Looking for recommendations for my next headphone. Been looking at the DT 900 Pro X and Harmonicdyne Zeus/Poseidon. Mostly care about good base and sound stage. As I listen to a lot of edm(trap) and play a lot of video games. I did really like the nighthawks, but the headband and cups are wearing out and evidently the nighthawk is no longer supported by the manufacturer to get replacements. I was also looking into the sundara but doesnt seem like it crosses off every check box.
I’ll agree that Zeus sounds like the right path. Sundara is a great headphone, but not sure that your priorities are its top priorities.
Also unsure what you’re running as source chain.
Oh JDS Labs element, also now considering jump up to a DT 1990 also. Not sure if worth the extra money.
Have you considered the treble presence of those Beyers vs. Nighthawks? Do you EQ? Any other cans in your arsenal?
I havent messed around with EQ too much, other cans, have the 177x go. I do like those but wanted something open back as I kept having people sneak up on me cuase I couldn’t hear outside the cans with closed backs. Did have the M1060s liked the sound, but the hardware was the dealbreaker on those even with mod’ing.
There isn’t going to be much on the market that compares to the nighthawks. So with that said I’ll tell you what I reach for when I’m not using my hawks. 1st is the LCDX cause they are just that good for detail. Next is a toss up between my elex and LCD2CB. The CBs have the best bass slam out of all 3 and then finally I probably use my Aeon RT because the comfort is right there with the hawks but it is definitely the least dynamic out of almost all of my cans.
Hope this helps a bit. Oh and all can be ran off your element very well as my living room setup is a JDS EL2 stack.
I owned the nighthawk carbon for a few months ago and i do own the Zeus and the sundara right now.
I still miss the bass punch of the nighthawks sometimes. It is exceptional. With that said, i don’t think that the sundara, will have enough bass for you.
The nighthawk had also good immersion due to a good amount of depth and decent imaging.
My suggestions for you are another nhc in better condition, the zeus, the tygr or the fidelio x2.
The x2 has about same bass quantity, but less bass quality (boomy) and punch. Wide soundstage, but not as deep. More treble.
The tygr has better imaging than the nhc, but less bass than x2 and nhc. Also the ss isn’t as wide.
The zeus has wider ss than the nhc, more kickbass with less punch and less subbass. Zeus has more detail and treble than nhc. But the nighthawk had still a little bit more of the immersion for me. I don’t know why exactly. So my personal preference for gaming is nhc>zeus>tygr>x2.
For closed backs i can recommend the elegia or the denon ah-d 2000 as good gaming cans. Due to their vents, they are some kind of semi-closed headphones for me personally
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Thank you for the detailed feedback it is really appreciated. I wish the nhc headbands were still supported it would be my solution. However I am starting to lean towards waiting to see if the DT 900 pro x go on sale for black friday.
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Wouldn’t use the Zeus for electronic music unless it’s somehow mid or upper bass focused. Sub bass could be more plentiful. I have the ah-d5000 and just received my ah-d2000, can confirm the 5000 is decent for gaming and has satisfying bass. The 2k supposedly has more treble than the already bass/treble elevated 5k so you might wanna go for the 5k coming from the Hawks. Might post some impressions of the 2k. I mainly bought the 2k cause of its cheap price and better pad condition, I can see why they [old denon line] were somewhat revered back then. The 5k’s bass is easily the most fun bass I’ve heard for the 200 I paid (the highs are not the most realistic sounding).