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Headset Setup Recommendations

Misinthe

Hello everyone, I currently am using a set of Corsair VOID Pros that I bought back in 2017, they have been good but they're showing their age now, the battery doesn't even last an hour anymore so I have to be constantly plugging them in during long sessions. I am looking for a replacement for my current audio setup, I am thinking on getting a DAC and a set of closed wired headphones now. Either with a mic or without, I can always get a separate mic like a modmic or a desk one. As far as budget, I don't want anything too crazy, but I'm not against spending some money, I would say budget is around $300. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thank you!

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9 minutes ago, Misinthe said:

Hello everyone, I currently am using a set of Corsair VOID Pros that I bought back in 2017, they have been good but they're showing their age now, the battery doesn't even last an hour anymore so I have to be constantly plugging them in during long sessions. I am looking for a replacement for my current audio setup, I am thinking on getting a DAC and a set of closed wired headphones now. Either with a mic or without, I can always get a separate mic like a modmic or a desk one. As far as budget, I don't want anything too crazy, but I'm not against spending some money, I would say budget is around $300. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thank you!

I could recommend the Beyerdynamic DT770 or 990's.  Absolute fantastic listening experience.

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I've been using the PHILIPS Fidelio X2HR for about a year now and they are fantastic! Over-ear, wired, and has 50mm drivers so the sound quality is great. It's no Bose, but for $149 on Amazon, it's a great buy. It also has removable ear muffs, so washing and or replacing them is very easy.

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For closed back, the dt770 and Schiit Fulla are very hard to beat. The x2hr is my only recommendation for open back.
 

11 minutes ago, yogurt245 said:

It's no Bose

Wut? Bose is known for good active noise canceling on certain models and advertising. The X2hr punch way above what their price suggests. 

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25 minutes ago, Hinjima said:

I could recommend the Beyerdynamic DT770 or 990's.  Absolute fantastic listening experience.

So the 990s are Open so they're out, the 770s look like a good option, I see they come in 35, 80, and 250 OHM, so I need to more research on that. 

21 minutes ago, yogurt245 said:

I've been using the PHILIPS Fidelio X2HR for about a year now and they are fantastic! Over-ear, wired, and has 50mm drivers so the sound quality is great. It's no Bose, but for $149 on Amazon, it's a great buy. It also has removable ear muffs, so washing and or replacing them is very easy.

Thank you for your recommendation, sadly those are open back and I really need close back due to all the noise going around in my home with my children.

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5 minutes ago, johnt said:

For closed back, the dt770 and Schiit Fulla are very hard to beat. The x2hr is my only recommendation for open back.
 

Wut? Bose is known for good active noise canceling on certain models and advertising. The X2hr punch way above what their price suggests. 

Is the Schiit Fulla better than the Focusrite Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen? That's the one Amazon says people buy more often with the DT770s. And what OHM is better for media/gaming, the 35, 80 or 250?

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5 minutes ago, Misinthe said:

Is the Schiit Fulla better than the Focusrite Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen? That's the one Amazon says people buy more often with the DT770s. And what OHM is better for media/gaming, the 35, 80 or 250?

The solo is an audio interface that is more suited for recording with instruments or xlr mics. The fulla is a simple one cord amp and Dac combo.

 

the resistivity of the speakers doesn’t matter for this. 35 is easier to drive, but even an iPad can power the 250 ohm model. I think the 250 comes with better ear pads, but a heavier coiled wire. The 35 and 80 come with a straight cable but cheaper fake leather. The pads are standard and can be replaced with better models. 

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33 minutes ago, Misinthe said:

So the 990s are Open so they're out, the 770s look like a good option, I see they come in 35, 80, and 250 OHM, so I need to more research on that. 

Thank you for your recommendation, sadly those are open back and I really need close back due to all the noise going around in my home with my children.

Have you considered In-Ear Monitors (IEM-s)?

