Thinking about getting a new pair of headphones.

[n0ah1897]

I have been using some Beats HD Solos (they were a gift, don't fret) for the past year and a half now. I use them for everything I do on my computer and PlayStation 4. They work well for what they do, but there are certain aspects about them that I just have found myself getting more and more annoyed with as time progresses. I do not like the on-ear style of these headphones. I have gotten used to it, but my ears are very sore after many hours of use. I much preferred the over ear styling of the Turtle Beach headphones I had previously. They also fit poorly to my head and slide around just enough to be obnoxious.

 

I'm not in immediate need of new headphones, but figured I'd start checking out the market to get an idea for what I may want in a future upgrade. I'm by no means an audiophile, nor do I have a huge budget (~$150). 

 

After some research I'm trying to decide whether I want open back or closed back headphones. In 90% of the situations in which I am using my beats I find the sound isolation to be rather annoying and inconvenient. I hate not being able to hear my voice when I talk to my friends. It causes me to talk much louder and mess up my words much more frequently. I feel like I would much rather have the soundstage you get with open back headphones for gaming. The only problem I see with the open back headphones is that I will be heading to University at the end of August will be moving into a dorm room with a roommate. I feel like my roommate may get rather annoyed with being able to hear everything I'm doing on my computer. I just want your guy's opinions and experiences with headphones. Again, I'm not an audiophile so anything you suggest will sound better than the beats that I'm used to. 

 

I really like the ATH-AD500x's after looking at those. 

[Dzzope]

Check out massdrop.. Anything that tickles your fancy, look up a review.

 

HD 558's from Sennheiser are really nice and should be available around $100 - $120

[n0ah1897]

I can get ATH AD900x's for $150 at Best Buy right now. Is that a good deal?

[KaminKevCrew]

It looks about average. It looks like they are between $130 and $160 elsewhere on the net, so it seems like that's about their market value. Audio Technica makes good headphones, so you wouldn't really be going wrong with them. I've heard that their open headphones are typically especially good for classical  (That's not to say they are bad with other things, just that it's what they sound best playing. Also, I don't know off hand if that particular pair follows that trend.)

[Majestic]

I have the ATH-AD500X, and I immediatly have to add a caveat if your head isn't anything like boogie2988's. I have a big head, and I had to add a seperate strap between the two wings to make it not sag on my head. Could be that my model is just bad though.

 

That said though, they sound great and scale pretty well with hardware. The sound isolation is non-existant, you hear everything you would without them. So if that's your goal, the ad500x's certainly do really well at that. For gaming they're amazing, they're very articulate and well aimed for spacial awareness. Tried them with CS:GO and Alien Isolation thusfar, and they adapted really well in both cases. Adding to atmosphere in Isolation and providing excellent awareness/localization in CSGO.

 

For music I like my P7's more for the bass-heavy songs. It's closed back and just sounds more full. But they're aerily close when just listening to spotify/compressed stuff, especially given the huge pricegap. Apart from the underwhelming headstrap, i came away impressed with the ATH-AD500X's.

[n0ah1897]

What are your guy's opinion the the HD 598's? 

[Mapsle]

What are your guy's opinion the the HD 598's? 

I had the same decision to make recently and went for the HD 518 - I was so impressed by them that I sold them to a coworker after he listened to them and was wowed too, and then proceeded to buy the 598s. They are great! The only downside for you will be, that you are used to more bass from the beats.

 

Comfort wise: Velour ear pads, low clamping force, ... -> no sweating and you can wear them for hours without noticing them.

 

Btw. they look way better in real life than on Amazon!

[n0ah1897]

I had the same decision to make recently and went for the HD 518 - I was so impressed by them that I sold them to a coworker after he listened to them and was wowed too, and then proceeded to buy the 598s. They are great! The only downside for you will be, that you are used to more bass from the beats.

 

Comfort wise: Velour ear pads, low clamping force, ... -> no sweating and you can wear them for hours without noticing them.

 

Btw. they look way better in real life than on Amazon!

 

Sweet I just ordered them. I don't really care about the bass that much. I don't like when bass makes everything shake and vibrate. I like to hear it, not feel it.