Best Gaming/Music Headphones Under $150

[DaTechnoTaco]

So I have been looking into headphones since my mom went and got me a pair of Beats Mixr headphones for Christmas. I told her that the gift was thoughtful, but those headphones are not for me. They are on-ear, and honestly very uncomfortable. The bass is very overwhelming. She purchased them for $150 and she said that I could return them for different headphones. My main goal is to find a pair of headphones that would be good for gaming on my decent gaming PC, listening to music on my PC, and taking them with me to listen to music on my Galaxy Note 4 (size not being a deciding factor). I would like something that is under $150, has great distribution between the highs, mids, and lows (crisp and airy highs, clear and sound mids, tight and powerful lows), and generally fantastic sound quality overall (studio grade). I am actually deaf in my left ear so 3D positioning in games does not benefit me. These are the headphones that I have looked into:

1. Kingston HyperX Cloud Revolver (Gaming Branded)
2. Sennheiser HD 598 Special Edition (Audiophile)
3. Audio Technica ATH-M50x (Audiophile)
4. Audio Technica ATH-AD900X (Audiophile)

Honestly, I had looked into all of this with the Revolver's in mind. They look nice and I know that since they are closed, they would provide isolation in and out. This is still not a factor for my decision. Open or closed, it does not matter. I want the best sounding. These are my two questions: What headphones would provide the best overall sound for gaming and music? Would the Revolvers even be comparable to audiophile headphones or possibly even better than?

 

[Turb0Yoda]

Best Overall, I lean towards the Senn's,. The Revolvers will definitely not match the quality of the Senn's or the AT's.

Amazon review comparing the Senns to the m50'sm, which are nearly identical to the x-version, minus a removable cable.

Spoiler

I own both as well so I can give you a very good comparison. the 598 has nowhere near the bass impact of the m50. they have completely different sound signatures and presentations. they actually make a great complimentary pair of headphones. the m50 is a more V shaped sound signature. it has emphasized lows and highs, with a shallow midrange. the hd598 is different in that it emphasizes mids and highs, with a shallow low range. i'll try to break down the key differences:
bass first as that's the heart of your question. the 598 has much less bass impact. it has more detailed bass, in my opinion, and does extend low, but doesn't have that subwoofer on your ear pressure that the m50 provides. it's a more textured and subtle bass delivery. mid bass I actually prefer over the m50. it's tighter and more detailed. when I really feel like sub bass and don't want to swap sets, i'll use the bass boost on my fiio e12. that bumps the sub bass considerably. still not as impactful as the m50 though.
mids: by far the best part of the 598. mids are far more forward than the m50. they're warm and lush sounding, making vocals and acoustic tracks shine. to get an idea of the difference, imagine you're listening to a strong vocal track, whitney Houston type stuff. with the 598 her voice would seem very up front, and more full sounding. it would be like you're front row. with the m50 its more like you're in the middle or rear of the auditorium. her voice would have less volume, would be thinner, and less dynamic.
highs: this one in my opinion is fairly close. both have a slightly bright presentation. the difference is the 598 may seem more bright due to the mid emphasis. but neither set are fatiguing with their highs. the m50 is probably more detailed, but also a bit more piercing. the 598 highs are smoother and more relaxing. in this area the differences between the two are subtle. the one area you can really say they're more or less the same if you're not picky.
soundstage: polar opposites! the m50 has by far the most cramped and closed in soundstage I've heard in a higher end headphone. the hd598 in contrast has the biggest. it's far more airy sounding, with superior instrument separation. it's more like listening to speakers, and less like headphones. sounds seem to come from outside your ears with the 598, but with the m50 it seems to be coming from the middle of your brain.
amplification: drastically different response to amping. neither NEED an amp, for sure. but if you do add an amp, you'll notice some key differences. the m50 benefits the least from an amp. yes its sound will improve a bit, but you're only really looking at the bass getting tighter and more controlled. maybe a slight opening of the soundstage, but don't expect miracles. the hd598 on the other hand scales up tremendously with better gear. I can honestly say I notice very real and detectable differences with every dac/amp combo I've paired them with. my absolute favorite being the schiit modi dac with the schiit vali amp. love that combo! does better gear make them sound like totally different headphones? of course not. they just further enhance the sound qualities. in contrast, no matter what dac/amp combo I throw at the m50, it honestly sounds more or less the same, with varying degrees of bass improvement.
the 598 is an open headphone, so they leak out sound like crazy, and let in sound as well. there is no sound isolation at all with open headphones. keep that in mind. the m50 are closed back and offer great sound isolation, as you know.
sorry for going into a full blown comparison when you only asked for bass, but I felt knowing the whole story would be best. see less
By Amazon Customer on December 5, 2014

 

[DaTechnoTaco]

Best Overall, I lean towards the Senn's,. The Revolvers will definitely not match the quality of the Senn's or the AT's.

Amazon review comparing the Senns to the m50'sm, which are nearly identical to the x-version, minus a removable cable.

