Hello all,
for as long as I can remember I've always been buying "gaming headsets", but always been told a decent pair of headphones would blow them away.
 
Basically I want a pair of "semi-hifi" headphones with a decent matching soundcard. They will mainly be used for gaming, but at the same time most of my music is .flac. All my previous headsets has been "closed" so im used to quite a punch packing bass (I dont mind open headsets at all), but even if they lack I would assume any decent soundcard will make up for it (with some fancy "bass boost" feature).
 
I have no expertise with hifi, but feel free to ask any questions.

What is your budget?

cel4145 said:

What is your budget?

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I was hoping both headphones and soundcard could be done for max. $150. But I can push it should there be a nice upgrade lying close to that amount. 
 
With soundcard I've been thinking Asus DGX or Asus DX. Im leaning more towards DGX due to it having an amp. DX is for some reason more expensive but lacks an amp., im not really sure why???
 
The DGX here is $40, the DX is $80. That would leave $110/$70 for headphones, assuming any of these two soundcards pairs well with "semi-hifi", but I only read good about them. Like I said im willing to go higher.

The DX is a better sound card. Good for hooking up to powered speakers or a headphone amp.

Give your budget, the DGX does make sense. However, I'm not sure what open headphones there are in your budget range that have bass with punch.

You can get like new HD558s from Amazon that are about $125. Those are good all around headphones. They are considered very good for gaming.

What about a closed headphone if heavier bass is important?

cel4145 said:

The DX is a better sound card. Good for hooking up to powered speakers or a headphone amp.

Give your budget, the DGX does make sense. However, I'm not sure what open headphones there are in your budget range that have bass with punch.

You can get like new HD558s from Amazon that are about $125. Those are good all around headphones. They are considered very good for gaming.

What about a closed headphone if heavier bass is important?

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I never use my speakers anymore, nor do I have an external amp. Doesnt an amp. improve the overall sound quality? I just dont see why its left out on the DX. I dont mind paying the difference with DGX and DX if you believe DX is that much better, even without an amp., but it just doesnt make sense in my head. 
 
It doesnt HAVE to be open, but I always read open = better soundstage = better music/sound. I dont wanna have to go closed just because of bass, cause like I wrote in my first post, soundcards these day pack some sort of bass-boost-feature, and I believe DGX/DX does aswell.
 
The only ones I've looked at myself are "Creative Aurvana Live! 2", but my last 2 Creative headsets broke their hinges after 2 years. They use some cheap plastic, so im trying to move away from them. 
 
edit: HD558 here are $180, sadly. In that case I could might aswell get HD598 for another $20, but I hear they're not made for people who enjoy bass, at all.
 
Due to pricetags here it wouldnt be unrealistic to use $150 on headphones alone, and then just deal with the extra $40 on DGX.

juusuhako said:

I never use my speakers anymore, nor do I have an external amp. Doesnt an amp. improve the overall sound quality? I just dont see why its left out on the DX. I dont mind paying the difference with DGX and DX if you believe DX is that much better, even without an amp., but it just doesnt make sense in my head. 

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To use headphones, you probably would want an external headphone amp to get the best sound from the DX. It's a better sound card, not just not better for your needs.

juusuhako said:

edit: HD558 here are $180, sadly. In that case I could might aswell get HD598 for another $20, but I hear they're not made for people who enjoy bass, at all.

Due to pricetags here it wouldnt be unrealistic to use $150 on headphones alone, and then just deal with the extra $40 on DGX.

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Sorry. I don't know where "here" is

cel4145 said:

To use headphones, you probably would want an external headphone amp to get the best sound from the DX. It's a better sound card, not just not better for your needs.
Sorry. I don't know where "here" is

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Denmark.
I dont want an external amp., only internal soundcard... Unless its really small. I have enough on my table as it is.

Sorry. I have no idea what headphones are available at what price in Denmark.

juusuhako said:

  Denmark.
I dont want an external amp., only internal soundcard... Unless its really small. I have enough on my table as it is.

