1. Ha, that's what I ended up going with. And then it was one of one, an two of the other, then three and two, then...
   
   
2. Hm. That'll be a mild challenge, but I think I can furnish some suggestions.
   
   
3. There're a few pretty solid videos showcasing the sound quality. It's pretty alright, but it's quite clearly "through a cheap-ish mic". You don't cringe listening to it, or anything, but it's quite noticeably worse than a "real" mic. On the flip side, much more convenient, much cheaper, and more than sufficient for a potential future streaming hobby.
   
   I must admit, closed, neutral-with-some-extra-bass, and $250ish (accounting for Modmic) is a bit of a tall order. The first thing my mind goes to is [Focal's Spirit One] (http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/focal-spirit-one-page-3), which is pretty cheap at [$180] (http://www.amazon.com/Focal-529102-SPOH-Spirit-One-Headphones/dp/B007AH7YFU). [The sound is on the warmer side] (http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/FocalSpiritOne2013B.pdf) (bass/lower mids leaning), but with a fairly accurate overall signature. Unfortunately, they're not famous for their comfort, being more of a portability-oriented headphone, and to my knowledge their soundstage isn't much to write home about, a negative trait for a gaming headphone.
   
   [Beyerdynamic's] (http://www.head-fi.org/products/beyerdynamic-dt-770-pro-80-closed-studio-headphones/reviews/4320) [DT770] (http://www.head-fi.org/products/beyerdynamic-dt-770-pro-80-closed-studio-headphones/reviews/3574) is another option worth considering, and the [$180] (http://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-770-PRO-250-ohms/dp/B0006NL5SM) they're currently retailing for is quite a good price, but there's a bit of a wrinkle: in addition to being fairly strongly bassy (enough so to make their marketing as studio headphones rather laughable), the DT770s [have a quite significant treble boost] (http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/BeyerdynamicDT770.pdf). This "v-shaped" sound is quite different from a bassy or warm headphone, with much more forward electric guitars and other treble sound, but even less forward midrange. The DT770 does have the merit of being quite well regarded for comfort, however, and the version which is presently cheapest is also the easiest to drive, meaning an amp is unlikely to be an issue.
   
   The [NAD VISO HP50] (http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/i-love-these-headphonesthe-nad-viso-hp50) is another fairly compelling option, though at [$300] (http://www.amazon.com/Electronics-VISO-Noise-Isolating-Over-Ear-Headphones/dp/B00E1UVXHO) it's definitely on the higher end. I believe it should still fit into budget, however. The HP50's biggest selling point is a "speaker-style" sound signature, which replicates the sound of listening to music on speakers (which would reflect some attenuation of treble due to the distance between the speaker and the listener). [Measurements show it to be more neutral than most warmer headphones] (http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/NADVISOHP50.pdf), but most subjective review places it on the bassier side of neutrality. The comfort, however, has been criticized due to the atypical shape and fit.
   
   To be honest, the first headphone that comes to mind in this circumstance is [MrSpeakers'] (http://www.head-fi.org/t/693071/review-mr-speakers-mad-dogs-a-hard-to-beat-closed-option) [Mad] (http://www.head-fi.org/products/mrspeakers-mad-dog-t50rp-mod/reviews/9602) [Dog] (http://www.head-fi.org/products/mrspeakers-mad-dog-t50rp-mod/reviews/9701). The most famous of the Fostex T50RP variants, the Mad Dog's sound has been characterized as on the bassy side of neutral, [which its measurements support] (http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/MrSpeakersMadDog2014.pdf). Sadly, while it's very well regarded for sound quality, and one of the cheapest orthodynamics on the market, the Mad Dog is quite hard to drive, and the amp (and DAC) you'd want to support it would put you considerably over budget.
   
   Beyond these closed headphones, just to be complete, there are a few open headphones which you may want to consider, as your Modmic, judging by my own experience and that of many others, shouldn't have trouble with leakage at lower volume levels:
   
   [Hifiman's] (http://www.head-fi.org/products/hifiman-he-400/reviews/9192) [HE-] (http://www.head-fi.org/products/hifiman-he-400/reviews/8643)[400] (http://www.head-fi.org/products/hifiman-he-400/reviews/6872) is an exceedingly well-regarded headphone for EDM, and in general for that matter. While it would also want for an amp, but at [$250] (http://www.razordogaudio.com/collections/hifiman/products/hifiman-he-400-planar-driver-over-the-ear-headphone-1) for an open-box unit, you've got enough budget space to fit in something affordable. Their sound is typically characterized as bassy, with fairly strong treble, but [their measurements don't show too much variance] (http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/HiFiMANHE400.pdf). They're definitely not neutral, but they shouldn't be too coloured to enjoy a variety of genres. The comfort and build quality has always been a sticking point for Hifiman products, and the HE-400 has received criticism for both, but their price/performance is exceptionally well regarded, particularly at $150 less than their formal average street price.
   
   [Philips Fidelio X2] (http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/boss-philips-fidelio-x2) also definitely deserves a mention. [$300, albeit sadly out of stock for the moment] (http://www.amazon.com/Philips-X2-27-Fidelio-Headphones/dp/B00O2Y2MZG), but very easy to drive, and supposedly one of a fairly small body of open headphones which is well-regarded by bass lovers, the X2 has received some of the most universal praise I've seen for any headphone. It seems like nobody has a complaint about it, other than those who just don't like its [quite blatant bass emphasis] (http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/PhilipsFidelioX2.pdf).
   
   The last option, and one which I must confess some bias towards myself as its one of my absolute favourite headphones, is [AKG's K7XX] (http://www.head-fi.org/t/743280/the-akg-k7xx-massdrop-first-edition-thread), currently on Massdrop for [$200] (https://www.massdrop.com/buy/akg-k7xx-massdrop-first-edition-headphones?mode=guest_open). A rebranded AKG K702 65th Anniversary Edition, the K7XX breaks away from the rather famously bass-light sound of the K701/2 with a [moderate but noticeable bass boost] (http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/AKGK712.pdf). I have a pair of these myself, and while they're no longer my single favourite headphone since I've successfully constructed a pair of ATH-AD2000s in an AD700 shell, they're still easily in my top 3, and a really fantastic value at $200. The K7XX, like the other open headphones here but to an even degree, has a truly impressive soundstage. The K700 series has long been held up as the standard for positional audio headphones, and the K7XX is definitely not an exception. There's an amazing sense of depth and breadth to the soundstage, and the positional audio is pretty darn top notch. They do require (or, at least, significantly benefit from) an amplifier, but a $75 FiiO E10k should viably drive them while leaving room for a Modmic in the budget. They're also one of only a few headphones I've heard that I didn't dislike for anything. Their presentation is accurate, but the extra bass means it's not too sterile, and the neutrality really does flattery any music that you actually do like.
   
   Now, this said, I'm not sure that, if I were just going to listen to metal and EDM, I would choose the K7XX as my go-to headphone. Honestly, for me, that would probably be the time to go for a Beyer, as I find that their particular sound is really excellent for both EDM and metal (particularly the latter). However, if you wanted a headphone which will give any genre a fair presentation, perform well for its cost, be just about the best option possible for gaming, the K7XX is something you should seriously consider it, and with this drop supposedly being the last, it seemed better to mention it as an option than to omit it.
   
   Sorry for the wall of text! I, er, really like audio...

Budget: I'd like to avoid going over $300 if possible.

Source: Primarily PS4 games (possibly using mixAmp 2013), but also for PC gaming, and listening to music on my MacBook and iPhone.
Most of my collection is normal quality / bitrate stuff, so no need for super high res / high end stuff that only benefits super high quality music file-types (unless games have some weird loss-less audio files I'm not aware of)

No isolation reqs. My understanding is that open is the way to go for surround for games, but if closed is actually better that's fine too.

I'm going to assume full-sized is the way to go here in terms of quality to $$$, but whatever you guys recommend

I think I'd like an overall neutral total balance.

I currently have a set of 2013 Astro a40s with mixamp for gaming and Klipsch s4i II for non gaming stuff (music, movies). Ideally my new headphones would be good for both of these, with primary focus on gaming stuff (possibly through the mixamp) and music and movies / TV 2nd and 3rd pririorites respectively.

Preferred Music: video game music naturally! So basically a little bit of everything, but I guess a good mix of classical and electronic for the most part.

Improve? Definitely a new pair of headphones (would be my first non-IEM outside of Astro a40s) but I'd also like confirmation that the amp I'm using (an Astro a40 2013 mixamp) is sufficient or a recommendation on an alternative.

More info:
I'm in the market for a set of headphones for my PS4. Audio quality for video games is the primary concern, so I'm willing to spend a decent amount as long as it's worth it. Having the headphones also handle other media well (music, movies, TV shows) is a big plus too. Wired headsets are totally fine since I imagine wireless only degrades quality while inflating cost.

I currently own Astro a40s (2013 edition), but they've been well used and I'm hoping to make an upgrade. At this point I'm strongly considering keeping my a40 mixamp and just buying some quality headphones.

Note that I'm totally okay with getting separate inline / external mic so I'd strongly prefer just a normal set of headphones without a permanent mic so that I can use them in non-gaming settings.

One thing I'm not sure about is whether to continue using my current a40 2013 amp, buy a newer a40 TR amp, or using something else entirely to connect to the PS4.

The "real" headphones I'm currently looking at are: Philips Fidelio X2 They seem like a great fit for needs, but I'm open to other recommendations.

Outside of using it on PS4, having them be reasonably portable so that I can use them with my phone and laptop would be a nice bonus, BUT primary use is in my room all by myself, so sound quality for games, then music movies / TV is definitely the priority since I can keep using my IEM for travel / public stuff.

One last thing: I'm not a competitive gamer looking for something focused around multiplayer matches or streaming or audio filters that sound like garbage so that I can hear footsteps better or something dumb like that. I occasionally play online and use voice chat and whatnot, but 98% of the time I'm simply looking for an immersive single player experience. I'd like something that sounds good and properly reproduces what the sound designer had in mind when making the game. I used to play with an amazing 7.1 THX certified home theater system when I was living at home, but now that I'm in college I need a pair of headphones instead, but I still want an immersive high quality experience.

Anyway, thanks for the advice!

It's hard to say what headphone or headset is perfect for you as you perceive audio different as others do. So we can only help you with what a good option is, but you'll eventually have to make priorities and make a decision. It's smart to first decide whether you want a headset or headphone. To do so let's take a look at the pro's and con's of a headset:

Pros:

• Virtual 7.1:
  It's really the only reason I like headsets. Some of these can produce some amazing "soundstage" effect, which can be important while gaming and very interesting for watching "concerts". (Most modern headphones have a very decent soundstage as well).
  
  
• Comfortability:
  While they are quite heavy most of them are very comfortable.
  
  Cons:
  
  
• Weight:
  Damn, these things are so heavy compared to many headphones.
  
  
• Audio quality:
  Compared to headphones headsets are far behind on audio quality. They don't reach the Frequency response of a headphone even if they tried... They are so big and heavy and still unable to provide you with the most important feature of headphones and headsets...
  
  
• Price:
  The prices are ridiculous.
  
  For me the Cons outweigh the Pros of the headset with ease and you should make a choice as well. What is more important?
  
  For $350 you should definitely invest in a dedicated DAC + Amp aswell as a headphone! The overall audio quality will be so much better!
  
  Check out the Shiit Modi 2 DAC and the Shiit Magni 2 Amp. Shiit just released the new 2nd version of the Modi and Magni! You pay $200 in total for this combo and you'll see a huge audio quality improvement over onboard audio or soundcards! They are definitely worth the price!
  
  Then you have like $100 to 150 left to invest in good headphone. Here are a few great options:
  
  
• The Shure SRH750DJ. These aren't the fanciest looking headphones and they aren't the most comfortable either. The audio quality coming out of these headphones outperforms most of the $200+ headphones! I own these and love them! They are great for electronic / bass heavy music and they provide you with an amazing "soundstage" as well!
  
  
• The extremely popular Audio Technica ATH-M50. It's a more comfortable and better looking headphone as the SRH 750. The overall frequency range is not as good. The quality is still superior over the best headsets available though.
  
  
• the Grado SR80e has fairly small cans, but does provide good audio quality. Especially for very busy music (think of rock / metal and similar).
  
  
• The Audio Technica ATH A500X. Another good headphone. They do better for gaming than the alternatives IMO. Although they don't block outside noises... There is a closed version that costs 100$ instead.

Again sorry for the wall of text, I know it's not the easiest to read. The recommendations are first, if you want you can skip the rest of it because it's not all "necessary" info but I do encourage reading it all, there's some good info. I know that's a lot of suggestions but except in fairly rare cases you'd be safe picking any one of these unless the sound doesn't seem like it would suit you. Worst case scenario you return it and try something else. If you have any more questions/concerns I'll gladly help.

The Sennheiser HD 600 -~$300- is basically the crown jewel of /r/headphones. I personally haven't heard it but it's considered one of the best headphones of all times for the past ~20 years. It's mostly neutral so it may not be as exciting but has excellent detail retrieval. The only potential negative other than that I can think of is the soundstage, how wide the sound is. Some headphones sound like music comes from outside the headphone, some sound like earbuds where the sound is right against your head. These have a pretty narrow soundstage so they're more towards the latter.

Monoprice M1060 -~$300- is a bit of a polarizing headphone, people either love or hate it. Some people claim it sounds as good as a $1k pair of headphones, others find it underwhelming and/or hear a high pitch ringing. I've used them and demo'd them to ~5 people, none of which heard the ringing. I love them but don't agree with the "= to $1k headphones" sentiment. Some like them more than my $600 headphones though, so, yeah. These headphones have a lot of bass, boosted mids so vocals are very present and the highs are mostly neutral. The soundstage on these is pretty damn wide.

The Beyerdynamic DT 990 -~$220- is a very highly regarded headphone here. The only downside really is the high frequencies are boosted significantly and a decent amount of people find them unlistenable. If you have sensitive ears then skip these. They're quite V shaped (meaning bass and treble/highs are boosted). They have a decent sound stage, nothing too extreme either way.

The Hifiman HE-4XX(Massdrop exclusive, needs account, long ship times) -$169- are basically a cheaper version of the Hifiman HE-400, another long time favorite of /r/headphones. These headphones are mostly neutral with a slight bass boost, afaik. The downside to these, though, is Hifiman is well known for shitty quality control. I had one of their headphones break on me after a week of owning them. Supposedly the HE-4XX has solved most of those issues but I'd still tread carefully. Most people think this pair is a steal at the price, though.

AKG K7XX(Massdrop exclusive) -$199- These are great. I own them and are probably some of the best ~$200 headphones you can buy. They can also be pretty love/hate, though, but most people who don't like them seem to have a lot of experience with a wide variety of headphones. Out of all my headphones most people I demo mine to prefer the K7XX, even over my $600 pair. They're mostly neutral with slightly boosted mids and slightly lowered highs and a massive soundstage.

---

Out of all of these headphones the M1060 and HD 600 probably have the best detail which would do the whole hearing new things the best. With that said, though, none of these would fail at that even remotely. Those two are also probably the most comfortable out of the headphones, with the potential exception of the K7XX.

Another term worth knowing is planar magnetic. The M1060 and HE 4XX are planar magnetic headphones which instead of using a typical speaker cone-resembling drivers they essentially use a sheet of metal controlled by magnets, some weird sorcery shit. Planar's usually have a signature sound and bass that extends real god damn low into the sub bass frequencies. They also have incredible speed, meaning that they're very responsive and excel with fast paced music. They're often quite punchy as well which is a great combo for double bass, snare and tom spam. Metal won't really benefit from the bass extension but I personally find the rest of the features to help with metal.

---
Some other notes. Soundstage isn't very important with metal but can really make other genres shine, especially those with a lot of ambience and depth. It's also usually recommended to get closed headphones for metal and I can mostly agree with that. The HD 600, DT 990 and M1060 all have closed versions but the M1060 closed are iffy. If you're unfamiliar, open vs closed is pretty much what it sounds like. Open headphones have an "open" back to them, letting more sound in and out which gives a more atmospheric sound to them but also letting outside sounds interfere more. Some sound like you're not wearing headphones at all, letting so much sound in you couldn't tell the difference. Closed are the polar opposite and give a more isolated, intimate sound.

Lastly, when you start venturing into headphones that cost more than ~$200, it's worth looking into the benefits of an amplifier/DAC (digital-analogue converter). They're not necessary but, depending on the headphones, can improve the sound. Bottom line is usually ~$70 and require a USB connection but have mobile variants that plug into your phone. They're definitely not necessary at this price point but it's possible you won't get the most out of the headphones without it depending on the pair, different headphones require different amount of power. Usually it's fairly insignificant sub $500 though.

The Story

In under two weeks of discovering this sub, a massive amount of research, and looking deep inside myself, I took the plunge. Being a huge listener of vinyl and high quality masters, in addition to the amount of music I consume mixed with the environment I'm usually in (working at home), getting cans of this scale made a lot of sense. I'm coming from M50x's which are great, but I've been ready for the next step in ultimate aural enjoyment.

Originally, I thought that step would be HD650's, especially after they're so raved about here and were only ~$315 at the time. I had a pair of HD250's before my AT's and loved em'. But I'm not exactly brand-loyal and willing to experience what others have to offer. Frankly, the first time I looked at Audeze, I kind of brushed them off as a Beats model using hype and certain "keywords" to make everything sound better than it actually was. Luckily, this doesn't seem to be the case!

The Score

Here they are. For me, this is a huge win. Scored these LCD-2.2f's for ~$500 from an awesome dude at /r/avexchange at the tail end of 2016. Got them one year in, so warranty still in effect. These things are in fantastic condition; literally look brand new and hardly used.
Grabbed the Schiit stack (Modi/Magni) directly from the source. Amazon seemed to be more expensive for the Uber models (which both are). Using Mogami cables (was going to get PYST) based on great recommendation from a producer friend. For now, I just got the cheap Omega stand which suffices well, although a little off in color (walnut stand with bamboo headphones).

The Aftermath

I listen to a decent variety of (sub)genres from Rock to Death Metal to EDM to Pop Punk etc.. They all sound absolutely amazing with these cans. I'm a bassist so I enjoy the lower frequencies hence the lack of neutrality is appreciated here, and really, it does give everything that warm, enjoyable tone everyone mentions (I frankly don't really "notice" it). I think the defining moment was turning on one of my favorites, Sussudio, and literally being unable to not headbang+drum. Between hearing things I've never heard before and the amazing clarity, I think one of the biggest differences is the definition of beats, vocals, and other elements that don't exactly pop, but sound "complete". I seriously feel like I'm in the studio with the artist.

Overall, the experience is amazing. This result is exactly what I was hoping/going for. Music should make you feel something by being dynamic and captivating your senses, not being a progressive background noise. For anyone wondering if they should take the next step, think about how much you value the experience of the media consume, not just the idea of "listening" but truly "witnessing". Ok, I'm out of inspirational wordage ;)

Yes it would be, I just asked because it would sense to invest in what you would use more, no sense pouring money into something you won't use all that much. And not necessarily, but some of the prices of my "go-to" gear has increased a little bit, which did make this just a little bit harder.

Okay so, this is what I came up with. Speakers are usually $40 but they are $50 right now for some reason, so that is why it's about $8 dollars over. also if you had any of these cables lying around it would definitely put you under $100.

Speakers - Dayton Audio B652 Amazon | Easily the best ~$50 book shelf speakers out there. Loud, with great sound quality, good imaging, and just all around outstanding for the price. They are kind of big though, so take into account desk space.

Amplifier - Lepai 2020A+ Amazon| You will need these to power the speakers, connected with speaker wire. It's a great little amp. It's buit out of metal, which is great given it's price tag, and the knobs feel great. Has tone controls that has a button that lets you toggle between using them or bypassing them. Provides ample power for speakers in this listening situation. It isn't really made for "party level" volume so just be careful, as you CAN blow speakers if you crank it too high on the AMP/computer. I personally use this and works great. Price is also a little higher than what I've seen them go for ($15).

Cables/Wires Amazon, cable Amazon, wire- A standard 3.5mm male to male cable that will connect the amp to the computer, and 50FT of 16 gauge speaker wire to connect the speakers to the amp. If you have a 3.5mm cable already you won't need to buy another.

Headphones - Sennheiser HD201 Amazon | Sennheiser makes great headphones, from their $1000 HD800 right down to the $20 HD201. Great headphones for music, and okay for gaming. They are closed back, which means the sound stage will not be as broad, but they will isolate outside noise. $10 dollars more will get you these Superlux HD681s which are open backed, which will result in a bigger sound stage, which is helpful for the directional aspect of audio while gaming. they sound pretty good too! Both headphones will perform well for music, and gaming when you use them. Not the best but they're better than most "gaming headsets".

Mic - Zalman Clip on Mic Amazon | A basic mic that clips on to your headphone's cable. what's great about this is you can use them for any pair of headphones, or when you're not even using them! the clip can also hold it to your shirt.

Total cost is about $108. If you are diligent/patient the speakers may drop back down to $40 sometime.

Overall this is great value for a little over $100, and will offer you much more all around than an $100 speaker set. The great thing about this is that everything is modular. If you want to upgrade your speakers you don't have to buy a new amp, and vice-versa. If you want to add a sub down the line, you don't have to ditch everything and get a new set; you just add it into the "chain". Headphones broke? No need to buy a new mic. Want nicer sounding headphones? No problem! Mic broken or lost? Don't need to buy a whole new headset. As you can see it is very flexible, and very easy to upgrade things as you go, which I feel is completely worth the $8 over your budget you gave me.

Sorry this took a while to get to you, lots of writing, linking, and searching! Hope this helps!

If you want, I can copy-paste the response I usually give to people asking about gaming headset. Hope it will help you.

Wall of text ahead. Please, read only if you are really interested...


What I usually recommend when someone ask for advice about gaming headsets is: Gaming headset are crap 99% of the time. They provide very poor sound quality, and any good headphone (literally, even 40$ ones) will sound far better than expensive 300$ headsets. The question is not if headphones are better than headset (the answer is “Hell, YEAH”). The question is, are they better for you?


What are you planning to use your headphones for? Just for gaming, or for gaming and music listening?


If the answer is “just for gaming”, then ask yourself if a Hifi headphone is what you need. Usually games don’t really need high quality headphones, since they provide low quality sound, and you will be more concentrated gaming than listening. In that scenario, everything will serve you, and gaming headsets have the advantage of the integrated microphone.


So, if you want something good for gaming, and just for gaming, with integrated microphone, then the only two headsets with good enough quality sound (aka don’t suck) are:


HyperX Cloud (70$)


Sennheiser G4me One (170$)


Both are good choices. Or go with any fancy RGB headset you find (Logitech, Razer, Corsair, Steelseries, etc), you will most probably don’t notice the difference while gaming.


BUT, if you plan to use them for music listening besides gaming, then keep reading.


About the microphone problem


Hifi headphones for gaming have the disadvantage of having to deal with the micro thing. None of them have microphone incorporated, and you must find a workaround to the problem. Options available are:


1- Use a desk microphone like this


2- Some headphones have detachable cable. If the connector is a 3.5mm jack, you can substitute the cable with this V-Moda micro. That way you can have a microphone attached and still use a single cable. Main problem is that you must use this cable, no matter what, and if you end buying an amplifier, you can no longer use this microphone, as amplifiers don’t have micro input. Also, not all headphones are compatible, as not all use 3.5mm jack connections (Audio-technica and Sennheiser headphones are NOT compatible with V-moda Boom micro, cause they use 2.5mm jack)


3- use a modmic like this one or if your budget is tight, something like this.


The first option requires desk space and it’s expensive. The second one is not compatible with every headphone, and forces you to use this cable. The third one are detachable micro, with an extra cable you’ll have to deal with. Any of them are a nuisance. Any solution is annoying. All of them are an extra expense that must be accounted. If micro is a must and you are not willing to bother with this solutions, please, go back to HyperX Cloud or G4me One.


Ok, so, you really want some damn good headphones, that also can be used for gaming! Keep reading, please (are you bored yet?).


You can choose Closed back headphones (the classic ones you have already used. Closed back models offer good isolation and do not leak sound. This is your choice when there are people around you, or you want isolation from noisy a environment.) or Open Back headphones (Open back models offer next to no isolation and will leak sound -and allow you to hear what happens around you-, but they are the best sounding models). Open headphones achieve the best sound, soundstage (feeling that sound is coming from around you) and imaging (ability to locate the source of one sound).


If you are here because you want to get a replacement for a gaming headset, I would recommend you Open back, but since they don’t isolate, you must choose. If isolation is required, get closed back, if that’s not a concern, go open.


Some closed back cans:


Audio-Technica ATH-M40x. 100$. Balanced headphones, very good feedback from lots of people. Typical entry level headphones to the rabbit hole.


Sennheiser HD 598Cs. 125$. Balanced, very very detailed, great instrumental separation. Comfortable as hell, very recommended.


Beyerdynamic DT770. 160$. V-shaped signature (lots of bass and lots of treble). Amazing soundstage (for a closed headphone). Great for explosions, movies, and rock. Treble can be harsh if you are sensible. Get the 32 ohm version, as the 80 (may) and 250 (do) need an amplifier to work properly.


Those are some examples of entry-mid level of closed cans. There are lots more, depending of your budget!


As for open cans:


Superlux HD668b. 40$. Those are THE CANS. The best quality for low budget you can get. Hands down. Great soundstage, Bass light. They are not too comfortable, but pads can be changed for a deluxe comfort (extra expense). You are not getting anything better at this price. For gaming in a budget, this are the headphones you were looking for.


Philips SHP9500. 80$. Mid-forward signature. Good soundstage, great comfort. Very detailed. Another amazing quality for the budget headphone. Due its popularity, they’re getting harder and harder to get.


Sennheiser HD 598 SR. 170$. Very similar to the HD 598Cs, but with open back. Wider soundstage, a little less bass. Very balanced headphones. Super-duper comfortable. Great for long gaming sessions.


Philips Fidelio X2. 250$. V-shaped signature. Those are in another league. Build quality is just.. OMG. Extreme soundstage and imaging. More comfortable than the HD 598. Bass is BOOOOOM!!!. A little pricey, and can be somewhat fatiguing to listen if you are treble sensible, due to high treble.


Well, that’s all. I have selected only headphones that don’t need an amplifier. Now is your turn to research, watch some Youtube videos, read some reviews, and give them a try.


All this headphones are GOOD. No trash here, and all them will make you open your eyes when listening your music if you are coming from standard headsets. You will notice sounds, instruments, that you never realized they were there, even if you had listened this song a thousand times before. Try them, and be amazed.


