[YJX94]

Hello everyone, new member here and I need all the help I can get in buying a headphone.

I need a great headphone for music/movies and casual/competitive gaming on PC/PS4 with most of the emphasis being on gaming without penalising music and movies too much.

I have narrowed my headphone list down to these options:-

Audio Technica ATH-R70X

Sennheiser HD 598/600/650/6XX

AKG Q701/K702/K7XX/K712 Pro

Hifiman HE-400/400S/400i

Philips Fidelio X2

Shure SRH1440

Out of these, which one would you all say is the best for my needs of music/movies/casual+competitive gaming?

By casual gaming I mean stuff like single player and campaigns and etc and by competitive gaming I don't mean the hardcore eSports level of competitiveness but just multiplayer competitiveness at home.

So with the biggest focus being on casual/competitive gaming without penalising music and movies too much, which of these cans is the best?

If there are better ones than the ones on the list then please suggest them but only if they meet 2 requirements: MUST have a detachable cable and MUST be under £300/$300.

Also whichever headphones you recommend please state whether they need a DAC/AMP or not.

Thanks.

 

[Benasherding]

Honestly all this are great, really depending on your preference.
if it was me, I would buy the 6XX

 

[OldDude04]

For what you want to use it for, I'd say grab the X2. Great sound stage, comfortable, has a removable cable so you can add in a mic. Sounds great for music/movies, and I've used it for gaming. It doesn't need a DAC/Amp, but like most headphones, it comes alive a bit more with one.

 

[cossix]

6xx doesn't have the soundstage for gaming, it also needs an amp which may not be a good use of money considering your budget. I think the X2 would fit your needs perfectly. It has good bass, amazing soundstage, and it doesn't need an amp. Good luck!

 

[Monsterzero]

Of the headphones listed the best for "competitive gaming" are the AKG K7-- series,however they absolutely require a good amp,and the bass can be a bit underwhelming(which makes their detail retrieval great).

For music I'd grab the HE-400i,followed by the 400s and HD650...the 400i and HD650 both require an amp,the 400s not so much,but none are great for gaming due to narrow sound stage.

Like the others have mentioned above the Fidelio X2 is best option...almost as good as AKG for gaming,but has better bass(which can drown out footsteps).For bass heavy music theyre pretty good too.The mids are too recessed for guitar oriented music IMO,but still they strike the best balance for what youre trying to achieve.

Another option to consider is the DT990 32ohm..less bass than X1,a bit more bass than AKG,easy to drive,much brighter than X2(good/bad is subjective) better mids than X2...FWIW at one point I owned both X1 and DT990 and kept the X1(nearly identical to X2),but the DT990 wasnt far off.

 

[YJX94]

Of the headphones listed the best for "competitive gaming" are the AKG K7-- series,however they absolutely require a good amp,and the bass can be a bit underwhelming(which makes their detail retrieval great).

For music I'd grab the HE-400i,followed by the 400s and HD650...the 400i and HD650 both require an amp,the 400s not so much,but none are great for gaming due to narrow sound stage.

Like the others have mentioned above the Fidelio X2 is best option...almost as good as AKG for gaming,but has better bass(which can drown out footsteps).For bass heavy music theyre pretty good too.The mids are too recessed for guitar oriented music IMO,but still they strike the best balance for what youre trying to achieve.

Another option to consider is the DT990 32ohm..less bass than X1,a bit more bass than AKG,easy to drive,much brighter than X2(good/bad is subjective) better mids than X2...FWIW at one point I owned both X1 and DT990 and kept the X1(nearly identical to X2),but the DT990 wasnt far off.

I need/want a DAC/AMP anyway because I have multiple systems to use the headphones on and plugging and unplugging the cables every time is something I don't want to deal with and I want the best sound quality possible, money is not an issue.

So with the use of an amp would you still recommend the AKG's over the rest?, if so which AKG model would you recommend as best for my needs between the Q701/K702/K7XX/K712 Pro?

