I'm looking for a set of headphones under/at $250 that would be used for a combination of gaming, music listening, and occasional (low level, mind) editing. What I'm looking for in them:
 
- Comfort. I sometimes end up wearing headphones for up to 48 hours at a time (extreme Avatar binge for those wondering) so comfort is a must - I'd love for them to be light, and with a wide top band (I've tried ones with narrow headbands and they just don't sit well on me).
 
- Soundstage. I casually play many FPS games and competitively play TF2, so surround sound (virtual or otherwise) is very important to me. I don't necessarily need to have the accuracy to wall-bang opponents night and day as this isn't a mechanic in a game I'm competitive in, but preferably within 10-15 degrees accuracy or so. I would also like for the headphones to have a wide-feeling soundstage, so it doesn't feel like all the sound is right up against me. This probably means they'll be open style.
 
- Clarity. I'm a band dork (low brass) and the 2 things I love most in music are punchy low lines (not really bass, but more mid-lowish - I'll try to elaborate more later, I'm no good with words) and hearing multiple voices blending perfectly while staying separate - A good example of what I'm talking about there would be the first couple minutes of Pentatonix's cover of 'Royals' (I have no idea how to put links in or if that's even allowed or not, but it's on youtube), so maintaining that separation between different voices without becoming muddy is important to me (so I want the voices to be very articulate according to the glossary). As far as the lower lines I was talking about, think like Two Steps From Hell music like 'Black Blade' - the low brass line. What I don't like on the low end is the extremely deep, underlying bass being prominent because it feels to me like it muddies everything else instead of supporting it like the low-mids do (maybe I'm weird. Well, scratch that, I'm definitely weird; that's not the point). I think that falls under the glossary term body, so I'd like the sound to have a strong body.
 
- Apart from that, just the best quality I can get for $250, bonus points if it's from amazon. I'm happy to hear anything you guys have to say.
 
Oh, these will likely be paired with the Asus Xonar U7 external DAC, I've heard and read many good things about it and it has all the features I'm looking for. So obviously, nothing that it won't be able to drive well. I read somewhere that it'll run about up to 150 ohms of impedance, but I could be totally wrong on that. Thanks!
 
- Edited to include glossary terms to help describe the sound I'm looking for

Bump. That may be uncouth, but I posted this at an unfortunate time that led to it getting exactly 2 views (one of them is mine) and ending up far down on the list lol.

Hey!
 
You should consider the Sennheiser HD598. Really can't go wrong with them. Wide soundstage, smooth response, pretty easy to drive, really comfortable...
 
There's also the AKG K612 Pro, but a little amp like Fiio E10K would be a nice adittion in this case since these are much harder to drive than HD598.
 
These are two neutralish, slightly warm headphones and both safe ways to pick.
 
The AKGs are typically just a tad more energetic, while the Senns are more relaxed.

Thanks for the response - the main 2 headphones I've been looking at are the HD598 and the AKG K702 - there's a solid deal for them on amazon right now that lands them into my budget. Will an Asus Xonar U7 drive both of them comfortably? Also, will I need an adapter to connect them to the U7? I've heard about some people needing an RCA to something adapter and I'm not sure if I'll need it or not.

spitfiresniper said:

  Thanks for the response - the main 2 headphones I've been looking at are the HD598 and the AKG K702 - there's a solid deal for them on amazon right now that lands them into my budget. Will an Asus Xonar U7 drive both of them comfortably?

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No! K702 is really hard to drive.
 
Asus Xonar U7 will drive HD598 just fine.
 
Pretty sure you don't need extra cables. You just need to plug the headphones into U7's headphone output.

For $250 you can get a used HD600 which would be good because it is really neutral. Or look around for a K70X or K7XX. 
 
Both are very comfortable. Your soundcard probably won't drive them very well, but they will still sound good. 

For max comfort: HD600 or 650 if you can find one for < $275. Relatively neutral (600).

Even finding a used or sale on an HD600/650 would be out of his price range as he would probably want to upgrade his dac/amp.  
 
Definitely take a look at the HD598.  I have the older model 595 which aside from color is built almost 1:1.  Very comfortable and can where for hours, they just disappear on my head.  Soundstage is good and I hear that the 598 is even better in this regard.
 