Welcome to the rabbit hole.

Weird the link worked for me. I just copy and pasted the post below, hope it's useful!



This is a guide that recommends headphones with an added mic and does not recommend gaming headsets (I'll explain what that means). I'm posting this because I found lots of info on headphones for gaming but not a proper setup for a console like the PS4.

If you're looking for a great quality headset for gaming, you might run into some trouble like I did. I define quality as being made with solid materials and having awesome audio while having a decent mic to chat with other players.

Options within the quality gaming headset category are both limited and expensive. Take a stroll over to r/headphones to get their two cents on how and why gaming headsets are often overpriced and actually underperform their ticket price. This post in particular was very thorough and linked out to other really useful resources like Z Reviews

When my old headphones broke I started exploring options for a new pair of cans. I wanted to get something great and didn't mind spending a buck on it. As I researched I began to learn more about different types of headphones and what they offered in gaming. The problem I ran into is that the best pair of speakers you can put on your head are almost all headphones, not headsets (meaning headphones do not have a mic equipped). But I'm playing on a PS4 so that changes the game some, PC might have some different avenues. The PS4 dualshock controller (as of 2016, possibly earlier) has proprietary restrictions as to what headsets can plug-in and work with it so creating a DIY headset (independent headphones and mic) was tricky. I tried a workaround with getting an aux plug-in adapter that had "4 poles " to use with the DS4 controller but it didn't trick the controller nor did unplugging and re-plugging in headphones with a mic. Others have had success with it but not me.

I ended up getting a USB to headphone and mic input adapter. This way you can buy whatever headphones you want and whatever mic you want and pair them together by plugging them into your PS4 USB port. You are tethered by a wire but I have read that there is lag with basically any wireless setup so I wouldn't recommended them, especially if you're into online FPS.

My setup is:

---Open air headphones: Audio Technical 900x ($130)

There are other versions of these headphones like the 500x for around $75 as well as the 2000x for $600+
-I would also explore the Superlux HD668B Semi-Open Headphones ($40) as they are relatively inexpensive have replaceable ear pads and have glowing reviews.

---Attachable mic I haven't gotten comments on how I sound which can only be a good thing. I have asked how it sounds and "fine to me" is usually the answer I get.

---USB adapter w/ headphones + mic auxiliary inputs

-Also you might want to get a USB cable extender if the phones and/or mic you go with don't have long cables.

I would venture a guess that most any version of the above 3 components would work together. I am really enjoying my setup and have been using it for about 2 months now. The “soundstage" on open headphones is a really different experience, instead of being closed off by noise cancelling headphones it now feels like everything is happening around me. I had a pair of beats Studios (gen 2) that were pretty good but I would definitely recommend giving “open” style headphones a try. The beats seem puny in comparison, not just in physical size but also in output quality.

I hope this is of benefit to you. I spent a lot of time researching, reading and watching reviews, figuring out what would work on a PS4 and deliberating on what pieces to buy. I am by no means an audiophile so this is just the research of a lay person that wanted great sound and is enjoying what they found.

TL;DR Don't buy a gaming headset if you want awesome sound. You can get a great, probably better, setup on your own and likely save a bit of money in the process by DIY.

Okay. What I am going to recommend is two sets of headphones. One for nice, comfy, multi-hour home listening in front of the computer, and another set for when you're on the go. All of these sound good without any amplification.

Full-Size, Home Listening

• Audio Technica ATH-AD700 - nice, mid-level offering. Wonderful, open sound and definitely the #1 most comfortable headphones I have ever owned. These are fairly large, this is what they look like on me. They are reasonably light, and the design is completely open. You will hear sounds around you and if someone is sitting next to you, they will hear some of your music (or all of it, if you have the volume cranked). The pads are fuzzy and comfortable. Highly recommended for electronic music, chamber pieces, acoustic guitar and piano... well, just about everything. (~$100)
  
  
• Sennheiser HD-280 Pro - These are the heavyweight champions of the $50-$100 price range. Headfi (a major audiophile community) loves these things. So do I. Comfortable, with fantastic bass response and great isolation. Built like a tank - I DJ'd for quite awhile and my set is still going strong despite being dropped, stepped on, thrown in road cases, etc. The ear cups also rotate reasonably freely to allow them to fold "flat" and be tossed in a backpack. The pads on these are that pleather material which could cause a little bit of sweat, but nothing to really complain about. Excellent sound, overall, but particularly suited to drum n bass, dubstep, industrial, goa and other genres of trance and electronic dance music. My pair is actually in my lab at work, at the moment, so no photo of them, sorry! (~$90)
  
  
• Audio Technica M50S - Foldable, easy to toss in a bag. These are what I moved to after using the 280 Pro's for several years. Very smooth sound with a pretty surprising bass range. Definitely out-performed the 280's in some pieces of music when it came to the low range. Again, smooth, balanced sound overall. Great isolation on par with the 280's. The soundstage isn't as good as the AD700's, since these are closed headphones, otherwise I'd totally recommend these, flat out. These beat the Monster Beats Studio, hands down, for a third of the price. <3 Bass (~$120)
  
  Portables
  
  
• Koss Portapro - These things are classics for a reason. Very, very highly recommended by a ton of people. Comfortable, portable, built well, and excellent sound for the price bracket they are in. Unique styling. Those temple pads you see keep the pressure from the earpieces from becoming fatiguing on your ears. I've forgotton that I was wearing them on several occasions and tried to put on my hat over them. If you're cool with the style, I really recommend these. (~$40)
  
  
• Grado SR60i - I love Grados. They have a really classic look, they are very comfortable, and they have solid sound. More suited to articulate, dynamic music. Not a ton of bass. Would recommend these for home use as well, actually. If you want, you can step up to the SR80i, but I don't feel like you will hear too great a difference, out of an iPod or an onboard soundcard. (~$70-$100)
  
  
  Note: the Amazon links above are using my affiliate ID. What this means is that if you purchase a set through those links, Amazon gives me 4-6% of the purchase price as a commission. The price you pay is not affected in any way - that commission comes out of their end. You don't have to use those links, you can search Amazon for any of the models above. And by all means, you don't have to buy through Amazon.

I'm going to go ahead and link to a bookmarked post i have for playing live. Great great advice from /u/champaignthrowaway. His original post that can be seen here is locked, but toss him an upvote for the great guide if you see him around.

> Nutshell guide to IEMs for drummers:

> The most affordable way into it is a pair of Shure SE215s. They are inexpensive, sound very good in comparison to any normal consumer earbud on the market, and the generic fit actually does work 90% as well for most people. I use the foam tips on mine and they isolate completely and have never fallen out. They don't sound quite as good as full blown, custom molded, dual/triple/quad driver IEMS, but stuff like that is more in the $400-800 range and these are a measly hundred bucks. These come in clear or black, but obviously clear is the only real option since it looks so much more expensive and professional (haha).

> Moving into the custom realm, things can get pricey very quickly but it is absolutely worth it if you're going to use them a lot (bear in mind as well that you can use these for just listening to music and stuff too). The most affordable custom option that I'm aware of is taking your pair of Shure SE215s and having Sensaphonics make a set of custom sleeves for them. To get them made, you need to have impressions taken either by a local audiologist (any doctor who makes hearing aids can do this for you for a low fee) or by actually going into Sensaphonics in Chicago for a consultation. They'll take the impressions, help you figure out what you want exactly, and do a very extensive hearing test for you.

> Custom molds will fit well for anywhere from 3-10 years from what I can tell. Your ears do actually keep growing throughout your entire life. If you're a teenager you'll probably have to have them refitted after a few years. If you're older, the growth is very slight and they'll probably fit comfortably for a very long time.

> InEarz and 1964 are other popular companies that make a good product. Personally I prefer Sensaphonics because they are, as far as I know, the only company making them with 100% silicone, which is extremely soft and comfortable. The downside is that Sensaphonics is a bit more expensive than most other options. You honestly can't even feel them in your ear after a few minutes. Generic fit IEMs and custom molds made from harder materials usually get uncomfortable after thirty or forty minutes.

> If you want to use them live, there are some things to keep in mind. Firstly, it is of vital importance to have some sort of body pack with a volume control and a built in limiter. You are putting these things inside your freaking ears and giving some stranger behind the board control over what sound they make. If you have no safety measures in place and the engineer brainfarts out and grabs the wrong aux send, you are going to have a very, very bad night. You can seriously hurt yourself that way. Most sound guys wouldn't even agree to give you an IEM mix without you having a personal limiter of some sort, but it's worth mentioning because there are some idiots out there. I recommend the Behringer P1 bodypack. There are nicer options out there, but the P1 is cheap, simple to use, and will get you up and running.

> Secondly, it will be a bit of an awkward adjustment period especially if you are not in a position where your band is running it's own monitor mix (and if you are in a band like that, you're probably not reading this because you already know all of this stuff). Some engineers will know how to deal with IEMs and can give you a good mix complete with ambient/crowd noise, some will just throw everything up to the same level and leave you in some weird sounding isolated freakish space. At smaller venues that don't mic everything you'll obviously be missing some stuff. Not having overheads is weird - unless you get a lot of cymbal bleed through your other mics you might tend to over crash. Some live engineers like to gate the hell out of all the mics as well, which exaggerates the problem. It just takes some getting used to. You know how vastly different a show feels when your monitors and stage sound are good compared to when they are shitty? Yeah, well your monitors are now inside your freaking head and everything is even more exaggerated. So communicate a lot with your sound guy/girl and hopefully they will do you right. Oh, and at least once you're going to stand up and walk away from the kit without remembering to unplug and you'll probably knock something over or damage a cable. Live and learn, haha.

> * Last small thing - if everything goes right you'll have an awesome IEM mix at your show. That's awesome. That also means you'll probably hear every single mistake your bandmates make. So be ready for that, so that you don't get thrown off or make a funny face when the guitarist botches a note or the singer is half a step off.

> edit: Thanks for gold, kind stranger. If the mod/s want this in the sidebar or something that's fine by me. Somebody let me know if that happens and I'll clean it up a little bit.

You might do a deep dive into /r/headphones and you could ask in /r/headphoneadvice — I think what they’ll tell you is that if you were to buy a “gaming headset” with your $300 budget, you end up sacrificing some of your potential sound quality in order to get that microphone attached.

Whereas you can buy a really nice pair of headphones and then spend $30 or less on a V-Moda BoomPro Mic (or something like it) which basically acts as the cord between your headphones and headphone jack and has a flexible boom mic, a volume dial, and a mute switch. There’s another one that you can stick to the side of one of the headphones either with a magnet or sticky too, depending on the type of headphones you buy and what you prefer.

I bought a pair of Fidelio X2/HR headphones that cost $325 just over a year ago, but you can get them for $150 now. Really comfortable band that operates sort of like ski goggles so it doesn’t squish your head, and will fit a fucking watermelon if it needs to. I bought them because I was looking for a “unicorn” that I could wear for movies, games, TV, and music. They sound fantastic, though they’re even better when you plug them into an amp/DAC (I plug them into my home theater receiver’s headphone out jack and crank it up).



Another really highly recommended one are these Sennheiser HD600 Open Back Headphones for $300 from Amazon Prime right now.

Or there’s these BeyerDynamic DT 770 Pro Studio Monitor Headphones that come with an Antlion ModMic so you don’t have to buy the microphone separately, and they’re $189 from Amazon right now, and you could spend the remainder of the $300 on a dedicated headphone amp/DAC that will boost the volume/bass/output and help you get the most from them.

Another popular recommendation is a more traditional gaming headset — the Arctis Steel Series Pro + Game DAC for only $175 — the DAC boosts the headphones and provides DTS:X Headphone (for virtual surround sound). It’s the wired edition, but you could pay more for a wireless if you want.



Anyhow, maybe this will be helpful and give you a couple ideas, but they should help you more in /r/headphone advice if you tell them your budget and what you’re trying to do and what you’re looking for. Read the sidebar so you know the posting format so more people will respond. Hope you enjoy whatever you get! A home theater system is worth saving up for, and eventually you can turn a 5.1 system into a Dolby Atmos system by adding two height channels (so long as you invest in a receiver that is Atmos capable from the start). Come the PS5, I’m hopeful they’ll support it and DTS:X as the XBOX One does now, but they’re also working on their own 3D sound format. Go to a home theater store and have them demo DolbyAtmos for you (especially on a game if possible) and you’ll see how much it adds. You can get a decent home theater system for far cheaper than you used to be able to, but it’s worth it to save up the money and buy something you’re really gonna be proud to own for at least 5-10 years if not longer.

Except you are forgetting that a lot of what you are listing are already common buys when it comes to NA and I would wager Europe. If you are going to factor them in for consoles you need to factor them in for PC as well since things like TV, internet and having a cell phone are common things to own (maybe not a smartphone but a basic one with calling and texting capabilities).

For the following I'm going to assume DICE's report on recommend system requirements is accurate

So our PC in question needs to have:

• Quad core CPU with at least 3Ghz
  
  
• Windows 7 64 bit or higher
  
  
• 8 GB of RAM since it's 64 bit
  
  
• A modern DX 11 graphics card with 2 or more GB of video memory
  
  Now then we are also going to assume we are an average customer so we do not have the knowledge needed to put together a computer from individually purchased parts and since we work 5 days a week from 9-5 we don't really feel like figuring it out, we just want to buy something and have it work when we plug it in oh and it needs to be new for various reasons (warranty, not trusting of previous owner, etc). Our goal is to buy a PC that either matches or slightly exceeds DICE's recommended settings since we want our PC in question to be somewhat future proof for the next 5 years if we are going to be dropping a considerable amount of money on it. Now then our current PC is like 13 years old but has worked fine to meet our needs, we can get on the internet, do taxes on it, watch some videos and even play a few games on it.
  
  So lets head on over to amazon put in some of those specs and start searching. Well damn the most popular one on that page is the HP pavilion Elite for $819. That's a bit steep let's see if we can get something more in our price range and sort by low to high. Well the first one in the list we can rule out because it's graphics card doesn't even support DX10. That second one in the list, the ASUS, looks pretty good and the GeForce GT 640 sounds like the perfect card to match our needs and should be awesome for playing new release for the next few years so let's go with that for roughly $745 (before tax if applicable).
  
  So we order the ASUS and after a couple of days it arrives and we hook it up to our old monitor and sound system. About a week passes and we have just been having a blast playing BF4 but you know what hasn't been fun? Looking at that awful resolution on your monitor from 2000 and the way its speakers are just destroying the beautiful sound design done by the DICE team.
  
  Back to Amazon we go! We decide that since our new PC can output in HD we want HD with a nice screen res of 1920x1080. This Asus monitor is only $164 and is highly rated so we go with it. It arrives in the mail, we hook it up and that picture is just awesome now and we can truly understand why PC gaming rocks.
  
  To bad we forgot that it doesn't come with speakers built into the monitor. Well we could use this pair of earbuds that we got with our MP3 player we use at the gym but we feel we could really improve our value as a team member by getting a headset so we can communicate better with the rest of the team. You were talking with your PC gaming friend at the water cooler the next day about your dilemma and he tells you should just get a normal pair of headphones and a desk mic since it will probably be cheaper and of better quality and you decide that sounds pretty smart. So that night you order a pair of Sennheiser HD201 Lightweight Over-Ear Binaural Headphones and a logitech desk mic so our total for that comes out at around $36.
  
  So let's go back over what this PC upgrade cost us in the long run
  
  
• $745 for the ASUS tower
  
  
• $164 for the monitor
  
  
• $36 for the headphones and mic
  
  Total is roughly $945.
  
  Keep in mind this is all paid at once, while a smartphone plan is likely to cost you more in the long run you are paying it in increments. A tablet/laptop is going to run you around $300 for an average quality one. The PS4 is launching at the price point of $400.
  
  Yes you can probably recoup a lot of this in game sales from digital distribution platforms like Steam but if you are looking to buy on release it's still going to be on average the same price. Not to mention that consoles are now having similar sales on their digital stores and have things like Playstation Plus which actually get you sets of games for a reasonable monthly cost.
  
  I'm not trying to say one is better than the other but I will make the argument that one is more affordable than the other. To say there is no difference in paywall to get into PC gaming and console gaming is nothing but ignorance.
  
  Edit: I'm not saying you are wrong, I completely agree if people wanted to get into PC gaming they could stop spending money on things like new phones, TV's, tablets, etc every year and spend the money instead on a very nice gaming rig. But you need to stop thinking like a smart consumer more like an average one when making these kinds of arguments, because lets face it the average consumer is dumb or misinformed.

Philips X2 are probably the best choice. They have a slightly "V" shaped sound signature, which puts the drums slightly forward in most mixes, and really are known for complimenting electronic music because of their sound signature. They are a great balance between "forgiving" and "revealing" meaning they can still make poorly mastered recordings sound good, and can still show quite a bit of detail that most headphones will not be able to show. Before their release Sennheiser's HD600, were the main champ of the "mid-fi" range, but after the X2's were released plenty of people say they prefer them. They're really known for their very good bass and mids, what I really like about them is their soundstage is 3-D meaning sounds can be perceived as not only appearing around you, but above and below you and I've heard this very frequently in Aphex Twin songs, specifically the drums in IZ-US and the slow monophonic synth at around 2:30 in Mt. Saint Michel's Mix.

Here's a good review, and a more entertaining, but far less objective review.

Other options to consider are Hifiman's HE-400s, I have heard mixed stuff about them from "meh" to "absolute game changer for $300". But they are certainly worth looking into.

If you're looking to spend less and get the headphones Richard says are his favorite for studio, the Sony MDR-7510 would be good to look into.

If you find you can't get your headphones to good listening levels, notice a lot of floor noise, or just want to spend more money to get a little better sound you should maybe look into getting a dedicated headphone amp. I personally use the Schiit Fulla for my Philips X2's, and I think they make a difference well worth the price. The next step up would be NwAvGuy's Objective2 Amp which is well known for competing against much higher priced amps and being very neutral.

If you want to do more of your own research I highly recommend using head-fi's popular headphone guide or posting a purchase advice thread in /r/headphones. Spending $300 is a big decision and there's a HUGE difference in the best headphones $300 can buy and the worst. I would definitely avoid noise-cancelling and blutooth unless it's an absolute necessity since it just redirects the price tag to additional technology instead of focusing on the driver. Also in pretty much any price bracket, open-back headphones will trump closed-back. Open back allow for a much larger soundstage and typically do everything better than closed. Before I made the move to open back I hated the idea, but after hearing how open back headphones almost feel like sitting perfectly in between two very nice speakers, I never can imagine going back to closed.

I will any questions you (or anyone else) have.

Last update 11/27 1:36am pacific || Removed bold from some items, pruning of dead deals coming.

If the first field is bold it is a new deal

Note, I've hit the text limit so I'm limiting extra text.


 


Headphone | Price | Store | Notes
------------------ |-------|--------|-----------
BeyerDynamic DT 1770 Pro | $416 | Amazon | Available for $405 shipped via 3rd party
BeyerDynamic 990 250 ohm pro | $109 | Amazon | Lowest price ever on Amazon. Thanks /u/Jedi_Pacman!
BeyerDynamic T1 Second Gen | $1099 | BuyDig via ebay |
Sennheiser HD600 | $260 | Amazon | Thanks /u/aasteveo!
BeyerDynamic DT 880 600 ohm | $169 | Amazon | Lowest price on record for both Amazon and 3rd party.
BeyerDynamic DT 770 80 ohm | $118 | Amazon | Thanks /u/ASpaceman :)
Chord Mojo Amp / DAC + NVX XPT100 Studio Headphones | $549 | Sonic Electronix |
MrSpeakers ETHER C Flow | $1620 | MrSpeakers | Thanks /u/MrSpeakers !
MrSpeakers ETHER Flow | $1619 | MrSpeakers | Thanks /u/MrSpeakers !
Samson SR950 | $24 | Adorama
Sennheiser IE80 | $179 | Amazon | Thanks /u/LOMOcatVasilii Also available at Sonic Electronix
Stax SR-L500 + SRM252S | $1009| Shenzhen Audio |
DUNU DN-2000J | $269 | Shenzhen Audio |
TFZ Series 5S | $69 | Shenzhen Audio via Amazon |
Fanmusic E6 | $39 | Shenzhen Audio
Simgot EN700 | $69 | Shenzhen Audio
FORREST FLC8S | $269 | Shenzhen Audio
Audioquest NightHawk | $349 | Crutchfield | Also available from Needledoctor
Audio-Technica ATH-M20x | $27 | BuyDig | Add to cart for final price
Beyerdynamic DT 880 32 ohm includes $50 newegg gift card | $159.99 | Newegg | Also available at BuyDig for $139 add to cart to see discount
Beyerdynamic T90 Chrome Limited Edition 250 OHM| $279 | BuyDig| Also available at Newegg for $299 w/$40 gift card
Sennheiser PC360 headset | $99 | Amazon
Monoprice USB DAC Headphone Amp | $49.99 | Monoprice |
BeyerDynamic DT 770 16ohm | $100 | ebay | Also available at BuyDig for $109
BeyerDynamic A20 Amp | $294 | BuyDig | Use code "DIGTURKEY5"
Westone UM Pro 10 | $99 | Amazon
HiFiMan Edition X | $1299 | Music Direct | Thanks to /u/boombap33 for pointing this out
V-Moda Crossfade M-100 Black | $176.54 | Musician's Friend | Includes free Boompro mic. Use code "blackfriday"
Sennheiser PC350 Headset | $78 | Newegg |
Sennheiser Momentum In Ear | $70 | Amazon | Android or iOS versions
BeyerDynamic DT 1350 | $119 | Adorama
BeyerDyanmic DT 880 250 ohm Chrome version | $149 | BuyDig via ebay
Superlux HD668B | $25 | Gearbest |
Audeze LCD-4 | $2999 | Adorama
Audeze LCD-3 | $1349 | Adorama
Audeze LCD-XC Limited Leather | $1299 | Adorama
Audeze Sine | $299 | Adorama
Audeze Sine w/Lightning Cable | $359 | Adorama
Audeze LCD-2 Rosewood w/Lambskin | $749 | Adorama
Audeze LCD-2 Bamboo w/Lambskin | $699 | Adorama
Audeze LCD-2 Aluminum w/Lambskin | $699 | Adorama |
Hifiman HE-400i | $249 | Headamp | Use code "HEADFI10" thanks to /u/Chillindude82Nein for the better deal!
Hifiman SuperMini DAP + iFi nano iDSD + Fiio Cable| $394 | BuyDig | use code "DIGTURKEY10"|
Audeze 2015 EL8 Open | $404.10 | HeadAmp | Use code "BF2016"
Audeze 2015 EL8 Close| $404.10 | HeadAmp | Use code "BF2016"
Audio-Technica ATH-R70x includes $25 newegg gift card| $224 | Newegg |
Fostex TH-900mk2| $999 | Adorama |
Audio-Technica ATH-MSR7 Black| $189 | Amazon
Audio-Technica ATH-MSR7 Gun Metal | $189 | Amazon
Philips SHP9500S | $50 | Newegg |


 


General Discounts | Discount | Notes
------|---|---
Earphone Solutions | 25% off | Store Wide use code "CYBER" -- they offer discounts for trade-ins as well.
Master & Dynamic | 20% off | use code "MD20"
Meze | 25% off select headphones
NeedleDoctor | Various |
Monoprice | 20% off | Use code "BF2016"
Audeze | B-Stock| Dedicated thread here. Thanks /u/kangaroo_steak!
V-Moda| 10% | Free Boompro Mic with order of on-ear/over-ear headphones.
Brainwavz | Various | Thanks /u/robotlabs!
Addicted to Audio | Various | "For the aussies" thanks /u/KingJie!
Shenzhen Audio | Various |
Decware | Various | thanks /u/Elnrik!
HeadAmp | Various | Use code "HEADFI10" for 10% off (most?) products
Brainwavz Canada | Various | Thanks /u/custardbun!
Violectric Audio USA | 25% | Code "BLACK-25" thanks /u/novicez!

Your post is going to be removed due to rule #1.

🎧 Headphones

Personal recommendations:

• AKG K52
  
  Sound: Has a large soundstage, good imaging, clarity and detail retrieval and decent separation. It doesn't over- or under-emphasize the bass or treble. The bass can sound a little muddy in e.g. blasts and explosions. I've explained the sound characteristics further down.
  
  Build: Is closed-back and over-ear. Durable and very lightweight. The cups tilt and swivel, so they should adjust to the shape of your head nicely. The earpads have decent quality and are soft and removable, but they're shallow.
  
  
  
• Philips SHP9500
  
  Sound: Has a medium soundstage, good imaging, separation and detail retrieval and very good clarity. It doesn't over- or under-emphasize the bass or treble.
  
  Build: Is open-back and over-ear. Durable and lightweight. The cups tilt and swivel and the cable detaches. The earpads have good quality and they're soft and removable, but they're shallow.
  
  
• Superlux HD668B
  
  Sound: Has a large soundstage, I'd say 50% bigger than SHP9500. It has very good imaging, separation, clarity and detail retrieval. It has emphasized treble and a small boost in the mid-bass.
  
  Build: Is semi-open-back and over-ear. Sturdy and lightweight. The cups tilt and swivel. The cable and earpads are detachable. The earpads have bad quality and are shallow, so I recommend replacing them with pads from HiFiMAN.
  
  
• Superlux HD681 EVO
  
  Sound: Has the same soundstage as HD668B. It has very good clarity and good detail retrieval, but has poor imaging and separation. It's warm sounding with deep bass.
  
  Build: Is semi-open-back and over-ear. Durable and lightweight. The cups tilt and swivel. The cable and earpads are detachable. The earpads have decent quality and are soft and detachable, but they're shallow and the drivers stick out quite a bit, so I recommend taking out the loose felt inside the cups, unless you're sensitive to treble, and replacing the earpads with pads from HiFiMAN or pads from Brainwavz.
  
  

  
  

  
  I also compare to AKG Q701, Audio-Technica ATH-AD700x, Beyerdynamic DT990 (600 ohms), HiFiMAN HE400i, HyperX Cloud, Monoprice Monolith M1060, Philips Fidelio X2 and Sennheiser HD700. I strongly advise against HyperX Cloud / Cloud II / CloudX if you don't need closed-back. I recommend K52 over them for closed-back. My evaluations derive mostly if not only from gaming (so take it with a grain of salt for music listening). I can't emphasize enough that perceived performance in headphones is relative.
  