 

You can get a great IEM for gaming (competitive shooters) + a decent AMP/DAC + a cable to use them balanced (4.4mm or 2.5mm jack) and have a great experience playing.

For competitive shooters, I'd rank it like this:

Great open-back headphones (Sennheiser HD 560s, HD 800, Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X, DT 990, DT 1990) > Great IEM-s > Good budget IEMs (ie Truthear Zero) > Good closed-back headphones > good gaming headsets > average headphones > average gaming headsets.

M.S.C.E. (M.Sc. Computer Engineering), IT specialist in a hospital, 30+ years of gaming, 20+ years of computer enthusiasm, Geek, Trekkie, anime fan

  • Main PC: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D - EK AIO 360 D-RGB - Arctic Cooling MX-4 - Asus Prime X570-P - 4x8GB DDR4 3200 HyperX Fury CL16 - Sapphire AMD Radeon 6950XT Nitro+ - 1TB Kingston Fury Renegade - 2TB Kingston Fury Renegade - 512GB ADATA SU800 - 960GB Kingston A400 - Seasonic PX-850 850W  - custom black ATX and EPS cables - Fractal Design Define R5 Blackout - Windows 11 x64 23H2 - 3 Arctic Cooling P14 PWM PST - 5 Arctic Cooling P12 PWM PST
  • Peripherals: LG 32GK650F - Dell P2319h - Logitech G Pro X Superlight with Tiger Ice - HyperX Alloy Origins Core (TKL) - EndGame Gear MPC890 - Genius HF 1250B - Akliam PD4 - Sennheiser HD 560s - Simgot EM6L - Truthear Zero - QKZ x HBB - 7Hz Salnotes Zero - Logitech C270 - Behringer PS400 - BM700  - Colormunki Smile - Speedlink Torid - Jysk Stenderup - LG 24x External DVD writer - Konig smart card reader
  • Laptop: Acer E5–575G-386R 15.6" 1080p (i3 6100U + 12GB DDR4 (4GB+8GB) + GeForce 940MX + 256GB nVME) Win 10 Pro x64 22H2 - Logitech G305 + AAA Lithium battery
  • Networking: Asus TUF Gaming AX6000 - Arcadyan ISP router - 35/5 Mbps vDSL
  • TV and gadgets: TCL 50EP680 50" 4K LED + Sharp HT-SB100 75W RMS soundbar - Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 10.1" - OnePlus 9 256GB - Olymous Cameda C-160 - GameBoy Color 
  • Streaming/Server/Storage PC: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 - LC-Power LC-CC-120 - MSI B450 Tomahawk Max - 2x4GB ADATA 2666 DDR4 - 120GB Kingston V300 - Toshiba DT01ACA100 1TB - Toshiba DT01ACA200 2TB - 2x WD Green 2TB - Sapphire Pulse AMD Radeon R9 380X - 550W EVGA G3 SuperNova - Chieftec Giga DF-01B - White Shark Spartan X keyboard - Roccat Kone Pure Military Desert strike - Logitech S-220 - Philips 226L
  • Livingroom PC (dad uses): AMD FX 8300 - Arctic Freezer 64 - Asus M5A97 R2.0 Evo - 2x4GB DDR3 1833 Kingston - MSI Radeon HD 7770 1GB OC - 120GB Adata SSD - 500W Fractal Design Essence - DVD-RW - Samsung SM 2253BW - Logitech G710+ - wireless vertical mouse - MS 2.0 speakers
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6 minutes ago, 191x7 said:

Have you considered In-Ear Monitors (IEM-s)?

 

You can get a great IEM for gaming (competitive shooters) + a decent AMP/DAC + a cable to use them balanced (4.4mm or 2.5mm jack) and have a great experience playing.

For competitive shooters, I'd rank it like this:

Great open-back headphones (Sennheiser HD 560s, HD 800, Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X, DT 990, DT 1990) > Great IEM-s > Good budget IEMs (ie Truthear Zero) > Good closed-back headphones > good gaming headsets > average headphones > average gaming headsets.

