So I recently got a Philips Fidelio X2, Syba Sonic DAC/Amp, and a V-moda Boompro mic, and I wanted to share some thoughts.

My goal was to get something easy, convenient, and quality for gaming but still good for music and movies (aka, a fun v-shape sound signature), while still being open back. Like others, I've gone back and forth on a million different combinations of headphones, mics, dacs, amps, etc. I felt like I was going crazy...

"Well, I could get a Beyerdynamic... but most of their affordable stuff have fixed cables... I could get the SHP9500... but I hear bass is lacking... I could get a Sennheiser HD58X... but then I can't use the V-moda... I could just do a table mic... but then it starts getting too cluttered... etc., etc., etc."

Finding the right combination of my nitpicky requirements is a goddamned nightmare.

I finally settled on a used pair of X2s, thanks to Reddit, actually. Figured they would have the fun sound signature I was looking for, plus the open-back design I'd like for gaming (and just in general), plus the compatibility of the V-moda Boompro and the Syba Sonic DAC/Amp that works so well with the Boompro all at an affordable pricepoint.

And if you're wondering, yeah, I was influenced by ZReviews. I realize now that he jumps on some things and hypes them up probably too quickly, but if anyone has seen his reviews on the SHP9500, Fidelio X2, or the Syba Sonic, it really does seem like a dream come true for someone like me who is looking for a really good all-arounder for gaming, music and movies.

Before I get specifically into the X2, just so you know where I'm coming from, my long-time daily drivers have been the very affordable Superlux HD681. They're very cheaply built, the stock earpads are utter garbage, they're bright, they have a pretty damn wide soundstage, they're incredibly good for gaming for the price, and they're still no slouch on bass and bass extension (although they certainly lean toward high trebles.

I picked up some Sennheiser HD 4.40BT recently because I wanted something portable and wireless. They're decent, but they're uncomfortable and they sound so muddied compared to my much cheaper Superlux.

Anyway, onto the X2...

Build Quality

Initial impressions are that these are well built. Feel very sturdy and rugged yet still sleek, if not a tad too heavy.

The headband is incredibly comfortable. In fact, so far in my time with headphones, these are by far the most comfortable pair of headphones I've ever worn.

That being said, while the clamping force is nice and light and doesn't put much pressure on my ears or jaw, the clamping force is almost too light. It causes them to sag on my head and it means the tops of my ears are what's ultimately doing most of the work keeping the headphones on my head. This also means that if I simply look around too quickly (like, not vigorously shake my head but literally just look in one direction or the other too fast) they literally fall out of place. Very annoying. I like how comfortable they are, but they need more clamping force.

Also, I feel like they creak. I can literally hear them creaking when they're on my head and I move around a bit. It's not the end of the world, but I feel like that shouldn't be happening with headphones that are in the "mid-fi" price range.

I have no idea what the stock pads are like, because I bought them used and the guy had these on them. I will say that those Hifiman velour pads are hella comfy, but they messed with the sound signature in a way I didn't like (more on that in a sec).

So, yeah...comfy, built well, detachable cable is a HUGE fuckin plus, but they need more clamping force and they have a tendency to creak.

Sound and Stuff

I'm no audiophile, so I'll try not to pretend like I am.

When I first got these, my initial impression was "FUCK these are way too dark and muddy." Just like when I first tried the Sennheiser HD 4.40BT (in comparison to my Superlux HD681), I felt like there was practicaly 0 treble. Like, not v-shaped sound signature but a fucking high, inauthentic bump in the bass and then a sharp fucking drop off the side of a cliff.

"Where are the vocals?? Where are the guitars?? Where is the clarity??" is what I kept asking myself.

Unlike the HD 4.40BT, though, I tried not jumping to conclusions and I gave them some time to fester.

Here's one easy change that made a big difference: I had these cheap Cosmos earpads lying around from my Superlux HD681 and I swapped them onto the X2s. They're not as comfortable (although still comfy in general) and they're not nearly as thick, so therefore they brought my ears closer to the drivers, and BOOM...suddenly I had treble again!

I've heard some people say they think X2s are too sibilant, which is crazy to me. While I did get my treble back, they're far from being overly high. They're kind of just right now. Honestly, a simple earpad swap was almost all these needed (for me at least).

Sound clarity was still a bit muddy to me. And that's been the most disappointing thing for me.

Bass is there, treble is (now) there, mids are recessed like a lot of reviews claim, which is all perfectly fine with me, but it still feels muddy compared to my Superlux HD681. The Superlux HD681 feels more tinny to me now that I've tried the X2s for a little bit, so I'll happily take the X2s over the Superlux now, but I still feel like I can separate instruments, vocals, etc. I guess that would be called imaging?

A couple other changes helped that, though...

EQs and DAC/Amps

Like I said, I got the Syba Sonic DAC/Amp almost entirely for its usability with gaming. It gives me a mic input and a headphone output which is perfect for the V-moda boompro mic, plus a treble and bass boost, plus a volume knob.

For under $40 this was really all I needed. I have to say, it's been fun playing around with the treble and bass boost. It doesn't work in all instances, but there have been some songs where I reeeally want that bass, and the bass boost gives it to me. Other times when it just feels too muddy or grainy, the treble boost at least helps with clarity and I feel like I can pick songs apart a little better.

Also, I finally delved into the world of equalizing with Equalizer APO and these particular measurements for the X2. For the uninitiated, I guess these are a bunch of equalizer settings for tons of headphones that are designed to make the headphones as neutral as possible. After reading a quick tutorial on how to work Equalizer APO I got it working, and I have to say it has made a real difference.

The X2s went from muddy, grainy, and lacking clarity to being (at least for me) decently more neutral and much cleaner and clearer. That being said the suggested -6.1dB gain seemed to make it so that my DAC/Amp just doesn't quite get loud enough. I changed that to closer to -4.0dB and now I seem to get a decent range of volume like before (although still not as much).

It did lighten the bass on the X2s, which is a bit of a downer. There are certain songs that really need the punch, but I'm still new to equalizers and too afraid to mess around with it too much.

All in all, the Cosmos earpads, Syba Sonic and EqualizerAPO changed these X2s waaaaay more than I honestly assumed they would. Honestly, kind of transformed them.

Quick Note About Soundstage

Since I also wanted these for gaming, I feel like I should mention soundstage.

I've heard some people say the X2s have amaaazingly wide soundstage and I've heard others say it almost has no soundstage whatsoever.

All I can say is that after going back and forth betwen the X2s and the Superlux HD681 in Overwatch, PUBG, and Fortnite, I feel like they are at least just as good as the Superlux if not better, which is plenty good enough for me since the Superlux have been my gold standard of gaming soundstage for qutie a while now.

Last Thoughts

So, did I get what I wanted? Ummm...mostly? I totally get now why people start "chasing the dragon" when they start getting deep into a hobby. There are so many specific things you want, and you begin to feel as though literally no company has actually even produced the thing you're looking for. It's almost like it doesn't exist.

Although, more than likely, you just haven't found it yet.

It took some messing around with earpads, a DAC/Amp, and an equalizer to truly get what I wanted out of these X2s, but I'm glad I didn't write them off immediately.

That being said, while the Fidelio X2s aren't giving me the clarity and imaging that I desire, they do have a found sound signature and they are a good choice for an all-arounder (gaming, music, movies, etc.).

You can get the bass that is surprisingly punchy for open-back headphones, you can get a soundstage that's decent enough for casual gaming with friends, they have that ever-elusive detachable cable, and some tweaks here and there can get you some cleaner treble.

I'm happy, but then I'm disappointed. I'm happy again, and then I'm disappointed again...such is the case of having too many criteria.

part 2/2

Second, there are ways to take a more cost-effective approach. I always bring up the physics example of the apple falling on Newton's head, which made him realize gravity existed, and then he dedicated his whole life to figuring out the formula for gravity; then you saunter up to science class one day, learn F=ma, and that's that! Likewise, a lot of smart & persistent people have worked hard to create formulas for food, called recipes, which you can try & learn & get good results at simply by following their step-by-step checklist.

Part of getting good at cooking is learning the underlying tools, technique, and knowledge required for flavor combinations, food pairings, spice mixes, cooking methods, etc., but part of it is also just burning through a bunch of recipes & getting exposure to good results & to various processes, without having to master every single one right off the bat & then think up new ways to use them. So in addition to learning how to cook in general, I'd also recommend simply following a bunch of recipes initially, rather than trying to re-invent the wheel, which can help you get better results initially, simply because you have proven instructions to follow! There are a million great resources for doing this; I'll share just a few here:

• Website: Serious Eats: Most recipes are split into a detailed explanation & then a separate page for the recipe itself. Excellent learning resource!
  
• Book: The Food Lab: By Kenji of the Serious Eats website. This is a really excellent book to learn cooking step-by-step, complete with full-color pictures & detailed explanations.
  
• Website: ChefSteps: An excellent resource for detailed recipes from the company that makes the Joule sous-vide machine (note that not all recipes are sous-vide!)
  
• Show: Good Eats with Alton Brown (on TV or available to purchase online); lots of detailed walkthroughs & tribal knowledge shared in each episode.
  
• Book: Modern Sauces: 150 sauces, plus great explanations to build up your knowledge about sauces. One thing I've realized over time is that most restaurants create amazing flavor through their sauces, whether it's something as basic as Big Mac sauce at McDonald's or a super fancy steak sauce at an elegant, high-end restaurant.
  
• Show: "Wok Star" by Eleanor Ho: She teaches a fantastic, recipe-free workflow for creating stir-fry dishes using a wok & a hi-heat portable burner. Note that you can buy the discs (which are just simple recordings of her classes) & printed materials separately from the wok & burner if you already have the tools. She's put together a really great system for teaching wok cooking, so if you're interested in learning the "flowchart" for quick & healthy meals using the stir-fry method, this is the best resource I've ever come across!
  
  Third, it helps to have some good introductions to the different aspects of food. Here's a few links to read to help kick-start your education process:
  
  
• Basic cooking advice & approach
  
• How to cook a chicken breast so it's good every time
  
• A quick discussion about "master" recipes
  
• Introduction to spices
  
• How our bodies works in relation to food & a bit more on food & exercise
  
• A quick introduction to complete foods
  
• My approach to meal prep & a bit more information on the Look Book
  
• Some tips for getting organized in your kitchen (kitchen part specifically is a few posts down)
  
  Anyway, learning how to cook can definitely be discouraging & can absolutely be a money-drain, because you're going to have to make a lot of mistakes, due to the learning process, and make also a lot of just plain mediocre food before you start hitting some home-runs. I'd recommend making sure that you have a recipe storage system for capturing the recipes & workflows you really like.
  
  I'd also recommend adopting the "growth" mindset when it comes to cooking, because it's easy to quit in the face of setbacks & label yourself as a terrible cook or view cooking at home as hard or dumb or whatever. If you look at cooking from a big-picture perspective, you're going to be alive until you die, and you've gotta eat every day, so imo at least, it's totally worth learning how to cook so that you can save money & enhance the enjoyability of each meal that you cook while you can!
  
  I think part of that is just accepting that it's going to take some time & practice (and money) as you grow & develop your skills, your personal recipe database, and the various workflows available for things like making breads or grilling or stir-frying or whatever you want to dive into. Probably the best way to save money, at this point in your cooking education, is to find & follow top-rated recipes. Pinterest has a pretty good algorithm for bubbling up really good recipes, so if you type in "chocolate-chip cookie" into the Pinterest search & try a recipe (exactly as printed, step-by-step) on the first page of results, then you're likely to get much better results than just winging it...while also building up your cooking skills in the process & getting that background knowledge & hands-on time required to get better at cooking!

And yes, people are complaining because it simply is not up to par with other similar priced units available. So I hope you'll eventually stop recommending these PSUs. I've seen you recommend them very frequent and just really don't like it.

JonnyGuru is an awesome PSU reviewer for sure, it's my go to reviewer for sure.
But he's not the only reviewer out there that really looks into a PSU it's inner details.

---

Here is a review from TechPowerUp, that states the exact reason why a lot of people do not suggest the EVGA NEX G1 650/750W units.

> "Voltage regulation was not so good. Only the 5V rail did well. The other rails registered relatively high deviations that exceeded 3%. Also,the performance on Crossload tests is disappointing; the propriety group-regulation scheme that the FSP used on the secondary side of this unit is to blame for this. Finally, the 5VSB rail had a problem keeping its voltage above the minimum limit that the ATX spec sets during the 110% load test, but we won't take its 5VSB failure into account seriously since we operated the PSU out of its specs on that test; besides, a full load at 5VSB is hard to reproduce during normal operations. Nevertheless, most units don't have a problem here."

Here is an other review from PCPer, that states the exact same.

> "Ideally we would like to see no AC ripple (repetitive) or noise (random) on the DC outputs – the cleaner the better! But in reality there will always be some present."

> "The EVGA NEX750G power supply exhibited acceptable AC ripple suppression on all of the primary outputs but was overall higher than we would like to see on a premium grade, enthusiast power supply; particularly on the +3.3V and +5VSB outputs."

Hopefully this clears it up!

---

As for sound cards, most people will be extremely happy by the on-board sound that's available on motherboards these days. The sound quality improved dramatically over the last 2 years.

If you do want to get a sound improvement, the first place to start is with your headphones. Almost all "gaming" headsets that you buy these days are pretty much not great for music (unless you love high base styled music, then you might enjoy it well enough), movies & anything else than explosion sounds.
Positional sound stages on most gaming headsets are also not great. Because almost all of them are closed back designs, which reduces the 3D effect obtainable with open back headphones. Closed vs Open back headphones explained.
Now quickly adding the whole Gaming vs "real" headphones discussion that often pops up.

This whole 5/7.1 surround sound is hopefully done by software and can help to position the sound if it comes from your left or right, but open backed, 2.0 headphones are the best for positional sound stage and don't require any additional software. Turn of all the surround sound software that you have and listen to this clip with your eyes closed. To understand how "surround sound" works on headphones.
The Sennheiser HD598 & AKG K701/2 are one of the best out there for this. This is great for games like CS:GO.
Source

If you have great headphones and still want to get more out of them, I recommend to get an external DAC/AMP. Over a sound card!
This means that you remove the audio signal completely away from the noisy PC that causes EMI. This video is a broad explanation of it and not just related to audio & PC units. But you can trust me, the inside of a PC got lots of it.
So an external DAC/AMP unit will remove the EMI completely. Since you use an USB cable to connect it to the DAC (digital to analog converter) which transforms the digital sound (10010100101) into an analog signal that we humans can hear.
The AMP or Amplifier makes sure that the headphones, earbuds or speakers get enough "power" to produce all the sound waves.

Sound card, DAC & AMP explained is the video that explains the EMI much better.

This quickly becomes expensive, but there are a lot of great "value" options available these days. The most famous one is the FiiO E10K but I'm personally also a big fan of the Schiit Fulla
In terms of sound difference, I bet you that almost nobody is able to really tell them apart, aside from probably the people that made them. So in theory, the FiiO is the better value.
I just personally really love the Schiit company and thus support them. Their customer support is also very amazing.

Sorry for the wall of text, if you have any more questions. Don't hesitate to ask!

Aight girl-

Foreign Cuisine-
How to Eataly - Oscar Farinetti - We made the most AMAZING brisket meatballs and a super simple yet completely delicious red sauce out of this book
Around My French Table - Dorie Greenspan - Where the Cornish hens and gougeres came from.
Real Korean Cooking - Maangchi - Korean Fried Chicken. We've made them twice now because they're so good and can't wait to do more.
Mexican Everyday - Rick Bayless - Learned how to make perfect guac from this book and so far we've made these v tasty chorizo/mushroom/potato tacos. The recipe is SO cheap and SO voluminous that we had it as a taco filling, a quesadilla filling, and we're making a hash with it for brunch this morning.
Every Grain of Rice - Fuchsia Dunlop - We haven't tried anything out of here yet but there are sooooo many good-looking recipes in here.
Entice with Spice - Shubhra Ramineni - Likewise, haven't made anything out of here yet but looking forward to trying it all out soon.
Jack's Wife Freda - Dean & Maya Jankelowitz - This is actually a book from a restaurant that my fiance and I LOVED when we last visited NYC. It's got a lot of fusion recipes. Mediterranean/Israeli/South African/etc. Really unique flavors and also v comfort-food based. We're making rosewater waffles out of this book tomorrow!


Baking-
Rose's Baking Basics - Rose Levy Barenbaum - This book is incredible. She has tons and tons of step-by-step photos which is SUPER helpful. We made the dark chocolate caramel tart out of this book, but pretty much everything in here looks amazing.
Modern Baking - Donna Hay - I mean... There is some INSANELY decadent looking stuff in here. We haven't tried any of these recipes yet but I can't wait to!


Misc-
Cook Like a Pro - Ina Garten - It was really hard to pick just one Ina book but I liked most of the recipes in this one. She has this ridic recipe for a dijon mustard chicken that is INCREDIBLE. Also, this bitch knows how to cook some veggies. Big fan of this one.
The Food Lab - /u/j_kenji_lopez-alt - I just love this guy, tbh. We've made a really fantastic beef tenderloin out of this book and an incredible red wine sauce to go with it and of course, his famous roasted potatoes which are now my holy grail recipe for roasted potatoes. This book is like a science textbook only instead of boring stuff it's FOOD science, which is my favorite kind.


Those were all the ones we purchased ourselves (though technically Eataly was a gift BUT we love it and plan to use it often.) We have other cookbooks in our stable that we've received as gifts, which is what resulted in my fiance and I deciding we wanted to embark on this journey. We kept being given cookbooks and never doing anything with them. But man, do people love it when you send them pics of stuff you cooked out of a book they gave you. If people give you cookbooks, use them!! It will make their day to see it's being used. Here's what else is on our cookbook shelf-


The Forest Feast Gatherings - Erin Gleeson - This is a vegetarian book my fiance's mom gave us a few years ago for Christmas. We have a bunch of veggie friends (and friends with a lot of different allergies) so we turn to this book to have a few things that are edible by all of them when we have them over, as we often do. This book has a really delicious salad that has pomegranate seeds, pear, and hazelnut that is out of this world good. I also got my HG salad dressing from this book.
The Salad Bowl - Nicola Graimes - Another gift from my fiance's mom. Is she trying to tell us something?? Honestly haven't looked much into this book yet but it sure is pretty.
The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook - Dinah Bucholz - This was a gift from the assistant in my office. Everyone in my office knows me as the Harry Potter girl because I have a lightning bolt tattoo, haha. We haven't made anything out of this yet, but we probably will have some sort of epic feast with recipes from this book when GoT starts back up later this year.
Talk About Good - Louisiana Lafayette Junior League - My boss gave this to my fiance and I as part of an engagement gift. My fiance went to school in New Orleans. It's primarily New Orleansian/Cajun food. Haven't made anything out of it yet, but we are looking forward to it.

And that's what's on our cookbook shelf for now.

edit also omg thanks for the gold!! <3

Then Sennheiser G4ME ONE for open-back (recommended) or G4ME ZERO for closed-back.

If you're not opposed to a headphone and a separate mic, then I have some recommendations and suggestions. There's also some info you should know about what makes headphones/headsets good for gaming.

 

Open-back headphones:

• AKG K612 Pro
  
• Audio-Technica ATH-AD700x
  
• Audio-Technica ATH-AD500x
  
• Philips SHP9500
  
• Sennheiser HD558
  
• Status Audio OB-1
  
• Superlux HD681 (B, F)
  
• Superlux HD681 EVO
  
• Superlux HD668B / Samson SR850
  
  Closed-back headphones:
  
  
• AKG K52
  
• Status Audio CB-1
  
• Superlux HD669
  
• Superlux HD662 (B, F)
  
• Superlux HD662 EVO
  
  Mics:
  
  
• Antlion ModMic 5
  
• Antlion ModMic 4
  
• V-MODA BoomPro
  
   
  
  I have AKG K52, Audio-Technica ATH-AD700x, Philips SHP9500, Superlux HD662 EVO, Superlux HD668B, Superlux HD669 and Superlux HD681 EVO of these. I also have AKG Q701, Beyerdynamic DT990 (600 ohms), HyperX Cloud, Philips Fidelio X2 and Sennheiser HD700. I got all of these for gaming (and because I love collecting headphones). I can't emphasize enough that perceived performance in headphones is relative. This is why I mention what headphones I've used.
  
  K52 has a big soundstage, good imaging, clarity, detail retrieval and tonality, and decent separation. The bass can sound slightly distorted in explosions and other big and loud sounds. It has a flat/balanced sound signature. It's over-ear, very lightweight and has a durable build and replaceable earpads.
  
  AD700x has a very big soundstage, great imaging, separation, clarity and detail retrieval, and good tonality. It has a bright sound signature with clean, recessed bass. It's over-ear, very lightweight and has a durable build and replaceable earpads.
  
  SHP9500 has a big soundstage, good imaging, separation and detail retrieval, and very good clarity and tonality. It has a flat/balanced sound signature with clean bass. It's over-ear, lightweight and has a durable build and a detachable cable. The earpads are removable, but you need to mod them to replace them, which is very easy and quick to do. I've made a tutorial. The clamping force is very loose, so I don't recommend the headphone for children or if you frequently move your head down and don't have a big head. Replacing the earpads will make the clamping force tighter.
  
  HD668B has a very big soundstage, very good imaging, separation and detail retrieval, good clarity and decent tonality. It has a bright sound signature and a small boost in the bass. It has clean bass. It's over-ear, very lightweight and has a sturdy build and a detachable cable. I recommend replacing the earpads with velour earpads from HiFiMAN or Cosmos.
  
  HD681 EVO has a very big soundstage, good detail retrieval, very good clarity and tonality, but has poor imaging and separation. It has a warm sound signature with a deep, clean bass. It's over-ear, lightweight and has a durable build and a detachable cable. I recommend taking out the loose felt inside the cups and replacing the earpads because they are very shallow and the driver sticks out quite a bit. Some good compatible earpads are the ones from HiFiMAN and Cosmos and AKG K240/K270/K271 earpads. If you have big ears, then I recommend the round velour earpads from Brainwavz. The earpads can cost up to $25, but the sound quality is worth at least $100. Thomann.de sells Superlux headphones cheaper than Amazon.
  
  I'm currently testing Superlux HD662 EVO and Superlux HD669.
  
   
  
  Closed-back headphones have cups with solid shells that largely isolate sound from passing in and out.
  
  Open-back / semi-open-back headphones 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 and, hence, better imaging.
  
  Soundstage is 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 will depend 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. Imaging is inherent to the audio content, so if the game is recorded or mixed poorly, a headphone with good imaging won’t improve the positional audio.
  
  Separation is separating individual sounds from a range of sounds. Good separation properties make it easier to filter out or discern overlapping sounds from other sounds and track them.
  
  Sound signature is a frequency response / sound profile. For example, a V-shaped sound signature emphasizes the bass and treble while recessing the mid-range. A flat/balanced sound signature doesn't over- or under-emphasize these frequencies and attempts to reproduce the original recording accurately as possible. A bright headphone emphasizes the treble and can subdue the bass. A warm sound signature emphasizes the bass or subdues the treble.
  
   
  
  The Antlion ModMics use a clasp system to attach to headphones and they are easy to attach and remove. They are compatible with all headphones and have mute switches. V-MODA BoomPro is compatible with headphones that have a female 3.5mm jack without any proprietary nonsense, like Philips SHP9500. Status Audio CB-1 is compatible, though. It has a mute switch and a volume control. You should listen to recordings on YouTube to judge for yourself if they sound good. I think they are for voice chat.
  
  To connect the headphone and ModMic to DS4, you need a 4-pole Y-splitter. The BoomPro doesn't require a Y-splitter.
  
  To connect the headphone and ModMic or BoomPro to PS4, you can use an audio USB adapter. The BoomPro requires a Y-splitter here, but it comes with the mic.
  
  You can also use a sound card, e.g. Astro MixAmp Pro TR, or a dedicated DAC (digital-to-analog converter) and a headphone amplifier, e.g. SMSL SD793-II, to improve your audio. Sound cards are mainly for offering virtual surround sound, equalization, and other features, so sound cards generally provide inferior audio quality to dedicated DACs and amps. The reason why sound cards are relevant even if you're not interested in the extra features is that the BoomPro mic only works through a 3.5mm TRRS jack, which DS4 and licensed sound cards offer. If you choose a ModMic, then you're not limited because the mic cable is separate from the headphone cable, so the headphone connects to the amp as usual and the mic connects to the DS4.

So I woke up and these are the links to the videos and some pointers and what not.

ALL LINKS IN THE BOTTOM

Here is the first video for 150 dollars https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dj5G0isn9Y

These are the 50 dollar headphones https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fD-M1F6L4g

These are the really high end for 200-1000 dollar sets. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgTnJ3JQQ0E

Open vs Closed

Closed

Closed which is what I use right now but am looking to get an open pair for 150 bucks. Now closed is where the sound outside your headphones do not come in, as much. Now some are completely noise cancelling then others and some you can still hear but not too well. It has a less of a sound stage so it is harder to know where somethings is by hearing it.

Open

Open is where the vibrator (forgot the name) is directly exposed with little noise cancelling materiel and sometimes none. The offer a much larger sound stage where you can tell where hostiles are, where the birds are, tanks, etc. They also are much better sounding. However, if you live in a loud place with a lot of things going on, get closed. Open also allows for people to hear what you listen to, from 2 or 3 feet away but not behind a closed door.

Microphones

One of the things that you need to be weary about is desktop mics. They are good sounding, great everything. However if you have a small desk get an attachable arm. If you have a mechanical keyboard or hit your table a lot get an arm. But arms can be expensive 20-40 dollars or even more. The solution is getting a Antlion Modmic 4.0 for 40 bucks, great sound, nice and clear and noise cancelling so it won't pickup outside noise. Desktop mics I'd get is a Blue Yeti, Snowball, Audio Technica 2020 is also great, Snowflake microphone, etc.

Ad-dons for audio

So if you want to get better audio, louder, etc. Get an AMP/DAC mix. They are a DAC/AMP connecting VIA USB plug to the PC and then the headphones connect to the DAC with a quarter inch with some 3.5mm connectors but not recommended. These offer a much better experience but at a cost for 80-200 dollars for good ones. Some pads too add bass or take away from treble, mids or bass or add to. But not that much but it is always great to get better pads then stock ones on some stuff for more comfortable wearing.

Headphones

Probably why you are here reading this. Now if you have 80-100 dollars here are my recommendations

Takstar HI 2050 open back headphones and a modmic 4.0 come in at just 100 dollars, they are great headphones. VERY comfy pads from Bererdynamic, honestly I don't know how they aren't losing money they sound like 200 dollar headphones.

