PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor | $244.99 @ Newegg
CPU Cooler | NZXT Kraken X61 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler | $139.99 @ Newegg
Motherboard | Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard | $153.99 @ SuperBiiz
Memory | G.Skill Ripjaws 4 Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory | $89.99 @ Newegg
Storage | A-Data Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $57.99 @ Newegg
Storage | Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $49.89 @ OutletPC
Video Card | MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card | $629.99 @ Amazon
Case | NZXT S340 (Black/Blue) ATX Mid Tower Case | $63.99 @ SuperBiiz
Power Supply | EVGA SuperNOVA P2 650W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply | $66.99 @ NCIX US
Monitor | Acer G257HU smidpx 60Hz 25.0" Monitor | $259.99 @ B&H
Mouse | Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse | $79.00 @ Logitech
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $1843.80
| Mail-in rebates | -$20.00
| Total | $1823.80
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-09 11:24 EST-0500 |

Over view


CPU: Skylake is the new norm, supports DDR4, 4 cores but with no hyper threading.

Cooler: One of the best water coolers on the market, it is a great cooler to OC on.

Motherboard supports tons of new features, lots of fan headers and I believe an m.2 sata port if you wish to get an m.2 ssd.

RAM is RAM, faster memory scales better with Skylake offering higher FPS in games.

The HDD and SSD are fast, great drives and reliable. The SSD is the same speed, if not a bit faster then Samsung's 850 EVO for 30 bucks less.

The GPU is the top of the line 980ti, VERY fast GPU and very good for 1440p. Max all games in 1440p 60 fps for a couple more years. Very good GPU, also white.

The Case is high quality and my personal favorite. Offers lots of support for anything really, huge GPUs and space for custom loops. Also great cable management.

The PSU is the top of the line, best of the best for an extremely cheap price.

Monitor is 1440p, 60hz, 4ms response time. Great monitor.

The mouse is regarded as some the best of the best, RGB, lots of mouse buttons, great tracker and more. I almost bought that but it was RGB when I was looking to buy so I got the G600, which is great.

Reviews/Bench marks

CPU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ_5p9wd2dk

Cooler https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU0BEepRZBM

Motherboard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwFXo31sYWI

Memory https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I_qKCSGS4U However, expect a bit more. It has a higher clock speed then the 2400mhz.

SSD and HDD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mZcxfbKRLw that is the SSD. This is the HDD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw2-lrHAmCI

GPU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxzpcmvnPJU

Case https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65-pqVTykMc and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cNWOgbEXMI

PSU review http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=446 got a 9.8 out of 10, only bad part is it includes 2 CPU plugs, not needed.

Monitor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XID3splg1g

Mouse https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mBEMyO7EmQ

What is

What is overclocking? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPmDSYRKnXM

What is refresh rate? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCWZ_kWTB9w

What are Intel CPUs? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLSPub4ydiM

What is Monitor response time? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ER1YV42iqrE

Mentions for help

Linustechtips https://www.youtube.com/user/LinusTechTips For general needs

Jayztwocents https://www.youtube.com/user/Jayztwocents Watercooling and just some general knowledge.

NCIX techtips, just some tech tips https://www.youtube.com/user/NCIXcom and reviews

Techquicke (As Fast As Possible) https://www.youtube.com/user/Techquickie Just some quick learning about more in depth items.

Tek Syndicate https://www.youtube.com/user/razethew0rld Just some headphone reviews, some GPU reviews and tech talk.

HardwareCanucks https://www.youtube.com/user/HardwareCanucks Some reviews of products and benchmarks

Digital Foundry https://www.youtube.com/user/DigitalFoundry Most benchmarks and some reviews.

Awesomesauce Network https://www.youtube.com/user/AwesomeSauceNews Just some reviews, builds and more.

TomsHardware https://www.youtube.com/user/TomsHardware Reviews, benchmarks and more.

Austin Evans https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXGgrKt94gR6lmN4aN3mYTg Reviews, benchmarks and more.

Pretty much covers that section.

How to build a PC

Newegg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIF43-0mDk4

Jayztwocents: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1Q8ksRI1Eo

Audio

Some more expensive headphones: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dj5G0isn9Y

Some less budget friendly options: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fD-M1F6L4g

What I'd recommend for open headphones is DT-990 Pros http://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-990-Premium-250-Ohm/dp/B00193FT26 and Modmic 4.0 http://www.modmic.com/products/modmic-4-0. Beats ANY gaming headphones, period. Now for headphones here is another alternative for open backed too http://www.amazon.com/AKG-Signature-Reference-Class-Premium-Headphones/dp/B004444O3W/ref=pd_sim_23_6?ie=UTF8&dpID=419PS-VvbRL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR86%2C160_&refRID=07TPVYEVH56PG7ZMY9Y9 great headphones. On www.massdrop.com these are in red/black right now for a limited time so I'd get those if you want them. Now for closed back http://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-770-PRO-250-ohms/dp/B0006NL5SM/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1457542572&sr=1-1&keywords=DT+770 these are great, a bit more expensive and less of a sound stage but still great.

Other notes

Go ahead and ask ANY questions. Also sorry it took my a while, I got distracted and then my dog wanted out.

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

Pros:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

My setup is:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sure! I've been trying to keep things a bit less detailed in my responses here because I can kinda overload folks sometimes, particularly people who just want something that basically works and aren't too fussed about the details.

Ha, well, weight is more of a variable than you might think (the lightest over-ears I can think of are about 1/3 of the weight of the heaviest), but when I say ergonomics I mean more like the clamping force, the size and depth of the earpads, etc. I'll keep the neck pain in mind though - we'll avoid anything that requires a neck brace.

Ah, county/rock/pop type stuff. That'll typically be pretty balanced - although what folks prefer for it is kind of a variable. I mostly dangle that question because fans of a few specific genres (electronic music and rap in particular) tend to cue pretty strongly off bass quantity, so I don't wanna recommend something that's strong everywhere else but lacks in that regard for them, even if they're not sure it's a problem.

Alright, so there's a pretty wide range of options in the $100+/-50 space, but there's two I'd probably err toward for a normal user with these requirements as a baseline. The first would be a Sennheiser HD558/598/559/599 (they are all borderline interchangeable other than aesthetics, and you should be able to find one new for $100-120, and used for less) and a cable mic [like this one] (https://www.amazon.com/Microphone-Compatible-QuietComfort-Sennheiser-Headphone/dp/B01NAQWCGS). The HD5x8/5x9 series - the open models at least - are pretty all-around okay open headphones, are easily driven (the best performing options in this price range would ideally want an amplifier or a relatively high voltage output source, which a phone or Kindle probably won't be), and have the convenience of fitting that replacement cable which basically turns them into a headset. These models are fairly neutral (albeit the treble's a little laid back), and give a pretty decent introduction to higher-end personal audio. I should specifically note, these are open - sound will leak in and out pretty freely, so people in the same room will hear music playing on the headphones, and any noise will come in about as freely.

If, on consideration, isolation matters, I'd get a pair of [NVX XPT100s/Brainwavz HM5s] (https://www.amazon.com/NVX-Over-Ear-Headphones-ComfortMax-XPT100/dp/B0093PVTPS) (same OEM unit, different brandings) and a clip-on mic or Modmic (if omnidirectional/non-noise-cancelling is okay, [this Sony mic is pretty good] (https://www.amazon.com/Sony-ECMCS3-Omnidirectional-Stereo-Microphone/dp/B0058MJX4O/)). The XPT100/HM5/CD880 (OEM branding) is a studio-targeted headphone, but it's pretty decent on most counts - fairly ergonomic, pretty good noise isolation, and a fairly good sound. The midrange is less accurate than the open headphones in this price range, but the bass is better, and most of them come with pretty good accessories (spare pads, different length cables, carrying case, etc). It's basically my default recommendation for people looking for a headset who need noise isolation.

Buying used, there'd be a few other, better open-backed designs in budget range - the AKG K612 and Beyerdynamic DT880 spring to mind, and both are very, very nice headphones - but those would be fairly insensitive, requiring fairly high source voltage for high volumes, which neither the motherboard in question nor, quite likely, the Kindle will supply. As a result, the better gear would cost more for needing an amplifier, unless your wife listens atypically quietly.

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

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

So our PC in question needs to have:

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

I'm not a total expert but this is what I would recommend.


Headphones:


Cheap and good for noisy-ish environments - Status audio CB-1 $79


If you live in a noisy environment, These will give you the best reaults. A lot of getting the most our of this album is isolation. Direct Sound EX-29 $107


Super good closed backed headphones, but impedance is very high - Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro $160


Very good open backed headphones, impedance is relatively low -

Audio Technica ATH-AD700x $109


Super good open backed headphones, but they have a very high impedance - Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro $179


Amps/DACS:


Honestly this is where I personally would spend most of your money, any really good pair of open backed headphones are going to make albums like phwoa sound amazing with the wide sounds stage but a good amp and DAC will make a world of difference. For the price the Mayflower electronics Objective2 is best bang for your buck. I' don't have a ton of experience with amps and DACs but the O2 is properly good, and for $250 you can't go wrong.


Other than that you could look into a tube style Amp but you'd need a separate DAC in most cases plus I personally don't find the tube amps to be a whole lot better unless you spend a shit ton of money on them. They do look cool as balls though.


Favorite setup: California Headphone Co. Silverdos  or Audio Technica with my LG V20 and its beastly DAC and equalizer tuning. Although I wouldn't recommend the California headphones because I personally only paid $15 for them and $200 seems a bit steep for them tbh.


Note: I've owned or at least tried everything I've listed except the CB-1 but I've heard from a lot of well respected sourced that they are pretty damn good especially for under $100

Budget - £100 Hard Limit

Source - My computer, asrock z97 pro4 onboad audiocard. I'll probably buy a better one soon, also, I'm not looking to buy an amp.

Requirements for Isolation - Little, I'm only going to be using these at home but I don't mind if there's none, or a lot.

Will you be using these Headphones in Public? - Not likely.

Preferred Type of Headphone - I would like on or over ear. I really want to try open back too.

Preferred tonal balance - Ideally I'd like a balanced set of Headphones but I'd like a fair bit of bass.

Past headphones - Nothing worth noting. Just some Sony, HTC and Apple IEMs.

Preferred Music - A lot of Rock, Post-Hardcore, Music with a lot of Screaming, Metal, Hip-Hop, a bit of Chiptune and music like Crystal Castles, You Love Her Coz She's Dead and Kap Bambino

What would you like to improve on from your set-up - I'm not sure where I'm going after this, this is my first step into better headphones and potential audiophile territory. I will use the pair of headphones recommended to figure out what I will look for next.

I've already done a bit of research and have found a few sets of headphones that I am interested in but I lack the knowledge of if they're good or not.

Grado SR80e - From what I've heard, these headphones are very well received and liked but lack good bass which concerns me. I also LOVE the look of these headphones, they are probably my favourite.

AKG K240 MKII -
These headphones are my second favourite however, I'm concerned that I may need an amp to make these work to their full potential. I was also looking at the regular 240s but heard these were an upgrade.

Finally, the AKG K271 MKII - As with the K240s I've heard a lot of glowing reviews on these pair but I'm worried that I require an amp. I also really love the fact that the two sets of AKGs have detachable wires.

I'm open to recommendations, but if any of the headphones I'm interested in would be good for me then all the better! Sorry if this has been long winded!

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

🎧 Headphones

Personal recommendations:

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

  
  

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

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

  🔊 Microphones
  

  
  

  
  

  
  Attachable to headphones:
  
  

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

  
  

  
  Alternatives:
  
  

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

This post is pretty judgmental on a few points, and omitted a lot of explanation required for education.

RAM: CAS latency is how fast the RAM responds -- lower is better. Frequency is how fast the RAM moves once it has responded -- higher is better. They often offset each other. Faster RAM with a higher latency is roughly as fast as slower RAM with a lower latency. Linus did a quick 5 minute video on it. The one caveat is if you're doing a build with an AMD APU, which benefits greatly from faster RAM due to it's nature of using system RAM for your graphics RAM. Tek Syndicate did a nice benchmarking of it

Video Card: Eeek. Yeah, this is unfortunately not like CPUs where, as a general rule, more money = more performance (although not necessarily money well spent) Best place to start is that nice Logical Increments site that's on the sidebar to your right.

Sound Card: Alright, this is what annoyed me about the entire post, I'll be honest. You assume that the person buying this computer cares nothing for the sound they're hearing. If you've spent more than about $100 dollars on your headphones (Excluding Beats, check MKBHD for good advice on this) it's pretty much a fact that your integrated sound card isn't giving them everything they need to produce the best sound they can. As Linus said, the best bet is to "pick your price range, and buy whatever Asus Xonar card fits into that price range." Now that more high-end motherboards are supporting after-market quality integrated sound solutions, high quality integrated sound is becoming more of a 'value-add to high-end motherboards' than a 'nice thing to have on a MicroATX or bigger board if you like good sound and have good headphones or speakers.'

