Looking for a recommendation for new headphones

[GanjajoggiBig]

So, currently I have headphone that are very, cheap, they were like 30€ and the mic is slowly giving out, I need them for Escape From Tarkov, its a game I enjoy playing with my friend but m headphone are less then good for it, what id need is 360 degree surround sound, and good audio quality, mic is optinal for me, my budget would be around 300€, and for region restrictions I live in Germany

I had asked before and was recommended the audio technica rx70 and the fiio ft30 I think

 

[Tigerleon]

1 hour ago, GanjajoggiBig said:

I had asked before and was recommended the audio technica rx70 and the fiio ft30 I think

 

That's a pretty good combo I guess. But I don't know how those headphones are. 

I recommend the Tygr 300R for FPS games and other use cases as well. I play EFT and I love these headphones for sound cues and directional audio. I would say a smaller DAC/amp like the ft30 would be good or something from Sound Blaster like the G6 or something in that pricerange.

[GanjajoggiBig]

45 minutes ago, Tigerleon said:

I recommend the Tygr 300R for FPS games and other use cases as well.

when i searched for them they were sold as a combo with a microphone, you dont happen to haave that would you? because if yes, is it good?

 

45 minutes ago, Tigerleon said:

I would say a smaller DAC/amp like the ft30 

if this applies to the fiio ft30 i was a little wrong, i meant the fiio ft3 they are headphones like the audio technica rx70

 

also, you dont happen to know any good soundcards do you?

 

[Tigerleon]

1 hour ago, GanjajoggiBig said:

when i searched for them they were sold as a combo with a microphone, you dont happen to haave that would you? because if yes, is it good?

 

They sell separate as well but yeah that USB mic is pretty good.

 

1 hour ago, GanjajoggiBig said:

if this applies to the fiio ft30 i was a little wrong, i meant the fiio ft3 they are headphones like the audio technica rx70

 

also, you dont happen to know any good soundcards do you?

Yeah, I mixed it up as well. Thought, it was the Fiio DAC/amp soundcard without even looking at which model you stated.

But any DAC/amp soundcard around the $100 mark would be great from brands like Fiio, Topping, Sound Blaster, or ifi

[GanjajoggiBig]

1 hour ago, Tigerleon said:

They sell separate as well but yeah that USB mic is pretty good.

 

Yeah, I mixed it up as well. Thought, it was the Fiio DAC/amp soundcard without even looking at which model you stated.

But any DAC/amp soundcard around the $100 mark would be great from brands like Fiio, Topping, Sound Blaster, or ifi

what difference does it make if i have a DAC/amp soundecard?

[Tigerleon]

2 hours ago, GanjajoggiBig said:

what difference does it make if i have a DAC/amp soundecard?

Clean(er) audio. It depends on how good your onboard soundcard is in your motherboard, getting an external soundcard will alleviate that. Which mobo do you have? Also driving headphones that have a low sensitivity and headphones with higher ohms generally benefit more with an amp with more power which can drive all the potential out of the headphones.

[GanjajoggiBig]

2 minutes ago, Tigerleon said:

Clean(er) audio. It depends on how good your onboard soundcard is in your motherboard, getting an external soundcard will alleviate that. Which mobo do you have? Also driving headphones that have a low sensitivity and headphones with higher ohms generally benefit more with an amp with more power which can drive all the potential out of the headphones.

My MB is a asrock b550m phantom Gaming ripjaw, not entirely sure. But i know its from the phantom gaming series

[Cocococo]

36 minutes ago, GanjajoggiBig said:

My MB is a asrock b550m phantom Gaming ripjaw, not entirely sure. But i know its from the phantom gaming series

That onboard audio should be fine tbh, sound cards are kinda bad these days, external DAC's use better components and integrate better into an amplifier if need be, a USB-C dongle DAC is more than enough for pretty much any headphone you're likely to buy.

 

If you feel like an external dac/amp is necessary then I'd take a Qudelix 5k over pretty much every desktop amp under Schiit Magni/ Modi stack prices, Audio Technica R70X are really good gaming headphones that tend to be the cheapest among the current 300usd-ish recommendations. If you decide to go for R70X then a good DAC is a good idea, high impedance and fairly high sensitivity tends to make them sound "grainy" on lower quality equipment. Last time I tried a pair on my Qudelix they sounded great, they are very reliable and replacement OEM earpads are readily available (this is a big deal, earpads dramatically change the headphones sound and Sennheiser are AWFUL to try and buy HD600 earpads from) 

 

 

[Tigerleon]

37 minutes ago, Cocococo said:

sound cards

Sound card as in, any external or internal DAC/amp not specifically internal which I assume you thought I meant.

[Tigerleon]

39 minutes ago, Cocococo said:

That onboard audio should be fine tbh,

 

1 hour ago, GanjajoggiBig said:

My MB is a asrock b550m phantom Gaming ripjaw, not entirely sure. But i know its from the phantom gaming series

That onboard is pretty meh and will not power most headphones at acceptable volumes and it won't drive them to its fullest potential.