Superlux 668B's they are good headphones, they sound high end, are very tough, etc. However they are semi-open and have a fairly large sound stage. My biggest 2 problems are, they are very treble heavy and uncomfortable for larger heads and ears. If I got these I'd need the velour ear pads Amazons sells for them because the stock are hard plastic. The other problem is they aren't very big either and I have a very large ear and head so they is a minus for me. Which is why I love the Takstar HI2050's.

Now if you want to drop more money then get these AKG Q701's which are VERY open. They offer the largest sound stage in the price bracket and more then almost all 500+ headphones. They are very comfy and big for big ears. Very good sound.

For some alternatives in that price bracket for open are DT 990's pros for 150 dollars, they are a bit treble heavy but still are very great. They are 150 on Amazon for the 250 OHM one which can be used in quarter inch and 3.5mm plugs by unscrewing the quarter inch adapter. They have very deep ear pads and very comfy ones too.

Now if you want closed for 30 bucks and still good audio get these Monoprice 108323. Now these earpads aren't very good IMO so I'd get Brainwavz replacement pads for 20 dollars. They are deep, comfy and overall nice. Sound I don't know too much about but they still beat gaming headsets.

For the last pair of closed backs I can think of are DT 770s, bass heavy, VERY big headphones from Beyerdynamic and overall good but not a good sound stage get these for 170 on Amazon.

Another honourable mention is Audio Technica M50x's, they are ok. Better then gaming headsets but don't offer much compared to 990's or 701's but still good. They are 160 I believe.

Now get a modmic or whatever mic you want with these, I'd get a desktop mic w/ arm personally but modmic is nice.

Links

• http://www.modmic.com/collections/modmic Modmic
  
  
• Blue yeti http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Microphones-Yeti-USB-Microphone/dp/B002VA464S I'd recommend a pop-filter too.
  
  
• Snowflake http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Microphones-Snowflake-USB-Microphone/dp/B0012AUHXW
  
  
• http://www.amazon.com/Razer-Seiren-Elite-Digital-Microphone/dp/B00QXT5M3C This isn't much more then the Blue Yeti, in fact a bit worst and very expensive. I'd stay away but worth a mention.
  
  
• http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Microphones-Snowball-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B006DIA77E
  
  
• AT2020 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001AS6OYC/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_3?pf_rd_p=1944687582&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0006H92QK&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0ZVM8GGV5TDXFE02QPWP
  
  
• DT 990 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0011UB9CQ/ref=twister_B00WU2V08C?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
  
  
• DT 770 http://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-770-PRO-250-ohms/dp/B0006NL5SM
  
  
• ATH M50x http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M50x-Professional-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B00HVLUR86/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1457973618&sr=1-1&keywords=m50x
  
  
• Takstar HI2050 http://www.amazon.com/Takstar-Monitor-Headphone-Gaming-Computer/dp/B009PIQUB6/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1457973640&sr=1-1&keywords=Takstar+hi+2050
  
  
• Superlux 668b http://www.amazon.com/Superlux-HD668B-Dynamic-Semi-Open-Headphones/dp/B003JOETX8/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1457973655&sr=1-1&keywords=668b
  
  
• Velour pads for 668B's http://www.amazon.com/Cosmos-Velvet-Replacement-Cushion-Headphones/dp/B00KLPRQMO/ref=pd_bxgy_23_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0Z33W5JHBVD65A9T5YGD
  
  
• Brainwavz pads http://www.amazon.com/Brainwavz-Replacement-Memory-Foam-Earpads/dp/B00MFDT894/ref=pd_sim_23_36?ie=UTF8&dpID=41vuwIZESZL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=14DP2XANDMR7AFMC1QMY Make sure these fit I am postive but check /r/headphones to know.
  
  
• Monoprice headphones http://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-108323-Headphone-Gold-Plated-Accessories/dp/B007SP2CO2/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1457973687&sr=1-1&keywords=monoprice+8323
  
  
• http://www.amazon.com/AKG-Signature-Reference-Class-Premium-Headphones/dp/B004444OFK
  
  Make sure to look at reviews.
  
  Feel free to ask any questions too.

Just upgraded from my ATH-M50s. Well not price wise, but imo, soundwise.

I bought them for $50 off Newegg on Sale. Incase you haven't figured it out yet, they are the Phillips SHP-9500s.
__

First impressions:



Comfort:

• These things are super light and comfortable. Compared to my M50s, the clamp force is much lighter, and I don't get fatigued as quick from the clamp. Note that I replaced the earcups on my M50s with new earcups which definitely helped! But for $20 more, you could get the Phillips. After a bit you forget they're on your head.
  
  
• I find the earcups to be very comfortable, but the shape (Seal) maybe wraps a bit to wide for my tastes. I don't really mind it though and something I've gotten used to really quick, and maybe am starting to enjoy.
  
  
• They are a sweat magnet though, I will say that.
  
  ____
  
  Sound:
  
  
• Not going to go in depth with this, because many people have already said what needed to be said. But I will throw you some super quick impressions..
  
  Bass
  
  
• Bass is definitely not extreme or anything, but that's to be expected with opens. Honestly though, I really like the bass. I am not a bass head, and I think the bass on these are just right, it's clean, tight and sounds good.
  
  Midrange
  
  
• Mids sound great! Very smooth and detailed! Great for vocals in both female and male. Instruments sound great as well of course! Overall I really enjoy the mids on this. It's clean, detailed, relaxed.
  
  Trebel
  
  
• Trebel is very detailed, smooth, and crisp. Sometimes at higher volumes you can get a bit of sibilance, but not bad.
  
  Soundstage:
  
  
• I find the soundstage to be pretty good, not AMAZING, but compared to the m50s.. I find a definite improvement. Things sound more airy and open, and I find myself able to pinpoint instruments more clearly. As well as shots, footsteps, etc in games.
  
  _____
  
  Overall the sound is very good in my opinion.. especially considering the $50. It's an absolute steal if you ask me!
  
  __
  
  Notes: Remember these are openbacked headphones, so not really made for public use as everybody will be able to hear what you're listening to, as well as you be able to hear all the noise around you.
  
  This isn't really a con, because it's how they're made, and it's to be expected. So if you're looking for public use, you should not be looking for a pair of open backed headphones.
  
  ____
  
  Extra Information: The intergrated amp you are seeing is a Cambridge Audio Azur 640a v2. I use for my Vienna Acoustic Mozart Grand speakers. I use the headphone port for my headphones. The dac that it's being run through is a Fiio D3 (D03K).
  
  

If I were you, I might do it a little differently.

Steelseries makes good keyboards and they're very customizable. r/mechanicalkeyboards might throw a hissy fit at me for saying that, but they're good all around boards. Every key can be customized with macros and stuff if he so chooses, right in the Steelseries software. No need to mess around with AHK.

Mice are a very personal thing. Does he know you're getting him PC peripherals for Christmas? If so, knowing the size of his hand, and if possible, how he grips a mouse would be super helpful. I spend a shameful amount of time on r/mousereview and would love to help you out! The Xtrfy M4 is very popular at the moment if he has medium or small hands. Right here you can see how to measure hand size properly.

If you can't get a precise measurement or grip style that's fine - could you maybe compare his hand to yours (a simple "Hey, which one of us has bigger hands?" should do), measure yours, and estimate roughly how different they are.

If he's got the space for a setup, he'd be much better off with a dedicated set of headphones and a dedicated microphone than with a headset, and it'd be cheaper too! I personally recommend the Superlux 668B headphones with a set of replacement earpads (these ones are amazing, but these ones are still very good while being much cheaper). Then grab yourself a Fifine microphone and something cheap to hold it and you've saved yourself a lot of money while getting him a much better product!

Oh, those headphones will let in a fair amount of background noise, and they'll leak a bit of the sound playing through them. If your house/apartment is often loud or you share a space and don't want to hear his games, these Takstars are shockingly good for the price. If you wanna save a few bucks and not go for a separate microphone, this CM headset is based off them but has an attached mic!

Good luck and I hope he enjoys his gift! Feel free to ask any questions you've got, PM if you want :)

Not OP, but I very much enjoy the sound of the HD600's. super easy to listen to and not harsh at all. Kind of expensive, since you need an aplifier to get the best sound of them, which just adds to the price. I have a few recommendations for under 150 dollar headphones.

If you're looking for some great open back headphones, I recommend the AD-700X. Very open, with an airy sound. I enjoy them the most for vocals. not much bass, however. I also really enjoy these for gaming. the design of them is a odd for headphones so they might not be the best fit for your head.

Another option is the SHP9500. also open and similar to the HD600's in that they handle almost all music well. Can't really complain on how they handle most things, except for maybe bass heavy music. All around good headphones. Super comfortable to wear too.

If you want some closed headphones, I recommend the DT-770's 80 Ohm. not as easy to drive as the 32 Ohm version, but still should be fine with almost anything. If you plan on getting an amp, get the 250 Ohm version. I love these because the bass response is absolutely fantastic. If you enjoy EDM, hiphop, or any genre that is bass heavy, these are a no brianer. these have fantastic sub bass that doesn't muddy up the vocals. Maybe not the best for all genre types, as the higher frequencies can be fatiguing for some people.

If you're looking for a AMP to start off with, I recommend the FiiO E10K. cheap, and powerful enough to drive most headphones, unless they're very power demanding like the HD600's. If you want to go all out, getting a Schiit Stack like OP, or an ODAC combo works too. that's gonna be like 200+ though, so I recommend starting with something smaller.

Also, be sure to use Amazon's warehouse deals to get a "used" pair of any of these if you can. save some money on it, and if they're broken or damaged, amazon will gladly refund you. really is a money saver.

Help! Comfortable Closed Back Headphone Needed.

• Budget - £150 (approx $215)
  
• Source - Laptop / Desktop computer with headphone amp.
  
• Requirements for Isolation - Good isolation. Using mostly at home, so don't mind a bit of leak.
  
• Will you be using these headphones in public - No.
  
• Preferred Type of Headphone - Closed Back, Over Ear.
  
• Preferred Tonal Balance - Good, neutral, wide sound. I don't mind a bit of emphasis on the low and high ends, as long as they are well controlled and not muddy. I actually quite liked the bassiness of the ATH-M50x, but a bit more control would be nice.
  
• Past Headphones - Sennheiser HD 215 - very comfortable and they do sound good but looking for an upgrade.
  
• AKG K72 - don't sound too bad for the price, a bit muffled and lacking clarity. Like the design and very comfortable.
  
• AKG K550 - sounded amazing but I had a significant problem with comfort. After about 30 mins use, a real burning pain starts to slowly grow right at the crown of my head where the top of the headband rests. An hour in and it's pretty unbearable. As a result, they sat in my cupboard, unused for two years. I tried using them again a couple of weeks ago, but had the same issue, so I've been forced to sell them.
  
• Audio Technica ATH-M50x - I would say that in terms of sound, these were definitely a bit of a downgrade. The overall sound is just a lot more muddied and coloured, and the soundstage is nowhere near as good as the K550s. They are a bit more comfortable, but not by much. I can only really use them for about 2 hours before I am in considerable pain from the headband. I think I will be returning these and trying to find something more comfortable.
  
• Preferred Music - Listen to a bit of everything. Primarily EDM, Pop, Rock, Alternative, Classical.
  
• What would you like to improve on from your set-up - Comfortable! For long periods. I think I might be better off with lighter headphones, since the pain is always due to pressure at the top of my head.
  -Good, neutral, wide sound. I don't mind a bit of emphasis on the low and high ends, as long as they are well controlled and not muddy.
  
  With this is mind, a couple of candidates so far:
  
  
• Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 Ohm - from what I've heard, supposed to be pretty comfortable. Link: [DT770] (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beyerdynamic-DT770-Pro-Headphones-Ohm/dp/B0016MNAAI/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1463390210&sr=1-1&keywords=dt770)
  
• Sennheiser HD 380 Pro - again, supposed to be pretty comfortable and quite light. Not sure these are much of an upgrade in terms of sound. Link: HD 380
  
• AKG K271 Mk II - Lightweight and have a similar headband design to a pair of AKG K72 I have, which are really comfy. Link: [K271] (https://www.amazon.co.uk/AKG-K271-MKII-Circumaural-Headphones/dp/B0016MOC28/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1463389006&sr=1-3&keywords=akg+closed)
  
  What would you recommend out of these 3? Any better alternatives in my price range?
  
  If anyone can offer any advice or help, it would be much appreciated. Thanks.
  

My recommendations:

Videos:

1. Tasty videos! They’re short, so you can binge a bunch, but they’re also straightforward and usually on the simpler side. https://youtu.be/zcOsz-dHFe0
   
   
2. “Food Wishes” on YouTube. I’ve been watching them for over a decade - lighthearted, fun learning that takes you step by step through TONS of dishes. I cook almost daily, and I can credit this guy for most of my inspiration. https://www.youtube.com/user/foodwishes
   
   
3. Binging with Babish & Basics with Babish. Similar to good wishes, but a little more laid back (which is an accomplishment) and a bit higher production quality IMO. https://www.youtube.com/user/bgfilms
   
   
4. Bon Apetit! Also YouTube. So many fun personalities, everyone has different specialties, it’s like learning from experts that feel like your friends. Carla & Molly have the best recipes and explanations IMO, but they’re all wonderful. https://www.youtube.com/user/BonAppetitDotCom
   
   Websites/Books:
   
   These are more advanced, but Serious Eats (google it) never lets you down when it comes to recipes, but they’re definitely more involved (hours to days).
   
   One of the serious eats writers, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt is a PhD Biologist (I think biology...) who wrote The Food Lab. This man is the god of cooking. 100% scientifically and experimentally tested, this book will teach you everything you ever need to know about cooking and then some. HIGHLY recommend getting a copy. The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science https://www.amazon.com/dp/0393081087/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_DgUuDb85KVPJ8
   
   Finally, if you don’t want to drop $20 (it’s dropped by ~60% since I bought it! Definitely get a copy!!!) on that, but want to be healthy and learn easy, flavor packed recipes, pick up a copy of The Thug Kitchen. It’s vegan, but the skills are useful anywhere and I’ve yet to find anyone - carnivores included - that’s disliked a single recipe. I got a copy for myself, my girlfriend, a good friend of mine, and my brother.
   
   Thug Kitchen: The Official Cookbook: Eat Like You Give a F*ck (Thug Kitchen Cookbooks) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1623363586/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_miUuDb8363PR2

So I don't actually own these two but I was clicking through the Amazon Gift Guide and they both sparked my interest enough to check them out. They're on my Christmas list for sure haha. :)

• Thug Kitchen
  
  This book is awesome. Seriously awesome. It's wonderfully irreverent, well-illustrated, well-organized, it has plenty of really pitch perfect recipes that are simple and inspiring. Probably my favorite thing about it though is the intro since it has a really great holistic approach to just being in a kitchen and choosing food mindfully which is something I appreciate SO much over just a cookbook that is a list of recipes. All the recipes are vegetarian so just keep that in mind. It's kind of the schtick of the book "hey dumbass, eat more vegetables"
  
  
• The Food Lab - Cooking Through Science
  
  For similar reasons as above, I liked this because it EXPLAINS the process of cooking and not just telling you what to do. This is really helpful for me in understanding what I'm doing and creating a strong mental connection to actually learning it. The intro is once again filled with lots of great insight explaining why you might make the choices you make in a kitchen. It can feel a little bit like a textbook at times, but honestly I kind of like that, especially because it's something I'm highly interested in and motivated to learn. Being both studious and epicurious, I was really drawn to this book as I was learning more about it. I will probably buy this book. The recipes, as I can tell from what I saw, aren't really "health-conscious" per se. I think the bigger downside is the potential to turn into a really really obnoxious food snob. But hey, maybe that's a good thing, too. Lol
  
  

I'm not the guy you asked, but I ALSO have the G930s. They're nice, but I won't be buying them again. I find the wireless to be flaky when my wife uses HER wireless headset (another Logitec, but not G930s), and the battery is nearly worthless after 2 years of ownership (though I do a fair bit of gaming, so YMMV). Next headset I buy is gonna be a pair of these bad-boys, and I'm gonna slap some of these on 'em. If I need a mic, I'll grab something like this. Won't be wireless, but I've got a cheap bluetooth headset if I need to move around the house. Since my HMD is tethered ANYWAY, I don't mind the headphones being so as well. :)

Hope that was somewhat helpful! :)

EDIT: OK, so here I am, nearly a month later. My G930s finally gave up the ghost, and I went ahead and bought about what I describe above (haven't picked up a mic yet (doesn't make sense at this point, with the Vive so close), but I've got the Superlux cans and 3rd party earcovers), and I'm LOVING them. Nice sound, though quieter than expected - I've not dealt with anything but USB headsets for a while, so I'm pretty sure I need an amp, which I can't fault them for, I knew it was a possibility going in. In any event, though a bit quiet at this point, it's not to the point of unhearability or anything. I just can't make it annoyingly loud if I want to. I'm also irked at the tiny male jack hardwired into them - I'd rather have a flush female jack, but what 'cha gonna do?

Beyond those two TINY issues (the first is only an issue due to my not realizing they'd need a bit more juice, and the second is annoying, but not at all a dealbreaker), I'm LOVING them for the price. Reproduction sounds pretty good (good enough for mixing with, anyway), and comfort is GREAT (they feel VERY light). YMMV, but I'm a happy camper with my Superlux HD668B semi-open cans (just don't forget the (<$10!) 3rd party covers - they REALLY improve on the default comfort).

EDIT #2: I'm a jackass. I had them plugged into line-in. When I found a second line-in (this one actually labeled and recognized by the OS as a headphone jack), the softer sound issue went away.

I think you are starting from the wrong place if you think it will be like Texan chili [con carne]. Mole negro and soft cheeses are the main culinary exports of Oaxaca and they are fantastic. This is one of my two favorite culinary regions in Mexico!

Mole negro
First off, the famous mole negro using the regional pasilla de Oaxaca pepper (aka "chile negro" when dried). There are many recipes for that; find one that has ingredients you can pick up at your local Mexican supermarket or order online. You can cook meat (often chicken) in it or use it to make enchiladas enmoladas. They're soft, cheesy, and the rich, black sauce has a great pepper flavor but also a complex mixture of spices that lend subtle notes to the flavor like a fine wine. Every abuelita in Oaxaca has her own special variation on the recipe.

Traditional meal: nopales + meat + oaxaqueño cheese + guajillo sauce
Another personal favorite coming straight out of restaurants in Oaxaca is often called the Conquista Plate. As you can see, a thin steak over grilled cactus, Oaxaca cheese and chile guajillo sauce. The cactus is nopales; learn to love it's mild flavor, as it's in tons of authentic Mexican dishes. Guajillos are a fairly mild chili with a distinct, tart taste. They're also used all over Mexico so you should be able to find them pretty easily. Oaxaca is famous for cheese, so you can also easily find that in most Mexican markets.

Recipe for the sauce (use only guajillos and ancho). You can find your own instructions on grilling nopales and the steak or whatever meat you want to go with it. That red sauce can basically go on anything.

Chile verde: more like a SW "chili"
Although it's not from further south than Chihuahua and Sonora and has become a staple in New Mexican cuisine, chile verde is probably going to be the best marriage of rich Mexican sauces and a more traditional southwestern US "chili" where chunks of tough meat are stewed or braised in the sauce until tender. I've tested and approve of this recipe as a basic starting point. However, in The Food Lab, Kenji goes into detail about why it's better to let this dish braise in the oven. Here is his final recipe, which is amazing and pretty simple once you get through it a couple times (and usually provides leftovers for days). I do believe he is a bit misinformed (in the book, in particular) about how unique Hatch chilies are; the exact same chilies are widely available as "Anaheim peppers" in addition to other sub-cultivars of the classic "No.9 chile". But I digress.

More about chile verde and SW food
I collected about a dozen cookbooks when living in NM trying to find more chile verde recipes to try. Two more recent ones I highly recommend are New Mexico Cuisine: Recipes from the Land of Enchantment and Red or Green: New Mexico Cuisine. For authentic Oaxaqueño recipes, I have only read Oaxaca al Gusto: An Infinite Gastronomy but it's very good and sub-divides the region to give you a sampling of coastal seafood, cheese from the mountains, and about a thousand mole recipes!

Finally, I want to say I agree with your friend: Tex-Mex is a mistake and traditional Mexican food is where the good eats are at!

I'm not experienced enough to offer a full end to end answer, but I'll try to fill in some gaps.

• the components in the audio setup with computer files are basically:
  
  • source: mp3/flac (if this is poor quality the whole thing will go poorly)
    
  • digital to analog converter: DAC is the thing that will convert the digital file into analog. This could be the soundcard, a standalone DAC, or one built into your amplifier.
    
  • preamp (optional): might be nice if you want to switch between multiple inputs
    
  • amplifier: for amplifying :)
    
  • speakers: take the amplified analog signal and push on the air to create sound.
    
    The first thing to consider is the DAC side. You computer's soundcard has a DAC, but depending on the model it may be pretty poor, and a much better DAC can be had for fairly cheap. For example my Dell XPS 13 is a very nice laptop, but the headphone jack has TONS of noise. I personally use a Fiio E10 which is a big improvement for $70, and has a very good headphone amplifier built in. That might not be a good option for you, but is an example.
    
    The next step is amplifying the sound. You have to general options.
    
• Amplifier to passive speakers
  
• Active speakers, meaning they have an amplifier built in
  
  The general thought is for a given amount of money active speakers will often sound better because the speaker and built in amp are designed together, but discrete amplifier and passive speakers have more flexibility and room to upgrade piece by piece down the road.
  
  An amp might have a good DAC built in, saving you from that step, and even a small number of active speakers do.
  
  An example off the top of my head is Audioengine. They are know for having very good components in your price range and make for a more apples to apples comparison:
  
  Passive with amp
  
• N22 desktop amplifier $200
  
• P4 Passive Speakers $250
  
  Active speakers
  
• A5+ Speakers $400
  
  I've never heard any of this stuff before myself, so these are examples, not recommendations! but reviews have said the N22+P4 sounds a little better. However the A5+ is all in one, and a little cheaper.
  
  I'm still trying to wrap my head around what is better for near field or not. It seems like many of the powered speakers you see are "near field studio monitors" meant for mixing and mastering, meaning they have flat response and sound good on a desk, where many of the passive setups are designed for enjoying music at a distance.
  
  
  

Alright, I can work with that.

To preface this, I recommend pairing one of the following headphones with a clip-on microphone - either a cheaper model like a [Zalman ZM-Mic1] (http://www.amazon.com/Zalman-Zm-Mic1-Sensitivity-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B00029MTMQ) or a more expensive model like [Antlion's Modmic] (http://www.modmic.com/collections/frontpage) - rather than getting a headset with an integrated mic. From a price/performance standpoint, headsets almost never stack up. The headsets made by the real headphone brands are exceedingly expensive, and with a very small body of exceptions the cheaper headsets sound terrible.

Now, onward to the headphones. When I hear "isolation", "comfort", and "neutral/warm sound signature", the first thing that comes to my mind is [NVX's] (http://www.head-fi.org/t/624729/review-nvx-xpt100-a-direct-brainwavz-hm5-competitor) [XPT100] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2G9qk7IOEA) ([$99 via Amazon] (http://www.amazon.com/NVX-Over-Ear-Headphones-ComfortMax-Cushions/dp/B0093PVTPS)). I actually own a pair of these myself for use as moderate isolation movie/podcast headphones for when my house is too loud for me to use my open headphones, and they're among the most comfortable headphones I've had. While they don't take the top spot - no headphones without an AKG-style suspension strap will ever do that - they're definitely in the top five or so. Their sound isn't the most detailed out there, but they're fairly neutral, solidly built, and very comfortable, particularly given their price.

A more expensive step up would be [Shure's] (http://www.head-fi.org/products/shure-srh840/reviews/5056) SRH[840] (http://www.head-fi.org/products/shure-srh840/reviews/3768) ([$199 via Amazon] (http://www.amazon.com/Shure-SRH840-Professional-Monitoring-Headphones/dp/B002DP8IEK/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1426324378&sr=1-1&keywords=shure+srh84)). While I sadly haven't had a chance to try these out myself, I've heard little but good things about them. Formerly on Innerfidelity's wall of fame, and with consistently good reviews for their sound, comfort, and overall quality, they're definitely a solid choice if you're looking for a neutralish sound with some bass.

A third option would be the [Focal Spirit One] (http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/focal-spirit-one-page-3) ([$175] (http://www.amazon.com/Focal-529102-SPOH-Spirit-One-Headphones/dp/B007AH7YFU) or [$179] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008R9QRIU/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2?pf_rd_p=1944687702&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B007AH7YFU&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0HS51KQ3XCE0J5B14R27) via Amazon for the black and white models, respectively). Focal has a quite a solid reputation in audio, but the Spirit One had some serious issues on its release due to manufacturing defects, and it suffered a rather bad reception as a result. These issues are said to have been since resolved, however, and the Spirit One is a very solid headphone at that price. The sound is a bit on the bassy side, but not extremely so, and is quite good for this price. Comfort may be an issue, however, as the One was quite clearly designed more for portability than comfort. While no review characterizes it as uncomfortable, it's a safe bet that it doesn't measure up to the other two in this regard.

Another rather unique option, albeit one with some inherent drawbacks, would be [Fostex's] (http://www.head-fi.org/t/570138/review-fostex-t50rp-my-intro-to-the-world-of-orthos) [T50RP] (http://www.head-fi.org/t/559233/review-fostex-t50rp-its-been-needing-a-review) ([$127 via Amazon] (http://www.head-fi.org/t/559233/review-fostex-t50rp-its-been-needing-a-review)). Now, the T50RP is, at stock, not the best-liked headphone. Though it is one of the (if not the) cheapest orthodynamic headphones in the world, its very poor comfort and [rolled-off sound] (http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/FostexT50RP2011B.pdf) have attracted a lot of criticism. Having a pair myself, I wholeheartedly agree with criticism of its comfort, but think its stock sound is better than people give it credit for. What the T50RP has going for it, however, is an [exceptionally dedicated modding community] (http://www.head-fi.org/t/618659/fostex-t50rp-incremental-mods-and-measurements), and some very high-profile modified variants. Modded T50RPs under the branding of MrSpeakers and ZMF can sell for $300, $600, or even $1,000, and experienced reviewers and audiophiles alike have claimed that they measure up to headphones in those price ranges. If you happen to feel a DIYish inclination, a T50RP can be quite a solid project to work on, and, in theory, it can get you $300-600 sound quality for a little sound of $200 accounting for the various materials it takes to mod them.