So, what does all of this mean? Well, if your sound matters to you and you've invested a fair bit of money in a nice pair of cans or a good set of speakers, try and get a card that can deal with the impedance of the headphones you're using, and puts out as good or better Signal to Noise ratio, or SNR. I have a pair of V Moda Crossfade LP's and they carry a ~105 SNR with 32 Ohm impedance. Pretty standard for higher-end consumer-grade headphones. The lowest end Xonar runs you 20-30 bucks (depending on sales) and will match that SNR exactly and push up to 150 Ohms if I needed it.

The other option is a USB DAC, or Digital to Analog Convertor, which takes the digital signal of your computer and translates it into the analog signal of your headphones. A USB DAC plugs into your system via USB, as you'd expect, and then you plug your headphones or other audio out into them. They take care of all of your audio processing and can offer similar performance to internal cards of the same price. A good solution if you have a laptop that you'd like to augment the sound output of, or don't have room in the build, such as in a Mini-ITX form factor.

Basically, don't assume that someone doesn't need a sound card. It's very possible that the person building the rig might actually need to put hundreds of dollars into their sound processing with a USB DAC or similar internal card to properly use thousands of dollars in audio equipment properly. I know a guy who had 7,000 dollars worth of audio equipment -- not even to mention the cost of the instruments -- in his basement and so he, justifiably, spent 500 dollars on a FireWire-based audio processing solution for the computer that did the digital recording of his jam sessions.

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

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

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

Gift Ideas.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Three gifts for $22.96

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

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

I personally own a pair of V-MODA Crossfade M-100's with a BoomPro mic and the XL Ear cushions.

Put simply, they are absolutely amazing and would not go with anything else for gaming or music listening. Now, I'm not going to lie, it's very expensive for just a headset, but I'm an audiophile and want the very best out of my sound. If you want something that is amazing but won't kill your wallet, go for the Crossfade M-80's. Biggest bang for your buck.

As for audio quality, my old turtle beach headset couldn't even compare to these. Everything about them is just amazing. They are better than a pair of Beats and most "gaming" headsets. The 3D soundstage makes playing this game (or any game for that matter) an absolute joy with unparalleled audio quality. Wouldn't go for anything else for the price. I cannot stress how good these things are.

As for comfort level, they're pretty good, but you will definitely want the XL cushions. I can play up to 6 hours on end with only two adjustments on my head before my eyes are like "we're done here." Needless to say, they stay very comfortable for extended periods of time.

The BoomPro mic is nice, but not entirely necessary, because the in-line mic that comes with the cable works just fine.

TLDR: If you have the money, BUY THESE HEADPHONES!! And if you're broke go with the M-80's.

Edit: Spelling

I'm going to gild both of these comments unless you give me an alternative to show my appreciation - box of chocolates? a pint at the pub? Let me know.

Anyway, let me start by saying I'm blown away by the sheer commitment to detail you've got going on. Clearly not only in helping me, but in helping everyone. I'm slurping this up like the beginner I am, but it is just astounding how you go above and beyond indulging my questions - you almost wrote bloody essays on each one! I can't thank you enough. On to the follow-up:

• Sustainability: 4 years seems a good return on investment... I'm convinced!
  
• Mouse: mouse is this one but in terms of scale is likely the same size as the one you linked. I feel I am a clawer now, though I'm sure I wasn't before using this mouse. You are definitely right - the design of the mouse does impact heavily on how it 'feels' in your hand. And they all differ so much... I feel I'd like a heavier mouse too but I reckon that next week I might go in the shops and try a few, and see how I feel (btw, my hand length is 15.5cm);
  
• Headphones: I tried these on once during a flight and I didn't even listen to music, i just turned the button on and enjoyed the silence... But usually I do use my smartphone as an mp3 player to stream spotify. I wouldn't want to spend over 100£ on some headphones...Your note on looking for something lightweight because of flying is also a great catch.
  
• bad dog: Zappa is her name, and she is a rescued french bulldog! She should know better, you are quite right; but her previous owner wasn't as discerning with her education as you and I, so we're still going through the adaptation phase. To be fair, no cables have been chewed (my slipper and my cat's littler box, on the other hand...). Noted on your suggestions and, again, I very much appreciate reading all your arguments for and against what you suggest!
  
• money saving : I know I should be aware of what I'm missing or not, but, like the wireless adaptor, there are things that go over my head. Also, you know what? I think you've done a great job saving me money already, so tomorrow I'm going to buy everything accordingly, except for mouse/keyboard/headphones.
  
  Thanks. You are indeed an awesome person.
  
  edit: I listen to a wide variety of music... probably the only kind I avoid is pop. If I had to pick 2 I listen to the most would be classic rock and jazz. If I had to pick 2 I listen less, would be r&b and lounge

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

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

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

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

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

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

Alright guys, here it is.

Budget: $150ish. Can bend a little.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks!

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.
  
  

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

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

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

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

Preferred Type of Headphone - Full-sized

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


*****

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

Looking to get my first pair of on-ear/over ear headphones and need some help!

Budget - No more than $150

Source - Both laptop and iPhone

Requirements for Isolation - I would like a good amount of isolation as I plan on using these both in my apartment (3 roommates so it occasionally gets noisy) and on long trips where I'd like to block out most background noise e.g. on a train or plane. Since I plan on using these to Skype as well, being able to hear myself talk is important, just so I know I'm not shouting or anything (I'm a noob to headphones so for all I know this will never be an issue, but just making sure!)

Preferred Type of Headphone - Definitely closed because I may use them in quiet areas like a library. No innate preference for on-ear or over-ear but they need to be super comfortable (wearable for anywhere from 2-5 hours) and portable

Preferred tonal balance - I would like an overall balanced pair

Past headphones - I've always gotten some of the cheapest IEMs I can find ($15-25) at CVS/Best Buy, or the Apple earbuds. Right now I'm using a pair of Philips IEMs, no idea of the model.

Preferred Music - I listen to a lot of indie rock, indie pop, but also anything from dream pop to post-rock to the occasional hip-hop.

Other important info: I'd like to use the headphones for a wide range of activities: Music, TV shows/movies, Skyping, and gaming. I'm not a hardcore FPS gamer (more into RPGs and relaxed multiplayer games), and I care more about noise isolation than sound stage, but I don't want the headphones to be considered crappy for gaming either. But my standards are pretty low: As long as they fulfill the same quality that a cheap pair of CVS earbuds gives me when gaming, then I'm fine with it.

A few headphones have caught my eye: V-MODA Crossfade M80 (I know they're on-ear so I'm worried about long-term comfort), the V-MODA Crossfade LP (probably more comfortable than the M80?), and the AT ATH-M50 since they seem like a very popular entry-level choice

I'm open to a lot of suggestions as long as they are closed, very comfortable, decently portable, and are acceptable to use for gaming. Thanks!

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

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

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

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

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

Any other questions let me know.

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

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

Please wait two weeks for the GPU conference news to come out. I struggled to get over $5k, any more and it is a real waste of money. Tech changes way too fast to make spending anymore worth it. Strongly suggest you wait till AMD's Polaris and Nvidia's Pascal get announced and benchmarks posted. We are all setup for the biggest leap in GPU performance from a generation in years[5+/-].

• CPU: 6 core Intel 5820k plenty of processing power that isn't outrageously priced like the 5960X
  
• CPU Cooler: Triple radiator
  
• RAM: 32GB(4x8GB) DDR4 3200MHz RAM
  
• Motherboard: Any X99 board is premium, with all ATX sizes I have seen supporting at least 3-way SLI.
  
• SSD boot drive: Samsung 950 Pro 512GB m.2 SSD is one of the fastest you can possibly get right now.
  
• HDD RAID: 4x 6TB HDDs in a RAID10 will give you 12TB of redundant storage that is also fast.
  
• Case: My favorite ATX case the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv
  
• PSU: 1300W PSU over powered for the build.
  
• Monitor: 34" curved ultrawide 75hz G-Sync monitor.
  
• Keyboard:Corsair K70 might as well, one of the best if you like RGB mechanicals
  
• Mouse: Corsair Scimitar, great and will match the keyboard
  
• Mouse pad: Glorious Extended Gaming Mouse​ Mat XXL, I'm not making that up. That's the name of the product. Can fit the keyboard and mouse.
  
• Headphones: I own the G930 wireless headset and really like them. My wife regularly sneaks up on me while wearing them. If you really need active noise cancelling then look at these Bose Quiet Comfort Acoustic 25. Don't get wireless active noise cancelling headphones. Expect them to be way overpriced and will most likely use BlueTooth that will have latency issues or poor reception in population dense areas. Threw in a 2.1 speaker system too.
  
• Mic: Yeti USB mic is one of the best at a still reasonable price.
  

• UPS that protects against brownouts, blackouts, and surges. As rated should last 5min, enough to turn off the computer while playing a game.
  

  
  

  Just thought of this. You might as well buy a VR headset too. Either HTC Vive that is embedded with Steam or Oculus Rift that is embedded with Facebook. ($600-800)
  

  
  

  PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
  

  
  

  Type|Item|Price
  

  ----|:----|:----
  CPU | Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor | $351.98 @ Newegg
  CPU Cooler | Thermaltake Water 3.0 Riing RGB 360 40.6 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler | $174.99 @ Amazon
  Motherboard | MSI X99A SLI PLUS ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard | $222.98 @ Newegg
  Memory | G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory | $169.99 @ Newegg
  Storage | Samsung 950 PRO 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive | $322.57 @ Newegg
  Storage | Toshiba X300 6TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $199.99 @ Amazon
  Storage | Toshiba X300 6TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $199.99 @ Amazon
  Storage | Toshiba X300 6TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $199.99 @ Amazon
  Storage | Toshiba X300 6TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $199.99 @ Amazon
  Video Card | EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB FTW ACX 2.0+ Video Card (2-Way SLI) | $629.99 @ NCIX US
  Video Card | EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB FTW ACX 2.0+ Video Card (2-Way SLI) | $629.99 @ NCIX US
  Case | Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV ATX Mid Tower Case | $179.99 @ Amazon
  Power Supply | EVGA SuperNOVA 1300 G2 1300W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply | $192.98 @ Mac Mall
  Operating System | Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) | $86.86 @ Amazon
  Wireless Network Adapter | Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter | $36.00 @ B&H
  Case Fan | Phanteks PH-F140SP_BK 82.1 CFM 140mm Fan | $16.99 @ Newegg
  Monitor | Acer Predator XR341CK 75Hz 34.0" Monitor | $997.98 @ Directron
  Keyboard | Corsair K70 RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard | $169.99 @ B&H
  Mouse | Corsair Scimitar RGB Wired Optical Mouse | $79.99 @ Amazon
  Headphones | Logitech G930 7.1 Channel Headset | $86.69 @ Amazon
  Speakers | Logitech Z323 30W 2.1ch Speakers | $53.99 @ Mac Mall
  UPS | Tripp Lite OMNIVS1500XL UPS | $198.53 @ Amazon
  Other| Blue Microphones Yeti USB Microphone - Blackout Edition| $119.99
  Other| Glorious Extended Gaming Mouse Mat / Pad - XXL Large (36"x11"x0.12")| $23.99
  | Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
  | Total (before mail-in rebates) | $5586.42
  | Mail-in rebates | -$50.00
  | Total | $5536.42
  | Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-27 22:24 EDT-0400 |

Alright, incoming rant.

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

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

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

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

-----

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

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

----

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

So, recommendations.

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

IEMs:

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

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

-

Over-Ear's

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

Gotcha.

I'll give you three different options.

The first would be the Roland Cube 80. Sweetwater has these on sale right now for $220 (I know, I know) -- but this is a legit amp. You can gig with one of those. In This video Captain Lee has 250 pounds (~$325USD after factoring in tax) and goes with the cube 80 to keep up with Rob's all-tube Fender Bassbreaker 15. his tone is pretty fantastic as well.

Option 2: Yamaha THR5. These are killer amps for the price. not as loud as the roland, but maybe a bit more versatile. It can even run on batteries, so you can just grab it and play anywhere.

Option 3: headphones. Your Zoom has some pretty damn decent models in it. Unless you're going to go play gigs or with others (which I'd recommend doing as soon as you think you might be ready), You'll do best to just plug your guitar into the zoom, run a good set of headphones to it, and jam away.
Couple of options here. if you're not sure you want to commit to this route, These Superlux headphones are a phenomenal buy anyway. They're the same ones that come with most of the $2-300 "home studio" bundles, so you can easily use them for recording down the road if you change your mind and go with an amp. But they're nice, loud, clear, and comfortable. If you want to spend a bit more, You literally can't go wrong with the Grado SR80e

Note that both of these headphones are also great for listening to music through your phone/computer/whatever as well.

Hey guys, before I start I just want to thank you for taking the time.

Budget: $200 (whatever cheaper than this for same quality does the trick

Source: Desktop, laptop, phone, ipod

Isolation: None required. Comfort is more important

Type: Anything but IEMs and buds. I have cheap ones.

