I currently have the ATH-AD900x and a FIIO E10K Olympus 2 and I am looking to upgrade both of them. I mostly game, (although not competitively I do play a lot), and listen to some music mostly 90s grunge. I am looking for something with good imaging and decent soundstage. I have been looking at the Sennheiser HD800s but that seems way out of my budget at the moment.
My other choices were the HE4XX or HE400i, HD6XX or HD600s.
I am open to more options and would love to know the all around good open back headphone for gaming.
I do not know what DAC/AMP to buy and don’t have any choices picked out.
My budget for the headphones is anything under $1000 and for the DAC/AMP under $300.
What do you like in a headphone, and what do you dislike from your current experience?
I would say for a dac and amp, the topping d10 and jds labs atom amp would really be all you need imo. Great sound for a great price, and can be upgraded down the line
I also will say that I would suggest to aim for 500 USD and below for a headphone, because once you move past that 500 range preference becomes very important and you should really have some more experience and know what you like
I really like my HE 400i, but if your budget is anything under a grand. you may want to buy 3 or 4 headphones of amazon just to find the sound signature you like and return the rest to then buy a more expensive and nicer headset with that sound signature you like.
I like headphones to have great imaging and decent soundstage and I would like the sound signature to be neutral but it doesn’t have to be exactly neutral.
I don’t really dislike anything from my current experience but was just looking to get something a little bit better for the long run.
Do you like something a bit warmer, or something brighter?
I am thinking something like the dt1990 as that is excellent for gaming, and also would be pretty enjoyable for the type of music you listen to, although it is a bit bright. It’s imaging and soundstage are probably the best you will get for the price for gaming and they can recreate a space with great accuracy very well. It’s got a pretty neutral signature that is a bit brighter but it would be a big step up imo
are you more fond of bass or treble? if you like treble then the HE 400i would fit that.
some would describe beyerdynamic as they would describe the sun. I cant say how true that is of that brand of headphone as I have not had the pleasure of spending time with them.
I might just be dumb, but what does that mean lol
I usually like something warmer, but brighter does not bother me in the slightest. And treble would help in gaming. I have heard great things about the dt1990 and was considering that also.
they get warm on the ears and they are bright
Hmm then, something warmer in that range would probably be the hd660s which is also going to be pretty good for gaming. It’s not going to have as good imaging and soundstage as the 1990 but it will be warmer and a bit more relaxed, but still very nice for gaming
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Huh, I think the comfort on the Beyer’s is great and doesn’t get that warm, and I really only dislike the treble of the 990s and lower ohm 770s
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like I said those are things I have only ever heard mentioned of that brand. I need to get a pair for myself, for that sweet sweet sound hoaring in R6
For what you’ve got you could probably find a deal on the 880 600 ohm and drive them well for that purpose lol
Ok thank you I think my choice will be between the 660s and the 1990s but I think I am more leaning towards the 1990s. Are there any other differences between the two or is there any reason why one is drastically better than the other?
It’s on my radar, its just that money just keeps bursting into flames around me. I should say away from the bank for a while. I also Have a great hatred toward attacked cables.
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I don’t think I would say one is drastically better than another, but I do think that if you are gaming alot (especially competitive) the 1990 would be my pick. Both headphones are built extremely well, and both have great comfort. I personally prefer the comfort of the 1990 but the senns are very close imo.
If you don’t want to drop the money for a 1990, a good more cost effective choice is the dt880 600 ohm imo which is similar but not on the same level as the 1990 for detail, imaging and soundstage. I can also easily recommend the 880 600 ohm for sure
For your budget, you could pick up a 1990 as your main headphone and a hd58x as a secondary which might be pretty sweet imo, as the 58x is pretty close to the 660s with slightly less detail, and then you could have some variety. So when you want to chill the 58x is there, and when you want to game or more critically listen the 1990 is there. As marlfox noted, you have lots of room to play around so it really depends on what way you want to go and if you want multiple pairs of mid-range cans, a single higher end can, or a higher end and a mid-range for the side
Ok thank you I think the 1990 will be my pick and I will look into the 58x because that would be great to just have a chill headphone. I will look into that dac and amp. Is that dac/amp good for driving the 1990?
Yeah, it can drive both no problem. It’s a very clean dac and amp, pretty dang neutral/uncolored for the price. Later on if you wanted to, you could also add a tube amp into the chain for more fun since both headphones tend to react decently well on a tube
Ok thank you and do you mind explaining to me what the dac/amp does because all I know about them is that they help drive the headphone lol. And what does the tube amp do exactly?