Question Looking for new headphones

[jakhmakc]

My current headphones are 4+ years old and the earmuffs are splitting so I am looking for new headphones to use. I'm going to be using them at my desktop so i'm just going to be using them at my desk. I game a lot and listen to a lot of music on my desktop so I want a pair of headphones where I can enjoy my music and be able to hear my enemies footsteps when I play games. Two options that I have looked at are the beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO and the Philips Fidelio X2HR, but I don't know if they would be good for what I need. If anyone has a recommendation please share. Thanks.

 

[Deleted member 217926]

Both are solid choices for what they are. If you need isolation then the DT770 is closed back and others won't hear what you're playing. The Fidelio X2 is open back and it has a HUGE soundstage and very good imaging making them excellent for gaming and entertainment in general. I'd give the edge in overall sound quality to the X2's. If you do get the 770s make sure it's the 32ohm version as it has the least bright treble.

2 more considerations are the Sennheiser HD599 and the Massdrop x Sennheiser HD58X Jubilee.

 

[jakhmakc]

Both are solid choices for what they are. If you need isolation then the DT770 is closed back and others won't hear what you're playing. The Fidelio X2 is open back and it has a HUGE soundstage and very good imaging making them excellent for gaming and entertainment in general. I'd give the edge in overall sound quality to the X2's. If you do get the 770s make sure it's the 32ohm version as it has the least bright treble.

2 more considerations are the Sennheiser HD599 and the Massdrop x Sennheiser HD58X Jubilee.

Thanks for your suggestions, is there a difference between the Jubilees and the X2HR?

 

[Finstar]

I'd add Audio technica ATH-M50X to consideration too. I find them to be more balanced than the very treble heavy and cold sounding DT-770s.
If it was music only then any of the HD500 series Sennheisers would be my no.1 recommendation.

 

[Deleted member 217926]

In my opinion the M50X is terrible. It's the Corsair CX of the headphone world. It gets recommended over and over by people who have never heard anything else so they think it's good because sound comes out of it. Bloated bass that bleeds into the mids, a tiny soundstage and they're terribly uncomfortable. The only reason to buy it is if you need something that folds up in the $100 range and I can think of at least 5 pairs of IEMs I'd recommend first.

Start at 5:00 for a comfort summation and the beginning of sound quality.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I03zd2H-Fno


I don't love the DT770, DT880 and especially the ear splitting DT990 but the 32ohm 770 is the best of the bunch as far as the Beyerdynamic 'hot' treble goes. The DT1990s don't suffer from that and are amazing. Listening to them now actually.


The 580X Jubilee despite the name has more in common with the Sennheiser HD 6 series than the 5 series. It uses a newer, low impedance driver based on the driver in the HD660S so it doesn't need an amp like the 6 series does.

Directly comparing the X2 to the 580X - The 58X has a smaller soundstage and has the Sennheiser house sound which is a slightly forward midrange making vocals excellent. The X2 has a wider soundstage and more of a bass boost. I'd get the 58X Jubilee for mostly music and some gaming and the X2 for mostly gaming and some music. I don't have the 58X but a large number of HD600 and HD650 owners ( I have both ) like the 58X better.

 

[Finstar]

In my opinion the M50X is terrible. It's the Corsair CX of the headphone world. It gets recommended over and over by people who have never heard anything else so they think it's good because sound comes out of it. Bloated bass that bleeds into the mids, a tiny soundstage and they're terribly uncomfortable. The only reason to buy it is if you need something that folds up in the $100 range and I can think of at least 5 pairs of IEMs I'd recommend first.

I've only tried them in a store where they sounded very nice to me, might have to try them again if i have a chance.
I do own the HD650 for measure.

 

[Deleted member 217926]

Closed back in the under $100 range the Creative Aurvana Live has no competition if you're after a fun headphone. It gets you a surprisingly long way to the sound of my Fostex TH-X00s for less than 1/8th the price.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-GE9F1kI_M

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bf2jk43UUU

 

[dontlistentome]

My two cents, owning a Takstar Pro 80 and hearing my brother in law's Audio Technica M50x:

At under $100 I'd go with the Takstar Pro 82, which is the newer version of what I have. My headphone is closed back, has good bass presence and nice treble, but does not overpower music the way the M50x does. It is also fine in games, though you don't get that wide open soundstage that an open backed headphone has.

I think the M50x is so popular because a lot of people think "MOAR bass!" is the way to go and the M50x delivers that. I also think music sounds horrible on that headphone unless all you care about is bass. The M50x is also far louder than my headphone. My BIL cranks up his music to ridiculous levels and when he tried that with my headphones he drove them into distortion. That can't be good for his ears though.

The Creative Aurvana Live is good and costs less than the Takstar, but I personally wouldn't buy it due to it's cheap build quality. I've invested in great sounding but cheaply built headphones in the past and regretted it each time. The Takstars are solid. Coolermaster makes the MH-751 headset, which is basically a Takstar Pro 82 with a mic, if you need a headset. HyperX Cloud I and II are basically the Takstar Pro 80 with a mic. So my ultimate recommendation is to look at those(Takstar, Coolermaster, HyperX) and pick the one with the features and price you like.

edit: If your budget allows something under $200 then I suggest considering the 58X Jubilee. I got a chance to hear those and I liked the sound. I generally keep my headphone budget under $100 but if I was to spend a bit more those are the ones I'd get.

 

[Deleted member 217926]

I generally keep my headphone budget under $100 but if I was to spend a bit more those are the ones I'd get.

Heh, trying to keep it under $1000 myself but I sure do want the ZMF Auteur. The direct upgrade of my TH-X00 Ebony is expensive.