Now, there are, as said, quite a few drawbacks to the T50RP: the stock sound isn't for everyone, it requires more power to drive than the other mentioned headphones (not enough to cause issues at stock, in my opinion, but when modded it can be quite intensive to drive, almost assuredly moreso than your integrated audio can support), and it's absolutely terrible in comfort (if you do go for them, [a headband cover like this] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00862522A/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1) and a pair of [Shure] (http://www.amazon.com/Shure-HPAEC840-Replacement-Cushions-Headphones/dp/B002Z9JWZS/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1426325351&sr=1-1&keywords=shure+pads) or [Brainwavz] (http://www.amazon.com/Brainwavz-Replacement-Memory-Foam-Earpads/dp/B00MFDT894/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1426325358&sr=1-1&keywords=brainwavz+pads) pads were what I used to take them from "terrible" to "pretty darn solid" comfort), and modding isn't for the faint of heart. After quite a while of tinkering, I've yet to get my own T50RP mod working properly. It's amazing value if you can make it work for you, but it's quite a significant amount of effort to achieve that.

Why are there still fake-real knobs and such? Because.....

There was a long time where analog was it. It's all there was. 4, 8, 12, 16 track analog recorders. Behemoths of recording consoles. If GWA existed somehow in that day, we would all own little 2-track recorders, a small mic pre-amp unit, and a microphone. And you'd maybe have an analog EQ and compressor, big physical units that looked like this.

So when everything went digital, a decision was made. To preserve brand identity and user familiarity, they copied the physical unit into a digital VST application. Compare This real world Shadow Hills Compressor unit with The Shadow Hills Compressor Plug-in.

There isn't any reason beyond that. There is reasons to choose analog or digital, but not to have a UI reminiscent of analog units.


As far as heaphones go, I'll take you through what I own, and what I use most.

Sennheiser HD 650

Sennheiser HD6 MIX

These were gifts through a brief endorsement deal I had, and I run these through this headphone amplifier

For higer-end earbuds, I use Sennheiser IE 60's and Sennheiser IE 80's. These I primarily use for simple editing on the go, giving to performers to use on stage or using myself on stage, or for women tracking vocals or instruments who don't want to mess up their hair with big over-the-head headphones.

But, my most used setup, what has become my dream setup, and the one that I will always reach for first, is far from the priciest.

Sennheiser HD 280 Pro, run out of the computer through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2.

This is my favorite setup. The 280 Pro's are $100, the Scarlett is around $150. The headphones are crystal clear, have tight response all through the spectrum, are rugged enough to get chucked the fuck around, are comfy, and come with a great quality screw-on adapter so they able to be used into a 1/4" connection or a standard 1/8" headphone jack. Their impedance means they don't need an amp and can be used as normal headphones. They sound JUST as good as pairs ten times their price, and they have a certain special something to their super-low end and high-mids that I haven't found. Go get these today. Trust me.

The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 isn't used as an amplifier in this case, since the 280's don't need it. It serves as a USB feed out, with a nice little volume knob. USB out will always trump 1/8" headphone jack out audio. Plus, the 2 inputs are nice to have. I own two of these units, and one always travels with my laptop for an easy, portable solution for HQ audio monitoring, easy L-R in recording from a sound board, or easy audio out from my laptop.

Together, these things have a certain magic, and I don't have to break my bank or handle them like china dolls. They're both rugged and sound AMAZING.

EDIT: I forgot my in-ear molded earphones. I own a pair of Alclair Reference IEM's. They are a great price, sound incredible for stage or studio, and I got mine with wood backs and DAMN are they sexy.

Some ideas that have worked well for me/others:

Aging Parents - Kind of expensive (fluctuates a ton) but if you have a parent with a ton of photos who talks about scanning them all in someday, this scanner is fantastic. I have the older version and it's literally so easy to use that even my mom and dad could figure it out when I let them borrow it. Not a great bulk doc scanner but exactly what you need for photos. Pair with a case like this to store the originals in and you've done a great deed.

Newlyweds- If they don't have specific interests, a picnic blanket goes over well. I have the one linked and it's nice for the cheap price. Pair with some wine, maybe some other picnic accessories. I'm also giving a minted gift for a custom designed print for wedding photos to my brother/new sister-in-law.

Teens- Move beyond the selfie stick - some phone lenses go a long way, get a self timer for the phone, or a PowerCore. The powercore isn't sexy but super loved by all. I usually hit up BaubleBar or Sephora for deals too.

Handyman- I shoved this cheap light in my husband's stocking last year and he loves it. It's super handy.

Homebody- This is out of stock in the best size right now but it always comes back in. It is the softest blanket ever, doesn't shed, and we bought them for every room of the house.

Dog- What dog doesn't love bully sticks? A good deal, really good quality and my dogs have loved them.

On my wishlist- A milk frother, The Food Lab cookbook, a magnetic pincushion, maybe some Ugg slippers, a bunch of Etsy art and Essie gel couture nail polish. Debating a special purchase for myself with a bonus I received, I'm thinking a camera for a big trip coming up if I can find the right holiday deal.

Basically gonna echo most of the answers already posted, but just to pile on:

• 8" chef's knife. 10" is longer than may be comfortable and 12" is longer than necessary, but 7" may start to feel a little short if she's ever slicing large melon or squash. I'm a casual knife nerd and I have knives by Wusthof, Victorinox, Shun and Mac. My favorite.
  
  
• This Dutch oven. Enameled and cast iron just like the Le Creuset that a few other comments have mentioned, but much, much cheaper. I own two and they're both great. I also have the non-enameled version for baking bread, but I don't recommend it for general use unless you're a Boy Scout. Here's an entertaingly-written blog post comparing the Lodge vs. Le Creuset in a short rib cookoff.
  
  
• This cutting board and this cutting board conditioner. The importance of an easy and pleasant to use prep surface can't be overstated. I'm listing this third on purpose; this is one of the most important things your kitchen can have. A recipe that calls for a lot of chopping is no fun when you're fighting for counter space to do the chopping, or doing it on a shitty plastic board.
  
  
• A cheap scale and a cheap thermometer. Seriously, these are as important as the cutting board.
  
  
• Just gonna crib this one right off /u/Pobe420 and say cheapo 8–10" (I recommend 10–12" but that's my preference) nonstick skillet. One note I'd add is that pans with oven-safe handles are a bit more dual-purpose than pans with plastic or rubberized handles. You can't finish a pork chop in the oven in a skillet with a rubberized handle. But one could say you shouldn't be cooking a pork chop on a nonstick pan to begin with. The important thing is to keep this one cheap: you're going to be replacing it every couple of years, there's no getting around that. For my money $30 or less, and $30 is pretty expensive for these things.
  
  
  

• Cookbooks
  

  Nothing inspires cooking like a good cookbook collection. The great news about cookbooks is that they're often bought as gifts or souvenirs and they make their way onto the used market cheap and in great condition. Here are my suggestions for a great starter shelf:
  
  

1. The Food Lab by J. Kenji López-Alt. I kind of hate that this is my number one recommendation, but I don't know your wife and I do know J. Kenji López-Alt. This one is brand new so you're unlikely to find it used and cheap, but as a catch-all recommendation it has to take first place. Moving on to the cheap stuff:
   
   
2. Regional French Cooking by Paul Bocuse. This is possibly the friendliest authoritative book on French food out there, and a hell of a lot easier to just dive into than Julia Child (Julia is the expert, and her book is an encyclopedia). Bocuse is the undisputed king of nouvelle cuisine and people like Eric Ripert and Anthony Bourdain (so maybe a generation ahead of you and I) came from him. Paul Bocuse is French food as we know it, and yet this book—an approachable, coffee-table sized thing—still has a recipe for fucking mac and cheese. It's outstanding.
   
   
3. Theory & Practice / The New James Beard by James Beard. These will completely cover your entire library of American cooking. Nothing else needed until you get region-specific. When you do, go for something like this.
   
   
4. Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan. When she died, the NYT ran a second obituary that was just her recipe for bolognese.
   
   
5. Christ, top five. Who gets 5th? I'm going with From Curries To Kebabs by Madhur Jaffrey. Don't get bamboozled into buying "Madhur Jaffrey's Curry Bible" which is the same book, repackaged and priced higher. You want the one with the hot pink dust jacket, it's unmistakeable. This is one of those end-all books that you could cook out of for the rest of your life. It covers almost every diet and almost every country that Beard and Bocuse don't.
   
   
6. Honorable mentions: Here come the downvotes. Pok Pok by Andy Ricker. If you're American and you want to cook Thai, this is the one. Ten Speed Press can go home now. The Book of Jewish Food by Claudia Rosen (so close to making the list). I shouldn't need to say much about this; it's the book of diasporic Jewish food, which means it covers a lot of time and almost every possible country. It's a no-brainer. Thai Food by David Thompson (a perfect oral history of Thai food for English speakers, only it doesn't include Pok Pok's precise measurements, which in practice I've found important). Flour Water Salt Yeast by Ken Forkish. Not for someone who just wants to become a baker, this book is for someone who wants to make Ken Forkish's bread. And for a casual bread baker I can't imagine a better introduction. Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table by Mai Pham. Andrea Nguyen is out there and Andrea Nguyen is awesome, but I really like Mai Pham's book. It's accessible, reliable and regional. You don't get the dissertation-level breakdown on the origins of chicken pho that you get from Andrea, but the recipe's there, among many others, and it's fucking outstanding. Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. This vegan cookbook is dope as hell and will really expand your imagination when it comes to vegetables. This could actually have been number five.

I have a few, but it depends on your budget. If you are looking for all in one DAC and Amp combos, the two I would suggest are:

BUDGET

FiiO E10K and the NuForce uDAC3

Both of those would be great options for a budget solution, and they are tiny so they double as a portable or mobile Dac/Amp. They get power from USB, but it should be enough to drive 50ohm headphones. The Fiio is going to be the cheaper of the two, around $75, and the Nuforce will be around $100. Sometimes the Nuforce uDac3 will be around $70-$80 on amazon, but it's usually around $100.

MORE EXPENSIVE

If you have between $200-$300 budget, then I would recommend the Modi 2 and Magni 2 by Schiit Audio. It is usually referred to as the 'Schiit Stack" (because you literally stack them on top of each other lol), but you don't have to stack them.

If you go to their site, it will lists all of their amps, and all of their Dacs. The Magni 2 is the Amp, and the Modi 2 is the Dac. There are the basic versions (which is what I have), and they run $99 each if you order directly through Schiit, which comes out to $200 for the set. They also make an "Uber" version of each, which runs about $150 bucks per unit, which is $300 total. The differences between the standard and Uber version or sort of minimal, but the Uber version of the Schiit stack is regarded by many audiophiles as the best "budget" audiophile Dac/Amp setup. For the price, it rivals many solid state and tube amp and dacs that cost $500+ dollars.



I have the Standard version, and it sounds great with my AKG K612's. There is a list somewhere of all of the headsets that sound great with the Schiit stack, and what kind of sound signature you get out of each. The best thing to do if you already know what kind of sound signature you like out of your headphones, is to find the Headphone + Dac/Amp combo that produces that type of sound, and pic that. But I would say that the HD598's + the Schiit stack will be perfectly fine for you, but of course that will be up for you to decide if you were to go this route.

MY SUGGESTION

I would recommend the budget route, at least until you know what kind of sound signature you like. Some people want flat sounding cans, others want bright highs (probably really good for hearing gunshots and footsteps), others want a more warm sound, where the mids really break through the track and the bass really kicks.

The budget option will be a cheap way for you to determine if the HD598's produce the type of sound you like. If they do, then you can upgrade your Dac and Amp in the future, OR just change to a different headset if you decide that you want more highs, or more low end.

A (sort of) comprehensive guide on the most popular hyper x headsets

ALPHA
I have alpha and it is good but I had to buy brainwavz hm5 pleather pads because my ears touched the drivers. This is relatively expensive (22.5 us). I also wanted surround, so I got the dongle for the revolver s but it was very staticky so I returned it. Other than that, now the stereo is good, with good clarity because of the dual chamber driver, although you might hear static unless you put it to studio quality in Windows.
They also only come in black and red, and the cable twists up a lot, so I twist tied down the part of it I don't use.

REVOLVER (S)
From what I heard, there is more bass on the revolver and revolver s but the headband causes ambient sound absorbtion issues, and the s has surround but again, for me the dongle didn't work, so I'm not sure for you.

(2)
My friend has the cloud 2 and he said he gets static with the dongle too, but aside from that, they are basically the alpha but more comfortable without replacement pads, surround sound, extra velour pads in the box, a carrying case and worse sound quality and mic quality then the alpha. These come in black and red, and gunmetal.

(ORIGINAL)
The original clouds I don't know much about, but I'm pretty sure they are the same as the cloud 2 without the replacement pads and worse mic and sound quality. Black and red and black and white colors as well

(FLIGHTS)
The flights from what I've heard are similar to the alpha, with the same comfort issue (still compatible with brainwavz hm5 pads), wireless, but with some permanent static, because they are wireless a mute on the side of the headphones and good battery life.

(STINGERS)
The stingers are the best headset for a budget and are basically cloud 1s but with worse everything (build quality, sound and mic) and cost 50 usd.

(OTHER MODELS)
Other than that, I don't know anything about the cloud core or the cloud x (specifically for Xbox).

(MY RECOMMENDATION)
If you have the money to spend, (122.5 usd plus tax) I recommend the cloud alpha, the brainwavz hm5 pleather/memory foam pads, and in windows, changing the advanced audio settings to 48 khz studio mode, but take this with a grain of salt.

(REPLACEMENT BRAINWAVZ HM5 PADS)
For reference, the replacement pads all take a few minutes to stretch on to the alphas and flights

PLEATHER
Brainwavz hm5 pleather/memory foam link (more comfortable, smaller soundstage then velour, same sound quality as vanilla pads)

https://www.amazon.com/Brainwavz-Memory-Replacements-Earpads-Headphones/dp/B00MFDT894?th=1

VELOUR
Brainwavz hm5 velour pads (better soundstage, less comfortable then pleather/memory foam pads), also a dust magnet

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MFDX4YO/ref=sspa_mw_detail_1?psc=1

HYBRID
Brainwavz hm5 hybrid pads (not recommended, but in between velour and pleather. It is better to stick with one or the other, this one isn't very good

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01J53KM32/ref=sspa_mw_detail_0?psc=1

OTHER
there is also a sheepskin model, but I don't know if it will stretch well to fit or have sound differences.
Also the angled and circular hm5 pads will not fit, so don't get those.
Sheepskin link

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01J53KM32/ref=sspa_mw_detail_0?psc=1




Good luck with the purchase.
Sorry my formatting sucks I'm on mobile.

EDIT: While I was typing this, the other guy described the sound of the alphas, 1s and 2s good, so read that post as well.

I don't really have advice on your original post, but I used to be just like you when it came to cooking. Cooking for me consisted of throwing a piece of chicken on my George Foreman grill until it was burnt (no salmonella for me!) and eating raw vegetables because they required no cooking.

There is so, so SO much info out there on how to cook. If you love watching videos, look up videos on YouTube. If you love reading, invest in some cookbooks. If you have a friend who loves to cook and does it well, ask him/her for some basic lessons.

Aside from my boyfriend who loves to cook (thankfully), I've learned the majority of my cooking skills through some great cookbooks. The Whole30 book has so many great beginner tips and delicious, obviously healthy recipes; even when I'm not doing Whole30, I constantly refer to this book for recipes! If you're a science/chemistry person, The Food Lab is pretty amazing.

I think a lot of people get scared of cooking because YES it can totally be daunting and time-consuming and hard! But it doesn't have to be. You don't need to make gourmet meals for yourself every night; just figure out some flavor profiles you love and recipes that are easy.

I've heard of their 3020, but supposedly the Concept 20 is the same driver in a different cabinet? The What HiFi review makes it sound like the cabinet alone is worth the price difference. That could be true, but I am not going to rely on their word for it. I think it would be best if you could arrange for an audition or, better still, buy them with a good return policy so you can send them back if you are not satisfied with them. This is the most reliable way you could test out 2 speakers because you know best what is important for you. As for bass, it is also part of the music and I feel a faithful reproduction is essential to the experience. I do not own a subwoofer myself because I am satisfied with my MB Quart 490 and their 7.5" woofer. The bass is present but not overpowering at all and it makes all the difference when listening to Pink Floyd or The Coup.

Anyway, what I meant was the audio files will be converted from digital to analog at one point. In your case, it would be the PC's onboard solution. Now, depending on your PC, your onboard solution could be great or it could suck (distortion/constant hum etc.) ! To get around this some people use the digital output on their PC (USB/HDMI/Optical) and the conversion is performed using another device. Since usually stereo amplifiers do not have any way of accepting digital input, the go-to choice is a separate DAC like Fiio D03K / Behringer UCA202. Some people also a get a headphone DAC like Fiio E10K because they need a portable amp for their headphone in addition to a DAC. Others may need more than just a DAC - for example there could be a need to take the HDMI input and send the video to a TV and the audio to speakers. This is where a receiver comes in. A receiver is basically an amp + many more options for inputs, but it could be overkill if you only need a DAC. Used receivers could be cheap, though, and they are quite popular because of the input options you get. Goes without saying that you may not need a separate DAC at all, but just something to consider.

Phew! Hope that helps! :)

As far as wireless headsets that are surround sound, you have the following compatible with Xbox One:
>Turtle Beach

>* Elite 800X - $299 - Great when it works. I personally had issues with 3 sets and decided it wasn't for me.

• Stealth 500X - $229 - Model before the 800X. Same 50mm drivers as the 800x basically the same, but without bluetooth compatibility for the phone app and bluetooth audio. This is the wireless solution that I decided was best for me.
  
  > Astro
  
  > A50 - $299 - There is an A50 that is out now that is commonly referred to as the "Halo A50." It is the current generation model that comes with the headset stand, base station, etc. It's a great headset that is mostly wireless. For chat, it requires a cord from the headset to the controller.
  
  > A50 (new) - $299 - This version is not out yet, and has been delayed. The biggest difference between the newest model and the previous generation is this model is completely wireless with no cords from the headset required.
  
  >SteelSeries
  
  > SteelSeries Siberia X800 - $309 - This wireless headset uses a cord to the controller for voice chat. I am unfamiliar with the headset but it seems like a valid third brand option, in no particular order.
  
  >Wired Headsets
  
  > This requires some type of surround sound receiver, headphones, and a mic. There are bundles available from Astro, Turtle Beach, Razer, SteelSeries, etc., but one can obtain better quality by mixing and matching the best of each part: the receiver, the headset, and microphone (if it isn't included in the headset)
  
  > Surround sound receivers
  
  > This is pretty much between Astro's Mixamp Pro TR and Turtle Beach's
  
  > Astro's Mixamp Pro TR for XO, PS4, PC and Mac - $130 This is one option for dolby digital 5.1/7.1 surround sound decoding and Dolby Headphone encoding for any standard stereo headset.
  
  >* Turtle Beach Elite Pro TAC - $199 - This is a second option for DTS surround sound via DTS Headphone:X 7.1 Surround Sound. A lot of options that aren't available on the Mixamp Pro TR are on the Turtle Beach TAC such as being able to adjust background noise, microphone boost and mic monitor levels instantly and physically.
  
  
  > Differences between Astro and Turtle Beach They both do a great job at providing situational surround sound to stereo headphones. With the current firmware updates for each respective unit there does seem to be a sound quality difference with a lot of people prefering the Astro. I recommend plugging in headphones and watching this video and hear the differences for yourself: Astro Mixamp Pro TR vs Turtle Beach TAC
  
  >Headsets
  
  > Some of the best headsets recommended by those on HeadFi.org can be read about here. This is where I had come to my selection of the AudioTechnica ATH-AD700.
  
  > If you would rather buy a wired surround sound headset ready to go out-of-the-box
  
  > For a wired ready to go set, I'd have to put my money on the Astro A40 Mixamp Pro TR, although I personally prefer open-back headsets instead of sound isolation closed-back headphones.
  
  If it were me buying a set today...
  
  I would want something wireless so it would be the newest Astro A50 that comes out in October, or the SteelSeries X800, but then again, it is because I've went down the wired path, using a mixamp or DSS with many different wired headphones and mics. Even if I didn't have cord-loving cats, I'm glad that I have a wireless headset. It really is a personal preference that you can't really pin down, until you try some yourself.
  
  A side note: I have an average sized head, but larger than average protruding ears. Every headset I've purchased, I've swapped out the earcups with aftermarket sets. Most notably brainwavz HM5 earups. They are deeper and more comfortable for me and have worked on most sets of headphones without modification. I highly recommend them. They come in Pleather - various colors, Hybrid pleather + Velour, and just Velour

This will be my second time typing this out, since I hit the fucking Browser-Back shortcut on my mouse.

I wouldn't recommend the Koss Plugs as a set of mixing phones, even while travelling. The clarity is simply nonexistant. My suggestion is just to use them as a second pair to check out your bassline before you finalize a track. For something more balanced, you might want to set aside an hour or two and drag your eyeballs over this thread over at head-fi.

As an off-the-cuff recommendation, Velodyne vPulse have gained quite a reputation in the under-$150 category. they have plenty of bass output, but it's much tighter than the Koss, no muddiness. They also get plenty of compliments on the detail in the midrange/treble.

/r/Audiophile is a great resource, as is /r/Headphones, but to save yourself from shame, I will tell you ahead of time, anything called a soundcard will almost certainly get you laughed out.

Puts on top hat and monocle, raising a cup of tea with the pinky out

>A gentleman uses a DAC with a seperate Headphone Amplifier.

In all fairness a soundcard is nothing but a DAC with a built-on amp, though the integrated amp circuits are terrible, in terms of audio reproduction.

You can get a DAC and feed an amp with it, or you can get a DAC/Amp combo, which is a popular place to begin, and is a great solution for a personal digital studio, especially if you use your laptop as a creative device away from home. The most recommended (for good reason) is the FiiO e7. It performes both the DAC and amplifier functions, as well as including an input jack and a battery so you can stick it in your pocket and connect it to your ipod/phone/whatever and increase the quality of your portable listening as well (This bypasses the DAC and only uses the amp). The only drawback to the e7 is that the amp is kind of puny. Mind you it is still more powerful than whatever is built into your devices, but it can leave you wanting if you have some high-end, high-impedance headphones. To solve that, you can either get a FiiO e9 amplifier to leave on your desk and dock the e7 to when you are at home, or you can pick up a FiiO e17 which is almost identical to the e7, but with more juice to the amp. You mentioned a speaker setup at home, so you would also want a FiiO l7 line out plug so you could run the un-amped output of the DAC to your speakers. Keep in mind, none of this passes as "Audiophile grade" hardware, but it's certainly (digital) studio quality.

All in all, an e7 and a pair of vPulse IEMs would set you back about $150, give you the low-end you need, a full-up system you could pack in your pocket while you're on the move, and also boost the quality of your 8400's, and whatever monitors you choose at home.

I'll get off my soapbox now. Hopefully that gives you a head start on your research.

.

.

.

^tiny ^disclaimer: I don't work for FiiO, I'm not trying to sell you FiiO stuff, I don't even use FiiO myself. They just have a great reputation, and market at a reasonable price-range.

Ok, Thank you. Here is a similar setup to what I use. My personal one is a bit more sophisticated but nonetheless, these items will certainly get you started and aim you in the right direction.

-

Let's start with the Mixer:

Your mixer will be your new interface. Rather than plugging one microphone into your computer you'll plug all your microphones into one mixer which then will be connected to your computer via USB.

Microphone - Mixer - Computer

Here is a good starter at a decent price. It'll be your most expensive single piece of equipment (unless you decide to get top tier microphones). You'll be able to EQ and set levels to each microphone hooked up to the mixer before sending it to Audacity (or Audition, Reaper). You can also hook up more than 3 mics, a guitar, your phone, maybe you want to hook your computer up to it to play a sound, basically anything that sends one signal to another, you'll be able to do it with this and record it.

• Behringer QX1202USB 12-Channel Mixer
  
  -
  
  Next Microphones:
  
  If you're able to hook up a mic cable (XLR) to your Blue Yeti, you can still use that microphone, too. Obviously, switch your polar pattern to cardioid that way it's more directional and doesn't pick up as much room noise. Also, try to point it away from your AC unit. Regardless, since the Blue Yeti is a condenser microphone, it'll pick up more room noise because it's much more sensitive. That's why in broadcast situations you'll always see dynamic microphones such as the Electrovoice RE20 or Shure SM7b. For your own sake, I would do some research on condenser vs dynamic but any website you shop at (or if you go to Guitar Center in person) you can filter microphones by condenser or dynamic. I highly recommend buying yourself 3 dynamic microphones to reduce room noise.
  
  Here are my microphone recommendations:
  
  
• Cheap - Behringer XM8500 - You'll likely need a mount and windscreen or pop filter
  
• Low - Shure SM58 - You'll likely need a mount and windscreen or pop filter
  
• Mid - Rode Procaster - No mount, windscreen/pop filter necessary
  
• Best - Electrovoice RE20 - No mount, windscreen/pop filter necessary
  
  -
  
  Finally, your Accessories:
  
  You'll need 3 XLR's to hook 3 microphones up to the mixer. I recommend purchasing them from monoprice.com - very cheap cables that last a long time if you learn to wrap your cable correctly.
  
  Same with your microphone stands:
  
  
• Simple Tripod Microphone Stand
  
  Most microphones you buy will come with the mount for it. If you get the Behringer XM8500 or the Shure SM58 you might need one of these if it doesn't come with it:
  
  
• Mount
  
  Also, for both of those mics I definitely recommend buy either a pop filter or wind screen to put over top to reduce plosives. If you don't know what plosives are, google it. You wont need to worry about plosives if you purchase the Rode Procaster or RE20.
  
  
• Windscreens
  
• Pop Filter
  
  
  One very last thing to mention is headphones. Through the mixer, there is a headphone jack where you can plug headphones in to monitor the mix. However, there is also something called "Main Out" or "Control Room Out" - you can send your vocal mix to an external Headphone Amplifier/Splitter that way you and your friends can all listen to the mix in real time.
  
  Audacity is a good program but I recommend getting familiar with Reaper The trial version is free version and I think after the 60 day evaluation you're still allowed to use it although it may press you to buy it. I personally use Adobe Audition but that requires a subscription. If Audacity works fine for you, then by all means.
  
  I apologize for the long post and I hope it's not too overwhelming. Mixer, Microphones, Cables, Stands, and headphone splitter is basically what this whole post is about! Feel free to ask questions.
  
  If all else fails just find a podcasting kit to purchase from somewhere and go from there http://www.bswusa.com/Podcasting-Packages-BSW-Internet-Radio-Going-Pro-Kit-Dual-P10534.aspx

• Budget: ~$150 USD
  
• Source: PC (Gaming), if they rock maybe my phone.
  
