[johnnypiee]

Heya!
I'm looking for a headphone that can play most genres of music as I listen to pretty much everything, but with an emphasis on hip hop and rock. I do play a lot of games(mostly shooters) but performance with music is more important.
Will be used from my stationary computer. I'm gonna buy a sound card but would prefer not to have to buy an amp as well, so no 600 Ohm stuff please
 
I've been contemplating getting the Sennheiser HD558(The 598 costs a lot more over here so I guess the difference between them isn't worth the $50?) but I've seen a lot of people saying the bass is too bad for hip hop in the HD558. Are there any headphones similar to those but with better bass or will the 558's be fine for hiphop?
Dont be afraid to recommend closed phones either!
 
Thanks in advance!
 
EDIT: Should add that my budget is around the $150-$200 mark. Prices are a bit different here though.

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,
 
Fischer Audio FA-011
BeyerDynamic DT990 PRO
Sennheiser HD595
AudioTechnica AD900
 
Xonar DG (all you need)
 
Very best,

 

[johnnypiee]

Hey man, thanks for the quick answer!
Both the FA-011 and the DT990 look very nice, however I don't have the patience to order from Russia so I guess DT990 is the better choice for me.
I actually read about them before and got very interested but dismissed them due to the 250Ohm thing. Can the Xonar DG really drive them? Becase in that case, these sound like the perfect match!

 

[johnnypiee]

Well, I did some looking around and it seems most people agree that the Xonar DG is too weak to drive the DT990 Pro and most other amps and whatnot seem to cost as much as the headphones themselves. Any suggestion on a cheap one or am I better off looking for another headphone?

 

[bd22]

You should take a look at the Sennheiser HD595 if you haven't already.  They have already been mentioned by someone else but I think they would be a really good option for what you are willing to spend, how you will use them, and the genre of music you like.

 

[johnnypiee]

Oh yeah I did check the HD595s out but it seems that in most stores here(I'm outside of the US) they have expired. The few stores that have them have them for a lot more expensive than the HD598s. Is there any significant difference in quality between them or am I just better off getting the newer model?

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,
 
If you need a desktop amp on the cheap, but still high quality and high power, here you go. Output from anything, plug into that. Get the DT990 PRO.
 
Very best,

 

[bd22]

Check the link below.  It is a comparison of the hd595 vs. the hd598.  Should be some useful stuff in there for you if you are deciding between the two.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/510701/sennheiser-hd-595-vs-598

 

[Slaughter]

595/598 is not what you want for hip-hop. Scratch Beyer for that matter. Hip-hop is about the beat and vocals. The mids were too recessed for me to enjoy hip-hop or any genre really. Also, hip-hop tends to be mastered a little hot and the treble of the Beyers made that even worse. The M50 has been the best headphone I have had for hip-hop and pop. Gaming and rock, not so much. You are in a similar situation that I am. I listen to a wide variety of genres and couldn't find a headphone to match them all. After trying out numerous phones, I realized my HD580 handles all genres and has fewer flaws, IMO of course. For gaming I use a HD555.

 

[Parall3l]

Shooters, unamped, Hip-Hop ? Anywhere that you can audition Ultrasones where you live ? S-logic has an impressive effect on soundstage. I haven't heard the HFI-580 which seems like something you'd want but I've heard the PRO550, and I wouldn't recommend them since the bass quantity on the PRO550 is a little bit lacking. What kind of soundcard are you looking at ? The Asus Xonar Essence STX has a decent amp built in.