Headphones are a great way to submerse yourself in the world of simulator railroading, but not all headphones are the same. Good quality headphones DO sound better>

We recommend ear-cup styled dynamic headphones similar to the
Sony MDR V600 (left); and we use these to make our comparisons.

The ear-cup style will quiet any outside noise (that's known as noise-canceling nowadays)

The frequency response range is very good: 5 - 30000 Hz
anything inside the 10 - 25000 Hz bandwidth is very good - MSTS sound generally falls in the 60 - 15000 Hz range.

MSTS 1 uses 11,025 Hz sounds, which is a low-quality sound file. A good sound card can improve your sound, and your computer's multi-stream sound capabilities.

High performance headphones and a brief opinion summary:

Sennheiser PXC250 - as low as $88 - Pricey, but good sound

Sennheiser HD 280 Pro - as low as $68 - Sony'sV600 sound a little better

Sony MDR-NC50 - as low as $116 - Pricey

Sony MDR-V500 - as low as $50 - acceptable

Sony MDR-V600 - as low as $60 - still acceptable - BEST BUY

Sony MDR-V700DJ - as low as $85 - couldn't tell the difference from V600's

Sony MDR-V900 - around $140 - too much $

JVC HANC100 - as low as $46 - Good Hz range but does not cancel noise as good as the Sony MDR V600's

Sony MDR-NC6 - as low as $44 - Good Hz range but does not cancel noise as good as the Sony MDR V600's

Ultrasone HFI-650 - as low as $225 -Expensive

Bose TriPort - $149 - $49 headphones; $100 name

Bose® Quietcomfort® 2 - $299 - way too much $

Bose® Quietcomfort® 3 - $349 - for a 16 bit sound at a 11K sampling rate? These must be for hard-core Bose® fans. ...otherwise, an unexplainable purchase! ..better ask your wife