I want something that sounds good for all genres of music and for Pc gaming. I mostly listen to metal and classic rock though. I’m also probably going to get my first headphone Amp and DAC. My setup right now isn’t the best. I’m just using Audio Technica M50x’s plugged into the front panel headphone port on my pc.
Would the Schiit Gungnir and Monoprice THX 887 be a good combo? I was considering the RME ADI-2 that Z reviews did a review on. But I don’t want to mess with EQs and different settings. It looks kinda complicated and I want my setup to be simple.
Can’t speak to any of the gear mentioned from experience, but that is quite a leap if you haven’t already done some exploration to really figure out what your preferences are.
Also, welcome to HFGF!
What is your budget, and what would you change about the M50x sound, comfort, etc.?
Thanks! The only reason I’m willing to spend that much on headphones is because I want headphones I will be happy with for awhile. Without feeling the need to upgrade.
I’ve never had a problem with the M50x’s. They sound great to me for the price and are really comfortable.
I don’t really know enough about audio to describe what kinda sound I’m looking for too in depth. But mostly better sound stage and Clarity that sounds great for the two main genres I listen to. Plus headphones that sounds great for gaming where I can distinguish what direction footsteps are coming from. For games like Modern warfare and battlefield. Which I’m pretty sure is sound stage?
So, a big mistake I see people trying to make in this area, especially for gamers, is that they think that by going to one of the most expensive models will make them feel as though they don’t need to upgrade or this is the “best” they can get. Price will not govern how much you appreciate that headphone and in this hobby you tend to be tempted to try different headphones. However, lets go ahead and answer our question of are the arya’s good for gaming? Yes, they are a neutral bright headphone with a very wide sound and a hell of a lot of detail however you can gain good sound in that sound signature from anandas, sundaras, dt 880s, among a vast majority of other cheaper ended headphones. M50x isn’t particular a good standard for headphones just in general I fully believe the m40x blows them out of the water once you swithc their pads. I will highly recommend you take it down just a notch and look towards budget friendlier options as you can place that lump some towards a really amazing setup such as speakers for your pc, new pc parts, games, etc.
Yes, though I would switch out the 887 with schiit jot, but again I would highly advise against going full tilt. Audiophile as a hobby is a bit of a journey jumping to the very end you will never know if perhaps you could’ve taken a different route that proved not only better but more budget friendly.
As someone new to headphones this is even more reason to perhaps take a step back. If you are looking for headphones more tuned to competitive games please check out my write up over here (update in progress) Falenkor's Competitive Headphone Write Up. Now with added Hardware explanations! - #39 by Falenkor this will explain the sound you would be most ideally looking for in competitives and why alongside multiple guides amp/dac recomendations that are budget friendly mouse explainations monitor explainations etc
I will definitely check out your guide and see if there’s any other headphones I might be interested in. I know you advised against going straight for the Aryas. But I already have great active speakers. The Edifier S3000 pros. a great gaming pc with really high end components. Plus I definitely have the budget for the Aryas and if I don’t like them I can always return them.
Why do you recommend the Schiit Jotunheim over the THX 887? It’s pretty much the same as the THX 789 and Z reviews described that as an “end game” amp because of how good it sounds.
thx amps tend to suck all the life out of the sound and make them sound boring and flat. I like the schiit because they add more in terms of detail and are more well rounded in my experience.
It’s not so much the point of budget as much as there’s hundreds of other headphones that could suit you just fine. If you are considering arya for example don’t forget theres also hd 800S over there which is just as good if not better in some cases for competitives. There’s a limit to how far games are taken and your not sitting there picking out every single detail in a games sound as much as you do music. Go with the arya if you feel it’s worth it to you but I personally recommend against a jump going to the very top of the line. There is no “end game” in this hobby at all. There’s those that are good and potentially gold standard for sure but in this hobby even for zeos everyone’s statements are completely subjective and based on their own opinion. I could sit and tell you no, take the Topping A90 instead as I fully believe this to be better than what you listed for example
The THX amps have been discussed at length here, you can search the various threads. It isn’t as loved here as on many boards, personally Im not a fan.
I own a Jot and it wouldn’t be my first choice at the price point.
I also own a Gungnir, and for most people I don’t think the inconvenience of the extra size, less than ideal SE outputs and additional cost justify it over a Bifrost2.
There are a lot of options that are a significant step up from a M50x (yes I own them), It’s hard to recommend things without an understanding of what you are looking for.
lol I probably could have thrown a much better amp in there instead of a jot. Still, I really just don’t like thx amps.
Will second this one though as someone who owns the bifrost 2. Love this dac. though I think its better for someone more interested in music youd do just fine with something like… hell I wanna say an E30.
“Plus headphones that sounds great for gaming where I can distinguish what direction footsteps are coming from. For games like Modern warfare and battlefield.” When you bring footsteps into the sound it places certain limitations on the bass and fps into the field and you mention battlefield that means you want a large soundstage. However, that’s about all I got out of his potential preferences in sound.
I would assume something more mid centric with neutral bass or neutral bright in this case of which hes technically spot on with asking about the arya… The arya and HD800s are ludicrous pricing for a gamer but they are very ideal in competitive games.
I mean if you say so. It’s hard to judge what someone wants in sound when they themselves don’t really know either lol. I could only go off what it looks like considering what hes using it for, games that hes playing, and he mentioned stuff like the fps sounds
Kinda surprised that not many people like THX amps here. All the reviews I’ve seen for them are positive. I don’t know what kinda sound I’m looking for really. Because I don’t know enough about audio related things. All I know is that I
want headphones with a wide soundstage for gaming and will sound great for listening to Metal and classic rock. I also want them to sound good when I listen to my records because I’m going to connect my Pro-ject Tube box DS2 to the headphone amp I decide on.
