Looking for Headphones

[Terra Firma]

So on my computer i do alot of AAA gaming, but aside from that and more importantly i do music production and mixing. If the genre matters, it's largely heavier metal and pop punk.
With that being said, i admittedly know very little about headphones and studio monitors when it comes to where i should look. Currently i use a pair of M-Audio AV32's for my reference monitors, bit of a temporary budget solution, and a Corsair Vengeance 1500 7.1 headset for gaming, nighttime use, and second opinion on my mixes.

I'm starting to do a bit of homework on the headphone side of things, i think i'm considering a pair of open backs for production/daytime use and some closed backs for nighttime? Privacy actually means quite a bit to me so that's taken into effect when i start to think about open backed pairs but i hear they're unmatched when it comes to audio representation or gaming experience, which explains why i'm considering the best options for both.

Pointers? Suggestions? Obviously cheaper is better but i also really want a good reference, i don't want to end up with some crappy Beats or something.


Secondly, how does my current equipment stack up? I think i'm really unsatisified with my AV32's, i find myself misjudging the bass and low end alot. On the other hand, the only thing that upsets me about the Corsair's is comfort, they give me some nasty pressure headaches. I also don't have a reference for what other options sound like though, so i really don't know if i SHOULD be satisfied.

[Bazilias]

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/JkzZxr/steelseries-arctis-5-71-channel-headset-61443

[LUUD18]

I really like my new JBL E55BT. They can be used wireless via bluetooth or by a wire. They are around 100 euros in the Netherlands.

[Tacanacy]

[deleted]

[Terra Firma]

7 minutes ago, Tacanacy said:

I recommend buying a dedicated DAC and a headphone amplifier if your onboard audio has poor quality

These are great suggestions and I appreciate the feedback, it'll give me a starting place to do my homework

 

On mics and amps, if I ever need to communicate like in competitive gaming, I just get out my instrument microphone on it's boom arm lmao so I'm not terribly concerned about attached microphones

I am a bit confused on what advantages DACs and internal soundcards have to offer. I currently have a little Presonus USB interface with two XLR/quarter inch inputs if I need it, but my Corsairs are currently using USB power straight into the rear I/O. 

 

Maybe relevant: my motherboard is a higher end 990FX, older chipset but still high end for it's time. Within a month though I'm going to be upgrading to Ryzen and either a PC Mate or Gaming Pro Carbon, both MSI and B350 chipsets. No clue if either are any good or bad. 

[KaminKevCrew]

13 hours ago, Terra Firma said:

These are great suggestions and I appreciate the feedback, it'll give me a starting place to do my homework

 

On mics and amps, if I ever need to communicate like in competitive gaming, I just get out my instrument microphone on it's boom arm lmao so I'm not terribly concerned about attached microphones

I am a bit confused on what advantages DACs and internal soundcards have to offer. I currently have a little Presonus USB interface with two XLR/quarter inch inputs if I need it, but my Corsairs are currently using USB power straight into the rear I/O. 

 

Maybe relevant: my motherboard is a higher end 990FX, older chipset but still high end for it's time. Within a month though I'm going to be upgrading to Ryzen and either a PC Mate or Gaming Pro Carbon, both MSI and B350 chipsets. No clue if either are any good or bad. 

If you want some relatively inexpensive monitoring headphones, you should be looking at either the ATH M40X from Audio Technica, or (and these are my personal preference) the Sony MDRV6/ MDR7506 (they're the same headphone, the 7506 is just the updated version.)

 

Unless you have glaring sound issues (e.g. static, excessive distortion, etc.) you'll be fine with onboard, as both of the headphones that I've mentioned are pretty efficient cans.

 

13 hours ago, Tacanacy said:

Snip because holy fuck that's a lot.

Nice copy pasta. Instead of posting something like this on every thread you see (with makes it hard for other users to read the thread/makes it less likely that anyone is actually going to take the time to read that wall of text - as it is somewhat difficult to read), might I suggest that you post these headphones to the pinned headphone recommendation thread to which myself and a few other contributed towards, in order to have an easy, link-able reference to which to point for new users? 

