Hi everyone
I know this thing is long but please bare with me I need some help !!!
I was looking for a open back planar magnetic headphone around 200$ ( I currently own a pair of closed back dynamic headphone and I want to try smt completely different. )
I rather something neutral with a bit of warmth( not too bassy ) and a decent amount of detailed treble( not overly harsh. )
I did some research and here is what I came up with:
Hifiman he4xx/ He400i (2020)
Hifiman he5xx/ Deva (wired)
Monoprice Monolith M570
I am also open to any recommendations as long as they are open back and planar 
I actually have a 300$ budget but I assume that I will need at least a 100$ dac/amp combo (fulla 3)to drive any of these headphones properly but I can afford deva with it’s own bluemini dac/amp thing.
My music source is Tidal and I mostly use flac audio from genres like R&B,Pop,Rock,…(literally everthing)
But the most imp thing about headphones for me is soundstage and imaging so I can use them in a competitive gaming session as well as enjoying my musics more.
I heard soooo many issues with all of these headphones that they have manufacturing qc problems and warranty is not really an option for me as I am unable to ship them back to manufacturer cause I’m living in a weird country
If u made it so far thanks for ur patience and sry for my bad english please let me know ur opinion.
from reading, the HE-4xx or the HE-400i 2020 are decent for gaming.
the penultimate setup is the Beyerdynamic DT880 600ohm with a warm amp to tame the treble, that can be peaky. but these are open back dynamics, not planar.
edit - stroke of luck…check out the post by eng. he’s selling his 400i 2020 and the iFi Zen DAC:
I have the Zen DAC and it is awesome 
Inquire like the hifiman planars for gaming the soundstage is nice and wide the imaging is good. And would avoid the m570
Thanks
And which hifiman headphones do u recommend should I go with he4xx and 5xx with an amp/dac combo around 100 bucks or just use the dac/amp that comes with the deva.
Also I am just curios to know why don’t u recommend m570 for gaming r they bad at imaging or smt ?
Zen dac is unfortunately out of my budget but I might be able to buy a hip dac is it any good ?
the Zen DAC is only a hair more than the Hip, so I’d save up that extra $30, or look for it used, like I did it cost me less than the Hip new. 
the HE-4xx and 400i 2020 are known for gaming; I have yet to see anything about the HE-5xx being any good for gaming, so there’s a bit of risk there. for music, they’re good. the 4xx are also reported to be better for music than the 400i, which are more analytical / detailed.
Unfortunately I couldn’t find any used zen dac or any dac for that matter in my country. Thats why I only can order new from amazon and there is even no warranty included cause Im not directly buying from amazon but from a website that …
Complicated AF the point is thanks for ur recommendation and I actually might consider buying zen dac new after all. Peace 
where do you live? if you can get the 4xx or 5xx, then the Zen DAC should be easy to get. also…when we say Zen DAC, we’re talking about the combo unit that iFi has, not the stack from Drop.
I am living in iran and amazon don’t support shipment to iran so I have to order the whole setup through a website which then will order it from amazon and ship it to my location which costs like 500$ instead of 300$ so I am basically paying 500 but getting 300$ and the rest goes to shipment and multiple taxes. And smt like zen dac/amp is both heavy (so the shipment cost can be higher )and more expensive so unfortunately it’s not an option for me. 
can you order anything from the likes of AliExpress without issues?
A topping MX3 is a decent alternative, while the Zen Dac sounds better it, the topping has BT (I have both - I use them for different setups).
Just checked that to the exact same process is required might cost a bit more or less but it’s basically the same thing. Don’t bother I will find a way to get that he 4xx and a zen dac/amp. Tnx for ur time btw
I kinda like BT connection but if zen dac/amp sounds better than I won’t care about bt.
How different they are how significant the difference is ?
In the short term, it you can hear a “slight” difference but the more you hear the more the zen dac wins, also it has a very nice and fine tuned bass boost button which is a big bonus.
Oooo i heard about the magic button xbasssam XD
Zen dac it is TNX for ur time
don’t just up and abandon us. when you get your gear, share your thoughts!
I will for sure right my review on them except they won’t ship for like 2 months so u might have to be a bit patient just like me 
I excel at having patience.