(update in progress) Falenkor's Competitive Headphone Write Up. Now with added Hardware explanations!

Gaming Audio Competitive
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THIS GUIDE IS INCREDIBLE! THANK YOU FALENKOR! I wish I found this months ago.

Background: I’m a former CS competitor that is totally addicted to Warzone. I write mouse reviews on reddit for men with large hands and have a healthy following there. https://www.reddit.com/r/MouseReview/comments/iphfnr/big_hands_review_endgame_gear_xm1_vs_m65_elite/

Headphones:

I’ve had Sennheiser PC363D headphones for 7 years and they still work perfectly (Amazing durability) and I find them extremely comfortable. I love them for Battlefield but I can’t hear footsteps in Warzone and it’s driving me insane! For the last year, all I’ve played is Warzone and I don’t see that changing any time soon. I’ve tried various different EQs with PEACE on the PC363D but I just can’t seem to fix the footsteps.

I’m testing Steelseries Arctis Pro w/ Game dac and Logitech G635 in Warzone right now. They are both better than the PC363D but still not great. I’ll be returning both. I’m seriously considering buying Astro A40s with Mixamp just so I can use Zeference EQ (https://sites.google.com/view/zeference/home/audio/astro-eqs), which is what a LOT of pro COD players suggest. I’ve heard the horror stories about Astros but my only goal is a competitive advantage.

Which of your suggestions would you say would be best for Warzone?

I don’t have a price limit. Based on your amazing guide, you have me considering HyperX Orbit, DT 1990, etc. I’m fine with buying a modmic. I’m concerned that a headphone amp will add latency to the audio connection but I suppose there are good options for that as well.

EDIT: After reading a lot of the advice you’ve given others I’m leaning DT990 + mod-mic or Hyper X Orbit. Seems silly to spend 3 times as much money for competitive gaming headset that will be very similar. Do I really need a headphone amp with Asus asus x570 tuf gaming plus motherboard?

  • Realtek S1200A Codec: Pristine audio quality with unprecedented 108dB signal-to-noise ratio for stereo line-out and 103dB SNR for line-in

Mice:

I saw you’re a claw gripper with big hands, the Endgame Gear XM1 is a gift from god. I’ve tried dozens of mice and for men with large hands it’s the best I’ve ever reviewed. I haven’t reviewed the Model D yet but your comments have pushed it to the top of my list for 2021. I agree with your comments about the Model O minus, it’s just too small for me. I also found the regular model O too small. Please check out my reviews, I’d love to hear your feedback.
https://www.reddit.com/r/MouseReview/comments/iphfnr/big_hands_review_endgame_gear_xm1_vs_m65_elite/

Mouse Pad:

Great advice in your guide, love the X-raypad suggestion, I’ve tested 7 mousepads with over a dozen different mice and the Aqua Control Plus Strata is my favorite control pad. The Cooler Master MP510 is also incredible and I would rate it a close second place. It also has the advantage of being made of Cordura which is very durable, though some people find it can irritate their skin initially. Both X-raypad and Cooler Master MP510 provide excellent value in this category.

Keyboard:

More solid advice. I would definitely add the Periloot Caravel to your suggestions. It has different switch types for certain buttons and has made a big difference in my gaming performance. It has doubleshot pbt keycaps. It’s technically a keypad though which obviously has it’s downsides (Need a secondary keyboard). https://periloot.com/

Monitors:

The Asus VG279QM and VG259QM (280hz) are IPS 1080P and have impossibly low input lag. I’ve had one for almost a year and it’s a gaming monster. They are also shockingly affordable ($400 for the 27 and $330 for the 25). I also own a 4k OLED from LG and a IPS 1440P 144hz monitor, they all have their use but for competitive advantage the 280 hz is pretty amazing.

Best monitor review site in the world: TFTcentral really are second to none. I would add a link to them in your guide if I were you.

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@Colin_Pastuch I am new to the Audiophile scene, but I was semi-pro CS and played it for years and years, now I only play Warzone and Apex most of the time.

These games are not nearly as linear as CS but I don’t think a massive soundstage is needed/beneficial either. In fact, having a closer soundstage will make focus more on the directionality of sound, rather than the “depth” of the sound.