Thank you for your input, two things though, I do a lot of studying on my PC so I need something that’s going to help with the noise from the family, so I can’t have open back, and as for IEMs they get uncomfortable after a couple hours, so it’s not something I could wear for 6+ hours of studying.

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Logitech G733 
Good quality for games and music without being audiophile grade 
Wireless with good battery life 
Mic isn't bad, even good i'd say 
And Logitech G HUB provides crazy software help with DTS Audio, Dolby ect ect.... 
Only problem could be the RGB zones on the headset but you can deactivate those 
I got these for a good while now and really enjoy them they provide a really good experience for around 100 bucks 

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For headphones :
I personally use a pair of Sennheiser x Drop HD58x. They are relatively easy to drive and not that expensive. Definitely a recommendation if you're looking for open-backs.

If you're looking for a closed-back, I really like the ATH-M40x. A fart would be enough to drive them and they have a "classic headphone no bs" design. Not the most confortable with stock pads though.

Feel free to look some reviews about those two, as the people presenting them are probably way more qualified to talk about them than I am.

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26 minutes ago, Misinthe said:

Thank you for your input, two things though, I do a lot of studying on my PC so I need something that’s going to help with the noise from the family, so I can’t have open back, and as for IEMs they get uncomfortable after a couple hours, so it’s not something I could wear for 6+ hours of studying.

Why would IEM-s get uncomfortable after a couple of hours? That's most certainly not the case. 

M.S.C.E. (M.Sc. Computer Engineering), IT specialist in a hospital, 30+ years of gaming, 20+ years of computer enthusiasm, Geek, Trekkie, anime fan

  • Main PC: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D - EK AIO 360 D-RGB - Arctic Cooling MX-4 - Asus Prime X570-P - 4x8GB DDR4 3200 HyperX Fury CL16 - Sapphire AMD Radeon 6950XT Nitro+ - 1TB Kingston Fury Renegade - 2TB Kingston Fury Renegade - 512GB ADATA SU800 - 960GB Kingston A400 - Seasonic PX-850 850W  - custom black ATX and EPS cables - Fractal Design Define R5 Blackout - Windows 11 x64 23H2 - 3 Arctic Cooling P14 PWM PST - 5 Arctic Cooling P12 PWM PST
  • Peripherals: LG 32GK650F - Dell P2319h - Logitech G Pro X Superlight with Tiger Ice - HyperX Alloy Origins Core (TKL) - EndGame Gear MPC890 - Genius HF 1250B - Akliam PD4 - Sennheiser HD 560s - Simgot EM6L - Truthear Zero - QKZ x HBB - 7Hz Salnotes Zero - Logitech C270 - Behringer PS400 - BM700  - Colormunki Smile - Speedlink Torid - Jysk Stenderup - LG 24x External DVD writer - Konig smart card reader
  • Laptop: Acer E5–575G-386R 15.6" 1080p (i3 6100U + 12GB DDR4 (4GB+8GB) + GeForce 940MX + 256GB nVME) Win 10 Pro x64 22H2 - Logitech G305 + AAA Lithium battery
  • Networking: Asus TUF Gaming AX6000 - Arcadyan ISP router - 35/5 Mbps vDSL
  • TV and gadgets: TCL 50EP680 50" 4K LED + Sharp HT-SB100 75W RMS soundbar - Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 10.1" - OnePlus 9 256GB - Olymous Cameda C-160 - GameBoy Color 
  • Streaming/Server/Storage PC: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 - LC-Power LC-CC-120 - MSI B450 Tomahawk Max - 2x4GB ADATA 2666 DDR4 - 120GB Kingston V300 - Toshiba DT01ACA100 1TB - Toshiba DT01ACA200 2TB - 2x WD Green 2TB - Sapphire Pulse AMD Radeon R9 380X - 550W EVGA G3 SuperNova - Chieftec Giga DF-01B - White Shark Spartan X keyboard - Roccat Kone Pure Military Desert strike - Logitech S-220 - Philips 226L
  • Livingroom PC (dad uses): AMD FX 8300 - Arctic Freezer 64 - Asus M5A97 R2.0 Evo - 2x4GB DDR3 1833 Kingston - MSI Radeon HD 7770 1GB OC - 120GB Adata SSD - 500W Fractal Design Essence - DVD-RW - Samsung SM 2253BW - Logitech G710+ - wireless vertical mouse - MS 2.0 speakers
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1 hour ago, johnt said:

The solo is an audio interface that is more suited for recording with instruments or xlr mics. The fulla is a simple one cord amp and Dac combo.

 

the resistivity of the speakers doesn’t matter for this. 35 is easier to drive, but even an iPad can power the 250 ohm model. I think the 250 comes with better ear pads, but a heavier coiled wire. The 35 and 80 come with a straight cable but cheaper fake leather. The pads are standard and can be replaced with better models. 

Does the OHM affect the audio quality?

 

39 minutes ago, zelkho_ said:

Logitech G733 
Good quality for games and music without being audiophile grade 
Wireless with good battery life 
Mic isn't bad, even good i'd say 
And Logitech G HUB provides crazy software help with DTS Audio, Dolby ect ect.... 
Only problem could be the RGB zones on the headset but you can deactivate those 
I got these for a good while now and really enjoy them they provide a really good experience for around 100 bucks 

Thank you but I am trying to stay away from wireless this go around.

31 minutes ago, Mar_uku said:

For headphones :
I personally use a pair of Sennheiser x Drop HD58x. They are relatively easy to drive and not that expensive. Definitely a recommendation if you're looking for open-backs.

If you're looking for a closed-back, I really like the ATH-M40x. A fart would be enough to drive them and they have a "classic headphone no bs" design. Not the most confortable with stock pads though.

Feel free to look some reviews about those two, as the people presenting them are probably way more qualified to talk about them than I am.

I know everyone in the industry started using the M40x/M50x a couple of years ago for the great quality/value, I'll take a look into those.

 

26 minutes ago, 191x7 said:

Why would IEM-s get uncomfortable after a couple of hours? That's most certainly not the case. 

When I use my AirPods Pro for a prolonged period of time my ears start to hurt and they start falling out of my ears.

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1 minute ago, Misinthe said:

When I use my AirPods Pro for a prolonged period of time my ears start to hurt and they start falling out of my ears.

You're making assumptions based on the use of mediocre TWS buds. Those are designed to look Apple-ish, not to have a great fit and comfort.

IEM-s are something completely different. That's the thing. You can find good-sounding ones even for $20 (7HZ Salnotes Zero, QKZ x HBB, ...) and they are way more comfortable than any Apple earbuds/earpods, come with different ear tips and so on.

M.S.C.E. (M.Sc. Computer Engineering), IT specialist in a hospital, 30+ years of gaming, 20+ years of computer enthusiasm, Geek, Trekkie, anime fan