• Isolation: Unsure, usually I use closed headphones. But I hear the ATH-700xs are great for CS:GO and are open. Wouldn't mind trying open ear.
  
• Public: Probably not.
  
• Size: Full sized over ear headset.
  
• Tonal Balance: I like my bass in music, but these headphones are for CS:GO almost exclusively, was seeing good things about the ATH-700xs being light on the bass and it helping not drown out footsteps. I'd prefer more bass for my music but CS is the priority.
  
• Previous Headphones: For gaming I have had SteelSeries Siberia v2, didn't like the sound quality. Comfort was good. HyperX Cloud 1s sound quality quite a bit better, comfort about the same. Currently using the clouds. I have had Beats in the past, they were alright, on par with my $100 pair of Klipsch headphones. I quite enjoyed the Klipsch over ears, not sure what type specifically.
  
• Music Taste: Almost exclusively hiphop, with some 80s rock and a little folk/pop mixed in.
  
• What I want to improve: I want a better headset for CS:GO. My Cloud 1s were pretty solid but the quality has deteriorated over time.
  
  My three main considerations now are: ATH AD700x, Sennheiser GAME ONE, Sennheiser PC363D. Although I do not have USB 3 will that matter at all? I do not need 7.1 sound. The AKG K612 Pro seems around my price range and is reviewed quite well. It seems like the ATH-AD700xs are the headphones to go for as they are about half the price as the rest of the options I suggested. Is it worth spending the extra money on any of those headsets? Also do I need to consider an AMP of any sort for these headphones? I was recommended something such as the FiiO E10k earlier. Not sure if I need an amp or not, I would be willing to purchase one if it allows for me to unlock the full potential of my headset. But not just to spend money on another toy and eek out another 1% or 2% of performance.
  
  Thanks a ton for reading! Any insight is more than welcome.

Nice, a sleek black and white aesthetic. Nothing is out of place here. Glad you went with a mouse mat with a small logo.

I don't have any suggestions really since it's all but perfect. I can offer a potential upgrade or two if you have money that needs spending!

A headphone stand has already been mentioned but the style of headphone stand that you decide to go with is also a consideration. You can get ones that stand on your desk. These are good if you want the headphones to be a point of attention on the desk. They are nice-looking Grados so might be a good idea.

If you want headphones on your desk but not to take up any space then you can get ones that attach to the edge like this or to the underside of the desk like this.

If you don't want them to be anywhere near the desk then you can find wall mounted ones or something you can stick to the side of a desk leg if it's wide enough à la this.

If you want a better quality LED bulb for your lamp (because it is a nice lamp!) then it might be worth investing into some high CRI (90+, ideally ~95-97) LED bulbs. They can be expensive but they are very nice. Make sure that you double-check the base type of the bulb already in the lamp before you buy. Yuji LED sell what are probably the best LED bulbs you can buy right now. You can also choose between colour temperature. If you only use the lamp during the evening then go for the 3000K option for a warmer colour.

For a future and more expensive investment (that could also become a hobby), you should look into buying or building a custom mechanical keyboard. Your setup would love it! Check out /r/MechanicalKeyboards if you're interested.

Hope this helps!

Miles.

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.
  
  

> need an amp for voice chat purposes

This is a strange statement. Voice chat is typically easier on headphones than music is.

But nevermind, let me answer your actual questions:

> I have heard good things about the Fiio E17

So have I, but I've never used it myself. It is battery powered, which may prove inconvenient. There are also cheaper options in the same price range: Monoprice has one (probably a white-labeled FiiO). The FiiO E10K is a USB AMP/DAC. Schiit also has one... but read on.

> would it be better for me just to buy a soundcard instead of the amp

A sound card is nothing more but a DAC/Amp. I prefer external DACs and Amps, as its easier to mix and match as I acquire more pieces. Sound cards tend not to be as high quality as external devices... but it really is just a matter of preference.

> Which amp would you recommend?

Don't get an amp right now. Get the Q701s, listen to them, then decide if you need an amp.

An amp is one of the most expensive ways to improve your sound, and the Q701s don't really need it. The dac/amp in your computer should be more than powerful enough for them. Heck, I just plugged my pair into my phone and it got ear-splittingly loud.

Instead of getting an amp, figure out if you need one:

Line noise: Turn the volume up to max, but don't play any music. Plug in your most sensitive headphones (in-ears, most likely). You should hear silence. If you don't hear silence, a good dac + amp will remove that line-noise.

Overall Power: Turn the volume all the way down. Plug in your listening headphones (Q701 in this case) and start up some music. Now turn it up until the music is playing at a conversational volume. This is the level at which you should be listening. If the volume dial is < 50%, then you don't need an amp. If it's between 50% and 80%, you may benefit from an amp. If it's past 80%, get an amp. (my rule of thumb)

The most important thing though, is that the headphone is the most cost effective way to improve your sound. The amp/dac is a supporting cast ONLY. Collect them if you want (it's fun after all), but don't expect the same level of improvement that you got by getting your first headphone. In fact, today's integrated dac/amps are so good, that any benefit you hear from an upgraded dac/amp may actually be the placebo effect.

In short:

1. Get the Q701s
   
2. Use them
   
3. Figure out if you need a dac/amp. You probably don't.
   
4. But if you want to get a dac/amp anyway, get one that looks awesome. The Magni/Modi from Schiit are good choices.

It's not 50% faster, it just has 8 GB VRAM versus 6 GB VRAM. Games today don't even use that much so you're really talking about future gaming. Yes, if you keep raising your budget, you will get a faster computer and GPU. If you want to spend the extra money, then go for it. It's really not that big of a jump from 6 GB VRAM to 8 and definitely not worth the extra $400 in my opinion, but that's up to you. Remember, the mobile versions of GPUs are slower than the regular ones in desktops. You're looking at a 1060M 6 GB and 1070M 8 GB. I would save the money for a larger SSD, more RAM, good speakers or a good headset instead, and get the Asus GL502VM-DB74.

If you game and want good sound and use a headset/headphones check out the Sennheiser PC 363D headset (Amazon link) or the other Sennheiser gaming headsets. If you use speakers, check out the Micca MB42X (Amazon link). Make sure you use a DAC like the Schiit Modi 2 or DAC/amp like the Schiit Fulla 2 to get the best sound possible. (Fulla 2 is very new and not yet on Amazon, but you can still get the original Fulla from Amazon and other retailers. It's better to just buy the Fulla 2 from the Schiit website.) Some other good options are: Micca OriGen+, FiiO E10K, AudioQuest DragonFly / AudioQuest Dragonfly v1.2, Audioengine D3, SMSL M2, etc. Check out /r/BudgetAudiophile /r/Audiophile /r/Audio and /r/Headphones if you want more info. The great people there taught me a lot about quality audio. You can also check out /r/AVexchange for good audio deals.

>Are "good" expensive headphones, like Sennheisers for getting loud sound? Because doesn't an amp make things loud? Are good headphones worth it if I'm going to be listening quietly?

Well louder isn't technically the right word even though amplifier have that effect.

See headphones drivers in the earcups are what actually produce the sound, and the quality of those drivers is what determines the quality of the sound.

Inside the drivers you have something called the voice coil. As current is pushed through the coil, it creates a magnetic field, which reacts with another magnet inside the driver and finally produces sound. Now to simplify a bit, the thinner the coil is and the less air between individual wires, the better sound you generally have. The design is much less prone to distortion and produces more natural bass. However as other have said, the gains can be pretty marginal.

Now having longer and thinner coil, means that for certain physics reasons I'm not going to go into here, you'll need to push more power into that coil in order to produce a loud sound. This is generally referred to as headphone impedance. The higher the impedance the more power the headphones need, impedance is measured in ohms. For some comparisons;

• Apple earbuds (as well as most other earbuds) are around 32 ohms of impedance.
  
• HyperX Cloud II's are around 60 ohms.
  
• Sennheiser HD 600/650's are around 300 ohms.
  
  Personally I'd say that you'd want an amp at around 60-70 ohms, but that's just me.
  
  Now all of that aside, there are tons of great headphones out there that don't need an amp at all. Like the excellent Audio-Technica ATH-M50's or Sennheiser HD 598/599's.
  
  --------------------------------------------------------------------
  
  However for desktop use you don't really want to get an amp by itself, you want to get a Digital Analog Converter as well. See the actual sound setup in most PC's is less than ideal. It's really easy o cut costs with motherboard audio while still making it sound at least decent. If you slap an amp on that, all the distortions and crap that your motheboard audio produces is going to be amplified by your amp and will ultimately make your new high end headphones sound like shit.
  
  So you want a DAC. A DAC takes the digital signal from your PC, does some fancy techno magic on it and outputs an analog signal that can be fed to your headphones. This completely bypasses the horrendously bad soundcard on your motherboard and gives you a lot better audio.
  
  For a simple and pretty cheap entry level DAC/Amp check out the FiiO E10K. It's a nice little piece of gear that's going to be enough to drive almost anything up until 250 ohms. Obviously there are a lot better options out there as well. But the E10k is a great entry level device that'll improve your sound significantly. Pair that with some Sennheiser HD 599's and you're set for a long time.
  
  Also if you want more advice check out /r/headphones/

Hey there, I posted yesterday too and need some more advice in deciding for a headphone+mic combo

Budget: $300, flexible

Source: My PC, so I guess standart audio output/USB

Requirements for Isolation: I'm currently using Sennheiser PC 360, which are completely open. I love this design because I don't like being cut-off from the world when I'm sitting at my desk

I will not use them in public, maybe a lan-party or two a year but thats it

Type of Headphone: I have very sensitive ears, so nothing that touches my ears.

Tonal balance: Balanced

Past headphones: Sennheiser PC 360. I've had those for over 5 years now and I love them. I can wear them for long gaming sessions and the microphone is usually pretty good. I use my headphones 90% of the time for gaming

Preferred Music: I listen to everything, EDM and classical music is what I hear most of the time

What am I looking for?: I'd love to hear where exactly enemies are, crystal clear sound and comfort even when wearing it for 5 hours+

I want a headset that I can have on my head for extended periods of time without any loss of comfort.

I looked into the Sennheiser HD 598 and into the Phillips Fidelio X2/27

Friend of mine also recommended me this one: http://www.amazon.com/AKG-701-Studio-Reference-Headphones/dp/B000EBBJ6Y


Same friend also recommended this Amp DAC
http://www.amazon.de/FiiO-E10k-Olympus-Kopfh%C3%B6rer-Verst%C3%A4rker/dp/B00LP3AMC2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1463518630&sr=8-2&keywords=kopfh%C3%B6rerverst%C3%A4rker


Top Priority for me is comfort and sound quality.




Thanks in advance!

> ... how do you get the best possible quality out of a set of PC headphones for gaming and streaming services like Netflix? Say you had a budget of $200. Do you spend it all on headphones? Is a sound card important here? Is a headphone amp? I'm interested in how each of these work with a PC specifically.

That's a good question. For under $200 for an entire setup you're likely not going to need a separate amp. Most headphones in this price range will be low impedance, so they won't need much power anyway. Depending on your PC you might have a decent onboard DAC on your motherboard. If you built your PC and the motherboard cost over $50 your sound should be quite good, so I wouldn't recommend eating into the budget of your headphones. However, if you feel like you get any background noise from your headphone ports or want something with slightly better sound, you could get a fairly cheap DAC/amp like this one. (Keep in mind this will take away from the budget of your headphones). If you do buy a DAC, make sure it has some kind of built in headphone amp or that it doesn't require extra amplification.

For $200 this is what I would recommend buying for movies/tv, music and gaming:

• Option 1: 200 bucks on a single pair of headphones; that's it. If you feel like your motherboard has decent sound, then put all of the money into what will make the biggest difference; the cans on your ears. Spend as much as you can on a good pair that fits your tastes in sound characteristics. For a closed headphone you have lots of choices, too many to list or recommend. For open cans the AKG Q701 is fantastic for detail and sound stage and is under $200 currently.
  
  
• Option 2: If you don't like the quality of sound coming from your motherboard (static, noise or low dynamic range) you could spend around $50-$100 on a fairly good DAC/amp and then spend $150-$100 on a quality pair of headphones. If you want closed cans, I would look at the ATH-M50 series or Sennheiser HD-380s which are on a fantastic sale. (I own the 380s, they are phenomenal for that price). If you want open headphones the Fidelio L1s are crazy cheap right now.
  
  Personally, I wouldn't buy an internal PCI sound card for a few reasons. For one, they are in close proximity to high voltage/amperage components which can introduce EMI and noise into the signal. Also many internal sound cards aren't as good for the money as an external DAC/amp and they often have really iffy driver support and need updates. External setups usually don't need to be touched and are pretty much universally compatible since it's just USB or optically connected. The biggest benefit of an external DAC/amp is the portability and ability to easily use it on another computer, laptop, phone or other device.

First time I wandered into this subreddit was yesterday, so I'm just a fellow noob, so keep that in mind :D

I don't know about them all that much, I personally have forwarded all of my research into the DT990 Pro's, but I think the DT770 Pro's have a V-shaped sound signature just like the DT990 Pro's, meaning that bass and treble are "elevated". I believe the bass is really strong in the DT770 Pro's. Here's some good discussion about the matter.

For the 250 ohm version I do think you will need an amp, but I think you will be just fine without an amp with the 80 ohm.

Here's a video review of them, the cans in the video are the 250 ohm versions but I think the difference between the 80 ohm and the 250 ohm is just that the 250 ohm gives a more punchy and accurate sound, I dont think they are all that different in terms of sound signature.

If you do plan on getting an amp, you might as well get a DAC too. I'm planning on stepping into the audiophile world soonish too, and I'm planning on getting the DT990 Pro's and this amp/DAC combo. People seem to say that it's enough for the 250 ohm DT990 Pro's, so I think it will be just alright with the DT770 Pro's too.

Don't be afraid to use Google, it's your best friend at finding the best headphones for you! :)

Edit: I'm not personally all that interested in buying expensive things used, if I'm buying something expensive I might just as well buy it brand new, just to ensure it works as it's supposed to.

If you want portability, the the Cyrus Soundkey or Audioquest Dragonfly red are your options. I use the Soundkey, and it's brilliant. The soundstage and clarity is vastly improved. Then again my daily drivers are the Audio-Technica ATH M40X. For a DAC + amp, then the Teac AI-101DA. It's a bit pricy, but however it's a good DAC amp. I don't have it, but I have heard mostly positive reviews on it, also Zeos, our legend, has reviewed it himself. If you are on a tight budget, well the FiiO - E10K Olympus, has got you covered. It's a really good amp+DAC for the money. A lot of positive reviews. If you are gaming, the Senhiser GSX 1000 is there. What I she said in here are the best in each section.

Links:

Cyrus Soundkey: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B073RFVHVY/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520720112&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=cyrus+soundkey

Audioquest Dragonfly red: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01DFMV4NQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1520720178&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=cyrus+soundkey&dpPl=1&dpID=41JaKxrUrfL&ref=plSrch

Senhiser GSX 1000: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01LDTP484/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520720216&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=gsx+100&dpPl=1&dpID=41ermQbCqAL&ref=plSrch

Teac AI-101DA: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00UGYFWQC/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520720282&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=teac+ai-101da&dpPl=1&dpID=41dClv7EX-L&ref=plSrch

FiiO E10K Olympus: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00LP3AMC2/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520720327&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=fiio+e10k&dpPl=1&dpID=41Taa5DTsKL&ref=plSrch

By the way. If you want, buy a fucking pair of Audio-Technica ATH M40X: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00HVLUR54/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1520720404&sr=8-5&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=audio+technica&dpPl=1&dpID=41gFqXe5oBL&ref=plSrch

Zeos found the M40X'S brilliant.

I hope I helped you out, if you have any queries, reply to this comment. Good luck in finding what you want.

I haven't read all of the comments, so someone my have mentioned this but; buy some cook books! There are 1000's out there but here are a few decent ones:

​

Ingredient is a great book for understanding how different things interact and change each other

​

Salt to taste is one of my personal favorites, and has a wealth of knowledge, it offers insight on improvisation and may be one to get down the line

​

The Food Lab is a great book for base knowledge, it has tons of great recipes and it attacks them from a more methodical approach

​

There are tons of other great books out there, Escoffier, French Cooking with Julia Child, The Flavor Bible etc....

Anthony Bourdain's 'Les Halles' and Paul Bertolli's 'Cooking by Hand' will have special places in my heart. My personal most recent addition was 'Bottom of the Pot'

I'd echo the 'kitchen stuff' idea. http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/12/gift-guide-basic-kitchen-essentials-home-cook-starter-kit-presents.html has a decent and thoughtful list, along with http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/12/gift-guide-essential-pots-and-pans-presents-for-home-cooks.html but if I could tell you to get a few things, I'd pare it down to:

• Enameled cast-iron pot
  
• Cast iron skillet
  
• A chef's knife (most people need an 8" knife but my hands are very small, so a 6" works for me -- the key is to buy what works for YOU)
  
  Eventually, add in a few high-quality knives (I love Wusthof and Henckels but not all of their lines are created equal) -- I lean on my paring knife and chef's knife for much of what I do, though having other knives can be nice
  
  These items are good, but equally important is to learn how to use them. Long-term, you are going to save yourself much heartache, frustration, and money if you do something terribly unglamorous: take some basic cooking classes before you start buying physical things. Learn how to use these implements properly before investing, so you become a smarter investor. What you've bought for life: knowledge. Start with knife skills (http://www.surlatable.com/product/CFA-2976678/ might work) and work up to learning other basic cooking techniques. You want to look for classes and books that don't just teach you how to make a single recipe, but to understand methods, like braising and sautéing and frying. This way, whenever you hit a rough patch in your life, you can always take care of yourself.
  
  Also: get a library card. You can then go pull books like these for free, absorb the learning, and save your money to buy only the items that YOU want to keep as a permanent reference:
  
  
• Cooks' Illustrated "Science of Good Cooking" - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933615982/ref=pd_sbs_14_t_2
  
• The Food Lab: Better Cooking Through Science - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393081087/ref=pd_sim_14_1

The Food Lab. It's a cook book and goes into why and how everything works. Haven't read the entire thing yet, but an absolutely fantastic way to learn different things about cooking. Also, one of the ways I learned was to look at multiple recipes to get the idea of how to do it and watch YouTube, and sort of mix things around to where you like it.
Link: The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking... https://www.amazon.com/dp/0393081087?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

Edit: as far as the healthy and cheap goes, if you have a crock pot, ask your butcher for things like knuckle bones from beef, chicken backs, necks, gizzards, and other things like that. They make super healthy and usually cheap. Any questions on things like that PM me. I'm a butcher and have an pretty good idea of what's good for what

Let me rephrase: Not only are the cloud 2's the best headphones I own for gaming, but they are far and above the best headphones i own for music as well. Im talking like 5x better than my other $200 headphones. They have plenty of bass, but its tight, clean and articulate bass instead of boomy unfocused bass. You will hear stuff listening to these that you didn't even know existed using the Sonys. They really are that good, I promise. this is coming from someone who records music, plays music, and appreciates the quality of expensive studio equipment. The reason these are so good as a "gaming" headset is that they are just rebranded Takstar pro 80s. I haven't tried lucid sound, but I hear they are just OK. Try the clouds, man. They will get your foot in the hifi door and you might use them for a looong time because another big jump in quality is going to start at $300 and up, no joke.

Edit:
It's actually Brainwavz that makes the pads. Another amazing qulaity company for how cheap they are. I use the all leather style ones, but they make velour types too. I think these alsxo enhance the sound a bit and make the sound stage seem a bit bigger. The picture doesn't do justice. They are big and oh so soft. Every time I put my headphones on its like a little treat. https://www.amazon.com/Brainwavz-Replacement-Memory-Foam-Earpads/dp/B00MFDT894/ref=sr_1_sc_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1468621948&sr=1-2-spell&keywords=braiunwavz+pads

Lots of people will say to look at the Instant Pot which is a combination electric pressure cooker/slow cooker/rice cooker ("multi cooker"). I had a bluetooth enabled "IP-SMART" 6qt model of theirs (actually three: first had a safety recall, second was dented on arrival, third still exhibited regulation issues). Lots of people are happy with Instant Pots, but I had a lot of issues with the pressure control being flaky for certain recipes. Additionally, much of what makes slow cookers safe when you are out of the house is their low wattage heaters... typically 250-400W... and low complexity (basically it's a small electric blanket that is wrapped around a very heavy ceramic pot). The Instant Pot has a 1000W heater, and is more complex (microcontroller + a thermocouple), so this negates some of the safety aspects of unattended slow cooking... though it is UL listed and has a thermal fuse in case anything goes wrong.

My recommendation if you are interested in pressure cookers and slow cookers:

1. Presto 8qt stovetop http://www.amazon.com/Presto-01370-8-Quart-Stainless-Pressure/dp/B0000Z6JIW $69 More volume than electric pressuer cookers (8qt > 6qt) which is important since safely pressure cooking needs lots of headroom between the food and lid valve so as not to clog. Typically headroom is 1/3rd volume for most foods, 1/2 for foamy foods like rice, etc. Thus a 8qt pressure cooker effectively has a volume of 4-5qt. When using it without building up pressure, it can double as a large 8qt stockpot. I ended up preferring stovetop over electric since I can get an initial brown on meat without having to use multiple pots, and I don't have to wait for an electric heater to come up to temperature (10+ minutes on the Instant Pot for me).
   
   
2. Hamilton Beach 6qt set'n'forget slow cooker http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-33967A-Programmable-6-Quart/dp/B00EZI26DW $50 Check reviews on thesweethome.com for it, but it beat out a lot of more expensive crock pot models. Oval shape lends itself better for some slow cooker recipes, such as mini, chocolate lava cakes, roasts, etc.
   
   $120 for both.. around the ballpark of the cheaper Instant Pots, you gain an additional pot for stove use, pressure cooker is of bigger size, slow cooker is safe unattended and a more conventional shape, and IMO will last longer. You lose automatic rice cooking capabilities but... by a $20-$30 rice cooker and probably get better rice, or just do it on the stovetop.
   
   By the way, no idea what food you like to eat, but these are two of my favorite cookbooks if you are getting started and wanted to build up some experience:
   
   

• America's Test Kitchen 100 Recipes http://www.amazon.com/100-Recipes-Absolute-Best-Essentials/dp/1940352010/ Good for in-depth explanation of 100 recipes across a pretty big range of techniques.
  
  
• Cook's Illustrated Cookbook http://www.amazon.com/Cooks-Illustrated-Cookbook/dp/1933615893/ Shorter explanations but lots and lots of recipes.
  
  And major shout out to Kenji's (from Seriouseats.com) new book if you want more detailed science information:
  
  
• The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking through Science http://www.amazon.com/Food-Lab-Cooking-Through-Science/dp/0393081087
  
  This post ended up being much longer than I expected, but those are my recommendations if you are just starting out. ;) The main thing I've learned since beginning to cook is that 90%+ of the recipes online (and even in print) are untested crap, and to look for recipe sources you can trust. The second thing is that a finished recipe is much more dependant on the technique (the steps you use to modify ingredients at specific times, temperatures, and textures) and way less dependent on the ingredients themselves (you can easily sub ingredients for many recipes once the core techniques are understood).

Anything will work. The community likes the Fiio e10k https://www.amazon.ca/FiiO-Olympus-Headphone-Amplifier-Black/dp/B00LP3AMC2/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?keywords=fiio+k5&qid=1563641976&s=gateway&sr=8-5 . It’s CDN$ 20 more, but is from a reputable company and probably will work and sound better when really amplifying the signal for your left ear. I’m not sure how “close” you are to the wanted noise level, but this will probably be a strong bet in being a good solution.

I only say strong bet, and not surefire as I don’t want to promise that it will work as a solution, only that from my research it seems like a strong option. I’m not sure whether you still can’t hear anything or if you only need to tweak it like 1.5x the loudness to get it to where you want. Without you finding and going to a store that sells headphone amps it’s a partial gamble, but something like this should at least be a strong contender to fixing the issue.

I think I'll just take my Nokia 1616 with me. It's a bare bones, go-phone that I popped my SIM card into. It only has an 800mAh battery, but doesn't have any data connection whatsoever (purely GSM), and lasts usually 3-6 days with me calling and texting a usual amount. It weighs < 78.5g, and has a standby time of 540 hours. With minimal talking and texting (I'm wanting disconnectivity), I should get at least 2 weeks/charge.

The reason the filter is in there is that it's the easiest means of physically removing microbes, but given the price, I think I might stick with a standard 2 or 3 liter Platypus + chemicals (Aquamira, no iodine).

I meant to remove the light, I was kinda looking for LED lamps, but cherryhammer recommended that I look for a certain type at Target. And the RidgeRest (very average, I know) is a roll-up type; however, I fit rolls in my backpack, so I'll just have to see if there's sufficient space. And with the Z seat being 2 oz, I'm happy to have a little more convenience and comfort.

And I'm thinking I want the three, even if I don't fill it up fully ever. The difference between a 2 liter and a 3 liter is just a few grams. I'm sure the Northern summer portion will definitely make it worthwhile.

And I'm stoked I found that product at that price! For reference for anybody, it's the Ultralight Backpacking Canister Camp Stove with Piezo Ignition. It's $15, weighs 3.9 oz, fits "with any screw top butane / propane canisters, available just about anywhere, MSR, coleman, camping gaz, etc.", and this is what one user showed at a 5% and a 95% flame. I have no affiliation with the company, but seriously, go read the reviews. I might make a can stove(s) and bring alcohol with me, just for easier refilling and weight's sake.

My pack is water-resistant to some degree, but I'm not gonna risk it. I've been in snowy conditions, never rain, but there was condensation on the inside of my pack, and it actually frosted/froze a bit, which I'm sure compromised the strength of the waterproofing.

I've since scrapped the pants (mostly everybody has suggested so), and now have just the 1 pair of liners, and added another pair of mesh shorts, for a grand total of two.

Many thanks for your insight!

> are there bluetooth headphones that actually sound good?

I've been on a quest for actually good sounding bluetooth headphones myself recently, and the conclusion I came to was - no...not without some help.

Get this: ES100. Clip it to something (it's incredibly tiny and lightweight) + whatever headphones you want (if the cables are swappable, then look for some short ones... Fiio makes some short MMCX cables for instance). Bam, any headphone you want is now bluetooth at basically its full potential. It drives everything I've tested it with amazingly well (quite a bit better than my Schiit Fulla, at any rate) and sounds amazing.