Which apparently the Aryas and Hd800s headphones are ideal for. The only reason I don’t want the hd800s headphones is because you have to use an EQ to get them sounding good. At least that’s what the review I watched by Brandon Taylor said on youtube.
If you think the the Bifrost 2 would be a better choice for me than the I will go with that instead.
What would you recommend for a headphone amp over the Jotunheim?
I don’t own either the Arya’s, or the HD800s, neither is appealing to me, but that’s part of the whole audio thing, lots of choices for various tastes.
At that price I’d go ZMF/Focal Clear/T1.2/Audeze/…
Amp wise depends a bit on the headphones, and overall feel, how important games are vs Music. I’m a big fan of tubes on my ZMF cans, so if I saved a couple of hundred buying the Bifrost2 over the Gungnir, I’d spend it and get a Haggerman Tuba, or SW51, or Liquid Platinum.
If you went with one of the lower impedance headphones, the answer would be different Asgard 3/ RNHP/Liquid Platinum/Lake People/Gilmore Light/…
I’ll be honest I play games, but I don’t pretend to be competitive, I generally use either what I’m listening to, ZMF Verite or ZMF Aeolus, If it’s a long session I’ll use my AKG K7XX because they are incredibly light and comfortable. I’d never buy a headphone optimized for games use, simply because it’s of no value to me. YMMV.
One of the reasons people warn others from jumping in at the deep end is there are a lot of different sounds and preferences. You’d get a huge jump up from where you are with say a Donald DAC or E30 -> Liquid Spark -> Focal Elex or similar, but you might prefer Beyers to the Focals or Sennheiser or …
I’m not a huge proponent to wallowing around in the mediocre gear categories for extended periods you’d be better off with one $1000 headphone than 5 x $200 headphones, but that presupposes you know what you like/want.
I already have a tube phono preamp for when I listen to records. That I do plan on connecting to my headphone amp once I decide on one. So I don’t think I would need a tube headphone amp to get a warm sound.
If you think it’s better to spend a lot on one really good pair of headphones instead of sticking with a lot of cheaper ones. Do you think I should just try out the Hifiman Aryas and see if I like them? If not I could return them. Amazon has a really good return policy.
There’s no real harm in trying, but IME living with something is different than being immediately impressed by it so be careful.
My point was more you need enough experience to have confidence in buying something you will like at the higher end. You can use cheaper gear as a stepping point to get that understanding.
You’ll at least need a DAC and AMP if you are going to try the Arya’s out, and with headphones at that price point, I’d come in above the entry level with the electronics.
Used is also always a good option at the price points your looking, it’s a good way to try and move on if it’s not for you with usually minimal loss.
Yes. There’s headphones.com also with their 365-day return policy. However, I don’t know how their service is during this pandemic. Amazon is a known quantity. Be sure to read up on the return policy since sometimes third-party sellers have their own that may be different from Amazon’s return policy.
I guess I should have more experience to decide on headphones this expensive. But I’m just going to assume I will like them because the reviews on Amazon say they sound great for Metal/classic rock and gaming.
Is the Schiit Bifrost 2 considered above entry level?
I know a lot of people here don’t like the THX amps. But maybe I’ll give them a try. The reviews by Z reviews and Joshua Valour on youtube on them are positive.
Unless you are spending silly money on DAC’s and everything else yes.
I would consider it the step up from entry level, and for a lot of people potentially end game.
I have one on my secondary system, and as a point of reference, my main listening system has a $3000+ lampizator DAC.
Other options at the same price point, one of the Soekris DAC’s or the Denafrips Aries.
OK my opinions on the THX amps, they are fine for what they are, but the big selling point is tons of clean power at a reasonable price, almost no one needs 8W of anything for a headphone and they are actually pretty anemic single ended into high impedance headphones. Your better off with any of the respected $100 entry level amps.
My issue with the THX amps is the quantity of hype behind them that pushes a $300 amp that’s comparable to $100 amps on people that don’t need the power.
I’m not going to bad mouth reviewers, but I wouldn’t personally go to either of those to for a definitive understanding of a piece of equipment.
But again these are my opinions, lots of people seem to like their THX amps, but I have 9 sub $1000 Headphone amps sitting on my desk and I’d take all of them over a THX amp, even the ones that retail for less.
Aren’t they the two main Audio related reviewers on YouTube?
I’m getting so many mixed opinions on things that I don’t know what to get for the amp. I don’t want to get a 400$ THX if I can get a comparable one for 100$.
But at this point I’m sorta willing to do it because there’s not a single bad review on the THX 887 on Monoprices website. Maybe I’ll consider trying out the liquid platinum amp you mentioned too eventually as a second amp to use.
Do you think I would personally be happy with something like the THX 887? I mean really anything is a huge upgrade coming from M50x’s connected to the front panel of my pc using on board audio. Right?
What kind of gaming do you do and what do you want to get out the headphones? Like if you play competitive games like CS:GO/Valorant/Overwatch where positional awareness is important, you might want a different headphone than if you were playing single player games just for fun.
I will say as a competitive gamer that hit top 500 in Overwatch with a lot of hours in most other competitive FPS games, having an exceptional headphone for competitive gaming like the HD800s won’t make you a better player versus if you got a solid headphone. I personally use high end IEMs or my HD650 for gaming which don’t have a huge sound stage, but I get good positional audio with it. Even with the not as expansive sound stage with the HD650, I still know where everyone is coming from.