[Psittac]

There is a huge number of options at that price point.  My personal ethos would be to invest half into a dac/amp and half into the headphone but that's just one way to do it.  I enjoy this as a hobby so having the ability to power multiple headphones without worrying how it will sound is important to me.

 

You could find a pair of headphones that are opaque and easy to drive.  Opaque meaning that they don't reflect the source as drastically.  Something transparent would be the Sennheiser HD600 and something opaque would be the Rode NTH-100.  I kind of made up the term opaque in response to the common use of transparent.

 

I have never tried either of those headphones, but the spec's for the R70x are really odd, rather sensitive but really high ohms.  I know from testing my 600 ohm dt880 that underpowering something with that high of a resistance can quickly degrade the sound quality.  The 880-600 is 96db and 600ohm compared to the 99db and 470ohm so the r70x is slightly easier to drive.  I didn't do a full test but bass response was the first to go when being underpowered, it get's muddy and loose.  I started to smell electronics heating up on the Fosi Q4 when I tried to use it to power the Beyer's.

 

So far as I understand, the r70x really really wants a strong amp, and I would avoid it otherwise.

 

The Fiio is also a high impedance headphone but "only" 350 ohm, though it does have high sensitivity at 105db.  Still that resistance is pretty high and I would feel most comfortable recommending an amp on that as well.  You may be leaving dynamic range on the table.

 

When I think of ohm and db, I think of torque and horsepower.  Someone correct me if I'm wrong.  The higher ohm's are the more current you need to get it moving IE "torque" and once it's moving the sensitivity is like horsepower, or how loud it gets with the work that the torque managed to produce.

[GanjajoggiBig]

On 3/17/2024 at 1:01 AM, Tigerleon said:

Sound card as in, any external or internal DAC/amp not specifically internal which I assume you thought I meant.

do you know any good ones that you would recommend?

 

[Tigerleon]

1 hour ago, GanjajoggiBig said:

do you know any good ones that you would recommend?

 

Any DAC/amp from Fiio, Topping, Soundblaster, iFi, or Schiit. There are of course more but those are reputable. Sound Blaster has software with it as well.

[Heats with Nvidia]

On 3/17/2024 at 5:26 AM, Psittac said:

When I think of ohm and db, I think of torque and horsepower.  Someone correct me if I'm wrong.  The higher ohm's are the more current you need to get it moving IE "torque" and once it's moving the sensitivity is like horsepower, or how loud it gets with the work that the torque managed to produce.

You are very close. Higher ohms means you need a higher voltage to get enough the same power as with a lower impedance.

The power in W, or more relevant in headphones, mW, is the voltage times the current. The power determines how loud it gets (lets ignore the efficiency for now) and higher impedance means at the same voltage, less current flows and so you need a higher voltage, but still at a lower current, to get the same amount of power. I hope that is not too confusing.

[GanjajoggiBig]

22 hours ago, Tigerleon said:

Any DAC/amp from Fiio, Topping, Soundblaster, iFi, or Schiit. There are of course more but those are reputable. Sound Blaster has software with it as well.

regarding one of the fiio the K9 AKM it says it has a bluetooth chip but i dont quite understand how it would work with a Tower PC

 

also about soundblaster, are the internal Sound cards any good?

 

[GanjajoggiBig]

On 3/17/2024 at 6:26 AM, Psittac said:

 

You could find a pair of headphones that are opaque and easy to drive.  Opaque meaning that they don't reflect the source as drastically.  Something transparent would be the Sennheiser HD600 and something opaque would be the Rode NTH-100.  I kind of made up the term opaque in response to the common use of transparent.

 

 

 

 

If I were to buy the Rode NTH-100,

first, would you recommend them for gamimg?

Second, would I need a DAC/Amp? And if yes, a certain/special one?

[ISHFKD]

I have the Audeze Maxwell headset (Xbox) and would recommend them for anyone that has the budget for them (roughly $290-$320 usd), depending on the version. Xbox version has Dolby Atmos.

 

It is extremely feature rich, adaptabe, and the build quality is fantastic. It has 80+hr battery life and it can connect to your devices with Bluetooth, usb-c, aux cable, or to your console (xbox/Playstation) or pc with the included dongle. I suggest doing some research on them to see exactly what they are capable of. No DAC or Amp needed.

 

The sound quality is Audiophile worthy, and the software has 6 preset EQs and 4 customizable EQs for a total of 10.

 

There is a plug-in mic as well as an internal mic. They are good as is for game chats, phone calls, etc..., just don't expect them to be as good as a standalone professional podcast microphone.

 

You can also set up two separate audio sources. I have discord set up as my chat audio source and my games as the game audio source. With this, I can mix the audio sources to prioritize either the discord chat or the game audio, but still hear both.

 

Additionally, the fit and comfort are great for me personally. The headstrap allows me to fine tune the sizing to me.

 

I also picked up additional cushions and a headstrap from Wicked Cushions, so I'm not too worried about replacement cushions.

 

Overall, I am extremely happy with them and I keep finding little thing that make me like them even more. I encourage anyone to look into them.