  • Main PC: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D - EK AIO 360 D-RGB - Arctic Cooling MX-4 - Asus Prime X570-P - 4x8GB DDR4 3200 HyperX Fury CL16 - Sapphire AMD Radeon 6950XT Nitro+ - 1TB Kingston Fury Renegade - 2TB Kingston Fury Renegade - 512GB ADATA SU800 - 960GB Kingston A400 - Seasonic PX-850 850W  - custom black ATX and EPS cables - Fractal Design Define R5 Blackout - Windows 11 x64 23H2 - 3 Arctic Cooling P14 PWM PST - 5 Arctic Cooling P12 PWM PST
  • Peripherals: LG 32GK650F - Dell P2319h - Logitech G Pro X Superlight with Tiger Ice - HyperX Alloy Origins Core (TKL) - EndGame Gear MPC890 - Genius HF 1250B - Akliam PD4 - Sennheiser HD 560s - Simgot EM6L - Truthear Zero - QKZ x HBB - 7Hz Salnotes Zero - Logitech C270 - Behringer PS400 - BM700  - Colormunki Smile - Speedlink Torid - Jysk Stenderup - LG 24x External DVD writer - Konig smart card reader
  • Laptop: Acer E5–575G-386R 15.6" 1080p (i3 6100U + 12GB DDR4 (4GB+8GB) + GeForce 940MX + 256GB nVME) Win 10 Pro x64 22H2 - Logitech G305 + AAA Lithium battery
  • Networking: Asus TUF Gaming AX6000 - Arcadyan ISP router - 35/5 Mbps vDSL
  • TV and gadgets: TCL 50EP680 50" 4K LED + Sharp HT-SB100 75W RMS soundbar - Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 10.1" - OnePlus 9 256GB - Olymous Cameda C-160 - GameBoy Color 
  • Streaming/Server/Storage PC: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 - LC-Power LC-CC-120 - MSI B450 Tomahawk Max - 2x4GB ADATA 2666 DDR4 - 120GB Kingston V300 - Toshiba DT01ACA100 1TB - Toshiba DT01ACA200 2TB - 2x WD Green 2TB - Sapphire Pulse AMD Radeon R9 380X - 550W EVGA G3 SuperNova - Chieftec Giga DF-01B - White Shark Spartan X keyboard - Roccat Kone Pure Military Desert strike - Logitech S-220 - Philips 226L
  • Livingroom PC (dad uses): AMD FX 8300 - Arctic Freezer 64 - Asus M5A97 R2.0 Evo - 2x4GB DDR3 1833 Kingston - MSI Radeon HD 7770 1GB OC - 120GB Adata SSD - 500W Fractal Design Essence - DVD-RW - Samsung SM 2253BW - Logitech G710+ - wireless vertical mouse - MS 2.0 speakers
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3 minutes ago, Misinthe said:

Does the OHM affect the audio quality?

 

Thank you but I am trying to stay away from wireless this go around.

I know everyone in the industry started using the M40x/M50x a couple of years ago for the great quality/value, I'll take a look into those.

 

When I use my AirPods Pro for a prolonged period of time my ears start to hurt and they start falling out of my ears.

No, not anything noticeable with the dt770.
 

I would avoid the m40/m50, they feel like trash on your head. The headband is cardboard. 

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4 hours ago, Misinthe said:

Does the OHM affect the audio quality?

A higher ohm headphone is harder to drive, so if a given headphone has multiple options of the same headphone in theory the higher ohm will sound better when properly driven.  However I would only use ohm's to figure out what you Can get not what you Should get.  A headphone designed for a specific ohm and sensitivity will sound how it's meant to when driven properly.

 

As to closed back headphone recommendations I have a difficult time recommending any of the ones I have/had each for their own reasons.  The DT770 80ohm is going to be a solid choice for all around.  The Meze Noir 99 from drop sound freaking wonderful if you don't care about technicality. They're warm and full and almost sound tubed.  Problem being that they don't have the best imaging or soundstage, both of which are useful for gaming.  The Rode NTH-100........ I guess you shouldn't meet your hero's because this would be my go to recommendation for everyone with $150-300 to spend on a headphone however the ratcheting mechanism is prone to cracking.  Every last thing outside of that is perfect and if you super glue the crack they hold up (I'm in the process of figuring out how long this fix works).  They sound like a gem on anything including onboard audio, have an amazing presence all across the auditory line up, comfortable, great imaging and decent enough sound stage.  The fact that you can get "hifi" level sound out of anything on them for $150 no dac no amp needed..... they're just amazing and all it requires is a $1 tube of super glue.  My next recommendation based on personal use would be the AKG K361 with a pad swap to some THICK oval pads and they're excellent at that point.  You could get the BT model which can still be wired.  These are a fun headphone with great bass.

