Looking for new Headphones + Amp

Gaming Audio Competitive
#1

Hello there, I’m looking to buy new headphones and an amp or amp / dac.
Currently I own Beyerdynamic DT 990 and MMX Gen2. I think a more neutral pair of headphones would be better for competitive gaming?
The AKG K702 or K712 Pro are my favourites from what I have read.

Would you recommend these or is there a better pair for strictly gaming? (but maybe include music performance as well)

And which Amp ; Dac / Amp or even Stack is fitting?

budget headphones : around 200€
budget Amp : if it’s a stack recommendation around 200€ aswell

Thanks in advance

1 Like
#2

have you looked into the Beyer Tygr 300? that’s their real answer for gaming.

that said, the DT 880 600 ohm are the bees knees. this is from all my reading over the last two years. I don’t game anymore, so don’t seek out anything good for that. the issue is you need a powerful amp to drive 600 ohms. if you were in the US, the answer would be easy, the Monolith Spark DAC and Amp…that’s about $200 USD. you’ll probably need to look at Chi Fi optoins…SMSL or Topping and the like. if you do go with the DT 880 600 ohm, you want a warm amp as they can be peaky in the treble, which is why their so good for sound, you’ll hear exactly where someone is walking in from. a warm amp tames the treble. :slight_smile:

edit - also, welcome to HFG! :smiley:

#3

thank you @Marzipan for the answer!
I already tried the 880 a few years ago, I don’t know why but it felt like the cups were slightly to small for my ears but the 990 were fine.
The Beyers never let me down but I really want to try something new and I like detachable cables.

#4

well, if you want something really different…look into planar magnetic’s that are known to be good for gaming.

#5

Maybe I am to set on the AKGs how would the Sennheiser HD 599 or the Fidelio X2HR compare against my Beyers?

#6

I like my 599’s, but cannot comment on the X2HR.

#7

errr, no… neutrality is nice and makes them fit in more places… but 990 and mmx are quite exceptional compared to most headphones for competitive… if you mean the treble is causing the issues or discomfort… switch over to tygr 300r. Maybe 58x jubilee if playing smaller fps… ad700x and akg k702 are good as well but AD has separation and comfort problems and k702 has imaging inaccuracies(shared with the others of the k7 series)

how are you basing this as your favorite from reading instead of listening to them… I am a bit confused here

I do have a general write up for this… while not updated, still works for recomendation listing… just ignore the gaming headsets on the list.

your fine with the 990 less your just looking for some kind of complimentative headphone… not sure what your trying to achieve with this one. At $200 the 990 is one of the best you can get for imaging and soundstage respectively, tygr 300r right next to it since it’s just a redone up variant of the 990 without all the treble and less of a bass issue.

in competitive gaming? they have too much bass and deplete your ability to hear footsteps not to mention being muddy and bleeding into the mids in certain cases. You will also lose soundstage and imaging with the 599, gain soundstage from the x2hr but lose even more imaging in comparison, and with both you lose the treble advantage and have bass in the way of your placements

#8

Have you tried bone conduction headphones?

#9

Ever took a look at the T20rp’s?
And as a new owner of the Sundara’s, maybe the HE400i’s don’t sound bad? Coming right in at 200

#10

Thank you for the detailed answer.

I tried the AKG 712 two years ago but had to return them due to unforseen expenses but then never bothered with looking for headphones again. I really liked the comfort, soundwise i haven’t had enough time nor a sufficient amp, to make a statement.

What would you reccomend for a complementary pair of headphones? If I’m set with the gaming aspect (for now); which would be a better option for music listening (hip hop, rock) or watching movies?

#11

bad for competitive… bassy as hell, not sure why that was recommended. Good for complimenting the 990 but I would sooner recommend the argons(T50RP mod)

not sure if this was a joke? lol, don’t do this

k712 would be nice for that but the bass is a bit on the recessive side of things… It depends really what sound preference you prefer… do you have to know what kind of sound signature would fit you well? 990s are quite sharp so I really don’t like them for movies and typically I would gravitate towards a closed back for movie listening for that isolation. Would need to know what your looking for in that regard to really recommend anything.

ah, yeah I like the k712… k702 was a bit of a miss for me personally though good for competitive I liked that the k712 was a bit more fun and balanced in signature while still having that nice comfort to it… though the pricepoints on those k7 series are just crazy in all honesty

#12

luckily i live in Germany, the K702 is 130€ and the K712 220€, but it goes often for 190ish

2 Likes
#13

Over here they are over $300 in some places. At that price though yea that’s quite nice

#14

the problem here is to get a decent amp and dac

with what I read, the Schiit Heresy could be a decent option, but it’s not available

#15

What do you think of Naenka’s Runner?