Headphone upgrade Recommendations

[GalaxyGamer]

I'm looking into upgrading my audio setup which currently is a steel series arctis pro with the game dac. I'm looking into getting headphone and amp/dac setup for gaming as well as anime/tv. Through my research the Sennheiser hd 6xx were a decent choice, I'm not sure which dac/amp I should pair it with. I have a budget of $600CAD and was wondering what other options I should consider.

[Tigerleon]

29 minutes ago, GalaxyGamer said:

I'm looking into upgrading my audio setup which currently is a steel series arctis pro with the game dac. I'm looking into getting headphone and amp/dac setup for gaming as well as anime/tv. Through my research the Sennheiser hd 6xx were a decent choice, I'm not sure which dac/amp I should pair it with. I have a budget of $600CAD and was wondering what other options I should consider.

I'd recommend the Sound Blaster G6. Great easy to use and controllable DAC/amp through software on PC and can be used with console as well if that is needed. You really don't have to spend 600CAD for a DAC/amp if that is the budget excluding the headphones. Also what kind of music do you listen to and what games? Competetive, casual or both?

[GalaxyGamer]

2 hours ago, Tigerleon said:

I'd recommend the Sound Blaster G6. Great easy to use and controllable DAC/amp through software on PC and can be used with console as well if that is needed. You really don't have to spend 600CAD for a DAC/amp if that is the budget excluding the headphones. Also what kind of music do you listen to and what games? Competetive, casual or both?

sorry I wasn't clear on my post the $600 was for both headphones and DAC/AMP. I do both casual and competitive gaming. I'm trying to figure out a headphone and dac/amp setup that will be good for both gaming and tv under that budget. I wasn't sure which to go with since there are so many options to choose from and as it be my first step into fancy headphones other then gaming headsets. I dont have to go with the hd 6xx if there are better suited options. 

[Tigerleon]

27 minutes ago, GalaxyGamer said:

sorry I wasn't clear on my post the $600 was for both headphones and DAC/AMP. I do both casual and competitive gaming. I'm trying to figure out a headphone and dac/amp setup that will be good for both gaming and tv under that budget. I wasn't sure which to go with since there are so many options to choose from and as it be my first step into fancy headphones other then gaming headsets. I dont have to go with the hd 6xx if there are better suited options. 

Oh ok. There are many headphones out there giving different pros and cons in their performance for different categories of usage. Do you value bass or mids, do you want a big soundstage with less good imaging or better imaging with mediocre soundstage as many Sennheisers have? Sennheisers are very good at mids neutrality and imaging, especially the HD 58x but the 6xx are less good for what I've heard. Now that being said. What kind of music do you listen to? Edit. In my opinion I wouldn't like to have Sennheisers because I don't like the bass rolloff they've got and they would probably sound too boring for my taste in music etc.

 

Your budget is pretty high and might be pretty "overkill" for what you want to use it for so my strong recommendation is a DAC/amp combo from for example Sound Blaster. I praise them a lot because they are just very good at doing everything you want as a package. Giving you great software if that is needed. Or you could go with the traditional DAC/amp combo or seperate DAC and an amp from for example Fiio, iFi, Monoprice, Topping. Just mentioning some. I wouldn't say there is a difference between different amps or DACs other than just quality and implementation at lower prices and what they offer and what you need. There might be some minute details that changes from amp to amp and DAC to DAC. But just get a good and decent quality DAC/amp combo or stack and good headphones you think will suit you best.

 

[GalaxyGamer]

18 minutes ago, Tigerleon said:

Oh ok. There are many headphones out there giving different pros and cons in their performance for different categories of usage. Do you value bass or mids, do you want a big soundstage with less good imaging or better imaging with mediocre soundstage as many Sennheisers have? Sennheisers are very good at mids neutrality and imaging, especially the HD 58x but the 6xx are less good for what I've heard. Now that being said. What kind of music do you listen to? Edit. In my opinion I wouldn't like to have Sennheisers because I don't like the bass rolloff they've got and they would probably sound too boring for my taste in music etc.

 

Your budget is pretty high and might be pretty "overkill" for what you want to use it for so my strong recommendation is a DAC/amp combo from for example Sound Blaster. I praise them a lot because they are just very good at doing everything you want as a package. Giving you great software if that is needed. Or you could go with the traditional DAC/amp combo or seperate DAC and an amp from for example Fiio, iFi, Monoprice, Topping. Just mentioning some. I wouldn't say there is a difference between different amps or DACs other than just quality and implementation at lower prices and what they offer and what you need. There might be some minute details that changes from amp to amp and DAC to DAC. But just get a good and decent quality DAC/amp combo or stack and good headphones you think will suit you best.