Imaging is far more important, and any of the headphones that are recommended here will have an-above average sound imaging.

The problem that I have is that you reach diminishing returns pretty quickly. Does it make sense to spend 1000 dollars for a bit better imaging? You can pinpoint the direction of a sound with something cheap like some cloud ii.

You want the absolute best? objectively, nothing has more combined imaging+soundstage than the HD800s

Following that line you have AKG K702, HiFi Sundaras, the Ananda. Again purely based on some sort of measured imaging and soundstage, I try to avoid any “opinions” and “preferences”, when it comes down to gaming there are no opinions, you want the best imaging possible, decent soundstage (doesn’t have to be massive), neutral to recessed bass so it doesn’t mask important details like footsteps or someone reloading in the next room and for that you need your high mids and treble boosted so you get all that detail cristal clear.

If you asked me, anything beyond an HD58x is a waste of money for purely competitive gaming. The HD 58x cost double what an SHP9500 cost, and it won’t make you two times a better player. You need to ask yourself where is the limit of what you call value, the limit of what makes sense (for me that limit is just shy of diminishing returns), and if you want the absolute best even if it doesn’t make sense (that is 2% more performance for 400% the price) that is well beyond the point of diminishing returns.

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I agree wholeheartedly with your points regarding price to performance. There is an additional challenge in that I live in Canada. Our pricing options are wildly different from the US. I just ordered Orbit S from Hyper X for $300 CAD with free shipping and no questions asked returns, that’s only $235 USD. It’s literally impossible to get a Planar driver from any other company for that amount of money in Canada right now.

I actually demoed AKG 702s over 10 years ago and they were the most comfortable cans I’ve ever tried. I absolutely loved them but couldn’t afford them at the time and they are 40% off right now at Amazon ($320 CAD), I may give them a go. Hifi Sundara, Ananda and HD58X all have insane shipping costs, duties and inflation because they are coming from the USA. Do I need a headphone amp for AKG 702s?

EDIT: I don’t think the Steelseries Arctis Pro deserves a spot on your list. They are not comfortable and the fit/finish don’t even compare to my old Sennheiser PC363D which cost half as much.

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@Colin_Pastuch The Arctis Pro are solid headsets in my opinion if you get them at a good price, their comfort is well regarded, the DAC with comes with is really good, you can EQ them to your heart’s content, imaging is well above average for competitive gaming, and soundstage is decent for a closed back, you don’t need an Amp. The only real complaint I would have about them is their price to performance.

I fully understand the regional issues, I live in the UK, so I can forget about getting anything from massdrop here too without paying import taxes + handling fees + etc, that makes the HD58x much more expensive than it really is, plus the issue that if it comes with defects, to return the item becomes a nightmare, it’s painful indeed.

You don’t need an amp to drive the K702 with the 1200 codec, unless you are a very loud listener that is. An audiophile will tell you that an Amp will make them sound better and “unleash their full potential” (whatever that means, I am not an audiophile)

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appreciate the kind words lol, I will have to give that list a look at a bit later as well. This list is definitely mid update, taking slightly longer since I am placing it all in a google.doc that way it makes it a bit easier for me to update and the site has character limits.

like the game one and pc37x it doesn’t have the best imaging nor is the soundstage a full circle so it can in some cases make things very complicated… it’s unfortunate as they are quite good as far as gaming is concerned… but an EQ isn’t going the fix the imaging and soundstage of the headphone itself.

I hate the Logitechs, I haven’t tried a single one that was remotely good as far as sound quality is concerned let alone good for competitive gaming… their imaging is usually garbage and the build quality is laughable to me. If your looking for gaming headsets… switch over to MH751 or 752 for the equalizer if that’s your thing… pc38x would work just not as good for music. Astro a40 I used for a little while… open back gaming headset with a rather decent staging and relatively decent imaging, not the best for sure but it’s alright.