Spoiler

I own both as well so I can give you a very good comparison. the 598 has nowhere near the bass impact of the m50. they have completely different sound signatures and presentations. they actually make a great complimentary pair of headphones. the m50 is a more V shaped sound signature. it has emphasized lows and highs, with a shallow midrange. the hd598 is different in that it emphasizes mids and highs, with a shallow low range. i'll try to break down the key differences:
bass first as that's the heart of your question. the 598 has much less bass impact. it has more detailed bass, in my opinion, and does extend low, but doesn't have that subwoofer on your ear pressure that the m50 provides. it's a more textured and subtle bass delivery. mid bass I actually prefer over the m50. it's tighter and more detailed. when I really feel like sub bass and don't want to swap sets, i'll use the bass boost on my fiio e12. that bumps the sub bass considerably. still not as impactful as the m50 though.
mids: by far the best part of the 598. mids are far more forward than the m50. they're warm and lush sounding, making vocals and acoustic tracks shine. to get an idea of the difference, imagine you're listening to a strong vocal track, whitney Houston type stuff. with the 598 her voice would seem very up front, and more full sounding. it would be like you're front row. with the m50 its more like you're in the middle or rear of the auditorium. her voice would have less volume, would be thinner, and less dynamic.
highs: this one in my opinion is fairly close. both have a slightly bright presentation. the difference is the 598 may seem more bright due to the mid emphasis. but neither set are fatiguing with their highs. the m50 is probably more detailed, but also a bit more piercing. the 598 highs are smoother and more relaxing. in this area the differences between the two are subtle. the one area you can really say they're more or less the same if you're not picky.
soundstage: polar opposites! the m50 has by far the most cramped and closed in soundstage I've heard in a higher end headphone. the hd598 in contrast has the biggest. it's far more airy sounding, with superior instrument separation. it's more like listening to speakers, and less like headphones. sounds seem to come from outside your ears with the 598, but with the m50 it seems to be coming from the middle of your brain.
amplification: drastically different response to amping. neither NEED an amp, for sure. but if you do add an amp, you'll notice some key differences. the m50 benefits the least from an amp. yes its sound will improve a bit, but you're only really looking at the bass getting tighter and more controlled. maybe a slight opening of the soundstage, but don't expect miracles. the hd598 on the other hand scales up tremendously with better gear. I can honestly say I notice very real and detectable differences with every dac/amp combo I've paired them with. my absolute favorite being the schiit modi dac with the schiit vali amp. love that combo! does better gear make them sound like totally different headphones? of course not. they just further enhance the sound qualities. in contrast, no matter what dac/amp combo I throw at the m50, it honestly sounds more or less the same, with varying degrees of bass improvement.
the 598 is an open headphone, so they leak out sound like crazy, and let in sound as well. there is no sound isolation at all with open headphones. keep that in mind. the m50 are closed back and offer great sound isolation, as you know.
sorry for going into a full blown comparison when you only asked for bass, but I felt knowing the whole story would be best. see less
By Amazon Customer on December 5, 2014

When reading, I see that a lot of people say that the HD598s do not really have a lot of bass. I am not really a bass head, but I want my bass to be noticeable with a little punch to it.

 

[Turb0Yoda]

Then go towards the m50s.
Honestly, find a place to try them out. Or, atleast, buy from a place where you can return them if you don''t like them. Unfortunately, unlike CPUs and GPUs, Headphones are HIGHLY subjective.

 

[DaTechnoTaco]

Then go towards the m50s.
Honestly, find a place to try them out. Or, atleast, buy from a place where you can return them if you don''t like them. Unfortunately, unlike CPUs and GPUs, Headphones are HIGHLY subjective.

I think that I have ruled out everything. These are my options now:

1. Sennheiser HD 598 Special Edition (Audiophile open back)
2. Sennheiser HD 598C (Audiophile closed back)
3. Kingston HyperX Cloud Revolver (Gaming Branded)

I think I'm starting to sway towards the 598C's because for closed back, reviews say that they have a very good sound stage, and are good with noise isolation. I think I read that the highs and lows are also pack a little more punch, which for gaming is good. The mids are still supposed to be prominent and clear.

 

[Turb0Yoda]

Then go towards the m50s.
Honestly, find a place to try them out. Or, atleast, buy from a place where you can return them if you don''t like them. Unfortunately, unlike CPUs and GPUs, Headphones are HIGHLY subjective.

I think that I have ruled out everything. These are my options now:

1. Sennheiser HD 598 Special Edition (Audiophile open back)
2. Sennheiser HD 598C (Audiophile closed back)
3. Kingston HyperX Cloud Revolver (Gaming Branded)

I think I'm starting to sway towards the 598C's because for closed back, reviews say that they have a very good sound stage, and are good with noise isolation. I think I read that the highs and lows are also pack a little more punch, which for gaming is good. The mids are still supposed to be prominent and clear.

I would rule out the revolvers since they will not come close to the quality of the Senns.

 

[Mikeandike]

I personally have used a few headphones in my day, however the only one that I've had great success and still use to this day are Logitech g930's. Yes they are wireless headphones and once in a while, resync to your PC or ps4 I managed to pick up my pair for around $80 about a year and a half ago but they are very solid headphones, do check them out