Really need help finding a decent pair of headphones.

[ciaron454]

Hello everyone!

I could really do with some help in purchasing a new pair of headphones! A bit of back story, I've never really been one into high end audio, but never really experienced anything of the likes. However over the recent years I've developed a desire for it all, my mothers boyfriend helped bring me into it by showing me his large collection of hifi equipment including names like Onkyo, Bower and Wilkins, Dynaudio and so on.

The unfortunate effect of this all has made me want to get myself a pair of decent headphones and up my game a bit. Personally, I've never really owned any audio devices of any value, in fact the most expensive audio purchase I personally made was a pair of Turle Beach P-21's which quickly broke on me but they were cheap as chips at the time. The most expensive pair of headphones I have listened to are a pair of Sennheiser HD5something, open ear ones, and I quite liked them.

And now I've been able to come into a monetary position that allows me to spend a nice amount on a new pair. So I will continue with some information that will be a little bit more useful.

My budget is ideally around £100, but happily willing to go up to £150, and if everyone thinks it's a good idea, I would go up to £250 providing it's something really special and I won't be able to get for such a price in a long time. Bang for buck is really the higher priority rather than price, I'd rather pay £150 for a £300 pair than £100 for a £150 pair.

I will mostly use them for gaming and listening to music, I'm an avid gamer but also have a great love of music. I mostly play action and atmospheric games like Battlefield 4, Planet Side 2, Diablo 3, Counter Strike, Dayz and so on, so what features that are great for that would be very helpful. As for my music taste, it mostly consists of heavier genres like bassy EDM (Glitch Hop, Electro and such) and various kinds of metal like Five Finger Death Punch, Slipknot, Alter Bridge, Atreyu, Bullet for my Valentine. So I do think a nice amount of clarity in sound but also significant bass would be nice. I want to be able to hear that guy behind me's footsteps, but also feel immersed into the game when epic moments in Battlefield and Planetside occur, with jets flying overhead and bullets whizzing past your head.

As for the setup I use, it'll be a mixture of my phone (HTC One) when doing stuff around the house, my computer with a sound card (And soon an amp to go with it.) and to plug into a bit of hifi I have next to my bed for just relaxing and listening to music or podcasts. I will never leave the house with these headphones as I have a pair of Soundmagic E10's for that which are good and also very replaceable and discrete, so looks and sound leakage are not a problem.

I can't think of anything else to add other than to say the pairs I'm currently considering are AKG 550's, V-Moda M100's and Klipsch Mode M40's. I really like the look of the V-moda's and Klipsch's, but because of the price drops, they weren't in the same price ranges that they are now so it's difficult to find comparisons between the three.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope you're able to offer some advices and opinions as I would like to order them ASAP as currently annoying the rest of the household with my use of speakers! Thanks!

 

[Ryanr1987]

The K550 are thin, have a medium sized soundstage but are quite detailed. You will hear footsteps quite well but the soundstage is not that great but it's good. The bass is quite deep but the impact isn't great either. I would say these proform decent but a closed headphone. Iit's a bit too thin for your music taste in my honest opinion but you could do a lot worse!

The M100 isn't very accurate for gaming and doesn't have the soundstage you are after. It's pretty much two speak stuck far in your ear with hardly any sense of space. In Dolby headphone mode this is improved slightly but it isn't great at all. Explosions are fun though and they are nice and clean in both stero and dolby. For music quite fun in the low end but lacking that musical feel in the mids and treble but overall warm, detailed and balanced.

My recommendations are

DT770

best position accuracy of any closed or open headphone for gaming. Huge stage in stereo and massive for dolby! the bass can get a bit strong at times masking some detail but EQ'd down it can be amazing for competitive gaming. For music also very good! very fun. musical, great mids and treble with big bass!

by the way this headphone has the biggest soundstage i've heard in a closed headphone in dolby headphone mode.

MA900

This is an open phone that is efficent. This is probably the best gaming headphone ever made imo! Huge stage in stereo and massive in Dolby! great accuracy and positional accuracy, detailed so footsteps will be heard just fine. Bass is impactful even though it's open. This phone is comfy!

If it has one flaw it's that for music they can be a bit too mellow but they are balanced.