The only thing is they don't have a strong bass presence.  It's tight and punchy, but not headbanging so.  If your ok with that then you could try them out from amazon.  Make sure you pick amazon as the seller so you can return them if you don't like them.  Goes for $150 right now so you'd even have leftover funds.

mysticstryk said:

Even finding a used or sale on an HD600/650 would be out of his price range as he would probably want to upgrade his dac/amp.

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This for sure. The HD600 is a great headphone and probably a good fit (the 650 might be a bit better), but these are 300 Ohm headphones. Anyone wanting these should factor in an amp to make sure they are powered properly.

Definitely take a look at the HD598.  I have the older model 595 which aside from color is built almost 1:1.  Very comfortable and can where for hours, they just disappear on my head.  Soundstage is good and I hear that the 598 is even better in this regard.

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Also this, but we might also add the HD558. My wife has this one, and I am told that the 558 and 598 are somewhat similar in sound signatures. The 558, however, is often available for much cheaper than the 598.

The only thing is they don't have a strong bass presence.  It's tight and punchy, but not headbanging so.  If your ok with that then you could try them out from amazon.  Make sure you pick amazon as the seller so you can return them if you don't like them.  Goes for $150 right now so you'd even have leftover funds.

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For that headbanging bass, go find the basshead thread. However, most of those models are closed and would likely suffer in the soundstage department. I think these suggestions should provide decent bass without sacrificing the soundstage.

I think you might like the AKG K7XX: http://www.head-fi.org/t/743280/the-akg-k7xx-massdrop-first-edition-thread. Massdrop currently has them available for the next week or until they sell out.

Hey guys, thanks a ton for all of the input. I think I'm going to end up running with one of the AKG's - 702, or maybe that 7XX - but there are a few things that seem to remain a little cloudy about them to me.
 
Firstly, I've seen different opinions about whether or not the Xonar U7 will drive the AKG K702's or not. I see the one thread in which someone says they work fine with this exact set-up, another who thinks they won't drive them at all, and I've seen a third say that they'll drive them but only just, and they may not sound as good as they would with an amp on them. I'm okay with pushing out a bit more money for an amp if it will really make them sound that much better, just nothing too fancy or expensive. Could you make some recommendations for amps that will drive the AKG 702/7XX, with the line of USB out --> Asus Xonar U7 --> (amp) --> AKG K702/7XX in mind? hopefully nothing more than $75 or so, but don't suggest anything that'll hurt the sound of the headphones or not drive them properly in that setup.
 
Now, on the K7XX's - I'm a little hesitant about these as I have not been able to find much data on them. There are tons upon tons of reviews gibbering about how the K702's are fantastic for games with unbelievable positional cues and a huge soundstage and great articulation, which is why I've been looking at them so much. With the K7XX's, I can only seem to find so much information. I also have heard about a 3db bass boost over the 702's (?), and I'm not sure how much of a difference that actually is - I understand that the K702's have very drawn back bass to begin with, and the K7XX's are still described as having tight bass. How would this effect the sound of gameplay in a game? would that additional 3db come forward as a tangible low end that could potentially get in the way of higher sound (footsteps, etc) and make them any harder to distinguish and locate? Basically I'd just like as much more information on the K7XX's as I can get (because that $200 massdrop deal looks delicious, and makes me feel better about spending money on an amp if needed than the price on the 702's does.
 
Look forward to hearing from you guys. (Heh, hearing - cuz headphones? I'll show myself out.)

I don't have any experience with the Xonar U7, so I don't know how well it will drive the K7XX, although I suspect it would be at best for more moderate volumes (not sure). Note that people judge amps based on their listening volume, and we all don't listen at the same volume. So whereas an amp might work well with a pair of headphones that are difficult to drive for one person, it might not for another. And then expectations play into this. But if you are concerned about that, you should avoid the AKG Q/K7 series and K612s. Or, you could always add a headphone amp to the Xonar U7 later on if you want more volume.

As far as gameplay with the K7XX, ask in this thread: http://www.head-fi.org/t/743280/the-akg-k7xx-massdrop-first-edition-thread. Someone will likely pipe up and offer an opinion

spitfiresniper said:

  Hey guys, thanks a ton for all of the input. I think I'm going to end up running with one of the AKG's - 702, or maybe that 7XX - but there are a few things that seem to remain a little cloudy about them to me.
 
