[rm - ottawa]

Hi all, new member here! Looking for some newbie help
 
I just purchased the Razer Tiamat 7.1 Headphones to compliment my first sound card purchase for my PC (Asus Xonar Phoebus soundcard for gaming).
 
I am enjoying the experience so far, as am an avid gamer. HOWEVER, I would now like to purchase my first proper "music" headset to compliment my gaming Razer Tiamat pair. My budget is $400, and so far I have been recommended the Denon AHD2000 for $369.99 at Amazon.
 
A little background info, I enjoy music with a lot of bass which led me to the recommendation so far, and I would like to make sure that if I shell out for this second pair of headphones, I will notice a significant improvement over the Tiamat's while plugged into the new Asus Phoebus sound card.
 
So I ask you, is it possible to have a vast improvement over the Tiamat 7.1 in terms of music and bass power for my desktop configuration and is it worthwhile? Thanks
 
Here's the details of my configuration so far:
 
sound card: ASUS Xonar Phoebus http://www.asus.com/Multimedia/Audio_Cards/ROG_Xonar_Phoebus/
surround sound gaming headset: Razer Tiamat 7.1 http://www.razerzone.com/tiamat/en
music headset with great bass: TBD!
cpu: i7 2600k
mobo: AS Rock Z68 Extreme7 Gen3
psu: AX1200
gpu: 2 sli gtx 580 3gb's
 
Thanks all for your input/consideration, I am really new at this and am confident I am taking a step in the right direction by consulting yee wise gentlemen/ladies!

 

[rm - ottawa]

please let me know if I need to provide more details

 

[ssrock64]

To be completely honest, gaming headsets suck really badly when it comes to actually producing sound. They're quite gimmicky. With that out of the way, we can bring you a pair of headphones that will blow you away in terms of sonic performance, especially paired with a good soudn card.
 
Do you want to use the new cans portably as well as at home, or will it only be sitting down at your computer? What are your preffered genres? What's the balance in your mind, of bass quality vs. quantity.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro 250-Ohm,$173, full bass & full treble, great surround sound for gaming and movies.
Beyerdynamic DT880 Pro 250-Ohm, $238, more balanced sound, good surround sound for movies and gaming.
buy a nice mic
Sell off your Razor Tiamat 7.1.

 

[razminr11]

I would recommend checking out the HiFiMAN HE-400s. I Use them for both music and gaming and the bass quality and quantity is just epic. They also have great positional accuracy and go for about $400 new.

(Also, sell the Tiamats and save/use the money to buy a fiio e17 amp/dac, which costs about $140 new. Great budget amp for the he-400s and the features, especially the EQ are invaluable.)

Good luck!

 

[PurpleAngel]

Beyerdynamic T70 250-Ohm headphones, used ones go for $300 at Amazon.

 

[iDriveFerraris]

+1 for Beyerdynamic DT880 pro's 250 ohm

 

[obobskivich]

I haven't heard that specific gaming headset, but every model I have tried, generally is not something I would enjoy very much for music listening. At or around $400 I would suggest the Kenwood KH-K1000 over the Denon set, but I will also add that very bassy music and very bassy headphones are a recipe for a headache in my book. Anyways, to make your new non-headset headphones into a headset, check this guy out:
http://www.modmic.com/ (doesn't matter what headphones you get, but it may have some issues mounting to more esoteric designs like those from Grado or some of the Sony open headphones).

Another headphone I would look at, since you have the budget, is the Sennheiser HD 600. I would take this over the K1000 unless you need a closed-back (meaning less sound leaks in and out) option, in which case the K1000 is a better choice (these two, despite being from different sides of the world, sound fairly similar - the HD 600 being perhaps a bit superior in terms of sonics, and much better in comfort, owing to their open-back design).

 

[Sllow]

If gaming is your priority, i would suggest either Denon D2000/D5000. D2000 if you looking for balanced headphone with notes on deep bass and treble, as well as immersive experience in games. D5000 if you are true basshead and can push your budget a little further, for more immersive experience in games, compared to the D2000. They, however, can be a little too bassy for some. Both cans provide something what others cant - overwhelming sense of epicness in games. You feel what you are actually there, in the game world, making hard decisions or trying to survive on the battlefield. When my friend heard a nearby explosion, while playing Battlefield 3 with my D2000 on, he said "holy ****!" and jumped on the chair. I was pity on him and didn't let him to try Amnesia: The Dark Descent, since i was worry about him, this game can actually make you have a heart attack with these things on, you know. But after all that positive stuff i should say what Denons can cause fatigue due to boosted treble. Boosted treble is only flaw of this headphones. So, if long term hearing comfort is more important than epicness, go straight to the Sennheiser HD600/650. These things is quite calm and won't fatigue your ears on the long run. As for the friend, he sold his Beats Pro soon after.

