HollowNoise
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2013
- Posts
- 196
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- 40
Hello my fellow audiophiles, I'm looking for the best or "bang for the buck" open phones. I'm using them for 60% gaming and 40% music, also gonna watch TV shows, movies and what not. I play FPS, like BFBC2, BF3, Bioshock Infinite, STALKER CoP, gonna buy Metro LL, but also play games like Skyrim, Dark Souls, The Witcher 2 and other 3rd person adventure and action games as well. My music preferences are rock, pop, alternative, instrumental, vocal, orchestral and epic scores. At first, I was after the Audio Technica ATH A900X and the AKG K550 which are both closed cans, but after I tried them at my local Best Buy, I gotta say that the A900X did not fit well on my head and were also heavy, let's say they were very uncomfortable for me, and I found the K550 to be overly bright and have a lot of sibilance, which I do not like. I then tried the Sennheiser HD 558 which are open, I found them to be VERY comfortable and relaxing compared to the previous two. I was definitely impressed by the HUGE soundstage they have , I also liked their airiness, and they definetely have a warmer and more neutral sound signature than both the A900X and the K550, AND have a bigger soundstage, although they lack a bit in the bass department. I guess I get fatigued with phones that have a bright sound signature and a lot of sibilance. I also figured that open cans are better for my needs. So which open cans are similar or better than the Sennheiser's HD 558, they must have a warm sound signature, as I found that I dislike overly bright phones, also I need phones with excellent soundstage and would like decent bass, not bloated, just right. AND they must be comfortable as I'm using them for long periods of time. I was looking into the Audio Technica AD900X, Beyerdynamic DT 990, DT 880 and the Sennheiser HD 598. My max budget is about $300, and I'm gonna use them with my Sound Blaster Z Audio Card, no DAC or Amp, so they must sound good without an amp, MUCH prefered if they don't need an amp to sound good. I like the Sennheiser's because they have a warm and neutral sound, just how music should be heard. So which headphones best fit my preferences? any other recommendations, opinions, thoughts? Also anyone owns any of these? If yes, please share your opinion. Thanks in advance
* Pardon for any wrong terms and mistakes as I'm new to the world of Audiophilia and to Head-Fi.
* Pardon for any wrong terms and mistakes as I'm new to the world of Audiophilia and to Head-Fi.