Questions about what to look out for, when choosing quality headphones

[ns1211]

Hello everyone

 

I'm currently looking for some new headphones, but I must admit I know absolutely nothing about what technical specifications to look out for, or whatever else for that matter, when choosing a product through the internet. I would highly appreciate if anyone can enlighten me on this.

 

If anyone got any specific recommendations, I would very much appreciate those aswell.

 

I'm not too sure if it matters - but I plan to use them for both music and playing games. I listen to a broad selection of genres - mostly hip-hop/rap, jazz, R&B and electronic music. My budget would be around max 600 dollars (around 500 euro).

[WAM]

You want open cans? Or closed? Do you need an amp or amp/dac?

 

You should check out Headfi.org.

[ecwl]

Another issue is fit. Some people have heads that fits every headphones. Others like me find a lot of headphones uncomfortable. That said, most headphones in your price range are very comfortable.

 

Moreover, if you’re going to play games with the headphones, do you need one that has a microphone so that you can talk back against your opponents? If so, you may be looking into a completely different category of products.

[ns1211]

On 4/11/2021 at 8:22 PM, WAM said:

You want open cans? Or closed? Do you need an amp or amp/dac?

 

You should check out Headfi.org.

 

I would prefer closed. Does that have a noticeable effect on the audio? 

 

I was not aware of amp/dacs before you mentioned it - from my research it would seem that it depends alot on the individual headphones themselves, but I am not sure if this applies to the more expensive ones aswell. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

However I just bought a new PC, and so far I am very satisfied with what I believe to be the motherboards amp/dac. I would't neccesarily call it a high-end motherboard, but I believe it to be somewhat above average. I certainly will research the concept of amp/dac more as it seems to be crucial depending on product.

 

Thank you for the recommendation, I will definitely research that aswell.

[ns1211]

On 4/11/2021 at 8:31 PM, ecwl said:

Another issue is fit. Some people have heads that fits every headphones. Others like me find a lot of headphones uncomfortable. That said, most headphones in your price range are very comfortable.

 

Absolutely. Perhaps I should wait a bit until the shops open, so I can try the headphones before buying 

 

Quote

Moreover, if you’re going to play games with the headphones, do you need one that has a microphone so that you can talk back against your opponents? If so, you may be looking into a completely different category of products.

 

Great you asked! I forgot to mention that I plan to use them for playing games aswell, and that a microphone definitely would be preferable. From my experience however, it seems that the higher quality headphones doesen't tend to have a in-built microphone and that gaming headsets doesen't tend to have the best audio quality, but I could be wrong.

 

Perhaps I should narrow down my search to high-end gaming headsets. Thank you for reminding me.

[marioed]

1 hour ago, ns1211 said:

I would prefer closed. Does that have a noticeable effect on the audio?

There are noticeable differences in the sound between open and closed headphone. I'm not saying one is better or worse than the other but they are different. If you are using the headphones around other people than closed are probably the better way to go. From the description of what you're looking for this may be just the ticket;  Hel Yeah! Gaming and Home Office Bundle (danclarkaudio.com). The Aeon RT closed get very good reviews on Head-Fi.org and are supposed to among the most comfortable headphones around. Essentially you're getting a dac/amp and microphone for $86 as the Aeon RT closed sell for $499.

[ecwl]

@ns1211 I think most people are answering your question from an audiophile point of view. So we were trying to hook you into getting a separate DAC amp and headphones and then in the long run you’ll start upgrading and spending thousands on this hobby. And to accommodate your gaming, you can buy another microphone for that. 
 

My take based on what you’ve said is that you just want a nicer more audiophile headphones that you can also game with. You’re not here to ask us to develop a long term upgrade plans with DACs amps headphones to become an audiophile. 
 

There aren’t a lot of gaming headphones with great audiophile sound. And there aren’t a lot of audiophile headphones that support microphones for gaming. I think the two companies that make audiophile headphones that truly provide gaming features are Audeze and Hifiman. My suspicion is that your best option is Audeze Mobius but I see cheaper options like Audeze Penrose and Hifiman Edition S are also available to you. They’re all within your budget. And if in the future, you get the audiophile bug, you can use these headphones as a foundation for the upgrades that people were talking about. 

[AudioDoctor]

Sennheiser makes some headphones that come with a microphone attached. I am sure they are better than most normal gaming headphones when it comes to sound quality as they also make audiophile headphones.

 

https://www.eposaudio.com/en/us/gaming/products

[ns1211]

Thank you everyone for your tips. I bought the Audeze Mobius just like @ecwl recommended, and so far I am very happy with the purchase! Huge upgrade from what I had before.