PKValkyrie

Hi forum, I'm looking at spending a large sum for the most clinical listening experience possible and have come to the conclusion... I'm not a millionaire who can afford speakers or headphones that would meet my expectations. So here is what I've decided: Etymotic Research ER4SR + objective2 Odac amp combo and custom molded ear canal plugs from an audiologist. I can't see where I can improve this. Any ideas before I take the plunge?

@DutchTexan Correction: your mobo is stated to drive headphones that have an impedance upwards of 600 The driver sensitivity of the HD600 is 300 ohm, it should be fine. If you do have a noisy floor then I would look into a dac, though I find msi does a decent enough job on their onboard audio and shielding. I've never auditioned the HD600 (though reading the comparison of the HD600 to the HD650, people tend to say the HD650 have a darker or warmer signature) but I assume it to be similar to the HD800 (sterile, clinical listening with peaks at the highs) Headfi seems to love it. I'd say go for the headphones and try them with your mobo. Depending on preference of sound and if you like a warmer signature, tube amps would be less clinical and sterile sounding. At this price point you now notice deminishing returns on sound quality to dollar.

@DutchTexan I would recommend no dac as it would not be as impactful as having better headphones. If you are truly deadset then the Fiio E10K Olympus 2 is good enough for its price range (lots of features such as high gain and bass boost toggle). The beyerdynamics, I would ignore the 770 as it is closed back. The 880 are semi open and the 990 are openback but do take note the beyers all have multiple ranges of impedance for each series that can range up to 600 ohm. The Fiio E10K drives up to 300. I would suggest the AD1000X Audiotechnica as a $300.00 option or you could go AD900X with the Fiio E10K and still have enough for a mod mic. The Beyerdynamic 990 is also a great choice though you will experience fatigue due to the clamp force. Here is a comprehensive list of headphones and headsets I would recommend reading over. http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lust-envys-headphone-gaming-guide-3-18-2016-mrspeakers-ether-c-1-1-added Oem pads: depending on the sound signature you want it can vary from fabric, velour, leather and gel. In that same order you will experience more noise isolation, boost in the low end but also experience more trapped heat. I like velour for my closed back but fabric for my openback.

@MoraisGT Thanks for the correction. I could have sworn mine came with one similar to the ATH ADG1. @DutchTexan I'm currently at work with a full case load of patients. I'll answer more questions when I'm home. Open back are perforated or grilled driver enclosures that lets sound bleed put into your surrounding environment and increases the sound stage. Open backs are often lacking bass. Closed back are sound isolating and has smaller sound stages. Much improved low end but sometimes can get hot and tighter seal on the ears. Sound stage is the perceived ability to image where sound is coming from. Open backs are king for competitive gaming. Movies are imo better with closed back for the thump and booms. Vss virtual surround is sound that is eq'd give a muddy distorted sound that leaves a faux surround sound. True surround 5.1 or 7.1 headsets have multiple drivers that are much smaller and have a very tinny sound that is not pleasant. Dac/amps are one and the same as sound cards. Integrated means internally shielded hardware but external is always better as there is less interference. Dacs quiet the noise floor (hiss) while amps provide more power to the drivers (impedance of headset will mean how much power it takes to drive the drivers Ex your mother board will have a hard time driving 600 ohm planar magnetics and would be whisper quiet) Amps come in either solid state (which delivers uncolored amplification that is sterile), while tube amps are often times said to be warmer as it introduces distortion that some people like. V moda has very tight clamping force that is not pleasant with glasses while the audio technica has very light clamping force due to their 3d wing support. Great for glasses. The velour ear pads you've refered to are quite nice and less hot than their leather counterparts but also isolate less. The audiotechnica has foam pads that breath well but remember that it will in turn have less low end.

What is your budget? Are you looking for closed or open back? Are you looking for headphone or headset? (Distinction is the included mic, instead of headphone with mod mic) Headsets that are "audiophile" grade and in my opinion worth looking into are: Closed back: MMX-300 Beyerdynamic (included usb dac) Custom One Pro Beyerdynamic (optional OEM boom mic conversion) ATH-AG1 AudioTechnica (included usb dac) M-100, M-80 V-Moda (optional OEM boom mic conversion) Game Zero Sennheiser Open back: ATH-ADG1 AudioTechnica (included usb dac) Game One Sennheiser I've disregarded anything that has included VSS "virtual surround sound". I would personally look into this setup... Objective 2 ODAC/AMP Combo + Mod Mic 4.0 + AD900X AudioTechnica (AD700X is widely regarded as the best budget positional headset though with anemic bass that is more corrected by the AD900X. If money was no object I would keep the ODAC, Mod mic and use the Sennheiser HD800 Non S version. S version has a plug that causes low frequency distortion to tame the treble) As for speaker systems (much more subjective and larger opinion base) I personally love the MM-1 Bower Wilkins or Focal XS 2.1

Sound cards (PCIE) are good for minimalistic designs only. The noise floor will always be worse than external hardware. Motherboards that are stated to have some sort of amplification are usually good for upwards of 300ohm headphones. Unless you have planar magnetic 600ohm sets, there isn't really a need. Also there is NO difference when using AMPS in sound signature unless it is a tube amp. Tube amps introduce colouring (warmth) due to distortion, while any solid state increases power for high impedance headphones with no difference in sound from the source material (some exceptions are FIIO have bass boost toggle etc) ALL Dacs do the same thing. They reduce noise floor (that static hiss you hear when no music is playing). Anything else you are told is simply snake oil. Look into Objective 2 Odac/Amp combo and the story behind the creation of it for more information on what I've just stated.

AudioTechnica AD700X are great for their cost. The only knock I would give them is the anemic bass (Much better with the closed back setup) that is somewhat improved by the next model up - AD900X in both open and closed. Mind you, if you are out in public, I would advise against all open back headphones, otherwise I am a fan of their sound signature, though you might possibly find the treble fatiguing (less so on the closed back)

@Maihym That is a good enough setup. The variations on Core, Pro, Cloud 1 and 2 are only in the extra features; such as sound card, velour ear pads etc. They are all still using the same drivers. Do not expect great sound stage and pin pointing enemy locations with a closed back setup though. VSS will give a slightly distorted faux sound stage that MIGHT help.

A 'gaming' headset isn't the best option imo. My suggestion would be a set of head phones that are open back. This will have a much better sound stage than VSS (virtual surround sound). Add on a mod mic and you will have a very good budget setup. Mind you, with a budget of 70, the HyperX cloud 1 not 2, is most likely your best bet. It is based on the TacStar headphones that are good for the price. If you truly want virtual surround, go for the Cloud 2, as they come with a VSS sound card, either that or go with Cloud 1 and get the razer virtual surround non pro that is free; again having open back headphones is MUCH better.