Hey my friend is looking for a closed headphone that could compare to the NDH 20 at a lower price as I let him listen to my pair and he didnt want to give them back. He doesn’t have the budget for them so hes wondering is there anything that would suit his needs for around or under 300? He also is looking for really good soundstage and imaging in closed headphones as he plays games like csgo. Any help will be appreciated!
ndh 20’s wold not be very good fro gaming as they are very narrow sound stage wise thus not a lot of room for any imaging o occur. really good soundstage and imaging would bet the dt 770 for a close back. but a proper cheap alternative would be something very flat and narrow. these arent exactly perfectly flat but they are pretty flat take a look at the akg k553 or the audio technica msr7’s
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maybe shure srh 840 also fairly neutral very good form monitoring. probably the closest to the ndh 20 for under $200.
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Adam Audio SP 5 is nearly the same price
Ultrasone Signature DXP is a bit cheaper
both are very neutral
for a bit over 300- with updates on the pads and the balanced mod get the Argon III
or under 300
you won´t find someting better than DT 770 250Ohm with this soundstage and detail…
well build, all parts are easy replaceable, nice comfort, very good isolation and nice subbase.
Most people who don´t like The Beyer-Peak will tell you that the highs are to piercing -
but the most people did not try the 250 Ohm Version. Here you have quite good control over the sparkling highs.
+1 on the Shure SRH840’s. They can easily be found under $100 in the used market. Only complaint is the comfort and build is lacking. But at around $100, you’re not going to find a better sounding closed back headphones.
If he’s looking for gaming headphones, neither of these might be a good option. For under $300 you can get Argons. Closed back that are wide and have good sound stage is tough. Maybe also look into the Meze 99 series as well, but that’s a very different sound signature.
I would suggest having your friend look into a used pair of AKG K712. You could buy those for under $200 on r/AVExchange and then have some cash left over for a dac/amp if he doesn’t already have anything. Those headphones are the pinnacle of comfort which allow you to have them on for long gaming sessions. They have a fantastic soundstage and with a little EQ you can have the bass to where you would want it for shooters ,etc.
the k712 arent closed tho
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Oh, goodness me. I didn’t read your original posted question and was just going off the Title. I apologize!
Then to give you a valid suggestion, as Riceguru mentioned above, the AGK K533 would be a good alternative then since they are very flat headphone. Once again, they are very very comfortable and have a pretty wide soundstange for a closed-back. I got my wife those cans to use for work and she’s very happy with them.
“you won´t find someting better than DT 770 250Ohm with this soundstage and detail…
well build, all parts are easy replaceable, nice comfort, very good isolation and nice subbase.
Most people who don´t like The Beyer-Peak will tell you that the highs are to piercing -
but the most people did not try the 250 Ohm Version. Here you have quite good control over the sparkling highs.”
^^^ This a banging bargain 
while it’s great for price to performance their are headphones that meet his criteria better than the dt 770.the dt 770 while great for detail soundstage and imaging it is not at all a flat or neutral headphone.
i dont really think my friend wants full neutral headphones. he said he values soundstage and imaging more.
Agreed but and at this price point personal presences are massive, the DT770 will always be awesome and amazing sounding headphone to me $/£ wise but this will depend on your own listening preferences…
You could get a 770 and a cheap Valve amp?
you mean a tube?. nah much better value to grab something liek a jds labs atom the dt 770 and a topping d10 should be just little above a $300. but the dt 770 is one of the best soundstage and imagin for under $300 by far.
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Yep tube lol…but we agree about the DT770
What about Audio-Technica A1000Z? My buddy has the open back version and loves them for gaming. Attached cable is the only knock. They can be had under $300 in the used market.
What are your preferred pads for the DT770?? I would suggest pad rolling those babies immediately. (Not that the pads it comes with are bad)
but I still have the pads I used with them, Brainwavz perforated memory foam ones 