   
  
  Highly regarded alternatives:
  
  

• Audio-Technica ATH-AD500x (open-back)
  
• Status Audio OB-1 (open-back)
  
• Status Audio CB-1 (closed-back)
  
• Superlux HD681 (semi-open-back)
  
• Superlux HD669 (closed-back)
  
• Superlux HD662 (closed-back)
  
   
  
  Terminology:
  
  
• Closed-back
  
  Headphones that have cups with solid shells that largely isolate sound from passing in and out.
  
  
• Open-back / semi-open-back
  
  Headphones that have cups with perforations/grills that allow outside sound to freely pass in and sound from the drivers to freely pass out. How loud you hear outside sound and how loud people around you hear the sound emanating from the headphones depend on your volume, of course. The sonic benefit to open-back is generally a big soundstage.
  
  
• Soundstage
  
  Perceived space and environment of sound. It can be compared to virtual surround sound; both attempt to produce the same spacious, three-dimensional effect. VSS can sound more ambient and immersive, which depends on the processor (CMSS-3D, Dolby, SBX, etc.), but it degrades the sound quality and diminishes detailing due to compression from digital processing. You might also experience less accurate imaging and separation if the headphone already has good imaging and separation. Note that a deep soundstage is equally important as a wide soundstage.
  
  
• Imaging
  
  Determines how accurately sounds/objects are positioned across the soundstage. And I mean where they are positioned and not merely what direction they come from. This distinction is important because being able to tell only what direction objects come from isn't good enough to me when playing against people.
  
  
• Separation
  
  Separating individual sounds from a range of sounds. Good separation makes it easier to filter out or discern overlapping sounds from other sounds and track them.
  
   
  
  ---
  
   
  
  

  🔊 Microphones
  

  
  

  
  

  
  Attachable to headphones:
  
  

• Antlion ModMic 4
  
  Uses a clasp system and is easy to attach and remove. Is compatible with all headphones. Comes with and without a mute switch.
  
  
• Massdrop Minimic
  
  Uses a clasp system and is easy to attach and remove. Is compatible with all headphones. Has a mute switch and is modular. Is only available via drops on Massdrop.com. I recommend requesting it if you want to wait for it.
  
  
• V-MODA BoomPro
  
  Connects to the headphone's jack, replacing the headphone cable. Is compatible with Philips SHP9500 and Status Audio CB-1. Has a mute switch and a volume control.
  
  

  
  

  
  Alternatives:
  
  

• Neewer
  
  
• Sony ECMCS3
  
  
• Zalman ZM-Mic1
  
  
• Blue Snowball
  
  
• Samson Go
  

It sounds like they'd like Beats, but they are pricey and aren't the greatest quality for the price. Sennheiser makes some good headphones and has a nice set for $24.95 on Amazon.

Sennheiser HD201 Lightweight Over-Ear Binaural Headphones $24.95
http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-Lightweight-Over-Ear-Binaural-Headphones/dp/B0007XJSQC

Monoprice headphones are nice too. We know a few college aged kids that have them and like them.

Gift Ideas.

Fleece throw or blanket so they can have their own.
If you have any girls that are interested in makeup, elf, NYX and Wet and Wild make some nice, inexpensive, products. (Target for ELF and NYX. Walgreens for Wet and Wild)
Check the clearance sections at TJ Maxx, Marshals, Ross, Target and Walmart. You can find some nice clothes that are quite inexpensive.
Sometimes grocery stores will have clearance sections and you can find all kinds of non-food items there.
Do they have any hobbies? Check Amazon for books related to their hobbies.
Are they in to art or crafts? Check the clearance section at Michaels.

Check GottaDeal.com for Black Friday ads. They'll be coming out soon. You can also check the ads from last year. A lot of stores will be opening on Thanksgiving and there may different sales. Gotta Deal has info for everyday sales too.

Since I don't know the ages, genders or likes of your kids, I'll give a basic example.

Girl. 12 years old. Likes pink. $25 budget.

Girls' Hello Kitty Velour Zip Front Hoodie $12.97
http://www.walmart.com/ip/GIRLS-HELLO-KITTY-VELOUR-ZIP-FRONT-HOODIE/38591328

elf Lip Gloss set $5 (Target)
TJ Maxx and Marshals tend to carry elf too.

Crayola Color and Activity Pad- Barbie $4.99
http://www.target.com/p/crayola-color-and-activity-pad-barbie/-/A-14152434#prodSlot=medium_1_5&term=drawing+pad

Three gifts for $22.96

It seem like guys can be a little tougher with inexpensive gifts. But for your guys you could get a graphic tee, favorite movie and a book or iTunes card.
Target and Kohls tend to put their graphic tees on sale. (Buy one size up. They tend to shrink if 100% cotton) Movies or books can be found on Amazon.

You'll do great with gifts for your kids and they'll have a fun and happy Christmas. You may have to look a little harder, but you'll do good. Look a little each time you're out and you may finish up before Black Friday!

These headphones Sennheiser HD 202 are great. Super comfortable and sound quality is awesome. They are a little more bass heavy but if you don't mind it then its cool. These are what I take whenever I go out, for 20$ I dont have to worry too much about them taking a beating. They have gotten a little bit looser over time when I compared them to a brand new pair. But without comparing them, they still fit snug with no complaints. Once these go out, I would buy another pair for my casually on the go listening.

I use these at gigs and when I'm at home and really want quality (Ultrasone DJ1 Pro). These are really really awesome in sound quality aspect. But that comes with a price, 150$. Unlike the above 202's these are heavier and more bulky so I don't take them on the go for casual listening. But when I'm at home or at a show they are great. The only downside is that they are pretty damn big. They don't fit as snug as the 202's but it is a different type of fit. The 202's land on top of my ears and these completely surround your ears. If I bob my head too much they might slip off. Sound wise, they sound great. They are more flat on the spectrum so I believe they have higher fidelity and sound closer to what the original mastered tracked was intended to be.

Those are the two main headphones I can really speak for by having owned them for some time now. They are both great for their prices but have different uses. Liek you said if you dont care about bulky and want quality sound, the DJI pros are the way to go. There are also DJ1s but I believe those emphasize the bass more, like the 202s, which isn't really a good thing (depending what you want). I believe the producer masters a track to what he thinks sounds best at and what it's suppose to be heard at. When you start getting too much of a certain frequency, it will throw the balance off on the song and what is was intended to be heard at. But if your a "I love bass/give me more" type of guy, what ever floats your boat and ears.Stay away from in ear headphones. Stay away from Bose/Skullcandy/Beats/Dre. Sennheisser is a quality brand. There are many good headphones out there, these are the two I can speak for.

Edit: To add to the DJ1 pros, the speakers inside are angled at a certain way to work with the acoustics in your ears. I don't know exactly how this works with the acoustics, but the speaker inside the headphone isnt just pointing straight foward into your ear like most headphones.

None of these actually "max out" your budget, but they are all very solid picks.

1. Oppo PM-3 - Oppo's 3rd iteration of planar mangetic headphones are damn nice. They have incredible sound, bass that extends way down, crisp highs, and are very comfortable. They can be driven by the S8, but would definitely benefit from a nice amp/dac.
   
   
2. Sennheiser HD 650 Widely regarded as an extremely neutral headphone, they will reproduce anything you listen to with them with fantastic accuracy, clarity, and detail.
   
   
3. Bang & Olufsen H6 V2 or H7 These are my personal favorite of the pack, becuase of their incredbly balanced sound, replaceable cable, and neutral signature. They're also lightweight and comfortable. They do not sound as good as the sennheisers or Oppos, but since they are one of my 3 listening options, I don't mind. These are great for what I use them for. :)
   
   
4. Bowers and Wilkins P7 These come in wired and wireless variants, and are not only comfortable, but look quite good. If you have large ears, they may not fit very well, due to the square earpads, but they sound great, and are tuned to have a little more bass than some of the other selections.
   
   
   Edit: picks are in order of best >> worst choice. Also, the top 2 will definitely benefit a lot more from a dedicated amp.
   

generally the best sounding setup will not be a "gaming headset", but just a pair of good headphones with a separate mic.

what is your budget? that is a big factor as there is a huge variety of headphones out there all across the price spectrum.


i currently use Phillips Fidelio X2's with an Antlion ModMic running through a beyerdynamic usb dac/amp (soundcard basically, not even necessary but i had it already and its convenient) and love the setup. ive gone through several other headphones but found this setup to be the most comfortable with best sound. the X2's barely feel like youre wearing anything, have great soundstage and just sound really good in general. i previously used beyerdynamic mmx300's which are an actual headset (mic attached) but moved away from them as they just were not quite as comfy as i wanted for longer usage. also the mic didnt detach so it got annoying at times. other headphones i tried are my akg 553 pros, ath m50x, oppo pm3 and fostex th x00 but none quite had the "full package" of great sound and comfort of the x2's though. not the cheapest setup, but it works great and im happy with it so worth it to me.

https://www.amazon.com/Philips-X2-27-Fidelio-Headphones/dp/B00O2Y2MZG

https://www.amazon.com/Antlion-Audio-ModMic-Attachable-Microphone/dp/B00R98JVVU/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_23_lp_t_4

http://north-america.beyerdynamic.com/shop/usb-sound-card-for-headsets.html


in general the idea is to just get headphones from an actual headphone manufacturer, not a does it all like logitech. they make so many different things, headphones just arent a priority. others have mentioned the sennheiser game ones, which is at least a headset from an actual headphone company. the hyperx clouds are also supposed to be very good for the price despite not being from a headphone company, but that is probably because they are based off of the beyerdynamic mmx300, which is just the beyer dt990s with a mic. meaning the clouds are just a much more affordable clone basically.

at the minimum just try to avoid buzzwords like "7.1 surround". the headphones dont have 8 speakers in them (there are a few that tried doing such, but so few it doesnt matter), theyre not actually doing any surround sound so dont fall for it.

I've listed a few options, feel free to ask more questions.

Closed:

Alpha dog by MrSpeakers is a closed headphone that rivals some of the big boys out there, even the flagship open cans. The TH900 by fostex and LCD-XC by Audeze are their closest competitors, and those headphones cost almost 3 times as much.

Mad Dog by MrSpeakers is my other recommendation for a closed headphone, this one being almost half the price and not that much worse in most regards. Less refined than its older brother, but it's very often the go to choice for someone who wants a comfortable, premium closed headphone at a reasonable price.

Open:

The Hifiman HE-500 is an astonishing headphone for its price range, competing with flagship headphones, and it is a direct competitor with the LCD-2 by Audeze, which costs 1000$. Your biggest problem with these are the weight and their comfort issues, might not be your top choice, but it's still an excellent headphone

The Hifiman HE-400i might be a successor to the HE-400, but its sound signature is much more similar to the HE-500. Not as refined, but much lighter, this might hit your sweet spot for comfort and sound.

The AKG K712 is a really comfortable and relatively light headphone, and it's really well balanced. Some people experience issues with the treble peak that the K7XX series by AKG have, but this might the best price performer that I've listed.

The HD 650 by Sennheiser is a headphone that I personally own am very pleased with, and so are many, many others on this sub and on Head-fi. If someone wants to spend big on their first headphone, these are usually their first choice. Slight clamping, but generally really comfortable, I don't have any issues with them. The sound is beautifully warm and luscious, it's really nice for a relaxed and long listening.

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Hi! I'm by no means an expert on the subject but I did learn a few things while pursuing a quality audio experience and its kind of turned into a new hobby.

Simulating surround sound was something I wanted to achieve as well when shopping for headphones a while back. Something I learned is that the headphones themselves can't really do this. The right kind of headphones (and sometimes software) can help this effect but you can't magically turn 2 channels (I.E. right and left) into 4 or more to get multi-directional sound. In gamery types of headphones, the marketing makes all kinds of claims that its the total fault of the headphones but it's simply not true.

The only real way to get a simulated surround effect in your headphones is if the source had this in mind from the get go. And after that good quality headphones can help a bit further. This can be easily demonstrated with this video. Plug in ANY pair of headphones in your house and for added effect? Close your eyes. Seriously even 3 dollar earbuds from the dollar store will work. And what you'll notice is a full high-quality multi-directional, surround sound experience from just youtube and whatever headphones you happened to try. Neat! But how?

Games and movies ect need to have an audio engineer design the sound with this concept in mind known as binaural. In games, this is usually the "headphone" mode in options settings. Or it'll just be on by default. There are times where a game simply won't have it and no amount of software can change that going into your headphones. Software can't magically know that the bullet was supposed to be behind you instead of in front of you.

What does this mean? That you can get virtual/simulated surround sound from pretty much any pair of headphones? Yes! Learning this concept to me was the beginning of something new. I started looking at simple high-quality headphones that could help make the effect even more dramatic.

I learned about open vs closed back headphones. Closed back headphones make you feel like the sound is sort of coming from inside your own head. This is fine especially if you want to block out other sounds from your room or house ect. Open back headphones let sound in your headphones from the outside, allowing for a more natural 3D effect in most cases. I did a lot of research on open back headphones. I ended up getting the AD900x's. I know this might be expensive-ish but there's a good option for optimal sound on a budget.

I got this combo deal for my fiance. You'll get an open back experience to help further the 3d effect you're after and ontop of that these headphones sound fucking GREAT for the money. Seriously makes me mad that I was buying gaming headphones for all these years leading up to what I learned. Check it out.

• Headphones
  
• Replacement earpads. (optional) The stock ones made me and my fiance's ear sweat like crazy. Not comfortable.
  
• Microphone.
  
  Now, this is just a suggestion. Just use whatever you thought sounded better when it came to your logitech's or Beats after making sure headphone mode was on in the game you're playing. Hopefully, I've given you enough to do your own research on the subject. But. For the money? I found this combo to be amazing for gaming and surround sound. Just make sure you always turn on "headphone mode" in games and you'll get the 3D experience you're after. Learn more at https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/
  
  ----------------------
  
  TLDR; Some audio nerd info. I'd personally just use whatever you thought sounded better when it came to your logitech's or Beats after making sure headphone mode was on in the game you're playing. Seeing as the surround sound effect is mostly due to the source. If you ever want to try and make the 3D effect more dramatic I linked a suggestion on a budget.
  
  

Alright guys, here it is.

Budget: $150ish. Can bend a little.

Source: iphone 5, ipod classic (like seriously, from decades ago. You can hear it click as it works), a mac, and if gaming applicable, a Samsung TV and Xbox One. I already have a converter for my old turtle beaches, so audio ports to the One won't be a problem either way.

Isolation: I'll probably use these for some travel, but largely just for personal use where I won't bother other people.

Type: I want over the ears. I've never really had any until I got some cheap turtle beaches and they are so much better. If ya'll can explain why open or closed is better, than I'll go with what you suggest.

Tonal Balance: This one's tough. I want to hear the bass clearly, not muddy. But I also don't want it to overpower the other components. When I listen to a song after the first time, I'll attempt to hear every part, usually one at a time over multiple plays. I don't want to lose a whole section and not even know it, I want to know how they all fit together. So I guess overall balanced, unless ya'll can find a better fit.

Past Headphones: Recently, in ear skullcandy ones. Mainly because they were there and nicer than any I'd owned before. I had a pair specifically because they came with a small convenient carrying case. When they broke after two years, I bought some titans, and I greatly enjoyed the improvement. I think it might have been the metal casing, but they are much clearer. But now I want some real quality ones.

Preferred music: Rap, rock, metal, "country" (much better musicianship than 90% of the stuff), acoustic versions of the aforementioned genres, Hans Zimmer, the Beatles, Daft Punk, Justice, podcasts recorded in large auditoriums, etc.

Not sure if I want just headphones or a replacement for my turtle beaches that I can easily use for just music (i.e. portable). If the sound quality takes a downturn because of gaming capability, than I'll live without.

And I'll be fine if it needs an amp as long as it doesn't go too much over my budget. I also have no idea which devices need amps more or anything about that system really.

I had previously looked at the XPT100s, but I didn't know if those were a good fit for me, and it was also before I considered the gaming possibility. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks!

I'll take over. There is no such thing as 7.1 headphones. Headphones have two speakers, but given the proper construction and design, they can effectively reproduce the surround sound. You will want a pair of audiophile headphones to do this. You're looking around $100 minimum.

There are two types of headphones: closed back and open back. Open back phones like the Audio Technica ATH-AD700 and Sennheiser HD555 have a grill on the back of each ear which allows the sound to bounce and resonate more, creating a wide "soundstage" and effectively sounds like you aren't using headphones at all. These open headphones however may lack bass and they will leak a bunch of sound to the surroundings. Also, they wont isolate your ears from outside sounds.

Closed back headphones are what most headphones are. They have a solid back. A good pair will have a good soundstage, but not as good as a pair of open backed cans. They will have typically have more bass response and they will also isolate sound better, with less leakage. The Audio Technica ATH-A700 are a great pair of closed back headphones.

If leakage is a problem for you (say you play games in the same room your spouse watches television or works, or your computer fans are loud), or you really want a thumping bass, go for a pair of closed headphones. Otherwise, open cans will provide more of a surround experience at the cost of potential weak bass and lots of sound leakage.

I have a pair of ATH-A700 (closed back) and I love them. A lot of redditors like the HD555s and the ATH-AD700s as well, which is why I linked them. You will want a sound card with surround virtualization such as Dolby Headphone to fully take advantage of surround sound (this is what the logitech headsets use). I recommend a ASUS Xonar DG which can be found for $20 after MIR. It has surround in its drivers and also has a headphone amplifier, which will turn your headphones into a new beast. If you don't have a free PCI port, go for the ASUS Xonar U3 USB, which is essentially the DG in USB form minus a few things like 24 bit audio (games don't use this anyway) and speaker connections. Alternatively, you can use your onboard card, but it will not be nearly as good as a dedicated source.

Feel free to ask any more questions. I recently bought headphones and a sound card, so I did a lot of research and can help out if you need. Also, browse Head-Fi for reviews and advice about headphones, and /r/headphones and /r/audiophile here on reddit.

Here's my advice: Get a decent pair of headphones and a shabby pair of speakers. It doesn't have to be anything expensive. Buy this pair of headphones, this is what I use for basic tracking and what I used for a really long time just to mix with: Audio-Technica ATH-20x. These are by no means incredible headphones, they're not top-of-the-line, but they have a pretty decent and balanced sound to them and are going to be cans you'll want with you even if you're working in a super nice studio, if not just purely for reference.

Studio monitors are not the kind of thing you want to skimp out on and you're probably going to want to get at least a few years of use out of them. Save up your money and don't worry about it for now. You're just writing, you really don't need to make something that sounds SUPER professional right this second. Just don't make the mistake of skimping out and buying some cheap ass monitors that set you back and end up not even being very good.

This is pretty much what I did. I began work on my album using a crappy pair of speakers and the aforementioned headphones, saved up money, bought a nice pair of generation 1 Rokit 8's on a VERY nice deal I stumbled upon one day on Craigslist, bought a dedicated audio interface, and upgraded my headphones so that I have a pair of open-back cans to use for primary reference while using my old ATH-20xs for alternate reference.

It might not be the answer you want to hear, but I feel pretty good about how I decided to go about doing things, and studio monitors are definitely not the kinda thing to move in on when you only have a budget of 100-200 bucks.

I went back and re-worked my mixes on my studio monitors once I acquired them and I don't regret a thing. Like I said, all that crappy gear you were working on before will still be of some use when it comes to reference during mixing and/or mastering.

Good luck!

My main headphones recently stopped working properly so I'm looking for a replacement. I would use them for gaming with a priority on immersion, and as I already have a modmic I don't need a headset. I do watch a lot of videos and sometimes films, so them being good for that would be nice as well, but it isn't strictly the priority.

Budget - I'd like to spend no more than £100 but if necessary I'm willing to go a little over.

Source - My computer, a DAC/AMP would be nice but that would likely be outside of my budget.

Requirements for Isolation - Only going to be used at home, I can use some other headphones when quietness is needed.

Preferred Type of Headphone - Full-sized

Preferred tonal balance - I think I'd want balanced?

Past headphones - Well my headphones that just broke were the Creative Aurvana Live! and I'm currently using Koss Porta Pros until I get a replacement. I can't really say what I like about them.

Preferred Music - Lately I've been listening to classical, and I would say it's my favourite, but I do also listen to Rock and occasionally Electronic.

What would you like to improve on from your set-up - Can't honestly say I know, I felt like something was lacking with my old headphones but I don't have the technical knowledge to pinpoint it.

Location - UK, mainly use Amazon Prime for purchases but if I can get it somewhere else for cheaper then I will.

Other - So I spent a fair bit of last night researching this and the headphones that got mentioned a lot were the SHP9500, the Audio Technica AD series, HD558/598 and sometimes the DT770/990.

The annoying thing is, while the SHP9500 are fantastic value over in the US, like $50-70, they're equivalent to $155 here, at least on Amazon. Now, I could get the 990 for about the same price (£109 for 9500, £104 for DT990) but I would have to get a DAC/AMP to power them, which would put it way over my budget, and the SHP9500's have a detachable cable, which sounds fantastic right now. However, I don't want to be spending money on headphones that are worse than others I could get for the same price.

I've seen the 559's but I don't know what the difference between those and the 558's is, but if they're the same, then I could get them for £89.99 from Amazon.

I've heard mixed things about the AD series and the cheapest ones are still expensive for my budget at £119, again on Amazon.

Trying to decide between these is honestly difficult considering that most of the reviewers and resources are from the US and so they're basing the "bang-for-your-buck" value on the prices of the items over there, where they're a lot cheaper. I'm not saying I'd only pick from these, just that they're the headphones that are mentioned the most when trying to find good open-back headphones for gaming on a small budget. If any of you guys can suggest headphones that are just as good, if not better, but at a better price for my region then I'd happily consider them. Thanks.

Klipsch Image s4 - $56 - recomended these to a coworker and he loves them. edit: forgot to mention said co-worker is 6'3" so I know the cord on these is long enough.

HiFiMan RE0 - $79 - Phenomenal sound but will require a small amp like a FiiO E5 to get the best out of them, otherwise you'll think they lack bass. I own them and keep them at work. Cord is pretty long, longer for sure than my panasonic hje900's or Audio Technica CK10's.

Shure SE115 - $69.99 - I haven't tried these but I have owned Shure e3c's in the past and love them, and can attest to their quality.

Shure SE215 - $90 - These are quite popular and the price is fantastic. They're the direct step up to the SE115 and have the added bonus of a detachable cable. Shure usually bundles nice accessories with their headphones, multiple tip styles, a case...

Etymotic ER7 - $75 - Great sound, clear and well defined. They've also got inline ipod/iphone controls if you have that. Decent bass. Nice accessories and extra tips, 2 year warranty.

But also check the IEM's reviewed link. That's a TOME and has almost every earbud worth talking about covered.

250?! Okay then, this will be fun :)

Just remember though, that higher number in headphones series does not always mean better. eg DT880 > DT770 is not always true. Yours focus more on bass and treble, while the middle ground is left out, Also called V shaped headphone. While the 880's are neutral on most areas, while emphasizing mostly on the treble. Two completely different things, all comes down to taste :)


*****

• Audio Technica ATH-AD500X Open Back [$79.95] Permanent cable.
  
  *****
  
  
• Audio Technica ATH-AD700X Open-Back [$94 on sale.] Permanent cable.
  
  *****
  
  
• Audio Technica ATH-AD900X Open-Back [$138.94] Permanent cable.
  
  *****
  
  
• Audio Technica ATH-AD1000X Open-Back [$293.99] Permanent cable.
  Over budget I know, but this is also where we reach a new level. You can look at the Z-Reviews of the AD series headphones. He's missing the 700x's, but has most others :)
  
  
  All AD headphones are fantastic, they do get increasingly better up untill 900x. Where the 2000x, 1000x and 900x can come down to taste. I prefer the 1000's over the rest as they contain a bit of midbass, while the 2000's are super clear and analytical, where those who listen to classical music will absolutely orgasm over them.
  I've specifically bought AD velour earpads over the standard leather pads on my own headphones, because of the amazing comfort.
  
  
  
• Beydynamic DT990 Semi-Open-Back [32 Ohm] [$146.97] Permanent cable.
  
  
  *****
  
• Philips X2/27 Fidelio Premium [$254.18] Detachable cable. Replaceable earpads.
  Often compared with Sennheiser HD600 [$400]. People have complained that the sound of the X2's has been bad, but it turns out the headphones are actually exposing poorly mastered/rendered music. It also has a massive soundstage, this is a winner for games where listening matters. You can see impressions over at Head-Fi, these are people who own multiple headphones in the $1000 zone, so don't be afraid of a mediocre rating.
  30ohm, so even a phone can power them fine.
  
  *****
  
• Philips SHP9500 Open-Back [$75.95] Detachable cable.
  Said to be among the most comfortable objects one can place on the head. Also a very good soundstage, not in the X2's category, but still good.
  
  *****
  
  
• Z-Reviews: What makes Good Gaming Headphones? He also debunks surround headsets' marketing. It's not better.
  
  *****
  
  I know there is a boatload of things here to pick from, but promise me to research into these things and maybe find something else I haven't mentioned. Headphones or headsets for that matter are an investment and should last +5 years.
  
  Happy listening! :)

I have a large, though not huge head, and the HD650s are comfortable on me. They did clamp a bit tight at first, but feel great if i just extend the headphones out a bit further than i would normally do with my DT770s. Also, many people on the net have pointed out you can put your headphones on a shoebox like you would on your head when you aren't using them (or a couple of text books, or even a manequin head if you have one lying around....). This will loosen them up a bit without harming them.

Personally i have not had to do this, but i am tempted to buy a manequin head just because it would be creepy and also to keep the headphones safe when not in use :)

I can't really speak to if the HD650 is worth the extra cash to you. Some people on Headfi prefer the HD600 as they find them more neutral. Personally i love the HD650s, i also dislike shrill mids like you described and those are definitely not a problem on the HD650s, these are so soothing i can easily wear/listen to any type of music.

I bought my HD650s on amazon one day when they went on sale for $420 (plus they came with a $50 amazon gift card on top of that). So once you counted the sale price plus that good as cash gift card they cost me $370.

http://camelcamelcamel.com/Sennheiser-HD-650-Headphones/product/B00018MSNI?context=browse

They aren't on sale now, and don't look like they have been for almost 4 months. But anyway you could find a good deal if you are patient and keep checking online for them.

*edit: well hopefully they go on sale again, i have heard Sennheiser started cracking down on places like amazon for selling them below what Sennheiser demands......

I only deal with open headphones so here's what I'd recommend. You can skip an amp with any of these and be fine.