AD700

Now with this headphone I wouldn't use it for music because anything regarding bass, it sucks. For gaming and hooked up to dolby, the soundstage just projects!! Seriously it sounds endless i've not heard anything like it. Detail is madness, with the lack of bass you hear EVERYTHING. The mids and clean and crystal with a nice tone. The treble is extended and detailed with a nice sparkle everything sounds great! it's just..Dat bass..you will hear explosions fine but you miss that impact but as a trade off you get the largest soundstage and the best detail! for gaming get them! for music if these had bass they would be awesome!

If you go for these spend another £60 and get the Skull candy aviator for music listening or HM5 which is £75. Then you will have the ultimate gaming phone and a good all rounder for music.

D600

Big stage in Dolby and stereo. Good imaging and accuracy but not great due to the bass. Amped very clean and open and it's fun due to the bass. These beat the M100 in both music and gaming and beat the DT770 in music but not for gaming. I'd get these for an all rounder but the DT770 is VERY close to quality to these! if you EQ the bass down these would be beastly in Dolby mode and good in stereo! Treble is detailed and exciting, mids a bit drawn back but detailed and clean with good seperation. Bass is gigantic amped!

I've been gaming and music listening for many years and there are so many that do excellent. I listed these because they are not that expensive and the MA900/AD700/DT770 squash even headphones that cost double the price for gaming.

I recommend the Mixamp(If you console gamer so you can game in Dolby but I noticed you listed PC games like Dayz so a good soundcard that does Dolby headphone will be good.

I love games like Dayz and found my AD700 paired great with them and so did my MA900 because it created that open space! I like hearing the detail in the wind or an owl hooting in the background and hearing things around me seriously these to ar that damn good. DTT70 for a closed phone was great too!

Other considerations

HD598

ATH900X

DT990

Q701 with annie pads

 

[Che1]

The Sennheiser Momentum over-ears are very well reviewed, but they're at the very limit of your budget. However, if you buy from one of Sennheiser's preferred dealers, you'll get a 5 year warranty when you register them, and I believe they have lots of replaceable parts, including cable, if they ever needed any. For me, that would be the real value for money (and an excellent pair of heaphones).

 

[Marsbardark]

Philips fidelio x1, as new on amazon for about 140. Beat all of the above with ease.

 

[Ryanr1987]

The X1 are actually excellent! I was going to mention those but forgot. They are phenominal but don't have the Soundstage and positional accuracy of the MA900. For music and gaming combo I recommend them they loose out the MA900,AD700 and DT770 overall for gaming. The bass is really the only thing that holds these back overall but it's also there best trait being an open headphone. If it had a wider soundstage and better positional accuracy from a tamer bass these would be the ultimate in home and gaming headphones.

 

[Marsbardark]

The X1 are actually excellent! I was going to mention those but forgot. They are phenominal but don't have the Soundstage and positional accuracy of the MA900. For music and gaming combo I recommend them they loose out the MA900,AD700 and DT770 overall for gaming. The bass is really the only thing that holds these back overall but it's also there best trait being an open headphone. If it had a wider soundstage and better positional accuracy from a tamer bass these would be the ultimate in home and gaming headphones.

Ryan you seem to have a bizarre headphone fetish from your signature, at least half you could get rid of and be no worse off. Not sure what the ma900, ad700 and dt770 are but if they are closed back they are pointless, the bass on the x1 is excellent as is the soundstage. A quality closed backed headphone does not exist.

 

[Ryanr1987]

What can I say I love my headphones lol The DT770 are closed back. Infact some of the most immersive experiences have been from closed backs. Closed headphones are difficult to get right but when done correctly man they can sing. My £200 modded T50rp soundes better technically then any headphone I've owned.

With closed you do loose out on that air though which some people must have.

 

[ciaron454]

Wow, great discussion guys, learning a lot of helpful things!

So, if you had to choose, which would you? Also, which do you think out of V-moda M100's (£155), Phillips Fidellio X1 (£180) or Sennheiser Momentum (£170) -

Really hard to find the fidellio's cheaper, is there a better model which might be on sale? Saw there was a few in the Fidellio series.)

Thanks for all the talk and help so far!

 

[Marsbardark]

Fidelio x1 is top of the line. Their spec is comparable to a $500 Grado headphone. I think they're great build, sound, comfort and looks are spot on. If you bought momentum and the x1 and did the Pepsi challenge you would find a huge difference in sound quality, bulild, comfort and looks. Philips really made a great set of headphones.