Tonal Balance: I honestly don't know what I want here as I'm new to this concept. But some booms and bass without losing mid and highs would be nice

Past Experience: Skullcandy {Skullcrushers, Hesh, Lowriders, Smoking Buds, Jackets, cheap buds} Bose { 1 closed over ear active noise isolation} Steelseries {Siberia V3 and some neckband model I can't remember} and I borrowed some gaming headsets.


Music: I listen to everything but I'm going to be mostly focused on EDM, DnB, Trance, Indie/Altern, R&B, Jazz and Hip Hop. So something like the bass on this
I'm going to be listening to stuff like this:

Roosevelt

Arctic Monkeys

Cruz

Miike Snow

Diplo

Subformat

Improvements: The comfort of the Siberia V3 but hopefully with a less mediocre sound and something better than my Skullcandy experiences. Though I must say my cheap $20 dollar Skullcandy IEMs sound better than the V3.

Location: Northern Virginia, US.

I've read the guides (that are 4 month old) and I came with these options:

Sennheiser HD 558

Audio-Technica ATH-M50

Sennheiser HD 598
I'm more inclined to this because of looks

AKG Q 701

Beyerdynamic DT-880 Pro Headphones (250 Ohm)

Grado Prestige Series SR225e

If anybody has any recommendations on which one I should pick out of this or even recommend something else that'd be nice, since the guides are 4 month old and lots of things come out in 4 months. I also noticed nobody mentioned Shure.
In a future I'd love to learn more about DACs and buy stuff to build my setup.

Since I went through the same mess recently:

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

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

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

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

Hey guys! As a first-time buyer, I'd greatly appreciate any advice.

Budget + Source - $200 or so, more or less | iPhone 6s, PS4, Macbook Pro.

Requirements for Isolation - Not really any.

Preferred Type of Headphone - Comfort is king!

Past headphones - On-Ear Sol Republic Tracks HD are the only pair of recognizable headphones I've owned. I have no issues with the top part of the band, but my ears start hurting after about an hour or less, which makes them basically only good for the gym at this point.

Preferred Music + Tonal Balance - Pop, hip-hop, rock, and classical music are my favorites. I love bass, but love listening to classical as well.

What would you like to improve on from your set-up? - Anything that sounds better than my Sol Republics and is miles ahead in terms of comfort. Beyond using them for music, it would be great if they could be used when gaming on a PS4.

I've been considering the Audio-Technica ATH-M50xWH, the Sennheiser HD 598, the AKG Pro Audio K612PRO, the AKG Q 701 Quincy Jones Signature, the V-MODA Crossfade M-100, the Beyerdynamic DT line, and finally the Beyerdynamic 709093 Custom One Pro Plus which I was almost dead-set on buying, but figured I'd post here first. Thank you for taking the time to read this, any help (or suggestions) would be greatly appreciated!

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

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

All info below. Thanks in advance!

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

Source: Laptop, iPad, iPhone

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

Preferred Type of headphone: Full-sized.

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

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

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

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

Cheaper end of the price range:

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

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

Higher end of price range:

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

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

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


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

Thanks!

An overview of all submitted deals will be collected in this sticky comment. If you find that one of the deal has run out please let me know. Off-topic top level comments asking what to buy will be removed, deals that are missing some of the info will not make it to the list. I have changed the the suggested sorting to "new".

Official Manufacturer Sales

CIEMS

• 64Audio: 20% discount on selected custom In Ear Monitor models with code "BF2017"
  
• Alclair: 20% discount on (C)IEMs with the discount code "BLACKISBACK17"
  
• Cleartune: 20% discount on universal & custom In-Ears
  
• Empire Ears: 20% discount on all custom and universal IEMs
  
• InEarz: 25% discount on Custom In Ear Monitors with code "BF2017"
  
• Noble: 15% off all Custom IEMs
  
  Headphones
  
  
• hifiman: He400i for $219 and several other options
  
• beyerdynamic (GER/AU/CHE only): DT880/990 Manufaktur for the price of regular models 199EUR and several other options
  
• Status-Audio: 30% discount on the CB-1 with code "PREBLACKFRIDAY", Amazon.com deal with similar price
  
• V-Moda: Crossfade Wireless for $180
  
• Monoprice: Monolith M560 for $150 and Monolith M1060 for $250
  
• Audeze: Selling off B-Stock, all deals are 2nd hand factory refurbished units
  
• 1MORE: 30% discount on all models with code "HEARMORE30"
  
  Amplifiers and other peripherals
  
  
• FiiO: Special deals on selected DAPs and portable Amps
  
• Violectric / Lake People: 12% discount now 25% on headphone amplifiers with code "BLACK-25"
  
• Plussound: 20% discount BT cables on Massdrop and on everything from their store
  
• Bottlehead: Everything but parts, gift certificates and repair service will be on sale at 15% off on Friday, November 24th. Forum Announcment
  
• JDS LABS: Discounts on the entire line up of DACs and amps.
  
• WOO Audio: 10% Discount on all Audio Electronics and free shipping within CONUS
  
• Mayflower Electronics: 10-25% discount on all items
  
  

  Audio Stores
  

  
  

• Romania: AV Store 10-30% off of headphones, speakers and amps
  
• USA: Musictek 10%+ discount on various Shanling DAPs and high-end universal IEMs
  
• China:Shenzen Audio Black Friday 2017 tons of deals...FLC-8S for $269 and much more
  
• China: Taobao: Boeing 747 for $24000000 (only one left) self pick-up only.
  
• USA ALO audio: B-Stock sales of Campfire Audio universal models
  
• USA MusicDirect: Audioquest Nighthawk for $300
  
• Singapore: NullAudio has discount on cables and AAW universal IEMs.
  
• Canada: Hivemind Cables ZMF Atticus for $899(USD) and deals on all ear-pads and cables
  
• Ireland: Hifi Hut: Open Box Hifiman HE400S / He400i and He560 -50%
  
• Sweden: Inet has the Plantronics Backbeat Pro for 899kr
  
• China: Penon Audio tons of deals
  
  

  Online / Retailer
  

  
  USA
  
  

• Amazon: Brainwavz HM5 ear pads in various colors for $13
  
• BestBuy: Jaybird Freedom F5 for $50
  
• Various: Sennheiser HD4.40 for $99 at Amazon and for $99 at BestBuy
  
• NewEgg: beyerdynamic DT990 Limited Edition for $125
  
• BestBuy: Audio Technica DSR7BT for $130
  
• Amazon: Audio Technica ATH MSR7 for $149
  
• ebay (buydig): beyerdynamic DT990 (600 Ohm) Chrome Edition for $140
  
• buydig: beyerdynamic DT880 (600 Ohm) Chrome Edition for $150
  
• Amazon: Sennheiser HD1 (different versions) for ~$250
  
• Various: Sennheiser PXC550 for $300 at BestBuy, B&H Photo, Amazon
  
• Amazon: Sony MDR1000X for $228 and WH1000XM2 for $298
  
• Adorama: Shure SE535 Clear for $299 and Shure SE535 Red for $349
  
• Amazon: beyerdynamic DT1990 Pro for $499
  
• Adorama: Audeze LCD2 variants for $650
  
• Amazon: NAD Viso HP50 for $170
  
• Amazon: Beyerdynamic A20 for $299
  
• Amazon: Sony MDR-1A for $198
  
  CA
  
  
• NewEgg: Philips SHP9500S for $60
  
• BestBuy: Sennheiser HD4.40 for $100 see page 41 for all headphone deals
  
• Amazon: Sony MDR100AAP (black) for $126
  
• Amazon: NAD Viso HP50 (white/red) for $198
  
• NewEgg: Hifiman He400i for $282
  
• Amazon: Sony MDR1000X for $330
  
  GB
  
  
• Amazon Status Audio CB-1 for £42
  
• Amazon: Meze99 Classics (Maple) for £199
  
• Amazon: Sony MDR1000X for £250 now down to £190
  
• Amazon: Sennheiser PXC550 for £290
  
• Amazon: Audio Technica ATH M50X (gunmetal grey) for £99
  
• Amazon: Sennheiser HD579 for £70
  
  GER
  
  
• Amazon: Bose QC25 for 170€
  
• Amazon: Anker Sound-Buds (BL) for 15€
  
• Amazon: Audio Technica ATH M50X (gun metal) for 119€
  
• Amazon: Sony WH1000xm2 PREORDER for 299€ item will ship on Jan. 18th, 2018
  
• MediaMarkt: Sony WH1000XM2 for 299€
  
  ES
  
  
• Amazon: Sennheiser HD1 (Momentum 2) for 155€
  

You can have a killer setup for under $500.

Mic: Audio Technica AT2005 - A great mic that a lot of let's players use (draax, zueljin, kingdaddydmac, etc.). It also accepts xlr or usb inputs (more on that at the end). I use the atr2100, which is the same mic, just different color and warranty. The at2005 is cheaper by about $25 right now, so buying today, that's the one I'd get. It's a dynamic mic, so it blocks out sound that's not in front of it. Much better for noisy environments. Condenser mics like the blue yeti will pick up a lot more background noise. Other mics I've used are the V-Moda Boompro, which works with most headphones that have detachable cables (in my case the M100s) and sounds good, but changing the cable for when I didn't want to use the mic became old pretty fast. You can leave it attached, but then the boom mic is there all the time. I've also used the antlion modmic 4.0 and can't recommend it. It has white noise unless you use a usb soundcard, the cable is stiff and it's kind of expensive compared to full fledged mics. $56

Stand: Pyle PMKSH01 Suspension Boom Scissor Microphone Stand - A decent cheap stand. Nothing special, but it comes with an integrated xlr cable. I use this one, but may upgrade to the Rode PSA1 ($100) later on. The shock mount will not fit the at2005 however. $21

Shock Mount: On-Stage MY420 - A great shock mount that fits the at2005/atr2100. Shock mounts reduce noises from bumping your desk or tapping on your keyboard; things that may reverberate to your mic. It might not even be necessary if you're not a heavy handed gamer or if your desk is made of a thick, dense material. $25

Wind Filter: On-Stage Foam Ball Windscreen - Reduces wind/breathing noises as well as minimizing plosives. Not a complete necessity, but extremely cheap and it does help, so why not? $3

Cable management: Velcro One-Wrap Cable Wraps - I use these for keeping the usb cable for the mic attached to the stand. Extremely useful and cheap. $6

Headphones: Very subjective to user preference. I prefer closed vs open for noise isolation. Here's what I've used:

Audio Technica ATH M50: Good (not great) headphones for ~$100. Considered the standard by many, but to me they're just good. $155

V-Moda M100: Excellent sound with very potent bass. They make the M50s sound muddy in comparison. HOWEVER, the M100s have a design flaw where the "wings" (the parts above where you adjust the headphones) will crack over time. It happened to two pairs of my M100s. Unacceptable for the price of these headphones, regardless of how good they sound. $222

Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 Ohm: Amazing. Potent bass like the M100s, but even a bit clearer. Very wide soundstage for closed headphones. I paid $219 for mine and don't regret it a single bit. I might grab another pair at the price they're currently at. $150

All that adds up to around $261 + tax choosing the DT770s, and will be a killer setup for gaming. Far better than any "gaming" headset, and it even opens the option of streaming or let's play videos (the reason I got my setup). There is one more thing I'd add though, given the budget if you're serious about mic quality, and that's the $99 Focusrite Scarlett Solo 2nd Gen. It's a usb audio interface that accepts xlr mics. It gives you a bit more control over the audio coming out of your mic and cleans up the signal so you get less "noise" from the usb interface. Quality is good without it, but with it, it's noticeably better.

Hope this helps some! I spent quite a while researching things when I put my own setup together. :)

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Beats are fine if you're listening to music that's already bass-heavy and you don't mind headphones that color your sound a bit (honestly, most people can't notice). They're a bit pricey but they get the job done and in my opinion don't sound bad at all. I'd stay away from Bose, overpriced and the sound is mediocre at best.

If you are looking for a truer representation of what was recorded I'd look into something like the Shure SRH-440 I've had them for awhile and for the money they're the best headphones I've ever used. As someone else said take a look at Sennheiser and Etymotic as well (Etymotic's in-ear headphones are amazing as well).

Hope I could help and good luck!

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

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

These are often recommended on /r/audiophile for good, low-cost headphones. It doesn't have a mic built in, but I use the Zalman one that clips onto your cord, and it's pretty decent quality for the price. I hang out in a Mumble server with some friends, and none of them complain about the quality.

The headphones are amazing though. I listen to a lot of music and play a lot of games, and everything sounds great through them. They're also super comfortable, I can wear them for hours without my ears hurting. They're also very sturdy and well-built. All-around a great pair of headphones.

