[Darien]

I want a set of headphones that are good for gaming AND music - so from what I know, I want open back right? Which set do you guys recommend around 300 bucks or less?
 
 
I'm thinking sennheiser HD600 because I tried the 598hd but they were too bright in a way that kinda hurt and felt annoying - I prefer neutral sound which is the HD 600, but i hear the hd 600 is too small sound stage for gaming? otherwise i know the hd 650 has more sound stage, but is considered dark, and im worried they will annoy me like the 598 did
 
what else can you recommend? should i just get the hd 600?(and btw i already have a schiit stack...santa gave me schiit for christmas) or maybe beyer dt990?

 

[Youth]

HD650 is not as dark as people make them out to be, at least not the new version. HD600 are brigther than HD650 so I think it's gonna be the other way arround. If you thought HD598 was bright DT990 is probably a bad idea as it has emphasized treble. 

 

[Darien]

  HD650 is not as dark as people make them out to be, at least not the new version. HD600 are brigther than HD650 so I think it's gonna be the other way arround. If you thought HD598 was bright DT990 is probably a bad idea as it has emphasized treble. 

i see, yeah i saw some people on youtube say the 600 can almost be a little harsh, so maybe 650 would be perfect for me since i didn't really like 598hd. what about the phillips x2?

 

[Music Path]

i see, yeah i saw some people on youtube say the 600 can almost be a little harsh, so maybe 650 would be perfect for me since i didn't really like 598hd. what about the phillips x2?

I ve both HD650 and X2 and i can tell that X2 has bigger stage, and might be better for gaming.
Soundwise they are both dark, being X2 a little darker maybie. The higs on the HD650 are better refined.
Mids are good in both.

 

[LBailey33]

I ve both HD650 and X2 and i can tell that X2 has bigger stage, and might be better for gaming.
Soundwise they are both dark, being X2 a little darker maybie. The higs on the HD650 are better refined.
Mids are good in both.

I would second this and add that the X2 packs more sub bass than the 650. I don't think you would regret purchasing either one though. 

 

[LBailey33]

One thing to consider though, the HD650 takes a lot more power to drive it than the X2 does. Personally, I had to upgrade to a Bifrost and Asgard 2 because my Modi/Magni stack wasn't cutting it and my 650's felt veiled (which they no longer do). 

 

[Darien]

  One thing to consider though, the HD650 takes a lot more power to drive it than the X2 does. Personally, I had to upgrade to a Bifrost and Asgard 2 because my Modi/Magni stack wasn't cutting it and my 650's felt veiled (which they no longer do). 

modi/magni couldn't drive the 650? i hear people say they can drive 650 on e10k!!
 
http://www.audiobot9000.com/match/sennheiser/hd-650/with/fiio/e10k
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/747845/powering-sennheiser-hd650s#post_11166811
 
 
though i wouldn't mind saving 100 bucks on the x2...i hear the 650 is so nice that you can hear adele swallow...can you hear her swallow on the x2? i see right now amazon is having some problems with the x2...hope it gets sorted out soon...maybe should i try to buy directly from phillips or where should i buy from?

 

[LBailey33]

The 650 sounded constrained, in comparison to the X2 and TH-X00, on the magni/modi. It was being held back and didn't impress me nearly as much as the X2 did on a less expensive DAC/amp. The X2 provides a lot for its price and sounds amazing doing it but it is lacking some of the fine detail that the 650 has (which in my case, took $650 more to experience). Overall, the X2 has more sub bass extension, more bass overall (not overpowering IMO), less detailed and forward mids (they slightly recessed in comparison to the 650) and similar extension in the treble frequency. The X2 has a wider soundstage. The 650 will scale a lot better with your gear but it will end up costing you a lot more money, if you are a perfectionist like me. So if you are interested in the X2, my suggestion is to wait until Philips and Amazon figure out the QC issues because from what I have gathered, Philips changed manufacturers and that has caused the problems.

 

[SeaWo|f]

Just to give you an idea about the hd650. I have owned them for 7 years now. I had been playing them on my elekit tu882. Which is a ~400 tube hybrid amp. I don't think they really came alive until i got my ragnarok. I'm hearing things i had no idea were in recordings. If you are expecting to hear "adele swallow" on recordings, you probably can with the hd650 but to get the hd650s to do that is spendy. Now i liked by hd650s before but to get what you are talking about out of them in my experience takes a very good dac and amp.

 

[Darien]

Just to give you an idea about the hd650. I have owned them for 7 years now. I had been playing them on my elekit tu882. Which is a ~400 tube hybrid amp. I don't think they really came alive until i got my ragnarok. I'm hearing things i had no idea were in recordings. If you are expecting to hear "adele swallow" on recordings, you probably can with the hd650 but to get the hd650s to do that is spendy. Now i liked by hd650s before but to get what you are talking about out of them in my experience takes a very good dac and amp.

ohh i see...so what headphone do you recommend to be able to hear adele swallow that can be driven without a ton of difficulty? phillips x2 then? so e10k isnt good enough? i saw bunch of posts online saying they have more than enough power to drive the 650Hd D: should i get the x2 instead then?

 

[SeaWo|f]

So I don't know the first thing about the x2 and cannot comment on it. There are options out there at the price you want where details will come through, but the headphones are compromised in other ways. Unfortunately one of those is that they tend to be bright which you already know bothers you. Now that is not to say you cant find a headphone to fit your requirements with a signature you like, but the ones I am familiar with in my limited experience do not fit for you so others will have to help.

 

[LBailey33]

Yes, I would recommend the X2.Considerably more cost efficient and has a sound signature that you more than likely would find pleasing since it is similar to the HD650 and would sound great off of your gear. Just be careful, read the head-fi forums and reddit posts on /r/headphones about the X2 quality control issues to make sure you are getting a quality headphone. 

 

[Darien]

  Yes, I would recommend the X2.Considerably more cost efficient and has a sound signature that you more than likely would find pleasing since it is similar to the HD650 and would sound great off of your gear. Just be careful, read the head-fi forums and reddit posts on /r/headphones about the X2 quality control issues to make sure you are getting a quality headphone. 

i see... i feel bad returning so much to amazon u think amazon will get pissed that im returning the 598hd, then the 650hd and getting the x2?

 

[Darien]

I'll probably return these and get the x2 when amazon gets the qr sorted...any guesstimate on how long that will take? its kinda interesting because i always thought sennhesier was considered the audiophile official brand, and to see the phillips make such good headphones feels weird to me :S though i guess in the end its better to have a produc tthat will be good for me rather than just a brand name, i probably wont impress my bose buddies much when they ask what my headphones are and i say phillips, but as long as they sound amazing to me thats all that matters and from what i can see the x2 really is a solid product.
 
also i see the x2 has 50mm drivers instead of the 40mm sennhesiers...so thats pretty sweet

 

[rchiwawa]

  i see... i feel bad returning so much to amazon u think amazon will get pissed that im returning the 598hd, then the 650hd and getting the x2?

Nope, you just create warehouse deals for the rest of us, although when shopping IEMs i did try to go with an Amazon open box option where available.  It had the added bonus of allowing free of cost returns via claiming the item was not as described.  I did this nearly 20 times when shopping for my first set of non crap tier headphones.