Audio-Technica ath-ad900x - I have these with the exact setup you want. The modmic was a little annoying to get to attach right but it hasn't fallen off. They sound great but not a ton of low end. The head suspension thing is comfy but kinda fiddly. Steal a worn out hair tie from your girl and put it between the arms and then forget it's there. Recommended without hesitation.

Sennheiser HD598 - warm sound, comfy. Not much to say, they're easy to listen to, easy to drive, and they're reasonably priced. Also recommend without hesitation.

I'd advise against the DT-990s unless you can return them if you don't like them. The v-shape sound is very polarizing and you'll either like it or you won't. I found the highs to be like an ice pick to the brain with most things I listened to. Some well produced stuff sounded great but they're fatiguing to listen to. They are also the most uncomfortable headphones I've ever put on my head, ymmv. I returned them.

If you feel like hitting the top of your budget I LOVE my Philips Fidelio X2. These actually replaced my Audio-Technicas as my daily driver. Great bass, good mid range, little grainy on the highs but it isn't harsh and how much depends on the recording. They're really comfortable but also a little on the heavy side. Again, recommend you buy from somewhere you can return just in case.

Any other questions let me know.

Hi, so I'm looking to upgrade after over a decade of using the Audio Technica ATH-A900s. These things were my first real upgrade in the headphone department way back when and I think it's time to get with the times in this category. They have really served their purchase very well and anything that is an improvement will be amazing. The only problem I have had is the head foam pads have worn down after years of use and now start to hurt the top of my head after long use and are actually broken at this point.

I've done research using the above tools and I'm still a little bit on the edge of what to go with. Here's what I'm looking at and some of my parameters.

Budget - Really it's more about quality than price so if there is something a little bit above budget but is really that big of a step up I'm willing to take it. Looking in the $200-400 price range right now.


Source - Gonna be mostly plugging these into my computer for gaming and movie watching/music listening. They get plugged into my bose speakers (really low-tier 2.0 desktop speakers) and the thing I do most on my computer is gaming.


Isolation - not super important to me cause mostly gaming in my house and bleed-over and background noise is not a big problem at the moment.


Public use - probably not much but would occasionally take them with me for LAN parties and maybe the sporadic wear during long train/bus rides where I'd rather get a better experience than just my earbuds.


Type: Over-the-ear for sure. On ear usually bothers me after an hour or so comfort is super important for me. I think open-back is probably what I'm looking for but not sure?


Tonal Balance: Not super important for me so I think a balanced pair of headphones with high-clarity for ease of picking out positional audio and I don't need it to shake my head with bass. Since movie/show watching is a primary use I imagine vocal ranges being stressed would be good? But I don't want to lose out on that sweet competitive positional audio.


Past Headphones: ATH900s for the past 10 years. Super satisfied with them but time for an upgrade and they're starting to hurt the top of my head. Comfort wise, these were amazing around my ears.


Music: I listen to lots of pop/rap/ballad style and a lot of other things, nothing specific here to stress.


Improvements: Comfort, 10 years worth of tech upgrades, more detailed sound? I'm not a super audiophile, so I'm not sure what the weaknesses of my headphones were so any improvement would be amazing.

Current short list of things I'm looking at: AKG K712 Pro, Sennheiser HD600, Audio Technica ATH-R70x,

Any suggestions? Are these 3 headphones going to satisfy what I'm looking for? Am I on the right track? Is there something I haven't looked at yet that I should be? Any help is greatly appreciated!

Hello everybody, since my pair of headset broke and i have enough of cheap headset, i want to buy a nice headset (and a microphone but i already which one i'll buy (a ModMic v4.0)). Here's my criterias :

• Budget - from 0 to about 170€ (MAX)
  
• Source - a regular PC, a phone...
  
• Requirements for Isolation - I'll be using it at home (since there is no door on my room, you can imagine that i need a bit of isolation), at my friend's home, at my grandma's home, on the train
  
• Preferred Type of Headphone - IEM ? regular ones, a full size then i guess
  
• Preferred tonal balance - An overall balanced pair of headphones
  
• Past headphones - a bad Triton headset for an xbox (ear were pressed and hurt after a while), a steelseries siberia 100 (they broke), I used a Technics RP-F600 (this one was good but maybe too cheap, over-ear design was design I appreciated it)
  
• Preferred Music - I listen to a lot of things, i like metal as i like rap, i like classic (Stravinsky), i like mathematic metal (Meshuggah), i like rap (Alkpote, Columbine), i like prog rock (Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Yes), i like rock (Steven Wilson, The Beatles, Rush, Van Halen), i like electro music (Mr.Oizo, Daft Punk), punk (Bérurier Noir), prog metal (Tool, Porcupine Tree, Opeth), etc etc etc.
  
  What would you like to improve on from your set-up - Just a nice headset, with a nice balance, the nicest reproduction of what i listen to (i listen to .flac, no mp3 64kbp) if it's games, i want to have the best reproduction for the price.
  
  Location - I live in France
  
  I hope you can help me choose a headset, i have found one, but i'm not sure about the open-design, the headset i might buy is the AKG K-702 (not the K-701 since i heard that the bass are too light on the 701).
  
  Thank you for help me !

Alright, incoming rant.

Let's start off with the difference of 5.1 vs 7.1, shall we? The logitec set is only $10 more expensive and it's full 7.1 not just 5.1, surely it's got superior sound quality! Well, no. No it does not. Why? It's a pair of headphones, and this particular pair is powered by two drivers. Now this raises the question, what the hell is a driver?!? Put simply, a driver is the speaker cone, it makes the sound. Technically, it's a piece of <material> ringed with <metal> with a small disk in the middle, with a high powered magnet behind it, that's where the power consumption is from. The magnet receives anywhere from 44.1 thousand to 192 thousand on/off signals per second, depending on your sound card's settings and capabilities.

But back to that 5.1/7.1 thing. The logicec set decodes the audio in 7.1, which means if you play back something in 7.1 out of the computer, it will not be converted to your setup at that stage. The feature of 5.1 or 7.1 is strictly a *marketing gimmic. Any headphones made by almost any company other than sennheiser, audio technica, shure, head-direct, or <other makers of fine small driver gear> will be only meh sounding, and importantly, only powered by 2 drivers.

So, what exactly does 5.1 vs 7.1 mean in this case? Well, it means jack shit. At the driver level, both of them convert to 2.0, meaning two channels, left and right. Typical 7.1 would be front center, front left, front right, rear right, rear left, right, left, bass (bass being the 0.1). 5.1 is the same without the dedicated left and right outputs. The problem here? I just told you these headphones only have two outputs, and will only ultimately read to left and right. Sure, logitec vied for the chip that costs an extra $2 so they can write 7.1, but that means nothing here.

Understand that the 7.1 vs 5.1 is meaningless now? Good.

-----

Thermaltake has stuck to the more technically relevant specs in their listing, terms like "diffuse-field equalized " and nominal ohms mean nothing to the end user, and again, with only two drivers will make no difference at the end of the day.

What you should take form this is that both sets have the same reproduction range (high to low / vice versa) and have the same impedance (sound dampening/time treating, nothing to be worried about, 32ohms is normal.) Your Ohm count only needs to be raised when doing mega-scale amplifying, because high frequency sound moves faster than low frequency sound and you might get audible "tearing" without adjusting it on the ultra-loud end. Again, nothing to worry about, this doesn't matter here.

----

So, blah blah blah rant rant rant, what do I recommend? Well, I recommend getting a good pair of headphones, and a cheap mic. This is the internet and your voice is being transmitted at anywhere from 16 to 84 kilobits per second (your music is probably being played at 128 or 320kbps), in short, studio mics won't have studio level performance for this.

So, recommendations.

Do you want in-ear headphones (some are called earbuds, what I will recommend here are IEMs, in-ear monitors [a monitor is an expensive driver/speaker cone])? Or do you want over-ear headphones? Over-ear phones typically have better quality, but can be uncomfortable. Likewise, in-ear phones will be more convenient, but probably sound a bit worse and have a bit less bang for your buck, while possibly being less comfortable.

IEMs:

1 - Absolute sonic clarity, across the board even and neutral reproduction: HeadDirect RE0's + Zalman mic - total: $95.09 - These babies sound much more like the dramatically more expensive IE8s than otehr ~$100 headphones, top notch recommendation. The average listener would probably miss bass, however.

2 High bass - Bose IE2 + Zalman mic - Total: $111.05 - This is your best bet if you want the best sounding headphones at face value, the drivers in these are pretty damn bass heavy and will sound amazing to the common man, an audiophile would want something with more neutrality and better across-the-board sound quality. Additionally, the stayhear tips are surprisingly effective, if you wanted to take them out with you. Jogging, riding a bus, in a car, they won't fall out.

-

Over-Ear's

1 -best quality Sennheiser HD555's + Zalman mic - Total: $116.07 - worth every penny.

Budget - $50 to 70

Source - Computer and sometimes phone (Xiaomi Redmi Note 2)

Requirements for Isolation - Working in my living room noisy parents and the banging of pots while cooking and naming new children (i'm chinese). but tbh its more for drowning out my parents chatting or my dad playing videos on his speaker beside me

Preferred Type of Headphone - over ear Circumaural design, need to be comfortable.

Preferred tonal balance - overall balanced or smooth mids (not too picky)

Past headphones - Steelseries Flux IEM (best sounding earphone's i have ever used), beyerdynamic mmx 101ie (a tad too bassy), Xiaomi Piston III (the closest i could get to the likeness of the steelseries flux iem), Xiaomi Hybrid Earphones (similar to Piston III, but i like the build quality a lot better; piston III for sound quality tho)

Preferred Music - Listen to pretty much everything TBH i can't single out a particular genre

What would you like to improve on from your set-up - Looking for a over ear Circumaural headphone with a very wide open sound stage.
These are more for studying, i want the sound to be more natural and not feel like its inside my head (if that makes sense). In terms of isolation, it needs to be there but doesnt need to be super great(again i hope that makes sense). I have an Amazon gift card so im limiting my search to amazon canada.

Headphones i've looked at:

https://www.amazon.ca/Audio-Technica-ATH-M20x-Professional-Headphones/dp/B00HVLUR18/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484427734&sr=8-1&keywords=audio+technica+ath+m20x

https://www.amazon.ca/Sennheiser-Punchy-HD-451-Headphone/dp/B01DLWSMY4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484427960&sr=8-1&keywords=hd451

any suggestions are welcome so long as i can find them on amazon canada. If any one can offer any insight on the soundstage of the headphones i linked that would also be greatly appreciated.

Thank you all in advance!


Edit: Formatting

Hey Black_Halcyon

Normally I avoid the trap of telling someone to just spend more money, but you left the door wide open

• Your $100 budget is flexible
  
• You're considering buying an amp (easily another $100)
  
• You've used the "A" word ;-)
  
  The golden rule in audio is that you should spend the majority of your budget on the best possible transducer you can afford and worry about the rest later. With this in mind, my advice is to pool your money and splurge on the most affordable headphones to be universally recognised as "audiophile-grade", i.e. the Sennheiser HD 600 series.
  
  For example:
  
  
• HD 600 (from $300 on Amazon)
  
• HD 650 (from $320 on Amazon)
  
• HD 6XX ($200 from Massdrop).
  
  Going by your criteria any of the above might be a good fit.
  
  

1. The Godfather(s) of all modern open-backed headphones
   
2. New from $200, but 2003 introduction (HD 600) means that buying secondhand is an option
   
3. Works OK from PC (debatable) but scales very well with dedicated amp
   
4. Smooth and natural-sounding (i.e. less bassy than PortaPro)
   
5. Makes any good recording sound good, reasonably tolerant of poor quality tracks
   
6. Detachable cables
   
   Some notes
   
   

• HD 600 is the most neutral of the trio
  
• HD 650 and HD 6XX are more bass orientated. This is relatively speaking. Coming from a PortaPro: prepare to have your mind blown (after the initial acclimatization period) with audiophile goodness.
  
  Good luck with the decision!
  
  PS - If you are too fiscally responsive to be tempted into spending the big bucks, you could always consider the HD 58X ($150 from Massdrop). While it is more bass-heavy than the 600s, it is perhaps the biggest bargain in audiophile headphones today. And it gives its best without any need for an additional amp.
  
  ​

Since I went through the same mess recently:

AKG K702 is €110 on amazon.de right now, incredible price for what it is. AKG's website lists it at $349 but that seems unrealistic, but I couldn't find it on amazon.com so whatever (edit: I actually found it and didn't realize, and it's $200 in the US!). It's really a good starting point in my opinion since it's so "unopinionated". It's also astonishingly comfortable, it's super lightweight so you barely feel the headband. In comparison the Fidelio X2 is like a brick on my head. For the genres you listed, in my experience so far, metal can be meh (depends really, right now I have Baying of the Hounds playing and it's alright), jazz is very enjoyable (but "jazz"?? depends even more)... if I'm understanding what you mean by "acoustic chill" correctly that's totally fine. EDM I don't really listen to, but I do listen to techno/tech house/deep house and it's an interesting experience. It doesn't move your head like the music sometimes aims to do, but you can actually listen to everything that's going on, so that's nice to have if you're interested. It's excellent with trance since there's so much going on all the time and now you can follow it all.

That leaves you enough room to get a JDS Atom for €170 [1] and then €97 for a DAC... I'm quite happy with my FX Audio DAC-X6; but if you already wrote off that budget, Topping D30 is way superior in the audiosciencereview measurements. Then again the consensus seems to be that the difference would not be audible -- I haven't used another DAC myself so I don't have an opinion on this. And don't rely on X6's amp (since you already have the budget), e.g. the reduction in background noise was very obvious going from X6 alone to X6+Atom.

[1]: yes it's twice the price in EU compared to US unfortunately. No it's not an amazon reseller ripoff, shipping + tax already comes close and then you don't have to deal with customs etc.

more edit: I just saw that you said you're from Turkey. Do you live there? How do you plan to use amazon.de (with the new zero-allowance customs policy etc.), ship to Turkey or someone in Germany/EU receives and brings to you? I'm asking because in your case it might be better to order directly from JDS. You would have to deal with customs yourself though, I imagine that's huge trouble if you're not in İstanbul.

i'm rocking a set of senn 598SEs (now the 598SR or C[closed back, lower imp], but both are slightly cheaper feeling build quality, but still decent enough) paired to a presonus firepod (mostly because i prefer fulltime streaming vs packet protocols for audio, but to each their own) and my mic is an MXL 990 on an articulating boom arm. speakers are presonus eris e5's with an onkyo powered subwoofer run though a 2 channel 15 band eq.

i will admit i go a bit overboard with these things. :)

as side notes; presonus has many audiobox variants that tend to be a bit cheaper, and there's a lot of general things you can plug in a machine via usb or pci-e that will give you equal quality if all you care about is basic in/out but clear.

as for mics the MXL line has a bunch of other options including the 770 which is just as nifty, at 50-60 usd. its not quite as awesome for vocal recording if you're into proper production, but it'll suffice for anyone doing streaming/youtube/general gaming stuff where relative clarity is desired. there's usb variants as well, for those who wish to keep things as simple as possible.

speakers; i have no complaints with my eris e5s, but i will be the first to admit they aren't fully flat like a set of monitors should be. they suffice for my needs though. and at $200/set they were awesome with a nice full sound that really only lacked that really low end punch. if not getting a 'proper' interface for it, you'll need to get the right cables to hook up to a regular pc style sound card (either 3.5mm to rca cable or some of the higher end audio cards have rca outs, so the eris speakers will hook up with straight rca cables in those cases. i have no idea what ROKRs have for connections, its been a while.)

the sub is literally just some 10" powered sub from a thrift store run i had kicking around and is usually hooked to my av setup. if it sounds alright and has the relevant hookups (my eq has a set of unbalanced RCA outs, for instance, gotten specifically for the subwoofer hookup) then you're gold and can sort of cheap out. it doesn't go as low as i want, but i'll be building my own solely for the subsonic potential later on. if you're in an apartment, perhaps skip the sub if you wish to be nice to your neighbors :)

don't cheap out on cables, but don't drop the bank. avoid monster. any decent music shop will be able to point you to a decent ratio of good/cost. if you can afford it and know how to solder, make your own with mogami or similar quality (quality, not cost!) bulk cable and some neutrik ends. you don't have to get mogami, there are some good lower end brands, and i imagine the folks over at gearslutz forum could point you in the right direction for any and all cable needs, as well as anything else. there's probably reviews and testings of most of the gear you could want to know about as well.

cheers!

I'm kind of new to the world of quality headphones, but I have always appreciated the art. The most I have had are a random pair of cheap headphones from my local store, and the crappy apple earpods. So its time for a change. I've spent quite a few weeks learning and researching about headphones in general, I have visited the /r/headphones' Purchase Assistant which was not only very helpful but also helped me understand what I want. After it all, I have narrowed down the selection to a handful of potential headphones which I think are suitable for my specific needs. I have included my list below, after some useful information for you guys to understand me better..about my headphone needs:

• Budget - £100 - £400. I can push it up couple of quids if needed. But ideally, something that is best value for money. Currency: Pound Sterling.
  
  
• Source - Going to be plugging the headphones into my PC. As far as I know, there's nothing special about my motherboard (MSI Gaming 5) so I wouldn't be too fussed if the headphones require a DAC and AMP, as long as headphones + dac/amp doesn't go too much above my budget.
  
  
• Requirements for Isolation - As much as I like the idea of complete isolation, I cannot afford to do so. Since I will only be using these at home, there are times when I will need to respond to phone calls, door bells, conversations, people chatting shit about me, etc. so I can't completely isolate myself. Sound leak is fine - I have my own room. Long story short: Open back headphones are be ideal.
  
  
• Will I use these Headphones in Public? Nope. Home set up only.
  
  
• Preferred Type of Headphone - Over-ear/Full sized (that's what she said)
  
  
• Preferred Use of Headphone - The main aim for these headphones will be gaming > movies > music in that order. Games: Single players as well as competitive multiplayers. Solely based on what I have read, when it comes to gaming, headphones with a large soundstage would be ideal as long as there is localization/imaging present to accurately portray where the sound is coming from. This is best achieved by open back headphones. However, one particular thread on tomshardware made me doubt what I understood. TL;DR of that post: open back headphones with big soundstage create too much echo, effectively making the localization much worse because you don't know where the sound is coming from - especially in an already echoey environment of a game. They recommended closed-back. This is probably where I will need input the most, from guys who have tested both types of headphones for this specific use. When it comes to music, yes I will definitely be using them for music but not as much? Music type is usually theme songs of games and movies, classical, vocal, and random stuff people suggest on internet.
  
  
• Preferred tonal balance - As mentioned above, since its mostly games with not as much music, and even in music, its pretty random I think it would be best if the signature is balanced, neutral, flat? The word flat makes it sound boring..
  
  
• Past headphones - Crappy cheap earphones not worth mentioning.
  
  
  
  So that's basically what I have deduced for myself, at least what I think I want. Based on the above, below is a list of headphones I think fits my needs. However, a few are included in the list simply because of their songs of praise all over the internet.
  
  
• AKG K702 Reference Open-Back Over-Ear Studio Headphones
  
  
• Audio-Technica Professional Open-Back Reference Headphone - Black
  
  
• Beyerdynamic DT 990 Premium Edition HiFi Headphone - Fully Open Backed Construction
  
  
• Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro Headphones - Black Limited Edition
  
  
• HIFIMAN HE-400i Full-Size Planar Magnetic Headphone
  
  
• HIFIMAN HE400S Over Ear Full-Size Planar Magnetic Headphone
  
  
• Sennheiser HD 650 Audiophile Open-Back Dynamic Headphones

All info below. Thanks in advance!

Budget: ~ $100. This is pretty flexible though. I'd be willing to spend around $150 if I though it was worth it.

Source: Laptop, iPad, iPhone

Requirements for isolation: I'd like a fair amount of isolation. I'm starting school in the fall so i'll be doing a lot of studying. I'm sure I'll be spending lots of time in a library where it isn't too loud to begin with, but I do like studying in cafes and other public areas as well.

Preferred Type of headphone: Full-sized.

Preferred tonal balance: I'm thinking i'd like something pretty balanced since I listen to a wide array of music genres.

Past headphones: I've never owned a "nice" pair of headphones. I've always had the $20 kind of headphones you get from walmart, best buy, etc.

Preferred music: Everything from electronic/house to old-school rap to country.

After doing some of my own research (thank you, Headphone Buying Guide!!) I've come across some headphones that I think i'd like (below). Any opinions on these would be great. I'd also love some other options if you guys think I might be missing out on something!

Cheaper end of the price range:

NVX Audio XPT100 (http://www.amazon.com/NVX-Over-Ear-Headphones-ComfortMax-Cushions/dp/B0093PVTPS)

KRK KNS6400 (http://www.amazon.com/KRK-KNS6400-Studio-Headphones/dp/B004ARSMXQ)

Higher end of price range:

Audio-Technica ATH-M50xWH (http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M50x-Professional-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B00HVLUR86)

KRK KNS8400 (http://www.amazon.com/KRK-KNS8400-Studio-Headphones/dp/B004ARUO2S)

Audio-Technica ATH-M50 (http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M50-Professional-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B000ULAP4U)


Lastly, I'm pretty big on comfort. I plan on wearing these headphone for hours on end.

Thanks!

Budget - Flexible. Would prefer not much more than $300 but the absolute limit would be $400.

Source - Laptop, PC, and an iPhone via Bluetooth. I need it to be wireless.

Requirements for Isolation - I view isolation as something I don't need to spend money on. I spend a lot of time at home, in libraries, and in my car/the bus. The bus is probably quieter than my car, but the car never really bothers me. If it would help with volume (and save my hearing a bit) I'd be willing to splurge. Full disclosure, I've never tried noise cancelling headphones.

Will you be using these Headphones in Public?: Yes

Preferred Type of Headphone - Full sized.

Preferred tonal balance - IMHO, rich bass > more bass. Balanced or smooth mids are probably my preference.

Past headphones - My first REAL headphones are an older model of Sennheiser HD 598s. I absolutely love everything about them, but they are literally falling apart after 6 years of use. I want to go with bluetooth (and also may get another set for an in-home theater setup in the future, if you have any recommendations in that arena.)

Preferred Music - Main genres are Chillhop and whatever you can call bands like Khruangbin. Side note: I'll also be using this for gaming and watching shows/movies.

Some examples: A Calf Born in Winter, Mr. White, Tony's Belated Breakfast, Akaido, Happy Hours


What would you like to improve on from your set-up - Cordless. I'm perfectly happy with the sound quality of my current setup (but better never hurts). Also a good bluetooth adapter recommendation would help as well, as my PC doesn't have it built in.

Grado. I've been rocking the 125i's for 5 years now. I once needed some super glue to stop the headband from disconnecting from the ear cup (I think it comes apart so people can swap out the headband if desired) but other than that I can't imagine these things going bad any time soon. I think they sound better than ever actually after a few years of solid use to really loosen the drivers. To be honest I take care of them and don't typically wear them outside(The cable is long and heavy more on that later) but I'm certain that these will hold up if my pair has anything to say about the company. Grado is a small family owned American company and their headphones are well worth the price if you are interested in high quality audio.

When I first bought them, I saw the kinks in the rubber cable and though that they were fragile. Now I realize how thick the actual cable is compared to cheap ear buds. The cable before the split is as thick as a pencil. This is for sound quality but it also greatly helps durability. Also to note, if you like heavy bass like beats they might not be for you. Personally I appreciate the brightness and accuracy in the high and mid end that allows everything to sound so clear. They really make you appreciate quality album production because every note sings. Sorry if this comes off as biased. I love my Grado's. I understand there's lots of good headphone choices though.

For your consideration, here's the introductory model. http://www.amazon.com/Grado-Prestige-Series-SR-60i-Headphones/dp/B0006DPMU4

I use a crappy Sharkk mouse I got for 15 dollars from EBay. It may feel flimsy and I may have to super glue the scroll wheel to the actually wheel every couple weeks but hey it works. I mainly bought this because A) It was on sale for 15 dollars B) It has two extra buttons and C) It got dem lights.

For my keyboard I'm using a flips keyboard over [KB-0325](http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/z/fYcAAMXQhuVROMdI/$(KGrHqF,!jkFD1HN61hYBROMdIB!d!~~60_1.JPG) (Not my image). I actually really like this keyboard even if it is ancient. It gets the job done and while the 4 key on the number pad messes up occasionally and types multiple 4's, I'm not sure if I would enjoy anything better. I've had it since I built my computer and its always stuck by my side through thick and thin.

Headphone wise I'm using JVC HARX700's. I actually really like these headphones and I got them as a gift so I'm happy.

I don't know if it counts but I borrowed a Blue Yeti Mic from for almost four months before returning it last month. I mainly used the Blue to record. no not another crappy lets play video, but I'm currently working on some heavier vocal stuff.

So as you see a big factor in my purchases is price. I'm not proud of my gear, but I am willing to go out on a limb and buy a cheaper rip off version and save a few bucks toward a car and the likes then spend 100 dollars on a mouse so I can feel cool. Not that expensive parts are bad, I just personally find I can get by with cheaper things and save money for other things be it cars, school, food, or my PC innards (GTX 660, 8gig Corsair RAM, 2+1tb Western Digital and Seagate HDD, AMD Phenom II x4, cheap Cooler Master Case, MSI Military Class mother board that I cant remember). I may be a penny pincher and I do know that cheap things don't last quite as long, but in my current situation cheap will get me buy.

Good luck to everyone else and thanks for the giveaway OP!

This year I made an amazon wishlist, and the nice thing about it is you can add items from any website to it (there's a google chrome extension but you can do it from your amazon wishlist, as well.) Some things that I added:

• Gift cards to Etsy and places I like to buy clothes from
  
• A new pair of cheapo earbuds for my purse
  
• These nice headphones
  
• A new ambidexterious gaming mouse (I game right handed but prefer to do everything else on the computer left handed and I don't want multiple mice)
  
• Crafty things (wool, painting supplies, watercolour paper)
  
• Food/candy items for stocking stuffer ideas
  
• A 64gb usb 3.0 drive
  
• A new ipod charging cable
  
• Some stuff from Sephora
  
• A few cool adult colouring books like this
  
• Some art related books (painting, hand lettering) that look interesting but I would never think to buy for myself (my family is big into books)
  
• Sheets, a mattress topper, and a mattress pad
  
• Cards Against Humanity
  
• A link to my steam wishlist
  
  
  
  I basically just took a few hours one evening and surfed the web and added things that looked cool, then revised it the next day and removed anything I didn't actually want. A lot of it is stuff I probably wouldn't buy for myself but I'd enjoy having. I tried to add a variety of stuff in the price range department and I thought listing out gift cards to specific places for clothes/etsy stuff was a better idea than them picking it out because that's usually hard.
  
