I did a quick search and did not see the 5xx mentioned yet. Is it competitive for gaming as well? I’d like to not drop Sundara price if I can help it and get a more natural oval shape as well.
Works fine. Sounds just like my devas which work quite well granted I’d say sundara wins in that regard
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Thanks for the speedy reply man! I was curious as I wanted a planar again and one that can wear 2 hats is always better than 1. Would you say the Sundara has larger soundstage? Just curious as I also have closer SS cans atm. ie 95x and Nighthawk. Was looking for wider to add to the mix if I could get away cheap LOL.
They do sound large but sundara has that crazy air to its sound that just makes them sound huge. Sundara definitely wins on the staging. In terms of signatures they are pretty similar. Personally I like the comfort of 5xx more than sundara as sundara just feels heavier to me
I’d go a bit more in depth but not at my pc lol
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@Falenkor I just picked up an Asgard 3 and I’m about to order a Hifiman Ananda and a Focal Elex. From what I’ve read the imaging on Ananda and Elex aren’t that good for competitive gaming so I was going to pick up a DT880 600 ohm for CSGO and Valorant.
So, I was surprised to see both the Elex and Ananda on your list. Should I just skip the DT880 and use the Ananda or Elex instead?
I’m currently using the X2HR and the T40RP Mk3 for gaming, so all of the above will be an upgrade.
880 is good because at it’s budget it’s quite spectacular… a mid centric bright beyer with a ton of detail and wonderful vocals all while maintaining very good bass tonality… it’s one of those headphones that strikes above it’s pricepoint in a big way.
As far as Ananda and Elex… the elex is a strange one with a bubble like soundstage as when you listen to it… it tends to change how distant things can be. Nonetheless, the imaging on ELEX is just fine… I had zero issues with it… it will however be removed from this list accordingly in the updated version… I haven’t posted the updated variant due to sudden influx of work load.
Ananda on the other hand is just the step up from the Sundara, still very solid imaging alongside a very large soundstage makes it work just fine… nothing offensive or in the way of competitive and the added air is a nice bonus depending on the game.
In the case of CSGO and Valorant… csgo uses a very old sound engine as it is, so it really isn’t feasible to expect huge changes and developments from headphones outside of the typical imaging and staging changes… as for Valorant, it doesn’t have a particularly good sound engine but it’s also not a big battlefield kind of FPS so really any headphone with around average staging and strong imaging will work just fine. 880 may be fantastic but it also has some draw backs such as soundstage because it is a semi open back headphone it doesn’t have the biggest stage infact elex and ananda, especially ananda, have better staging meanwhile I would say it’s a close call on the imaging as beyerdynamic headphones seem to have this trend of extremely good imaging.
Personally speaking, you really don’t need anything over $400 for gaming as far as headphones are concerned… you really should only be going to ananda, elex, DT 1990, etc etc if music and casual gaming is involved as you stand to gain much more in those areas than you will competitives where the sound engines are usually pretty bad
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Thanks for the detailed response, I’m getting the Ananda and the Elex for music. It sounds like I can safely skip the DT880 and use the Ananda instead. It seems like the Ananda will be a nice upgrade for comp gaming from my T40RP Mk3.
Both the fostex t series and x2hr are pretty poor for competitive gaming… both having far too much in the bass(not including pad swaps) that it clouds up the footsteps and neither having a bright emphasis for clear detail retrieval of the fps sounds. At the same time they are both what I would categorize as more “fun” headphones and aren’t the most laser accurate on their imaging. Ananda performs very well and elex practically fits anywhere except escape from tarkov. Elex being the more neutral of the two makes it suit multiple use cases while ananda will more than likely be the best out of all these in comparison in fps due to its bright signature large staging and fairly average to slightly above the average imaging
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Why not get a arya instead of a elex and ananda ? It will be better for gaming and music at the same time
Because arya is in a whole other price bracket and the next step above ananda… it’s also complete overkill and not needed for gaming.
I would think hes buying the two as complementing each other as they are of different signatures
At the same time, you really want a nice amp and dac to make arya sing…
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Hi there 
,
I’m the owner of a G6 “dac/amp” with a Game ZERO and I am considering buying either a DT 990 250 ohm, or a DT 990 600 ohm, then upgrading to a true amp. (i tried a 250 ohm friend’s one few months ago and loved the way it sounds )
Actually i m not sure that a 600 ohms can really decently sound well with my G6.
Can someone give me some information?
Tafio
sounds fine and has enough power but of course has to be on high gain with quite a bit on the volume knob. The 990 600 ohm sounds different to the 250 ohm.
that there is the difference between the two… the blue is the 250 ohms it is bassier and has a brighter peak, however in competitive gaming this much bass is a big issue. the 600 ohm has more controlled bass and smoother treble, everything is more refined… it boils down to preference between the two as they are quite different in how sharp that V shape signature is.
either way, g6 will power them fine… and g6 also has an equalizer in it’s software so you can tinker with it a bit…
Thank’s a lot for your detailed answer Falenkor, i’ll definitly go for a 600 ohms.
Can’t wait to enter a new world of sound.
Regards form France
Tafio
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anytime, as usual though feel free to drop by and leave your thoughts if things worked out… maybe theres something you feel needs an improvement or just other suggestions… take it easy and happy gaming
Was reading through your thread after I have been going back and forth on a few headphones. No secret I’ve been vocal on these forums that I have the GL2000 on order from drop. Trying to cancel but not looking good…so then I was thinking of switching to the Elex. Lately I’ve been seeing the Ananda’s popping up quite a bit in conversation as well. I’m basically looking for that 500-1000 (though 1k is too high tbh) for my next headphone. I thought the GL2k was going to be it but I’m thinking not so much. Hence my wanting to go for Elex.