Budget - Looking between 200-300 USD but its not a hard number. If there is a set thats beyond next level for 350 I would spend the extra

Source - Mostly a desktop setup. Going to be using a DAC/amp, modi magni combo

Requirements for Isolation - Dont really want any noise leakage so it is most likely going to have to be closed back. Dont have to be noise cancelling but dont really want any ambient noise coming in or bleeding out

Preferred Type of Headphone - I have a massive melon so I feel its going to have to be a large set of over ear.

Preferred tonal balance - A nice overall balanced sound would be nice. Some slightly pronounced bass but nothing too punchy.

Past headphones - Havent really owned a sweet set of cans. I have a pair of AKG K181 for DJing but nothing serious

Preferred Music - Little bit of everything. Dont need absurd bass but I do want to have some clear mids and highs. Something universal for all

What would you like to improve on from your set-up - Its just a gaming headset now, so anything really is an improvement. Switching to a mic setup that I want to pair with a great sounding headset to hear things like I have never heard them before


Location - I do live in Canada but most products will be purchasable here. Getting most items isnt a problem.

A couple sets I have been looking at are:

Focal Listen

Audio-Technica ATH-MSR7BK

V-Moda Crossfade M-100

I would like to hear input about what the more seasoned audiophiles think of my choices or other suggestions I havent considered. All input is appreciated :)

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

Amazon - AD900X headphones

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

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

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

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

Budget - 150-170$ hard limit

Source - Laptop, iPhone, DJ Mixer

Requirements for Isolation - Isolation is very important for me, because most of the time I will use them on the train or DJing

Preferred Type of Headphone Over-Ear preferred

Preferred tonal balance - Kind of a bass lover, but not exaggerated

Past headphones - Beats Studio (yeah, I know... I was young and silly)

Preferred Music - Electronic Music (especially Trap & Electro House), Hip Hop

Location - Italy (don't worry about it, Italian Amazon works great and the prices are very similar to the American store, the only con is that sometimes they have less products)


I'm Considering

[V-MODA Crossfade LP] (http://www.amazon.com/V-MODA-Crossfade-Over-Headphones-Gunmetal/dp/B003BYRGKY/ref=pd_cp_e_0) [129$]
The cheapest option, durable and DJ-friendly, but what about the sound quality? Can it stand a comparison with the other headphones?

[Audio-Technica ATH-M50x] (http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M50x-Professional-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B00HVLUR86/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1412457622&sr=1-2&keywords=audio+technica+ath-m50) [169$]
From what I heard, great sound quality, but is it possible to use them as DJ headphones without breaking them in 1 month?

[Sennheiser HD25-1 II] (http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD25-1-II-Closed-Back-Headphones/dp/B000TDZOXG/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1412457578&sr=1-1&keywords=sennheiser+hd+25-1+ii) [205$]
Possibly the best option, but out of my price range at the moment.. Do you think they are worth the extra price? If so, I can start to put my liver on auction on eBay :D

Thanks for all your kind suggestions, hope you all have a great day :)

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

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

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


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

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

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

here's some links:

Grado SR60i

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

Audio Technica - M50

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

Sennheiser 25 1 II

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

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

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

Vmoda M80

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

Vmoda M100

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

Couple choices you need to make. Do you care about isolation? Are you gonna be listening to grindcore on them during class? If so you want closed backs.

If you don't care about isolation, open or semi open backs may be preferable, as they will generally give you a better soundstage. The reasons for that and the exceptions are manifold, but it's a pretty good general statement.

You say you want over-ear? I have these and these and I recommend both. The second link, make sure you select the style (under the price) to be 250 Ohm Pro. Just an older model that didn't get the refresh the others did. nbd. Still awesome cans.

How much money do you WANT to spend on headphones? I mean, you said you could spend up to $250, but wouldn't you rather spend $30 on headphones and $220 on something else like more music or concert tickets? If you spend $250 on cans, you're gonna hold them to a standard that will result in wanting to spend even more to see how much better they are. In /r/headphones there are no survivors, only junkies with good really advice. (Mine: Don't get hard into the headphone hobby. Buy a pair that is really good and love them and use them a ton, but for fucks sake stop there.)

Or don't. Whatever. Your money.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I'm pretty sure that the headphones look pretty much the same aside from serial number. The greatest difference I've seen on the knockoffs is poor printing on the box that the headphones came in.

And you know what? You can do whatever you want, but since you came here, I'm gonna tell you anyways. You're wasting your time looking for Beats. I'm not sure about the details of this trade, but those things are ridiculously overpriced (as you may have figured out), and the knockoffs are probably better in price/performance than a real pair.

It's not totally unheard of for something to look and sound good, you know. The Sennheiser Momentum comes to mind. All sorts of people have different tastes, too. My sister said she liked to look of Grados. These things. If I can get a teenage girl to like Grados, I'm sure there's something more worthwhile than Beats that your daughter will find attractive and love all the same. She won't care about what her friends have when she's listening to music in better quality than they could possibly imagine :) (hopefully)

Depends on your total budget, but my best advice for a relatively cheap starter set for bringing your audio setup up to a solid standard on a stationary desktop PC goes like this:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XCKGLTP/ - Fifine cardioid USB condenser mic

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GRMF5ZE/ - Neewer mic boom arm and pop filter

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BDX1IVW/ - Status Audio CB-1 closed back headphones

Total price - $111 USD

Don't worry about an external audio interface until you're looking at a proper professional setup or are having specific audio issues that require you to move your audio processing solution to the outside of your PC case. I've been into desktop audio for a few years now and this is my ultimate "bang for your buck" setup I recommend to people looking to get away from gaming headsets while keeping to a gaming headset budget. I have a couple of friends now running this setup and they love it. The mic is nice and clear, the boom lets you get it out of the way and have it wherever you like and the headphones sound great and are incredibly comfortable for long ass listening or gaming sessions. There's no XLR adaption to worry about and everything will plug straight into your PC as it stands right now.

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

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

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

Philips SHP9500

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

Sennheiser HD598

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

Headphones I've used the past 10 years.

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

I hate sounds so here’s what I devised:

Musicians Ear plugs:

Pros: easy to hide, cut sounds well
Cons: uncomfortable for long periods of time, easy to lose.

Low profile ear muffs:

Pros: best thing for cutting all sounds, impossible to loose or break
Cons: not super comfortable with glasses, very obvious.

Sound cancelling headphones;

Pros; you can hear conversations super well but it blocks out the back ground sound, you can also play music to cut out all sound, socially acceptable, the most comfortable solution.
Cons: very expensive for good ones, they use batteries, they are fragile, they don’t cut out as much sound as ear muffs

I own all three of these. I wear sound cancelling her phones all day and at social events such as a diner or party since I can easily have conversations with them, I used ear plugs at fancy events or places that I don’t want people to look at me or ask me why I’m wearing ear protections (ear plugs are also tiny and great to bring as an emergency back up) and I wear ear muffs in class. I will link the best of all of these:

Sound cancelling I used, they are good but use aaa batteries instead of recharging them with USB: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00M1NEUKK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_IbIHDb74TF6XZ

Sound cancelling of the latest and best technology (almost double the price but they are worth it if you have the cash): Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0756CYWWD/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_7cIHDbGR2SXTV

Low profile ear muffs of high quality (they are on sale
Right now too!): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06VWJL9LG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_xeIHDb94GJN4V

Any “musicians ear plugs” will work but apparently these are the best ones: www.amazon.com/dp/B018WPOQSG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_YfIHDbZ20X0Q4

Yep - bought them!

I was after a pair for gaming primarily - though I've concluded I'll use the wire when gaming (they come with a wire so you have the option) - there's a tiny moment of lag with bluetooth, no matter how premium the cans. When you play an album, lag behind your iPod doesn't matter as the song just plays. But gaming - yeah that tiny mismatch between pulling the trigger and hearing the shot is off-putting.

The 4.40s feel great to wear - wide soft pads that are snug without squeezing your ears (hate that!) parts all have that premium 'soft-coat' feel. And the sound quality is really good. Deep bass, with an isolated intimate space - if you want a wide-stage feel, these aren't for you.

I tried on every display set in the store and the others on my short list were: Beats EP's - (though NOT wireless) everyone likes to rag on Beats but these had a great build quality and sound. Also the Jabra Moves Those are two options Id recommend if you want to spend a bit less but the discount price from $249 to $187 was a factor!

only 'phones I thought were a lot better were the Bose QuietComforts - those sounded great and were really soft to wear, but pricey! The 4.40s were 90% as good for a third the price.

Im not that good at selling - particularly headphones as they are hugely subjective. I just went with what felt good, sounded good and was a good price! Check the reviews on Amazon for more detailed feedback!

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

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

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

"Preferred Tonal Balance" is simply how do you like your music, example: "I listen to Rap so I want as much bass as possible!". With your taste it would be safe to say you want a bit more bass.

Personally I wouldn't recommend buying something from Bose unless you really wanted good noise-cancellation (tip: you don't). They are a bit pricey for what you get.
At that price range you might want to check out headphones from Audio Technica, specifically the M50's or the M40X's. Now I like the M50's because they have nice slightly punchy bass but it doesn't overpower the rest of the song. Sounds pretty good with Glitch-Hop and other electronic music in general IMO. I've had them for 3 years now and is a solid common go-to with their sweet price tag.

The list goes on and on since around $100 is where you start getting good headphones but i'll throw in another two headphones for you to consider: Shure's SRH440. For more bass, check out the V-MODA Crossfade LP. They're quite stylish, come in lots of colors and have a more bassy sound. V-MODA has a few other headphone line-ups you might like if you like their headphones.

Hope that helps, give us updates!

Hello, I know this isn't the usual format for a question in this thread but I recently received a pair of crossfade M-100s as a gift.

http://www.amazon.com/V-MODA-Crossfade-Over-Ear-Noise-Isolating-Headphone/dp/B00A39PPDK/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8

I was provided the receipt so if needed I can return these and I was just wondering for the price range would these be considered a good set of headphones? Noise cancelling is pretty important to me since I live in a very noisy house but I figured I would consult you guys to see if this would be considered a good investment in a headphone or not. If these headphones are generally considered a good build quality I will most likely decide to keep them, unless there are far better options available for the price range.

Budget would be around 300$, since that is how much these headphones were priced at.

Source - Samsung galaxy S3, soon to be S5, nintendo WIIU, and windows computer.

Requirements for isolation - Noise isolation is pretty important to me since I live in a noisy house.

Preferred type of headphone - Over ear

Preferred tonal balance - neutral/ balanced I suppose

Past headphones - Astro A50 gaming headsets which I still own and love, other than that nothing other than cheap 20 dollar IEM headphones.

Prefered Music - Mostly classic rock, I also enjoy classical music and listen to a lot of audio books.

Thanks for all the help!

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

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

Requirements for Isolation - Some isolation needed

Will you be using these Headphones in Public? - Yes

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

Preferred tonal balance - overall balanced

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

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

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

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

Currently considering - NVX XPT100

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

Thanks a lot :)

Budget - Up to 300 dollars

Source - My Mac, Iphone and my ps4 for gaming

Requirements for Isolation - I will use them in school, public transport and places like that so isolation from outside and to outside is necessary for me

Preferred Type of Headphone - On ear or over ear are both fine as long as they aren't stupidly big to the point where it looks weird

Preferred tonal balance - I don't really know what I want in this area but I mostly listen to hiphop if that means anything

Past headphones - I have the Sennheiser Momentum in ear s right now and I absolutely love them

Preferred Music - Pretty much hiphop exclusively

What would you like to improve on from your set-up - I want something that'll

1- Block out sound from outside because my in ear pair obviously cant do that.

2- I will use it for gaming as well so I want a built in mic.

3- I also want them to look good, which is the reason why i dont wanna buy something like the Audio-Technica M50s even though it's really good (is what i heard)

These are the few that I looked at so far, if anyone owns these, I'd love your opinions or recommendations:

AKG n60 nc https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011N9FW4A/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ALW50LDV7V0PP

Sennheiser Momentum (1.0 or 2.0, on ear or the regular)

Audio-Technica ATH-WS77 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009FRPN4M?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=A22H61A0V729QB

Bose QuietComfort 25 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M1NEUKK?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_5&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

AKG K545 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E89ASQK?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_sfl_title_1&smid=AKR88PAWTQVN2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Budget - My budget is about $290 dollars

Source - A Samsung Galaxy S5, an Asus ROG laptop, and an Xbox One controller

Requirements for Isolation - I don't need a ton of isolation, although obviously some would be nice.

Will you be using these Headphones in Public? Probably not, maybe rarely

Preferred Type of Headphone - Full sized

Preferred tonal balance - I like the sound to be overall balanced with not too strong treble and a bass that is pronounced but not muddy or overbearing

Past headphones - I currently have a pair of Bose QC15, which are nice for the noise cancelling, but aren't exactly the most incredible sounding headphones in the world. I also have a pair of cheapo JVC earbuds which sound suprisingly nice given they were only $7

Preferred Music - I listen to lots of different kinds of music, but if I had to narrow it down it would be classic rock/rock/metal/etc

What would you like to improve on from your set-up - I want a pair of headphones that sound great (duh) and potentially be used with the mic I have. Right now I think I've narrowed it down between the V-MODA Crossfade M-100s along with the XL Memory Cushions
or the Blue Mo-fi headphones, which are on sale on this website for $270 dollars. The Crossfades seem like a better choice at the moment because I already own the mic, and I don't think the mic would work with the Blue headphones, but the built in headphone amplifier seems pretty nice too.

