Headphones and Mic Help

[Malz]

I'm no audio expert, so I thought i'd come and ask for a bit of help. I'm currently considering purchasing pc360 headset, however with the current availability in the uk. Pricing is around £180 gbp. This is kinda pushing it for me. I'd be willing to probably spend up to £200. However I know I can save money and better quality by getting them separately so I wanted to ask for suggestions for me to look into. 

 

Would I need a decent sound card, amp / dac with any suggestion? I'm only using onboard sound currently however it is a more recent board.

Primarily used for games, however I pretty much always listen to music at the same time.

 

The main features I would want:

 

Open ear design, is my preference.

Over ear design, I have sensitive ear lobes which get sore easily from headphones. Ideally I want, as little contact with my ears as possible with just a seal around them. I have been interested in sennheisers xxl ear cup design for this. Anyone got any comments on them? I have average to big ears.

Preferably cloth cups, these will be used for long hours, near enough every day so I really want something comfortable and that's why I'm looking into new audio equipment.

I also have issues with clamping too hard on my head, being a glasses user I have previously had headsets that clamp the frame too tightly into my head also causing pain.

 

I know even less about microphones, however I have a lot of background noise, from pc fans to loud talking or even shouting. So any suggestions on a quality mic.

An easy way to mute the microphone with some sorta intuitive mute control. To quickly mute without spilling private information. Not being able to hear say a tv in the background or UK heavy rain would be perfect.

 

Sorry for being picky and I really appreciate any suggestions for myself to look into. I've been trying to learn as much as I can.

And thank you for helping me get the most out of my money!

[Turkatron]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Audio-Technica-ATH-AD700X-backed-Hi-Fi-headphones/dp/B009S332TQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393642264&sr=8-1&keywords=ad700x

 

I haven't listend to the X version but the AD700 is lacking in bass but if you are playing FPS games you dont need bass anyways.

[Malz]

Interesting, the cups look deep which is very nice for me, but I've also heard that the headband doesn't take much of the weight after awhile and they'll be resting on your ears. For me at least I'm extremely picky when spending this amount of money. I want to be certain I'm not going to be in pain from using them for too long, returning stuff just gets frustrating after awhile.

 

I like something well balanced, the lack of bass also seems apparent on these too.

 

A great suggestion to consider, appreciated.

[ShearMe]

I feel like recommending the same thing as Turk - rubber band mod makes the headband sufficiently usable. 500X if you want to save cash.

Beyerdynamic DT 990 has deep cups, but the clamp force is significantly higher. The headband is spring steel, so you could always bend it to comfort. You'd need an amp with it, however, so that raises the overall price.

As per the Mic, AntLion's ModMic seems like your only safe option. Might want to wait on the 4.0 for dat noise cancellation.

[Turkatron]

Interesting, the cups look deep which is very nice for me, but I've also heard that the headband doesn't take much of the weight after awhile and they'll be resting on your ears. For me at least I'm extremely picky when spending this amount of money. I want to be certain I'm not going to be in pain from using them for too long, returning stuff just gets frustrating after awhile.

 

I like something well balanced, the lack of bass also seems apparent on these too.

 

A great suggestion to consider, appreciated.

Fatigue is hard to guess because it depends on how long you wear the headphones. 8+ hours  would say you would definitely get some fatigue but the headphones are not very tight at all which may contribute to the lack of bass aside from weak bass in general.

 

 

I feel like recommending the same thing as Turk - rubber band mod makes the headband sufficiently usable. 500X if you want to save cash.

As per the Mic, AntLion's ModMic seems like your only safe option. Might want to wait on the 4.0 for dat noise cancellation.

I think this is the first time I went to the international Amazon for someone top kek. And yes to the 4.0. I'm getting free shipping on my pre-order apparently.

[Malz]

Any estimated date on the modmic 4.0? It looks real promising, will definitely look out for that as long as the price is reasonable for European shipping.

 

I don't think the dt990's are right for me personally. It just comes down to if I'm going to be satisfied with the weaker base on the ad700x. It's quite hard to make that judgement without listening to them I guess.

[Turkatron]

Any estimated date on the modmic 4.0? It looks real promising, will definitely look out for that as long as the price is reasonable for European shipping.

 

I don't think the dt990's are right for me personally. It just comes down to if I'm going to be satisfied with the weaker base on the ad700x. It's quite hard to make that judgement without listening to them I guess.

No one knows yet. I would guess mid march.

[Malz]

No one knows yet. I would guess mid march.

 

Where did you pre-order it too? Will probably do some research waiting for extra news on it. While also considering the headphones further until my ears get sore and I impulse buy.

[Malz]

Does anyone also have any personal opinions on the HD 558's? Or possible closed back suggestions

[Turkatron]

Where did you pre-order it too? Will probably do some research waiting for extra news on it. While also considering the headphones further until my ears get sore and I impulse buy.

The 4.0 is not available for pre-order yet.

[ShearMe]

Does anyone also have any personal opinions on the HD 558's? Or possible closed back suggestions

 

If you've got a big head, the 558's might clamp too much. Otherwise, they're more comfortable in my opinion.

 

Just take the "D" out of the product name for audio-technica headphones and you've got closed option (ATH-A700X). Beyerdynamic's DT 770 is closed & good, and the Lindy HF-100 is a rebrand of a popular cheaper option.

[Malz]

If you've got a big head, the 558's might clamp too much. Otherwise, they're more comfortable in my opinion.

 

Just take the "D" out of the product name for audio-technica headphones and you've got closed option (ATH-A700X). Beyerdynamic's DT 770 is closed & good, and the Lindy HF-100 is a rebrand of a popular cheaper option.

 

You've been very helpful, cheers!