“pro” or actually pro though? lol. No offense to any of the pros if any others wander here… but if your planning to take professional gaming serious and attend the venues, you shouldn’t be using an open back… common knowledge we use closed backs, albeit pretty bad closed backs outside of comfort, IEM of some sort or a combination of the two for full sound isolation. Using an open back despite this can completely screw you over in tournaments as you won’t be used to using closed backs which offer a different kind of sound and you will be more used to relying on the soundstage and imaging of the current setup…

something around middle ground soundstage works fine on that one… if you want to push it to the maximum though anything with the larger staging or above large, just definitely want to make sure that imaging is as accurate as possible. Now, Warzone definitely does not have the best sound engine, like at all, it has limitations compared to say Escape from Tarkov, CSGO, etc so it could make things a bit challenging or take time getting used to with the sound but overall should be just fine…

skip the orbit unless your planning on going a gaming headset it’s alright but since the Penrose came out, I have since removed that one from my guide, debating on whether to keep it I need to sit back down with it. 1990 is just absolute 100% overkill for cod, totally not needed you could do just fine with just the DT 880 and still almost max out cod’s sound engine capabilities… I would suggest if your going into beyers… start with the 880 or Tygr300r if you prefer the fully open back route… step up from the 880 would indeed be something like 1990 or T1.2(mainly T1.2 in my opinion) and tygr doesn’t yet have a true upgrade route, looking into a potential other headphone called Zeus that may very well be considered a step up not sure yet.

990… well, it was my first audiophile set of cans but it has 3 drawbacks. One is that the bass can get in the way at times… it you use peace though this shouldn’t be an issue at all, secondly the treble can be a total nightmare for some people the potential for sibilance is massive on that though it’s used by professionals and streamers alike for a good reason considering how it works. Third, like a lot of headphones on this, the beyers require an amp and dac to be ran… in 990 and 880s case if possible should be in their 600 ohm “edition” variant for the best sound and in 990s case not so many issues with the treble. If you are okay with this and are feeling like testing out a 990, suggest you grab the liquid spark with something like the sparks dac or like a topping D10 or E30, maybe a donald dac but this is a bit much as it may make it a touch brighter.

short answer, more than likely yes. Long answer, depends on the electrical load and requirement of the headphone itself. If it was something like a 58x jubilee than likely not and orbit has built in amps in the earcups but I definitely don’t rate that above the others on the list, which is why I should have separated the gaming headsets… working on that. You don’t need to spend an arm and a leg to get an amp and dac really… something as simple as the soundblaster g6 will work fine at driving even the 600 ohm beyers you just won’t get that “audiophile” sound quality. Looking to spend between… I want to say $90 - $200 tops for the entry level amp and dac… but really if it’s just gaming you don’t need to worry about upgrades later down the line less your wanting better sound quality or maybe more spatial recreation on the staging, which that would probably just be asgard 3 in all honesty a $200 amp not needed.

I will check it out when I get a chance, thanks for that. Yeah, I definitely like the model D due to the curve on it… it fits my hand a bit better granted yeah, it could be a little bigger if a mouse is too big well that should be a no brainer it comes with some added weight.

I honestly have not been able to find a better mousepad outside of my x-raypad so I am more than happy with mine… quite a bit pricey but to me definitely worth while.

will give it a look, I am currently looking towards GMMK pro to see how it’s going to perform when they release it… as I want to be able to customize my keyboard a bit more freely. as much as I like fast reaction and small actuations I would prefer my keyboard to be quiet as well. APEX pro over there may be fast as hell but it’s quite loud and I really am not a fan of Corsair’s boards.

I mean, if I remember right the one I was using was a 3ms response and 49 inch curve… I use odyssey g9 now with 1 ms response, better curve, better resolutions, 240 refresh, everything I could work just very very expensive.

I agree and yet disagree with this. Agree that you do not need a large soundstage for CS or Cod at all, however closer soundstage doesn’t mean necessarily better imaging and directionality.

eh, for the most part… needs edits and some removed.

would never recommend a cloud II over a mh751 or quite a few others… this guide has price brackets for that very reason and is one of the reasons I even state… pointless to spend above a certain price bracket due to those diminishing returns… It definitely depends which game you plan to play.