I love my MadDogs by Mr. Speakers

They are a mod of the Fostex T50RP, here's a good review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCIRlC_TSrQ

Some say they require an amp, I bought a small FiiO E12 which is small and portable, but it's not required to get them up to a good listening volume. I listen to everything from Rap/Hip-hop to EDM to Classical on these guys, had them 2 years. Might upgrade to the Alpha's soon.

If you want more of a lifestyle headphone, I'd go with something like the Sennheiser Momentum or the VMODA M100

People also rave about the Beyerdynamic DT 770, someone else will have to weigh in on those, I've never heard them. I hear they are on the bassier side, but not overwhelming. Not sure what Ohm option will suit you best, so do some research on that if you're interested in those cans.

Finally, if you want to go cheaper, bought these for my buddy last year to use as office cans, I'm pretty sure he just never takes them off. Very neutral sound, light, but durable, I love them but my ears stick out and touch the drivers which gets irritating after a while. Part of the reason I went with mad dogs is there's plenty of room for my Dumbo sized satellite dishes.

Good luck.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I ditched the razer periperhals since razer sucks.

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

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

> this just means I need to turn up the resolution

yep. just set the resolution the the graphics options of whatever game

Hz = the highest fps your display can effectively display. you can run content at a higher or lower frame rate than the monitors Hz but without something like Gsync or Freesync you can see stutters or tears. you can lock your frame rate with vsync but that creates lag(unless you use Gsync too).

if your budget allows for the Gsync I would highly recommend it. IMHO its almost required to make the most out of your hardware
Of these id say Acer(Gsync)>>>>BenQ>Asus

your monitor is an older TN panel. Looks like a decent display, i would for sure hold on to that for a second monitor or something. Looks like you could easily overclock that monitor to 75Hz which is a noticeable difference.

The M50x are great. i personally like V-Moda I have These and These and the LPs are killer

Most games are not cpu bound, especially offline. games like cities skylines will use a lot of cpu because there are a lot of things going on. also online games can use a lot of cpu if there are lots of players online

Its only important if you plan on doing things like overclocking, SLI or Crossfire, etc. I spent a lot of money on my motherboard because it had features i wanted that others didn't. at the time it was the only board that had all the overclocking features and a M.2 slot that was tied to PCIE lanes instead of sata.

Build looks almost perfect. ram sales change every day so unless you are in love with the heat spreaders i would just grab the cheapest 16GB kit of DDR4 2133 or 2400 CAS 15. 2133 or 2400 wont make any difference so just grab whatever is cheapest

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

 

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

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

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

Closed headphones:

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


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

Open Headphones:

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

In Ear:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

If you value comfort and also have a DAC + amp setup, why not try for something from Beyerdynamic? I only suggest Beyerdynamic as I know they are extremely comfortable, and can very easily benefit from that DAC + amp whereas the Sennheiser HD598s won't necessary see any benefit.

Since you don't need to worry about bothering others, the Beyerdynamic DT 990 pro is an open design headphone. Here's a link - the 250 Ohm pro is $165, seems well within your budget.

I only suggest these headphones as they will easily benefit from your Magni + Modi stack, as well as being open design, give you a larger soundstage for more accurate gaming. The Sennheisers are an excellent choice as well, I just feel like you could probably do better for the money and with a source like that.

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

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

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

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

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

https://amzn.com/B009S331VU

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

https://amzn.com/B00O2Y2MZG

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

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

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

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

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

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


Owned headphones:

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

A lot of this depends on your budget. Wanting to step up from 25€ still doesn't tell us how much you are willing to spend. All dollar amounts listed below are in USD:

Sub $20 - Tascam TH02. $18. Similar to the HD201 from Sennheiser, but easier to find and much cheaper.

Additionally, the Monoprice HiFi Studio Headphones are another excellent choice around $25.

$30 to $50 range - Koss Porta Pro. $33. I've always heard great things about these headphones, plus they have a sweet look.

$70ish range - Philips SHP9500S. These are closer to $75, but are extremely comfortable and have amazing sound for the price.

Most of these headphones won't require an external amp/DAC, but it won't hurt to have one either.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I would highly suggest the VMODA Crossfades for gaming and music.

I think the noise reduction in these is perfect for keeping ambient noise down, to the point of allowing you to enjoy music or in-game sounds.

I have played several games including FPS, RTS, and some fun indie games with different types of soundtracks. The ability to hone in on where sounds are coming from is really solid in these headphones.

They are comfortable, and stylish (my least concern but it was a nice bonus!). They are light, but sturdy. They also sell a microphone attachment which was an amazing addition. I definitely recommend it.

TL;DR: I had the same desire, gaming+music, and the VMODA Crossfades deliver.

Headphones: www.amazon.com/dp/B003BYRGKY/ref=tstrdtcc_hdphnes
Mic: www.amazon.com/dp/B00BJ17WKK/ref=tstrdtcc_mic

In terms of comfort, they barely fit my ears and mine are proportionally sized to my over 6' tall body. They also make my ears sweat. They're okay but you can find other brands that are similar for a little less.

I'll save the story of my adventure in headphones and just say the ATH-AD700X are probably my personal pick for headphones for people with big ears but I've heard pretty much any of the Audiotechnica headphones are about the same comfort.

https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-AD700X-Audiophile-Open-Air-Headphones/dp/B009S332TQ

I bought the ATH-AD700 (no longer sold) for their accurate sound quality and high quality comfort. They're not exactly portable, so I don't get to wear them as much as I'd like to but they've been my favorite headphones for a decade now. I spent a stupid amount of time reading head-fi.org forum threads about headphone recommendations before picking the ATH-AD700 out and they did not lie about the pros and cons related to them.

My second choice but I never bought them because of price were the DT 990 headphones. I knew I'd have to buy an amp for them and the price isn't exactly cheap either.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00193FT26/?coliid=I2F1YZCSXF66N7&colid=1BOTIPM7PEEBD&psc=0

Of course, their cheaper line, the DT 770, is probably just about as good and don't require such a powerful amp.

https://www.amazon.com/beyerdynamic-770-PRO-Studio-Headphone/dp/B0016MNAAI

If you're looking for something cheaper with a mic attached, try the HyperX Cloud Stinger.

https://www.amazon.com/HyperX-Cloud-Stinger-Core-Playstation/dp/B07BB3PYD8

Alternatively, just google "headsets for big ears" and see what looks good to you. This list actually seems to do a decent job explaining the advantages from a gamer perspective.

https://headphonesaddict.com/best-gaming-headset-gaming-headphones/

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

---

Get a pair of headphones and a mic.

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

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

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

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

---

Also,

>USB if possible.

You win all of my why for the day.

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

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

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

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

Budget - $150-$250

Source - Desktop PC

Requirements for Isolation - Some to a lot

Will you be using these Headphones in Public? - No

Preferred Type of Headphone - Full-sized

Preferred tonal balance - Basshead, but I don't mind an overall balance

Past headphones - I have been using the Logitech G930 since 2012

Preferred Music - Drum and bass/electronic, punk rock

What would you like to improve on from your set-up - I have had to replace my G930 twice since I bought it five years ago (both were through my warranty) and while I have enjoyed it, I feel like I could get another headset of much superior quality, both in build and audio quality, with the $150-250 budget mentioned above. I would prefer to stick with a wireless headset while knowing that there will be some sacrifice in sound quality.

I'm currently thinking of going with either the Sennheiser 4.40s or the Sennheiser 4.50s but I'm also curious if anybody thinks there is a better option based on the above information. Thanks in advance for any help/input!

Hey people! I'm new to the headphone game and I'm trying to upgrade. I've been looking at these four, but I'm still not sure if these are my best bets:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01AIO8XVA/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001ARCFA/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?smid=A34VCPZVL7E6XQ

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BDX1IVW/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?smid=A30DTQ2AMNXSE

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00001WRSJ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A13BNE3P7C8THK

Here are my specs below. Are any of these good bets, or is there a better one I'm not listing:


Budget - $80 USD or under, preferably around $50

Source - iTunes on iPhone, corded

Requirements for Isolation - I'd prefer a little but not super important

Will you be using these Headphones in Public?- Yes, at work mostly

Preferred Type of Headphone - On ear

Preferred tonal balance - Probably balanced, but I'm open to anything

Past headphones - Audio-Technica ATH-M30

Preferred Music - Very varied, I try a little of everything. Lately I've been into Elvis Costello's Get Happy!! and the Hamilton soundtrack.

Improvement- I would like to upgrade a little bit, but not a ton. Very budget conscious. I'd like these to last at least a year or two.

I posted yesterday, but only got 1 response;

Budget: $50-$200 CAD (total for headset and mic)

Location: Ontario, Canada

Source: standard USB port (need more info?)

Isolation: For use at my home desk. Need some cancellation (I live with 3 others); just enough to not annoy them.

Public?: Not at all

Type: Over-ear

Tonal balance: I have very little knowledge about this, but I will be mainly using them for gaming and Skype. I think balanced?

Music: Classic rock, but mainly just games on my PC.

Past headphones: Logitech G430;

Pros: comfortable, mic (not needed), decent sound (not a huge audio expert though), straight wire.

Cons: white noise when silent (I like to wear them whenever I'm at my desk), pretty quiet overall (even at max.), controls on wire in the way.

Improvements: Though I have little knowledge on audio terms or concepts, I want next-to-no white noise (sound & mic).

Comfort is a must, since I often game for hours at a time. An attached mic is not necessary (apparently they often suck), but I'd like it to be on the headset (like a separate, attachable one). I'm also used to straight cables; coiled ones just seem too in-the-way (but I may be wrong).

Smooth surround sound (virtual?)

What I've found: (based of Amazon reviews alone) Too lazy to find Amazon.ca ones ATM, hopefully I can ship here.

Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO

Shure SRH840

Shure SRH440

Sennheiser HD 558

Audio-Technica ATH-M50S

Edit: prices

Hello /r/headphones users! I am going to be changing my current daily driver headphones again and I want to make sure that I've got a decent enough setup to drive these.



Whenever I built my gaming/multimedia PC that I own, it was in the 2012 era. I don't really remember having access to as many cool external headphone amp/dac combos as we do today. (OR I am just ignorant in regards to their existence) So what I did, was install a PCI Soundcard.

This one in particular, the Asus ROG Xonar Phoebus. It has been great to me and I have been loving this card's peformance. The software UI is easy to use and it has the ability to drive some pretty wicked headphones (I believe up to 150ohm).

Currently, I use the V-MODA Crossfade M-100 and they have been great to me. However, now that my wife has moved in - the closed back headphones make it difficult to hear her when she is in the same room. :(.

I am planning on switching to the new Massdrop x Senheiser HD 6XX headphones.

I know that my Phoebus will be able to drive these guys properly, but I'm curious if I would see any additional performance gains if I switched to an external dac+amp combo. I was specifically thinking about one of these two:

• Schitt Magni 3 x Modi 2
  
• JDS Labs CD5
  
  Would I gain any additional performance on my current (or future) daily setup by purchasing one of these units?
  
  Thank you for any help that you all can provide - I really would like to discuss this further with the community.

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

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

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

​

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

OPEN Headphones:

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

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

​

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

​

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

​

Closed headphones:

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

These are deemed better than the m50x's

​

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

​

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

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

​

AMP & Dac:

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

​

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

​

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

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

​

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

Budget - $300 CAD / $225 USD, willing to go a little higher if needed

Source - My phone mostly, a google pixel xl

Requirements for Isolation - I'll mostly be using these at home so isolation isn't super important

Preferred Type of Headphone - Definitely wireless, but I don't know if I want on-ear or over-ear. I'll be wearing these while doing stuff like cooking or cleaning my apartment. Would over-ear be too bulky to use in those situations?

Preferred tonal balance - I don't really know what this means, I'm sorry lol. I listen to some bass-y stuff, but I also love stuff like Radiohead and heavy metal.

Past headphones - I've only ever used >$10 earbuds

What would you like to improve on from your set-up - I want a decent pair of wireless headphones so I can listen to music while walking around doing stuff at home, without being tied to my phone. I was originally looking at getting a pair of Beats Solo 3, but after reading some reviews, I got the impression that Beats don't have the best sound quality... so I'm wondering what else I could get in my price range.

Location? Canada

Additional note: I live with my SO, so I'd prefer closed-back headphones with little sound leakage.

I found these Sennheiser HD 4.40 wireless headphones, but again, I'm wondering if over-ear is the right choice for me if I'm going to be wearing these while walking around.

Thanks in advance!!

