Spec me new headphones and amp

Kanpai

Kanpai

Kanpai

Soldato
Joined
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London
So after 8 trusty years with my Audio Technica M50's I am now looking to upgrade my current setup. I have been using these on my PC driven by an Asus Xonar D2X and personally for me this has provided an amazing audio experience.

The headphones are starting to feel uncomfortable now, the pads have worn down and rather than replace I'm fancying an upgrade.

I've really enjoyed the sound stage the M50's have provided so would be looking at something which improves in all areas whilst providing a similar sound stage.

I am looking at a budget of around £150-200 for headphones and would also consider looking into a desktop amp if needed for a budget of £100.

What would you all recommend?
 
ATH-M50 really isn't exactly known from sound stage.
For gaming it's mediocre for binaural sound.

If needing closed headphone because of not so quiet environment Beyerdynamic DT770 would be good for gaming.
Don't own it and haven't tested it thoroughly, but quick listening of game recordings in shop sounded impressive considering I'm used to open headphones.

If you have quiet environment then there would be multiple good open headphone choises for gaming use.
Music can again benefit from different sound headphones smoothing upper end.

And if gaming (+movie watching) is main use then would suggest waiting for Creative's "Project Accent" sound card which should be released soon before doing anything on that side.
https://uk.creative.com/upgrade/
It finally brings head shape customizable HRTF into sound cards.
It's no wonder that Mad Lust Envy ranked Creative's headphones with that tech giving the most realistic positioning:
No matter how good headphones are sound directionality/positioning can never be really accurate, if listener's head shape differs from average used by HRTF algorithm making binaural cues inaccurate.
 
I have the DT770 and tbh I don't like it. I need to try it again now that I have a much better source to use them with but I found since it's closed and the velour earpads I get hot. it is comfortable very comfortable to wear but as soon as you wear it for a long period of time heat is an issue.

I found the same with my Sony XM3 headphones for portable use. Amazing headphones but again heat is an issue. i don't like closed headphones for more than say half an hour.

This is why a lot of people end up buying lots of different headphones as it is very much a personal preference thing. What may suit you won't suit everyone.

Tbh I don't need my DT770's any more I might shove them on ebay. The wife likes to use them now and again I might ask her to choose between them and the on ear momentums she also has and sell the ones she likes less.

The M50 was hyped up in America because it's only $50 over there - Like £30 but went up in price over time due to hype. here it was always crap for the price as it was overpriced IMO. It's not a great headphone IMO. The max I would pay for one is like I say £30-£50. There are far better options once you go over £50 but head-fi forums is your best bet for reviews.
 
EsaT said:
ATH-M50 really isn't exactly known from sound stage.
For gaming it's mediocre for binaural sound.

If needing closed headphone because of not so quiet environment Beyerdynamic DT770 would be good for gaming.
Don't own it and haven't tested it thoroughly, but quick listening of game recordings in shop sounded impressive considering I'm used to open headphones.

If you have quiet environment then there would be multiple good open headphone choises for gaming use.
Music can again benefit from different sound headphones smoothing upper end.

And if gaming (+movie watching) is main use then would suggest waiting for Creative's "Project Accent" sound card which should be released soon before doing anything on that side.
https://uk.creative.com/upgrade/
It finally brings head shape customizable HRTF into sound cards.
It's no wonder that Mad Lust Envy ranked Creative's headphones with that tech giving the most realistic positioning:
No matter how good headphones are sound directionality/positioning can never be really accurate, if listener's head shape differs from average used by HRTF algorithm making binaural cues inaccurate.
Click to expand...

If you can't wait for the Soundblaster X3 I would highly recommend the Creative G6 with an HD58X, same setup I'm running. I don't think you can beat the cost/performance ratio the HD85X provides.
 
ToTheMax said:
These are great I also have them but the headband elastic degrades after about 1 year and you have to bodge a fix which is iritating.
Click to expand...
I haven't yet noticed that in two years.
Though I don't have big head and cup positioning felt somewhat insecure from the start, like cups staying in their places by tiny margin.

Beyerdynamic DT990 takes clear win on that with manually adjustable head band.
Also comfort is better with Beyer's very soft velour pads and not needing pressure to hold cups in their places.
Lately have been using DT990 more than K712.

Creative actually has Super X-Fi profile for DT990, so would expect it to beat K712.
https://support.creative.com/kb/ShowArticle.aspx?sid=200121&c
 
ToTheMax said:
These are great I also have them but the headband elastic degrades after about 1 year and you have to bodge a fix which is iritating.
Click to expand...

How do you hang them when not in use?
Hung by the leather head strap is constantly stretching the elastic.
They need to be hung by the plastic rails over the top to relax the elastic when not in use.
 
Mick-1965 said:
How do you hang them when not in use?
Hung by the leather head strap is constantly stretching the elastic.
They need to be hung by the plastic rails over the top to relax the elastic when not in use.
Click to expand...

Yes hung by the plastic rails when not in use, but elastic stretched out over time so now it needs some jerry rigged elastic bands to get the right fit.
 
I have owned the K702's since mid-2015 but noticed the elastic has 'thinned' out in places. So unfortunately they will hang quite loose now in comparison to when I first got them. My current solution (likes loads of others) has been to use hair ties on each side to stop the adjustable slider behind the AKG logo to rise above a certain point. They have always hung on the plastic rails and not the leather headband as well.

I think it's just the nature of the material used. I found an old Nintendo DSi XL case the other day where the elastic has absolutely stretched out to be unusable. Shame that AKG can't have a better build. The AKG K712 Pro's are enticingly priced atm.
 
I would also say the K712, but you will need an amp to drive them properly. Fidelio X2HR are a good shout, back up to around £200 which is a bit of s shame, as they were down to £145 last month.
 
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