No, just don’t buy this one… I don’t know how many times I get questions about this headphone… there is practically no game outside Tarkov that can use that headphones soundstage as it’s the largest on the market… and yes it’s imaging is very good but I wouldn’t call it the best. At the same time, it’s very very bright and quite peaky… it’s more of a one trick pony. I would take Hifiman Arya any day over that headphone as despite the smaller stage(not by too much) it sounds a hell of a lot better and performs better to my ear.

702 has imaging issues, sundara and ananda are great but have qc issues… however they are a solid alternative to the beyers but relatively boring in terms of bass.

pretty sure I said this… yes…

tell that to someone who plays escape from Tarkov and they more than likely will laugh at you. 58x is great for some but in larger games like battlefield, arma, planetside, tarkov, etc it’s lack of soundstage and in some cases imaging is rather apparent.

better headphones will help but not make you a god no

it’s alright, albeit a bit questionable in some cases… good for a budget planar.

702 are very comfortable, very large staging, good imaging but some inaccuracies here and there… nothing big but work very well.

with your current audio codec… I don’t believe so… 702 is more demanding on it’s sensitivity than the impedance number but they aren’t too bad. worth a shot

^ title, update in progress.

completely, 100% disagreed.

it can bass bloat and too much causes the drivers to literally shake… other than that yeah, eq is fine.

okay so, this just depends… some headphones actually will sound a hell of a lot better with amps and in some cases really need higher grade amp equipment to sound their best… T1.2, the headphone I use for my own competitives, is one of those. Amps and dacs can change the sound, make it more transparent, give it better imaging(or what it’s supposed to be to be fair), open it up so you can use all of the soundstage, add warmth, better mids, etc etc. Take liquid spark for example… this is an amp that adds tones of warmth(bass and lower mids) and adds some roll off to the treble(this is good if you have a peakier treble as it can help deal with potential pesky sibilance issues in some cases)

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Thanks for all your advice, will try the DT880 if the Orbit S disappoints. I’d rather buy a gaming headset as opposed to having to buy a headphone, amp and modmic. I just spent a lot more time with the Steelseries, they are really disappointing, very uncomfortable. I know the sound engine in Warzone is terrible but even still I’m not hearing people run up on me. I guess the value of the little steel series amp is nice if you don’t have a PC with Peace but to me it seems like a useless extra feature. I don’t understand the recommendation to consider the Penrose. Shipped to Canada it’s about $450 USD, which makes it literally twice as expensive as the Orbit S and I seriously doubt it’s double the performance. Audeze is a terrible value brand in Canada, the duties are insane based on what I’ve seen on reddit.

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Penrose is just the mobius(wireless orbit) but ya know… actually not crap lol. Mobius had a ton of issues like bad wireless latency

Well headsets let me think… pc38x is definitely the champ for the open backs astro following… closed back that would be a toss between mmx300 and mh752. Tygr does have its mic bundle though if that’s your thing… and you can also get a modded tygr or dt 770/880/990 with a 3.5mm detach cable so you can plug a mic v moda boom pro into it

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So your advice would be PC38X over the Orbit S for Warzone? They are around $250 CAD shipped. It’s just odd to me because they seem so similar to my PC363D but I guess different drivers and such.

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As they should, 363d is the game series which became game zero and game one. Afterwards massdrop created pc37x a "better version to game one. 38x is their newest revision of it but now it uses the gsp 500 drivers.

Orbit I’d say only if you want a wired planar gaming headset… kinda fills that niche just like penrose fills the low latency bluetooth gaming headset niche

I like orbit because it sounds better for music and planars have some nice qualities. But in terms of stage and imaging? 38x definitely beats it out…

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@Colin_Pastuch there is something that has been mentioned before many times (@Falenkor just mentioned it too) , not only here, but in other many places regarding the audio engine on warzone.

If you play something like Apex legends with the same headphones, you’ll notice there is a massive difference when it comes down to audio rendering. I tested it yesterday with a ATV in warzone. The sound coming from the ATV engine suddenly appeared out of nowhere as I came close to it (I was testing my new SHP9500). There is a very inconsistent distance scaling and directionality in warzone.

It is really well explained in this article.