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Creative Labs Sound Blaster Z sound card.
Takstar Pro 80 (Gemini HSR-1000) headphones.

cel4145 said:

Sorry. I have no idea what headphones are available at what price in Denmark.

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I know, but I dont mind getting suggestions "in dollars", I can just find them in Denmark and hope for a similar pricetag.

purpleangel said:

   
Creative Labs Sound Blaster Z sound card.
Takstar Pro 80 (Gemini HSR-1000) headphones.

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One shop here has Takstar Pro 80 and Takstar HI 2050 (similar price). Any of the two you would pick over the  other?
 
edit: are Takstar basically a "Qpad QH-90" without the mic?

juusuhako said:

I know, but I dont mind getting suggestions "in dollars", I can just find them in Denmark and hope for a similar pricetag.

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In my experience, pricing and availability in the EU is often quite different from pricing the US, as well as different from country to country in the EU.

For headphones for gaming, check out Mad Lust Envy's guide with reviews and rankings: http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lust-envys-headphone-gaming-guide-update-1-4-2015-beyerdynamic-t70-added

For music, this Head-Fi guide http://www.head-fi.org/a/headphone-buying-guide and also Innerfidelity's Wall of Fame lists: http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/innerfidelitys-wall-fame.

cel4145 said:

In my experience, pricing and availability in the EU is often quite different from pricing the US, as well as different from country to country in the EU.

For headphones for gaming, check out Mad Lust Envy's guide with reviews and rankings: http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lust-envys-headphone-gaming-guide-update-1-4-2015-beyerdynamic-t70-added

For music, this Head-Fi guide http://www.head-fi.org/a/headphone-buying-guide and also Innerfidelity's Wall of Fame lists: http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/innerfidelitys-wall-fame.

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True.
 
The DT770 seems to be a very much recommended pair. Although paired with a DX soundcard it does go beyond what I felt like spending  (about $234).
Right now im leaning more towards Creative Aurvana Live 2 due to its cheaper pricetag, leaving a little more money for the SB-Z so I dont have to pay extra for an external mic. But I also read in pretty much any review about them to get a different cable because the standard is flimsy, and those Sennheiser cables that work with them are not cheap.
 
 
Would the Creatives be considered "semi-hifi"? Or are the DT770s ten times worth its higher pricetag?

I try making a post and I keep getting an error about off-site links, ugh.
 
Making it short: DT770+Asus DX goes quite over my budget, so I looked at Creative Aurvana Live 2. I can mix these with a SB Z (that has a mic with it) for less.
Would you consider Aurvana Live 2 "semi-hifi", or are the DT770 ten times worth its higher pricetag?
 
edit: just realized Aurvana has a in-line mic, although im not sure if this is very ideal for longer Skype sessions/gamers. o.o

Xonar DX (and D1) do not have a headphone amp built in. Not a good choice for headphones unless you plan on buying an external headphone amp. The Soundblaster Z would be better.

The CAL! 2s are considered an excellent price/performance value here in the US, as are the DT770s. But the DT770s are generally considered a better class of headphone. Whether or not the difference would be worth it to you is really a subjective evaluation that is based on your personal listening tastes and monetary benefit.

I believe that new members are prohibited from posting links at first to cut down on spammers.

cel4145 said:

Xonar DX (and D1) do not have a headphone amp built in. Not a good choice for headphones unless you plan on buying an external headphone amp. The Soundblaster Z would be better.

The CAL! 2s are considered an excellent price/performance value here in the US, as are the DT770s. But the DT770s are generally considered a better class of headphone. Whether or not the difference would be worth it to you is really a subjective evaluation that is based on your personal listening tastes and monetary benefit.

I believe that new members are prohibited from posting links at first to cut down on spammers.

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I think I'll give the CAL! 2s a shot with SB-Z since it has the mic. with it. My only concern is the 600Ohms amp. in SB-Z. Some people put in their feedback that you can barely go past 20% before it starts blowing out your ears if you use headphones with low ohms (something like that ). And SB-Z doesnt let you change the gain, only ZxR does. Kinda cheap to leave this option out on the smaller models.
 
But I guess I can only try and hear for myself.