What you heard wasn't a lie but there are probably many forces at play from what you stated (settings, tuning, customisations etc) to your own ears (and his) settling to their respective usage of headphones aka the term 'Brain Train' if you can google where you would need a fortnight to transition.

Still, when it comes to gaming in addition to audiophile and also podcasts, Sennheiser followed by Audio Technica is the most sought, seen and way to go if not to start with even if there were pricier options at your disposal but make sure to check your settings like Surround Sound to all those add-ons with Windows.