  
  For etsy itself, I have a few different lists - things I'm going to buy, things I'll probably buy, and things that are maybes. If certain people (my mom, my sister) wanted to see it and pick something out from it I'd let them and that's part of the reason I've organized it that way (and so I know what I like from which stores without having to search through the whole store)

It really depends on your budget, if you want to get something that'll last a while I'd suggest the following:

http://schiit.com/products/modi

This is the Schiit Modi DAC. A DAC is a Digital to Analog converter, it pretty much does what a soundcard does, but it's better than your average soundcard

http://schiit.com/products/magni

This is the Schiit Magni amp, often paired with the Schiit Modi DAC. You probably know what an amp does,

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-Dynamic-Professional-Stereo-Headphones/dp/B00004SY4H

This is the Sennheiser hd600. It's a headphone that's been around for over a decade, and it still is one of the best price/performance headphones around. It will scale nicely with your equipment. It is considered to be very neutral, and has a marvelous soundstage.

The total price of this set will be $598. Expensive? Yes. Worth it? In my opinion, definitely. This will easily last you 5 years or longer. Although it would be wise to search for an used hd600, as they are often found for half the price.


I hope this helps you.. It better does, as I made this post on my phone, which is very laggy and I deleted everything by accident and had to start typing it all over again..


Feel free to ask any questions!

I used to commute and work in Chelsea, that being said, might I recommend two purchases, given your budget? Also note that we listen to similar genres, I'm Hispanic so I grew up/love salsa mostly (do listen to some bachata and merengue but it's not my people's main thing..), but have since branched out quite a lot. I do think it's important to get recommendations from people that listen to similar stuff though.

I think you'll really appreciate an IEM (in ear monitor/earbuds) for your actual commute and an over ear set of cans for the office (though I actually still mostly use IEMs since people talk in my office and we have some loud fans, etc) Over ear cans provide some isolation, but nothing that can really stand up to NYC commute noise.

I think that if you really want over-ear then I would suggest a budget IEM that has served me really well, the Soundmagic E10 (http://www.amazon.com/SoundMAGIC-Isolating-In-Ear-Earphones-BlackGunmetal/dp/B005HP3OB0) they don't break the bank and will blow your apple earbuds out of the water. I use them whenever I'm in a noisy environment. They've become my primary driver whenever I go to NYC for work since they're also very comfortable.

I will defer to others here to give you recommendations on over-ear cans. The only closed backs I have are the ever so popular ATH-M50 which were my first official headphone. I really like them, but you can really get better given you're willing to spend a lot more than I initially was.

One last note, your iphone is a great source. If you find that your laptop sucks in comparison, may I also suggest the audioquest Dragonfly DAC? Available for around $150 on Amazon, it will improve your laptop's sound quality and is extremely portable. I never leave the house without it as the PC I use in NYC has the most terrible soundcard ever. If your laptop is a MAC, you're probably fine (though some will argue the Dragonfly is still a worthy purchase and I would agree)

Lastly, "En barranquilla me quedo" by Joe Arroyo is a super fun track to try out new headphones with. I can't speak eloquently as far as its "properties" go, but just listen to it and you'll understand what I mean. Good luck, happy buying!

What I am looking for: Suggestion for a Headphone + Amp + DAC

Budget: I don't have a fixed budget, but I'd like to keep it under 1,200 dollars.

Source: Desktop.

Requirements for Isolation: None required.


Preferred Type of Headphone: Full-sized.


Preferred tonal balance: I like a rich and warm sound with an emphasis on bass.

Past headphones: Beyer DT 770 80 (sold) and Sennheiser HD 598.

Preferred Music: I like to listen to rock and jazz. And sometimes classical music.

First of all, let me say that it's been always my dream to buy a HD 650, but I could never afford it. Is it still a good headphone or has Sennheiser (or other brand) launched a better version of it? Amazon has it at 379.00, which seems like a good price.

Back to the topic, I'd like a "combo" (cans+amp+dac) that would allow me to listen to a "warm" sound, with emphasis on bass. I don't know which amp or dac, you guys would suggest, but as for the cans, I was thinking about the HD 650, but I am open to suggestions.

Thanks!

I just looked up the venue, wow what a beautiful place to see a show! That pit really is tiny, looks like you're right on the money with your estimate of its capacity. Honestly that could either make queuing tougher or easier; tougher because people may be more competitive about getting a spot, easier because there's fewer people to deal with. Impossible to tell which way it'll go until you're there.

I feel you on not being very social, I've got anxiety issues so being around strangers is really difficult sometimes. Best I can suggest is to keep in mind that people are generally good, and that everyone you see is there for the same reason you are. Having that common ground can make it easier to chat with folks. I'm not sure what Thom/Radiohead fans are like IRL (I've somehow missed RH every time they've toured since becoming a fan in 2005) but if this sub is any indication it seems like they're a goofy, nice bunch. Even if you don't wind up befriending anyone people will probably still look out for you so long as you're polite & do the same for them, it's part of the comraderie that naturally forms when you queue together all day.

Bathroom runs are usually no big deal, I just ask the people around me to watch my spot & it almost always works out even if I haven't talked to them. If the queue is unstable (people drifting around a lot, walking up from the back etc) I'll leave behind my snack & water bag as a physical marker for my spot too. No one will mess with it, if only because there are other people around.

Couple other things I forgot that're worth keeping in mind:

• Don't bring a bag if you can avoid it. I usually bring a couple bottles of water & some snacks in a disposable plastic bag so I can just throw out whatever's left when doors open. Everyone's gonna get patted down after their tickets are scanned but having a bag that needs to be searched will slow you down.
  
  
• If you're not already planning to, wear ear plugs. I wish I had done this when I started going to shows 15 years ago, not using ear plugs at every show has noticeably messed up my hearing. Protection aside a good set of ear plugs can also make the music sound clearer, especially if you're up front. The cheap foam ones are OK but I'd recommend something like these, they're not too expensive & are a good deal more effective, plus they're more comfortable & you can use them for years.
  
  
• Lastly, try not to leave the queue about an hour before doors open. It doesn't always happen but that's when people are most likely to get antsy & push up or otherwise undermine the established queue. Also venues will sometimes relocate the queue which can shuffle people around, or on very rare occasions they may even open the doors a little early. After a full day of queuing last minute hiccups can be stressful but it's important to stay positive & not get discouraged. Even if you wind up further back in the line you still have a good chance of getting to the front so long as you bee-line it to the stage.

First of all, the headphone buying FAQ and excel doc is wonderful. It encourages research before blindly posting, and I think that's great. I want to thank this subreddit for the straight-forward help. Okay, on to my 'requirements' now.

• Location: France
  
  
• Budget: "Entry Level" 75-150€
  
  
• Source: Laptop & mp3 player (Zune)
  
  
• Isolation: Closed, over-ear headphones.
  
  I don't intend to travel with these headphones, but I'd like to be able to wear them in a library without bothering others, and shut out the noise of a busy cafe, if possible.
  
  
• Preferred Type of Headphone: Full-sized
  
  
• Preferred tonal balance: I'm guessing Neutral.
  
  My "Preferred Music" might suggest otherwise, I'm not sure. I understand the mechanics behind what dark/warm, V-shaped, and Neutral sound means, but I don't know the differences in sound.
  
  In my recent reading, I read that having it sound like the music is playing inside my head could be undesirable, but I've always enjoyed that effect (albeit with low-cost IEMs).
  
  That said, I don't even know what an "open soundstage" would sound like. If y'all think I should try something new... well, I am here for advice and I intend to hear ya out.
  
  
• Past headphones: I'm a frequent buyer of 10-15€ IEM headphones.
  
  I've bought Phillips, Sony, Skullcandy, JVC and probably others. The last couple were Sony, I think. I like these because of they're easy to travel with and they're efficient in shutting out noise and not bothering others.
  
  Also, they're cheap to replace when I inevitably tear the cables. Headphones with a removable cable would be best... I'm a clumsy bastard.
  
  
• Preferred Music: Pretty much everything. I don't listen to much Metal or Pop music. I have a lot of tinny old Blues recordings, so detail clarity is important.
  
  
• Options: From the excel doc, FAQ, and the Head-Fi guide, I found these: NVX XPT100, KRK KNS6400, and Sennheiser HD280. If I understood correctly, these choices should help me to avoid an amp, for now.
  
  
• Other Info: I have high-frequency hearing loss in my left ear.
  
  Let me know if I'm heading in the right direction, or if I done messed up somehow. Again, thanks to the people who contribute to this subreddit. It's been an enlightening hour or so.
  

Having an pci-e sound card might introduce some sound artifacts like cpu noise bleeding into the signal flow but it's a great start and gives you some great entry level sound. Especially with heavier headphones.

So what I'd upgrade if I were you would be the X1's. Form my experience gaming headsets usually are very boomy in the low mids and bass and you usually get fatigued by them. Especially by headphones with closed caps.
Open headphones will get you a more open, airy sound and won't hurt your ears as much during prolonged listening sessions. I'd recommend something like the AKG K240 studio or the HD 600's. These are however Reference/Studio class headphones and won't get you the hyped super bass heavy sound that is popular with gaming gear.


About the microphone. If you want something that's "audiophile worthy" it would probably be in your best interest to get a Blue Yeti and a separate pair of headphones or something like that.

Budget - less than 50 bucks

Source - Computer/Phone

Requirements for Isolation - Prefer a bit of isolation

Will you be using these Headphones in Public? - Yeah, looking for a multi-use all purpose set of headphones

Preferred Type of Headphone - IEMs

Preferred tonal balance - Able to properly deliver bass but not too crazy, nothing super bright, I tried my friend's Audio Technica M50x's and liked the sound on those if that means anything

Past headphones - Sony MDREX10LP (sounded okay, just needed some cheap IEMs at the time), Steelseries Flux (Good sound but Microphonics were very obnoxious on these, would not buy again), Sony MDR-V6(Borrowing from my Dad for the time being, not really a fan though because they seem pretty heavy on the mids/treble)

Preferred Music - Rap/Hip Hop, Electronic Music and pretty much all of it's various subgenres (anything from Flying Lotus or Four Tet to some of the harder stuff like G Jones or RL Grime.)

What would you like to improve on from your set-up - Well, I don't have any working headphones right now so anything is an upgrade

Ones I'm looking at at the moment - The SoundMAGIC E10s look pretty nice but at the same time I've been seeing some good reviews for the Xiaomi Piston 3s and the price difference is pretty crazy so I don't know if I should jump to the higher price or not, or if it's even that much of a sound difference between the two. Would you guys recommend of these for my preferences or is there something better for the prices here? Also which of these two would offer the most comfort?

Two picks that you can't go wrong with are:

Open backs: Fidelio X2 + VModa BoomPro

Closed backs: Audio-Technica MSR7 + VModa BoomPro

Spendy yes, but these are essentially the top of the heap for great sounding, well built, comfortable, and easy to use headsets. Compatible with pc and most consoles, either of these should last a lifetime save for maybe the cords or pads which are replaceable. Buying 'Used - Like New' is an option to save a bit.

If you decide using a desktop mic is an option, then the DT990's have already been suggested. The ModMic is an attachable mic option that works with everything, but it adds yet another cord so it's not an option I'm particularly fond of.

If you decide the options above are just more than you really want to spend, there are a few good budget picks as well.

So since I did a lot of searching prior to purchase but couldn't find anything - to anyone else considering using the Ikea Fredde desk and the X34 together, the the monitor stand just barely doesn't fit on the raised shelf and so I had to screw a small metal plate to the back to accommodate the rear foot of the stand. It's a fine solution and I can't see the plate during regular use so it's seamless.

I'm super happy with the monitor besides some minor bleed in the corners but UNF I just can't get over that colour accuracy and encompassing view! With this addition to my setup I feel like I'm at max level, i.e. can't "level up" (at least not very far), with regards to my audio/video setup.

Anyone with a nice ultrawide monitor shouldn't skimp out on audio too! I see a lot of ascension posts featuring $100 Logitech speakers, which are fine but you can improve on audio as much as video! To anyone looking for an excellent performance to value ratio mid-fi 2.1 audio solution to complement their ultrawide I can't recommend this combo highly enough: Audioengine A5+ bookshelf speakers + S8 subwoofer.

EDIT: Forgot about headphones! My point still stands, don't be afraid to spend more for a better experience! I love my Philips Fidelio X2 for both gaming and movies. If you're in the market for some cans head on over to /r/headphones and ask for purchasing advice in the sticky.

As someone that has been collecting headphones for over 10 years, I can tell you that there is diminishing returns once you get into the $500 + territory. You are pretty much trying to find the sound signature that you love.

Point being, some of the best headphones in the hobby are easily $200-300 range. I would actually highly recommend the HD-600 or HD-650. They are fantastic headphones, and a lot of audiophiles even use them as end game (since they scale incredibly well with Amps/DACS) - and are overall a good balance.

HD-600

https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-Open-Back-Professional-Headphone/dp/B00004SY4H/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501292664&sr=8-1&keywords=Hd600

(They are on sale now too. $285 compared to $400)

HD-650

https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-650-Professional-Headphone/dp/B00018MSNI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1501292664&sr=8-2&keywords=Hd600

(Also on sale. $315 normally $500)

They are both very similar. The 650 has a little more bass/veil, the 600 are slightly more neutral (without a colored bass). But both are very close (I personally find the 600 are more comfortable to wear. But the 650 looks more aesthetically pleasing and audiophiles seem to prefer it over the 600 but they are damn close in sound).

The 600/650 have really nice soundstage, clear separation of instruments - and decent bass (won't be boom). They are just great all around cans. The 650 rank really high on Head-Fi (the largest audiophile forum) and are actually rated the second best headphones on there.

https://www.head-fi.org/f/showcase/category/over-ear.263/?order=popular


If you don't mind me asking Tim, what sound sig do you like? Are you a treble man? Do you like that crunch/speed? Or are you a bass man? Do you like a thicker sound?

Welcome to the club. :) Really glad to hear you're loving the Vita. Tell all your friends. :)

If you dig around through this sub some, you'll find that most people (myself included) love the CTA Digital case and others like it. It's very much protective enough and does exactly what I want from it. I have had my Vita for about 7 months now and still don't have any physical game cartridges so the case only having four game slots hasn't become an issue for me at all yet.

Edit: I do also have the official Sony Vita headset and keep it in the case with my Vita all the time. It's not bulky at all and fits perfectly.

I'm kinda boring, so I don't have anything hanging from the loop on my case. If you find anything awesome, please do share. :) Hopefully that helps!

I have a pair of Audio Technica ATH-AD900x (open sound stage) headphones and they rock. I copy and pasted my review from Amazon on the headphones.

Amazon - AD900X headphones

I recently purchased this back in November of 2013 to replace my Logitech G35 headset (which I loved by the way). This was my first step into the audiophile world and I am very pleased with these cans. I will agree with most reviews that while they sound flat upon receiving the item, it really is true to give it a nice 24+ hour burn in for the headphones to really burst with amazing clarity. While this is an open headphone, it bleeds sound very easily. While not super bassy, I feel after the burn in that the bass got to a comfortable level. These are best to have as a home-only set as I doubt others would want to hear to what you are listening too. :P

For me personally, the headphone's wing design band across the top isn't strong enough to fit comfortably on my head. There is a rubberband mod that you loop through each cup and it increases the strength of it to better sit with your head. After a few hours my ears would feel the pressure of the headphones resting on them, but then again, I feel any over ear headphone would do this after an extended time.

I am a gamer and having these headphones for FPS games is a godsend. If you pair this with a good sound card / Astro Mixamp or DAC, it's literally like cheating considering you hear EVERYTHING. You can pinpoint people with their footsteps through walls and actually anticipate when they'll round a corner or come within your line of sight. It's pure amazement!

Overall I love these headphones! The price is perfect for a beginner like myself getting into the audiophile world.

https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-650-Professional-Headphone/dp/B00018MSNI

---

SENNHEISER HD650

The HD650 has the chops to compete in the mid-range arena. It is viewed as a spacious, warm, bassy "upgrade" to its sterile cousin, the HD600. The fact that it could take a lot of energy from an amp and increase in overall speed and technical precision with the added energy was probably fuel for the fire for gear-collectors and upgrade-addicts. The 650s signature is warm, rolled off yet detailed with amazing bass extension. As far as dynamics go the only headphone I enjoyed the bass on was the Tesla 1, no other headphone has the 650 bass: control is just exceptional.

---

TREBLE: There is no doubt that the treble is rolled off. I have heard the 650s on expensive and cheap systems, and the treble was right there, with all the detail and presence, not "veiled" or muddy.

MIDRANGE: If you are considering buying these, I don't need to tell you about the 600/650 mids; imagine a sound which encompasses you in it. That's what the 650s do when it comes to the mid-range. They have one of the best mids I have heard, to this date I have to find a dynamic headphone which has the musicality in the Mid-Range like the 650s do at its price (apart from the 600).

BASS: The bass... I love the bass on these, the extension, tightness and overall sense of impact is top notch. As I said earlier the only dynamic headphone which impressed in the bass was the Tesla 1. Now of course, I know a Planar Magnetic headphone will kill it when it comes to sub-bass, that metal never rolls off, goes to down 20Hz with a flat line. But, these are not a Planar so for a dynamic they are my top headphone, nothing touches the 650's extension and refinement.

---

Now, of course, there are some negative points:

• The DT880 is more refined in the treble, is much less grainy, but again, it doesn't have the other tonality edge, and the excursion factor is not even close to the 650s.
  
  
• I wish the Spares weren't so expensive, for a earpad I could buy a entire headphone like a NVX XPT100 (not cool Senn!)
  
  ---
  
  Just some random notes:
  
  
• Although these are 300Ohms I find them to be fairly easy to drive.
  
  
• The stock cable can be easily replaced with a balanced one.
  
  
• I would recommend a nice output transformerless amp. I am using a Fiio e17K which is fine. I would like to upgrade to the Schiit Valhalla in the future.
  
  ---
  
  I hope this helps you to make an informed decision!

save a bit more and get a pair of M50 Audio Technica. I'm not a huge AT fan, but those are really good. If you don't mind "open" headphones - Grado SR60i is the headphone to beat in that price range. Grados are awesome but they are "open" and others can hear your headphones...

save EVEN more and check into some Sennheiser 25 1 II -- the number 1 DJ headphone on the planet, and fully replaceable everything.

Save more than that and you are in a whole new price point where there are tons of choices. after senn 25 1 II I really like what I have at work - Vmoda M100. Serious bass, and they sound incredible.


Headphones are a tricky one because, it can get CRAZY expensive very quickly. There are headphones in the 1000s of dollars...so it comes to "what do you want to spend"

you can often find good buys on those 25 1 II -- and those are very good. The M50 - also excellent. Weirdly enough the unit that is a step up from the 25 1 II, the Amperior - the older model (the blue caps) is selling for less than the 25 1 II. if you see the amperior cheaper, and you want the 25 1 II, get the amperior.

I would say this: if you have the money for the Marshalls, wait a bit longer and save more to get a much better pair.

here's some links:

Grado SR60i

http://www.amazon.com/Grado-Prestige-Series-SR-60i-Headphones/dp/B0006DPMU4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1395205203&sr=8-3&keywords=Grado+sr

Audio Technica - M50

http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M50-Professional-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B000ULAP4U/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1395205266&sr=8-2&keywords=audio+technica+m50

Sennheiser 25 1 II

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD25-1-II-Closed-Back-Headphones/dp/B000TDZOXG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395205301&sr=8-1&keywords=sennheiser+25

Sennheiser Amperior (the higher model of the 25 1 II)

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-Amperior-Blue-Headphones/dp/B0070U6N6I/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1395205355&sr=8-4&keywords=sennheiser+25

Vmoda M80

http://www.amazon.com/V-MODA-Crossfade-On-Ear-Noise-Isolating-Headphone/dp/B005HSDLCO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395205401&sr=8-1&keywords=vmoda+m80

Vmoda M100

http://www.amazon.com/V-MODA-Crossfade-Over-Ear-Noise-Isolating-Headphone/dp/B00A39PPCG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395205438&sr=8-1&keywords=vmoda+m100

A good set of headphones is less expensive than a good pair of speakers, but both are necessary, IMHO. Start with a good pair of headphones and save for speakers.

For true dynamic sound, open back speakers give a "wider" listening experience. The caveat is you can still hear ambient noises, so a quiet room is the best experience.

Your choices are definitely based on your budget. For $100, you can get a set of Grado SR80's, which have great sound. It only gets better from there!

Edit: For the money, I can personally recommend the Sennheiser HD 598 SR at $170.

On the case of your wants for a wide soundstage, the AD900x is in fact a great choice, but has bass quality over quantity and are very focused and have extreme treble and upper mid clarity. They are in fact good for games like CS:GO, but if you want to play battlefield with them, you'll want something like X2s which stretch your budget a bit, but are compatible with the VModa BoomPro which is great for the price but doesn't work with everything.

Your PC360s are Sennheiser HD595s with an attached mic basically, and the 595s don't have the widest soundstage at the price of either the 595s or the PC360s.

You may need an amp/dac combo for your 900x, so you can get something like this, which will power it just fine, but if you're on a desktop with a good motherboard, you should be fine.

Also if you can buy the AD900x from USA amazon, they are like $176CAD which is extremely cheap.

I'd look into getting plain over-ear headphones -- something like these are nice for the price -- and putting this on it as a microphone. Works wonderfully and saves quite a bit of money over the horrifically overpriced gaming headsets. Total cost is about $30, but you can certainly find some better headphones for cheaper if you spend more than 5 minutes on Amazon like I did. I picked the Sennheisers because the reviews were good and by many people, and it's a good brand.

Edit: If your boyfriend is ever in the market for a really nice pair of headphones, I can't reccomend the Sony MDR-7506 enough. It's pretty much industry standard for musicians, mixers, sound engineers, recording artists, etc. They've been around and improving since the early 90's They're the best $85 one can spend on audio.

There aren't any solid solutions that will be both device agnostic and inexpensive, unfortunately. If you end up sticking with the X360, my favorite has been the XBox 360 Wireless Headset. Alternatively I had an extra set of Plantronics M Series earloop and eartips that I stuck onto the 'set and I find them to be much more comfortable / better at remaining in place. In all, with the optional kit, can run you from $25-$40 (sometimes you'll find a dirt cheap sale on the communicators somewhere, especially for like the MW3 edition). Personally I wouldn't go any higher in cost for an X360 solution, unless you go full-blown with an Astro Mixamp Pro and a favorite, high quality headset (expect to spend anywhere from $200-$500 altogether, or higher if you go really nuts).

A solid, dollar for dollar, PC / PS4 solution would be to get the SteelSeries v2 paired with an adapter like this ($60-$80 solution, depending). The DS4 has a 3.5mm jack that will support in-game sound as well as chat. The downside to it is it's a little underpowered. A lot of people don't have issues with it, but I'm rather picky. Thankfully the SteelSeries v2 only has a 32 Ohm impedance and an accompanying low-ish sensitivity level. So they don't take much to drive, but still -- to me the sounds for anything on the DS4 are a little muddy. To forego it, you would need to spend a little more money. Next step up, which works great for the PS4, would be the Sony Wireless Gold for around $80, but while it's a great solution for the PS4 I find it subpar on the PC. To get better sound out of the PS4 you would have to go the Astro Mixamp Pro route.

For PS4 you could also go the opposite direction in pricing and get the $12 PS Vita Earbuds and just shove those in the DS4 jack. While still an inline mic (will be picking up a lot of ambient noise) these are far better than what you can get out of the packaged earbud / mic with the PS4. If your soundcard doesn't support mic input via the headphone jack and only has the separate 3.5mm, can always use another adapter that goes in the reverse. Or just simply save up for a different headset for PC.

'Gaming' is just a term that's advertised to people who play video games. All these 'gaming' products are just advertising/word of mouth. Some gaming headphones might sound good but that's because people haven't heard what 'good' is and settle for the for it because of the hype, it's meant for 'gaming', friend/guildmate has it, don't know what else is out there.

What you really want is a headphone meant for music by a real music focused company and not one like Logitech, a company that makes mice, keyboards, speakers, headsets, webcams, etc.

You want a music company like Audio-Technica, Sennheiser, AKG, Grado, Shure, Bower & Wilkins and so on. Your ideal headphones will sound both great for music and great for gaming. It should last you a long time, it should feel like it's constructed well or made of better quality materials than what you see on 'gaming' headphones. I'm not sure what kind of music you're into, so I can't make any suggestions but I can give you starter things to look into. Check out the suggestion thread over in /r/headphones. :)

Philips SHP9500

Audio-Technica ATH-AD900X (also the 700X)

Sennheiser HD598

Remember, 'Gaming' is just term to cater to 'gamers' and their family/friends. It's just a gimmick, it's all marketing.

Headphones I've used the past 10 years.

• ATH-AD700 - Discontinued now, but cheap used, open back, under $50, one of the biggest soundstage, but lacks bass
  
• ATH-AD700X - updated revision of the ad700, under $100 on sale, tiny bit better bass. The stock pad made my ears sore since it touches the driver. I replaced it with memoryfoam BrainWavz pad, and they feel much better. Puts less pressure on my eyeglasses too.
  
• ATH-M50X - My go-to music headphone, but I use it for travel gaming too since they fold up nicely and closeback for noise isolation.
  
• ATH-AD900X - Better version of AD700X
  
• Philips Fidelio X2 - About $200 on sale, a little bit less soundstage than AD700X, but much better bass. If you can splurge, I highly recommend this. They are balanced type headphones. Basically replaced the the M50X for music listening and AD700X/AD900X for gaming. It feels really nice, pad fits much better than the AD700X. I forget I am actually wearing headphones. If this is too expensive, SHP9500, is a cheaper alternative at 1/3 the cost.
  
• All of the headphones listed above are low impedance meaning you don't need an amp to get good sound output.
  
• Most gaming specific headphones aren't that good for the price. You're paying mostly for the marketing. Get any decent audiophile headphone and it will be much better.
  
   
  
  Virtual surround sound I've used
  
  
• Xonar U3 - Got this to replace my broken mobo sound, but found out it does virtual surround sound. Basically simulates 5.1/7.1 sound on a 2 channel headphone. Used it for many years gaming. Sounds awesome with good headphone that has big soundstage. Nice to hear directional audio to know here footsteps are at in games. Also acts like an amp with boost mode for high impedance headphones.
  
• Razer Surround Sound - free, but the worst virtual surround sound I've heard. Things sound muffled.
  
• Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi - Upgraded to this, it has better virtual surround sound technology.
  
