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).

[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.

[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.