Best i can get for 400$?

[SaintSilver]

Im sick of these "gaming headset" the mic is trash the sound is pretty horrible compared  to some high quality headphones even in gaming (CSGO for example) 
i would liek to get a DAC/AMP and a good mic with headphones if i need more for a boom arm i can add 50$ more if needed 
thing is im clueless when it comes to audio but using my friends audio thecnica d50 or something i got them plugged to my PC and it sounded so much better

[LukWarm]

I personally have a pair of ath-m50xs and they are great for only $150 imo. I have a cheap nw-700 boom mic with a focusrite scarlett 2i4 for my audio. It has built in phantom power and a DAC. I picked up everything on this list for a total of around $200 because I used mostly craigslist. The audio quality of the mic is good with a regular phantom power injector but is so much better with an interface. Everything new might cost:

$30 for mic and boom

$100 entry level audio interface (scarlett solo)

$150 headphones

total: $280

The headphones are mainly up to you and what you think sounds the best. 

[Howitz]

i suggest the philips shp9500 + V-MODA boom mod mic combo, it's what i have and came right around 100$ total, those headphones are a god's gift haha.

 

no need to dump hundreds of dollars to get good audio.

[SaintSilver]

3 minutes ago, LordOfLegends said:

I personally have a pair of ath-m50xs and they are great for only $150 imo. I have a cheap nw-700 boom mic with a focusrite scarlett 2i4 for my audio. It has built in phantom power and a DAC. I picked up everything on this list for a total of around $200 because I used mostly craigslist. The audio quality of the mic is good with a regular phantom power injector but is so much better with an interface. Everything new might cost:

$30 for mic and boom

$100 entry level audio interface (scarlett solo)

$150 headphones

total: $280

The headphones are mainly up to you and what you think sounds the best. 

the scarlett i know it comes with a combo for 400 i think is that combo any good? or should i just get the DAC mic and the m50?

[SaintSilver]

3 minutes ago, Howitz said:

i suggest the philips shp9500 + V-MODA boom mod mic combo, it's what i have and came right around 100$ total, those headphones are a god's gift haha.

 

no need to dump hundreds of dollars to get good audio.

they are open back and is a bit of a problem 

[DailyProcrastinator]

I love my Audio-Technica ATH-M50xMG Headphones, just saying haha. Super good audio quality and build quality, especially for the price.

[LukWarm]

1 minute ago, SaintSilver said:

the scarlett i know it comes with a combo for 400 i think is that combo any good? or should i just get the DAC mic and the m50?

If you have $400 I would just mix and match. I cant imagine the combo would be too noticeable of a difference. If all you're doing is playing games with friends, a better mic won't do much. The interface is really nice just because of how it simplifies the usage of inputs in windows.

[SaintSilver]

Just now, LordOfLegends said:

If you have $400 I would just mix and match. I cant imagine the combo would be too noticeable of a difference. If all you're doing is playing games with friends, a better mic won't do much. The interface is really nice just because of how it simplifies the usage of inputs in windows.

i record gamepaly in R6 and the mic on my headset or any at that are just not good enough even when i record with a side program and boost a bit plsu edit so i would saound a bit clearer still sucks 

[LukWarm]

1 minute ago, SaintSilver said:

i record gamepaly in R6 and the mic on my headset or any at that are just not good enough even when i record with a side program and boost a bit plsu edit so i would saound a bit clearer still sucks 

I'd love to help further but that is the extent of my experience. I've been looking to upgrade my microphone so i'd have to wait and see how that changes quality. A good pair of headphones and a condenser microphone will always sound worlds apart from any headsets. Any upgrade you make will sound better for sure, it's just how big of an upgrade at this point.

[SaintSilver]

Just now, LordOfLegends said:

I'd love to help further but that is the extent of my experience. I've been looking to upgrade my microphone so i'd have to wait and see how that changes quality. A good pair of headphones and a condenser microphone will always sound worlds apart from any headsets. Any upgrade you make will sound better for sure, it's just how big of an upgrade at this point.

ok thanks for the info hope more will answer me 

[Dackzy]

Holy fuck, what is happening here? M50crap being recommended and other crap,  come on. It is a 400$ budget.

 

OP do you need closed headphones or are open headphones OK? 

[xtroria]

You can go with K7xx on massdrop with schiit audio fulla 2 for the amp dac. Then you get mod mic. That's $360 in total

 

If you have a good mobo. You dont even need additional amp / dac. I used Gigabyte Z170MX-Gaming 5, a mid level / low high end motherboard and the audio is really good I don't need amp or dac to drive the slightly harder to drive headphones

[SaintSilver]

21 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

Holy fuck, what is happening here? M50crap being recommended and other crap,  come on. It is a 400$ budget.

 

OP do you need closed headphones or are open headphones OK? 

closed 

[Dackzy]

8 minutes ago, SaintSilver said:

closed 

Do you have any preference in terms of sound, like do you want a lot of bass, or maybe forward mids and so on.

[SaintSilver]

Just now, Dackzy said:

Do you have any preference in terms of sound, like do you want a lot of bass, or maybe forward mids and so on.

 

not so sweet on bass 

[Dackzy]

3 hours ago, SaintSilver said:

 

not so sweet on bass 

Okay so you want a balanced sound? If so then I would highly recommend the k553/k550mk II same headphones just different names. If you can get a good seal with those, then they are going to beat basically any closed headphone in their budget range in audio quality. If you then also want a DAC and amp, then look into a fulla 2 or monoprice desktop amp (it has both in it even though it is just called an amp), for mic I am not sure it isn't really my expertise, I know a few, but they are all 150+ normally except for the mod mic, but you should have 102$ for a mic if your budget is combined 400$ and I am sure that if you can wait until black Friday then you might be able to get the ATH 2020 USB + arm for 100$ or some of the other stuff cheaper. That setup would be pretty killer for 400$ and would allow you to have great audio quality and if you want to stream at some point then your mic would be great for that too. You could also play with the idea of using a shotgun microphone, that way your mic shouldn't pick up your keyboard or mouse as easily as a normal "radio" style one would (forgot the correct name for them), but a shotgun mic setup might also end up costing more than a 2020 USB + arm