Open-Back - Sennheiser 6xx - Focal Elex - Phillips Fidelio X3 - Harmonicdyne Zeus -  Beyerdynamic DT1990 - *HiFi-man HE400i (2017) - *Phillips shp9500 - *SoundMAGIC HP200

Semi-Open - Beyerdynamic DT880-600 - Fostex T50RP - *AKG K240 studio

Closed-Back - Rode NTH-100 - Meze 99 Neo - AKG K361-BT - Blue Microphones Lola - *Beyerdynamic DT770-80 - *Meze 99 Noir - *Blon BL-B60 *Hifiman R7dx

On-Ear - Koss KPH30iCL Grado - Koss KPH30iCL Yaxi - Koss KPH40 Yaxi

IEM - Tin HiFi T2 - MoonDrop Quarks - Tangzu Wan'er S.G - Moondrop Chu - QKZ x HBB - 7HZ Salnotes Zero

Headset Turtle Beach Stealth 700 V2 + xbox adapter - *Sennheiser Game One - *Razer Kraken Pro V2

DAC S.M.S.L SU-9

Class-D dac/amp Topping DX7 - Schiit Fulla E - Fosi Q4 - *Sybasonic SD-DAC63116

Class-D amp Topping A70

Class-A amp Emotiva A-100 - Xduoo MT-602 (hybrid tube)

Pure Tube amp Darkvoice 336SE - Little dot MKII - Nobsound Little Bear P7

Audio Interface Rode AI-1

Portable Amp Xduoo XP2-pro - *Truthear SHIO - *Fiio BTR3K BTR3Kpro 

Mic Rode NT1 - *Antlion Mod Mic - *Neego Boom Mic - *Vmoda Boom Mic

Pads ZMF - Dekoni - Brainwavz - Shure - Yaxi - Grado - Wicked Cushions

Cables Hart Audio Cables - Periapt Audio Cables

Speakers Kef Q950 - Micca RB42 - Jamo S803 - Crown XLi1500 (power amp class A)

 

*given as gift or out of commission

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20 hours ago, johnt said:

No, not anything noticeable with the dt770.
 

I would avoid the m40/m50, they feel like trash on your head. The headband is cardboard. 

 

15 hours ago, Psittac said:

A higher ohm headphone is harder to drive, so if a given headphone has multiple options of the same headphone in theory the higher ohm will sound better when properly driven.  However I would only use ohm's to figure out what you Can get not what you Should get.  A headphone designed for a specific ohm and sensitivity will sound how it's meant to when driven properly.

 

As to closed back headphone recommendations I have a difficult time recommending any of the ones I have/had each for their own reasons.  The DT770 80ohm is going to be a solid choice for all around.  The Meze Noir 99 from drop sound freaking wonderful if you don't care about technicality. They're warm and full and almost sound tubed.  Problem being that they don't have the best imaging or soundstage, both of which are useful for gaming.  The Rode NTH-100........ I guess you shouldn't meet your hero's because this would be my go to recommendation for everyone with $150-300 to spend on a headphone however the ratcheting mechanism is prone to cracking.  Every last thing outside of that is perfect and if you super glue the crack they hold up (I'm in the process of figuring out how long this fix works).  They sound like a gem on anything including onboard audio, have an amazing presence all across the auditory line up, comfortable, great imaging and decent enough sound stage.  The fact that you can get "hifi" level sound out of anything on them for $150 no dac no amp needed..... they're just amazing and all it requires is a $1 tube of super glue.  My next recommendation based on personal use would be the AKG K361 with a pad swap to some THICK oval pads and they're excellent at that point.  You could get the BT model which can still be wired.  These are a fun headphone with great bass.

Thank you for the explanation, I think I'll go with the DT770 80 OHMs and the Fulla, I read the Fulla can run the 250 OHMs but the price goes way up, even between the 80s Grey and Black there's a $70 difference for some reason.

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