 

[Ryanr1987]

The momentum is a very good headphone but for gaming I wouldn't even consider it! Out of them three the X1 and it's not even close.

Take everything I said about the M100's gaming and soundstage capabilities and slice that in half and you have the momentum! For music they are close but the X1 trumps both.

The only thing about the X1 is the cable issues you will need to get a new cable right off the bat because the X1 doesn't do well with it. Also the ear pads can't be replaced so if you are using them often then reconsider.

 

[Marsbardark]

The open mentioned the klipsch Mode m40 which I own, they are okay for what they do but compared to any Grado headphone from the sr80i to the 225i and the philips x1 which is better than all the Grado I mentioned their sound quality is no where near. Closed backed headphones can never compete with open. Why do you think there are no high end closed headphones? Because they're a sh.ite compromise which are easy to manufacture and market with trendy logos on the ear cups.

 

[ciaron454]

Wow, so everyone is pretty unanimous about the Phillips Fidellio X1, funny really, as a pair of Phillips headphones was my first ever pair as a child!

 

[Marsbardark]

Ciaron, just buy a pair you won't regret it :cheers:

 

[ciaron454]

Yeah, I've pretty much decided to, but trying to find them for a decent price is proving difficult, they even just went up £6 on Amazon heh. I read they were at £140 at one point

Now with them being £185, should I just go up a tier to the AKG 701's? Or are the X1's better still?

 

[Marsbardark]

I bought a used pair from amazon for 140 quid, the cable clip and 3.5mm adapter weren't in the box, so I left negative feedback after ringing them and being fobbed off. They then refunded me 28 quid. They are worth full price of 280 quid, listening to them now, best thing I ever bought for listening to music.

 

[Marsbardark]

Yeah, I've pretty much decided to, but trying to find them for a decent price is proving difficult, they even just went up £6 on Amazon heh. I read they were at £140 at one point Now with them being £185, should I just go up a tier to the AKG 701's? Or are the X1's better still?

I think the x1 would suit you better than the akg as they are easier to drive.

 

[Marsbardark]

Yeah, I've pretty much decided to, but trying to find them for a decent price is proving difficult, they even just went up £6 on Amazon heh. I read they were at £140 at one point Now with them being £185, should I just go up a tier to the AKG 701's? Or are the X1's better still?

I think the x1 would suit you better than the akg as they are easier to drive.

 

[ciaron454]

I'll take your words for it, I'll have to get the X1's. Not too happy about the price, but then not sure how I feel about second hand.

 

[Marsbardark]

Granted the price on amazon does fluctuate but wait and you may get a bargain. My used pair were immaculate except for the missing bits and some tape on the box. They are currently 185 which is still a bargain.

 

[Ryanr1987]

If you are looking into the AKG K701 then look into the Q701 it's fuller sounding. The 701 series is not hard to drive a simple E7 will do the job.

Since you have upped your budget look into the Mrspeakers Mad Dog. It's probably the best headphone I've heard under £500. It has juicy mids, detailed and a friendly treble. Very spacious for a closed headphone. It literally smokes the X1 and many others.

Oh and it's only £180.

It's also easy to run you can drive it from q simple E6 and when you upgrade amplifiers it simply sounds better.

 

[ciaron454]

Where did you see them for sale to? Can't find them myself heh.

And budget will happily go up providing it's worth it.

 

[eggontoast]

If you are looking into the AKG K701 then look into the Q701 it's fuller sounding. ....

Had to chime in, this is plain wrong information.

The K701 & Q701 are the same headphone just a different colour, AKG even admitted that on their facebook page donkeys ago.

 

[AL13N]

 

[Ryanr1987]

Type Mrspeakers in google and click on their site. I've compared my 4 year old K701 to the Q and the Q was warmer and more fuller sounding then the old 701. It's no HD650 but it certainly was clear to my ears there was a difference.

The Mad Dogs certainly are worth it!

 

[eggontoast]

innerfidelity tends to disagree.

&

AKG's response on facebook

"Good questions/comments everyone. To answer your questions on the what's unique about the new Quincy Signature Line, we'd like to let you know that Quincy Jones himself worked with us to design a headphone that made aesthetic changes to reflect more of his personal touch. The models come in black, white (with lime green accents) and a proprietary lime green color only available within the Signature Line. ........."