[GanjajoggiBig]

17 minutes ago, ISHFKD said:

It is extremely feature rich, adaptabe, and the build quality is fantastic. It has 80+hr battery life and it can connect to your devices with Bluetooth, usb-c, aux cable, or to your console (xbox/Playstation) or pc with the included dongle. I suggest doing some research on them to see exactly what they are capable of. No DAC or Amp needed.

but could it also be connected via Bluetooth to the Pc?

also, do they have good Surround? since EFT (Escape From Tarkov) relies heavily on 360 degree audio

 

[Cocococo]

6 minutes ago, GanjajoggiBig said:

but could it also be connected via Bluetooth to the Pc?

also, do they have good Surround? since EFT (Escape From Tarkov) relies heavily on 360 degree audio

 

Both Xbox and PlayStation versions use a USB dongle, much less delay and will be a big improvement over pretty much any headphone under 200-ish usd, they are the best closed backs you can buy, no need for external amplifiers or fancy DAC's that just adds cost, you get it all in one package. That being said in the long-long run some of the current 300usd open back heroes will last a lot longer than the Maxwells that rely on batteries, Sennheiser HD600's regularly last for 10+ years, for the short-medium term you cannot beat Maxwell price to features to performance. It's a tough call but until you have the funds for a good USB mic, interface and good open headphones, imo Maxwell is the best way to go for now, there's usually a waiting list but they're worth the wait (xbox and PlayStation doesn't matter, if you have an xbox or a PlayStation then just get whichever you use more, can't use them on the other console unfortunately) ((PS version is cheaper because it doesn't have Xbox's stupid proprietary Dolby licences))

[GanjajoggiBig]

2 minutes ago, Cocococo said:

That being said in the long-long run some of the current 300usd open back heroes will last a lot longer than the Maxwells that rely on batteries, Sennheiser HD600's regularly last for 10+ years, for the short-medium term you cannot beat Maxwell price to features to performance.

if the sennheiser last up to 10+ years, how long would the Maxwell roughly last?

 

[Psittac]

On 3/19/2024 at 9:31 AM, GanjajoggiBig said:

If I were to buy the Rode NTH-100,

first, would you recommend them for gamimg?

Second, would I need a DAC/Amp? And if yes, a certain/special one?

Rode NTH-100 does not need a dac and they are great for gaming, there is an nth-100m variant that includes a boom mic or it can be added later

[GanjajoggiBig]

47 minutes ago, Psittac said:

Rode NTH-100 does not need a dac and they are great for gaming, there is an nth-100m variant that includes a boom mic or it can be added later

how does it compare to the Audeze Maxwell Wireless Gaming Headset? (if you have ever tested it)

[Psittac]

6 hours ago, GanjajoggiBig said:

how does it compare to the Audeze Maxwell Wireless Gaming Headset? (if you have ever tested it)

It's difficult to compare honestly.  One is a wireless gaming headset from a reputable brand, the other is a wired audiophile focused headphone with the ability to add a mic.  Also the price difference is rather large with the maxwell being about 50% more than the NTH-100m.  I haven't tried the maxwell before but I hear at least one or two people here say that it's pretty good, and Audeze is known for amazing stuff.  Though they did get bought out I haven't heard anything bad about their products since getting bought out.

 

The Rode NTH-100 is imo the best closed back for the price and is a no brainer for anyone that doesn't want to get a dac or amp.  I've experienced ~30 headphones first hand and these are my golden child, I'd say they are my third overall pick and first overall pick with onboard.

 

Keep in mind that the TRRS wire which is so common on headsets, carry's the same potential as any other wired headset using one cable, and that's for audio bleed to occur between the ground on input and output.  I rarely hear people mention this as a con but it's inherent in the physical connection.  Either I listen to things louder than most or I'm just unlucky with it happening, but every headset I've used with this connector gets "what are you listening to" comments every now and then.  It's not like game noise or regular music level will cause this, but if you want to crank the music while on comms.... it can be a concern.

 

Basically do you want to max your budget and get wireless? or save a good chunk and go wired?  That's basically what it comes down to in my book.

[Cocococo]

23 hours ago, GanjajoggiBig said:

if the sennheiser last up to 10+ years, how long would the Maxwell roughly last?

 

4 or 5 years minimum, and Audeze are very good with supporting older models, frankly unless you're spending interface + XLR mic + studio open back headphone money the Maxwell are just untouchable, even if Maxwell were double MSRP they'd probably still be worth buying.

 

The Rode NTH-100m are probably what I'd go for if you're set on closed backs, but equally if all you need is a mic and good 360° audio then something like a Sennheiser PC38X would be top of my list (Rode and PC38X are wired, Maxwell is a lot better though)

[Heats with Nvidia]

Headphones that have a good build quality and get support from their manufacturers can last several decades. The oldest pair, i use regularly is roughly 40 years old (AKG K240 Sextett) and still really good. It needed some service in the past, but since the parts are still available at a reasonable price, thats totally OK.

 

The Audeze won`t last that long, since they have electronics and a battery inside. But if that battery is easily replaceable and available in the future, you might at least get a decade of use out of them.