Hi everyone, im new to hifi, i have dabbled in some audio gear but now i want something more specific.
For reference i own:
Fiio BTR3K
Monoprice modern retro, Brainwavz XL Pads Sheepskin leather
Blon bl03
QKZ VK4
I usually hear more EDM, Metal and Rap, but i want a more competitive openback headphone with better imaging mainly for FPS games but has also good sound for music and movies, and also want to experiment with new sound signature headphones.
I have been searching and i have some choices (max budget is 180€):
TYGR 300R (Worried that it looses some details in music and games, however hear that it has very good imaging)
HD 560s (Worried about people saying that its very analytical, however i want to experiment new sounds, but dont know if analytical is for me, and competitive fps are very good on these. Maybe analytical part can be solved in EQ?)
HE400se (Insterested in the planar technology, but worried about imaging, my pads work on these)
i hear that the Fidelios x2hr, are good however the imaging is not so good, thats why i have excluded them.
Drop audio gear is also out of question since i would have to pay extra for shipping and taxes.
These are all arround the same price for me, i will in the future also invest in a Schiit Magni Heresy, but thats more in the future.
It maintains its signature just fine… if your looking for the full fledge variation to the tygr thats the DT 990 however, I caution with that one as its obscenely bright as well as power demanding. Tygr is the dialed back variation while maintaining a lot of 990s specs
I don’t really find this one all that analytical really… its super neutral reference grade with some extra treble and personally, I find this rather boring but it fits for some people… more fitting for fps or music production imo
imaging is fine and respectable… not as good as the tygrs but good enough, would recommend asking someone like @Pokrog about pads on these if you go this route since hes pad rolled them.
I don’t know who keeps advocating for this headphone to competitive gamers but I really wish they need to stop and I would love to talk with them on how this headphone just does not work for competitive fps due to just how bassy it is… the bass bleeding into the mids causing all sorts of clouding when it comes to fps placements. Its a very good headphone for casual gaming and just regular listening but horrible for fps.
dont really need to worry about this.
may need a dac less your going to keep using btr3k
Yeah the forward imaging is kinda weird without pads kinda like sundaras and anandas but with velour pads it gets bigger everywhere so it stays kinda the same but bigger and still a little off. Leathers are OK and help isolate a little. With the xl micro suede pads it stretches the forward imaging just enough to balance it out and be super consistent and since you have the pads already that’s easy. Wouldn’t recommend them without pads for competitive but with them they’re pretty impressive for the price.
Personally, I think it would depend on the game… for just general purpose fps gaming and casual running? I think tygr is a better choice… for games such as CSGO not relying on verticality as much then 560s is solid as hell and will probably be better since more intimate sound will help you place sounds in a closer fps environment in other cases though like apex and games where verticality is like a big requirement then the 400se post pad swap I think will come out on top…
as one would expect, cheaper units aren’t the best sounding… not as clear that sort of thing. Also depends on the particular headphone and how picky it is
Crinacle made a list about gaming headphones even if he never play games, he made the list based on imaging accuracy and soundstage size, it’s an interesting list. I don’t agree HD800 is the best because the big soundstage make sound appear way too far than the actual sounds and I find it very bad for competitive.
I am afraid to watch this as I may cringe like crazy at it… but I really should sit down and watch that… I think I will later…
but if he makes a remark that… oh hd800 is good because big soundstage I may facepalm my desk pretty hard… I personally? If I am being completely honest… despise that headphone with a burning passion. For music? HD800S is actually solid as hell… its picky but if driven with the right gear sounds fantastic! for gaming? no… just no… 9 times out of time the soundstage is actually too big the games cant handle it… and in smaller fps that large stage is actually a detriment.
Edit: … eh? okay not bad… even mentioning my classic r70 I use that dont get enough love imo… k612 is … alright but yeah I can see the k series there being recommended there… though recommending the hd800 no just no lol stop it
I think this is what bothers me the most about a lot of these people who make videos like this though… how can you expect to be taken seriously when you yourself don’t actually sit and play? Just my two cents on it. though his remark on pros using the garbage equipment… we use that because were paid to, we have incentives to actually use that on camera and speak highly about them that doesn’t make them good lol… yes it comes down to player skill in the very nitty gritty but the headphones -do- help… and they can help a ton
You wouldn’t go wrong picking any of these, I’ve had the HD560s, and currently own a HE400se along with a btr3k. Can’t speak on the tygr but correct me if I’m wrong but aren’t they similar to the dt880s? The HE400se definitely has better vertical imaging than everything I’ve tried but I haven’t really had much fun pairing it with the btr3k for music. I think it’s just my unit that’s bad but there’s way too much energy around 9100hz that eq cannot fully resolve. Upgrading sources did help a little though. Imaging wise I can vouch for both the HE400se and HD560s. Maybe take a look at the dt880s too?
400i is… decent. I would definitely take the se over it since the pad swap really opens them up alot and I felt 400i was very shouty in comparison. Just not a fan of that one. Though no offense to anybody but, 560 is nothing like the tygr or the 400i… they are drastically different headphones in every regard including gaming performance
any of those three are good for music just depends on what your searching for in that case.
nooo, definitely not. 880 are neutral bright and venture towards mid centric… tygr is a V shape and is a recreation of the DT 990. 880 is semi open and tygr is fully open.
yeah this is one of the reasons I mention its fantastic for verticality… hifimans air quality and ability to place vertically is fantastic.
if hes looking for something that fits all over for a beyer then yeah. Tygr will have more soundstage and imaging, 400se will have more stage and verticality. Id still personally take the 880 over the 560s…
absolutely would encourage an upgrade to the 600 ohm though so you need a better amp… it sounds so much better in 600 and has crazy scaling so if you upgrade the amp/dac it just gets better. Tygr and 880 fit a ton of areas for sure… just tygr is more of a warm sound and 880 has that bright super detail sound
I’ll toss a couple of other suggestions out there the Hifiman HE560 from Adorama is really good for gaming and imaging clarity. It’s about $230 when on sale. I’d take that over any of the others mentioned. Also, I just bought an Audiotechnica AD700x on a whim because they were on sale for $70 on Amazon, and under $100, I don’t think you could beat that thing—quickly becoming my fav for Zombies.
Im leaning towards the TYGR 300 R, they are the cheapest, buying directly from beyer, b-stock. 120€.
And since they lean towards a more warm sound, which is what i mostly listen to.
Edit: Well i guess i wont, since beyer doesnt actually ship to all of europe. And cant buy only the headphones from anywhere else.
