[jordannn15]

Q701's + bass mod + http://m.ebay.com/itm/261445245520 would be a cheaper option, with 98% the same sound.

 
What about the K702 Annie's vs the K712?

 

[jesh462]

I see no suggestions for my cans - check out the Fischer Audio FA-011s.
They are almost uncompromising. Sparkly treble without sibilance, warm smooth accurate mids, deep reaching accurate fast resonant bass, and best of all, a ridiculous huge and detailed sound stage. The bass never gets in the way of other sounds and everything can always be made out clearly.
 
Downsides here are fairly poor build quality and fairly high resistance. The band is prone to breaking, the little plastic clips at the end of the pleather. It still functions, but it's terribly inconvenient.
The high resistance means they need an amp to reach their best sound quality and loud sound levels, though modern integrated chipsets have enough juice for moderate listening levels. To give you more info, these sound best with a warmer amp, like a tube amp, rather than the neutral sounding Asgard II and O2 amp that are so prevalent. However, with proper amplification, these headphones have been compared to be competitive with cans costing 1k+ USD. I'm not sure if I would go that far, as I have never heard a pair of LCD-2s.
They are also open cans, so if you are looking for privacy then you are SOL. They are fairly easy for others to hear.
 
I do extended gaming sessions regularly with the FA-011 and they maintain good levels of comfort and do not make you sweaty.
This brings me to another downside - they are near impossible to replace cups on without losing sound quality in some way. The cups are a little shallow for MY ears and I do get some discomfort after ~9hrs. If my ears did not stick out as far, I could see them being the ultimate comfy headphone. They are fairly lightweight, and the headband definitely helps with the perfect fit.
 
And the final downside, you may have to buy them straight from Russia and wait for them to arrive. Mine took 10 days, I believe.
 
They are amazing headphones though, and I find it hard to believe that you could be disappointed in them- especially if you take the money saved of your $350 budget and give them a good amplifier. They package great bass, amazing sound stage, and no lack of sound quality in any area of the spectrum all into one package, making them an ideal headphone for gaming at your PC while still enjoying music.
 
Please consider them and I hope you enjoy whichever headphone that you decide on. 

 
 
 
 
P.S.
I have spent a long time searching what is the best for the money for a gaming setup. My motherboard uses the Realtek ALC1150 DAC. You would be hard pressed to find a difference between an external one and this, especially trying to keep to your budget. I would definitely go for amplification and headphones and leave the DAC alone until you have money to throw away for no reason. You can always shield the onboard DAC or a cheap Xonar DAC yourself.

 

[jordannn15]

  I see no suggestions for my cans - check out the Fischer Audio FA-011s.
They are almost uncompromising. Sparkly treble without sibilance, warm smooth accurate mids, deep reaching accurate fast resonant bass, and best of all, a ridiculous huge and detailed sound stage. The bass never gets in the way of other sounds and everything can always be made out clearly.
 
Downsides here are fairly poor build quality and fairly high resistance. The band is prone to breaking, the little plastic clips at the end of the pleather. It still functions, but it's terribly inconvenient. The high resistance means they need an amp to reach their best sound quality and loud sound levels, though modern integrated chipsets have enough juice for moderate listening levels. They are also open cans, so if you are looking for privacy then you are SOL. They are fairly easy for others to hear.
 
I do extended gaming sessions regularly with the FA-011 and they maintain good levels of comfort and do not make you sweaty.
This brings me to another downside - they are near impossible to replace cups on without losing sound quality in some way. The cups are a little shallow for MY ears and I do get some discomfort after ~9hrs. If my ears did not stick out as far, I could see them being the ultimate comfy headphone. They are fairly lightweight, and the headband definitely helps with the perfect fit.
 
And the final downside, you may have to buy them straight from Russia and wait for them to arrive. Mine took 10 days, I believe.
 
They are amazing headphones though, and I find it hard to believe that you could be disappointed in them- especially if you take the money saved of your $350 budget and give them a good amplifier. They package great bass, amazing sound stage, and no lack of sound quality in any area of the spectrum all into one package, making them an ideal headphone for gaming at your PC while still enjoying music.
 
Please consider them and I hope you enjoy whichever headphone that you decide on. 