If you will also be using the headphones for gaming or movies/TV, then instead get the BTR3 ... the ES100 is slightly better (more gain, more firmware updates, more configurable options, etc) overall for AptX-HD music playback (or LDAC, or AAC), but it doesn't support AptX-LL (low latency) mode, which is important for anything interactive. BTR3 supports all of those including AptX-LL. In low latency mode, I can just barely perceive a slight delay in terms of lip synchronization, but only just barely if I'm doing my best to look for it, and I might just be imagining it. For any casual media consumption or gaming bluetooth via AptX-LL, at least with the transmitter I'm using and this receiver, is good enough.

I've tested both of these with my Fiio FH5 and Etymotic ER4XR IEMs (both of which are quite resolving IEMs), and in both cases it sounds 100.00% indistinguishable to my ears compared to just plugging them into my smartphone. On the other hand, when I connected them via SBC codec using a USB bluetooth dongle, I could easily tell. Though, actually, even via SBC things still sounded better than I figured they would....goes to show that the default SBC codec isn't the only problem with most bluetooth headphones. Decent headphones via SBC still sound fairly decent, if not at their absolute best.

Oh, and the ES100 has an optional "high gain" mode, but even with that disabled, it gets me significantly higher volume if I pump it up to painful max levels (as a test) compared to the BTR3. The BTR3 was never too quiet at max volume for me, but if I had headphones that were hard to drive then that might sometimes be an issue.

I've tried four sets on the AKG 240 Studio (55 ohm):

• Cosmos Velvet Velour. These are very light and fairly comfortable; I cleaned them regularly with a lint roller to keep the soft, but they eventually become thin velvet after a couple of years. Not bad for the price.
  
  
• wang_yifei Ultra-Soft Velours. I bought these to replace the Cosmos, and they are worth every penny. They are a smaller profile (thickness), which sounds better to me on most headphones (ear is closer to the driver). They are made specifically for the AKG 240, so the fit is fantastic. The only real difference in sound I note between the Cosmos and these is due to the change in distance between the ear and driver.
  
  
• Brainwavz Sheepskin Round Regular. Better head seal due to soft materials (sheepskin and soft memory foam), resulted in better mid-bass perception. Supremely Comfortable; especially for long audio sessions. I plan to keep using these currently.
  
  
• Brainwavz Sheepskin Round XL. The extra space in the earcup introduced reflections that made them sound more airy; not my preference. I have smaller ears, so YMMV based on the size of your ears. Super comfortable, but again, smaller ears, some ear shift.

I can't answer all of it, but I don't think lossless files necessarily have poor metadata support. It may just be that the sources you are getting these files from didn't bother with it.

If you have an apple i-phone it probably sounds better because it has a good built in DAC, some other phones may have this too, or it may just be that your computer isn't set up properly

yes a better soundcard can increase your sound quality, but you're probably better off buying an external DAC and using a WASAPI output. [Chart] I have a Fiio E17 and im getting a Aune T1 soon :)

As far as headphones i recommend a pair of Sennheiser 598's for $250 or if that's too pricey the Audio-Technica ATH-M50's are a great pair of phones for $160

A lot of this stuff goes on sale occasionally, there was recently a sale for the Fiio DAC where it was only $90. I'd recommend signing up for massdrop.com and looking for some good deals there and elsewhere

Oh right, well, in case you haven't actually done an overnighter, just expect some bumps, especially if you haven't encountered adverse conditions, say overnight in the rain, or whatever. I guess that's part of the fun.

I have been using an MSR pocket rocket and I like it a lot. As long as it's not super cold where you are, it should work fine. If you want to shed weight, you can try an alcohol stove. I can't speak to it's effectiveness yet, but I'm experimenting with a DIY "super cat" stove on my next trip. But if having hot food is vital to the enjoyment of your trip, you may want to stick with something fool proof like the pocket rocket on your first few multiday trips. If you want to save a few bucks you might try this $6 pocket rocket knock off. http://www.amazon.com/Ultralight-Backpacking-Canister-Ignition-silvery/dp/B004U8CP88/

For water filtration, I bring a sawyer squeeze and aqua mira drops as a backup. Just make sure if you go somewhere where it's freezing, to keep the filter on you to keep it warm. If I was buying something today, I'd get the sawyer mini. Both are 0.1 micron, have a fantastic life span and are easy to operate.

I hike without a beacon but I don't get too far out there either. Just be sure to let someone you trust know when and where you're leaving and when and where you're getting back, and any other details about your trip that you may be able to provide. You probably already know this. Just get out there and see how it goes.

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.

It's not an upgrade, it's a 'sidegrade'. They're the same level of headphones, just one is open, and one is closed.

The M50X is an extremely popular headphone, perhaps the most popular in it's class, but in enthusiast circles it gets mixed opinions -- some would say there are better options at this price point from Beyerdynamic, AKG, Shure, and others. More than a few die-hard audiophiles shun them altogether. But if you look in any review from an electronics publication (moreso than an audiophile-specific publication), they will talk about them like they are handed down from the virgin Mary.

The sound signature is bass-forward and the mids are known to be somewhat lacking.

I like the M50x myself, the one thing that I would suggest is that you make sure that you're aware of -- from a comfort standpoint, the headphones greatly benefit from replacement of the pads, especially if you have larger ears. So expect to spend another $20 or so on new pads. I use Brainwavz Memory Foam. These will make the headphones much more comfortable and reduce the bass a little bit (as these are bass-boosted headphones, the bass will still be a good bit boosted). If you find the headphones still too bassy (I don't), you could get velour pads or 'hybrid' pads which would reduce the bass further.

I think it's a good choice if you are looking for a closed headphone similar in quality to the AD700, especially if you want another AT. You do need to be aware that there are inherent differences in open vs closed headphones and that closed headphones will never sound like open headphones.


FWIW, I read/watched 1000 good reviews on M50x, bought them, and then read/watched a few bad ones while they were shipping. I got buyers remorse before they even arrived and started freaking out. Especially 'Zeos' Z Reviews (whom I think is /r/headphones regular) youtube review made me ill and thinking I had made a horrible decision. But when I got them, I was really happy with them! I don't have a setup like many of the folks on here and I'm not a serious audiophile but they seem amazing to me (I also have a 12 year old pair of Shure IEMs which are the only other nice headphones that I've had), and I listen to primarily electronic music and hip-hop -- which the sound signature of the M50x fits very well.

For electronic music (I listen to 90% drum and bass, and also great sound for games, I cannot recommend the sennheiser HD-380 pro. The bass extension into the sub bass is fantastic, much better than my HD650. It fits all of your needs, except it is closed and has a lot of isolation.

There are plenty of reviews on amazon that express how they enjoy the hd380 over the ATH-M50x.

I find the isolation great for gaming, especially in shooters because it blocks out the external noise and allows you to hear footsteps perfectly in their correct direction.

It has a neutral signature which makes it a great overall headphone. I broke my first pair because I left it on the floor, and immediately replaced it.

Great for movies as well. Explosions really rumble thanks to the fabulous bass extension. But the audible bass isn't bloated, it flows smoothly into the great midrange.

The HD598 is more purely a musical headphone. It has a 1/4" jack which is made more high end home audio. While the hd 380 pro has a standard 3.5mm jack which will fit in your computer's soundcard.
The hd 380 pro also has bigger earcups, which I find comfortable because my ears hurt if the cups rest on them or touch them.

I bought them for full retail in 2010 for $200 and they were definitely worth the price. Now they are $150 on amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-380-PRO-Headphones/dp/B001UE6I0G

From my experience of being a poor college student who loves the outdoors, take advantage of bargain gear, Craigslist, and thrift stores. Yes, if you buy titanium cookware, an ultralight 4 season tent, and a 0.2 micron purifier you will be good to go, but you will also have an empty wallet.


Some good cheap items that I still use today from time to time:

Stanley Cook Pot from Target/Walmart: This $12-$15 foldable cook pot will snugly fit a small fuel canister and this stove http://www.amazon.com/Leegoal-Ultralight-Backpacking-Canister-Ignition/dp/B004U8CP88/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1451241733&sr=8-2&keywords=backpacking+stove+piezo , plus some aluminum foil and seasoning packets, etc. Find a bowl and cup for cheap and bring some top ramen and oatmeal packets (plus some freeze dried veggies, fruit, and jerky) and you have an entire cooking set up plus breakfast and dinner for somewhere in the range of $30.

For water purification you can buy a Coghlan's purifier and iodine tablets for about $20 combined. The iodine tablets taste terrible, so I would highly recommend having a good purifier being one of your first major purchases (after boots).

Sleeping bag and backpack can be bought from Craigslist or army surplus for cheap. Sleeping bags are rough because the price and quality difference between the mid-end and high-end stuff is huge, in my opinion, but you make do with what you have.

Most other essentials (compass, waterproof matches, paracord, etc.) can be bought pretty cheap. I'm not entirely sure what the opinion of Coghlans is on this sub, but I have not bought a product from them I didn't like. I would not expect to own anything they make for life, but for the money it is usually pretty good.

As far as deciding where to go, places like Reddit are excellent. Look at a Google Maps view of your area and find the green space. Look up any national forests, parks, or monuments in your area and find out what kind of opportunities they have. A good sign of a quality wilderness experience is dispersed camping opportunities, in my opinion.


Lastly, only experience will tell you what you don't need to pack, do need to pack, etc. I used to only bring one compass until I got lost and started doubting my compass. Thankfully my hiking partner had a gps tool, especially since my compass was indeed malfunctioning. Now I have a light compass I bring along that I can use as a sanity check in case I begin to doubt my main one.

Ok, this looks like a job for /r/CabaloftheBuildsmiths if I've ever seen one.

Let's start with your sound. While this guy is not accurate with his take on sound cards, he's spot on about everything else when it comes to gamer audio. As for the headphones he recommends, you can find an even better deal here, and a great set of replacement earpads here.

Do you live near a MicroCenter or a Fry's Electronics? I promise you you'll save money on that i7 if you do.

I have the same liquid cooler as you and it works awesome. However, get the H110i if you can. Why? Because firmware. My build is similar to yours, and I have a review of the h115i there.

Your Windows can be a retail copy if you buy a (much cheaper) Win10 Pro license off eBay. Just make sure your seller has ironclad legit reviews. Avoid OEM if you can afford it. Buy a 16GB flash drive, use Windows media creation tool, load it on the flash drive from the computer you have now. Then install Win10 on your new computer.

When it comes to a Z170 board, nearly all your options are perfectly fine. Don't buy mobo manufacturer marketing garbage. It's sooo much hype to rip a lot of people off.

I own the Dell S2716DG and I highly recommend buying the Viewsonic XG2703-GS, because it is the #1 rated 1440p 144hz monitor out there. /u/NCX is your no-bull source for everything monitors, and I would highly recommend reading any monitor review he puts up.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor | $329.99 @ SuperBiiz
CPU Cooler | Corsair H110i 113.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler | $109.99 @ Amazon
Motherboard | MSI Z170A KRAIT GAMING 3X ATX LGA1151 Motherboard | $122.88 @ OutletPC
Memory | Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory | $88.99 @ Newegg
Storage | Crucial MX300 525GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive | $122.00 @ SuperBiiz
Video Card | Asus GeForce GTX 1080 8GB STRIX Video Card | $678.99 @ SuperBiiz
Case | Corsair Carbide Clear 600C ATX Full Tower Case | $114.99 @ Amazon
Power Supply | EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply | $89.99 @ Amazon
Operating System | Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit | $119.99 @ Amazon
Sound Card | Creative Labs Sound Blaster Zx 24-bit 192 KHz Sound Card | $89.99 @ Newegg
Keyboard | Cooler Master CM Storm QuickFire TK Wired Gaming Keyboard | $80.00 @ Amazon
Mouse | Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse | $51.99 @ Amazon
Headphones | Superlux HD668B Headphones | $37.95 @ Amazon
Other | Antlion Audio ModMic Attachable Boom Microphone - Noise Cancelling with Mute Switch | $49.95 @ NCIX US
Other | ViewSonic XG2703-GS 27" 165Hz IPS 1440p G-Sync Gaming Monitor HDMI, DisplayPort | $699.99 @ Newegg
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $2807.68
| Mail-in rebates | -$20.00
| Total | $2787.68
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-12-14 11:17 EST-0500 |

First I will start this out with: I have never bought headphones worthy of the name "audiophile". But im very interested in learning about different headphones and such.

Budget - $200 flexible budget

Source - computer motherboard connections or amp if needed

Isolation - none

Will you be using these Headphones in Public? - No

Preferred Type of Headphone - Around ear

Preferred tonal balance - balanced

Past headphones - Razer Kraken 7.1, I liked the leds ha nothing else.

Preferred Music - I listen to many types of rock. From Smashing Pumpkins to bands like Five Finger death Punch.

What would you like to improve on from your set-up - More comfort, better sound, better everything.

• I will be using these headphones for hours nonstop each day so i would like them to be comfortable.
  
• I play games on steam for many hours, listen to music and I watch you tube a lot.
  
• I would like headphones that preferably have open back so I can hear myself talk in a game and also because I heard that a wide sound stage really helps in games that sound is vital (like csgo which I play a good amount).
  
• If I would need a amp to run the headphones that would be fine also.
  
  Currently what Im thinking of getting is the
  Sennheiser HD 598 SE with the FiiO E10K amp/dac and a modmic 5.0.
  
  Basically what Im asking is for the much more experienced in sound to suggest what you think I should get headphone and amp wise (if needed). Thank you all that respond.

Well, I don't know enough about amps to recommend you a perfect one. That's pretty cool that the E17K and K5 can dock. But you are pretty much absorbing the price for a portable DAC with a Desktop AMP.

You might do better with recommendations on /r/headphones though they don't really recommend Schiit much.

I myself, have an Earstudio Portable Amplifier. Basic 100 dollar, Bluetooth up sampling from 16 bit to 24 bit with 3.5mm Jack + 2.5mm Balanced Jack DAC/AMP portable combo.

However best part, for a 100 dollars you get a portable DAC/AMP (USB to USB including your phone/PC) and bluetooth to boot as well. I pretty much only got it for dual usage, it's connected to my PC right now via USB and if anyone calls me or play video from my phone, while connected, it diverts audio via bluetooth. Using it with the AKG K7XX, powers loudly to my PC and phone. Also has App control on smartphone, which almost no other portable dac/amp does except creative I think.

Anyways, whatever you choose, hope it goes well switching to new headphones. I have gaming headphones and pretty much just bought AKG for the experience. Everything sounds better at least.

These are powered speakers with USB inputs - $350/Pr Retail -

https://www.klipsch.com/products/r-15pm-powered-monitors

How important is USB to you? That's a nice feature, but only if you need it.

I think these might be the latest version (R-51PM - $500/pr) -

https://www.klipsch.com/products/r-51pm-powered-speakers

If there is a replacement model that means there are probably very good deals on the Older Version.

These are 5" speaker, and to make a determination, you have to consider what else you can get for a similar price.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LSR305MK2--jbl-305p-mkii-5-inch-powered-studio-monitor

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MR524--mackie-mr524-5-inch-powered-studio-monitor

Edifier S2000-Pro, DAC, Remote Control, Bluetooth 4.0, etc... - £399/pr -

https://www.amazon.com/Edifier-S2000pro-Bluetooth-Bookshelf-Speakers/dp/B0725GZQFZ/

https://www.edifier.com/us/en/speakers/s2000pro-bookshelf-speakers-studio-monitors

There is nothing wrong with the Edifier, assuming they do what you need done.

The one advantage the Klipsch do have is that they have a USB input for direct connect to a computer. That is probably the feature that is the deciding factor. However, if you computer has an Optical or Coaxial Output, then something like the Edifiers 2000 might be a good choice.

Or, if you are not connecting to a computer, then USB becomes less valuable. In the case, the Edifier with Optical/Coaxial/AUX and Bluetooth is a better choice, simply because it has a Remote Control.

The various Mackie and JBL in 5", 6.5", and 8" could be a good choice as they are highly rated and are less money, but they would require you to buy a USB DAC. Though these can be had in the range of $100.

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_703DGNFLYB/AudioQuest-DragonFly-Black-v1-5.html

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_772D3DAC/Audioengine-D3.html?tp=59309

https://www.amazon.com/FiiO-E10K-Headphone-Amplifier-Black/dp/B00LP3AMC2/

https://www.amazon.com/Q1-Mark-II-Native-Amplifier/dp/B0757MH46M/

https://www.amazon.com/CREATIVE-LABS-70SB173000000-Sound-Blaster/dp/B06XBZ38ZJ/

https://www.amazon.com/FX-Audio-Optical-Coaxial-Amplifier/dp/B01HERNVQQ/

Some of these are USB DACs and Headphone Amps.

The JBL 306 and the Mackie MR624 are both 6.5" speakers, which are TWICE as big as a 5" bass driver. They are about $200 each, which with a DAC would run in the neighborhood of $500/set.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LSR306MK2--jbl-306p-mkii-6.5-inch-powered-studio-monitor

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MR624--mackie-mr624-6.5-inch-powered-studio-monitor

You can check reviews on line and you will find nothing but positive for both the JBL and the Mackie MR Series.

All that said, nothing wrong with the Klipsch, just make sure they do what you want, suit your application, and fit your budget.

Just a range of possibilities

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

Ooooo, yay I can actually contribute to something on here. So I basically had the same problem but I think it was a comfort thing in general that I wasn't happy with. I decided to look into some mods to improve the comfort and ended up going with the Sennheiser headband pad that you can get anywhere on Amazon really and some new ear pads. At first I was skeptical changing the pads cause I knew it would change the sound signature but after searching for awhile I found one person that actually did this and went with a hybrid pad. This was my initial thought cause I like the feel of velour on my skin but it's able to keep some of the lows with the pleather around the side. The guy who did this said it actually made them sound better by bringing the mids forward without changing anything else really ( if I remember correctly) and felt much more comfortable. So I decided on buying them and I can attest to them feeling way better and I actually agree with them sounding better too. The mids are definitely better and the bass is recessed ever so slightly but overall a must upgrade if you're unhappy with the comfort.

Brainwavz Hybrid Memory Foam Earpad - Black PU/Velour - Suitable for Large Over The Ear Headphones https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZGGG3KY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_5KE4Bb714QMK3

I love cookbooks, and have probably fifty in my collection.

The ones I keep going back to are:

• Anything by Yotam Ottolenghi - He's an Israeli-born chef in London, and his recipes are a great combination of creative, relatively easy, and unique. He has a knack for combining unusual flavors, and I've never disliked anything I've cooked from him. If you're relatively green, don't get Nopi (too advanced). His other three or four books are all great.
  
  
• Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless. Bayless has a PBS show and owns several restaurants in Chicago. He's a great chef and his recipes are accessible and fun.
  
  
• The Food Lab by u/J_Kenji_Lopez-Alt. I was skeptical at first, since Lopez-Alt's website is so comprehensive, but the book is absolutely beautiful and contains both recipes and explanations of technique and science.
  
  
• Modernist Cooking at Home - It's expensive and many of the recipes are challenging and/or require special equipment, but the book is truly groundbreaking and never fails to stoke my creativity. It's the home version of his 6-volume tome which many think is one of the most innovative cookbooks in the last 20 years.

Questions regarding JVC HA-SZ2000s:

I consider myself a basshead and own a pair of ATH-M50x's and they're fantastic headphones, but really uncomfortable for me with glasses even with some 40mm angled pleather pads. I can't wear them for maybe more than 4 hours, and my job calls for it being a video producer. I want to try and avoid this issue with the SZ2000.

I was looking at the Brainwavz HM5 pads see here since I hear the stock pads are dreadful on the cans. Would it be better getting angled or flat pads? I'm hoping these "memory foam" ones are a lot better for comfort.

Secondly, I have a FiiO E10k strapped to my desk for my M50x's, with me being a basshead I want to maximise its efficiency (who doesn't?) so would I be OK with the E10k or do people recommend others? I'd like to listen to them on the go, at work and at home so a portable amp would be fantastic.

Thirdly, is there anything else I need or would that be it? Again, looking to really get the most out of this headset so any suggestions would be grand! Cheers gang.

If you want good sound people here have nailed it pretty good. Sansa Clip sounds pretty good even out of the box.

Cowon are known for having good sound as well. I would recommend at some point if you want something that sounds really good - look at getting a DAC or DAC/AMP combo - these things really enhance MP3s - they will make you say "oh wow..." especially if you are using good headphones. I have 3 DACs and I recently just heard the FiiO E17 and was really impressed with it - particularly for 100 bucks.


Get the sansa and look later into a DAC/AMP combo. Even with the DAC you are under 200 bucks. :)

FiiO E17 - 121.99 http://www.amazon.com/Fiio-E17-USB-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B0070UFMOW

Also look at FiiO E10 - I have one of these, very happy with it.
http://www.amazon.com/Fiio-E10-USB-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B005VO7LG6/ref=sr_1_10?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1373074173&sr=1-10&keywords=FiiO

Alright, here are my two options:

1. The Audio Technica ATH-AD700X are my current headphones. They're $100 but they're worth every god damn penny. Gaming feels you're there, music feels like you're in the band. They won't sound much better than regular headphones if you connect them to a cell phone but if you use them at your computer then you will be surprised.
   
   
2. I ALWAYS recommend headphone amps since I started experimenting with them. But they're not cheap at all, they are the same or even more expensive than the headphones themselves. Here's a good combo though: The AKG K 240 are just cheap enough that won't hurt but also good company enough to trust them. They're semi-open so they won't be as situational as the Audio Technica would but the sound stage is still good (Sound stage means when you can tell where a sound "comes" from. Like hearing a bullet or explosion to your left, of actually hearing the guitar on the front and the bass to the back of the track). If you do get these then I'd recommend one of the cheapest headphone amps the FiiO-A1.
   
   I'd obviously recommend you spend a little more to get the Audio Technica AND the amp, but I understand if you don't want to spend that much.

If you're into Middle Eastern food, Zahav is incredible. I'm biased because I'm in Philly but the restaurant has won James Beard awards for Outstanding Chef and Outstanding Restaurant, and the book has recipes for everything they serve and a lot more.

For a more general book, The Food Lab by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt is pretty great. Most of the recipes are on the Serious Eats website but it's nice to have the physical book.

Keep it clean, both software and hardware wise. Dust is a bitch and it can cause thermal issues. Since you have a laptop you should at least air dust it maybe twice a month, by taking out the bottom and air blowing the heat sinks and fans (DONT LET THEM SPIN too much, hold them down or tape them down when air dusting them).

I have a can-less air duster from amazon this (https://www.amazon.com/EasyGo-CompuCleaner-Electronic-Alternative-Compressed/dp/B00S7CH6FK/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1511903628&sr=8-5&keywords=canless+air+duster) bit pricey but worth it.

No need for antivirus, windows defender is super solid, just use your common sense when it comes to navigating the internet and downloading programs, it will remind you to run a system scan if you have not done one in a while. Furthermore, malewarebytes is a great addition that can help keep your system clean. I also use CCleaner to clean out my browsing history and cookies.

Keep the system cool, gaming laptops have come a long ways now, but they still can get a bit toasty especially during long gaming sessions. Any chill pad that directly feed air into the intakes should do a good job of keeping your laptop chill.

When downloading a new game, make sure you have the latest graphics drivers, nvidia tend send out their newest drivers whenever there is a big game being released.

If you're science/detail minded, The Food Lab is a great cookbook. You'd learn not just the basics, but also how small changes in ingredients, timing and technique have significant impacts on the end result. Lots of recipes and cookbooks just give you a series of steps to follow, and more often than not you'll be alright with just that. But having a book that details how different ingredients work by themselves and with each other is a huge help in getting started.

It's also important to note that cooking is combination of art & science (in contrast with baking, which can be very specific in its process...don't get too experimental with baking until you have more experience). A recipe may ask to cook for 20 minutes, but based on the heat you're applying it was already done in 18 minutes. Do you leave it in there longer just because the recipe said so? It's not always about following a specific set of steps, you have to be able to look at the process and identify the necessary changes to achieve the result you want. And that knowledge only comes through practice and experience.

So yeah, there may be some mishaps. I like to say, "eat your mistakes". Rarely is something so badly cooked that it's completely inedible. Every mistake is a lesson on what to improve upon, and there's always room to improve.

It sounds daunting at first, but it's like learning a new language or riding a bike. Eventually, the general knowledge from all the different recipes you cook compounds and you'll "just know" how the process is going without even looking at it. Have fun with it, it's a really useful skill.

I highly recommend against "gaming" headsets. They are usually overpriced for the components they use. I went with the route of using a set of semi-open back headphones and clip on mic for a bit. I've since upgraded to a NEWER condenser microphone. Either way:

Cheap but very good quality heaphones

super cheap but decent mic

Also I recommend these earpads. They lessen the low end a bit and make the headphones x100 more comfortable.


edit: just realized that's the "recommended combo" on amazon lmao. Either way its ~52 USD and a great deal. Compare the quality of this setup and its right up there with 100 dollar "gaming" headphones. Also semi-open and open headphones are great for FPS games because of the open soundscape.

If you love to read, then I completely back up those who recommended J Kenji Lopez-Alt's "The Food Lab". He also spends some time on /r/seriouseats, which I think is really great. Food Lab is great because it explains not only HOW to make a recipe, but the WHY a recipe works the way that it does, and allows you to expand your cooking skills. His is not the only book that does this, but I've read Salt Fat Acid Heat and The Science of Cooking and a good portion of the tome that is Modernist Cuisine, but Kenji's style of writing is exceptionally approachable.

But my actual suggestion to someone who wants to go from never cooking to cooking healthy meals at home is to watch the recipes on Food Wishes, because he shows you what each step of the recipe is supposed to look like, and his food blog is not filled with flowery stories, but helpful tips.

Another great online resource that I used when I started cooking about 5 years ago was The Kitchn. They offer up basic technique videos on how to cook proteins and vegetables that are really simple to follow for beginners.

My advice to you is this: don't feel like you need to dive immediately into recipes. First learn how to season and cook a chicken breast or steak consistently, and roast the different kinds of vegetables. Then just start jumping into recipes that you want to try. And don't be afraid to ask questions here :)

Here's the details on the stuff:

Power Rack. Had this about 6 weeks and I'm extremely happy with it. Looks fine, feels very sturdy, no feeling of tipping or instability even when I hang from the bar at front. Paint scratches when you move and insert the spotter bars but what do you want for $350 shipped. It's held 215 on multiple occasions with no issues. If you lift significantly heavier than this (300+) you may want to read reviews first, or invest in a less-starter rack, but for many/most people this will be fine forever. It's dead easy to assemble if you have a socket set and if you don't, great opportunity to get one, they're cheap! Assembly can be done mostly solo but the final bits really need a second person to hold stuff in place while bolts are inserted. Rack comes shipped in 2 or 3 (can't remember) boxes which are pretty unwieldy and heavy.