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it’s like this in most of the cod games actually but because warzone is a larger game it appears to be more noticeable.

all fps have some sort of limitations or issues regarding the sound placements and engine itself. Tarkov has the best engine of the bunch though

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I found cod interacts with audio weirdly I think it’s because they have so much software backing up their audio that it gets really fucked up with a massive map like warzone. It sounds great with normal modern warfare especially with planar’s. But with a huge map the interactions probably get real fucked. Where if they just used a generic sound engine like siege, or apex and just relied purely on sound design I’m sure it would probably end up better for the gamemode

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The sound in Warzone is utter trash. The directional audio is not good at all.

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Hey there, ive been using the hd 599 SE for close to a month now and my ears hurt after using them for more than an hour, not sure if its the earpads or what. I was wondering if there were any good options for wireless headphones this is for competitive fps games such as valorant and Warzone. You suggested the hd 58x but I havent bought them just yet. The budget is 150-200 USD

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I would recommend trying to really pinpoint what it is causing your discomfort. The pads are a bit on the shallow side so that could do it, head clamp could also do this, your ears could also be rubbing on the driver. Knowing the problem can help you prevent this issue from happening in the future

Does it have to be wireless? Going wireless is going to limit you back to maybe only a select small 2% of the market of headphones… not many headphones are even good for gaming when they are wireless and even then, in your price bracket you set as a budget? that just isn’t happening outside of gaming headsets. The cheapest ones that come to mind, that are ya know… actually worth using, are the new Penrose, hifiman Deva, and Drop Panda but with deva and panda you need an amp that offers the low latency… which is going to drag that price way the hell out of your budget

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I think it can be fixed with thicker earpads, I tried looking but all I found were pretty much the same earpads that came stock. My ears rub on the driver sometimes.

It doesnt have to be, But Im trying to look at all my options here.

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Hi all,

Total newbie to the wonderful world of better audio.
After reading through (too) many forums and threads I came to the conclusion that this seems to be the best place to get some competent advice.

Being a total beginner please bare with me as english is not my mothertongue and I cannot yet explain the differences in perceived sound as well as many of you here but i promise to do my best and improve over time.

Also sorry for the wall of text.

As an avid gamer (competitive, progress in MMO’s and casual for the rest) but also music lover (everything really, but mostly Rock and Metal, also play some guitar ) i recently came to realize that i spent the last decades losing out on so much good audio because i fell in the headset marketing trap.

After my wife told me that a commun friend of ours was getting a new headset (MMX 300) and my Siberia 800 falling apart, i suddenly began researching and a whole new world opened up in front of my eyes/ears and like so many i am now stuck with too much choice and oppinions.

At first MMX 300 looked to be end all be all but I don’t need anything with a microphone as I am already using a blue yeti which performes wonderfully for my usage plus they are closed back.

I then plugged in the Sony MDR-7506 I use on my guitar amp and to my surprise alltough explosions and generally bassy sounds where not so much in your face as i was used from the Siberia 800 everything else suddenly became so clear and precise.

Needles to say, the itch was planted and was beginning to scratch.

I wanted to test out different sounds and find out what kind of sound shape I like and began ordering different cans.

Tested and incoming Headphones/sets

All the Massdrop stuff not available in Europe so not an option

Sony MDR-7506, Game One, HD 300Pro, HD 560s, Tygr 300R Bundle

Incoming: DT880 Pro and DT990 Pro both 250 Ohm

AMP/DAC

All the Shiits not available on the EU Store.
Liquid spark , JDS Atom not available either through Amazon or else in Europe.
JDS Element 2 = available on Amazon and i love the looks of it but i keep that as an option for once i know what i want as it is another pricetag.

Tried the E10K but it was too small on my desk making it difficult to use as main volume control so for now i settled on the next best a Fiio 5K Pro.

Open or closed back

I Have a 19 month old daughter and it is very important for me to be able to hear what is going on in the house around me.

The Siberia’s allthough being closed back it was never an issue to hear myself talking but after experiencing what soundstage means i really don’t want to go back to closed back.

Impression of the different Cans so far

Sony MDR-7506

My guitar amp cans. They are made for analytical studio work with to my ears a little bright sound with no real bass especially compared to the Siberia but already a big step up and they make me feel stupid for not trying them in my PC long before.