 

[domsch1988]

From my experience, AKG's are a matter of taste. Make sure to try them before you buy. I tried the K701 and K712 and found them incredibly harsh and uncomfortable to listen to. And i like my beyer's, so i don't generally have a problem with forward highend... All the Headphones you listed are great and choosing between them should be done by listening to them.

 

[Monsterzero]

The only K7-- series Ive owned is the K7XX.It was too much HP for MixAmp Pro to drive for gaming,and I have better options for music,so I ended up selling them.

I would suggest reading as there is extensive comparisons of the various K7-- out there.

As to the comment above of the K7 series being harsh, I did not hear any harshness at all...and I find the Beyers to be unbelievably harsh.......

TL;DR

As was suggested see if you can try them prior to buying as what is harsh and what isnt is quite subjective.....If youre unable to hear prior to buying ,i think the X2 is a safe bet.

 

[FunkDrummer]

For gaming, you'll definitely an extended bass range and a vast soundstage. The Fidelio X2's are fantastic and I highly recommend them!

 

[YJX94]

For gaming, you'll definitely an extended bass range and a vast soundstage. The Fidelio X2's are fantastic and I highly recommend them!

Don't the K712's have a better and more accurate imaging soundstage than the X2's?. Atleast that's what I hear mostly.

 

[FunkDrummer]

Don't the K712's have a better and more accurate imaging soundstage than the X2's?. Atleast that's what I hear mostly.

AKG's tend to have very accurate imaging and are known for their analytical sound. I haven't tried the K712's, but I'd love to try them one day!

 

[squee116]

AKG's tend to have very accurate imaging and are known for their analytical sound. I haven't tried the K712's, but I'd love to try them one day!

I actually didn't find the K712's all that accurate. Instrument separation was great, but actual imaging was sub par, as it was applied in games at least. It's strength was music, though I find the treble fatiguing, even more so as it applied to gun shot effects. They worked well for movies, if bass slam isn't a requirement.

I think the X2 offer a lot of the capabilities you need, but I found them uncomfortable after several hours of use. I'd recommend more to the 558/598 side of the debate for comfort and gaming, but they lack the bass to make some movies really engaging. One problem you might run into is whether you can drive the headphones using something like the MixAmp. I guess I could test some of these for you, in that regard. I know the X2, 558/598 and R70 wouldn't have much issue though.

The R70x is comfy, and non-offending, in that the bass isn't overly in the face, and treble isn't harsh, partially because both are rolled off. Which is great for long-term listening, but bad if you want to be engaged by audio. It's driven sufficiently from my PC, MixAmp Pro, but not quite efficient enough for my phone to get decent audio out of.

The 400i is great, but needs an amp. It's my current all-rounder pick, but again, needs an amp. The 400s is more efficient, but sounds a bit more muddy without a bright amp to help clean it up. Both would work well for your intended use. The sound stage is smaller than the K712, but I find it images more accurately, at least in games.

I haven't used the Shure's so I can't comment on them.

But to get your homebrew headset going with a PS4, you'll need a MixAmp or something similar at the least. It has a built-in amp, and anemic as it is, it's good enough to drive about half the headphones on your list. The DAC is built into the MixAmp, so there's that.

 

[buke9]

I need/want a DAC/AMP anyway because I have multiple systems to use the headphones on and plugging and unplugging the cables every time is something I don't want to deal with and I want the best sound quality possible, money is not an issue.

So with the use of an amp would you still recommend the AKG's over the rest?, if so which AKG model would you recommend as best for my needs between the Q701/K702/K7XX/K712 Pro?

Key phrase money is no object. I'm not sure you meant that as that would cost you quite a bit at least $20K.

 

[domsch1988]

Key phrase money is no object. I'm not sure you meant that as that would cost you quite a bit at least $20K.

To be fair, he said "Money is no issue". This implies, for me at least, he'll spend what ever it takes but still is looking at value for money. Even people with great amounts of money have a understanding of the law of diminishing returns i think

 

[YJX94]

Key phrase money is no object. I'm not sure you meant that as that would cost you quite a bit at least $20K.

"Money is not an issue" means I can get headphones that don't need a DAC/AMP but if a particular headphone is better WITH a DAC/AMP then I'll gladly spend the extra money on it.