I went with this CAP barbell. This suits my needs very well with great knurling and came without bend, and I'm unlikely to put a bend in it with my sub-300 deadlifts. The barbell ships in a fun 7 foot cylindrical tube which caused the dude at the mail place to nearly topple over because he expected it to be light for some reason.

I also got this plate tree which holds 2x 45# bumpers, 2x 45# plates, and 2x 25#, 2x 10#, 4x 5#, and 2x 2.5#. Does the trick but paint scratches off the pegs like crazy but is easily cleaned up. Single box, about 30 pounds.

The bench is this one by Marcy. I wanted a simple bench and that's what I got. Great bench for the price and I haven't had any instability problems. Had this for a year and used up to 70# dumbbells and 215# barbell with it (I'm 215). Most weight total that's been on it was a 270# friend benching 185# for sets and he found it fine.

Assorted stuff: got these puzzle mats which do the trick for the right price and are stowable unlike a permanent mat. As I mentioned elsewhere the 45# bumpers are meant to mitigate any floor impact, and I'm not terribly concerned with keeping this floor perfect anyway (it's 10 year old laminate on top of concrete, and the "path" is linoleum). The plates were from a sale at the local FitnessDerp store (not its real name) and were 85 cents a pound -- I never saw any on Craigslist for less than that in the month I looked. Finally just some collars.

The cat in the picture highly recommends this crinkle tunnel.

Shovel knight!!



Also some free games that are worth the download

Pokemon pic cross

Zelda pic cross (see here https://my.nintendo.com/rewards)
Can't buy the game. Only available thru rewards program. I recommend you hop on it asap. Free games/themes show up every once in a while)

That submarine battle game (its free on eshop). Best shooting game I've experienced for the 3ds. Sorry can't remember the name.

Badge arcade- almost always get free plays, and you get to decorate your home menu with them.

Also big life pro tip, Play games with headphones.

Also worth it in my opinion (see here--> dreamGEAR Comfort GRIP Protection for your NEW Nintendo 3DS XL https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UJ9LB6Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_rl1lybR9S0F7W)

That grip pad helps prevent hand cramps when playing for a extended period of time.

yes, get the brainwavz replacement pads and they should fit just fine. As I mentioned, they are a little tight but they fit just fine. I and many others have used them in the Steelseries H Wireless.

To clarify the different versions you could get for this brand:

velor: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MFDX4YO

pleather: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MFDT894

Pick one and either should fit fine. If you really don't believe me, here's a review someone did on the velor version with pics of it on the H Wireless:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R332AUET8BCO2I

As for differences between velor and pleather. Pleather may get warm around your ears although it's not a big deal. It seals noise better and is basically maintenance free. The velor version is a lot cooler (temperature wise) around your ears due to the material and feels way more comfortable overall but doesn't seal noise as well and attracts lint/dust, etc so may require washing or using a lint roller once in a while. Maintenance isn't hard, but it is there.

Well the higher the impedance the harder to drive the headphones, thats the basics of it. In DT990s case the 600ohm is the best sounding one, but not by much. The DT990 250ohm premium is almost as good. The DT990 32ohms is also pretty good. You will only be able to tell the differences when listening to all three of them at the same time. But i think the one you were considering must have been the Pro 250ohm model, which is quite a bit different compared to its premium counterparts. It is more uncomfortable, has a smaller soundstage with muddier bass. It is also the cheapest at 200$. If I were you I'd go with the Premium 250ohm or 32ohm models. They both cost around 300$ new and run around 200$-250$ used(on Amazon via Amazon warehouse). If you get the 32ohm model you CAN skip getting an amp, as it wont be necessary, it will certainly improve the sound but wont be necessary. With the 250ohm premium an amp becomes a necessity. If you're going with a brand new 250Ohm premium then just get that along with a AMP+DAC like the E17 or if you want to go cheaper get the E11(it is the same amp as the E17 but without a DAC). You can skip getting a E9 as it wont give as much benefits and would unnecessarily push you overbudget. This should cost you about 440$ if you buy from Amazon(New DT990 Premium 250ohm + Fiio E17 or E11, with the E11 you'll be in budget but will loose on getting a DAC. Or you can get a used DT990 Premium 250 ohm(check out the 4th listing that lists it as like new, if Amazon says it is like new it means it will impossible to differentiate it from a brand new one) with a E17 to stay within budget

Surround sound headsets are a joke, so don't worry about not using one. Doubtful you'll even notice a difference at all and any difference you perceive right now is likely placebo.

The AKG K7XX headphones are very good, but expensive. You'll need an amp to take advantage of their quality, and to that end you'll likely need a decent DAC as well. You could start out with somethin like the Fiio E10K
which is highly regarded for its price. It's very good for a device that costs less than $100.

On the flip side, there are the Sennheiser HD 598 headphones which aren't nearly as good, but also cost much less and don't require an amp to sound good. They don't benefit all that much from an amp anyway (although any headphones might benefit from a decent DAC.) They're pretty good for gaming, and very comfortable.

I started out in search of a wired Bluetooth cable for my ibasso's and ended up getting This one off ebay. For $30 i'm quite happy with it. Build quality is good, memory wires are great and battery life is excellent, but the bluetooth calling has some static glitches when adjusting volume and the call quality is shrill at times, this could be my Ibasso's though. The Mic seems to work well even when it's behind my ear. The manual says there is an AI voice, but mine just beeps. If i didn't know better i'd say this cable has the same chipset and software as Taotronics TT-BH026US I returned before I started focusing on sound quality ;-) It beeps between songs, when adjusting the volume and between chapters of Audiobooks, which is annoying, but not a deal breaker. Also, I just purchased the EarStudio ES100 It sounds fantastic!! The sound quality is almost indistinguishable from a wired connection using ibasso it01's and UE Tri-Fi 10's and it sounds much better than wired directly in to my iphone 7 plus via lightning to 3.5mm. It supports (AAC, AptX, AptX HD etc. and it's tiny. The app is also pretty awesome, shows streaming bitrates and which codec is in use. There's also a feature to allow ambient noise in via the mic on the unit. My only issue with it is where to place it on my body so the mic is close enough to use for phone calls.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor | $289.99 @ Micro Center
CPU Cooler | be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3 67.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler | $89.90 @ Newegg
Motherboard | ASRock Z97 EXTREME4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard | $102.98 @ Newegg
Memory | Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory | $61.99 @ Amazon
Storage | Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $149.99 @ Newegg
Storage | Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $71.99 @ Newegg
Video Card | EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB ACX 2.0+ Video Card (2-Way SLI) | $599.99 @ Amazon
Video Card | EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB ACX 2.0+ Video Card (2-Way SLI) | $599.99 @ Amazon
Case | Fractal Design Define S ATX Mid Tower Case | $79.99 @ NCIX US
Power Supply | EVGA SuperNOVA P2 850W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply | $109.99 @ NCIX US
Monitor | LG 27MC67-B 60Hz 27.0" Monitor | $449.99 @ Amazon
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $2618.79
| Mail-in rebates | -$20.00
| Total | $2598.79
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-11 07:58 EST-0500 |

No need to spend 3000$ when this build will do the job for 500$ less. Also don't go for an internal sound card like suggested in the other builds, better to go for an external DAC/AMP combo. this will give you the best possible sound quality for your music production without spending over 1000$ combine them with a good set of studio monitor headsets and it will give you crystal clear sound reproduction, ideal for producing music.

A friend of mine who is a music producer himself swears by these headphones as having a good neutral accurate sound representation, which is what you will want for music production.

As for the computer itself:

i7 4790k allows for overclocking, heavy gaming and streaming with ease.

2x 980ti will let you play games at 4K 60fps high to ultra settings.

16GB of RAM should be more than enough, and you can always add another 16GB for a total of 32.

500GB SSD and a 2TB HDD like you asked.

the cooler is super quiet and allows for cool temps even when overclocked.

fractal design define S is a great quiet case that isn't too expensive. offers lots of room for all your parts, cable management, and whatever else. I went with the closed version, but there is a windowed version as well if you prefer.

PSU is fully modular to make cale management easier and has platinum efficiency, which meas less power consumption, less heat output, and less noise.

Monitor is a nice IPS 60Hz 4k panel, and it's fairly cheap for a 4K monitor.

If you have any more questions, let me know.

> Should I add a sound card to improve upon the crappy audio?

first of all, audio is subjective so what I say here might not entirely apply to you.

Internal sound cards don't really improve over onboard and there are a few reasons for it.

• Soundcards get rarely updated or new ones get launches so most option are outdated.
  
  
• They still have to deal with interference with the desktop components.
  
  
• Are marketed towards headsets
  
  Most headsets are marketed for gamers, which don't really need the audio quality. They want rather the surround sound en precision over quality of the audio itself. Meaning the DAC (Digital to audio converter) is usually a hold back. Especially as it can get interference from other components. Amplifiers on onboard solutions are hold back as well as they need power (preferably direct form the source) to amplify the input, which it receives from the DAC.
  
  Without going into it too much I advise you checking out external audio interfaces. While onboard audio might be enough for you, you'll notice a big difference when going on external DACs and amplifiers! I highly recommend these:
  
  
• The Fiio E10K. It's a cheap ($75) DAC and Amp together, but produces some amazing sound! It does rely on onboard audio and might hold back the amplifier. Amazingly well suppressed distortion and crosstalk.
  
  
• The Shiit Modi DAC and the Shiit Magni Amp are probably the best value options on the market right now. A total price of $200 is very reasonable.
  
  
• The Objective2 DAC + Amp. This is a great $300 DAC and amp combo. This one stand really out for the bit of customization you can do before ordering. You can say whether you want you 3.5mm audio jack in the front or back for example. It has better distortion and crosstalk suppression as the Shiit combo, but outputs at slightly lower volumes.
  
  > How is the overclocking on this board compared to the others?
  
  The X99S SLI Plus does very well on performance part. Outperforming most Gigabyte, ASRock and asus boards! Although the difference is minor.

You might consider buying his book. Full color, >1000 pages, and full of his amazing writing. The photos are also very helpful and interesting.

I only started cooking when I started law school summer '15, and now hosting dinner parties is my favorite way to de-stress. It's such a great hobby. And you have a great excuse to practice mixology, too...

Anyway, Kenji is probably my favorite human being. Follow him on all the social media things. You'll be glad you did. He tweeted me back when I asked him questions on Thanksgiving. I love him.

Hi!

Not too long ago I purchased the ATH-MSR7 Headphones, which definitely was a big step up from my previous Steelseries gaming headset. I noticed, however, that there seems to be some interference, which is especially the case when the Air Conditioner is turned on. It's some kind of high pitch noise with some occasional cracking. I have the headphones plugged into a AT2020USB+ microphone. Directly plugged into the computer is worse.

Would a AMP+DAC help against this kind of interference? And while the ATH-MSR7 is pretty easy to run, would they benefit from an AMP+DAC?

I'm not super knowledgeable about audio yet, so I could use some advice. I'm currently living in Japan, and found 2 that might be interesting:

• Fiio E10K USB DAC and AMP (Amazon.jp / Amazon.com) for 8,980 yen (~80 US dollars)
  
• Amulech AL-9628D USB DAC and AMP (Amazon.jp / Amazon.com) for 14,500 yen (~130 US Dollars)
  
  The Fiio E10K is of course pretty popular already. The Amulech AL-9628D doesn't seem to be well-known outside of Japan (it's a Japan based company), but it seems to be a bit more powerful, and is getting really good reviews inside of Japan. You can either run it through USB or the provided 100-240V AC Adapter. But honestly, DSD.. ASIO 2.1.. I don't know much about it all.
  
  Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I'm thinking, that to get a sense of what i'd want, i'd have to get the train up to Trafford center or something and hope they have a good selection of headphones to try out(It should since it's a huge shopping center). I doubt they'd have high end headphones on display for use, but i assume headphones by the same manufacturer would have similar qualities, and thus i could try a cheaper headphones by various companies and that'll give me an idea of what their higher end ones sound like.

Yeah, i just listened to the song on my speakers and it is much less annoying than i found it was through my headphones aha.

I'd happily spend money on a portable amp, is there any you'd recommend? Or does that not matter as much as the headphone itself? I found this amp which seems like a good choice according to most reviews.

I'm a pretty patient person tbh, but would you say it's worth waiting for them to become available again?

Nah, i think i understand it more now than i did before to be honest aha.

If you're looking into external solutions, you might want to grab a DAC and headphone amp. It'll be a fair price jump from $9.99, but the extra power from the amp will really help your DT-770's; you can probably get away without an amp with an 80 ohm set, but they are in the impedance range where an amp will really help them shine.

A small all-in-one DAC/Amp like the Schiit Fulla 2 ($99) or Fiio E10K ($75) would give you a nice boost and a good DAC and will work well in both desktop and portable (laptop) setups.

I use a Schiit Fulla 2 at work with a pair of Sennheiser HD598Cs (70 ohm impedance) and it sounds great!

Maybe I didn’t spell it out easy enough for you or explain it well enough for you, or maybe you simply didn’t actually read what I wrote. So, let’s try this again.

There is NO quality loss with the es100 or any of the FiiO Bluetooth receivers. Quite the opposite. They have a built in AMP(this AMPLIFIES the sound and outputs more power to drive the headphones better), and on the es100 a DAC chip(Digital to Analog Converters that increases the sound quality). So it takes the Bluetooth signal and enhances it greatly. It sounds significantly and noticeably better and louder, than if you were to take the same set of headphones and plug them directly into the phone with the provided lightning to 3.5 headphone jack dongle. It also sounds way better than a set of Bluetooth headphones. Believe me, I have 4-5 different high-end Bluetooth sets, and have tried out all these different situations. Some of them sound ok, but don’t really get loud enough, and you lose a lot of detail in the music. There is no comparison to the es100 or Fiio Bluetooth receivers. They sound amazing! And you still have your phone wire free. The only thing that is wired is your headphones to the tiny Bluetooth receiver which you can just clip to your shirt or put in pocket.

Plugging directly into most phones sounds like shit. Phones don’t output enough power to really drive a decent set of headphones. So they also does not get loud enough for me personally.

If your someone that is content listening to music with the set of pods that come with the iPhone, then these devices are probably not for you. I myself have quite a few sets of headphones that require a cable, and I was pissed that I was basically being forced to use one of these dongles to keep plugging them directly into the phone, or use Bluetooth headphones. The dongles I kept losing/misplacing because they are so damn small and they are expensive to keep replacing, and I didn’t want to use Bluetooth headphones as the sound quality isn’t the best. Especially since Apple uses only the AAC codec and not better ones like aptx, aptx hd, or LDAC. So it forced me to look at different options and the es100 was the answer. I didn’t know how much I didn’t like plugging directly into the phone via dongle until I used this thing for a few weeks. Music that I have been listening to for years, all of the sudden sounded better, more alive. I was hearing micro details and sounds that you just usually couldn’t hear. It’s amazing!

Best $100 I ever spent. I know that that could be too much money for some folks, but it’s about the cost of a few of the Apple dongles! If $100 is too steep, the FiiO options uBTR is $28, the BTR1K is $50, and the BTR3 is $70. They can all be found here:

https://www.amazon.com/FiiO-BTR3-Bluetooth-Receiver-Portable/dp/B07FVN14FH/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1549717742&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=fiio+btr&dpPl=1&dpID=31GuLdGu5jL&ref=plSrch

Es100:

https://www.amazon.com/EarStudio-ES100-24bit-High-Resolution-Bluetooth-Unbalanced/dp/B078H4YD2L/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1549717742&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=fiio+btr&dpPl=1&dpID=31e1njGDDpL&ref=plSrch


Just so people know, I have no affiliation at all with either of these companies. Just products that have helped me get over the lack of a headphone jack on iPhones. And not having your phone connected to any wires is amazing. But you still get amazing audio quality which is important to me. Hope this helps some and clarified what I was trying to get across in my first post. Or not...

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.

You'll find the cheaper headsets compensate by squeezing your head instead of forming appropriately to it. This is even more common in the full ear headsets, who have to be able to withstand you moving about.

The point being, it's not the rubbery ears that's giving you headaches, it's the build quality. I know what you're thinking, Bose have fantastic drivers for sound, but ergonomically they fall flat on their face.

*****
Few Options

• Sennheiser HD380's (Rubbery Ears, No Mic) - Far and away the best quality you can buy for your buck. You'll notice they are sloped, which fit more naturally with how your ears are anatomically attached to your head. 3.5mm with a 1/4" adapter. My personal favorites. Amazon 99$ - 50% Off
  
  
• Sennheiser PC141 (Behind the Head, Mic) - Great headset for an entry level price range. You won't hear the CT's jumping up and down while switching weapons from around the corner, but it'll get the job done. Amazon 35$ - 30% Off
  
  
• Sennheiser G4ME ONE (Cloth Ears, Mic) - Slanted styling for anatomically correct fit, just like the HD380's. You should be noticing a brand trend by now. Also the ear foam is a cloth covering, not rubber. This reduces sweating, makes them more breathable, and also doesn't give you that sealed pressure chamber affect. This helps reduce headaches, and improves long time wear. Amazon 195$ - 30% Off White or Black
  
  *****
  
  Hopefully this gives you a few options. I would again really emphasize that when it comes to headphones and people with sensitive facial zones/heads (I'm in this group), Sennheiser and other quality companies cannot be beat.

own some hd598's, hope i can help

i don't have a nontwist cable to test, but im pretty sure you need a nontwist cable to put into your headphones. you need to twist to shove them in all the way(if they aren't in all the way, you will only get sound out of your left ear, or quiet sound, or other stuffs). essentially no, you cannot use the headset without locking the cable into place.

i step on my cables a lot, and imo this is actually perfect. it keeps the cable in the jack perfectly. if you keep pulling on it for some months it'll seem to come loose easier, but cables are dirt cheap to replace in stead of you usually needing to get new headphones when you inevitably break your cable (went through 5+ headphones before i got my sennheisers)

i recommend grabbing one of the replacement cables sold on amazon. they hold into your pc jacks better than the cable+2.5>3.5mm adapter that it comes with in the first place. i got the 3m and it's been great (i broke my old one due to twisting it really really hard inside the jack with my chair, completely my fault. other than that it's held up great.)

i really don't understand the need to not have the twist mechanism, it's pretty beneficial. is there any reason why you'd actually need to remove it?

I'll just mention stuff I've tried myself.

If money is no object, multiple monitors or at least headless ghosts are ironically useful in virtual desktop applications like Bigscreen. I run 3x2560x1600 in one large screen. Bigscreen has an update coming for multiple monitors too. Big physical screens are nice for spectators/multiplayer.

Until the wireless adapter comes out, a decently long displayport cable and longer USB cable running to the link box to cover the large play area and if you have an original Vive, the new 3-in-1 cable with a sleeve.

I've been looking at [this overhead pulley thing](https://www.amazon.com/MDW-Retractable-Management-Headset-Adhesive/dp/B01M6EB8DM/
) but I haven't actually tried it yet.

Two Vives would be good, you can run them off the same 2 base stations and partition the space with chaperone. I run a Rift and a Vive in the same room.

Get an assistant/intern/wife/child to help you set up/put things away, maintain everything, patch/update, find new content, etc...


Accessories:

• Wireless headset/mic and an anchor for it
  
• HOTAS, pedals (CH Throttle, T16000M, driving pedals for Elite Dangerous)
  
• Force feedback wheel/pedals/shifter (old G25 here and the Simraceway wheel - surprisingly precise handheld wheel you don't mount to anything)
  
• Xbox one controllers
  
• Steam controllers
  
• X-Arcade/NES/whatever emulation controllers
  
• Leap Motion
  
• Charging stations and rechargeable batteries
  
• Locomotion options like Omni (Virtuix still hasn't shown up yet) / PocketStrafe / Wii balance board w/ GlovePie hacks
  
  You might want a good recording setup with mixed reality support as well.
  
  e: stuff I forgot
  
  
• Transducer like a buttkicker for tactile feedback in seated experiences (mine is a DIY) / Subpac wearable for standing
  
  
  

Hey Kenji, thanks for doing this AMA! Big fan, the The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science is always open in our kitchen.

I’ve cooked your Deep-Fried, Sous Vide, 36-Hour, All-Belly Porchetta recipe several times and it’s awesome. My question to you is how can I translate this recipe & technique to a part of a lamb?

-Would Lamb Belly be the best cut for this? Or would I have better luck using a meatier part of the lamb like a boned out chuck or leg?

-For how long and what temp would you recommend cooking it for?

-For finishing, would I be better off in a blazing hot oven versus deep-fried due to the absence of the thick skin found on the pork belly.

Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions!

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.

The MDRV6 is cheaper, but out of stock on Amazon, and the 7506 is only about $10 more expensive, so I could spring for that. When you mention swapping the pads, are you talking about these as replacements? And how easy is it to swap pads in and out? Also, any idea on the comfort level (both of those pads and of the 7506)? They look like they'd be decently comfortable, and I know Sony's pretty good about that (I've tried out one of their MDRXB950BT's which were pretty comfortable).

Hey guys, I have a few questions about purchasing some high end cans. I'm using two solutions for amplification so I'll kind of start there.

I'm currently using a Harman/Kardon AVR 320 to power my HD 650's and this is my preferred output. I don't know if using a receiver is frowned upon but it was my dad's old one and he let me have it for free. The other option I have is the FiiO E10k DAC/Amp but I feel like it has a bit of a different sound. It's mostly for the office given it's small size.

The reason that I bring up the device powering it is that I'm looking at the HD 800 S since its the best that they have to offer and the cost isn't a concern necessarily. First of all, how much of a difference is there between the regular HD 800 and the 800 S? is it worth the substantial price difference if the cost isn't a concern? Some reviews say that given how much you'd spend on the 800 you might as well get the 800 S. I've also read some negativity about the HD 700 so I feel skeptical about them but is it just people poking fun at the frequency response? And what should I use to power it? Sennheiser makes their own amp for them, what's the general option on them?

Thanks in advance guys :)

All this advice applies if you live in the US (don't wanna waste your time).

For a full power rack, I would recommend just waiting for a good deal on craigslist. Even this rack on amazon is pretty good deal

I'm sure if you look long enough you can find a better deal on craigslist. I bought that weight bench a few years ago, but if I had known better I would have just gotten a power rack. As a beginner (less than 300lbs on squat), this solution works for me. Also, try to find one with a pulley system if possible, cause I love some of the exercises that are only possible with a pulley system, especially if you are beginner. Also, remember if you decide to upgrade you can always sell something professionally made and get most of your money back and even make money if bought from a really good deal. Of course, void all this if you love building stuff and have the time.

Absolutely, and I don't think it would look bad with black pads on white headphones personally.

Here are the ones I bought. They took a little effort to put on there, but are very snug and don't move around. (The amazon picture isn't correct, as it looks like they are the plastic/leather pads, but what you get is the velour) http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0016MF7W2/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

These Shure pads apparently work as well, although I don't have any experience with them. Looking at the reviews they seem like they fit a little bit looser and can freely spin a little bit. http://smile.amazon.com/Shure-HPAEC940-Replacement-Velour-Headphones/dp/B005OM06RG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395931310&sr=8-1&keywords=srh+840+velour

When I get home tonight, I can take some pictures of them on my M50's if you'd like. I love them and well worth the $20 I say.

I'll never not recommend Sennheiser, they are amazing. Even their budget headphones are really good and sound leagues better than similarly priced headphones from "premium" companies like Skullcandy and Turtle Beach.

Comfortable, sound great, replaceable cable, and easy to clean (those ear cushions pop right off, I hand wash them with Dawn dish soap about 2-3 times a year).

The default cable with the 6.33m plug and 3.5mm adapter is a little annoying, I replaced mine with one of these and it's been great.

Anyone got any interesting setups/tv's? Idk why i'm writing this but here are the things I bring to tourneys.


Album link


My Tv Is by far the most eye catching thing. I bought 350 Fortune cookies and have been just taping them on there whenever I finish one. I am pretty much out of them so I have quite a bit all over the TV. The air fresheners were to bring some nice smells to any tournament I went to.


Standard Gamecube: 1.02 melee with newest 20xx TE and vanilla melee memory cards. This is the video cable IOnebring. It has s video + regular composite so I don't have to bring a powered splitter. Explaining more below.



Recording/Streaming setup: This consists of a Webcam which also records player/crowd audio (also a 16 ft extension). An Elgato with 16ft extension. Then I have 2 non-powered composite splitters. I plug in the composite video from the game cube directly into my TV and the S video into the elgato. The result isn't actually too bad (if someone knows how to deinterlace for better video hmu).

The last thing is My Controller: Someone on etsy painted it for me right before big house and so far it's a great purchase. It is of a Palestinian flag and has my tag on it. it doesn't feel any different from any other game cube controller which is great.

Edit: forgot about my headphone setup. I have sennheiser Momentums I bring with my headphone amp and plug that into the tv's audio with one of These. This has a pass through meaning other people can listen through the TV and I can adjust the volume with my amp. I also bring another headphone splitter so people can listen with their headphones.

I have a modest mid/hi fi collection going with my Shiit stack, THX-00, HD6xx, and HD598 (used with a mod mic as a headset for gaming). I told myself I was at my end game for a few years as I had a nice variation, but couldn't pass on a planar headphone for 300. The M1060 should be a nice addition to my collection.

The M1060 has a 50ohm impedance, so it isn't entirely possible that these don't need a robust DAC/AMP to drive them, but I'm sure a modest DAC/AMP would improve the sound quality of the headphones over your Macbook. I sometimes use my Macbook to drive my 6XX's (300ohm impedance) at work and it does alright, but the 6XX's do sound a bit better on my home setup.

I think a $100-200 investment in a DAC/AMP is worth while for a $300 headphone. Fiio E10k or the Shiit Fulla 2 would be good entry level options in the 100 or less catagory with numerous options in the 100-200 catagory. I'm sure you can get another 100 recommendations on other DAC/AMP combos, but I do feel you will notice an improvement over any phone or laptop.

To add onto this, make what you like, as OP said. Build on it and don't be afraid to try anything new to add ingredients that you enjoy!

Watching some shows can help give you ideas too, I particularly liked salt fat acid heat, Netflix series based off the book. Wonderful insight into the importance of the corner stones of cooking.

Also food blogs can be a good resource, when I started out I jumped between a few of them looking for recipes. I found 2-3 of them and cycled them into a rotation. I highly suggest this recipe for spaghetti to start out with.

An example with what I said earlier for trying new things, I subbed out the veal / pork for 1lb of Italian sausage. It's one of my more favourite meals now.

Finally, I don't know if it's been recommended, but The food lab is a great book. It explains so much and the science of cooking. If you can't pick it up online, it's worth looking at a library to see if they'd have one.

Hope some of this helps and you have a great time cooking!