The pair is not meant to be used for prolonged time on pc games and the comfort is not there in the long run, plus they are closed back so soundstage is definitely missing. Imaging seems to be plenty good as i could accurately tell where footsteps were coming from in games.

HD 300Pro

I got these from my guitar-music shop for testing and allthough they are quite comfortable at first, after 30 minutes I get a slight headache because of pressure building up as they really shut of everything.

Soundwise I feel them as to warm and a touch too intimate and being closed back are not an option anyway.

Already returned them

Game One

Very uncomfortable even after stretching a bit and generally the sound compared to the HD560s and the TYGR seemed hollow and thin.

For pure competitive gaming I understand why people like them as footsteps etc were easy to place but they also didn’t do the job better then the HD 560s and TYGR and didn’t sound good to me in general much less in music.

Already returned them.

HD 560s

Got this pair after letting reviewers get the best of me and alltough for Sennheisers they are already more comfortable (after stretching on their box for 2 days) everytime i put them on at first they feel out of place but get better the longer i wear them.

Soundwise a big step up compared to the MDR, Game One and HD300 Pro and…

everything is so clear and precise (more then on the TYGR’s) the bass is enough for my taste but the big thing is the soundstage, after trying the TYGR i just miss a little bit more of it allthough i could live with it.

As my wife put it when comparing them to the TYGR:

the HD560s feel like you sit with the singer in the same room and the TYGR feel like you listen to the singer in a concert hall.

Actually that is exactly how many people describe both of these headphones and i’m happy my ear is telling me the same story.

TYGR 300R Bundle

I bought the bundle new from Amazon as the only way to get my hands on a pair and i really dislike the mic. It looks nice but the absence of a propper gain control apart from high-low is just a no go, low gain is too low, high gain too high…I prefer by far my blue yeti which is not the best either but one of the best in that price range especially at is simple to use.
Also i don’t think my pair was new, as the box was already quite beaten up and although they have no clamp whatsoever compared to Sennheisers, they just feel used to me and I would certainly send them back and try and get just the headphones from Beyer directly

They are by far the most comfortable right out of the box and obviously they sound great.

Not as bassy or warm as the HD 300Pro but well more bassy or should I say fuller then the HD560s and the soundstage is much bigger in my opinion as well.

As many people already stated actually a very good package and if it weren’t for that stupid bundle I guess my decision could have been made.

In terms of imaging or in my case footstep precision i have the feeling that they are slightly better then the HD560s but on the other side miss alittle of that clarity.Also sometimes i feel like i have to raise the volume higher on the TYGR to hear different sounds.

Sometimes i have the feeling as if the bass on the TYGR is just a tad too much thus becoming a little muffled making other sounds less pronounced maybe?

Basically TYGR comfort and soundstage and HD560s clarity and i guess i would be happy which brings us to the next step.

Knowing that both the DT880 and DT990 are on their way i really look very much forward to trying them as i have the feeling that maybe they could fit the bill perfectly and this is also where I could use your competent and more experienced oppinions as I’m trying to figure out what kind of audioshape fits me best.

After writing all this down it became clear to me that I seem to be a person that is not overly sensible to highs/treble and enjoys a detailed bass but not too much as basically I seem to be looking for clear and precise sounds both in gaming and music.

Also i plan on keeping 2 pairs to have the option of a slightly different sound when i feel like it but definitely plan on upgrading once I find out what I really like which is also the reason why i don’t see the point on going higher in the foodchain as of now.

That’s it and sorry again for the long text. I didn’t mean to write so much when I began but I am deeply grateful for any knowledge you may have for me.

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in order to get proper low latency wireless on headphones you would need something that supports low latency… something like btr3k with the aptx low latency connection… even then, the headphones of choice will be outside of your budget. You will be stuck with gaming headsets otherwise which none of those I really recommend as to be quite honest none of them are really worth the time of day for competitive gaming. The only two that come to mind are hyperx Flight but this is bassy as hell and the other is MH670 which is a wireless more “fun” variant of mh751.

