[SOLVED] suggestions/help on what to look for when looking for new headphones ?

[ANTFKBA]

a couple of years ago i swapped out my old razer krakens for a blue mix-fi, and i really like the sound in them, but now im looking for an upgrade and the problem is that i have no clue what to look for in headphones, i usually just follow the rule of "these are a little bit more expensive so they must be better". Nothing fancy im just trying to find something within that price range 250-350€ that sound similar or better, also i dont have any fancy audio equipment or anything got a sound blaster audigy fx which i bought since i got static background noise while using the soundcard on my motherboard. So whats the main thing to look for when comparing headphones, ohms? hz range? im a bit clueless here.

 

[hang-the-9]

"upgrade" is a personal pick in headphones, just because one set costs more money or had a different sound signature does not make it better.

To the price range you have there are probably 20 sets you may like better than what you have, and 20 sets you will like less.

Philips Fidelio X2, Sennheiser HD 6XX from Drop, Beyerdynamic DT series in the lower ohm range to like 150, used Beyer from the 1xxx series.

Without actually hearing things you are really just hoping what you get you will like better than what you have.

 

[ANTFKBA]

Ok, thanks. What would be a good way of comparing different headphones to find ones that you like then? I was originally thinking to compare the specifications sheet but i get that sound "quality" is a personal preference and i dont really understand what im looking at anyways with those spec sheets so i might just order 2-3 pairs that seem interesting and send back the ones i dont want.

 

[kanewolf]

Ok, thanks. What would be a good way of comparing different headphones to find ones that you like then? I was originally thinking to compare the specifications sheet but i get that sound "quality" is a personal preference and i dont really understand what im looking at anyways with those spec sheets so i might just order 2-3 pairs that seem interesting and send back the ones i dont want.

You need music you are familiar with. Vocals, acoustic strings and piano are very good choices. I used a Big Band CD when I was auditioning speakers.
If you usually listen to metal, then you should pick things you are very familiar with.

 

[hang-the-9]

Ok, thanks. What would be a good way of comparing different headphones to find ones that you like then? I was originally thinking to compare the specifications sheet but i get that sound "quality" is a personal preference and i dont really understand what im looking at anyways with those spec sheets so i might just order 2-3 pairs that seem interesting and send back the ones i dont want.

Yep, spec sheets for headphones may give you some idea of what the sound should be, but it's like trying to figure out how much you will like a meal by reading the ingredient list with amounts added. I would do 3 sets at a minimum. A good number of people into audio go through a dozen sets or more, and tend to own a handful at a time.

In addition to picking the audio to listen to, you want to find some recordings that are well done and produced and engineered. There are many good headphones that for one reason or another have less than good results with some recordings, and some recordings are just too compressed and messed with to sound good with good headphones. Good audio equipment exposes junk recording methods and mixing. This is a good example of how to go about this https://www.whathifi.com/us/features/10-best-tracks-to-test-your-headphones By no means the end all of lists but it explains the why of testing as well as what recordings high light the things you are looking at.

And listening to music you usually do will show you some things that you may have missed from it. One of my headphones when I was listening to Soundgarden pretty much totally changed how I heard the album, there was a lot of small things in the recording I could pick out, some of which I did not actually like, like the slap and buzz of the bass and guitar strings in some parts. I have to use different headphones for some things due to this.

 

[ANTFKBA]

I would like to get an amp for them as well, Im going to use them plugged in to my PC, I already have a dedicated soundcard in it its a creative soundblaster augity fx so if i get an amp should i plug it in there or in the motherboard? i dont even know if getting an amp is even nesessary but if it is i found this local store that sells Pro-Ject Headbox S2 Digital seems decent and its not too expensive, would that be a good option?

 

[hang-the-9]

I would like to get an amp for them as well, Im going to use them plugged in to my PC, I already have a dedicated soundcard in it its a creative soundblaster augity fx so if i get an amp should i plug it in there or in the motherboard? i dont even know if getting an amp is even nesessary but if it is i found this local store that sells Pro-Ject Headbox S2 Digital seems decent and its not too expensive, would that be a good option?

If you should get an amp depends on the headphones you pick. Don't know anything about that brand, but for $150 I would first look at adding that cost to the headphones budget before picking an amp. If you need an amp or not depends on the headphones, and for an extra $150 you can own another good set of headphones that run off the sound card without adding more power, or one higher end one you may like better. If you can spend like $500 on the equipment then yes an amp may be OK to look at, if you have $300 you may want to look at headphones without the amp.

Any amp would go on the source you are using, so if you are using an add-on sound card, it connects to that output.

 

[ANTFKBA]

apparently a friend of mine is knowledgeable in this subject and has agreed to help me through the process of picking out a few pairs in my budget for me to try. As for the amp we have decided to not bother and just get something that would work fine with the soundcard that i already have. anyways thanks for all the useful information.