I read a lot about separate amps and DACs but I wanted something portable and cheap and easy. I'd been looking at the the EarStudio ES100 which is $99 but while at the Brooklyn aloft hotel one night after getting tipped at King's Theater, my phone popped up that it was on special for $74.25 and I went ahead with the purchase

I hadn't realized this at the time the ES100 started as a kickstarter to have studio level quality and it exceeded my expectations. My only gripe is that every time I plug it in or unplug it, it turns on and I have to hold down a little button to turn it back off. I miss old fashioned on/off toggle switches

There's an iPhone app where I can EQ it to take advantage of my headphones (lots of BASS)

I still have a wire from my headphones to this little thing and I also have a conversion cable 1/4" to 3.5mm or whatever. Ideally a high quality bluetooth receiver like this would be built into my headphones but I'm guessing that professionals don't take headphones seriously if they come with bluetooth built in

anyway, I highly recommend if to anyone that loves music without any sound limitations

cheers

Looking for a DAC to complement my Sennheiser HD598's. I've looked at some things but by no means am an expert and would like assistance, so anything helps!

Would like to keep it cheap and cheerful but I understand that quality comes with a price. would like to keep it around $100-$150 CAD.

from a brief search I found FiiO's E10K that seems to have good reviews. Does this hold true? will it work well with the 598's?

If you have any other suggestions, please leave them and I'll be sure to look at them! Thanks in advance!

They're light and you can adjust their clamping, and they might be the best you can do in your budget. Which, and I'm being blunt here but it's the truth: your budget doesn't really afford you the opportunity to be picky here. You could buy the Monoprice 8323 and add Brainwavz velour ear pads or these Beyerdynamic ear pads (http://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-EDT250V-Headphone-Pads-Black/dp/B0016MF7W2) and get more comfort, but you could be spending more than the headphones themselves (on Monoprice for $16, more on Amazon) for the ear pads. Same situation with the KSC75, they're $15 and use the same drivers as the PortaPro, but more comfortable quality ear pads seem to run as much as they do. Maybe that's worth it to you. But I think your money's best spent buying the best sound quality you can and dealing with whatever annoyances may possibly exist.

I just ordered a pair of these tonight, but I'm lost on what amp to get. I am completely new to any sort of advanced audio like this and have only owned gaming headsets and meh-tier earbuds all my life. With that in mind, I don't think I have the most discerning of ears yet and it would probably be a waste to spend 200 on a Schiit stack or 02+ODAC combo, especially considering that's over double the price of my headphones! I would prefer to keep amp/DAC totals to be in the $100 ballpark.

 

My first question - is a DAC even necessary for these? I'm still not entirely sure what it does, since all of the explanations I've seen have been in audiophile jargon that is gibberish to me. Can I get away with running only an amp or a amp/DAC combo?

 

A cheap option I've seen while shopping around is a amp/DAC combo as mentioned previously. I've heard SUPER mixed reviews of pairing these 250-Ohm headphones with a Fiio e10k, some saying it works great, but others saying the complete opposite. I've also heard good and bad things about SMSL products like the SMSL SD793-II, one mention highly recommending the iBasso D-Zero Mk2, and another few people recommending the CMOY.

 

What are my best options here? I would appreciate any help I can get. Sorry for the long post and thank you!

Yeah I actually really enjoy bass but not when the mids and highs are suffering from it. But yeah on the 18s 100% would say to not hesitate to pick these up. Overall they feel on the flat side which is a good thing to me, very authentic. I feel like I'm hearing exactly what the recording engineer intended for me to hear in incredibly clear detail. With none of the bass issues I felt with the 11's even though the bass and sub do show up when they should. Love Them!

Also I use the Ear Studio Es-100 because I really wanted a decent wireless option. Good Luck picking a pair of monitors! Post them when you get them!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078H4YD2L/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm the thrifty kinda guy.

Refurbished Denon receiver, 2 Micca bookshelves, a Micca center channel, and a Bic America subwoofer. About 700 bucks total. Sounds good enough for me. I know much better is out there but it's hard to justify the costs.

My Sennheiser HD598SE's are great ($150), and I have a FiiO E10K ($75) that they plug into at work, and at home I just plug them in directly since the onboard soundcard isn't too bad surprisingly on my motherboard. I have a Sony SRS-X5 bluetooth speaker plugged into the back of it as well. I have those cheap-ass sony ANC headphones (20 bucks at the time I bought them) and they get the job done at a cheap price for planes and for the AC unit blasting in my office (I know... killing me, 80db of white noise all day long).

I have a friend from work that spent 50,000 bucks on his setup. It sounds great, and it's worth it, but I couldn't spend that much on it.

I'm more of a headphone kinda guy. My next upgrade would probably be going all out on headphones. A pair of Sennheiser HD800's probably. That's in the far future, I got stuff I want to do around the house first.

These are my workout earbuds

They are a great value.

Jacques Pépin New Complete Techniques

The America's Test Kitchen Cooking School Cookbook: Everything You Need to Know to Become a Great Cook

The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science

From here you can move on to:

Institut Paul Bocuse Gastronomique: The definitive step-by-step guide to culinary excellence

&

Larousse Gastronomique: The World's Greatest Culinary Encyclopedia, Completely Revised and Updated

These are all great resources. Also look for culinary school text books and always youtube.

The resources are out there and with everyone having a different way to learn and adopt information the variety in options is tremendous. Good luck and keep cooking. If you have any questions please reach out and if I can help I will.

If you like reading, a couple books that I'd recommend would be The Food Lab and Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. They'll help you understand a lot more about the tools and ingredients you want to use and learn how to use them. There's plenty of recipes too! These are both award winning books that I think should be in your local library too if you don't have the money to buy them! Happy cooking!

The meal prep subreddit might give you ideas too on big batch meals.

Do you think your dad might help you cook or help you learn? It could be a cool thing to do together and maybe you could help him learn somethings and give him some autonomy!

Here's what I use. Not nearly the best, but it's manageable for the average Joe or group.

Current

• Streaming: OBS Studio (Win 0.14.x)
  
• Overlay: HTML/Javascript w/ StreamControl writing data to JSON and JS polling it.
  
• Capture Device: Startech USB3HDCAP + XRGB-mini Framemeister
  
• WebCams: 2x Logitech C920
  
• Audio Mixer: Mackie Mix 8
  
• Headsets: 2x Audio-Technica BPHS1
  
• Misc: Powered Composite Splitter, Behringer HA400 Headphone Amp
  
• Stream Tools: Nightbot, TwitchAlerts
  
  

  Deprecated
  

• Capture Device: Dazzle DVC 100
  
  BPHS1s are kind of the standard for accessible and reasonably priced xlr headsets.
  
  I was getting decent quality out of my old dazzle before I switched, people just need to learn how to setup their bitrate properly to reduce artifacts and how to deinterlace their capture via amarectv or using the built in obs plugins (I used yadifx4 for the longest time) which do a nice, respectable job. Would I recommend a dazzle? Eh, it produces decent video for the price (got mine on ebay for $20), but has some compatibility issues - if you do a quick search for audio issues with the dazzle you'll find a couple threads. There are workarounds, but it's finicky.
  
  Ideally though, streams should be capturing component video. It removes the need for software/external hardware deinterlacing. The issue here is that you either need a TV that supports component, or a component->composite converter, which I've seen people have performance issues with in the past.
  My current setup uses a Framemeister to upscale the composite signal and handle the deinterlacing, outputting HDMI to the USB3HDCAP. The advantage is that I get to feed straight composite signals to any plain old CRT, which is great because I've been recording out of a suitcase the last few months while I move around.
  
  I build my overlays in JavaScript and HTML; there's a layer of logic that polls a local JSON file written by StreamControl for changes and updates them on the page.
  
  Just taking off on a flight. More info later. (It's later)
  
  Sample with the Dazzle

I'm going to suggest a few things because your setup has a lot of potentials. First, mount that CRG9. That behemoth is a great monitor but the stand just takes up too much space, once you mount it, it will give you an unbelievable amount of desk space. Second, drill a hole and route your mouse and keyboard cord thru it. Also, get something like this to hang your headset underneath the table. Last but not least, put some pictures or your collection or what not onto the wall to make it more personal. Afterward, your setup will look much better and super clean. Hope that helps.

Best Buy has some Turtle Beach Refurbished headsets for cheap right now. I actually ordered 3 different ones and all came in good condition. Plus returning is super easy if something does not work out.

This XO Four is great for $30.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/turtle-beach-geek-squad-certified-refurbished-ear-force-xo-four-stealth-wired-stereo-gaming-headset-for-xbox-one-black/5706842.p?skuId=5706842


Also, if you want to make it even nicer. Throw on some of these Brainwavz ear pads. They are super comfy and do a great job is blocking out sound around you.
https://www.amazon.com/Brainwavz-Replacement-Memory-Foam-Earpads/dp/B00MFDT894/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1495917067&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=brainwavz+earpads&psc=1

The Food Lab by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt has been a great find for me and venturing toward the deep end of cooking. He definitely doesn't try to make his recipes overly simple, but they're written well and are a snap to follow. The book is about 1,000 pages long and definitely rewards cover-to-cover reading, but my preferred way to approach it is to think of a food or class of food that I want to make (like "hamburgers" or "salad dressing") and then find it in the index. If it's in the book, it will definitely be a very good version of the recipe.

​

Reading the non-recipe sections also did a lot to help me understand what goes on during various cooking processes and has helped me step away from strictly following recipes. I still generally follow Kenji's recipes to the letter but I can adjust something from, e.g., AllRecipes to suit my tastes without compromising the end result.

​

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Food-Lab-Cooking-Through-Science/dp/0393081087?crid=1GSDX0G93DLJQ&keywords=the+food+lab&qid=1536763318&sprefix=the+food+lab%2Caps%2C134&sr=8-1&ref=sr_1_1

Absolutely no prob :)


My mom reviews electronics for a living so we end up getting tons of new devices really often and generally need to find cables to match so things are being switched out and added in all the time. To make it more convenient instead of having to go sort through a box or into a drawer and untangle cables I wanted something super easy access to so that if i needed an hdmi , bam, I had one. Same with the others.

For the controllers I used Stick-On Game Controller Hooks 2 Pack. The snes and nes usb controllers are simply hung via a tack.


I got a simple ~$10 corkboard from walmart, used a label maker for the labels and then used CraZy TACKz 36tacks to hang the cables. I wouldn't recommend them though, a standard tack works better honestly ( In theory a hook is great but they loosen and then swing around making it a pain to re-orient them when you're taking things on and off frequently.)

The headphones under the desk is The Anchor Great adhesive, super cheap and can orient it vertically or horizontally which lets you fit two pair ( in my case one for skype/discord+gaming and the other for general use since it has better quality but no mic)

---
For anyone else curious about the other pieces of the set up:

the desk is Series A:72inch Desk by Bush Business Furinture.

The lights are EconoLed RGB 5M 3528 LED Strip Light 300leds

Mousepad is Reflex Lab Huge Gaming Mouse Pad

The headphones are :
SteelSeries Arctis 5 and Audio-Technica ATH-A900X

Monitors are : ASUS VN279QL and Dell U3417W FR3PK

Keyboard is : Razer BlackWidow X Tournament Edition Chroma

Mouse is : Razer Naga Hex v2

I had a pair and they look very nice! The earcups are very striking in appearance. Kinda regret selling them.

The drivers are dynamic and are 20mm in diameter. According to a source, they were released in 1976 and ended production around 1982-83. They originally retailed for 6,000 yen or about 55 USD. I measured the impedance and they were around 50-60 ohms - I forgot the exact number.

Believe it or not, these are semi-open - there are some vents along the circumference of the brown backplate. Here's a picture of the location of the vents. If you open them up and tilt them at the right angle, you can see there are openings/vents.

Here's how the drivers look like. Surprisingly heavy drivers - weighs a bit like a D battery. The weight is possibly due to the thick magnets.

In one of the pictures I linked, I used Brainwavz earpads on mine when I had them. With the Brainwavz pads, not too amazing but warm and pleasant. With the original pads, I found them to be very honky and bass light. Might be worth a shot if you may be interested. Oh, and the original earpads are just adhered on - if you wanted to open them up or try the pads I linked, you can peel them right off though do it slowly so that the fabric underneath don't rip. The original earpads can be re-adhered with some glue-stick.

Awesome find btw! You don't see those around very often!

I'm a bit late, but:

Corsair K70 RGB Cherry MX Browns - I have the LEDs set up with a rainbow spectrum analyzer, so it dances around in different colors to the music.

Logitech Proteus Core G502 - love this mouse.

Sennheiser HD598Cs - amazing headphones, I recommend this cable.

Antlion ModMic Unidirectional - clips onto the side of your existing headphones. This is great because I can switch headphones really easily while still using my mic.

Bose Companion 2 II speakers - better than the series III. Got for free when I worked for Bose.

Dell u2515h monitor on a dual vesa mount with a u2415h. Made the mistake and bought a 24" and a 25". Shame. Will upgrade some day.

Next up I'm saving for a Schiit Modi 2 and Magni 2 DAC/amp combo.

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.

The Schitt Mani RF Interference issue does seem to exist, however it may be a minor amount of incidences. It will be interesting to know Schitts reply if you get one.

The Fluance PA10 was just released a few days ago, so no reviews yet. Their stuff is good and I don't see why the preamp wouldn't be. They have 30 day returns and shipping is free both ways so you may as well try it.

Don't bother replacing the DJPREII with the GOgroove. They are both geared towards the entry level DJ pro audio market, not the budget audiophile for home audio. Sure they work ok, but for $20 to $30 more get something that should be better for the RT82. The OM10 is a good cart, it is the previous generation to the 2M Red. Besides the Fluance PA10, you can get a used U-turn Pluto for $70 from the reputable AudioAdvice.com through Amazon. Mine arrived in the original box and looks and works as good as new.

A super low budget phono stage/preamp with a headphone jack is the Behringer U-Phono UFO202 Audiophile USB/Audio Interface with Built-in Phono Preamp $30. It will also allow you to record vinyl to computer via USB. Probably not very good, but it will work as a very temporary setup until you get a better $70+ phono preamp and $100+ headphone amp.

Another option for a headphone amp is an AMP and DAC (for your computer) combo. [z]GUIDE[s] \\\ DAC & AMP COMBOS Starting at $40.

Some other low budget headphone amps:

• Lowest budget option: $25, Behringer Microamp HA400 Ultra-Compact 4-Channel Stereo Headphone Amplifier.
  
• Sabaj Audio PHA2 Portable Headphone Amplifier Black Color $60.
  
• Monoprice Desktop Headphone Amplifier $80.

Sennheiser HD 518s, geared for more electronic music, far better than Beats, Open Ear for beautiful sound

~$70

Sennheiser HD 558s, balanced all around, improvement over the 518s but less geared for electronic music. Open ear

~$100

Sennheiser 598s, practically similar to the 558, just further improved for more accurate sound reproduction

~$150

Sennheiser HD 380 PRO, closed back, extremely good sound reproduction

~$100

Audio-Technica M50x, closed back, one of the most popular Audiophile headphones on the market

~$150

2 Closed Back, 3 Open Back. As you can see, I strongly prefer open for the much cleaner and natural sound, but closed back is still an option.

I mean, if your looking for, "audio tuned to only emphasize the very highs and the very lows", then yeah, maybe beats are for you, however, that doesn't make them of higher quality at all, they are literally doing the opposite of what you would want in a headphone, it's just that you would apparently prefer it. If you had a headphone that was completely flat, then you could hear the exact amount of bass the artist was intending. For example, I have Dual-Subs in the back of my car inside a ported box. If I listen to a deadmau5 song on those with the bass settings tuned way up, I'll get an overpowering bass that basically shakes the car and drowns out the rest of the music. However, when I go home and listen to the song on say my HD518s, I'll get to listen to the song as a whole, and the bass is represented exactly at the level it should be for the song, where you can feel it, you can hear it, but it doesn't drown out the rest of the song.

the 3d is pretty good for this version 3ds, it's still not great. it tracks where your eyes are in real-time to maintain the 3d image as best it can but again, i'd give it like 5/10. the screens though are VERY nice, even in 2d so don't worry.
the c-stick is very sensitive. i'm always afraid i'm gonna break mine like when i'm playing monster hunter and freaking out trying to see what's happening around me. you'll find you won't need to push it around very much at all.
the volume is...it could be louder, but it's alright.
battery life is amazing, in my case that might mostly be attributed to playing on the lowest brightness settings you can mess with from the home menu.
my hands would cramp and sweat (gross!!) from playing the 3ds so much that i looked up on amazon a specific type of cover to put over it to protect it, this guy
so, if i were you, i'd buy pokemon on cartridge so you can have your mons separate from the console - in case, you know, your 3ds gets stolen but somehow the game isn't in it at the time, that would be very lucky (spoken from experience, i was not so lucky!!! i hope my pocket monsters are out there somewhere making somebody happy)

Things I've observed while watching them for some time:

• They can only catch the game audio when no one is talking or at least yelling so they have the speakers turned down most of the time.
  
  
• They have a mic for each person or will sit closely to share a mic and talk loudly.
  
  
• They use a gate in post process to cut out back ground noise when no one is talking.
  
  
• It sounds like they use a compressor at the right thresh hold so their quitest voice is heightened and any back ground noise is inaudible.
  
  This can all be done but you have to learn how to edit audio and understand all the tools that can accomplish this as well as invest in better equipment.
  
  If you want an easier set up but obviously more expensive than not wearing headphones is to look into a headphone mixer, they are fairly inexpensive, and look into open back headphones so you can hear each other talk in the same room while hearing the audio. ( I highly recommend SuperLux because of the price you get so much fidelity for editing but they can be uncomfortable so look into getting velour ear cups also they are fairly small so if you have a big head I wouldn't recommend this)
  
  They use $100+ mics per person so I can imagine if you're starting out with a webcam mic you'll definitely want to use headphones since you can't move the web cam closer to you to help make you guys sound louder and clearer.
  
  You've got a lot ahead of you tbh, they use some pretty pricey equipment for a hobbyist and they have knowledge on editing that are a must to learn to increase the quiality of your content.
  

ah ok, just wanted to make sure the server wasn't on your system while having a bunch of people streaming off of it.

A 600w power supply is more than enough to drive an i7 and a 1080, you could just get better quality atx units.

When it comes to motherboards, all the major brands (ASUS, MSI, Gigabtye etc..) have great products.. so it's pretty much going to come down to what specific features you're looking for. I wouldn't bother paying extra for a good built in dac, especially when you're paying that type of money for a higher end build. Get an external dac if you're looking for good sound quality, along with some headphones. Depending on what you need, a Scarlett solo or FILO E10k are pretty good for the money. You also have a ton of options in the $100 - $200 when it comes to headphones.


IMO, this would be a better option.

Just seen that you're waiting for the monitors to go on sale. If you're tired of waiting, these ASUS panels are IPS, have small bezels and are Vesa compatible (100x100).

Changes;

• Swapped the ASUS board for a Gigabyte board. Pretty much has the same features, but it's cheaper.
  
  
• Went with some low profile memory. I don't know what your PS workload is, but 32gb's may be overdoing it a bit. I suggest dropping down to a 16gb kit if you're not a "power user".
  
  
• IMO the Noctua C14S is probably the best air cooler you're going to get under 143mm. It's powerful and quite. Although i would suggest getting a 240mm AIO since it's compatible the BH4.
  
  

• The 960 PRO is a tough sell considering its price, but i left it since you'll probably utilize it with your workload.
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
  

  
  

  Type|Item|Price
  

  ----|:----|:----
  CPU | Intel Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor | $343.89 @ OutletPC
  CPU Cooler | Noctua NH-C14S 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler | $78.94 @ Newegg
  Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-Z270MX-Gaming 5 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard | $160.98 @ Newegg
  Memory | Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory | $204.99 @ NCIX US
  Storage | Samsung 960 PRO 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive | $329.00 @ B&H
  Video Card | EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 8GB FTW Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card | $594.89 @ B&H
  Power Supply | Corsair SF 600W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply | $117.11 @ NCIX US
  Operating System | Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit | $88.58 @ OutletPC
  Monitor | Asus VP239H-P 23.0" 1920x1080 60Hz Monitor | $124.99 @ B&H
  Monitor | Asus VP239H-P 23.0" 1920x1080 60Hz Monitor | $124.99 @ B&H
  | Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
  | Total (before mail-in rebates) | $2178.36
  | Mail-in rebates | -$10.00
  | Total | $2168.36
  | Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-01-30 13:52 EST-0500 |
  
  
  
  

They're very comfortable, have good clarity, are cheap (don't pay more than 55 for them, very easy to find them at 55 new), don't require an external amp to be driven, have decent accuracy for their price. However, they almost completely lack any kind of bass, and the treble is a tiny bit emphasized, but I've used software equalization to fix them, and they're pretty great.

People do overrate them often, but at the price point they're absolutely terrific. I'm not sure how much of a difference lacking an external dac/amp would make since I do use an external pair but if you're using a decent mobo with decent on board sound card, the difference shouldn't be that big. If you're using a laptop or have a poor sound card, I highly recommend that you get an external dac/amp combo or pair, they'll be very worth it.

https://www.amazon.com/FiiO-E10K-Headphone-Amplifier-Black/dp/B00LP3AMC2

The FiiO E10K is often the budget dac/amp combo of choice. I personally use the Schiit Fulla 2 which costs $99 + 10 for shipping, and they're very good but you'll also need a 1/8 to 1/4 adapter for them. ~ $5

Edit: Just noticed that newegg has them listed at $55.

Mic

Stand

Adapter to attach the Blue Yeti to stand

DAC - better than a the Creative Blaster Z imo, I've owned both ;)

Headphones

So what you have listed above are the following items.

Blue Yeti mic - great mic, very clear, has quite a few modes.
The stand I use, I have my mic above my monitors. The adapter listed is used to be able to screw the mic in.
The headphones I listed I own, and they are very comfy (use the plush ear cups), they sound great, and very clear.
The DAC I listed is a fantastic little box, this will replace your sound card and output the audio via USB and you plug into this bad boy.

Hope this helps!

I know you said under $100, but I've never known anyone to regret spending that little bit extra on a set of cans (except people who bought Beats™). Assuming you're going to be using them for mixing work as well as leisurely listening, I can highly recommend [Sennheiser's HD 380s] (http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-380-Pro-Collapsible-Professional/dp/B001UE6I0G). There are very few other products in your price range that compare.

When you have a little extra scrilla on hand, I also recommend picking up one of these so you can boost the output level to the 380s. The power, clarity, and control offered by this combination is an amazing value.

Those America's Test Kitchen "best-ever this"/"all-time best that" magazines are my favorite impulse buys while waiting in line. I've been thinking about signing up for full access to their site for a while. And I love Serious Eats too. :) Speaking of which, I definitely recommend picking up a copy of The Food Lab! It's great.

edit: Changed/corrected "on line" to "in line." (Recently learned that using "on line" in a non-Internet context is actually a NY regionalism, after being made fun of for saying it by my [INTP] bf.) X(

I can't use this much camping on oahu, but this would be great for a camping trip to either Washington or Oregon!

It also has free shipping! I already have a mess kit, and the butane can be obtained at walmart, but I havnt seen such a great price on a camp stove. The reviews make it seem awesome!

Someone else posted this as well, but I also had this on my list.

Story time: On one of our first dates my then boyfriend, now husband, took me hiking on a trail near his house. It's a pretty intense one where people have died getting very lost. We had hiked it before and gotten a little confused and had to climb a very sketchy crumbling rocky hillside and I was concerned we'd get lost again.

I was reassured that he had GPS and we'd be fine and we'd only be out a short while. Well, my husband had no water, and I had a half liter bottle. We started out and it was pretty easy, there are tons of streams in the area but there is a risk of leptospirosis from pigs, so obviously we didn't drink. Needless to say we got lost, his so-called GPS wa his cell phone and there was no reception, we were lost for three hours. He landed up drinking the majority of my water since he sweats a lot, had none and is nearly double my weight.

I was so thirsty in the way back, those crystal clean fast moving waters looked tempting, but I was no fool. That life-straw would have been such a godsend on that hike of lost crazy. We eventually got back drank tons of water, and my husband vowed we'd never go hiking there again unless we had real supplies.

Edit: it's also neat that I have links to other great camp supplies!

Happy to help! And I’m not sure about the Blue Yeti. I would read reviews and checkout forum threads to find out more.

The mic I have and like is this (important to note I don’t sing so haven’t put it to the real test):

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/AT2020--audio-technica-at2020-cardioid-condenser-microphone?mrkgcl=28&mrkgadid=3301332174&rkg_id=0&product_id=AT2020&campaigntype=shopping&campaign=aaShopping%20-%20SKU%20-%20Studio%20%26%20Recording&adgroup=Microphones%20%26%20Wireless%20-%20Audio-Technica%20-%20at2020&placement=google&adpos=1o11&creative=280136034178&device=m&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=CjwKCAjw_b3cBRByEiwAdG8WqoLYzYWBTYB37WkqrX8p69rmu7nyqKOlWANFXGBquefokAjUPIUXbBoCfTYQAvD_BwE


Studio headphones I recommend:

($80-100 range) industry standard, very flat response, this is what I started with and finished my first song using:

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/sony-mdr-7506-professional-headphones/271056000000000?cntry=us&source=3WWMWXGP&gclid=CjwKCAjw_b3cBRByEiwAdG8WqmLR5mww0uqHXaFlKGMir96HVqp0iRR2KoVN0q_g8Oc6-z-nc8h1jxoCitAQAvD_BwE&kwid=productads-adid%5E246351748708-device%5Em-plaid%5E323968794223-sku%5E271056000000000@ADL4MF-adType%5EPLA

($210-240 range)
More snazzy, have them and love them, flat response, a lot more comfortable than the Sony’s too:

https://www.amazon.com/beyerdynamic-880-PRO-Studio-Headphones/dp/B079P9H1SH?th=1&psc=1

If you’ll get these you’ll probably want an amp to power them separately in order to maximize volume control (this is due to the Ohms, and is useful for anything higher than 80), I have this one it does great.. only $25 too:

https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-HA400-BEHRINGER-MICROAMP/dp/B000KIPT30?keywords=headphone+amp&qid=1536190375&sr=8-3&ref=mp_s_a_1_3


Btw the reason I say price “range” is because the prices fluctuate with promotions etc.

Cheers!