I recently watched a Q&A from Josh V. on youtube talking about how the Elex doesn’t age well. So that’s concerning to me…then I saw you are removing it from your list.
So…I’m down to a few things - Listen to my Gl2K if/when I get them. Or go for one of the following: Elex, Ananda or Aeon Open X/RT. I’m planning on going balanced that is why I’m not looking at the dt1990’s. That and I’d really like to own a nice planar since I have the Zeus currently that I am loving. So another reason why I may stay away from the Elex.
Tough decision - and who the hell knows what else may pop up in the next month!
That was a really long way of asking you why you are choosing to remove the Elex? lol
So, to explain… compared to the cheaper alternatives and others in it’s price bracket I just don’t see it as worthwhile anymore. I sat with the Elex for quite some time as I am a fan of it’s sound for sure, but the more I sat with the other headphones also on this list the more I came to that realization… something as simple as tygr300r can give elex a lot of competition and yet they are vastly different in price point… this list goes off competitive of course and not so much the casual or music lovers view point… if it was for music I would hands down take elex in that regard.
Honestly, planars don’t seem to be the best on imaging but can be respectable enough in their own rights… Ananda is a step closer to Arya, which arya would be in this list if it wasn’t so insanely expensive. As far as GL2K goes, it’s not a bad headphone but it does have quite a bit I see wrong personally. It’s imaging is strangely shaped and not fully accurate, brightness is on the more uncontrolled side and spikes sibilant tones depending on the song or game, among other things… it needs extensive amounts of EQ to resolve the issues with it and even then the only way seems to be doing what Pokrog over there did with opening up the headphone which is dangerous for the headphone and highly unrecommended.
as far as comparing them… all 3 can work fine in competitive gaming… it just depends on the game. Personally if you needed that big of a soundstage the aeon would be in last place between the three with gl2k in first and ananda being the middle ground, if you wanted a controlled brighter sounding planar that would be ananda, cinema like spacious more relaxed sound would be gl2k, and the harman shape or subtle V yet relaxed sounding headphone over there is the aeons
Yeah the EQ thing bothers me quite a bit. I don’t plan or want to EQ something I pay a decent amount of money for. I know its controversial…but that’s how I feel. I probably put this question in the wrong thread but I didn’t want to create another thread just to ask. See I don’t really do competitive very much and when I do I don’t sweat it too much on how I do.
My audio for gaming these days is more on immersion even though I prefer open back to hear whats going on in my house. So yeah, something that sounds great for music and gaming which I know many higher end HP will do the job typically. Doesn’t seem to be much info out there on the Aeon RT version…just the Open X. Honestly the new Aeon 2 Noire has me interested though I believe it is closed or semi-closed by the description. I know the Aeon’s are touted as not needing as much to drive them though I gotta think using my balanced stack will do well with them.
Funny but the first reviewer I saw really love the RT’s was BadSeed. Wish he did more audio stuff still.
Aeon has had a rocky reputation… aeon flows were meh. Open x is the one that’s actually on my wall and very good and rt is a stronger v shape than open x but other than that they are the same.
Noir… haven’t tried it forgot it even existed lol.
Depends on the aeon… aeon 2 is easier to drive as it’s made portable. My own aeons honestly woke up big time once balanced through the liquid plat so they definitely respond to amps and dacs
Thought bad seed was open x?
Personally… I’d say try the gl2k if you cant cancel it… just see what you think. If no good then just try to find the aeon.
No worries.
Yes, BadSeed did the Open X. My brain was thinking the X but typed the RT, oops!
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Thanks for this excellent guide! I have a few questions about higher-end headphones that I would love to get your opinion on! I know that anything above $500-700 will not generally yield better results for competitive FPS gaming, but I am trying to find a good headphone for FPS gaming and general listening.
I used the HD650 with a JDS Atom Dac and Amp for a while, and recently purchased a Topping DX7 Pro and Sennheiser HD 800s. After hearing the HD800s it is difficult to go back to the HD650, they just sound so muffled, but I dislike the build quality of the HD800s. They do not feel cheap, but I do not like how they sit on my head. The 650s felt more comfortable to me because they were softer and clamped a bit harder.
90% of the time I play Apex Legends, but I also play Warzone, Tarkov etc…
So far the HD800s are a huge improvement in terms of detail and sound quality, but I feel as though footsteps are harder to pick out sometimes when there is a lot going on. Once I lock on to footsteps I can track them extremely well, but I feel as though I have to listen “through” the other sounds to find them if that makes sense. This might just be because I am not used to them yet.
I have really lost myself in this world of high end audio, and now I am determined to find solutions for all of my needs/preferences. I really would like to find a headphone that has a build better suited to me (Built like a tank, tighter clamp) but can perform very well for FPS gaming and also for music and general listening. I listen to a lot of Metal, Synthwave, EDM, Rap etc…I really love the detail of the HD800s and want to find something with similar detail and clarity, but a more comfortable build. I really like when the music is in your face, I have pretty severe ADHD so I do not sit and listen to music attentively. My focus will drift between things so I prefer a more direct, immersive sound.
I am wondering if I need two separate headphones for this, one for gaming and one for music. I am considering a DT1990 pro for Gaming and the Focal Clear for Music/General Listening. From what I have heard the Focal Clear would not be as good for gaming as the DT1990 Pro or the HD800s which is why I was considering using it in addition to the DT1990. But I also do not want to “downgrade” from the HD800s either. While I dislike the build quality I could probably get over it.
Was wondering if you had any recommendations based on your experience! Thanks!