 

I listen to all music but mainly dubstep, rap/hip hop, metal/rock. I'd like to get a setup that gives a fuller sound if that makes sense and help me in a competitive aspect with hearing things. Being new to audiophile setups, I'm not to sure if this is too much to ask for from one set of  headphones.

 

also thanks for the help.

[rice guru]

3 hours ago, GalaxyGamer said:

I listen to all music but mainly dubstep, rap/hip hop, metal/rock. I'd like to get a setup that gives a fuller sound if that makes sense and help me in a competitive aspect with hearing things. Being new to audiophile setups, I'm not to sure if this is too much to ask for from one set of  headphones.

 

also thanks for the help.

for these generes I dont really think the 6xx is the greatest choice personally. its pretty weak in the subbass and the treble is can be dark if you care about the gaming aspect of things. the imaging and soundstage is kinda weak as well but the mids are awesome for it and timbre is absolutely awesome for the price. its a pretty audio[hile oriented headphone so the whole bassy fun as pect is kinda different from what youa re probably used to so take that into account. if this is definitely mainly mfor music and not gaminng a closed back may be more up your alley . but that also depends on what your preferences are.

 

My question is : what are you looking into in regards to sound? how much do you appreciate bass in music? and how important is it to  you?, is this at all for gaming? how good are you when it comes to sharper sounds?

[Tigerleon]

11 hours ago, GalaxyGamer said:

I listen to all music but mainly dubstep, rap/hip hop, metal/rock. I'd like to get a setup that gives a fuller sound if that makes sense and help me in a competitive aspect with hearing things. Being new to audiophile setups, I'm not to sure if this is too much to ask for from one set of  headphones.

 

also thanks for the help.

I'd recommend the ones I use which I often recommend seeing this type of music taste and what you are gonna use them for. I use the X2HR from philips and you can check out my review down below in my signature. They might not have the best subbass but they are extremely open headphones with really wide soundstage and still good imaging. The bass is punchy as well as tight and the treble is crisp and smooth not being harsh and the mids are very good and balanced. Edit: The build quality is the best I've ever seen. And the comfort is great.

[rice guru]

6 hours ago, Tigerleon said:

The build quality is the best I've ever seen. And the comfort is great.

Will confirm build quality is excellent for the price point and does pretty well for the genres you are into. They are not bass cannons but do have a good amount of bass for being open backs.

[GalaxyGamer]

19 hours ago, rice guru said:

for these genres I don't really think the 6xx is the greatest choice personally. its pretty weak in the subbass and the treble is can be dark if you care about the gaming aspect of things. the imaging and soundstage is kinda weak as well but the mids are awesome for it and timbre is absolutely awesome for the price. its a pretty audiophile oriented headphone so the whole bassy fun aspect is kinda different from what you are probably used to so take that into account. if this is definitely mainly for music and not gaming a closed back may be more up your alley . but that also depends on what your preferences are.

 

My question is : what are you looking into in regards to sound? how much do you appreciate bass in music? and how important is it to  you?, is this at all for gaming? how good are you when it comes to sharper sounds?

I'd like for there to be some bass there but I have desktop speakers with a sub if I want to listen to something really bassy. The headphones will mainly be for gaming and anime/YouTube. also could you elaborate a bit on the sharper sounds(if you mean can I handle sharper sounds then, yes). lastly sound wise I'm just looking to improve the sound quality generally speaking to enjoy anime/YouTube to a higher degree. if it helps competitively in games that is also what I'm trying to accomplish. if there is a better option other than the 6xx, that would be great. This might be a hard search since I'm using them for different uses. 

[Entropy.]

2 hours ago, GalaxyGamer said:

I'd like for there to be some bass there but I have desktop speakers with a sub if I want to listen to something really bassy. The headphones will mainly be for gaming and anime/YouTube. also could you elaborate a bit on the sharper sounds(if you mean can I handle sharper sounds then, yes). lastly sound wise I'm just looking to improve the sound quality generally speaking to enjoy anime/YouTube to a higher degree. if it helps competitively in games that is also what I'm trying to accomplish. if there is a better option other than the 6xx, that would be great. This might be a hard search since I'm using them for different uses. 

How we experience sound is subjective. Thus, there's really no "best" option for x budget, as again, everybody will experience the headphones somewhat differently, and everybody will have different priorities  for the headphone, likes, and points of reference. If possible, I'd highly reccomend trying out other headphones alongside the 6xxx and seeing what you like. Hifiman he400SE's Sundaras, or Sennheiser hd560's, or hd600's might be of interest to you. The hd600 or sundara might not work if the amp/dac is included in your 600 CAD budget. 

 

Drop, sennhesier, and Hifiman all offer free returns (besides shipping, duties, ect. if that matters to you), as is shown here: 

Drop's return/replacement policy – Drop Help Center 

Sennheiser Online Store - Returns and Cancellations

Return Policy (hifiman.com)