I use the ($60) [Logitech G430] (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104847) w/ Sennheiser Splitter cable, it really needs a splitter as audio is too low without. As for features, it sounds like any other headset nothing special, but it is more comfortable with it's softer earcups. I heard of someone using an adapter from turtle beach to get full 7.1 out of them as they are advertised to offer 7.1, but only on PC. I've never tried adapter on PS4:




But, I also heard alot of good things about HyperX, I think this is their first gen pair($68)

And last but not least the PC fav,Kraken($70)



A bit of advice on any headphones you choose(if you plan to use microphone function), you would do well to have some audio splitter cable as audio improves dramatically. For example, my G430 came with an adapter that ran through USB, but audio was so low it was worthless. Also, pretty much any headphones should work on PS4 with an adapter or Splitter cable, but splitter is a better solution, just stay away....far away from anything branded "StarTech" as they are usually recommended or shown "bought together" on Amazon, they seem perfect cuz their cheap, but I used a splitter adapter from them and it was DOA.

Thanks! I used to always do a full tower, but with the way cases have changed the mid towers have so much more space now.

The headphone amp is awesome, though I want to get the DAC that goes with it. You can also get some really affordable 2 in 1 DAC+Amp combos like this:
https://smile.amazon.com/FiiO-E10K-Headphone-Amplifier-Black/dp/B00LP3AMC2/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1493067328&sr=1-6&keywords=fiio

A friend of mine uses that one with his phone and did with his PC before upgrading to ridiculous audiophile level gear.

The main reason I use the amp is I got the headphones off that same friend for a great deal but they are 250 Ohm so you have to have an amp to use them at all. They sound amazing though.

I would buy a full power rack for safety's sake, if space and money permit (linked a cheap one, but it will do it's job, you can spend a lot more on higher quality ones), rather than the stand that liquidarity listed, but that's really up to your own tolerance for safety. You can use it for benching too (if you have a bench).

I wouldn't list bumper plates (as compared to steel) as an absolute necessity. They are certainly good to have for cleans (and to a certain extent, deadlifts), but again it's kind of up to your tolerance for noise and potential to break stuff (like... floors, or your bar) vs. how much money you want to spend. Obviously it's better to have them than not if you can afford it.

With a rack, a bench, a bar, and some plates, you can do most of any kind of training, and if you can swing some kettlebells (heh) that will add to your versatility.

With those specific programs however, from what I've seen in the past, they like to prescribe a decent amount of kettlebell type stuff (some of which you could do or modifiy to do with a bar, some you can't), so that might be a higher priority than on some other programs.

My husband and I are really bad at picking out gifts for each other, so we usually decide what we're going to get together. This year we bought The Food Lab, which is a sciency book about cooking (which we both enjoy) and Pandemic, a co-op board game.

My husband also got me a Kindle for my birthday, so if she likes reading I'd say that or a nice hardcover (or hardcover boxed set) would be a nice gift. Otherwise maybe a cool trip together to a fancy place for a weekend - it doesn't make for an amazing gift-opening experience, but maybe you can buy some small items that represents the trip.

It's pretty hard to give ideas without knowing what your wife likes - the Kindle was probably one of the best gifts I received, but it'd be a shitty gift for a non-reader, for example. Gifts related to hobbies are always cool - for my husband's birthday we went to a cycling place together and he picked out some new gear which was then my gift to him.

NO COMPROMISES

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
Headphones | Superlux - HD668B Headphones | $39.95 @ Amazon
Other | Zalman Zm-Mic1 High Sensitivity Headphone Microphone | $5.99 @ Amazon
Other| [OPTIONAL] Replacement ear cushions for better comfort| $7.88
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total | $53.82
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-07-06 22:42 EDT-0400 |
GOOD:

- best budget headphones /r/headphones approved

- great budget mic

- not a headset

BAD:

- 2 cables. deal with it

- not XxX mlg gam3r XxX 0/10

----
EDIT: added link to optional replacement ear pads/cushions that'll improve the comfort.

Well I'll start off by saying YES open back will help you not need mic monitoring it will also add a better soundstage for audio positioning that will work better than any terrible 7.1 virtual SS or "True" 7.1(which is terrible and no one should buy any of the current headsets marketed with this gimmick). Also gaming focused isn't really ever nessasary because better sound in general will be good for gaming and will add more functionality. Also with wireless you sacrifice a fair bit a quality and you have to pay way more. If your willing to spend $300 don't even get any headset. But a pair of HD598 from Sennheiser and a Mod Mic 4.0 this set up will cost close to the same as a G933 and will be better than it in every single way by a large margin. Also for it to work on PS4 you will just need one adapter which Sennheiser sells. But if you for what ever reason want a headset still go for the Sennheiser Game One there way better than the current best wireless gaming headset the Siberia 800 and come in at about half the price. But the aforementioned adapter is still nessasary on console.

Incoming list of surprisingly easy recipes.

Cornish hens though can easily be used for any whole poultry

Chic-fil-a style sandwiches but easier than the site's actual replica

no bake cheesecake

similar to the first cornish hen but with chicken

super easy carne asada (need decent blender though)

my go to asian chicken recipe because it's easy

if you don't love chicken satay we can't be friends

fusilli a la vodka easy and delicious

easiest mac and cheese recipe other than the box

if you're feeling real fancy this short rib recipe will be expensive but my god is it amazing (spend $50 just on the meat when I made it last week) and you get to look like you're a master french chef with minimal effort

I also suggest checking out The cookbook the Food Lab by J kenji lopez-alt

I read more of The Food Lab this week. I only have two chapters left (it's a behemoth of a book) but I had to return it to the library because I'm moving tomorrow. One of the last chapters I have left to read is about salad, which made me so sad to return it! I love salads, haha.

I seriously recommend The Food Lab to anyone who likes both science and cooking. It's a great book to just read through even if you don't actually make any of the recipes; you learn so much! It was written by /u/J_Kenji_Lopez-Alt of Serious Eats. If you're an Alton Brown fan, Kenji does work comparable to but more rigorously than Alton did/does, but with written posts instead of videos.

May not be relevant here but still - I use a Behringer HA 400 connected to my receivers headphone out. It has 4 outputs with decent power (no problem with ath m50x and AKG K240). With a decent quality long stereo 6.5mm cable, it reaches my couch. I was in exactly your position when I could not decide on a suitable solution for multiple wireless headphones due to issues with wireless (cost, connectivity, battery and quality) . Finally settled on this 6 months ago and very happy with the result. Would definitely recommend giving this a try as it is not very expensive.

Behringer HA 400 https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000KIPT30/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499450388&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=behringer+ha400&dpPl=1&dpID=51nwD3v6KZL&ref=plSrch

Hi everyone. I'm looking to get some headphones for PC gaming.

I'm currently gaming with these old Altec Lansing XT1 speakers, and would like to upgrade to something a little more impressive, and I thought headphones would be the best choice as it'll disturb my wife a bit less.

I've done some reading and research through this sub and elsewhere, and was thinking of getting the following:

Superlux HD668b headphones

Fiio e10k dac and amp

I read that open headphones would be better for gaming and music in general, but only in quiet environments.

I thought if I get the Fiio with it then down the line I can get some bookshelf speakers for the PC too.

Does this setup seem like a good idea to you? Will the Fiio make a difference compared to using my motherboard's onboard audio? Is there something else you would recommend instead? Would the HD681 evo headphones be a better choice?

I'm not looking to spend more than £100 total for headphones + amp/dac.

Thanks for any advice or info you can offer.

I'm not Mr. AB, but my go-to cookbook is The Food Lab by J. Kenji López-Alt. It's my favorite for a couple of reasons:

1. It's freaking huge. Seriously, it will take up a lot of room on your self.
   
2. It covers a huge array of topics. Whole chapters devoted to breakfast, roasts, salads, veggies, etc.
   
3. It tackles the science behind the recipe. Why does it taste so good? Why do you need so much salt? It turns out that for thousands of years humans just did trial and error and found that x amount of y made it tasty. Kenji figures out what happens on a molecular level and perfects the recipes based on that. He also tells you how YOU can recombine these base on what you have lying around.
   
4. There's a lot of relatively quick and easy meals, as well as a few big meals like Thankgivings as well.
   
   On top of that, the author is now experimenting with a Youtube channel!
   
   Hopefully this will make dinner a bit easier for you.

If it were me, I'd go for something really versatile/nice like the ES100: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078H4YD2L

But that might be overkill... still, it's a very nice little device with some amazing audio capability due to its built in DAC and great software. Lots of folks really like this device and for good reason.

A more budget friendly receiver (pretty plain and more utilitarian) would be something like: https://www.amazon.com/TaoTronics-Bluetooth-Transmitter-Receiver-Simultaneously/dp/B01EHSX28M

Hey mate, i hope this isn´t too late for some advice.

​

So first and foremost, congrats on a nice pair of cans. your motherboard has a dedicated audio solution, which shouldn´t be to bad in the first place, but to improve upon that i would recommend the fiio 10k

https://www.amazon.com/FiiO-E10K-Headphone-Amplifier-Black/dp/B00LP3AMC2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1543003652&sr=8-1&keywords=fiio+10k

it´s a pretty nice headphone amp/dac combo, which competes with a lot of pricier solutions, and for listening to music and gaming, you won´t find anything better under 200 bucks.

​

while the guy at the music store is technically correct, the sterling is of course a headphone amp as well, but as soon as he heard the words gaming and pc, he should have known this ain´t what you´re looking for...so return it, thats the wrong kind of device...you need a digital analogue converter, that has an amp integrated.

I've got a ton of budget best bang for the buck gear, but one place you absolutely should not skimp on is socks. Buy 2-3 pair of SmartWool Expedition weight socks. It's like wearing slippers inside your boots.
Socks
Here's some more of the cheap (mostly) gear that I purchased and am still happy with. This includes some revisions I've made after a somewhat miserable trip to Yosemite. I am a freak for reading reviews and digging for the best price.
$8 Stove
$8 Mug
$16 underwear... okay, this is almost as important as socks!
$29 Solar charger, or DIY
$85 Water filter, didn't want to skimp here although water tabs are doable
$9 550 paracord
$14 multitool - use a small cheap knife to 'cut' costs
$28 titanium Anodized Aluminum pot
$9 Tarp Couldn't find the link, but it's at WalMart in their camping section, by Outdoor Products.
$9 titanium spork
$45 hammock - you can get cheaper on campmor, but this one caught my eye at REI
$16 hammock suspension - you can get cheaper by DIY
$14 Compass
Sierra Trading Post has Comfortrel longjohns for $17/top or bottom - feels cheap, but effective.
$24 15 degree mummy bag IMO the next best thing for the money is The Cat's Meow at ~$90.
$22 tent - small, decent weight, cheap, hard to find. Not sure if I trust in rain, but worked great for five days of decent weather and 30 degree nights. Dumped this for the hammock setup due to weight and size. (but it's not that heavy or big)


In addition, I'll be switching to the $45 54litre pack from Costco.
GoLite has some crazy cheap light backpacks, but they don't seem to do well for loads heavier than ~25 pounds, which you probably won't hit on a budget.
$10 tab stove - haven't used, gonna try this out soon

Wal Mart has been seriously stepping up their backpacking game in the last year or so. Take a look their. A lot of the products are decent quality at crazy good prices.
Thread

I have a pair and they've got fantastic instrument separation. If you lie down in the dark and focus on the track, you can very clearly distinguish every note that every part plays (probably to the point where you'd be able to transcribe the music quite accurately). I would not quantify the bass as weak; it has punch, even if not earth-shaking.

However, they have a laid back feel - they might feel slow for someone listening to fast, dynamic, lively music. They're great for anything, but if you discriminate and need the phones to closely suit the genre, then these are probably best for classical, jazz and movies.

They're also larger than the ATH M-series phones, but are said to be more comfortable because of their lesser headband clamping force.

But with regard to what you said, though I got mine for $99, $156 is still half price, a fantastic value.

One final caveat - the HD 598 phones come with a detachable 3.5 mm-in 6.3 mm-out cable, which will not be connectible to a computer or portable music player, and you'll have to resort to the included adaptor, which may be impractical for some users. This cable would alleviate that problem ($16).

well I use a Fiio E10K but that doesn't take a mic input. I also have a Sennheiser GSX 1000 which is very good IMO, takes a mic and headphone input. expensive though!

If you do want something for separate mic/headphone jacks, a small USB card may be your best bet but I haven't used anything like that.

If you're after convenience, the Arctis 7 is a good quality unit. It's wireless with its own DAC so you wouldn't have to worry about that, while it also comes with a cable to use with a console. Definitely an easier option as you don't have to buy any extras to get going, though the quality isn't as good as a similarly priced pair of headphones.

I don't know a lot about baking, but one of my friends does and she recommended the below book.

The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science https://www.amazon.com/dp/0393081087/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_CkmZxb6RN2F39

Also, there is a great show called Good Eats I recommend for this. :)

If you want cheap and good, this combination works well:

Cosmos Black Color Velvet Replacement Earpad Ear Pad Cushion for AKG K 240

Superlux HD668B Dynamic Semi-Open Headphones

Ultimately I decided I like the earbuds routed through the headstrap better, but these sounded pretty good. They are 56ohm, so they will be a little quieter than your 39 ohm LGs. That said, some people are using 250ohm headsets and that has to have a pretty low volume unless you can turn it up high enough in the game.

The cable on the HD668B also breaks away easily if you tug on it and it comes with a nicely sized shorter cable you can use too.

I would use your headphones for a bit and see how much you enjoy them as is before adding a DAC. There are also some more economical DAC/Amp combos like the SMSL AMP/DAC(63$ and the one I'm currently using for my K7XX's).

People also recommend the FiiO E10K 76$

/u/zeospantera who seems to be pretty knowledgeable about this stuff has a good guide here where he says

"DAC's and Amplifiers. Do I need? I'm not going to say everyone will benefit from a good dac and amp. But everyone can benefit from a good dac and amp. Soundstage, Low-end, clarity in highs can all be improved by an amp no matter if a set of cans is Easy or Hard to drive. A dac or an amp or combination of both can make a world of difference but unfortunately you won't know if you benefit until you try."

Hopefully that helps.

That is definitely sound card related then. Whether its a hardware or firmware issue is hard to say for certain. But if its not doing it from your monitor (which works exactly the same way that a usb interface works) definitely narrows it down to being your sound card (which is likely the built-in on the mobo). Either way you may need to spend a bit of money if you want to fix it.

I think the fact that you can still get clean audio after a restart suggests that its more a firmware/driver issue rather than hardware. Windows isnt known to be the best when it comes to things like that. So maybe it was caused by a recent update or something. Who knows, it may very well even be fixed in a future update. But the best way to eliminate that variable is to take it out of the equation. Thats why i suggest an external DAC like the Fiio E10K so that you aren't relying on windows and can restart it independently of the computer.

Looking for AMP (DAC too? I'm not sure.)

First time trying to get a pair of decent cans. I'm completely ignorant in what I should be looking for based on the specs of the K7xx. Is a DAC completely necessary? I heard an AMP is good for the K7xx but heard nothing about a DAC.

I can spend up to $100 give or take $25, but I already have a DAC/AMP combo in mind that seems good based on the reviews, but I'm not sure if that what I need. So I'm posting here to make sure.

Will the FiiO E10K USB DAC and Headphone Amplifier be enough to power the K7xx to it's fullest?

I'll pretty much be using the headphones for gaming, movies and music on both PC and laptop for when I'm studying not at home.

I'm open to other suggestions, but a portable DAC/AMP is preferable. Although, I'm willing to sacrifice portability if it means significantly better sound quality.

Also, if it helps this is my motherboard. Could the built in soundcard be good enough?

They're pretty good! The 598s were my first pair of "audiophile" headphones and to be honest I was pretty blown away when I first got them (not to hype up your expectations too much though so keep them tempered) I primarily use my 598 for gaming (Overwatch mostly) and listening to music @ my desk. Not a lot of bass (basically none) but the soundstage is still pretty impressive because there were a few times I've been fooled to think a roommate was knocking on my door when it's really coming from a video.

​

Listen to them for a while and if you ever feel like "upgrading", maybe look into a USB DAC like the [E10K]( https://www.amazon.ca/FiiO-Olympus-Headphone-Amplifier-Black/dp/B00LP3AMC2/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=e10k&qid=1563292389&s=gateway&sr=8-1 ). I bought it a year into using my HD 598s and the sound improvement was marginal but very noticeable (on a laptop at least lol). I've had them for a while so I definitely want to upgrade with a shiny new toy, but can't ever justify it because they've held up so well.

I walked into a Target today and picked up a set of the Kraken 7.1 Chroma v1 for $40. They were on clearance. I took off the pads immediately as they were very uncomfortable. I test fitted several other pads I had laying around and found that I liked the Brainwavz HM5, and the pads off an old TB X12's. The brainwaves fit about 85-90% correctly, they wouldn't fall off by any means but are very comfy. The x12's fit at about 95%. I am currently running the x12 pads for now. Sound quality is decent, and the mic is very clear.

For me $40 wasn't bad for the v1 Kraken Chroma as I had other pads I could use. YMMV. I would recommend checking out you local Target to see if they have any deals before dropping full price on a comfort upgrade that doesn't address the fitment issues people with big ears have.

Cheers.


If curious, here is a link to the Brainwavz pads:
https://www.amazon.com/Brainwavz-Memory-Replacements-Earpads-Headphones/dp/B00MFDX4YO

You don’t get that deep surround sound kinda feeling in the game with the fiio Dac amp but It’s super clear and I love it and I’m still a sound whore while playing as I’ve been told in the past lol here’s the model I have . I sent the link oh and yes the quality is very good . FiiO E10K USB DAC and Headphone Amplifier (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LP3AMC2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_OPv0Db5PHN0J9

Man, you asked a question that will only get you "Senheissers only" style answers. So, I'm gonna try to hit all of your concerns with 1 (well 2) products.

Superlux 681 or 668b

I have a pair of Superlux 681.

1. They are tight but comfortable. They will have a slight amount of jiggle with really fast head movements, but these things will be hard to fling off of your noggin. The ear pads are pretty terrible, but they are interchangeable with the AKG 240 headphone pads. I would highly recommend swapping those out. Here are the ones I bought.
   
   
2. They sound amazing for the price. Seriously, the audio will take a shit on 95% of those "gaming" headphones that tout "True 360 degree surround sound" bollocks. The 681 are a tad bit tinny, but you will hardly notice unless you're an audiophile. The 668bs are much less tinny if you find the 681 having too much treble.
   
   
3. Easy to take off and easy to handle. They weigh about 250g so they are pretty light. Easy to handle.
   
   
4. Here's the kicker, they cost me $30 on amazon.
   
   "Mate" you must be thinking, "You're pullin my fuckin' chain, these must be shit". I'm not, your chain is not being pulled. These aren't the "Best headphones for under $30", these might just be the best headphones for under $150. The sound you get out of them is comparable to some seriously high end shit. Ignore the SteelSeries, Razer, and Sennheiser status quo. This is the first place you should look.

I have owned an msr pocket stove for a while and loved it. When it went missing I spent a season without it because I was too stubborn to buy a piece of gear I just had to find. Well next season I decided to just do a ton of research and see if there was anything that was being sold for a fraction of the price but was still popular. That's when I found this. Do yourself a favor and start skimming through the reviews. There's a lot of them. There are things about it that could be better but hey for under 6$ I have used the shit out of this thing and have been thoroughly pleased.

Leegoal Ultralight Backpacking Canister Camp Stove with Piezo Ignition 3.9oz https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004U8CP88/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_iRvRwb778K57W

There are all sorts of amps you can get. Are you interested in tube or solid-state? Are you getting the ATH-M50s for sure? If you are, you will need to get a high-wattage tube amplifier, because the ATH-M50s only produce 38 ohms, which is a low impedance. This means that plugged into a tube amplifier, they will not be very loud, especially compared to higher-impedance headphones. To compensate for this, you will need to get a higher-wattage amplifier, which translates to more expensive.

Depending on your price range, I would direct you to anything from the solid-state Behringer HA40 to the tube HiFiMan Ef5. Honestly unless you are an experienced audiophile, you will not need a tube amplifier, but they are really cool. If you want to meet somewhere in the middle there are also what's called integrated amplifiers, which combine the components of tube and solid-state amplifiers. They claim is that they produce the quality of tube with the volume of solid-state at a price between the two. That's up to the judges right now but for most an integrated amplifier is definitely ample, especially a beginner.

Personally I use the FiiO E6 as my portable headphone amplifier. It's pretty good for being so small but I do hear white noise at louder levels. FiiO is a fairly reputable amplifier company if you want to look into them. I really don't know enough about amplifiers yet (this is my weakest area) to recommend a specific product, but here are some popular integrated amplifiers. I'm still garnering the money and experience to become an amplifier connoisseur.

I love them both. They are the only two headphones I have kept, while trying/returning the rest. The X2s are more comfortable, with an airy/open feel, great to listen to music/game. I also love the v modas for techno/rap and gaming as well. I have also used the v modas to travel/fly with 2-3 times now as well. I would def pick up the x2s esp if you can get a deal.

Side note, since I've seen some other people mentioning an amp/dac, I picked up the

https://www.amazon.com/FiiO-Alpen-Portable-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B0070UFMOW/ref=sr_1_30?ie=UTF8&qid=1484514699&sr=8-30&keywords=e17

This makes a WORLD of a difference. Sounds WAY better. You can also add additional bass. I would never go back to not having a DAC. I normally play directly from my PC (motherboard), with no soundcard, so this helps a lot.

This is a hardware thing. Cheap DACs and amps in consumer grade hardware are usually pretty crap, unshielded, and prone to interference. Luckily for you, there are a lot of options. Cheap PCIe sound cards like this are easy to install and work great if you have a spare PCIe slot. If not, there are USB options as well. I personally like the FiiO E10k but the Schiit Fulla is popular as well. You can find either of these pretty cheaply on somewhere like /r/AVexchange/ if new is too expensive for you.

I use a pair of M50X's, along with this DAC headphone amplifier when I'm using my computer. The M50X's already sound really great with a gloriously balanced sound signature (no overpowering highs or lows). The DAC is hard to describe, but it sounds like it separates the layers of audio better - even though my headphones sound fantastic by themselves, everything sounds even clearer and fuller with the DAC. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone - it's a bit of an investment - but if you have the money and listen to music on your computer a lot, I'd definitely recommend it.

You'd probably get a better sound getting a dac/amp combo for the same price as the Magni 2. Something like the fiio e10k dac/amp combo might give you a more pleasant experience for a lower price than just an amp running out of your motherboard. Keep in mind that any interference from your motherboard will just get amplified by the motherboard. I'm sure there are some ~$150 ones as well, but to be honest I don't know of many, haha! Good luck.

Sony H.ear On 2 + ModMic 5 with a Sound Blaster E1 amp/DAC.

I just finished this really sweet setup a few weeks ago and the quality/modularity of it is amazing for the price! (<260€ with some good price hunting)

The DAC is there mostly for the mic volume/quality, and it is amazing how good it sounds. In a good environment, it is pretty close to a $200+ pro microphone and is useful is waaaaaay more situations.

> My assumption is that closed headphones adds more presence since it isolates you more from the real world.

This is true. But with closed headphones you get less sound stage and it feels more like you're wearing headphones than it feels like sounds are happening around you. Open headphones allow sounds to feel like there is some space between your ear and where the sounds is coming from. It's kind of a balancing act.

I'm going to be using my Sennheiser HD 558 for personal use. They're the most comfortable thing I put on everyday. I could probably wear them 24/7 and not notice them. They just kind of melt into your head and onto your ears... and they sounds great for the price.

I did buy a shorter cable and plan on ziptieing the Vive cables so I get a snugger fit without more cable flopping around. The cable that comes with Senn HD5XX headsets is at least 8 feet long. Great for at your desk, not great to be dragging around behind you in VR.

What I did is I disabled all the playback options except my DAC and my speakers, then I have my DAC (SoundBlaster E1 $30 when on sale at Fry's, great sound for the price) set as my default playback device. Whenever I flip the switch on the DAC off, it goes to the only other playback option, my speakers. Takes about half a second to go back and forth and it is super easy, plus the DAC really improved the sound quality I was getting. Any DAC with an on/off switch works with this method, and if you have one you really like without an on/off switch, you are only slightly inconvenienced in that you just pull out the mini usb plug on the back whenever you want to switch to speakers. I also like having a physical button rather than a software button on my computer because this way I can make absolutely certain with 100% reliability that the sound I want is coming from where I want it without having to double check that the software is working.

• Budget - Max around $240 - prefer to stick lower but if there are substantial gains from spending the full amount it's fine.
  
• Source - 95% of the time these will be used at my computer.
  
• Isolation - won't be a problem - maybe a fan in the background sometimes.
  
• I'll very rarely use these in public.
  
• Preferred Type of Headphones - I prefer full-sized/over ear headphones.
  
• Tonal Balance - I like snappy bass but listen to a variety of music and also use headphones to watch movies.
  
• Past Headphones - Using my garbage Corsair 1500 gaming headset. Even without the crappy quality of these headphones, they have serious compatibility problems with Windows 10. Comfortable volume level is at like 4%. Sucks. I've heard some old Bose headphones a long time ago and loved the punchy bass and felt like I could hear more of the music being played. Without a model I'm not sure how much that will help you.
  
• Preferred Music - Like I said before, this really varies. Stuff like Daft Punk, Emancipator, Dire Straights, Rage Against the Machine, Ice Cube, MF Doom, Rx Bandits, Cage the Elephant, Streetlight Manifesto.
  
• **I want to get some more bass and hear more of the mids in my music from a new set of headphones.
  
  The two set ups I've been looking at are:
  
  

1. Beyerdynamic DT-990-Pro-250 as well as a FiiO E10k. - Since these need more than what my PC can give it I'll have to spend the extra money on an amp/DAC combo. Since they're open I'll occasionally have to switch to my old headphones if my music is bothering others in the room. I'm alone in my office 80% of the time so this wouldn't be the end of the world.
   
   
2. AKG K550 - I'd be spending a little more on the headphones up front but wouldn't need to purchase an amp/DAC right away to use these.
   
   Thoughts?

They clamp hard and the stock earpads are terrible, the headband is super nice though and automatically adjusts to your head.

On Amazon, these earpads are a lot more comfortable than the stock earpads and also make the headphones sound a little better. Not as good as true velour but a big improvement from the original earpads. They're a super tight fit btw so have some patience.

Yeah, I mean, it's not like I can't think of any gifts within the price range, but it's one of the few exchanges where I can only think of maybe a dozen gifts, which is really different than the other exchanges:

• Head phone stand
  
• Replacement pads for certain headphones
  
• Spare cables (exciting...)
  
• DACs (shout out to the FiiO D3)
  
• Portable amplifier
  
• Budget-friendly headphone amplifiers like the Pyle-Pro PHA40 or Behringer Ha400, but those rely on your match already owning a pretty okay DAC (or having plans to get one)
  
• DIY kits to build your own amplifiers like this, but you need to make sure your match has basic electronics tools like a soldering kit.