Firstly, I've seen different opinions about whether or not the Xonar U7 will drive the AKG K702's or not. I see the one thread in which someone says they work fine with this exact set-up, another who thinks they won't drive them at all, and I've seen a third say that they'll drive them but only just, and they may not sound as good as they would with an amp on them. I'm okay with pushing out a bit more money for an amp if it will really make them sound that much better, just nothing too fancy or expensive. Could you make some recommendations for amps that will drive the AKG 702/7XX, with the line of USB out --> Asus Xonar U7 --> (amp) --> AKG K702/7XX in mind? hopefully nothing more than $75 or so, but don't suggest anything that'll hurt the sound of the headphones or not drive them properly in that setup.
 
Now, on the K7XX's - I'm a little hesitant about these as I have not been able to find much data on them. There are tons upon tons of reviews gibbering about how the K702's are fantastic for games with unbelievable positional cues and a huge soundstage and great articulation, which is why I've been looking at them so much. With the K7XX's, I can only seem to find so much information. I also have heard about a 3db bass boost over the 702's (?), and I'm not sure how much of a difference that actually is - I understand that the K702's have very drawn back bass to begin with, and the K7XX's are still described as having tight bass. How would this effect the sound of gameplay in a game? would that additional 3db come forward as a tangible low end that could potentially get in the way of higher sound (footsteps, etc) and make them any harder to distinguish and locate? Basically I'd just like as much more information on the K7XX's as I can get (because that $200 massdrop deal looks delicious, and makes me feel better about spending money on an amp if needed than the price on the 702's does.
 
Look forward to hearing from you guys. (Heh, hearing - cuz headphones? I'll show myself out.)

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Based on technical specifications, Asus Xonar U7 is very limited to drive AKG K702.
This is not someone's opinion, this is fact, based on Asus' specs.
 
You can check them for yourself:
https://www.asus.com/Sound/Xonar_U7/specifications/
 
Look at the headphone output specs:
"Headphone output : 1.3 Vrms (3.677 Vp-p)"
 
You can drive HD598 just fine with that, but 1.3 Vrms max is very limited for K702.
 
AKG K702 needs 0.322 Vrms to achieve 90 dB SPL
 
1.3 Vrms will push them up to 102 dB SPL
And that's all folks!
 
There's not room for dynamics, and best chances are you'll be pushing the U7 to its limits most of the times.
 
An amplifier that's capable of pushing the headphone up to 110dB is normally recommended / desirable.
Same math with HD598 yields that U7 can drive HD598 up to 113dB. That's a fair mark.
 
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K7xx is a more 'musical' version of K702: just a tad more bass, and slightly darker/softer treble.
K702 is more like an analytic tool by comparison: slightly bigger soundstage and more forward upper midrange / treble.
 
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Fiio E10K can drive K702 or K7xx just fine as far as you don't listen to music at really high levels. Not the last word in amplification for these headphones, but still flat and clear.
Main downfall is that you can't hook up the U7 since Fiio E10K is a USB DAC/Amp. You'll lose Dolby effects and so...
 
The Schiit Audio Magni 2 is a very nice, really powerful amplifier that sells for 99 dollars. You can use the Magni 2 with Asus Xonar U7 as a DAC.

I would avoid the AKG's unless you have sufficient power to give them, and even then they distort quickly if you push them. THe Philips Fidelio X2 is  much better choice IMO. It needs less power but can handle far more than the AKG's without strain, and they are much more versatile as far as what's being played. YMMV.

Hmm, well wikipedia lists 100 db SPL as being comparable to a jackhammer from 1 meter away - since I don't listen to anything loud (I'm pretty sensitive to light/sound), I don't think I'll have a problem with the headphones not being loud enough. Is anything other than volume lost when powering the headphones sub-optimally as would be the case here? In other words, are there any significant consequences to the sound quality? Or is there a potential issue with the U7's lifespan down the road if it's consistently used at 80% + volume?
 
$99 is a little steep for me at the moment, and I can't sacrifice the dolby effects (after all, what would be the point of having headphones with great positional cues if you don't have surround encoding xD). Does anyone know of any cheaper alternatives? If not then I'll probably not buy one for now and look into it later if I run into any issues.
 
edit - I've run into a couple places mentioning the FiiO E11K headphone amp. Would this be suitable? It comes in at around 60 dollars on amazon. It's described as a portable amp, I'm not sure if that makes any difference.