[SOLVED] Looking for audiophile help on comparing some headphones!

[Yeldur]

Hi all,

I'm editing this thread to change the content as I've had a lot of views but not any response, so I figured I'd make the aim simpler:

Currently, I'm sporting Philips Fidelio X2's, with an EVGA Nu soundcard, I'm looking for a new pair of headphones and am currently comparing four pairs:

1. Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro's
2. AKG K-712 Pro
3. Beyerdynamic T1 (3rd Gen)
4. HiFiMan Ananda

Things I'm looking for:

• Great audio quality for both music AND gaming - Call it a 50/50 split with most, I will likely listen to music WHILST I play games, so it's more 75% music 50% games, because I do a lot of both simultaneously. (Adding up to 125%, yes, that's not a mistake of math.)
• The ability to attach a ModMic to the headset
• Comfortable to wear for long periods of time (I work from home, so will be quite literally wearing these all day)
• I don't have any one specific taste of music I'm locked into, so I'm looking for something that is a "jack of all trades", however, if I had to pick any one specific type of music that a pair would be "better" at, it would be classical/choir like music.

Of those three I posted above, which would we say is the best based on the above requirements?

Originally I opened up a thread where I had decided on either the HiFiMan Ananda OR the AKG K-712 Pro, however, since then I've seen some less than good reviews suggesting that the build quality of the AKG K-712 Pro has dropped drastically, which has me worried, hence, this thread.

Note: I am open to suggestions of other pairs of headphones if you think that they are better! Price range is preferred to remain under £1,000 - For the sake of simplfying, however, if there's enough justification for it, I'm happy to step over.

 

[Yeldur]

I'm editing this thread to change the content as I've had a lot of views but not any response, so I figured I'd make the aim simpler, by limiting the options and simplifying the requirements, emboldening the important parts etc etc.
Hopefully this will elicit the audiophiles to climb out of the woodwork to offer the sage advice I desperately need as a plebian in the ways of audio

 

[sizzling]

I’m no expert but I was in a similar position. After much reading and some advice here I went with the AKG712 Pro’s as they had a more neutral/reference sound from all the reviews I read and that was important to me. They are brilliant and I really enjoy them for both gaming and listening to music.

However after much use I did begin to think the sound wasn’t as good as some of the reviews described. I tried the PC, iPhone and Surface Pro 7 driving them and still just felt something was missing, so I added an ASUS Xonar Phoebus soundcard I had from a prior system and it didn’t really help. I eventually decided to buy an external DAC/Amp but decided I didn’t want the most entry level, again after many reviews. I ended up buying a secondhand Schiit Asgard 3 with multibit DAC. This was the missing link to the audio experience, the step up over anything I had tried before was very noticeable. The Asgard 3 really did get more from the 712 Pro’s and any other headphones I had. So I would recommend looking at dedicated DAC/Amps, it transformed my listening experience.

I have since bought an ifi XDSD portable DAC/Amp to improve my sound I get from my iPhone or Surface Pro. This again has lifted the experience from these devices. It is a different sound to the Asgard 3 and multibit DAC, not quite as good but still very good in its own way.

I hope this helps.

 

[Yeldur]

I’m no expert but I was in a similar position. After much reading and some advice here I went with the AKG712 Pro’s as they had a more neutral/reference sound from all the reviews I read and that was important to me. They are brilliant and I really enjoy them for both gaming and listening to music.

However after much use I did begin to think the sound wasn’t as good as some of the reviews described. I tried the PC, iPhone and Surface Pro 7 driving them and still just felt something was missing, so I added an ASUS Xonar Phoebus soundcard I had from a prior system and it didn’t really help. I eventually decided to buy an external DAC/Amp but decided I didn’t want the most entry level, again after many reviews. I ended up buying a secondhand Schiit Asgard 3 with multibit DAC. This was the missing link to the audio experience, the step up over anything I had tried before was very noticeable. The Asgard 3 really did get more from the 712 Pro’s and any other headphones I had. So I would recommend looking at dedicated DAC/Amps, it transformed my listening experience.

I have since bought an ifi XDSD portable DAC/Amp to improve my sound I get from my iPhone or Surface Pro. This again has lifted the experience from these devices. It is a different sound to the Asgard 3 and multibit DAC, not quite as good but still very good in its own way.

I hope this helps.

Interesting, thank you for telling me about your experience with them, can I ask, when did you get your set of AKG's? The main reason I'm not so sure on them anymore is because supposedly build quality has recently declined quite drastically, before that I was sold on getting either them or the Ananda's. (most likely the AKG's though) - With regards to a DAC, that is something else I am looking into, but my aim first is to get a new set of headphones, see how they perform with the Soundcard I have and then decide on whether I want to bolster it up. I'm guessing that a DAC functions in that it's separate, the DAC itself plugs into the computer, the headphones into the DAC, correct?

So far since upgrading from no-soundcard to a soundcard I've noticed a bit of a difference with the current set, and I definitely feel like the quality is better, particularly when making use of the Bass/Treble boost and Surround audio effects. But the end aim is to bolster that audio quality up high, I'm taking it slow though as I want to see how each component gradually increases quality to really get a feel for it.

Would you recommend the Asgard 3 in general then? If so I'll add it to my list of "next to buy" after the headphones

 

[kanewolf]

I'm editing this thread to change the content as I've had a lot of views but not any response, so I figured I'd make the aim simpler, by limiting the options and simplifying the requirements, emboldening the important parts etc etc.
Hopefully this will elicit the audiophiles to climb out of the woodwork to offer the sage advice I desperately need as a plebian in the ways of audio

Only YOUR ears can ultimately determine. What sounds good to me could sound too bright to you. I never liked flat panel tweeters in speakers because I thought they sounded too bright. But LOTS of them were sold.
Find audio sources that you know well, and are preferably acoustic. I used vocals and big band jazz when I was auditioning speakers. Same principal with headphones. YOU need to audition them.

