Equipment Recommendations

[clockworks]

Hey everyone!
 
I'm new to this forum, despite my lurking pretty extensively here for the better part of the last 24 hours.
 
I recently broke my gaming headset and found my self in a bit of a quandary, and based on the expertise I've seen on this forum I figured this would be the perfect place to go for some help.
 
In doing my lurking I've concluded that either a headset or a pair of headphones with a mic are compatible for my needs but not sure where to go from there. The real dilemma I have is that while I have found great guides on this site for gaming and some for studio listening, I haven't really found one that is a solid hybrid of that. By that I mean when I evaluate my own personal usage, it's around a solid split of three major activities: gaming, music and movies. (My computer is my only entertainment system). 
 
Realistically what I would want would be a solid set that can play music well in addition to some crisp gaming performance. When I say that, I mean that while I would enjoy some 3-d positional audio for FPS that it's not the end-all of what I'd like. I don't attempt to game competitively so why I find that to be a desired feature it doesn't need to be the end all feature of the headphones. If there's a decent amount of positional audio in conjunction with a full range of sounds for the more immersive solo-player games, music and movies that would be perfect.
 
 
Some examples of the media I engage in to give a best idea:
 
Music: A bit of everything. Electronic (electro, house, etc), Hip-hop, Jazz, Funk
Games: Skyrim, BF3, Starcraft 2, Bioshock
Budget: 200-250$ For Headphones/Other equipment (mics if not a headset, amps, audio cards etc)
 
While the headphones don't have to be isolated (I use them in a relatively quiet environment) I would prefer to not have much sound leakage.
 
Thanks for dealing with the big wall of text!

 

[Rewkie]

If you could get another $50 you could buy V-Moda M-100s. It fits the bill for what you're doing.

 

[clockworks]

Would that set require a sound card with a built in amp? I've cuurently using integrated audio.

 

[Rewkie]

No i use my iPhone 5 and it works fine.

 

[clockworks]

I will look into these headphones and consider them. On the surface I would say that I am somewhat concerned as they are 50$ overbudget already and that is without considerations to a mic.

 

[Rewkie]

They have a mic.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Audio Technica ATH-A900X (closed) headphones
Digbuy is selling them for $154.99, plus shipping and tax.
 
Asus Xonar DG (PCI) $30 or DGX (PCI-E) $45 sound card.
 
Get any add-on mic you like

 

[clockworks]

How's the soundstage on the A900X? Furthermore what's the signature like?

I was reccomended the PC360s by someone else, citing the fact that they use the drivers from the 595. Any thoughts on that?

 

[Cakensaur]

They are iirc HD595's with a decent mic added on. so they will be pretty good for your application
 
the AD900x is quite good.. i found it to have a very solid bass to it and is really under rated on this forum in terms of its sound,
however, one issue if the fit, these fit some well, some horribly. i passed on these as i happened to fall into the later category. so always check fit beforehand.
 
Just realised i was going on about AD900x, not the closed back A900x, from which i have heard little about
 
If you don't mind slightly obscene bass (for an open can) a choice of mine would be the DT990 250 pro, comfy, soundstage is decent enough the sound is pretty engaging, plus they double up as a hammer in a pinch (they are very solidly built) and work well with the genres you have stated, i love the DT990's with EDM.
 
Good luck!

 

[clockworks]

Because I'm looking more for a closed setup due to my particular living arrangement I'm between the:

M50s
Hifi-580s
And now the a900x

They're similarly priced based on googling. This decision making sucks lol. Anyone knows any big retail store that would likely carry these so I could demo them in person.

*edit*
Based on some reading it appears the 900x > m50 on everything except bass quantity. I think that makes this more of a a900x vs hfi 580 situation. That said I still would like to try them in person

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Because I'm looking more for a closed setup due to my particular living arrangement I'm between the:

M50s
Hifi-580s
And now the a900x

They're similarly priced based on googling. This decision making sucks lol. Anyone knows any big retail store that would likely carry these so I could demo them in person.

*edit*
Based on some reading it appears the 900x > m50 on everything except bass quantity. I think that makes this more of a a900x vs hfi 580 situation. That said I still would like to try them in person

I would say the ATH-M50s have more (full) bass then the ATH-A900X, I would not say the ATH-M50 has better bass (quality wise) then the ATH-A900X (in my option).

 

[clockworks]

I would say the ATH-M50s have more (full) bass then the ATH-A900X, I would not say the ATH-M50 has better bass (quality wise) then the ATH-A900X (in my option).

That's what I have been reading. Despite the fact that I listen to bass heavy music, I'm thinking Id appreciate a 'cleaner' delivery than just quantity.

Sorry if I'm using the wrong terminology here, new to this haha.

 

[cel4145]

That's what I have been reading. Despite the fact that I listen to bass heavy music, I'm thinking Id appreciate a 'cleaner' delivery than just quantity.

Sorry if I'm using the wrong terminology here, new to this haha.

No need to apologize. Takes a while to learn a common vocabulary
This might help if you are grappling for terms about sound: http://www.head-fi.org/a/describing-sound-a-glossary
And this for other terminology: http://www.head-fi.org/a/glossary-of-terms

The A900X do have very good detail resolution across the board from high to low. I feel that they are strongly in the $200 to $225 class of headphone, just on great sale price at the moment. The M50s don't compete, IMHO.

The HFI-580s have a very v-shaped response. Great if you want strong bass emphasis and don't mind recessed mids. But not the clarity of the A900X.

 

[clockworks]

Thank you!

Is there a database that shows the response of various headphones?

As of right now I'm leaning towards the a900x. That said I have to find a place to try them on or find an online retailer with a nice return policy

 

[cel4145]

Yep.

1) http://www.innerfidelity.com/headphone-data-sheet-downloads

2) On http://www.headphone.com/ , find any headphone that shows a graph on it's page, then click on the graph. You will be able to change which headphone is graphed and add others for more direct comparisons.

3) Then there is Golden Ears. I have trouble searching his site directly, so a google search with the headphone model and site name will generally show it if the review is there. For example, https://www.google.com/search?q=golden+ears+ath-a900x&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS516US516&oq=golden+ears+ath-a900x

Keep in mind that headphone frequency response measurements don't always translate to exactly how you will hear them. Individual fit and placement can affect the response a little. See the measurements more as rough guides rather than something that can be compared very closely, hz to hz and db to db.