   
  
  Hate wired headphone?
  
  
• How to convert wired phones into wireless gaming one
  
   
  
  Microphone
  
  
• ModMic - Used this for many many years, but got tired of wires dangling around
  
• Blue Yeti - Audio quality is so much better than the modmic, but it is big. Use a mic stand or arm.

Been doing research and want o jump into getting good phones to use at home. I like the idea of a large sound stage but also like teh idea of closed backs to really pump bass. I'll be listening to a lot of genres, but mostly Jazz, Blues, lots of Hip Hop and Rap, and some Classic Rock. I love listening to the Doors, Nina Simone, rapper Nas Wu-Tang Clan, Led Zeppelin's Dazed and Confused, Black Sabbath. LOVE house of the rising sun by the Animals to give an idea of the sounds I'll be hoping to listen to. I'm looking for the most versatile head phones that would give me good play back and sound the crispest over the widest range of genres.

After my research I'm deciding between the pricey but well regarded Sennheiser HD 598 and the more affordable but good bang for your buck Audio-Technica ATH-M30x. I'm just curious if I should shell out the extra $ for the 598 or settle for the AT M30x. The Senn have wider freq range and are open so better sound stage but are more $ the AT are closed and have a narrower freq but are less $ wondering if anyone has any points that might put me over the edge on one of them. Thanks.

AKG and the K7XX is NOT a K702, and you can get the K702 for slightly less than the K7XX :/ go figure

Non the less, the K7XX has a bit more bass and also a bigger dip in the upper mid range, it's also more efficent to drive but more distorted in the low end. But the K7XX distorts less at like 100 dB. The K702 on the other hand has a little less bass and better distortion at like 90 dB though if you push the K702 much louder than that it turns to shit pretty quick. So if your listening or mastering/mixing louder than 90dBs then likely the K7XX will do better, and while I'm nit picking I didn't like the K7XX much when I heard it... too bassy but I enjoy the K702

Though a close friend of mine likes his K702 with a slight bass boost so I'm sure there are a lot of people like your self that will appreciate the slightly revised tuning of the K7XX, that and the improved efficiency make it better suited for the modern state of Hi Fi listening

Hello again guys. :)

I came here 6 months ago looking for help and advice before getting my current pair of Sennheiser HD 598s.

The 598s are really good and all, they met my expectations.

This was my first pair of actual audiophile headphones, and it was a great and fun experience, from researching to using the headphones.

As many of you predicted, I am now looking for something better and more expensive, now complete with a DAC and an amp.

I currently have my eyes set on the HIFIMAN HE400Ss.
I'm looking for a balanced or neutral sound signature, maybe even a bit bright. I do not mind the lack of a punchy bass as long as it's not completely void of any bass. I also like mid-treble heavy headphones, like my current pair.

I've done my research about them and they seem to meet what I'm looking for. I've however, read about the not-so-great construction quality and use of plastic of the headphones. This isn't really much of a concern since my focus is of course audio quality. It is however, something to consider.

For the amp and DAC I think I would go with the Shiit Vali 2 and Modi 2

This would be a grand total of $570 + shipping. Quite a big difference from the $100 I spent on my 598s (I got em' on a good sale on my country's amazon.

I was hoping you guys could tell me if I am making the right decision, your experiences with the headphones, a recommendation for a different headset or a different amp and DAC combo, etc.

The thing I would use them mainly on is definitely gaming, followed by listening to Rock, Soft Rock, Classical Rock, Classical Music, some Punk. I would also use them to plug in my guitar and digital piano, but not as much as gaming or music.

Note: The Philips X2 Fidelio have also caught my eye and was wondering how do they fare against the HE400Ss.

My budget would be less than $350-400 for the headphones, and around $300 for the amp and DAC.

Thanks everyone for their time :)

By the way, sorry for any mistake on my english, I consider my self good at it, even though mistakes pop from time to time.

Sincerely, Fritz.

Edit: Hmm, the BeyerDynamic DT 88s Also seem like an interesting choice to consider. The 600 ohm version is pretty tempting.

Budget - Prefer around $70 but can go upto $100

Source - Laptop (Dell 15RSE) or Mobile (iPhone SE)

Requirements for Isolation - Some isolation needed

Will you be using these Headphones in Public? - Yes

Preferred Type of Headphone - full-sized, or on-ear

Preferred tonal balance - overall balanced

Past headphones - Panasonic HJE120E (purchased and used multiple times over past few years) - Found them to be relatively neutral and giving more detail than "standard earphones that come with the mobile". But since they are IEMs, they are not comfortable for very long durations. Also, looking to step up to higher quality sound now :)

Preferred Music - Varies from Progressive House to Metal to Acoustic to sometimes just audio books. This is why I am looking for a good balanced pair of headphones.

What would you like to improve on from your set-up - More detail. More comfort for extended duration (for example, listening to music while working throughout the day, and while commuting).

Additional info - I'd prefer ones with removable cable.

Currently considering - NVX XPT100

Please let me know if the headphones I am considering right now match well with what I want, or whether I can step up from them to something better.

Thanks a lot :)

This is a fantastic write up!

On the ear plugs thing I wish I had worn earplugs from the beginning cause the hearing in my right ear is pretty fucked with tinnitus so now I use these and they work great! They lower the volume without ruining sound quality.

The standing point is really good as well but I’ve been to some pretty small venues where it doesn’t hold up as well, one of my favorite venues is a place called sound bar in downtown Orlando but the entire floor turns into a pit there’s nowhere you can stand except out at the bar where you can’t see the stage that you aren’t either in the pit or getting hit by people in the pit. It’s a ton of fun but maybe a little too intense for a first timer. A few of my favorite moments have happened at this place though, somehow someone got a hold of a floor fan and was moshing with it not hurting anyone but just holding it up in the air and moshing it was hilarious(I’ll try and find a picture) then the singer of one of the opening bands stage dove later in the show and surfed all the way from one end of the place to the front door.

Going alone to concerts is one of my favorite things to do I can go where I want and not have to worry about finding them at the end, a lot of times there are bands I want to see the are under the headliner but I’m not actually interested in the headliner and if I go by myself I can enjoy the bands I want to see and leave when I want.

Budget $120

Source Nexus 7, ASUS Z77 Extreme4 Motherboard, PS4

Requirements for Isolation I don't mind being able to hear my surroundings a bit, I'd like very little sound leakage though. Isolation isn't a deal breaker unless the isolation is particularly bad for a closed headphone.

Preferred Type of Headphone Over-ear closed

Preferred tonal balance Never owned a good pair of headphones so I can't say based on experience, but from what I read I think neurtal/articulate/imaging/accurate/nice soundstage headphones would be best.

Past Headphones Best headphones I've owned have been super cheap ones. Best thing I've owned sound wise is a Turtle Beach PX22 Headset ($60)

Preferred Music I'm mostly using these for gaming/watching videos/listening to podcasts, I don't have a specific music I listen to, but the first real thing I plan to do with these headphones is playing Dragon Age: Inquisition, [here] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQDs5P42MNg) is the main theme for that, I like this kind of music atm.

Location USA

Headphones I Narrowed Down To - Feel free to recommend something else though

Sennheiser HD 380 Pro $114.99

[NVX Audio XPT100] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0093PVTPS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3QWSZ44N8P3XH) $79.99

Audio Technica ATH-A700X $99.99 -

[KAM HP1] (http://www.ebay.com/itm/KAM-HP1-Reference-Headphones-for-Recording-Studio-Audiophiles-B-Stock-/221620705687?pt=US_DJ_Monitoring_Headphones&hash=item33999f9997) $81.44 Not much info on these, basing this consideration solely off [this] (http://www.head-fi.org/t/648810/review-kam-hp1-an-unknown-headphone-that-rivals-the-hm5) review

I think they're pretty great, but it depends on what you wanna use them for.

the M50x is a great portable closed-back headphone, so I found that they worked well to stuff into my backpack and use while studying in the library.

If you need something even MORE compact, then your money might be better spent on some good earbuds, like the Shure SE215.

Similarly, if you only want these headphones for gaming or some other at-home use, and don't care about portability, then you could buy a larger set of open-backed headphones. Something like the Philips 9500 or Sennheiser HD598 would be way more comfortable than the m50s, and give great sound, but with the main trade-off being that they're not portable.

• Budget - Not sure if sub $100 headphones would really require a DAC, but I've kinda sold myself on the FiiO E10K, so I would like to get that + sub $100, or if not required, max $180 but closer to the $150 range would be nice.
  
  
  
• Source - desktop pc only
  
  
  
• Would like to use these in my dorm room and forget where I am. Best isolation I can buy in this range please.
  
  
  
• Would like full sized over-ear
  
  
  
• I definitely appreciate good bass, but I'm fine with a more balanced or even possibly v-shaped sound
  
  
  
• Past headphones - JBL Synchros S300 for computer use, and iBeats for mobile use, and wasn't satisfied with either. Learned that I really really dislike on-ear headphones, and would like something comfortable for many hours at a time.
  
  
  
• I listen to a mixture of bass-heavy hip-hop, typical pop music, and classical piano. Not sure how helpful that is.
  
  
  
• Main requirements - isolation, good bass would be nice, but still usable for daily youtube video watching, ability to plug in a mic for occasional gaming purposes ( [this] (https://www.amazon.com/dreamGEAR-BoomChat-Detachable-Headphone-Convert-Headphones/dp/B01DBZJ77W/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1493339031&sr=1-1&keywords=boomchat+dreamgear+mic) is the mic I have and currently cannot use because the S300 has no 3.5mm jack), and long-term comfort. I had looked previously at the [NVX Perfect 10] (https://www.amazon.com/Perfect10-Over-Ear-Headphones-ComfortMax%C2%AE-XPT100/dp/B0093PVTPS) and the [AKG 553 Pro] (https://www.amazon.com/AKG-3280H00100-K-553-Pro/dp/B00X3MT7F6/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1493338874&sr=1-1&keywords=akg+553), but I'm very unsure about how decent they are, and also their ability to weild a non antlion modmic kind of mic

Budget - $100 - $150

Source - iPhone 5 primary and PC (schiit vali+modi).

Isolation is preferred

On the go headphones

Location - Arizona USA

More interested in universal IEM's.

Past headphones - ATH M50. They sound okay. I would like them to have more deeper bass. DT 990 Pro. Overall sound is great. Sharp highs and mid. Bass is accurate present but not deep. Soundstage is great.

Indie rock, indie pop, electronic music, EDM, deep house, hip-hop, alternative rock, technical heavy metal.

Preferred tonal balance - Warm and clean sounds. Present and somewhat deeper bass. (Not overpowering bass like beats tour) Do not like sharp highs.

Headphones I've discovered so far that might help fit my profile.

Shure Clear SE215 CL The clear body looks awesome but not completely necessary.

RHA MA750i The microphone is a plus.

I think that largely depends on your use-case. There are so many headphones with different sound signatures and features that one size never fits all. If you need something that collapses and has a detachable cable and such, the M50X can certainly do that, but it's a professional studio headphone—better used for analytical purposes, rather than leisure.

But if you take away those portability features, and still wanted something with a neutral sound signature that scales well with an EQ, I'd take the NVX XPT100 for $70 any day of the week. Incredibly comfortable, great for studio monitoring and professional applications, bass scales quite nicely with an EQ, and has excellent noise isolation so you don't disturb others around you. And if you break the headband or anything, NVX sells replacements on their website. And comes with two detachable cables—one long and one short that terminates in 3.5mm with an adapter to fit 1/4" jacks.

For less than half the price, it's an excellent headphone. I personally believe it to be one of the best reference headphones for the price. The pads, alone, are worth quite a bit in the headphone community.

CALs are solid choices, but from personal experience, the Zalman clip-on is only useable if you're in a silent room 24/7, and even then (I used them in my dorm as well), friends on the other side never liked my mic quality. Once-upon-a-time, I would have recommended (good pair of headphones)+an Antlion ModMic, but since the ModMic 4.0 is a bit pricier than it's predecessors, I don't blame people for going the clip-on mic route. If you check out the link for those interested in gaming gear in the OP, you'll find a link to MadLustEnvy's guide, and there he links another clip-on that he (and I) have had much better success with. Again, this is personal experience, so YMMV. Also, definitely look into desktop mics as another alternative.

And if you are interested in going the ModMic route, and want to remain under $100, check out the Superlux HD681 EVOs or JVC's HARX700, both a budget headphones for under $40.

Few final notes, if you're looking for surround sound, Razer has a nice, free software called Razer Surround, and even has a pro-version if you need more features. Pair that with the EVOs/JVCs/CALs, and you'll have superior sound to either of the Logitech stuff, and the "surround sound" feature without having to pay extra.

Ok, I use Bludio Victory as my main (£150) but if you're looking to stick around the £50 limit I'd have to suggest either...

• Bludio UFO which is slightly over £50 but I can promise you'll be happy with them, easily best in its range.
  
  
• Bludio F2 Can't speak much about these as I've never personally used them, but knowing bluedio's performance in the higher tiers I can reccommend these with good faith. These are under £50.
  
  Bluedio are fantastic tbh, other than the above I'd say the T4 model is also a good shout but they have quite a few models ranging from £10-150+.
  
  As for In-ear I'd go with Sound Magics E10's they have an S variant with a mic aswell. These are only £35.

I went from a turtle beach gaming headset to Sennheiser HD650 headphones. I then needed to buy a webcam with a mic to replace my turtle beach headset.. cause the HD650 is just headphones, no mic.

Back then, they were $600 new, but I found a set for $350 refurbished. I haven't had a problem with them even though they weren't new. Refurbished items come from the factory after they were returned, so I figured they tested them enough to justify the savings.

They are a bit cheaper these days but its still pretty expensive brand new. Amazon has them new for $440.

AKG 701/702 and Denon AH D2000 are also really popular choices. Your best bet would be to go down to a store that sells these types of headphones and listen to them to pick what you like best. Just make sure you are using an audio source like a CD or better if possible.

Personally, I just read reviews/audiophile forum posts online and ended up buying the sennheiser hd650s off amazon without even testing them.

It's because they are absolutely 0 options on the market right now that have a microphone suitable for gaming without them being a low quality/way over priced. If you do want a headset style check out a product called Antlion Modmic. It's rather expensive for a microphone, I paid $30 for mine. Very clear, works perfectly. I think they are having supply issues but if you can be patient, it's a great product. Or you could use a cheap desktop mic in the mean time.

Now, to your original question. Based off the headphones in your OP, you don't have a very big budget. I would recommend the ATH-M50s or ATH-AD700s depending on your preferences, but those are in the $100-$200 range. Since those are likely out of question, I think these would be perfect. I was floored with them, and most people seem to agree these are amazing headphones for the price, people over at head-fi.org even love them, and they are picky (but what do you expect from such a specific community). I don't own them, but have used them.. and I almost ordered a pair for myself. There really is a big difference in anything you'll get that's called "gaming" headphones, and a number of high quality headphones.. I know it sounds snobby, but it's the truth.. I really would love for there to be a decent quality in any gaming headphones that doesn't cost $250+

You can safely ignore the compatbility warnings https://pcpartpicker.com/list/kHQGGc

The 3600 is much better for pushing high framerates than the 2700, up to 20% better. The extra cores offered by the latter arent really used for gaming even in 2019.

Changed to the gaming plus max which is practically a less pretty tomahawk but comes with the new bios of the 3600.

3600 mhz ram that ryzen likes and cheaper than that rgb ram.

Instead of overpriced samsung ssd+overpriced 1 tb hdd i got you a 1 tb NVMe drive. If you need moar storage get this https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Cs4gXL/hitachi-internal-hard-drive-hua723030ala640

The 5700 xt is decently more powerful than the 2060 super.

The meshify c is infinitely better than any nzxt case, includes a couple of fans and has great airflow.

550w is all thats needed for the build but this 750w one was so cheap that i just couldnt...

1440p 144 hz is the sweet spot right now between visual clarity and smoothness. Detach yourself from ultra settings https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5ZsaavKNR8

I ditched the razer periperhals since razer sucks.

For headphones i suggest these audiophile ones https://www.amazon.com/Samson-SR850-Semi-Open-Back-Reference-Headphones/dp/B002LBSEQS

"7.1" virtualization is done through software like hesuvi or windows sonic anyway

Budget: sub 80$

Source: PC, sometimes smartphone.

Requirements for isolation: prefer open, since they are more comfortable, but open to compromises.

Will you be using these Headphones in Public: no.

Preferred type of headphone: full size preferred

Preferred type of balance: balanced, but i think at this price point I'll take what sounds best.

Past headphones: Reloop RH 10. Liked them very much in terms of sound, but they turned out to be very fragile.

Preferred Music: EDM

Location: Ukraine, but the purchase itself will be probably within the US. Might look at the EU, if the deal is right, not familiar with the market though.

Potential headphones: shp9500(s), OB-1 (really nice price on this one on Amazon 50 bux only), maybe ATH-M30x. Open to new suggestions.

Edit: also looking at AKG K 240 and LyxPro HAS-30, but design wise LynxPro looks like my former reloops, which turned out to be not very reliable. Certified refurbished ATH-M40x deal looks nice, but I've had no experience with this type products.

Thank you for your help in advance :)

If you're willing to accept permanent hearing damage just because you don't want to be teased then by all means go ahead, I would strongly advise against it but it's your choice at the end of the day. Who are the people who tease you? I was having way more fun at the show with hearing protection than the people without it, everyone around me was sitting still and recording with their phones like zombies. I could care less what those people think of me while I'm at a show for a band I love. On the topic of hearing loss, I listen to 1000+ hours of music per year and I'd like to keep doing so as I get older without having impaired hearing. Shows are very fun but the music quality is never as good as through a nice pair of speakers or headphones at safe listening volumes. Our ears aren't meant to hear things at concert volumes and there are tons of great hearing plugs made for concerts.

https://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-High-Fidelity-Earplugs-Standard-Packaging/dp/B00RM6Q9XW/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1549145291&sr=8-3&keywords=etymotic+earplugs

Looking for an upgrade to my ATH-M50s with a better sound stage. They are great for work/travel with the noise isolation from being closed back, but I'm looking for something a bit better for home use. I'm also looking for something a bit comfortable to wear for long periods, as the ATH-M50, and my AKG headphones are both tight on my head and I can only wear them for an hour or so before needing a break.

 

• Budget - $200-$350
  
  
• Source - Fiio E17 Alpen, possibly buying Schiit Stack in future for my home setup.
  
  
• Requirements for Isolation - Using at home - Gaming, Music.
  
  
• Preferred Type of Headphone - Over Ear, Open Back. Looking for comfort and quality
  
  
• Preferred tonal balance - Heavy bass but with clear Highs and Mids.
  
  
• Past headphones - Audio Technica ATH-M50, AKG K81DJ, Corsair Vengeance 2100 (gaming only)
  
  
• Preferred Music - Electronic, Trance, Chillstep, EDM
  
  
• Usage - Mainly listening to HQ audio/FLAC, or while gaming.
  
   
  
  I've looked at the Sennheiser HD598, and I'm not sure how much better they would be. The Sennheiser HD600 are a bit out of my price range right now. I wonder if it's too late to get in on the Massdrop Sennheiser HD6XX deal? I'd definitely consider other models.
  
   
  
  
  I also rather like the Audio Technica wing designs. I will want to try them on to see if they are comfortable though. I've seen the "rubber band" trick to get them to stay firmly. The ATH-AD900X might be an option, but I'd appreciate other recommendations.

Shit is getting expensive here. I managed to buy my pair of m50x for 120 not that long ago on amazon.ca. But I doubt you will be able to find them for that price now.

I can list a few options for you based on popular products.

Closed headphones:

Sennheiser HD 280 PRO
They are 112 right now, so a good deal. The only thing with them is that they are super analytical, so they have a very flat response.


Audio Technica ATH-M40X
The little borther to the m50x. Still a good pair of cans. A little less bass but still have the same sound stage as the m50x. Going for 130.

Open Headphones:

Audio Technica ATH-AD500x
These are a no brainier if you want them for gaming. Open sound stage really makes for good location accuracy. Still great sound quality for other uses. They are super open, so they won't be good for walking around. 130.

In Ear:

RHA MA750
No one will argue with these. They sound amazing, come with all the tips you could want. Have a great sound stage for in ears. A little pricey at 150 but so worth it.

Shure SE215
I loved these. I used them until they fell apart, then I upgraded to the MA750. Warm mid forward sound. I would recommend getting some comply tips for them. They go for 125.

K I actually thought your ears had been ringing a few days or a week. 2 hours is not too bad. But I do think you were born with weak ears... no offense. A lot of us on this subreddit were. lol.

But I do think if you go to that concert no earplugs it will almost certainly come back.

Go to a music store and talk to the guy about getting a nice set of musician ear plugs. They will cost anywhere from 15-40 dollars. Don't be cheap, your ears are worth 40 dollars. Tell him you want one that leaves the music clear but also lowers it a good amount. You can even do a bit of research online to figure out which one you want. I have these Vater drummer ones but I was thinking of trying these out https://www.amazon.ca/Etymotic-High-Fidelity-Earplugs-Standard-Polybag/product-reviews/B00RM6Q9XW/ref=dpx_acr_txt?showViewpoints=1 or these ones https://www.amazon.ca/Musicians-Earplugs-JamPlugs-Transparent-Reusable/dp/B01IA3S42Y/ref=pd_sim_121_5?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=VTQ1Y25H0Y6KZG7GQYAK

Musicians ear plugs and foam ear plugs are a world apart. Musicians ear plugs should leave the music pretty crystal clear, it is just like you turned the volume down on your stereo. Foam muffles everything.

Also make sure you take that break for 5 minutes to walk around the concourse a bit. Maybe you can find a song mid-set that you are just so-so on and take at least 5 minutes off.

If anyone asks about your plugs, tell them you survived an explosion and have to protect your ears now ;)

But yeah just doubling on going to see the doctor. He might notice something in your ear that you can't see. And tell him about your plan to get a nice pair of musicians ear plugs and go.

Also don't stand close you a speaker. They can actually rattle your head/jaw bones and irritate your ear. It is called bone conduction. Or it could be so loud beside it, that the earplugs can't reduce the sound enough to protect you.

My philosophy is to find the best price-to-performance ratio.

$20 and under: Monoprice 8283 DJ Headphones (closed-back, about the cheapest I would recommend)

$50 and under: Superlux HD 681 EVO (semi-open back, great value, a sweet spot for budget headphones)

$75 and under: Audio-Technica ATH-AD500X (excellent soundstage)

$100 and under: Sennheiser HD 559 (classic laid-back Sennheiser sound, good soundstage, great all-rounder)

$125 and under: [Sennheiser HD 579] (https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-579-Open-Headphone-x/dp/B01L1IIF1K) (slightly improved 559, you may not notice a difference)

$150 and under: [Sennheiser HD 58X Jubilee] (https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-sennheiser-hd-58x-jubilee-headphones) (excellent all-rounder, a noticeable upgrade from the 559/579, another sweet spot for price-performance ratio)

$175 and under: [HIFIMAN HE4XX] (https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-hifiman-he4xx-planar-magnetic-headphones) (planar magnetics - a much different sound signature with more bass impact)

$200 and under: [Sennheiser HD 6XX] (https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-sennheiser-hd6xx) (pretty much the best 99% of people will ever hear or want or need)

After the HD 6XX, you really start to experience diminishing returns IMO. In my experience, all the pairs I listed are very comfortable, especially the midrange Sennheisers.

well, that depends on your budget

I own a pair of Sennheiser HD558's, Philips Fidelio x2's, and AKG K7XX's.

I would highly recommend all three of them but it depends on what kind of use you are using them for, the genre of music, your budget, style choices and your personal tastes.

I should also mention that due to some QC issues on the X2's (the earpads are glued in) you can get them for about 160 right now, which is an amazing price for these cans. the pair i bought was that cheap because it was sent back without the cord. so I bought a nice braided cord from amazon

I use the k7xx's and x2's at my computer with a monoprice amp/dac

I use the k7xx's for instrument driven music such as acoustic/rock/classical and competitive games where I need to hear everything they have a fairly flat eq which make them incredibly clear and nothing drowns out anything else so you can hear everything

The x2's have a v-shaped eq that is considered more fun (Increased treble and bass) which makes them better for EDM/electronic/pop/hip hop and action movies/games

open-back headphones have decreased bass over closed back but the bass is much tighter and clean and with the x2's bass increase they are almost like a open-closed hybrid sound

Just bought a set of Beyerdynamic-770-PRO-80-ohms from guitar center for 220, they are the best headphones I've ever used and the most comfortable. They block out all sound and also keep all your sound in, even at max volume. Couldn't recommend them enough, I've been wearing them 6+ hours at a time with no discomfort. Also, since they are 80 ohm, they open you up to possibly getting an amp in the future. I didn't even know something like that existed until I bought these, but it's nice to know the upgrade is there.

be warned they pack a lot of bass, which some people find a problem. I however, think its amazing sounding. But I love my bass.

4th ninja edit cuz I love my cans: I have a smaller than average head, so a lot of headphones sag, or feel like they could fall of my head easily. I returned the AD900x, $200 for that reason, the 770s fit great

Audio-technica has a line of open back headsets... I personally use the ATHADG1 Open-Back Gaming Headset, but I linked the one without a mic, since you said you have a stand alone mic... Hope I could help!

https://amzn.com/B009S331VU

edit- my friend who owned a nice pair of audio-technica's said that he likes the sound better on this open back headset, he also said it was a bit more durable and comfortable, both are great I hear though...

https://amzn.com/B00O2Y2MZG

Budget - $125. Really don't want to spend more than $100 unless you can convince me.

Source - Dell laptop

Requirements for Isolation - All the isolation. I don't want to hear around me, and I don't want them to hear me.

Preferred Type of Headphone - Closed. See above. I want solitude and I don't want to bother others with my music.

Preferred tonal balance - Probably can't really tell the difference in mids and highs, but I love bass.

Past headphones - Grado SR80i. Sounded great, but they're open so they didn't block out noise and everyone could hear me even at low volume, which is not what I want. Also the pads pressing against my ears for awhile hurt pretty quickly.

Preferred Music - Alternative Rock, Hip Hop, Ambient/Post Rock, Trip Hop

Misc - I tried my friend's Audio-Technica ATH-M50 and it was incredible. A little big, but I did like the coiled cable. The cable on my SR80 has gotten twisted a lot from storing it in various places. I will use these primarily for studying and occasionally watching TV or movies on my computer. I love the M50, but the price tag may be a bit too high. Should I go for the M40x or the M30x? How much "worse" is the M30x than the M50? Are there alternatives that are better for the price? Also I have Amazon Prime which is why I keep linked to Amazon haha. Saves 10-15 bucks.

