New headphones, any recommendations?

SillyOldSquid

SillyOldSquid

New member
hello all,

I want to buy some new headphones to use with my PC but i'm not sure what to get:confused:, I would appreciate any recommendations.

I will be using the headphones for everyday use as my primary PC audio, gaming, audio/video editing and listening to music (Bass heavy).
My budget is around £150 - £250
 
From previous threads related to this topic i see the Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO recommend along with an Xonar STX soundcard. YOU NEED a soundcard to be able to push the headphones and audio quality to the limit.
 
Agreed with the above - although getting an STX + DT770s in the budget is unlikely.

You could get away with a USB DAC/amp such as a Fiio E7 or E10 instead of the STX, but for what it's worth, save up a bit more for the STX.

Also - having got my own pair yesterday, I'd throw the DT990s in too if you're alright with them being open back.
 
jamesriley94 said:
Agreed with the above - although getting an STX + DT770s in the budget is unlikely.

You could get away with a USB DAC/amp such as a Fiio E7 or E10 instead of the STX, but for what it's worth, save up a bit more for the STX.

Also - having got my own pair yesterday, I'd throw the DT990s in too if you're alright with them being open back.
Click to expand...

The budget is purely for the headphones, and iv needed an excuse to buy an STX for a while so its not a problem.
Open back headphones leak the sound out don't they ?
 
Sony MDR-V6/ 7506 (incredible sound signature for the price, nice and flat, very accurate)

Beyerdynamic DT770/880/990 (incredible bass, super comfy, very well made highs a little piercing)

Sennhieser HD 598 (open, lovely sound, subtle but accurate bass)
 
I use an maudio delta 1010lt soundcard (need it for cubase) and in-ears for gaming (nocs ns400 at the moment) I love the way in-ears make the sound in games so close, especially in horror games. And the extra bass in for explosions and such are welcomed too. But if you're going to edit/mixing audio I don't think any headphones are a good idea. You're better off using reference monitors.
 
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Sure. I do use them mainly for portable, but I don't want to spend a lot of cash on a headset just for the times when I want to play a game on high volume at night.^_^
 
SillyOldSquid said:
The budget is purely for the headphones, and iv needed an excuse to buy an STX for a while so its not a problem.
Open back headphones leak the sound out don't they ?
Click to expand...

Open back do leak the sound out but also allow it in.

I have the DT770s and I can't talk with both cups on because with the game volume on, I can't hear my own voice at all really, which makes things very disorientating.

Got the DT990s yesterday, and they do sound very similar with music - only noticeable difference to an average user really is the open feel of them, but I do now think it's pretty important to get something open if you plan on using a mic and talking with them on.

Both of those sets are incredible for the price however, and you don't really need to spend all the way up to your budget of £250 to get a very nice sounding pair of headphones.
 
No, hence I said MDR-V6 ;)

You dont really get into serious cans until you spend like 1K on a set of HD800s or LCD2s. The gap from 200-1000 is wasted money. You may as well buy 2 or 3 set of cans and a serious DAC/ AMP combo
 
jamesriley94 said:
Open back do leak the sound out but also allow it in.

I have the DT770s and I can't talk with both cups on because with the game volume on, I can't hear my own voice at all really, which makes things very disorientating.

Got the DT990s yesterday, and they do sound very similar with music - only noticeable difference to an average user really is the open feel of them, but I do now think it's pretty important to get something open if you plan on using a mic and talking with them on.

Both of those sets are incredible for the price however, and you don't really need to spend all the way up to your budget of £250 to get a very nice sounding pair of headphones.
Click to expand...


I'm currently using a Samson C01U mic, does the audio of the DT990s leak to the point where it might be picked up by my mic?
I love the idea of having an open back design but i don't want anything that will add more work to my audio/video editing.

As I've used the Sennheiser HD205's for years now, I'm a fan of their products and i was thinking of getting the HD558's have any of you used them and if so what are they like?
 
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SillyOldSquid said:
I'm currently using a Samson C01U mic, does the audio of the DT990s leak to the point where it might be picked up by my mic?
I love the idea of having an open back design but i don't want anything that will add more work to my audio/video editing.

As I've used the Sennheiser HD205's for years now, I'm a fan of their products and i was thinking of getting the HD558's have any of you used them and if so what are they like?
Click to expand...

Posts merged - please use the edit button if you want to add more information in future.

The DT990s/DT770s will be better and more comfortable than the HD558s. The cheap Sennheisers are very good as are a lot of their higher end ones, but mid-range they aren't as good as the Beyerdynamic offerings, or a few of the Audio-Technica ones.

As for your mic picking up the noise, it might do with proper recording. Not that much noise leaks from my DT990s to be honest, but I'm guessing if you're recording, the room will be near silent and so any noise is likely to be picked up. Because of that, you'd probably be better with the DT770s - or if you want to try to get the best of both worlds between gaming and music recording, the DT880s which are semi-open may be a better choice.

The DT770s are still great for gaming, don't get me wrong. It's probably more of me having a personal problem with them being closed. The DJs on most of the BBC radio stations use DT770s, and obviously they don't seem to have any problem with talking with them on, so it quite easily could just be me.

As an example:
 
jamesriley94 said:
Posts merged - please use the edit button if you want to add more information in future.

The DT990s/DT770s will be better and more comfortable than the HD558s. The cheap Sennheisers are very good as are a lot of their higher end ones, but mid-range they aren't as good as the Beyerdynamic offerings, or a few of the Audio-Technica ones.

As for your mic picking up the noise, it might do with proper recording. Not that much noise leaks from my DT990s to be honest, but I'm guessing if you're recording, the room will be near silent and so any noise is likely to be picked up. Because of that, you'd probably be better with the DT770s - or if you want to try to get the best of both worlds between gaming and music recording, the DT880s which are semi-open may be a better choice.

The DT770s are still great for gaming, don't get me wrong. It's probably more of me having a personal problem with them being closed. The DJs on most of the BBC radio stations use DT770s, and obviously they don't seem to have any problem with talking with them on, so it quite easily could just be me.

As an example:
Click to expand...

Thank you for the merge i always forget to use the edit button.

I think I will give the three DT's you have suggested a try and buy a STX card as well.

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions, hopefully I'l find something that suits me and is still affordable.
 
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