Upgrading headphones AKG 701 vs Sennheiser HD 4.50

[GothicGhost]

Looking to get some better headphone for FPS gaming, mostly escape from Tarkov.

I currently have the Shure SRH 440 https://www.whathifi.com/shure/srh440/review

I have some university credit at their store so I want to get something from them.
AKG 701, I read the open back helps with sound staging and location of sound such as footsteps

Sennheiser HD 4.50, noise-cancelling could also be good for hearing sounds in-game? Also can be connected with a cable but I'm not sure if the sound quality going be better compared to the AKG.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[EsaT]

Wouldn't trust noise cancelling headphones to be good that much.
Adding that counter-noise into signal surely doesn't help and in the past some of them have been known to degrade sound clearly.
Besides wireless and especially Bluetooth itself is prone to causing both latency and sound quality degradation.
And neither many of them are that good in passive mode.

Like big NC headphone brand Bose QC35 having some very bass heavy sound with frequency response variations along with inaccurate square wave response:
https://www.innerfidelity.com/images/BoseQuietComfort35WiredPassive.pdf
Or this Sennheiser having overshoots in place of square wave:
https://www.innerfidelity.com/images/SennheiserMomentumWirelessWiredActive.pdf
Or this Sony...
https://www.innerfidelity.com/images/SonyMDR1000XWiredPassive.pdf


AKG K701 (fixed cable vs detachable cable in K702) again is one of the most accurate and neutral headphones, with neutral bass keeping details like foot steps easy to distinguish.
(though of course neutral bass isn't big on "fun factor")
With good binaural sound simulation besides directionality there's very good feel of sounds coming from farther than next to ear.

Assuming listener's head shape is close enough to "model head" used by HRTF algorithm.
That's the big question, because brain processes sound source locations from head shape caused differences in signal received by both ears from sound source.
No headphones can replace binaural cues being correct enough for listener's head.
Creative has chance to improve situation in that lot, if they do their Super X-Fi tech using sound card properly.

With standard speaker stereo mix listened on headphones even proper left-right positioning disappears and sounds will just be very accurately inside either left or right ear, or in center of head.
Because without any binaural cues brain simply doesn't know where else to position sounds.
And situation is same, no matter if headphones are AKG K702, K712, Beyerdynamic DT990 or Sennheiser HD595.
(which I own)

 

[GothicGhost]

Thanks for that I will stay way from the bluetoothones, I do have a sound blaster z sound card that has a built-in headphone amp so that will helo some.

 

[EsaT]

I do have a sound blaster z sound card that has a built-in headphone amp so that will helo some.

AKGs actually need more than average amount of power drawing way more than average amount of current.
But for gaming use without such huge dynamic range it should work pretty well.
(250 ohm Beyerdynamics are actually easier load needing less power and especially drawing lot less current)

 

[GothicGhost]

Do you think it's worth adding a external amp on top of the sound blaster amp?
The Beyerdynamics look good but limited to this store https://www.johnsmith.co.uk/bedfordshire
You get given like £300 student credit for free to buy books mostly but I don't need anything this year or even next.
Thanks.