Apologies for wall of text, and thank you so much to whoever helps me out!

Budget: <$300 (can hover around/slightly above $300)

Source: HTC One, Macbook. I have a FiiO model E06 amp I lost the charger to (can you point me to a charging cable that will work? The amp looks like this).

Isolation/Noise Canceling: I want to use these out and about, so noise isolation (not canceling) is a requirement.

Preferred Type of Headphone: Full Size, Over Ear (Closed), Reasonably Portable. For examples, I'm looking at the [Sennheiser Momentum]
(http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-Momentum-Headphone-Brown/dp/B009QV15DU) and VMODA M100. Anything like these.

Importance of aesthetics: Sound is paramount, but I don't want hideous cans on my head. As long as it looks reasonably cool I won't mind. Aim for this, or any of the above examples.


Owned headphones:

• ATH-M50: loved these but they broke a while back.
  
• JVC HA-RX700: nice, inexpensive over ear stereo headphones but are 1.) too bulky and cumbersome for listening outside the home 2.) are open eared.
  
• VMODA Crossfade M80: really enjoyed how these sounded. Only problem is I prefer over-ear sets.
  
  The other pairs I've owned are some inconsequential earbuds.
  
  Primary Genres: Priority #1 Sorry if I'm assigning these bands to the wrong genres
  
  
• Indie Folk/Pop/Alternative. I guess another example is Phoenix.
  
  
• Pop Punk. A Part of Me by Neck Deep is another song indicative of what I like.
  
  
• Acoustic/Indie Rock/Folk (?) See City and Colour, Hozier, Mumford and Sons, Noah and the Whale, Shakey Graves, Keenan O'Meara, The Head and the Heart, Florence + the Machine, George Ezra, Ben Howard, Lewis Watson, Eric Hutchinson, The Old Hello's, Walk Off the Earth, Noah Guthrie, and more. Kind of a jumbled bunch of artists but I don't know how to differentiate between these. Here's another example.
  
  
• "Singer-Songwriter:" some of the above artists kinda fall in here.
  
• Modern Soul/Funk. Also see St. Paul and the Broken Bones.
  
  
• Alternative/Indie Alternative(?): See We Were Promised Jetpacks, Two Door Cinema Club, Bastille...
  
  Other Genres: These aren't the types of music I listen to very often, and when I do it's usually when I'm working out; therefore, I probably won't be using these headphones anyway.
  
  
• Hip-Hop See Chiddy Bang, Kid Cudi, Lupe Fiasco.
  
  
• Electronic. Pretty much just any chill, synth pop/indie electronic like this. Passion Pit, The XX
  
  Tonal Balance/Sound Preferences: The takeaway from the genres: not sure. I want a versatile, balanced headphone. No overpowering Bass.
  
  Thanks a ton for any recommendations you share!

http://www.amazon.com/PlayStation-Vita-In-ear-Headset/dp/B006PP3ZK6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375857733&sr=8-1&keywords=vita+headphones

Here are some ~$11 (marked down from $20) sony ps vita branded headphones. I cant recommend these enough. Ive ought 2 pair, cat chewed up the first pair.

Nice in ear buds, multiple silicon ear fittings to match your fit, AMAZING sound quality (the soundtrack to hotline miami KICKS with these buds) inline mic, sony build quality.

Ive had headphones/earbuds that cost +7x the price that didnt sound half as good. Check those earbuds out if you happen to be in the market for headphones/earbuds. They work great on my iphone, 3ds (gasp!) and everything I plug them into.

TL;DR
http://www.amazon.com/PlayStation-Vita-In-ear-Headset/dp/B006PP3ZK6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375857733&sr=8-1&keywords=vita+headphones

Amazing vita earbuds: ~$11, sound amazing even at 5x the price, inline mic, fit great. These are the earbuds I recommend to everyone for everything.

This promotion doesn't have a direct link, so I linked an item with a promotion link.

I noticed this earlier today and wanted to make sure that everyone was informed. Amazon hasn't made any public releases for this, it only shows up on specific items, and the promotion text is badly placed.

Amazon Harmony is a recent promotion for musical instruments. Certain high value items that are sold by Amazon have this promotion text:

>Speak with an Amazon Harmony associate for discount codes and to learn more. Call me

If you click the link, you can receive a call from Amazon. If you ask them for the Amazon Harmony discount, they'll ask you for some information and then read you a code to enter at checkout. They can also e-mail the code to you.

Here are the details:

• The link only shows up on certain higher value items. However, the code works on almost every musical instrument. It doesn't have to be used on a specific item.
  
• The item has to be directly from Amazon. It doesn't work for items that are fulfilled by Amazon.
  
• The promotion value changes weekly. The highest value is 20%. The lowest value is 5%. The current value is 15%.
  
• The code is unique and saved when used. The expiry date is longer than seven days.
  
• The code has no limit for qualifying items. It works on this piano.
  
• The code stacks with other coupons or promotions. It stacks with earlier codes.
  
• The code works for all qualifying items at checkout. However, you can request more codes from Amazon rather than placing one large order.
  
• The code works for most microphones. Microphones are often categorized as musical instruments.
  
• The code doesn't work for most headphones, headsets, monitors or amplifiers. It does work on some headphones like the Sennheiser HD 650. It's unlikely to work for any item that doesn't show up for a "Musical Instrument" search.

Alright, Also do you consider yourself a big fan of sub-bass? I'm thinking about recommending the classic Schiit Magni 2 amplifier and Modi 2 DAC combo with the Sennheiser HD-600s. These are for home use only as they require a USB connection via your computer for the DAC, and the amp is definitely not portable haha. Those are a fantastic pairing, but the Sennheisers are a little bit lacking in the low end. Absolute magic in the mids and treble though. This is an endgame combo for many people.

Those Senns are open back, so they leak sound but provide a better soundstage compared to an closed-back pair. When it comes to closed back headphones, (Isolated - doesn't leak sound) I really, really recommend ZMF Vibros They are quite a bit more expensive, but an absolute endgame pair of planar dynamic closed back cans. The bass response is unreal on these pairs and work very, very well with hip-hop, electronic music, and pop. The Schiit amp and dac above would drive these just fine.

For the gym, I'd just get a pair of these MEE Audio M6 Pro In-ear monitors, or a good old pair of Koss Porta Pros if you don't like the IEM style. Both of those would be fine options, as they aren't super expensive but still sound great, and are durable. Just plug into your phone and you're set.

For any case though, do try to audition headphones before you buy anything! This will give you a solid idea of what kind of pair you're looking for.

I am perfectly aware that other countries exist. (And I know what you are trying to say. Many people forget that online, people come from all over the world) Also I play a lot of online games and talk to people all over the world, I'm also well aware that most Europeans are very blunt and come off as assholes to others. I don't dislike that.

But it's not just the USA. It's the same in Canada, the UK, Australia. Basically everywhere there is an Amazon or any other large online distribution.

Using your link: https://www.amazon.es/gp/aw/d/B00SAYCVTQ

That's 85 not 50 (I'm not sure if there is an added shipping charge or not, but probably is)

If you got them for 50, that's called a sale. You can't compare a sale price (and very good sale at that) to the full price of another piece of hardware.

https://www.amazon.es/gp/aw/d/B00HVLUQW8

Something like this + a modmic would come out to around 100 euros or so. Only 15 euro more and again better headphones and better mic and the added freedom with upgrading.

Of course nothing would beat a insanely good sale on a hyperX cloud.

You can go over to /r/headphones and probably get even better recommendations than I could ever provide.

Well technically closed or open back alone doesn't really make a headphone better or worse for positioning, tuning also plays a big role in how headphones make sounds, because while some headsets may share the same guts as another pair of headphones (as is the case here and the hd500 series), one pair can be tuned to have more bass and the other can be tuned more towards the high end to help identify footsteps or whatever.

Biggest thing is usually soundstage and imaging get better as more air vibrations are allowed in and out of the headphones. Soundstage is the feeling of how sound isn't coming from headphones, but the illusion that it's from outside the headphones. Imaging is how well individual sounds, like footsteps or gunshots in games or instruments in music, can be identified within the soundstage. Opening the back up does come with a disadvantage of reducing lower frequencies. Because there is nothing stopping the air behind the driver in open back headphones, you don't get pressure there, like a sub woofer, and that means you can't have the rumble effect you usually get with a lot closed backs. That being said if you're more focused on competitive gaming, emphasizing on high and mid frequencies will make footsteps easier to locate.

If you're really interested and want to dive into what makes headphones different and have the time, watch this video. It's a long video and the guy is typically pretty scatterbrained, but this video offers a lot of insight in one place.

I haven't heard these specifically, but I've heard the hd558 and hd598, which both use the same drivers as this headset and those have a decently wide soundstage and pretty good imaging, so I'd say positioning for the price is B+ maybe an A-. If you really want to soundwhore in games and don't care about the mic, the AD Series from Audio Technica are ridiculously accurate, but the version with the mic costs quite a lot.

While people are recommending headsets that come with the mic. I'm going to recommend something else. Get a high quality set of over the ear headphones. I'm talking something like the Audio Technica ATH-M50S, Audio Technica ATH-AD700, Sennheiser HD555/595 (The 595's are very similar to the 555's but sound better, there are links around that you can mod your 555's to become 595's), or Sennheiser HD380 Pro. And then attach a Zalman Mic to it.

I have a pair of HD595's and absolutely love them, I can wear them all day and not feel it. They are built like tanks and have amazing sound quality. With my Zalman mic, I not only have a headset that has much higher sound quality than any gaming headset, but I can also use it for VOIP.

I used to have a pair of Creative Fatal1ty MKii, but after picking up my Sennheiser's I can't go back to them. The comfort and sound quality is literally night and day.

Although slightly out of your price range, the two companies make extremely high quality audio equipment. If you look through their offerings you'll definitely find a pair of headphones that will fit your budget. If you watch Amazon you can find that they cut prices dramatically from time to time, I picked up my 595's for around $150, and now they're almost $250.

I'm found ya a couple options for ya.

Planar Magnetic Headphones aka "special driver headphones"

Monoprice M1060s Perfectly fine stock, maybe a change of earpads if you're looking for something a little "more" https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-116050-Monolith-Magnetic-Headphones/dp/B01N32N5DD

Modhouse Argon Mk3s These are specially modded headphones that give you an option for choice of headband material and earpad material (sheep leather is soft man) http://www.modhouseaudio.com/argon-mk3/zimu3wz0oyxlavnprki2jovso6c31v

Dynamic Open Headphones aka, "normal headphones"

AKG K712 Pros Very accurate, lots of soundstage, plenty of bass You may have to get a used pair as prices are on the rise https://www.amazon.com/AKG-Pro-Audio-Reference-Headphones/dp/B00DCXWXEI

Philips X2/27 Almost the same as the 712s, a little more narrow of a soundstage and "possibly" less accurate Debatably less comf (comparatively speaking) Again, you'll need to get them used but they're cheaper used than 712s https://www.amazon.com/Philips-X2-27-Fidelio-Headphone/dp/B00O2Y2MZG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1522866842&sr=8-2&keywords=philips+x2

Audio Technica ATH AD series Very accurate, good soundstage, amazing treble, but definitely bass light. It's an entire series of headphones and each model up adds a slight bump in quality overall, used or otherwise https://www.amazon.com/Technica-Audiophile-ATH-AD1000X-Open-Air-Headphones/dp/B009S330O8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1522866903&sr=8-3&keywords=ATH+AD

Dynamic Closed Headphones

Beyerdynamic DT 770 Plenty of soundstage, treble is there, and BASS https://www.amazon.com/beyerdynamic-770-PRO-Studio-Headphone/dp/B0006NL5SM/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1522866927&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=beyerdynamic+dt770&psc=1

AKG K553 Pros Accurate, excellent mids, lacks soundstage but remarkably good build https://www.amazon.com/AKG-3280H00100-K-553-Pro/dp/B00X3MT7F6/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1522866966&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=AKG+K550+Pros

Shure SRH840 Hesitant to put this on the list as this is basically how to perform studio monitoring Super Neutral, accurate as it gets almost, not a huge player in the soundstage game. You'll need new earpads for particularly long sessions of use https://www.amazon.com/Shure-SRH840-Professional-Monitoring-Headphones/dp/B002DP8IEK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1522867035&sr=8-1&keywords=Shure+SRH840

And finally the Koss KSC75s get a pair, no exceptions. They are not a replacement for ANY of the other options on this list as they're closer to earbuds than headphones, but the amount of sound quality you get for their 15 dollar price point you should already own a pair https://www.amazon.com/Koss-KSC75-Portable-Stereophone-Headphones/dp/B0006B486K/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1522867066&sr=8-1&keywords=koss+ksc+75

A few of these may be hard to drive on their own and may need a headphone amp or dac/amp combo to run properly and if you're not at ease with that right now there are always options.

Edit: removed accidental affiliate links that snuck in

Ok, so based on the suggestions you've gotten so far, my suggestion might be too expensive. Having said that, I'd still like to make the case for them.

The headphones you should buy are the Shure SE215s.

Now, before you look at the $99 price tag and completely balk at them, let me explain why you should consider them.

First, comfort. Shure manufactures several sizes and types of cushioned ear tip sleeves. This means that you can find a size and type that works best for your ears and gives you the most comfort with the best possible seal. If you're anything like me and you live in your headphones, this is massively important.

Second, sound quality. This is a professional pair of headphones. Sure, they're definitely on the entry level side of things if you're talking to an audiophile. But if you're coming from Apple headphones they will reveal parts of your music that you've never heard before and might be good enough to shatter you emotionally for a while.* If comfort matters, then so does the actual quality of the thing you're listening for.

Finally, and most importantly, the cable is detachable, replaceable, and damn near indestructible. This means that while your initial investment is higher than it would be for a pair of skull candies, you make up for it by actually being able to repair the headphones long term. Additionally, you shouldn't have to replace the cable that often, it's kevlar reinforced and can survive almost anything you throw at it. The pair I currently own I've had for almost 3 years now, and I've only had to replace the cable once (which I did for ~30 dollars).

If your goal is to buy it for life, I honestly can't recommend the SE215s enough.

I have a Birthday coming up and I really am low maintenance but I love music and appreciate a great pair of headphones. I am looking for clear and crisp sound with balance, no emphasis on bass or anything like that. That being said, these 3 models are a good price range for my family, which would be the best for my needs?!

Sennheiser RS120

Sennheiser HD 429 S

Audio-Technica ATH-M30x

tl;dr: It's not worth it, get a good headphone, please, so you may finally ascend your ears, and look down upon all the peasants below.

 

For any of your needs, the 840 won't come close to what other $350 headphones will buy you. Let me suggest some stuff, taking in account the fact that you want bass and soundstage.

I want bass: Philips Fidelio X2, $250

I primarily want soundstage, but also a little bass: Sennheiser HD 650, $250-$500 (usually retails around $300)

Keep in mind those are open headphones, they will leak a lot of sound, but that's good, that gives you a great soundstage and strikingly good sound. FYI you might also want an amplifier with these, especially the HD 650.

I want something between the former: One of the Beyerdynamics, I'm not sure which to recommend, $120-$250~

You also need a mic, the Antlion Modmic is the best in this department

 


Simulated Q&A:
> But I want Bluetooth

Sorry, can't help there. There is probably some good Bluetooth headphone, however.
> But I need surround sound.

Most surround sound in headsets are simulated, including the one in the 840. This means you're never getting "true" surround sound, only virtual surround, which any headphone can produce with the right software, and there's no shortage of Virtual Surround software.

Do not waste your money. Do feel free to voice any concerns.

Hmm... To clarify, my set up is as follows from input to output:

electric guitar (Epiphone Casino) -[TS cable]-\> Behringer U-Phoria UMC22 -[USB output]-\> MacBook Pro 2013 Laptop -[Software: Garage Band]-\> output audio jack from Laptop to Headphones (Audio Technica ATH-M30x)

My original comment was intended to inquire about the OP's Behringer UMC204HD (better version than mine) to see if it also experienced the issues I was experiencing with the cheaper alternative (Mine was $40). The UMC22 only has one Mic/Line, along with 1 Inst port. Both of those ports with their own Gain knobs. Then there is the Monitoring output with its own output knob and Direct Monitor button which I referenced earlier. That monitoring output knob does nothing to the USB output.

So I do not have Pad switches on those ports, a Mix knob, or a main output knob. With my set up of all the knobs turned down, I do get an input from the guitar (along with the static), the guitar is pretty quiet though. This input is visible in Garage Band's audio input visualizer measuring the Decibels.

Thank you for taking the time to help me out with this.

To Clarify my experience for any and all people looking at the cheaper option of Behringer U-Phoria UMC22:

This noise is not Ground Noise due to my Laptop because I do not have my MacBook Pro grounded/connected to an outlet. I have read other comments around on this product that mentioned it may be some sort of Ground Noise within the unit itself due to lesser quality, but nothing definite.

The tests where I found increasing the gain knob (this was the gain to the Mic/Line1 port with Midas PreAmp) was what I mistook for the increase in the volume of the static. That is the fuzz/noise of the typical increased gain. However, this does not increase the noise/whine of the unit. That is simply constant. I can tell the frequency and pitch of the two noises are different now when listening close. My other comment about the change in the whining noise of the unit on by itself when the gain knobs are turned still holds true.

Here's my copy/pasted response to this sort of question because it comes up so damn often.

---

Get a pair of headphones and a mic.

If you want surround sound with your headphones, go for the Asus Xonar DG($24) as your sound card. It is very inexpensive and offers Dolby Headphone(ie, it allows you to have virtual surround sound on any pair of headphones - certain headphones work better with this than others, check out this thread at Head-Fi for a plethora of headphones reviewed with Dolby Headphone in mind).

As for the microphone, the common choice is the Zalman zm-mic1($9). Another great choice if you want a better microphone is the Antlion ModMic($33).

As for the headphones, this is a very personal thing. Do you want to be able to accurately pinpoint the location of footsteps in first person shooters? Go for something that is reviewed well by Mad Lust Envy in his thread. Good choices would be the Audio Technica ATH-AD700, the AKG K701/K702/Q701, the Sennheiser HD558/HD598. All of these are open headphones, which tend to be better if you want positional accuracy, but if you'd prefer a closed pair, the Beyerdynamic DT770/DT880(partially open) are rather good. Keep in mind that the Beyers and the AKGs should not be used without an external amp. The other ones should be fine to run off the sound card.

If you don't need pristine positional accuracy in first person shooters, you could go for a huge number of different headphones to suit your tastes. Here is a great thread on Head-Fi comparing many different headphones.

---

Also,

>USB if possible.

You win all of my why for the day.

I'm a bit of a geek myself when it comes to headphones and iem's.

There are a few pairs out there that many consider the greatest bang for the buck:

• I got a pair of Sennheiser HD25-1 II myself. They work great, sound nice and will probably outlast me in quality. They've been recommended by most parts of the audiophile community for ages.
  
• V-MODA Crossfade M-80 was very recommended when I was looking for a nice pair myself. The build quality is superb and so is the audio.
  
• Sennheiser HD 600 is one of the most well knows and well recommended pair of open ear headphones out there and they are for a reason.
  
  A tip is to check out a few big reviews on Head-Fi
  (full size) to find a pair you'll probably like (but remeber to take peoples personal opinions with a grain of salt). I find that finding a personal pair is half the fun.
  
  
  The horrible (and wonderful) thing though, is that there is not "one size fits all" when it comes to headphones. The best you can do is get out there and try them out. You should also realize that a nice pair of headphones is only half of the equation. If you're only using them with your iphone, you're missing out.
  
  
  Happy hunting!

Ok, sort of being an audiophile myself here. I'll try and help you out.

According to Sennheiser's director of marketing, he essentially made the statement that this headphone was released specifically to compete in the Beat's headphone market: aka, it looks pretty with a sound ready to please a general market. In other words,

"it's all about that bass, 'bout that bass, no treble"

-Meghan Trainor.

It also explains the look and price point of these headphones. At $200 and a physique quite similar to the Beats themselves, it's obvious Sennheiser is hoping to put out some direct competition. And while I have no doubt that they sound better than the Beats simply because Sennheiser puts a greater amount of recourses into audio research rather than advertisements, they're still going to have that broad consumer sound signature which typically emphasizes high's and lows to make the sound more exciting. (which is fine if that's what you're looking for). They're also brand new which means there'll be some time before a final verdict is drawn to the opinion of these cans.

As far as value goes, with headphones, it's really what YOU value and not what the general consensus believes. Some people, me included, will die for a super accurate sound and full bodied performance which is why I own a pair of HD 600's. My babies.

Until you reach around the $500 mark, it's generally you get what you pay for. If you're a die hard music lover. Get something nice. If the ultimate sound isn't what you're looking, don't bother wasting it on something you'll under appreciate or in some cases with higher priced headphones, you might not even notice.

Also check out Head-fi, fucking love that place.

Well the HD600 is the most obvious upgrade choice.

They need amping, but they're not hard to drive and they scale well with amp quality. This means you have some flexibility when it comes to the amp. If you plan on upgrading to a better amp in the future, grab an UCA202 for the time being, and save for a $100+ amp for later. If you want an amp now and are not looking for an upgrade in the near future, get a FiiO E10K or SMSL SD793-II.

You can also try simply using them straight out of your PC for starters, if you happen to have a higher quality motherboard by any chance you may be pleasantly surprised by its ability to drive them, and you can postpone getting an amp and save the $30 for the UCA202.

I'm one click away from buying the Philips Fidelio X2, but before I did that I was just wanting to make sure I was making the right choice.

I'm just after some open backs that have solid bass and would be good for listening to hip hop and playing games on, am I making a good decision in buying these or is there another set that would be better? I've read great reviews for the X2 so I'm ready to buy them if they're the best set to get.

Hello all! Wanted some advice/info on this. I am mostly gaming but also will be using for some listening to music. I was looking to get HyperX Cloud II Gaming Headset (https://www.amazon.com/HyperX-Cloud-Gaming-Headset-PS4/dp/B00SAYCVTQ) but also discovered Sennheiser HD 598 SR Open-Back Headphone (https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-598-SR-Open-Back/dp/B06WRMZZ45/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8). Yes there is a ~$70 difference but if the Sennheisers are that much better I'd buy them instead in a heartbeat!

However, all the reviews for the Sennheisers on Amazon are for the "Without Microphone" model. No reviewer talks about the microphone and I am inclined to believe this is a new feature. So my question is, would I be able to use the mic for gaming or just "calls" as it mentions in the description. Other than that there is no real info about the microphone model.

At the moment I think I'll get the Sennheisers because I can use them away from gaming as well since they aren't an exclusive gaming headset.

But I'd really love to hear if anyone knows about the mic on the chord that comes with them and if they can be used for audio input on my PC for gaming (pretty darn tech-illiterate as you can tell!).

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

If you want public, the NVX XPT100 is great. Not the most portable, but noise isolation is good while still having good soundstage for a set of closed cans. Also the most comfortable set you'll wear that doesn't cost $250+, especially if you use their angled ear pads that are included. The price is normally $80, so ignore the $100 listed and wait a bit for the decent priced sellers to get more in stock.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0093PVTPS/

If you want better quality and you're OK with paying more, the new Sennheiser 598 Cs (Cs are closed, other letter version are open) are amazing. $100 is a good sale price, which it's at now.

https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-598-Cs-Headphone/dp/B01JP436TS

I have a pair of Razer Carcharias

I had a few cheap sets over the years, and was frustrated by lack of quality of them being uncomfortable. I picked these up after reading many reviews, and on the recommendation of a guy I worked with (he later decided to upgrade to the Megalodon's, but returned them because he didn't feel the difference in quality was worth the increased price.)

These things are very comfortable, the quality of sound is good, and the microphone produces high quality voice. The one downside is that the sound tends to be a bit 'boomy' - there is some exaggerated bass.

I do use them for everyday listening as well as gaming, and they sound quite good. However, for a more 'accurate' listening experience I also have a pair of Grado SR60s which are more portable, but honestly the Razer set sounds just fine.

I'd also recommend looking into some of the Sennheiser sets - I've seen them get great marks, but I don't have any personal experience with them.

I recommend getting a good pair of closed stereo Sennhiesers or something similar. Those 5.1 and 7.1 headsets are a gimmick (you hear perfectly fine 3d with only two ear holes don't you?). Couple with them one of those Zalman clip on mics on amazon and you have a sweet gaming setup that's good for music too.

I recommend closed because it gives better isolation (which works both ways, sometimes people don't want to hear what your listening to as well. I remember these and these getting excellent review, although they are both open headphones, so you may want to consider their use environment first. This clip on mic seems to be pretty highly recommended.

It depends on your recording environment. If you are just starting out and are recording in a bedroom or office I recommend a cardiod dynamic. Cardiod refers to the pattern around the mic that it picks up. Cardiod mics are most sensitive right in front of them in contrast to omidirectional mics which are sensitive to sound from any direction. A dynamic mic isn't as sensitive as a condensor mic and doesn't pick up a lot of background noise.