 

[Yeldur]

Only YOUR ears can ultimately determine. What sounds good to me could sound too bright to you. I never liked flat panel tweeters in speakers because I thought they sounded too bright. But LOTS of them were sold.
Find audio sources that you know well, and are preferably acoustic. I used vocals and big band jazz when I was auditioning speakers. Same principal with headphones. YOU need to audition them.

Kinda tough to do in a COVID situation that doesn't allow you to test the product before you buy it - Only way to test a product would be to find a shop that has them on display, drive to it and then test it out. Short of that, most places won't allow you to "try and return if you don't like" - I'm going for the best I can get, which is recommendations and advice based on other peoples knowledge of the audio scene. I have zero knowledge other than "X sounds good, Y sounds bad" - Other people who know more will be able to give me more explicit detail and based off my prerequisites may be able to make a "best advice" type deal. I'm not asking for people to pick out my next set of headphones, just to give me their insight and recommendations based off what I list above.

Though, I know Amazon tends to allow you to return things regardless of usage, or at least they have in the past, so they're my "primary test bench" as it were if anything.

 

[kanewolf]

Kinda tough to do in a COVID situation that doesn't allow you to test the product before you buy it - Only way to test a product would be to find a shop that has them on display, drive to it and then test it out. Short of that, most places won't allow you to "try and return if you don't like" - I'm going for the best I can get, which is recommendations and advice based on other peoples knowledge of the audio scene. I have zero knowledge other than "X sounds good, Y sounds bad" - Other people who know more will be able to give me more explicit detail and based off my prerequisites may be able to make a "best advice" type deal. I'm not asking for people to pick out my next set of headphones, just to give me their insight and recommendations based off what I list above.

Though, I know Amazon tends to allow you to return things regardless of usage, or at least they have in the past, so they're my "primary test bench" as it were if anything.

Kinda tough to do in a COVID situation that doesn't allow you to test the product before you buy it - Only way to test a product would be to find a shop that has them on display, drive to it and then test it out. Short of that, most places won't allow you to "try and return if you don't like" - I'm going for the best I can get, which is recommendations and advice based on other peoples knowledge of the audio scene. I have zero knowledge other than "X sounds good, Y sounds bad" - Other people who know more will be able to give me more explicit detail and based off my prerequisites may be able to make a "best advice" type deal. I'm not asking for people to pick out my next set of headphones, just to give me their insight and recommendations based off what I list above.

Though, I know Amazon tends to allow you to return things regardless of usage, or at least they have in the past, so they're my "primary test bench" as it were if anything.

Yes, go to an audio store.

 

[sizzling]

Interesting, thank you for telling me about your experience with them, can I ask, when did you get your set of AKG's? The main reason I'm not so sure on them anymore is because supposedly build quality has recently declined quite drastically, before that I was sold on getting either them or the Ananda's. (most likely the AKG's though) - With regards to a DAC, that is something else I am looking into, but my aim first is to get a new set of headphones, see how they perform with the Soundcard I have and then decide on whether I want to bolster it up. I'm guessing that a DAC functions in that it's separate, the DAC itself plugs into the computer, the headphones into the DAC, correct?

So far since upgrading from no-soundcard to a soundcard I've noticed a bit of a difference with the current set, and I definitely feel like the quality is better, particularly when making use of the Bass/Treble boost and Surround audio effects. But the end aim is to bolster that audio quality up high, I'm taking it slow though as I want to see how each component gradually increases quality to really get a feel for it.

Would you recommend the Asgard3 in general then? If so I'll add it to my list of "next to buy" after the headphones

I have had the AKG's about a year I think. I will just say again I'm no expert. A DAC decodes and converts the digital signal into an analogue signal. You then need an Amp to take the analogue signal and amplify its power to a level required by the headphones/speakers. This is my understanding of it. I have no frame of reference to compare the Asgard 3, its not really fair to compare to a sound card. The Asgard 3 I have includes Schiit's multibit DAC (DAC + Amp combo) but they do also sell it without the DAC. The Amp came out exceptionally well in reviews, being compared to much more expensive Amp's. The DAC came out well but some reviews said the Amp actually has the potential to perform better when using a higher end DAC. I cannot recommend the Asgard 3 compared to others as I have nothing to compare it to, however I am very happy with it, it exceeded my expectations.

 

[Yeldur]

I have had the AKG's about a year I think. I will just say again I'm no expert. A DAC decodes and converts the digital signal into an analogue signal. You then need an Amp to take the analogue signal and amplify its power to a level required by the headphones/speakers. This is my understanding of it. I have no frame of reference to compare the Asgard 3, its not really fair to compare to a sound card. The Asgard 3 I have includes Schiit's multibit DAC (DAC + Amp combo) but they do also sell it without the DAC. The Amp came out exceptionally well in reviews, being compared to much more expensive Amp's. The DAC came out well but some reviews said the Amp actually has the potential to perform better when using a higher end DAC. I cannot recommend the Asgard 3 compared to others as I have nothing to compare it to, however I am very happy with it, it exceeded my expectations.

Gotcha, that makes sense. Thanks for that, hearing about the AKG's being only for a year puts my faith back in line for them enough that I might try them out and see where I go. I was told that they were essentially just a direct upgrade to my current set of headphones and that I'd appreciate the upgrade which was the primary reason I was looking at them originally, so I might give them a shot. Thanks for all the information, appreciated