I'm aware that sound chips are normally held in low regard, but onboard sound chips have, as I understand, dramatically improved the last few years. There's also an added headphone amp on my 'enthusiast' board. Now I dont believe it's anything special, motherboard quality and costs are focused...

Yes. The Gigabyte z87x-ud3h is a motherboard for the i7-4770k Intel haswell, its well known as the best budget motherboard for Haswell. Its basically the same as the ALC1150, which are improvements over the ALC892. Headphones are 558s, though i just ordered the DT990 250ohm pro so I can A/B...

Well I found the 681 evo too uncomfortable for me, I'm at the computer for 6+ hours at a time so I need something super comfy. The evo is great at its price but something less comfortable was not a option. The 558s fill my needs but obviously are 4x the price. Oh, 669 is closed back, thats why...

I heard the Somic was rather uncomfortable so I avoided it. I've never heard of the 669 before.

Have you used the Takstar 2050, Pioneer SE-A100, or CAL? I'd be interested in hearing people compare those. Saying the 681 is best under $100 is a pretty bold claim.    I mean the differences between the superlux models is mostly sound profile, not sound quality, as I understand. 

Maybe they are low-fi, but I don't really see a huge difference between them and like 558s or dt990s. I wouldn't quite call them $200 sound, I'd say they are more like a $100 sound, or a solid sub-$50 can (there are better sub-$80 cans like the CAL, Takstar 2050/80, Pioneer SE-A1000, there are...

A 1? It's not really comparable to the highest end, $2000 phones... but it's a solid mid-fi. I'm not sure I can tell a major sound quality difference from my 558s (though those are more comfort, less bass/different sound profile, more open). They're good phones for the price for the average...

Z87X-UD3H, which is an ALC898 + DRV632 600 ohm headphone amp.

  The Evo is self-adjusting.   Evo = 681 Evo.   SR850 = 668B.   Go for Evo, unless you need a neutral sound presentation, in which case go with SR850.

H, interesting. The car guys seem really intent on adhesion promoter, maybe its just for wear and tear outside jobs. Anyways, that duplicolor electron blue pearl 'perfect match' is actually a lacquer, whereas rustoleum is an enamel... which means I gotta buy new primer, new clear coat... zzzz...

Nice.   What kind of prep work though? Do you sand in between coats, after coats? Do you sand the plastic before anything? Do you use primer or adhesion promoters? i'm a bit confused on those. ie if i use adhesion promoter, bulldog (which is quite expensive!, $15!), do i still need to...

I think my head is normal. I always use headphones at the minimum setting except 558s at 2 notches out. If you say the dt990 is more comfortable though then that's pretty straightforward. 

Which should I try out? I can't exactly take the time to try them all out. Right now I have the Phillips speakers with the JBL Sub6 subwoofer hooked up inline. I don't think you can do 2.1 sound so I can't really do the sub any other way (unless is it possible for me to do 5.1 with different...

So what's more comfortable, SE-a1000 or takstar 2050s? Considering buying one or the other, sounds like they are pretty similar sound profile and sound quality. And what about against the CAL, which I hear recommended a lot under $100.

What are some songs that, in the Youtube version vs the FLAC version, sound a million times better on the FLAC?    I'm not really hearing a big difference between the youtubes and the flacs. I think I can see a little more reverb and airiness to some of the sounds on Justice 'Genesis' but...

Thanks, that's all I'm getting at. As I understand headphones $100-200 will beat audio equipment $1000+. The difference is that I might have said audio equipment, or enough of it where I could maybe use the subwoofer + $200 speakers and have better sound, or something. I don't know, that's why I...

My onboard audio has a 600ohm headphone amp so it'll drive it just fine. I'm not really an audiophile, I don't really hear differences between better tracks and stuff. I don't really fancy spending money on something I wouldn't notice. I'm planning to buy the dt990 250pro and A/B it with some...

I wouldn't quite say my budget is limited, I can afford either. My question is just if there's a big difference between the two in quality and comfort and stage (don't care about sound profile, i'm too newb too have a preference, or even notice really). Because if it's all the same, I'll go with...

For under $60 I think the Evo/681B/SR850 is your best bet. I'd go with Evos for being slightly cheaper, better profile for all around, and more comfy, but if you really want something neutral, go with sr850 (cant tell if you are saying you want something neutral or not).    They get a little...

You found which one too sibilant? Can't you just EQ that anyways? Or are there some sources you can't EQ (which doesn't matter to me since I'd just be using off a desktop)?   That's quite surprising to hear sound quality is identical between the two (you sure you don't mean sound profile is up...

Up. I literally just explained why. 

Well I do a lot of computer modding, so I want to do more than just painting headphones, but I want the highest quality I can get here. Got pics of those grados?   I bought some meguirs polishing compound from autozone, and I bought some 'electric blue pearl' perfect match duplicolor from...

^ What did you do, just bleach then dye the inner drive pad?     That's definitely out of budget. Under $100, ideally under $50. I'm not someone who'd likely notice the difference with that anyways.   Is there a big difference between the DT990 and Takstar 2050s? As I mentioned earlier...

Bump. Still curious, DT990 vs Takstar 2050, is there a large difference, a noticeable difference, in comfort, sq, and stage?

I'm only willing to spend up to $200. I dont need portability or isolation. So would $200 speakers be better than $200 headphones like dt990s or 558s? I even have some sound equipment, like a jbl sub6 and ensemble studios henry kloss sub, and some receivers, and a sonance.