Because the vast majority of the time buying a pair of headphones and a separate mic gives you better quality hardware for the same or less money.

It's like building your own pc vs buying a prebuilt.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009S333U4

Is a good example. these are far better than the hyperX cloud 2 in terms of quality and comfort.

Then buy a separate mic, such as https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01D4HTIOY

And you will have a much better pair of headphones and an equal quality mic. (People love to recommend the zalman clip on mic, it's like $5-6, and for that price I guess it's good, but it's honestly terrible)

If you can increase your budget another $20, you can get a blue snowball which is a far better mic, or you can get the antlion modmic, or look into the V-moda mic which is very similar. (The modmic and Vmoda attach to headphones to make them a headset if you don't like stand up mics. But are $30-45)

The lower end hyper x headsets (core/stinger) are actually pretty decent overall. Since at that price range you are basically stuck with a $5 mic.

There are also a few other exceptions such as the Sennheiser headsets (pc350/360 and game zero/one), if you can find them for like $120 or less, they are a solid choice.

Edit:
But I do want to make it clear, even at a low budget range, it's still better to buy separate. Even if you are stuck with a $5 zalman clip on mic that is likely worse than what comes on the stinger, you have the choice and ability to upgrade the mic to a modmic/Vmoda or anything else.

If you purchased a $50 pair of Sennheiser headphones with a $5 mic, the headphones will be drastically better even though mic sucks. But say 6 months later you can choose to upgrade the mic. And you will always have that mic available if you choose to upgrade the headphones.

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

Source - computer (PC/Notebook)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

Budget - $150 - $200 CAD, $250 MAX

Source - I phone 5 SE and computer

Requirements for Isolation - Yes prefer Isolation. Using while traveling on bus, walking, at school (can get noisy sometimes). Using while studying

Preferred Type of Headphone - Over ear preferred unless IEM is very comfortable.

Preferred tonal balance - I like Bass but for studying it can get annoying, so balanced I suppose?

Past headphones - cheap OEM earbuds (Samsung, apple) and KZ Zs3

Preferred Music - Deep House, [Rap]
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmRXzrbZ89Y)

Location -Canada

Other relevant info - slightly bigger ears. Lol

Current Black Friday Opportunities

Sony MDRXB950B1 - CDN$ 123.00

Bose QuietComfort 25 - CDN$ 229.00

Sennheiser PXC 480 - CDN$ 199.95

beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO - CDN$ 232.45

Sennheiser HD 598 Cs - CDN$ 158.95

ATH M50X - CDN$ 168.00

Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro Plus - CDN$ 184.37

Jaybird X3 Sport Bluetooth Headphones - CDN$ 89.99

Shure SRH440 - CDN$ 109.00

I would love to hear your experiences with either of these and which one you recommend given my situation. Or even other ones not from this list you suggest. I would love to purchase one this weekend. So your advice is much appreciated.

Thanks everyone

There are a few great headphones for doom metal in the price range.

Grado makes some of the best headphones for rock/metal for the fast and tight bass response the Grado SR80e would be a good choice for a more well rounded sound. However they can be bright and sound a bit cold however they are very fun headphones. Since they are open they also provide no sound isolation.

Superlux HD-681 EVO are another great pair in the price range. They come in two colors black and white they have a nice warm sound with good bass and decent mids these are also fun for doom. They come with a nice set of accessories 2 detachable cables 2 sets of ear pads velour and leatherette and a bag.

I own a pair of grados and wear the evos for about 8hrs a day at work. So I have experience with both sets. Depending on your choice in doom and other music would be the other types of music you listen to honestly.

Hi!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Just some examples.

I only got one response yerterday so,

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

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

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

​

​

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

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

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

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

​

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Link to Amazon page for AD700x

Link to Modmic page

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

Link to AD900x

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

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

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

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

ALTERNATIVELY:

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

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

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

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

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

Hope this helps mate!

Hm, I can't speak to that mic as I've no experience with it. Personally, if it works and it's not outrageously priced I'm a fan of it!

As for headphones I'm a big fan of these 280s I have, great value for the price. I rotate between the 280s, these AKG k240s which are another great headphone for their price, these Grado SR80e for some music. Once upon I time I read a ton about entry level audiophile headphones and those were on a few lists. Bought them and have enjoyed them over the years.

I have more expensive headphones and audio set up but honestly after years of listening it's been an experience of diminishing returns for me so I really do praise lower-priced, great sounding headphones.

Thanks for all the info! I think the JVC HA-RX700s would be a good choice. Make sure you try this mod (which I've personally done on my HA-RX900s and found extremely beneficial) or this mod. Both apply to the RX700 and will likely improve the sound quality tenfold if done correctly. They're really, really nice when it comes to bass heavy music - the extension of the bass is nice and shakes your head, but never affects or colors other parts of the spectrum. The soundstage is also very very nice for a closed headphone, very spatial and good for gaming as well.

Take these headphones seriously - they are honestly on par with $150 studio monitor headphones, for a fraction of the price. I wish my RX900s still worked :(

Hope I helped.

Unfortunately the SHP9500s are £110 here, so not the best value.

In terms of open, how good are these:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samson-SR850-Professional-Reference-Headphones/dp/B002LBSEQS/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/P-Howard-HD681-Superlux-Headphones/dp/B002GHIPYI/

I've seen graphs that make the 681s look really neutral but loads of people seem to be saying that they have a very strong V shaped curve, which is confusing to me.
SR850s seem to be an update of those, not sure which would be more neutral.


I have found HM5 rebadges for cheaper though - £45 delivered from https://www.studiospares.com/Headphones-and-Speakers/Headphones-Studio/Studiospares-M1000-Studio-Headphones_448760.htm

Are HM5 (M1000 here) a lot better than SR850 / HD668B / HD681 ?

Interestingly, they seem to do an open version called M2000, which i've read are less neutral and don't really sound "open".

Indeed HM5 seem to be a rebrand themselves of these:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/495561/review-fischer-audio-fa-002-and-fa-003-two-to-tango


So, need to decide between those cheap open ones I mentioned or the rebadged HM5 for a tiny bit more. Whichever is better quality really.

Or would Sennheiser HD558 for £60 be better value?

Or can you think of any other open possibilities?

Thanks!

I also have a pair of NVX XTP-100's that I absolutely love sound and comfort wise. Sound is fantastic at the price point and comfort wise I HIGHLY recommend them to anyone with a larger dome.

However... They do have a pretty severe design flaw. The arms on the headband that attach to the cans are shockingly weak and are prone to breaking. I'm on my second headband over the course of 5 years and it broke as well. (its currently held together by gorrila glue and looks horrific but I have it stowed away as a backup closed back set) I know 5 years is a good bit of time but that part shouldn't be that weak. They could easily reinforce it with a small amount of stronger material.

If you really baby them (which I do not) they would probably hold up much longer, but something to consider if you decide to try them out. I'm not sure you could do better on sound and comfort at that price. The headband issue is a bummer though or else they would be a 10/10 easily for me.

Here is an Amazon link for the XTP-100's

• https://www.amazon.com/NVX-Over-Ear-Headphones-ComfortMax-XPT100/dp/B0093PVTPS

Hello everyone! I'm hoping I can get some advice on what kind of headphones to buy. While I have already looked at the recommendations section of the wiki and everything there is either American or American and out of stock and as a Canadian, I'm hoping for some alternative recommendations. That said, Amazon.ca does sell the TASCAM TH02 Closed-Back headphones that are mentioned on the recommendations page and they are at the top of my buying list at the moment.


Now, as for the required information:


Budget - I would like to keep it under $100 Canadian, I can go higher, but as a college student I really don't want to.

Source - Just planning on using these with my computer, fyi I don't have a sound card.

Requirements for Isolation - As I said, I'm a college student and since I'm living on residence I would like a fair amount of noise isolation, but not an extreme amount (I'm hoping to be on an extended quiet hours floor next year).

Will you be using these Headphones in Public? - Not planning on it.

Preferred Type of Headphone - I personally prefer over-ear headphones despite my glasses.

Preferred tonal balance - While I don't know that much about tone, I think I'd prefer an overall balanced pair of headphones as my musical tastes are all over the place.

Past headphones - My last two headphones have been Logitech G930s. Overall they've both been good to me, but since both of them are dying/dead from the batteries failing I figured it was time to try something else. I really don't care if my new headphones have a microphone or not since my current G930 probably still has enough life in it to do that.

Preferred Music - As I've said, I'm all over the place. I like Rock, Alternative Rock, EDM, Dubstep, Orchestral, other kinds of Electronic, a few others I don't know the genre of, as well as using them for gaming.


I think that's everything, any help/recommendations are welcome and appreciated!

Thank you.

I looked it up, but still don't know what "Nuetral", "warm" etc. means in the context of music, without hearing it at least. Basically I just want to get something that "Brings the boom" like the MDR XB500's

To give an example, this is the "type" of bass I listen to. and would like a pair of headphones that really bring out the bass:

[Tyga-Faded] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbouTdwOrVw)(Don't care for the song, but like the bass)

Tech N9ne- On the Bible

Kutt Calhoun-Self Preservation

With that in mind, are the headphones you listed the best kind for the job?

Any of these good for the job?

1

2

3

Thanks again

Open back:

• Sivga SV007 + Vmoda BoomPro
  
  
• Fidelio X2 (typically less expensive from Amazon.uk; used -like new/very good are a fine option with this headphone) + VModa BoomPro
  
  Semi open:
  
  
• Lasmex L-85 + Vmoda BoomPro
  
  
• ATH-WS1100iS + Vmoda BoomPro
  
  Closed back:
  
  
• Status CB-1 + Vmoda BoomPro
  
  
  
• BD C1Pro + VModa BoomPro
  
  
• AT MSR7 + VModa BoomPro
  
  Obviously, these are all examples of headphones that work with the VModa BoomPro. The BoomPro is a modular mic that offers good voice characteristics at a very reasonable price in an easy-to-use single-cord cord solution. The freedom of using a modular mic is that you are open to choose better options for the headphones themselves, which you're are also free to use on the go, if you choose, by simply detaching the mic. As well, it's easily and cheaply replaceable should an unfortunate accident happen.
  
  If you would like to consider using a desktop mic, then your options for good headphones increase dramatically.
  
  A couple of videos for general research and discussion:
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fD-M1F6L4g
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63BxrNuXnYg

these, and these, and these, and these and these and these are probably the only your budget options, with the best being the last 3. The stuff I listed usually applies for people below 100 dollars but I am not aware of any great options apart maybe from the hd 4.50 that are between those prices. I think the best sounding headphones are hd 4.40, atleast according to people at r/headphones and reviewers, but their earcups, if you have above average ears, will be over ear and there won't be much comfort. The other pick would be the wh ch700n, I actually tested those and really liked them, they were a nice budget pair. If you have any chance to try them out yourself, I highly suggest you to do so

Everyone is saying Audio Technica ATH-M50s, but I honestly wasn't impressed by them.

These, however, blow me away.

The value is unreal. I actually prefer the sound of them over a pair of $400 Ultrasone Pro900s I used to own. These have a great soundstage, punchy bass, forward and smooth mids (which are essential for trance), and terrific highs. They also isolate better than any non noise-canceling phones I've used and they're ridiculously comfortable. Hook 'em up to a headphone amp and bass boost them if you want. They'll take anything you can throw at them.

If you buy the M50s, you'll be spending more for less, in my opinion.

I'm not an audiophile by any means but I tried the HD 4.50 at Best Buy and thought they were pretty good. I think they're a fantastic choice if you're on a budget for a good noice cancelling headphone. They've been price around $200-250 on Amazon for the past 2-3 months. Cheapest it's been was $130 a long time ago (posted on this sub).

​

That said, the HD 4.40 is also on sale for $109.95, but I don't know if this is a good deal as I didn't follow the price trend.

https://www.amazon.ca/Sennheiser-HD-4-40-BT-Bluetooth/dp/B01MSZSJE9/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1542970731&sr=1-2&keywords=hd+4.40

​

Not buds nor are they small but I love my Sennheiser 555s. I got them for around $90. Great build quality. I've had them for awhile now and no signs of wear or tear.

Koss PortaPro are loved by pretty much everyone for their incredibly low price and great sound quality. They fall under "small cans."

Hey.

GF's desk is in the same room as my computer and she's looking for headphones to listen to her music on her iPod/computer. Nothing fancy but it needs to be good at noise cancelling (Read: She doesn't want to hear me talk to my friends while playing games in the same room) and comfortable.

Would the TASCAM TH02 be a good fit for her?

Thanks!

AKG 701/702's or Senn 598's are both good choices in the $250 to $280 price range. The Senn's are more comfortable for long listening (headband on the AKG's can be hard on the head) but I prefer the sound of the AKG's. I will note that the AKG's require quality amplification. Laptops/sound-cards/MP3 players aren't going to do these any favors.

ATH-M50's are a popular choice more in the price range of the mdr-xb500's. Not having owned either of the Sony's or the M50's I can only go off reviews. I get the impression however that they have about the same bass accenting characteristics.

