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Headphone Recommendations

DonPepe1001
By DonPepe1001
in Audio
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I am currently using the PXC 550 but from all the years of using they are starting to break so I want to properly get into Hi-Fi audio so I would like recommendations on what to get to improve my music listening/gaming experience. I would like the most neutral sound possible and the limit of budget would be ~300 USD

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Look for Beyer Dynamics or Sennheiser. Usually you can't gor wrong there.

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Open or closed back?

 

I love my AKG K550's, they sound about as open as you can find for a pair of closed back headphones. They can be tricky to find because they're not made anymore, you can still find them new on eBay for... $200ish? They're unbelievably comfortable given the earpads going completely around your ears, and I forget I'm wearing them sometimes. They have a little bit of extra bump in the low end because they're closed back, but still remain very neutral in comparison to other cheaper closed backs like Audio-Technica M50X's, which can be a little heavy on the bass.

 

Generally you can't go wrong with DT 770 Pro's or DT 990 Pro's, either. Choose the impedance you want in accordance to what you'll run them through, maybe higher if you have a dedicated amp, probably lower if you don't.

 

AKG K612 Pro, Sennheiser HD600's if you don't mind going used or a little over budget (excellent reference open backs... they leak like crazy and let sound in, though, like any open backs).

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33 minutes ago, wavem2 said:

Generally you can't go wrong with DT 770 Pro's. 

770 pros are fun. Anything under 250 isn't going to sound super great, I wouldn't bother with under 250

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DT 990 Pro's, either.

Bloated bass, very sibilant, no thanks. Some people might like it, but compared to other similarly priced headphone, I feel like very few people would. 

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Choose the impedance you want in accordance to what you'll run them through, maybe higher if you have a dedicated amp, probably lower if you don't.

Beyers aren't really worth it if you're not going for the higher ohmage variants, The type of beyers you're talking about are fairly sensitivity but should go with an amp anyways- even the lower ohmage variants. Ohmage isn't neccsarily a major factor when considering what you need to power your headphones. For example at 110 dB SPL, on 80 ohm headphones at 93 dB SPL/mW sensitivity, you'll need around 50 mW of power to drive them to 110 DB. For a 250ohm, you'll need 50.13mW. Go figure. 

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AKG K612 Pro

Another no thanks from me, but hey, OP might like it. 

I am NOT a professional and a lot of the time what I'm saying is based on limited knowledge and experience. I'm going to be incorrect at times. 

Motherboard Tier List                   How many watts do I need?
Best B550 Motherboards             Best Intel Z490 Motherboards

PC Troubleshooting                      You don't need a big PSU

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2 minutes ago, Brok3n But who cares? said:

Bloated bass, very sibilant, no thanks

Glad I got your opinion on those... never owned them myself, but heard good things from friends who owned them. Some people like that sound, I suppose.

 

3 minutes ago, Brok3n But who cares? said:

The type of beyers you're talking about are fairly sensitivity but should go with an amp anyways- even the lower ohmage variants.

This is interesting as well. I figured impedance went at least a little hand in hand with power requirements, I guess not then.

 

Welp, my headphone knowledge is limited and now it's a little less limited. You ever tried K550's or any of their variants yourself? I heard the later versions are lower quality than the originals, which is why I've never jumped to recommend the K553s. $200 pair of cans as well, not as much as the $275ish that the original 550's were at release.

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1 minute ago, wavem2 said:

Glad I got your opinion on those... never owned them myself, but heard good things from friends who owned them. Some people like that sound, I suppose.

 

This is interesting as well. I figured impedance went at least a little hand in hand with power requirements, I guess not then.

 

Welp, my headphone knowledge is limited and now it's a little less limited. You ever tried K550's or any of their variants yourself? I heard the later versions are lower quality than the originals, which is why I've never jumped to recommend the K553s. $200 pair of cans as well, not as much as the $275ish that the original 550's were at release.

Unfortunately I haven't tried out many AKG headphones, including those mentioned. 
 

Just as a reminder however, how we experience audio is subjective, my opinion and tastes most likely will not reflect your or OP's tastes. 

I am NOT a professional and a lot of the time what I'm saying is based on limited knowledge and experience. I'm going to be incorrect at times. 

Motherboard Tier List                   How many watts do I need?
Best B550 Motherboards             Best Intel Z490 Motherboards

PC Troubleshooting                      You don't need a big PSU

PSU Tier List                                Common pc building mistakes 
PC BUILD Guide! (POV)              How to Overclock your CPU 

 

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3 minutes ago, Brok3n But who cares? said:

Just as a reminder however, how we experience audio is subjective, my opinion and tastes most likely will not reflect your or OP's tastes. 

Yes, it's subjective, but the more opinions, the merrier. Every pair of headphones has a flavor, and once you hear enough experiences from people, you start to find what that flavor is. OP specified what kind of headphone they wanted (neutral/flat) and so I suggested pairs I have known to be that way from what I have heard. The DT 990's having bloated bass (at least in your opinion) was not something I was expecting at all, for example, because they're open backs which tend not to have that closed-in overly bassy feeling.

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  • Author

Thank you for all your recommendations and thorough explanations and from the looks of it I will be searching for a pair of 770 pros
Should I get the 80Ω or 250Ω Version I have a spare 300 more for an amp if needed and If the amp is needed then some recommendations would be welcome since I'm pretty new in this
Thank you again

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4 hours ago, DonPepe1001 said:

Thank you for all your recommendations and thorough explanations and from the looks of it I will be searching for a pair of 770 pros
Should I get the 80Ω or 250Ω Version I have a spare 300 more for an amp if needed and If the amp is needed then some recommendations would be welcome since I'm pretty new in this
Thank you again

So the 250 ohm is the move. It's a better headphone. Amp wise you can't really go wrong with a liquid spark paired with the 770.

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10 hours ago, Brok3n But who cares? said:

Bloated bass, very sibilant, no thanks. Some people might like it,

I used to like them until I got my X2HR

PM/DM me if you have any questions about audio.

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Read this post if you want a "gaming" headset ;)

 

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