[Terra Firma]

46 minutes ago, KaminKevCrew said:

ATH M40X from Audio Technica

These interest me because of the price relative to the other offerings. How would these compare to say, K702's? Or Monolith M1060's? They seem advertised and targeted directly to my needs: studio tracking and mixing, but the price point relative to other high end headphones makes me wonder about the sound quality

[Terra Firma]

17 hours ago, Terra Firma said:

Secondly, how does my current equipment stack up?

@KaminKevCrew My current Corsair Vengeance 1500 pair i got refurb'd for like $80, but they're marketed as a gaming set. Would it be worth it to buy the M40x since they're so close in price?

[Guest lilbman]

14 minutes ago, Terra Firma said:

@KaminKevCrew My current Corsair Vengeance 1500 pair i got refurb'd for like $80, but they're marketed as a gaming set. Would it be worth it to buy the M40x since they're so close in price?

Get the M50xs.  These are the monitoring headphones I use and I love them.  They sound better than the M40xs, and they also fold up and they come with a bunch of different cables to use.  They're crystal clear.

[Tacanacy]

1 hour ago, KaminKevCrew said:

Nice copy pasta. Instead of posting something like this on every thread you see (with makes it hard for other users to read the thread/makes it less likely that anyone is actually going to take the time to read that wall of text - as it is somewhat difficult to read), might I suggest that you post these headphones to the pinned headphone recommendation thread to which myself and a few other contributed towards, in order to have an easy, link-able reference to which to point for new users? 

 

You bitch over a wall of text and that I copy/paste information but want me to link to a post that contains much more and is even more generic?

What exactly is hard to read? Learn the concept of constructive criticism or spare me your pointless observations in the future. My posts are well organized, so you can easily skip specific parts if they don't apply to you.
Why don't you just refer everyone who asks about purchase advice to the stickies and fuck off along with Dackzy until you two have figured what's an appropriate amount of information to give to people? Unless you want to start a shitstorm, you should put a lot more thought into your next comment.

[Terra Firma]

Should i change the thread title to "Looking for Drama"?

[KaminKevCrew]

1 minute ago, Terra Firma said:

Should i change the thread title to "Looking for Drama"?

heh. probably

[spwath]

12 minutes ago, Tacanacy said:

You bitch over a wall of text and that I copy/paste information but want me to link to a post that contains much more and is even more generic?

What exactly is hard to read? Learn the concept of constructive criticism or spare me your pointless observations in the future. My posts are well organized, so you can easily skip specific parts if they don't apply to you.
Why don't you just refer everyone who asks about purchase advice to the stickies and fuck off along with Dackzy until you two have figured what's an appropriate amount of information to give to people? Unless you want to start a shitstorm, you should put a lot more thought into your next comment.

What about me and SSL?
Don't we get to f**k off too?

 

 

On topic, OP, what kind of budget are we talking? $100? $400? $1000?

 

[Terra Firma]

1 minute ago, spwath said:

On topic, OP, what kind of budget are we talking? $100? $400? $1000?

As i said, the cheaper the better, but honestly anything below like $300 is game

[KaminKevCrew]

1 hour ago, Terra Firma said:

These interest me because of the price relative to the other offerings. How would these compare to say, K702's? Or Monolith M1060's? They seem advertised and targeted directly to my needs: studio tracking and mixing, but the price point relative to other high end headphones makes me wonder about the sound quality

The m40X has decent sound for the price, even compared to other offerings. I'd personally suggest the Sony's though - They're made of metal rather than plastic, and Sony sells replacements for just about every part of the headphone. The headband on the M40X is plastic, and has pretty high clamping force, so you may still have comfort issues. The Sony's have a metal and leather headband, so you can literally bend the headband to fit perfectly (though they seem to be a more comfortable headphone to start with.) only issue with the Sony's is that the earpads will likely start to break apart very quickly - just get some velour replacements when you get the headphones, and you'll be fine. Only way to fix comfort on the M40X is by changing pads, and that still won't fix the comfort issue.

1 hour ago, Terra Firma said:

@KaminKevCrew My current Corsair Vengeance 1500 pair i got refurb'd for like $80, but they're marketed as a gaming set. Would it be worth it to buy the M40x since they're so close in price?

It would be worth it. The sound will be very different, and give you a much more accurate sound. Keep in mind - the primary focus for headsets is looks, and a large portion of the budget goes into that, and the microphone. With headphones, pretty much all of the budget goes to sound.