If you are just starting out I recommend one of the following:



One Person w/ USB mic:

Audio Technica ATR2100 -- ($69)
https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATR2100-USB-Cardioid-Dynamic-Microphone/dp/B004QJOZS4/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3VSBIQQ3JBF11&keywords=audio+technica+atr2100&qid=1551358784&s=gateway&sprefix=audio+technica+atr2100%2Caps%2C156&sr=8-5



Neewar Boom Arm -- ($14)
https://www.amazon.com/Adjustable-Microphone-Suspension-Broadcasting-Voice-Over/dp/B00DY1F2CS/ref=pd_bxgy_267_3/130-3630075-7767759?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00DY1F2CS&pd_rd_r=bbd378dc-3b58-11e9-bd63-17b75475049f&pd_rd_w=hAX4Y&pd_rd_wg=0cwDw&pf_rd_p=6725dbd6-9917-451d-beba-16af7874e407&pf_rd_r=THVQ9RCXBFP8QTKXH408&psc=1&refRID=THVQ9RCXBFP8QTKXH408



On Stage Foam Wind Screen -- ($3)
https://www.amazon.com/Stage-Foam-Ball-Type-Windscreen-Black/dp/B0002GXF8Q/ref=pd_bxgy_267_2/130-3630075-7767759?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0002GXF8Q&pd_rd_r=bbd378dc-3b58-11e9-bd63-17b75475049f&pd_rd_w=hAX4Y&pd_rd_wg=0cwDw&pf_rd_p=6725dbd6-9917-451d-beba-16af7874e407&pf_rd_r=THVQ9RCXBFP8QTKXH408&psc=1&refRID=THVQ9RCXBFP8QTKXH408


(Total - $86)



_____

One Person - w/ XLR interface:

BEHRINGER UMC22 Interface -- ($60)
https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UMC22-BEHRINGER-U-PHORIA/dp/B00FFIGZF6/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=umc22&qid=1551358965&s=musical-instruments&sr=1-1



Behringer Ultravoice Xm8500 -- ($20)
https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-Ultravoice-Dynamic-Microphone-Cardioid/dp/B0002KZAKS/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2DW4EVX2PF5KX&keywords=xm8500&qid=1551358987&s=musical-instruments&sprefix=xm%2Cmi%2C192&sr=1-1


Audio-Technica ATH-M20, Can use any headphones -- ($50)
https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M20x-Professional-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B00HVLUR18/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2B8B1B60ZJQ7U&keywords=ath-20x&qid=1551359014&s=musical-instruments&sprefix=ath-20%2Cmi%2C195&sr=1-1-catcorr


Knox Boom Arm -- ($50)
https://www.amazon.com/Knox-Professional-Microphone-Snowball-Microphones/dp/B07D7JTR5M/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=knox+boom+arm&qid=1551359032&s=musical-instruments&sr=1-1-spons&psc=1


On Stage Foam Wind Screen -- ($3)
https://www.amazon.com/Stage-Foam-Ball-Type-Windscreen-Black/dp/B0002GXF8Q/ref=pd_bxgy_267_2/130-3630075-7767759?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0002GXF8Q&pd_rd_r=bbd378dc-3b58-11e9-bd63-17b75475049f&pd_rd_w=hAX4Y&pd_rd_wg=0cwDw&pf_rd_p=6725dbd6-9917-451d-beba-16af7874e407&pf_rd_r=THVQ9RCXBFP8QTKXH408&psc=1&refRID=THVQ9RCXBFP8QTKXH408


(Total - $189)



The first group is "as cheap as you can get" and still get decent quality. The second group is definitely a better setup.

Ethan cohost of the Shieldwall Podcast https://shieldwallpodcast.podbean.com



EDIT: The second group is definitely a better setup in that it allows you to upgrade down the road with better gear. If you have the money an Audio Technica ATR2100 or AT2005 would sound a good bit better in the second list than the XM8500. But do these sound 4 times better considering them being 3-4x the price? Hard to say.

EDIT: I am dumb I just saw you wanted closed back.

​

open back or closed back? Open back is better for gaming but others will be able to hear what you hear. If it doesn't matter then open back for gaming.

OPEN Headphones:

ATH-AD700X - ~95 - 100 new https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-AD700X-Audiophile-Open-Air-Headphones/dp/B009S332TQ/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=ATH-AD700x&qid=1563901733&s=gateway&sr=8-2

ATH-AD900x - ~135 new https://www.amazon.com/Technica-ATH-AD900X-Open-Back-Audiophile-Headphones/dp/B009S331VU/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=ATH-AD700x&qid=1563901733&s=gateway&sr=8-3

​

HE4XX - $180 new https://drop.com/buy/massdrop-x-hifiman-he4xx-planar-magnetic-headphones

​

Sennheiser HD 58X - 160 new - https://drop.com/buy/massdrop-x-sennheiser-hd-58x-jubilee-headphones

​

Closed headphones:

ATH m40x - $100 new https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M40x-Professional-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B00HVLUR54/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=ATH+m40x&qid=1563902298&s=gateway&sr=8-3

These are deemed better than the m50x's

​

DT770 80 ohm - 135 new https://www.amazon.com/beyerdynamic-770-PRO-Studio-Headphone/dp/B0016MNAAI/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=DT770+80+ohm&qid=1563902448&s=gateway&sr=8-3

​

ATH-MSR7 - 175 new https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-MSR7BK-SonicPro-High-Resolution-Headphones/dp/B00PEUBIKM/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=ATH%2Bmsr7&qid=1563902327&s=gateway&sr=8-3&th=1

I owned these and played CSGO and I had no issues hearing anyone. I made it to LEM (if that matters to you) Very clear audio. I also never used an amp with these so they can only get better. if you have more questions on these just message me, I can compare them to the HE4xx's as I now own those.

​

AMP & Dac:

FX Audio DAC X6 - ~54.99 new https://www.amazon.com/FX-Audio-Optical-Coaxial-Amplifier/dp/B072JJT7SF/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=FX+Audio+DAC+X6&qid=1563901865&s=gateway&sr=8-3

​

Schiit Fulla 2 - ~120 new https://www.amazon.com/Schiit-Fulla-Converter-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B07KWG13Q4/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Schiit+Fulla+2&qid=1563902076&s=gateway&sr=8-3

​

Basically I am no expert as I am just getting into the DAC/AMP world but from my research and this subreddits wiki and other sources, it seems better to put your money into better headphones and then into a better DAC/AMP. I would look for a used pair of headphones from

/r/AVexchange or /r/hardwareswap if you are wanting something better, I picked up a pair of HE4xx for 110 shipped.

​

Just my two cents. I could be wrong and anyone please feel free to correct me as I am still learning all this.

For your friend:

I recommend that she picks up a pair of Beyerdynamic Custom One Pros. You can get them here: http://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-Custom-One-Pro-Black/dp/B008XEYT48/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369159044&sr=8-1&keywords=beyerdynamic+custom+one+pro

They are great headphones and only have a 16Ω impedance so powering them is not going to be a problem.

Another headphone I would recommend would be the Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 32Ω edition. Similar to the Custom One Pros but with a little better bass response. You can get them here: http://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-DT-770-Pro-Studio-Headphones-Limited/dp/B008POFOHM/ref=sr_1_5?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1369159022&sr=1-5

For you:

Coming in right at $400 is the HiFiMAN HE-400. I haven't listened to these myself but I hear that they are the best headphones you can buy for $400. You can get them here: http://www.amazon.com/HiFiMAN-HE-400-Planar-Efficiency-Headphones/dp/B007ZG32I4/ref=sr_1_3?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1369159720&sr=1-3

However, if you really want to step up I suggest you stretch your budget to the $500 mark and pick up the Sennheiser HD650. These are some of the best headphones out there and would be a considerable upgrade from what you currently have. Check them out here: http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-650-Headphones/dp/B00018MSNI/ref=sr_1_1?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1369159720&sr=1-1

I honestly think that if you have the money for it then that is the way to go. I think the HD650s are more suited to the kind of music you like than the HE-400s anyway.

AKG Q701

I got them recently. My first audiophile-grade headphones. The soundstage is to die for. They almost give the HD800 a run for their money when it comes to soundstage. They are really neutral, with a detailed bass (but in low quantity), decent midrange and great treble extension (both in quantity and quality). They are comfortable (at least for me) and built well. They can run off of computers or phones (you'll have to max out the volumes though) but they really shine when amped.

https://www.amazon.com/AKG-Signature-Reference-Class-Premium-Headphones/dp/B004444O3W/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3GC14BIS90AA9&keywords=akg+q701&qid=1558760370&s=gateway&sprefix=akg+q7%2Caps%2C341&sr=8-3

​

An alternative you could consider:

https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-Open-Back-Professional-Headphone/dp/B00004SY4H/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3GC14BIS90AA9&keywords=akg+q701&qid=1558760370&s=gateway&sprefix=akg+q7%2Caps%2C341&sr=8-4

Some upgrades you could consider:

https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-650-Professional-Headphone/dp/B00018MSNI/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3GC14BIS90AA9&keywords=akg+q701&qid=1558760370&s=gateway&sprefix=akg+q7%2Caps%2C341&sr=8-5

https://www.amazon.com/AKG-Pro-Audio-Reference-Headphones/dp/B00DCXWXEI/ref=sr_1_16?crid=3GC14BIS90AA9&keywords=akg+q701&qid=1558760370&s=gateway&sprefix=akg+q7%2Caps%2C341&sr=8-16

​

Phillips SHP9500

I've had them for quite some time now. While the AKG is great for critical and Hi-Fi listening, it is not that great for using for long periods of time like 3+ hours at a stretch. That's where these come in. These are the most comfortable pair of headphones I have ever put on my head (and I have put quite a few pairs on). They feel basically weightless on my head, and I can keep these on my head for hours (I think 14 hours is my record). Really cheap for what they offer, really great for Lo-Fi, but not great for Hi-Fi (not bad though). They have a good soundstage. They also have a mid-focused sound, which means that the vocals will be separated from the rest of the track and will take center stage, which is essential for movies. I would really recommend these. They went out of the market for a while but are back now.

https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?d=phillips+shp9500&N=-1&isNodeId=1&Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH

Good luck with your purchase!

Budget - around US$150 and US$200 (can be a lot more like US$600, depending on durability; so a good margin here)

Source - computer (PC/Notebook)

Requirements for Isolation - Not sure, to be honest. I will use them only at home/work.

Will you be using these Headphones in Public? - No. Not at all.

Preferred Type of Headphone - Over the ear (with mic is a plus but not required)

Preferred tonal balance - high. volume. like, really loud. I don't understand that much but I need something capable of act almost like a pc speaker because I have some hearing problem (yes, literally)

Past headphones - Sony Pulse Elite Wireless. 3 of them.

Preferred Music - rock, metal, pop, ost games and others. since I only want a loud one is not really important, I guess.

What would you like to improve on from your set-up - I don't like they break in like 6-8 months. I hate the input for USB/charging cable because it stops working in a few months. I have 3 pairs of this thing and I really like the volume; really high/loud (I don't use that "bass impact" at all). I did buy a Razer Kraken V2 and, I don't know if was something with the computeres I tested, but this had really low volume (other people confirmed too) - but they were very confortable. I would like to keep volume high as the Pulse Elite and, if possible, a bit more confortable - since I keep it 10 hours a day and use glasses; but volume is top priority.


Hope you guys can help since I have no idea where/what to search. SPL/sensitivity seems to be something overlooked by the companies and not a standardized measure.

the assistant gave me two choices: NVX XPT100 and Brainwavz HM5 but I don't know if any of them are as loud as Pulse Elite

I have a few suggestions:

• OBS Multiplatform. Works good for recording game play, is free, and allows for multiple audio streams. Can be used instead of Fraps or as a backup program.
  
  
• Audacity: Free audio editing program that has lots of good features.
  
  
• HitFilm 3 Express: Also a free video editing program. I would have a copy along with blender as a backup.
  
  For USB 3.0 External HDD i have heard good things about the WD Elements products. I had WD internal drives and have had no issues. I record 1080p 60fps. You'll have a little less speed with an external, so maybe do 1080p, 720p 60 fps, or 720p.
  
  
• For a microphone I highly suggest getting a standalone mic and a headset instead of using the built in mic. You''ll get much, much better sound quality that way. Maybe a Blue Snowball, ATR-2100, ATR-2500, or Samson C01u.
  
  
• For headsets, I suggest the Logitech G430, Steelseries Siberia V3, ATH-M30x, or a nice pair of Sennheisers.

Hi!

I've never cared much about headphones... Until recently. I've gotten into searching for the best deals I can find on Amazon, and so far have been looking at some pairs like these and these.

• Budget - 40 at the max. I know, it's a challenge, but I've seen some 200+ headphones on sale on amazon for prices like that.
  
  
• Source - Mostly my MBP, but occasionally on my iOS devices
  
  
• Requirements for Isolation - I'm not really focused on isolation.
  I don't want to sacrifice anything else for isolation, but if it's there, I don't mind.
  
  
• Preferred Type of Headphone - Circumaural. I want to stress that I am really focused on comfort. As comfortable as possible, even at the cost of sound quality. Also, if possible, I would like bluetooth, but if it takes away from the quality, then I'm fine with wired.
  
  
• Preferred tonal balance - Are you a basshead, particularly fond of a smooth midrange, strong highs, or do you want an overall balanced pair of headphones?
  
  
• Past headphones - I have owned nothing but crap. Some Apple earbuds. Some Sony MDRZX100s. Some Logitech Bluetooth H800s. Most anything would be an improvement.

Hi, I think what you're looking for are called musicians earplugs. They lower volume without muffling sound quality. The ones I have are called
Earasers
https://www.amazon.com/Earasers-HEM001-Musicians-Plugs-Medium/dp/B00E2D9HAA/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1487460400&sr=8-1&keywords=earasers+earplugs

I find those work pretty well, my only gripe about them is they sometimes wiggle loose (but not fall out). They arent the ones that go inside your ear like a qtip or something, they're like the old ipod earbuds.

The other ones I have are called Etymotic earplugs https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RM6Q9XW/ref=sr_ph_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1487460473&sr=sr-1&keywords=etymotic+earplugs

I like these ones because they actually go inside your ear so they don't get loose. Personally, I wear the etymotic more often but the Earasers are more comfortable.

Lmk if you have any questions! Always happy to help. I have a ton of earplugs but those two are my favorite. Protect your hearing!!!!

I still highly recommend good headphones. Like, real ones. Good, clear and detailed audio boosts the experience the same way better graphics, higher resolutions and higher framerates make the visual experience better, except sound can be rendered to seem a whole lot more believable.

Outside of Sennheiser's gaming headsets, there are no good gaming headphones marketed as such. I've tried quite a few different brands, including the Astros (A50s) and have never really been impressed.

The Astros especially fall way short of their claims as well as failing to deliver sound on par with their asking price.

I forgot that quite a few headphones have seen recent hikes in prices, largely due to the post-beats uptake of actual quality listenting (people willing to spend more on audio, but looking for something that doesn't ruin sound the way beats do).

The audio technica ad700 have a fair MSRP for the sound they make: http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-AD700X-Audiophile-Headphones/dp/B009S332TQ

I don't really know what limitations consoles have for headsets, if you can connect a separate mic, or not. If you can, you can always get the zalman clip-on mic.

All that said: I highly, and very strongly, recommend you get good headphones. As I do for anyone interested in actually listening to quality.

http://www.amazon.com/Beyer-Dynamic-Premium-32-Headphones/dp/B0024NK358/

http://www.amazon.com/Philips-X1-28-Over-Ear-Headphones/dp/B00B3QD94O

http://www.amazon.com/AKG-K702-Headphones/dp/B001RCD2DW

Just some examples.

I only got one response yerterday so,

• Budget: £200 at most.
  
• Sources: PC and my HTC One.
  
• Requirements for isolation: None.
  *Preferred Type of Headphones: Over ear, I hate on ears and I do not like IEMs very much.
  
• Preferred Tonal Balance: Neutral, mayble slighlt warm, I'm unsure about this.
  
• Past Headphones: Sony MDR-V55s These are very uncomfortable for over 30 minutes, but they sounded OK. I have some Soundmagic E10s for portable use.
  
• Preferred Music: I listen to entirely rock/metal usually prog metal.
  
• What I'm Currently Considering:
  
  Sennheiser HD598 This looks quite good and is meant to be quite neutral. These are in the middle of my price range.
  
  Beyerdynamic DT880 PRO These are meant to be very comfortable - I quite like the look of these
  
  Beyerdynamic DT990 PRO These are similar to the DT 880s (not in sound apparently), but they are apparently more comfortable than the 880s. THey are also much cheaper than the 880s
  
  AKG K702 The design of these is appealing and that they meant to be detailed in sound.
  
  AKG Q701 These supposedly sound better than the K702s in that they have more bass These are the very most that I am willing to spend.
  An yother suggestions would be appreciated!

you'll want a second controller with a stand-alone charger like this: http://amzn.com/B00ENFVJJO. battery life is super short on PS4 controller and this will help him play if he forgets to charge one controller.

second: you'll want to replace the stock headset with something affordable like this: http://amzn.com/B006PP3ZK6 headset that comes with ps4 is not good. not good at all.

third: give him subscription to PS+. it is a similar service to xbox subscription. it will allow him to play online.


sounds like your kid likes sports games. Playstation has the single best baseball game ever made called "MLB the show" keep an eye out for it. it is very very good game. even many non-sports game players play it.

Several good options on Amazon DE - there is a button to change language to english on the website.

Before we go into the options. Soundstage and imagining can help you determine where a gunshot or footsteps come from in an FPS for instance, or if there is something behind you in an RPG(Skyrim, Fallout(a mix of rpg and shooter) and in MMORPGs you can hear if the boss drops shit behind you. This is primarily regarding gaming, getting into how soundstage and imagine works in music would be too long to explain. But this is the basics.

​

​

Open back: Better soundstage and Imaging - Mostly good for FPS games(but you can hear people in the room around you)

AKG K712 - I used to both listen to music and game with these, and they are a good value

Beyerdynamic DT 880 - I use this one for all genres, though it might be too analytical for you

Audio Technica ATH-AD700x - These are absolutely amazing for FPS games, but you might find them a bit boring in the music department coming from the A40s

​

Closed back : These close you off from the outside world, imaging isn't as good, but you won't hear people around you as much IRL

Beyerdynamic Custon One Pro - They have a rather bass heavy sound signature, but the highs are clear and can be useful(depending on the game you play.

Sennheiser Momentum 2 Over-Ear(cabled version) - They aren't the best for shooters, but all other kinds of games they can do just fine. They are 56% off right now.

Audio Technica ATH-MSR7BK - These are highly regarded for gaming and are also an amazing all rounder for music

Audio Technica ATH-A700x - These are the closed back version of the AD700x they are good for gaming and a good all rounder, because of their closed back they have a warmer sound than the AD700x which is rather cold.

Budget - $200 ~ 400 max (Not including DAC and amp)

Source - Windows 7 Desktop PC

Isolation - I will be using these in my own room, typically there is some white noise, computer fan, room fan, etc.

It can't be loud enough to wake other people up through a wall (Like a speaker would). Yet preferably be loud enough to drown out low level ambient noises (Birds if window is open, hum of computer fans).

I dont think it will, but I'd prefer it if does leak from the phones, doesnt get picked up by my blue yeti mic

Used in Public - No - Inside only

Type - Over the ear, Open or Closed Back (Undecided)

Preferred Tonal Balance - No preference, I just want it to be absolutely amazing for gaming, hear directionally where people are coming from in FPS games, and crap my pants amazing for scary games. Gaming immersion and streaming is my main concern here, though I do enjoy listening to classic rock, metal and some classics.

Past Headphones - Logitech G35s - I love how these fit, I know, they are closed back and are cheap, but I like them alot because they drown out low level ambient and give me directional sound for games.

Preferred music - Rock, Metal, Classic Rock, Classical

Improvements - I would like to be able to hear directionally, as I can with my g35, however I would like to hear more clearly and see what a "Good" set of headphones can offer.

Note: I DO NOT need a mic, I have a Blue Yeti on my desk.

Location - US

These maybe overkill, but I was considering the [AKG 712] (https://www.amazon.com/AKG-Over-Ear-Mastering-Reference-Headphones/dp/B00E4WXWBE/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1469467580&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=akg+712) , [Sennheiser H650] (https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-650-Professional-Headphone/dp/B00018MSNI/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8) or [AKG 701] (https://www.amazon.com/AKG-701-Studio-Reference-Headphones/dp/B000EBBJ6Y/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8) with most likely the Magni 2.. basically I want to hear amazing rifle shots, feel like I am driving tanks, helicopters, and hear the whining cries of my opponents in clear crisp directional quality.

Heavily Leaning on the AKG 712s, I keep going back and reading about them.. Definitely need suggestions here

Closed headphones are well, closed, behind the drivers. So the back of each headphone cup is solid. They let very little sound in or out and the soundstage is generally very close to your head. With open headphones the backs of the "cups" is generally full of holes allowing for air to travel (and therefore sound to come in and go out) which results in a wider soundstage. Linus will explain very quickly. (two minutes)

Honestly though, you don't mix with only headphones anyways, you use monitors (and headphones too), and open headphones don't automatically make for better mixing headphones.

The reality is, you should buy a pair of Sony MDR7506s. These are the fucking standard world wide, in the sense that they're in basically every studio on earth. They're not mindblowing, they probably won't rock your world, but they're good and they're reasonably priced. There are no open back headphones I would recommend over these for production purposes below $100.

Would I personally probably prefer working with HD 600s (good open headphones)? Sure, but that's more because I know their sound well. Would I work with the 7506s (good closed headphones)? Any day of the week, just like professionals all over the world.

You have a $100 budget in the first place so just buy the 7506s and don't worry about it until you learn more about audio. Even if you sprung for the HD600s you would need to buy a proper external amp/DAC to power them so the cost is even higher. The 7506s are $80 on Amazon and they're what you need. If you had $400+ to spend and were only interested in headphones for the purpose of mixing then maybe I'd recommend the 600s to you, but you should really learn more about this stuff before diving in that deep.

I have a pair of m9's and they are great headphones. They're built very well and produce a great sound. My only beef with them is the bud sleeves tend to pop off easily so you may have to buy replacements. Other than that, their build quality is awesome. I would say they're even better than the Sennheiser cx 300's I had owned. MEelectronics also frequently have sales, making the deal even better.

OP, if you're willing to dish out about $80 you'll get better sound out of a pair of Grado SR-60i's than any similarly priced earbuds. If you want to spend less than that you're probably better off sticking with buds.

Well I have Sennheisers and Beyerdynamics with amps and stuff and always listen to the boys.

You don't want headphones that overemphasize bass (beats or skullcandys, etc) because the bass will literally muddle all the other fine details of the music. If you like bass, that's great. But listening to their music the way they intended it to be heard and as crystal clear as possible is IMO the best way to listen to the boys. Plus, some nice headphones can give you your bass AND keep the mids and highs super clear.

If you want dope ass headphones that sound great I recommend these

I've had numerous people tell me that my Audio Technica ATH AD700 headphone are extremely comfortable. I coupled them and a Modmic together to make what I guess you are looking for, sound + voice. The Modmic has fantastic quality and the AD700s sound great, except that they do not have very strong base. They do have a good sound stage meaning that you can determine the direction of a sound quite easily. They no longer produce the original AD 700 that I have, now they are on a new model, the AD 700x. It is pretty much the same, just a different color.

Link to Amazon page for AD700x

Link to Modmic page

If you have a bit more to spend, then the Audio Technica AD900x are for the most part an upgraded / better version of the AD700x. They do sound better than the AD700x but they are about $100 more expensive.

Link to AD900x

If you are not a fan of Audio Technica then you can really use any quality headphone with the modmic. I just like the AD700 becuase it is great for gaming since it has great positional sound.

I know you said cans, but these are still awesome and they are less then $50 if you have Prime:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002LBSEQS?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00

I just bought a pair and they sound amazing. Games sound great and I have no issues with pin pointing where a sound is made.

Biggest complaint (if that) is they feel cheap. They do feel like mostly plastic, but they hold up well. I've already tossed them off not thinking and they withstood the fall.

They are very comfortable as well and don't require any DAC or amp.

Sennheiser HD650- music heaven but expensive. At this point though, it's only going to sound as good as the quality of the music files you have. Amp semi-required

Sennheiser HD598- step below the HD650s. Equal treble and mids, not much bass but these are the headphones that makes you appreciate the clear sound without it.

Klipsch X10- very treble-y, it sometimes hurts, but if these weren't the clearest sounding in-ear headphones I've ever had I don't know what. Fairly wide soundstage. I've washed them twice and they still work.

MEE M-Duos- These are the cheapest of the bunch. I was pleasantly surprised at the sound of them. As clean and clear sound as the HD598 but with much more bass. My favorite tbh

Also shoutout to /r/headphones check out their wiki

I have a couple of suggestions for you based on the Sennheiser line with different categories for you to pick from.

First off, if you would want a gaming headset with a great sound capability and a powerful boom mic, I would recommend the PC 373D, Sennheiser's latest product in their gaming line. Albeit much more expensive than other gaming headset in the market, that is to be noted.

Secondly, if you would want an audiophile grade headset yet not overly over the top expensive, go with the HD 598 CS. This is the closed back version of the original 598 with improve head paddings and overall build quality, great for long gaming sessions.

Lastly, if you prefer the full Sennheiser experience, the HD 600/650 is your pick. Although still in the $300-$400 price range it is worth it if you don't want to pay $500+ for better ones yet still get the similar good sound quality.

Amazon links:
373D: https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-PC-373D-Surround-Headset/dp/B01IBORI2O
598: https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-598-Cs-Headphone/dp/B01JP436TS
600: https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-Open-Back-Professional-Headphone/dp/B00004SY4H

avoid gaming headset, buy a good pair of headphones and a seperate microphone, you'll get much better sound quality for the price, especially in the headphones department.

For $70, I would recommend the Samson SR850 headphones with these Velvet earpads because the stock earpads are pretty bad, but the headphones sound GREAT for the price. Build quality is average.

For a mic, the Zalman ZM Mic1 is a common mic. It sounds great and it easily attaches to your headphones cable (those Samson) have a pretty thick cable so it won't fall off).

ALTERNATIVELY:

Superlux HD 668b Identical sounding to the Samsons, but are designed differently, sometimes are cheaper, those earpads are still recommended)

Superlux HD 681 or 681 EVO They basically sound like the 668b/SR850, but just a little worse overall, but you won't beat them for $30. The earpads are still recommended.

So the Wii U supports any kind of wireless headset that uses inline interruption, i.e. that it basically gets plugged in between your audio cable and the TV. The Sony Gold Wireless headphones have their own USB receiver to work over wireless, and since Nintendo doesn't have any drivers, nor anyway to install the USB drivers, it won't work over wireless. Xbox One is the same way, to those who say it works. Works great plugged in via 3.5mm though. Now, that being said, the Wii U has the capability to support wireless headsets though bluetooth, but Nintendo hasn't released or licensed any as of yet.

If you want to try some wireless cans though, maybe give these a shot: Sennheiser RS120. While I can't vouch for these particular pair, I do know that Sennheiser makes a good pair of headphones, and these will work with just about anything with RCA (red and white) or Headphone out.

As to a pair I can vouch for, while these are wired, they're spectacular, and they come with a 7ft cord: Sennheiser HD201. There certainly are better headphones if you wanna spend a bit more, but they're great for what they cost.

Hope this helps mate!

If you don't mind IEMs (In Ear Monitors), I highly recommend the SoundMagic E10's, available for $32.97 on Amazon at the time of writing. I'm no audiophile but based on what I had read about them on head fi (which is a great resource for everything on headphones) I picked up a pair about two years ago and they've been my go to ever since, bringing great sound at a great price.

Of course I've had to replace them a few times, more often than not due to my own mistreatment of them, but I've had my current pair since March of this year and they still work and sound great, for music, general use on my computer, plugging them into my controller when on my PS4, everything.