because it’s detachable and it is not fixed in place so I easily flip it up when not in use. I also easily find the faux leather cups super comfortable, just like the microfiber ones on the Razers, they are as nice as the cups on the Bose QC15s.
If it’s the wire being destroyed, maybe go for something with a replaceable line in? You can get replacement line ins for most Sennheisers (my previous set of headphones before the mic became necessary) and Bose QC15’s. There’s also a couple of mics out there that can piggy back on nicer headphones which weren’t available a few years ago.
Thinking about it, I probably have way too many headphones laying around so I really should stop buying them. I’m counting 5 working pairs of circumoral aural headsets right now plus 4 sets of earbuds.
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My favorite gaming headphone set is HyperX Cloud Alpha S. I’ve been using them for a year already. They come with a special audio control mixer and support 7.1 surround sound output. Also, they look pretty great. I’m also eager to try some gaming headsets from Razor.
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Buy once, cry once… I love my HD800S for gaming. Also works out pretty well for music 
I understand some want a affordable headphone with a mic for gaming, but can’t beat the mod mic imo.
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Just wanted to leave this here for anyone wanting to use their IEM’s for gaming.
The best headphones I own personally are IEM’s and the options for boom mics out there are pretty limited. I just received this cable/mic today and will try to update once I use it for a bit.
Has anyone thought of Austrian Audio hi-x55-60-65? I am hearing good things…