47 minutes ago, lilbman said:

Get the M50xs.  These are the monitoring headphones I use and I love them.  They sound better than the M40xs, and they also fold up and they come with a bunch of different cables to use.  They're crystal clear.

I wholeheartedly disagree with this sentiment. The M50X is nowhere near being flat/having studio quality sound. They are way too V-shaped to be used for proper music production. The M40X also folds, and also has a removable cable (you can get new cables for a couple of dollars, so that's not really a concern.) IMO, they are not very clear at all. OP's mileage may vary. I've listened to tons of headphones in many varying price categories, and to my ears the M50X is not very good. Also, the M50X is way too forward for me. They're very fatiguing to listen to.

Spoiler

3 minutes ago, Tacanacy said:

You bitch over a wall of text and that I copy/paste information but want me to link to a post that contains much more and is even more generic?

What exactly is hard to read? Learn the concept of constructive criticism or spare me your pointless observations in the future. My posts are well organized, so you can easily skip specific parts if they don't apply to you.
Why don't you just refer everyone who asks about purchase advice to the stickies and fuck off along with Dackzy until you two have figured what's an appropriate amount of information to give to people? Unless you want to start a shitstorm, you should put a lot more thought into your next comment.

No. I want you to contribute to the pinned information so that it can be better, and more informative for more people. I want you to use that for copy pasta when you feel the need to copy and paste. For the most part, I want you to make carefully considered, original comments that address each person's needs, rather than posting anything generic in the first place. After *really* reading through it (admittedly, I only glanced through it previously), I redact the statement about it being hard to read. However, I do stand by my opinion that it's a needless and impersonal wall of text that could easily be replaced by linking to the pinned recommended gear thread.

 

No need to be so aggressive. I was simply trying to give you some feedback on what might make life easier for people who are trying to help and/or for OP to look at. Hell, you could even contribute to the gear thread, then link it, and suggest that they look at "this specific gear, because in my opinion, it's the best stuff on the list and most relevant to your needs."

 

[Tacanacy]

2 minutes ago, spwath said:

What about me and SSL?
Don't we get to f**k off too?

 

 

No, because none of you have given me shit for not providing sufficient explanations or not enough information when recommending headphones.

[KaminKevCrew]

Spoiler

Just now, Tacanacy said:

No, because none of you have given me shit for not providing sufficient explanations or not enough information when recommending headphones.

I mean, not to be pedantic or anything, but neither have I...

 

[Terra Firma]

Girls, girls, you're all pretty

[KaminKevCrew]

1 minute ago, Terra Firma said:

As i said, the cheaper the better, but honestly anything below like $300 is game

How do you feel about used?

 

Just now, Terra Firma said:

Girls, girls, you're all pretty

Awww, I'm flattered!

[spwath]

Just now, Tacanacy said:

No, because none of you have given me shit for not providing sufficient explanations or not enough information when recommending headphones.

Oh, sorry about that, I meant to.

 

But actually, I do think your post was too long, best to refer to a separate long post instead of copying a big thing each time.

 

 

On topic, I agree with KaminKevCrews recommendations. 

 

Yeah, if used, I recommend TH-X00 if you can find a pair for cheap.

[Terra Firma]

Just now, KaminKevCrew said:

How do you feel about used?

 

Strongly against it in any wake of computer hardware, however difficult it makes things. I know it can be highly beneficial in some areas but i don't know, there's just something vastly different knowing the product in your hands is brand spankin' new

[KaminKevCrew]

3 minutes ago, Terra Firma said:

Strongly against it in any wake of computer hardware, however difficult it makes things. I know it can be highly beneficial in some areas but i don't know, there's just something vastly different knowing the product in your hands is brand spankin' new

I can get behind that, for sure. There's nothing wrong with, or particularly difficult about you wanting new gear. I just wanted to make sure, as you can get some pretty epic headphones for $300 used. No worries though! 

 

For the ~$100 range, I'd suggest the Sony MDRV6/7506, as I suggested earlier. 

 

If you can/want to spend the extra money, the Sony MDR CD900ST is basically a way nicer version of the MDRV6, and it sounds significantly better to boot. (They're about $200.)

 

I personally don't really have anything for the $300 range off hand. I might come back later with some suggestions.