The ATH-AD700's I think are a really good all around headphone, especially at just over $100. The purple throws some people off, but it grows on you. I use this set for everything from late night gaming, tv/movie watching, and of course listening to music.

I'd recommend using these as a starting point. Read some reviews on Head-Fi or amazon (many head-fier's post reviews there, especially on quality or popular headphones).

What type of headphones are you looking for? In-ear? On-ear? Over-ear? Wireless? Active noise cancelling? If I were you I would check out some budget options that are not on Ali.

I personally have the following:

• Apple Earpods - decent sound quality, bad isolation, perfect fit for my ears. At sub $10 they are a good buy. Watch out for fakes on Ali.
  
• Sennheiser CX-150 (discontinued, but check out the CX-200) - in-ear, probably not as good as the Earpods, but that may have something to do with the fact that they survived the washing machine.
  
• Sennheiser HD201 - best sounding over-ear headphones under $30 easily. The cable is too long for on the road.
  
• Sennheiser HD451 - over-ear, more expensive and not as good as the HD201, more base though. Not available in the US.
  
• AmazonBasics on-ear headphones - for the price they are decent, maybe even good. They are not nearly as comfortable my over ear headphones, but not bad either.
  
• Xiaomi Piston 3 - haven't tested them yet, but good reviews. Worth checking out.
  
  Also, check out /r/budgetaudiophile and /r/headphones though be wary of snobism in the latter.

I have a pair of those and a pair of HD202s and they are both great! I prefer the way hd202s sound (the 201s don't have much base by comparison) but the hd201s are much more comfortable (the 202s hurt my ears if I wear them too long but I can wear the 201s for hours). I also have some JVC HA-RX 700s and they are a good mix of both and don't cost much more, they sound a lot like the 202s but are as comfortable as the 201s.

Also the Panasonic HTF-600 sound great and fit great out of the box but they aren't very durable so I wouldn't recommend them. The HTF-600 seem to have a week point around a pivot area on either side, each side can fall off if a .75mm 1.5mm-2mm think plastic clip thing breaks (For me that was after 4 months of almost daily use and I could not repair with epoxy and metal strips)... I should have stopped buying cheap headphones and just gotten some nicer ones, I'm an idiot.

Edit: Found HTF-600s and measured broken part, it was covered in epoxy so it's just a rough measurement (I had kept them to remind myself not to buy more cheap headphones).

Sorry to hi-jack your comment but I understand why people like Beats. The bass and the like that they produce sound really cool especially for Hip-Hop music which is Beat's target audience. This is coming from someone who owns multiple pairs of Sennheisers, some Grado's, and pair of Audio Technica's. If your choice of music is rap and hip-hop, those simply don't do that type of music justice. Its something that the audio-elitists/circlejerkers never take into consideration.

If you're looking for something comparable to the beats (ie Bass), I'd recommend the V-Moda Crossfades. Sound-wise, every forum says they're superior (with technical jargon that I won't get into) while I'd argue they're also better quality and build-wise. All for 100 bucks.

Read on for yourselves.

Pretty much. A high amount of bass "hides" mids and highs therefore reducing clarity and soundstage/imaging.

You can still have good bass as in tight, defined etc. but yes, if you enjoy a good amount of bass, you'll have to trade off clarity and soundstage.

There's the Beyerdynamic DT 990 250ohms who's shaped in 'V' (good bass, neutral mids and bright highs) that are known to have a wide soundstage but that's the only one I can think about.

They might need an amp though (O2 will do).

• Budget - Around 200 bucks Canadian ( Maybe a little more)
  
• Source - My desktop and my Fiio E17K
  
• Isolation - None needed, less isolation is a bonus because I want to be able to hear others, but it doesn't matter that much.
  
• Public? No, purely for home use.
  
• Preferred type I prefer over-ear, but am open minded for on-ears
  
• Tonal Balance Emphasis on mids or highs, don't care too much about bass. Also want to avoid reference/ neutral headphones.
  
• Past Headphones I use these for gaming [ATH-AD900X]
  (https://www.amazon.ca/Audio-Technica-ATH-AD900X-Audiophile-Headphones/dp/B009S331VU)
  and these for travel and school Sennheiser Momentum In-Ear. I like them both for their purpose, but I'm not particularly fond of the Sennheisers shrill highs, and I feel the Audio Technicas are a little too neutral for my music.
  
• Music I listen to a good amount of nu-metal bands like Slipknot, Avatar, Korn, Ghost, System of a Down, and Megadeth + plus a little bit of jazz like John Coltrane
  
• What would I like to improve I'm just looking for headphones that are a bit more specialized for jazz and metal, unlike my current audio gear.
  
• Location I live in Canada, so prices in Canadian would be appreciated. Thanks.
  
  I've also been looking for headphones myself but am stuck between the Motorhead Iron Fist, the ATH-M50X, and the Grado sr80e, any new suggestions are welcome, though.
  

Hi guys, I am looking for headphones ideal for gaming, especially FPS (primarily CS:GO). My two top picks are Audio-Technica's ATHAD500X and the Sennheiser HD598. If you have any other suggestions that you think are better, then please recommend them.

Isolation-None

Budget - Flexible, however, ideally nothing over $200.
Source - PC Aux port

Will you be using these Headphones in Public? No.

Preferred tonal balance - I'm a noob when it comes to auditory specifications. All I know is I need headphones with ideally large soundstage and clarity to hear distinct, yet soft noises (e.g. a sudden footstep).

Past headphones - I borrowed a friend's ATHAD500x (listed below). I liked it, but I was wondering how it would compare to the Sennheiser HD598.


Audio Technica AUD ATHAD500X Audiophile Open-Air Headphones

--OR--

Sennheiser HD-598

Assuming price is not a significant factor, would the Sennheisers provide me significant better soundstage and clarity and a better overall gaming experience than the AT's listed?

I would recommend some Sennheisers...I''ve got the hd 555's. A cool note about these is that they are the same as the 595's and all you have to do is remove a pad on the inside of the outer wall. This is sennheisers way of dampening the "breath" for the bass and sale them as a lower model...also I just purchased the Koss MV1's which are awesome, but I feel they require a simple amp and they also seem to need some burn in time. Then there's the marshall majors, which I actually really like.


Sens 555's

Sens 518's

AT M50's

Marshall Majors

Koss MV1

Koss Pro4AAAT

A great headphone resource I use is headphone.com

Good Luck!

I have a pair of JVC HA-RX900s that I adore. I got these recently (with a cheap Logitech mic) and rarely use my 2.1 system anymore. The bass is great, but not overpowering and they have a very crisp mid/high. I'm not an audiophile per say, but I love listening to jazz and play a lot of video games. From Battlefield 3 to Starcraft 2, these cans are seriously phenomenal. They have a lot of padding and are very comfortable for long gaming sessions (I've had them on for upwards of 3 hours before).

I got them for around $75, they are on Amazon for about $68 right now. Hope this mini review helps!

Im suggesting save your money for something better. Of hi quality. Dont urge buy the m50x

If uve a local music store
Try the samson 850s
Ull be impressed for $49
http://www.amazon.com/Samson-SR850-Professional-Reference-Headphones/dp/B002LBSEQS

And if you're really interested massdrop has the k7xx for $199
Which is a great great value

I got my x2/27s factory refurb. 100% new condition on amazon for $149

And the q701 last i checked was $187?

Budget: 200-300

Source: Zune first Gen, 80 GB. Note 2

Requirements for Isolation: doubt I'll get any dancing type earclip type set of cans that are isolated but yes I prefer isolation.

Will you be using these Headphones in Public? Yes, but not much.

Preferred Type of Headphone: Full sized, closed

Preferred tonal balance: Balanced

Past headphones: Koss Ksc75, Darth Beyer Dt770s 80 ohms, Shure SRH440 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002DP1FTU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1), JVC HARX900 (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013P3ZOE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

Preferred Music: EDM trap right now. Then 90s gangsta rap (2pac, bone thugs, ice cube) LOVE IT. Dubstep, Hard Rock, indie. Mainly bass heavy trap tho. Future bass as well.
What would you like to improve on from your set-up? Sounds very good with some power to the bass, doesn't look too bad, and stays on my fuckin ears... I dance HARD. It's gloriously therapeutic, but not when I step on the chord and break my $400 pair of cans that cost me $200 to fix last time.

SECTION | CONTENT

--|:--
Title | Moonlight Feels Right Starbuck HQ Audio
Description | For FREE lyrics go to http://www.easylyrics.org Buy the CD on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1g7Yfx2 Download Songs from Amazon: http://amzn.to/1T2gVMQ Buy Full Albums on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1FOeHXW Premium Crossfade Headphones: http://amzn.to/1C6KGIt #1 Best Selling Ear Buds: http://amzn.to/1KoMgGH #1 Best Selling Portable Wireless Speakers: http://amzn.to/1dvzdGl #1 Best Selling Wireless Sound Bar: http://amzn.to/1ehxqoS Subscribe to our Channel! you can find lyrics to popular songs like these: ...
Length | 0:04:06






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Why would you buy the OS, you can literally download it legally just with the Not activated logo and even if you want to activate it, just takes a few minutes to do so.
Also you dont need the coolers really unless you are a professional or enthusiast who overclocks and stuff. Even if you do ryzen's wraithe is pretty good i assume.
As for headphones go for Samson SR850

https://www.amazon.com/Samson-SR850-Semi-Open-Back-Reference-Headphones/dp/B002LBSEQS

Mouse go for Logitech G102, its pretty good (Also check out Rocketjumpninja for mouse size reference before buying)
As for keyboards look for Red Switches ( Assuming you are gaming) I use a coolermaster ck550 and personally I like it more than the ROG Claymore my friend has. Also i would recommend you saving the money from the os and buying a razer huntsman elite or any of the flagship keyboards from corsair or steelseries.

Interesting. I can never listen to my iems on full volume with the V10 because it hurts how loud it gets. Anyways, I still think what I mentioned works in this scenario.

As for headphones, it depends. I used the DT 770 because they came to mind only haha they are good, and probably a good pair to test things with. They'd be fairly close to the V-Modas in sound signature, but unless you're very curious on amping the small difference in sound probably won't justify spending $150-$200. You could try a pair of DT 990 instead to test. They are open and have more treble than the M100, so it could be interesting for you.

I own a pair of HD 650 that can be picky with amping, but they might be too pricey (along with the HD 600). The V10 doesn't get them running at 100%, but it does a very great job compared to pretty much every other portable I've tested.

Well said. Although there are quite a few high end users who seek better sound with something like a Sennheiser One/Zero. I'm sure many of those would be better off with some $200 headphones and a $50 mic as well as a $50 dac/amp. It was more meant for those type of people, although you can also get good sound on a budget with something like Audio Technica AUD ATHAD500X with a V-MODA BoomPro for a total of about $100. Still more than the budget $50 headset, but if you're rocking a GTX 1080, you might as well go for better sound as well for a better overall experience.

And that's where you guys come in. I know nothing about good audio, but I have recently started following this sub. When I saw that post, I immediately thought that this is r/headphones material. I may well have been wrong though :)

I'm at work anyway so time flies here. :P

Do you need a mic with the headset? If so, we might go back to gaming-based headsets because they have one built-in.

One gaming headset that's 'pretty good' and has all the features with mics and all is the Hyper X Cloud.
https://www.amazon.com/HyperX-Cloud-Gaming-Headset-PS4/dp/B00SAYCVTQ/

Going back to Audiophile headphones, a step-down from what I purchased:
https://www.amazon.com/Technica-AUD-ATHAD500X-Audiophile-Headphones/dp/B009S333U4

That's an open-back headphone again, suitable for FPS games which you play too. You'll love playing Battlefield with it as well, hearing those gunshots whiz by. Big downside for open-back headphone is the bass is not that good.

Close-backed ones are, the opposite. One good headphone is :
https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M40x-Professional-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B00HVLUR54
You're going to love the bass on this one, especially on intense gaming moments.

Another choice is: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01L1IIF1K/ref=psdc_172541_t1_B01L1IIEKM

Overall, there's a lot of headphones out there that might suit your needs. Those ones encloses your ears so they're pretty big. So feel free to research about these audiophile headphones that will work for you.

People love the Mx40's. I got the Status Audio CB-1's for my gaming headset. If you're looking for an open back, people seem to really love the shp9500. Like i said, those are open back and are light on the bass. Another open back that people love in the price range are the HD 559. I've heard good things about the Massdrop x HiFiMAN HE-350.

Kind of depends on what you're looking for in terms of sound and where you're using them.

E: if you aren't dead set on new, i'd find something more expensive and check out /r/AVexchange. Really good deals and it's a bunch of people with headphone buying additctions. Just buy and sell constantly. I mentioned above, but i paid $350 for what would've cost me about $600 new after mods. I find that headphones is an area where people take care of their stuff because it takes a special kind of person to start dropping hundreds on headphones that aren't beats.