 

[TickleMeElmo]

HeadRoom has a pair of open box D2000s for 280 I think. I don't know if I would pay almost 400 for a headphone that has gone end of life.
 
The HE-400 is a good buy.

 

[valerianaoff]

Ultrasone 900 Pro / 750 Pro - do check them out...or even the HFI series of 580/680/780 ( which are cheaper )
 
DT 770 or Darth Beyers
 
+1 DT 990
 
+1 Hifimans HE-400 
 
Cheerz !

 

[holleywood25]

Here's my take:
 
I started out in the gaming world like you, buying some budget phones (Tritton AX 720) and thinking they were awesome. However, I always wanted to experiment with other cans.
 
Then came the Ultrasone Pro 900s, which TOTALLY blew me away. My favorite aspect about them is their positional accuracy in games. I know some will say that the S-logic tech is gimmicky, but compared to other cans I now own (Denon AH-D2000, Sennheiser HD 650) they perform above and beyond in positional accuracy. I am not saying that the Denons and Senn are bad in any means, but the Pro 900s are AWESOME for gaming. Much better than anything else I own (other than my 5.1 speaker setup).
 
TC, if you look in the "for sale" section of this site, you can find these cans (and others) for MUCH cheaper than brand new. Just a heads up.

 

[ssrock64]

I actually hadn't thought of the PRO900, but I guess that's because I've never used an S-Logic can for gaming. It would definitely fulfill on the bass front, and though S-Logic is controversial I think it would be good for gaming.

 

[rm - ottawa]

Thanks for the input all, I've done some more researching and I am thinking to go for the Ultrasone 900 Pro's. I was also considering the D5000's, but basically thought the value for me edged out on the 900's.
 
My genre of music is always bass driven, I do enjoy PC games and having closed headphones with small sound leakage is a bonus. That being said, I'd like to run this decision by you guys as well in part because some of the research I was doing was more than a year old. Nevertheless, the sheer information found throughout this site is incredible.
 
Also, should I invest in the following components when I make my purchase? I would like to get everything at once, and am once again a fish out of water when it comes to these things. (If there's something not mentioned below please let me know!)
 
If you can, please include specific models in a suggestion/recommendation. I don't want to screw up and make a bad choice for these things I know little/nothing about.
 
- fiio e17 amp/dac
- a better cable for the headphones
- pads ... (not sure exactly what these are, but something about putting some distance between your ear and the bass?)
- a headphone stand. (have never had one before, wouldn't know what to opt for.)
- any type of ipod connector that would be useful
 
 
I am starting to get excited with anticipation now

Thanks!!
 
PS my current sound source is the new pc sound card ASUS Xonar Phoebus 7.1 Surround Sound
PPS with regards to the headphone model, there aren't different variations right, all 900 pro's are the same? Thanks again.

 

[TickleMeElmo]

Quote:

Thanks for the input all, I've done some more researching and I am thinking to go for the Ultrasone 900 Pro's. I was also considering the D5000's, but basically thought the value for me edged out on the 900's.
 
My genre of music is always bass driven, I do enjoy PC games and having closed headphones with small sound leakage is a bonus. That being said, I'd like to run this decision by you guys as well in part because some of the research I was doing was more than a year old. Nevertheless, the sheer information found throughout this site is incredible.
 
Also, should I invest in the following components when I make my purchase? I would like to get everything at once, and am once again a fish out of water when it comes to these things. (If there's something not mentioned below please let me know!)
 
(please let me know model types so i get the right one, I'm sure i could screw some of these components up like a cable haha)
 
- fiio e17 amp/dac
- a better cable for the headphones
- pads ... (not sure exactly what these are, but something about putting some distance between your ear and the bass?)
- a headphone stand. (have never had one before, wouldn't know what to opt for.)
- any type of ipod connector that would be useful
 
 
I am starting to get excited with anticipation now

Thanks!!
 
PS my current sound source is the new pc sound card ASUS Xonar Phoebus 7.1 Surround Sound
PPS with regards to the headphone model, there aren't different variations right, all 900 pro's are the same? Thanks again.

 
You don't need cables beyond what comes with your headphone unless it breaks.
 
Google banana hanger and buy one off Amazon and use it as a headphone stand.
 
A iPod LOD connector can be had for ~$20 if memory serves me right.