If I recall correctly dekoni sells some thicker pads… but yeah most of them are going to be pretty much the same.

may be best idea to just change the headphone… Contend with the idea of something like k702(k712 if you want a more balanced slightly more fun signature these need to be found used otherwise price is stupid), AD700X is super budget but works fine… comfort is questionable on the headband, Tygr 300R is superb in all respects, and of course then you have the regular beyer DT series. In most cases though if you don’t have an amp your going to need one

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mmx300 is just a redone up variant of the DT 770 with a microphone on it… if you really enjoyed the mmx300 get a 770.

I wouldn’t call 7506 particularly precise but it is a nice headphone… the 7506 is tuned quite heavily towards a more “fun” value not so much for picking out fine details in a fps so to speak.

in order.
nope
not worth it over headphones but is fine for most games
nope
it’s alright… reference grade some brightness good if you want a sennheiser for gaming and can’t get 58x
Don’t need the bundle… get tygr directly from beyerdynamic on it’s own. Tygr is fantastic for competitive

if you don’t have an amp, you need one. both do very well… but are needy on that power. Be wary of 990… it’s treble is quite peaky

depends on your budget here and how much of an audiophile you see yourself as. If monoprice and schiit aren’t available, JDS will work fine but I would more than likely say the atom over the element just my opinion on it others would just be the toppings which would be L30+E30 stack(be wary of this right now they are having some issues with some L30)

E10k would work for some headphones but anything 250 ohm and over it won’t work well. Fiio K5 Pro is another option.

Another option if available, it should be I believe they are based in the UK, is Ifi Zen Dac + Ifi Zen Can. Since your a rock kind of guy I take it you like your bass… so this may be a good option for you considering the bass button and treble button. Keep in mind you will need RCA cables to connect an amp and dac, in zen dac and can’s case it would be better to be a 4.4 balanced pentaconn cable to connect the two so you get the best sound from them. Sometimes amazon will have this kind of cable otherwise you will have to search around a bit.

stick with open back then.

odd… there should be plenty of bass on those… curious if you have them powered completely or not in that regard… heres the FR image you can definitely see that the bass is emphasized with the treble

if you mean imaging, that’s rather odd… I have both of those two and I definitely don’t hear that in my setup… tygr’s imaging is absolute laser accurate… it could be due to the added treble on the Hd560s that you perceive it this way which is fine… I honestly wish tygrs were a bit brighter due to that reasoning.

it should for the most part be that way… tygr has recessions in the mid vocals and sennheisers are known for their mids being increased. Beyers just tend to have crazy large soundstage paired to very accurate imaging.

this is unfortunate, and I would contact amazon about that one as that sounds like just bad luck. They should have a little bit of clamp… if they were used it could have been that they were stretched out. Granted there isn’t a lot of clamp but there is enough.

tygrs just have stupid marketing. I am not even sure what the hell beyer is thinking with that one… tygrs are fantastic but locked behind a stupid bundle wall yet the fox mic is absolute trash imo. You’d have to get one through third party or through beyer directly if possible

if you like the soundstage and imaging of the tygr… but appreciate the increased highs of the 560. Sit down with the DT 990. The Tygr 300R is the DT 990 but reformed to make it more of a warm sounding headphone… 990 is naturally V signatured which is why tygr has some slight V signature traits to it. 990 still has that same staging and imaging but with much more clarity, detail, and clean present sound while tygr has that deep more full and rich sound to it. 880s could also be a good option but they lose out on the soundstage and imaging due to semi open

the muffled sound is primarily due to the recessions throughout the signature and the extra warmth from the headphone. You get this kind of sound typically out of darker headphones or those that have a treble falling under neutral… which for the most case tygrs treble does drop below the neutrality line other than it’s peak which is where you hear those bright tones. The mids also have a bit of recession to them as well… only the bass is primarily emphasized but not too much that it should get in the way at all in fps.

^ this, yeah it should be fine. Just absolutely make sure you have an amp… trying the beyers without an amp to drive them is not at all going to give you the sound they can provide especially in the higher ohm beyers

306

So ill scrap the idea of getting a wireless headphone,

If I get the dt 770 pro, do you know of good not so expensive amps that work well. Also is the hd 58xx a good option? Im leaning more towards open back headphones