Had a couple of Shure srh440 two years ago. The bass was pretty solid but the mids are a bit recessed(am I using that word corectley?).

They were also a bit uncomftable wearing for long periods of time, I would say after 2 hours your head starts to feel heavy.

I switched to AKG K 242 HD but I felt they lacked in the bass department. But I would say they are more versatile and more well balacned, just a little weak on the bass for my taste. On the other hand they are great for longer studio sessions as you almost forget you are wearing them because they are, in my honest opinion, the most comfortable headphones I have ever used. They recently broke, me being all clumbse and what not, so now I'm thinking of also buying a couple of new headphones so good timing on your part haha.

Location: USA

Budget: I’m pretty flexible if I need to go higher but $150-$200 not including AMP/DAC if needed.

Source: It’s going to be plugged into my PC mostly for gaming but also music/movies.

Requirements for Isolation: I’m mainly looking for open-ear headphones since they are better for gaming.

Preferred tonal balance: Never owned any headphones before so don’t really know what I preffer.

Preferred music: Indie/Alternative

I'm mainly looking for an open-ear gaming headphone that is durable, sounds good, and is comfy enough to wear over a long period of time. Looking at the recommended headphones listm, I decided that the AKG Q 701 would probably be the best for me but before I make the purchase I’d like to get opinions from you guys. I'm willing to go above my price range if it means I get more bang for my buck. Also, I’ve already purchased the Antlion ModMic as my standalone mic.

These: www.amazon.com/dp/B009S333U4/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_9aKHub1A2NY00

Super comfortable like the most comfortable things I've ever put on my head. I have the 700's and they are awesome sounding and great for gaming.

This is my minimum suggestion for ultra low budget sound, so that you can run dual system:

Tascam DR60D mk2 (on sale you can get it for only a little bit more than what a Zoom H1 is, while the DR60D is massively massively more useful than an H1, in a totally different league. And in my opinion the DR60D mk2 is better than anything Zoom makes up until you get to their F8 / F4 recorders). Tascam DR70D is also worth considering for a little bit extra (as then you can run two or more wireless lavs at once while recording the boom as well).

3m ish should be the minimum length to consider for a boom (5m or longer is good to have at hand as well!).

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Miloboo-MLZ901-Carbon-Fiber-285cm-Handheld-Grip-Support-LED-Light-Microphone-Boom-Pole-Holder/32318802436.html

A pair of no budget level headphones to consider:
https://www.amazon.com/TASCAM-TH02-B-Closed-Back-Stylish-Headphone/dp/B00B1N06PO/

Rode NTG2 is in my view the absolute minimum level shotgun mic a person should get (or Sennheiser MKE 600). A Rode NTG3 would be an even better choice, and a mic that could last a person a long long time. However the NTG3 costs a lot more (even though the NTG3 is I feel one of the best value mics there is!). Hopefully the Aputure V-Mic D3 will ship soon and change the game for ultra low priced microphones (promising NG3/416 level of performance!).

Rode WS6 windshield is essential! (get a blimp too when it can be afforded)

A hypercardiod is needed as well for indoors (shotgun is for outdoors), Samson C02 is a popular zero budget choice (but an Audix SCX1-HC would be so much better).

Rycote Universal Shotgun Mount:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1155648-REG/rycote_037340_universal_shotgun_mount_for.html

Having wireless lavs as well is important once you take this to the next level, but usually they're extremely expensive! (Look at lectrosonics) Even for the absolutely cheapest bare "minimum" quality to make it worthwhile you are looking at a Sennheiser G3 or Sony UWP-D11.
But I feel Saramonic UwMic9 is a game changer at the ultra low budget level with their recent product, thus worth checking out as the next step forward for upgrading your overall kit.
Next step after that will be to get OST-801 lavs, as you'll see a big improvement over the stock lavs:
http://www.oscarsoundtech.com/services.html

I'd suggest a pair of open-backed headphones since I've found that those headphones tend to have better soundstaging to help me pinpoint where people are.

I found closed headphones tend to have more "immersive" sound with more bass, but if you're looking for something for purely competitive performance I think an open-backed pair would do you well. There's some generalizing going on here, but in general I personally feel open-backed headphones are better for gaming.

Here's a couple suggestions around your price-point - disclaimer that I haven't actually owned any of these (except for the original AD700 which I can vouch for being great for gaming), and it's merely meant to serve as a starting point for cans to check out. Filter the reviews and find the ones where people mention the words "gaming" or "soundstage".

• Audio Technica ATH-AD700X
  
  
• Sennheiser HD 558
  
  
• Philips SHP9500
  
  
• Grado SR80e
  
  
  I personally use the Sennheiser HD 600 which are open-backed but these are out of your $100 budget.
  

Honestly i wouldn't trust many review sites these days, Most of the time i see any sort of review on any item the person doing the review has no expertise on the subject. Have you seen the Cuphead review? These are the type of people that review products.

As for headphones:


The superlux 668 or the Samson sr850 are very good for their price and will sound just as good and even better than the cloud 2's in some areas.

For ~$100 you can get a pair of ATH-AD700X . They're the best headphones in their price range/price-performance to me. They sound amazing. The ad500x's/ad900x'z are also really good for a little less/more.

yeah im only talking about the use for csgo.

First you should decide wether you want an open or closed Headphone.

Open means the sides of the Headphones are, well open. They are usually covered by some kind of mesh. This means you will be hearing whats going on around you (people talking etc), but they will also hear whatever sounds are coming from your headphones.

Closed Cans are the opposite, people wont hear your music/csgo sounds, but you wont hear anybody around you either. I would recommend these if you dont have your own room to play csgo in or plan to use them on the go.

Personally I prefer Open Headphones for CSGO since they generally have a bigger Soundstage which helps alot telling for where Footsteps/Shots etc in CS are coming from. So should you have your own quiet room to play in i would highly recommend getting open type Headphones.

Open Headphones i would recommend:

• Superlux (not even 32 Pounds with Zalman Mic)
  
  
• Philips just re-released the SHP9500's in the US, where they are about 50$. you could use those with a BoomPro. Unfortunatly the new Model of these isnt available in europe yet, so you will have to wait a little bit. Everything you find here atm is still the old version and mostly listed at ridiculus prices (like in the link above).
  
  Closed:
  
  
• HyperX Cloud
  
  
• Tascam
  
  
• Creative (good sound but poor build)
  
  
• M40X
  
  Generally People recommend saving up for the M40X over the M20X
  
  EDIT: i forgot the Q-Pad which is basicly HyperX Cloud but as an Open Back
  
  You could also look into getting a used X1/X2 on Ebay and pairing it up with a boompro or ModMic

If you're on a budget, the JVC RX700's are great headphones for only $30 on amazon. Pair that with this clip-on mic and you now have a great headset for under $40.

I've been using this setup for about half a year now, and it works great for me. I had to crank the mic sensitivity all the way up, and the headphones are a solid-but-cheap feeling plastic. Other than that though, they really do sound amazing for only $30 (and the cord on both these products are easily long enough to reach around to the back of your PC).

https://www.amazon.com/Samson-SR850-Semi-Open-Back-Reference-Headphones/dp/B002LBSEQS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1517612075&sr=8-3&keywords=samson+headphones

These headphones are just over $30, I do most of my mixing in them due to my recording space not being well-treated. Is it ideal? Definitely not, and I gotta test my mixes against different environments (car speakers, earbuds, etc), but is it better than nothing? Absolutely, I think the quality of my mixes turns out pretty good, feel free to check them out.

I've been looking at quite a few things while I was away from my computer.

I'm leaning towards a Modi 2 Uber (toslink for my PS4 audio) combined with a Magni 2.

My main concern is shitty drivers - I want to bypass any Creative/Asus drivers where possible. The Schiit drivers are relatively simple and well-maintained hopefully.

Secondly it appears that I may start using headphones more, however I will still want speakers as an option as well.

So I'm turned on by the Schiit stack idea, however I have some questions.

1. The Magni 2 Uber comes with 'pre-amp outputs' whatever they are. Does this allow me to link the Magni to speakers? I would almost certainly be buying pretty decent self-powered ones. I saw the JBL LSR305s being recommended in another thread. Do I need another unit to link the Magni to powered speakers? Or can I just hook them up? If so, does the Magni possess some kind of switching to allow me to switch between headphones and speakers?
   
   
2. Gaming on the Modi/Magni stack doesn't have any surround sound that would be created by a comparable sound card (Sound Blaster ZX for example), so does this make it a lot worse for gaming? I'm not a Counter-Strike professional or anything so I'm not terribly concerned about lack of surround audio, but I do want a good aural experience in FPS games like the recent Prey for example. I just don't particularly want a 'gaming-only' setup, and as I've explained before I detest the driver issues that come with Creative/Asus sound cards.
   
   
3. What headphones? I was looking at the AKG K702 and the AKG K712 Pro they look pretty good and Mad Lust Envy rated them quite well but I wonder if it's not worth spending a bit more cash to get Sennheisers... he rates them better than Sennheisers if anything though? The HD 650 is about 150 dollars more than the K12 Pro sooo....

The Monoprice 108323 runs for <30$ both from their own site and other retailers like Amazon, likewise with the Tascam TH-02.

If you're willing to stretch the budget, the AKG K72 and ATH-M20X are also both great bang-for-the-buck options, they're probably some of your best options before you get into or near the $200 and higher range already.

If you're willing to go in-ear, the KZ brand that sells primarily through Amazon has some of the absolute best budget drivers like the ATE and the ZST -- they actually have several options under $20.

Extremely confortable, great for gaming and watching movies. For music it needs a bit of burn in but they sound really good for the price. JVC HA-RX700

Extremely confortable, great for gaming and watching movies. For music it needs a bit of burn in but they sound really good for the price. JVC HA-RX900

Clip on headphones. They sound great. Might hurt ear after a while. Koss-KSC75

Invest in a nice pair of headphones.

I recommend V-Moda Crossfades. They are extremely high quality, have great customer support, and are definitely BIFL. Those things are tested to military standards while maintaining a badass look. They also sound much better than a pair of Beats that you could get for the same (if not higher) price.

(IIRC you can also custom order some laser-engraved sideplates. Yes, those metal plates on the sides are interchangeable.)

I Need something more comfortable to wear at home then my Sennheiser HD280 pro.

• Budget - I am hoping to spend between 75$ and 200$. But slightly flexible.
  
  
• Source - I will be plugging these into a PC or Phone.
  
  
• Requirements for Isolation - I will be using these at home/work so not too much isolation is needed. Some is ok.
  
  
• Preferred Type of Headphone - On ear.
  
  
• Preferred tonal balance - Balanced is preferred.
  
  
• Past headphones - Sennheiser HD280 pro: I replaced the ear-pads with velur ones and upgraded the headband. I like the sound and the isolation for some situations, however after a while they begin to hurt. I Need something more comfortable to wear at home or work that I can wear for longer without my head feeling squeezed and something with less isolation.
  
  
• Preferred Music - I listen to classical music: Symphony Orchestras, opera, piano and violin. Vivaldi and Beethoven are my favourite. I listen to folk rock like Elliot Smith, James Taylor and Joni Mitchel. And I listen to hours of podcasts and Howard stern. As well as some Jazz.
  
  
• Location - US and I would like to buy on Amazon
  
  after reading the http://www.head-fi.org/a/headphone-buying-guide
  
  I am thinking I want:
  
  (MT) Audio Technica ATH-AD700x, $120-$160. Great comfort and decent build quality. Weak bass though it has some impact, detailed mids and highs with no fatigue. One of the best soundstages in the price range. #1
  
  or the cheaper:
  
  Audio-Technica-ATH-AD500X
  
  Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
  

My Sennheiser HD180's broke after 4 years of use and now only outputs from the left side without any tension on the wire. Now I'm looking to upgrade with a budget of $100 CAD, tax-in. I'm trying to find something with similar but more refined characteristics however I'm having trouble finding what I need/want. I'm only going to plug them into my laptop or phone for home use 95% of the time. I watch a lot of movies and listen to a lot of hip-hop, so looking for all-round headphones with good bass.

Basically what I'm looking for is:

• Over-ear cups
  
• 3m+ length cord
  
• Better audio quality than HD180, more clear, better bass
  
• Light and comfy (Good for 4+ hours)
  
• Very durable (3+ years use)
  
• Under $100 CAD with tax
  
• CANADA ACCESSIBLE
  
  
  I've found these so far:
  
  
• Superlux HD 681
  
• JVC HARX700
  
• Sennheiser HD 449
  
• Sennheiser HD 205 II
  
• Koss Ur40
  
• JVC HA-MR60X
  
• Monoprice 8323 (No Amazon Prime or other retailer in Canada that sells it for under $50 so it's kinda out)
  
• Samson SR850
  
  
  Not really sure which ones I should get or just go the safe route and buy the HD201's. If you guys have used any of these, let me know :)
  
  Edit: Trying to decide between the Samson SR850's or the Superlux HD681 Evo.