[nfs924]

Hey all, I'm back again for some advice

I'm looking for a decent pair of headphones for movies/tv shows/gaming. Music will rarely (if ever) be listened to on these phones. I'm going to have these connected to a HTPC w/ a fiio e10. The phones themselves are mainly going to be stationary, so portability is not a concern. 

Open or closed, either or is fine with me. Ultimately closed would be more beneficial for late-night viewing, but I can't deny the soundstage of a open headphone. 

I've been looking at:

1) Senn HD558 (build quality is what worries me with these phones)
2) AT M50s
3) Ultrasone 780s (comfort seems to be the downside of these)
4) AT 700s (build quality is also a concern)
5) Senn HD25-1 II


I must have spent the past twelve hours researching all of this, and I have to say I'm more confused than when I started

Durability is a must. While these headphones are going to be well taken care of, I still want something that is extremely durable; I plan to keep these for many years to come.

ATM I have a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 990 pros and I really love them. Honestly, I'm almost considering picking up a 2nd pair just for the other room. 

I'd love for some members to chime in here. I've done a huge amount of research, but most of the topics seemed to be oriented towards music, not movies. 

Thanks in advance for any replies! Happy holidays. 

 

 

[maverickronin]

 
You'll probably want to scratch the HD25s off your list for comfort reasons too.  They're small, clampy, and supra-aural.
 
You also might want to look at the Beyer DT770 Pros which would be similar your 990s but with more bass and less soundstage.
 
To get any more specific I'd need to know your priorities besides build quality.  Do you need precise directionality for FPS gaming, plenty of bass for action moves and games, extra clear mids to hear the dialogue on TV, or something else.

 

[knubbe]

V-Moda Crossfade LP is another option. Should have plenty of sub-bass if that's one of the things you're looking for.

 

[nfs924]

Quote:

 
You'll probably want to scratch the HD25s off your list for comfort reasons too.  They're small, clampy, and supra-aural.
 
You also might want to look at the Beyer DT770 Pros which would be similar your 990s but with more bass and less soundstage.
 
To get any more specific I'd need to know your priorities besides build quality.  Do you need precise directionality for FPS gaming, plenty of bass for action moves and games, extra clear mids to hear the dialogue on TV, or something else.

Thank you for bringing up these points, this is exactly why I come here

Directionality isn't that important to me; mainly an RPG player here. 

Clear mids would be huge, dialogue is definitely the one thing that is really lacking with my current setup (I have some random cheap headphones). 

To make this a bit easier I'll go in order of importance:
1) Durability
2) Comfort
3) Mids
4) Bass
5) Everything else..rofl

V-Moda Crossfade LP is another option. Should have plenty of sub-bass if that's one of the things you're looking for.

Thanks, I'll go take a look at these.
 
 

 

[SanjiWatsuki]

This situation was practically made for the KRK KNS 6400/8400.
 
They're comfortable headphones with focus on clarity in the mids. They're durable studio monitors that really shouldn't break under normal circumstances. They're closed back with an above average soundstage for a closed soundstage. The 6400 variant has very little bass and comes in at $80, whereas the 8400 has memory pad earpads and more bass at $120. 

 

[maverickronin]

Quote:

Thank you for bringing up these points, this is exactly why I come here

Directionality isn't that important to me; mainly an RPG player here. 

Clear mids would be huge, dialogue is definitely the one thing that is really lacking with my current setup (I have some random cheap headphones). 

To make this a bit easier I'll go in order of importance:
1) Durability
2) Comfort
3) Mids
4) Bass
5) Everything else..rofl

If you want to go open for the soundstage you could look at the HD600 or HD650.  They've got nice clear mids that aren't overshadowed by the bass or treble like on the Beyers.  They're a little more expensive but they don't have the same sort of durability reports that the HD558/HD598s do.  The HD650s are a little more expensive and have a bit more bass and a bit less treble than the HD600s.
 
They're going for good prices on Amazon right now, but they seem to fluctuate a lot.