Choosing a pair of headphones for gaming and general listening

[Unrealmaster]

Hello,

 

So I was just about to jump on the AKG K7XX when i started watching tek syndicates's video on $150 headphones. In the video he mentions that the Audio Technica AUD ATHAD500X are really good in terms of positional audio and gaming.

 

 

So I started reading and apparently the K7xx is more geared towards analytical use. Moreover, lots of people talk about natural sounding and V shaped response curves when talking about headphones. These will be my first pair of proper headphones ( I have a razer kraken pro, and bose IE2s). And i am clueless as to what is better for casual listening and gaming vs what is good for studio use. Also can you use studio headphones for gaming and vice versa? Also do all open headphones have good positional audio, and specifically does the K7 series.

 

 

Now my budget is about $200 if the headphones are REALLY worth it  (obviously if i can get good headphones for less i would be happy   since I'm a uni student ), for this budget what do you think the best headphones to buy are. (K7XX, stick to my current setup, ATH AD500X, etc....) I should also say that I am in Canada.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance 

 

EDIT: I mostly listen to game soundtracks, Lindsey sterling, and am currently experimenting with various other genres of music

[Shroomster]

The DT 990 Pros are great. And they are open.

[aidenrelkoff]

HyperX clouds are awesome, there actually a rebrand of a $189 headset. There on for $69.99 on most websites. the regular price is $99

[Mao_Zedong]

sennheiser 558 and audio-technica ad500x are pretty good. 

 

HyperX clouds are awesome, there actually a rebrand of a $189 headset. There on for $69.99 on most websites. the regular price is $99

meh, they are closed. They are good for the money, but they are not up to par when compared to higher end headphones (under $200).

[Unrealmaster]

Thanks for the responses so far guys,  Just a question how do those headphones compare against the AKG K7XX and against each other.

 

 

 

The DT 990 Pros are great. And they are open.

 

Unfortunately those are outside of my budget 

[Unrealmaster]

OK, now since there is a sale I have narrowed down my choice to two headphones: the HD 598s and the AD900X which cost about the same and are well within my budget.

 

From what I can tell they seem to be very similar: how does the sound stage of the two compare? and are there other differences between them?

[xtroria]

@Unrealmaster if you like a treble heavy headphone, go with audio technica

But i would suggest sennheiser since this us your first "real" headphone, AD900x has a character not everyone will enjoy

[Unrealmaster]

The DT 990 Pros are great. And they are open.

 

LOL, nvm they are within my budget, i was looking at the 250 OHM version which retails for $300+

@Unrealmaster if you like a treble heavy headphone, go with audio technica

But i would suggest sennheiser since this us your first "real" headphone, AD900x has a character not everyone will enjoy

thanks, i think that takes the AD out of my list.

 

So so far the HD598 is looking rather nice on the list, but something is still nagging me about getting the K7XX which are only $29 more expensive and rival the HD600 line. Maybe its the hype, maybe its because i think they look better. regardless I have about a day before I have to buy one.

 

Any final thoughts about these 2 (HD598 and K7XX)would be greatly appreciated  

 

EDIT: took out the Q701

[Pomfinator]

I wouldn't call the K7XX analytical...it says on the description that the folks at Massdrop have told AKG to give it a 3dB bass boost.  Frankly none of the cans we're talking about are for "analytical" use, it's just all for listening pleasure, and depending on what you listen to cans can sound better or worse.  

 

Also *calling out my inner Audio Technica fanboi*, the new Ax/ADx series have way better bass than their predecessors.  It's still not dominant, but it's a very punchy, fast bass, which frankly I prefer even with bassy music (like who the hell wants alot of bass listening to dubstep? I don't).

 

And the mid-forward sound of Audio-Technica cans make female vocals sound beautiful and breathy.  And if you have any classical music at all...

 

Okay don't listen to me anymore, my faboy blood is boiling.

[xtroria]

If you have to choose between 598 or 7xx, go with the 7xx. You do however need an amp or a good audio solution with your motherboard with 7xx since it's inefficient

[ShearMe]

Thing about AKG's is it's highly recommended to use an amp. Sennheisers and AT's don't need an amp.

I'd recommend the HD 518 or ATH-AD500X as the higher end models aren't really an improvement yet cost more.

[Unrealmaster]

If you have to choose between 598 or 7xx, go with the 7xx. You do however need an amp or a good audio solution with your motherboard with 7xx since it's inefficient

 

Nvm. my budget cant really allow me to get an amp as well

 

Thing about AKG's is it's highly recommended to use an amp. Sennheisers and AT's don't need an amp.

I'd recommend the HD 518 or ATH-AD500X as the higher end models aren't really an improvement yet cost more.

 

I'm curious, then whats the difference between the HD518 and the HD 558 or 598 for that matter same goes with he ATH ones?

[ShearMe]

I'm curious, then whats the difference between the HD518 and the HD 558 or 598 for that matter same goes with he ATH ones?

Minute changes which result in a slightly different frequency response. However, based off measurements, those differences are largely within margin of error. It's easy for some people to say the higher end model is better because it's more expensive, but may people who've had the luxury of hearing both know the difference is very small. Rational people know that such a small variance can't possibly be objectively better or worse due to the variance in preferences, but the hype crew always seems to ignore that.

Tldr - small differences that aren't worth the money, and aren't necessarily better by a consistent standard.

[NannerBeans]

I quite like AKGs for both music and positional audio and that is a good price so I would go for it. An amp might be needed though. Used Fiio E10s are typically under $50.

[Unrealmaster]

Thought I should come back to this post to say thank you so much for all your help guys,

 

I eventually went for the HD598. I'm so excited, they should arrive in 2 days 

 

Also just in case anyone is in a similar situation and is curious about why I chose them over the AD900X and the AKG K7XX:  I tried the AD900X in a store, it sounded phenomenal but it was too loose for my liking (it would constantly slip). So I I tried the Q701 in a store and really liked them ( amazing sound very comfortable etc..) but since the K7XX require an amp and the shipping date was in February, they became too expensive ($200 + amp) and would have arrived very late. so that left the HD598 standing