 
 
 
 
P.S.
I have spent a long time searching what is the best for the money for a gaming setup. My motherboard uses the Realtek ALC1150 DAC. You would be hard pressed to find a difference between an external one and this, especially trying to keep to your budget. I would definitely go for amplification and headphones and leave the DAC alone until you have money to throw away for no reason.

 
Thank you for that suggestion! I looked at reviews and they seem very good especially for the price. I don't think I am going to go for them though for a couple reasons, the pads look shallow as you said and my ears are larger than average, it would be a pain unfortunately if I ended up not liking them and had to either try to return which probably wouldn't happen lol or sell them. Do you have any thought on the akg's I mentioned or any other recommendations? Thanks again!

 

[jesh462]

I never took the AKGs seriously because I would prefer a warmer signature with some extra bass rather than bass lean. They do seem to have a very accurate sound stage though. I like to be involved with my music, and I wouldn't give up that engagement in exchange for the sound stage. That is what drove me to buy headphones from Russia in the first place.
 
I would take a look at some of Audio Technica's higher end offerings since you have a larger budget than I did when I bought my cans. I am not sure which cans specifically, but I do believe they make some great all around phones including a very accurate sound stage. If you have never heard AT phones before, you will fall in love with the mids, I can almost guarantee it.

 

[jodgey4]

What about the K702 Annie's vs the K712?

Same thing basically. Just different colors.

 

[jordannn15]

Yeah I like mine different than you, I'd rather not have it up in my face I like it laid back and with a great sound stage. If it weren't for the 3d wing support that the mid-fi AT headphones have such as the ATH-AD900X (which someone recommended) I most likely would have gotten these already to try . Unfortunately I am really picky about how headphones fit haha.

 

[jesh462]

You might also want to check out the Beyer Dynamic DT880 and DT990. Now that you mention your preference, the DT880 might be perfect for you.

 

[jordannn15]

  You might also want to check out the Beyer Dynamic DT880 and DT990. Now that you mention your preference, the DT880 might be perfect for you.

 
Just wondering don't a lot of people say these are very bright and sometimes are harsh?

 

[jesh462]

The K701/712 have also been called harsh and bright. You are going to have to research the ones that most interest you and form your own opinion. It sucks because if you're like me, there isn't anywhere to audition good headphones within 500 miles or more.

 

[jordannn15]

Yeah that's my biggest headache I can't audition any of them so I have been buying and returning a million pairs off of amazon lol, I'm grateful that they have such good customer service and a great return policy! I am still really contemplating the HD 558 and 598, any comment on these?

 

[jesh462]

I have heard the 558 in person, a buddy bought them. They are nice and can pick up detail well. They are unique since they are warm but not bass/mid bass heavy. Airy would be a good word for the sound. I can't really say much more since this was years ago and I heard them for about 10 minutes.
 
I saw you were considering them in the OP and not sure why you moved away from them towards the AKG. If you search the board there are plenty of fans for the 558/598 that try to find a similar phone but better sound quality and are not so successful. If you don't find attraction to any added bass, I can see how they would be a real winner.
 
PS - The 558 has a little angled plastic thing that causes discomfort for some people. (surround reflector) The good thing here is you should be able to find these at best buy and see if it bothers your ear upper ear lobe.

 

[jodgey4]

Dt880, hd598, q701... all bright, just in different ways. Any chance to audition them?

 

[jordannn15]

Dt880, hd598, q701... all bright, just in different ways. Any chance to audition them?

 
Unfortunately no besides just buying them from amazon and then returning which ever I don't like.
 
The ideal headphone I'm looking for would be with a neutral/natural sound but with a decent bass boost (don't want to say boost but that's all I can think of) that is present and impactful but not so much that it bleeds into or overpowers the mids and highs. Also with a great sound stage as the title says I will be using them for gaming too. I guess what I would call a waterfall curve?

 

[jesh462]

The best buy local to me at least carries the HD558. Have you tried there? At least it would give you a frame of reference when asking about other headphones.
Well put jodgey4.
 
PS
Do you mean a response curve like this?
 

 

[jordannn15]

  The best buy local to me at least carries the HD558. Have you tried there? At least it would give you a frame of reference when asking about other headphones.
Well put jodgey4.
 
PS
Do you mean a response curve like this?
 

 
Yes a curve something like that is what I'm talking about. The closest best buy is about an hour and a half away and I didn't realize best buy had headphones like that so I might just have to go there this weekend .