[Hitan]

Hello, I created this account just to post this.
 
After my ****ty few $ Tracer headphones stopped working a month ago I decided it's finally time to buy some proper headphones. Unfortunately in my quest of finding the perfect pair for me I got completely lost among all the available choices. Headphones A have good this and bad this, hp B have bad this but good this, hp C... and so on and on I'm going crazy

 
Right now my favorites are Sennheiser HD598 due to comfort. soundstage and their all-purposeness, however every time I'm set on buying them I come across some review http://www.head-fi.org/products/sennheiser-hd-598/reviews/11999 that ****s all over them

. I heard that they are easy to amp and Xonar DG would be enough.
 
Sorry for rant, here is TL;DR:
budget: $200-250 for headphones+soundcard/dac/amp
want: comfort, good for every genre, comfort, good for movies (bass?), comfort
use: 60% music (min. 5 hours every day), 36% movies, 5% games (CS:GO)
genres: Rock, Power metal, Metal, Classical, Opera, Pop, Electronic, Trance, Trailer/epic music (little of everything)
candidates: Sennheiser HD598 + Xonar DG, AKG K701, AKG K550, Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro 250/ DT880 PRO/ DT770 PRO, Audio-Technica ATH-M50x/ ATH-A900X, whatever you think is good. I created a poll, dunno if it's needed.
 
Every post is very appreciated

 

 

[cel4145]

Sorry. But your poll is fairly useless. Which headphone people like is very much a personal tastes thing, and people tend to vote that in a poll. Doesn't help you unless your tastes match theirs.

 

[billybob_jcv]

Do you need isolation to block outside sound or to keep your music from leaking out?

 

[Hitan]

Sorry. But your poll is fairly useless. Which headphone people like is very much a personal tastes thing, and people tend to vote that in a poll. Doesn't help you unless your tastes match theirs.

I didn't think this through did I?

Should I just delete it or leave it?
 

Do you need isolation to block outside sound or to keep your music from leaking out?

Doesn't matter as I'm going to use them at home.

 

[cel4145]

I didn't think this through did I? Should I just delete it or leave it?

You can leave, but you just won't learn much from it to help you.

For open headphones for movies, I'd probably lean toward the DT880 or DT990. But given you are just getting into nicer headphones, could be you would still like the HD498s better. Considering you can get the Beyerdynamic DT-990 Pro 250Ohm Headphones $120 after $35 Rebate + Free Shipping, that's a heck of a bargain. I'd give them a serious consideration. They will have a bit of a v-shaped response, which means treble and bass emphasis. But the DT880, DT990, and HD598 are all arguably just as good a headphone. Which you would like better is a personal tastes thing

 

[Hitan]

You can leave, but you just won't learn much from it to help you.

For open headphones for movies, I'd probably lean toward the DT880 or DT990. But given you are just getting into nicer headphones, could be you would still like the HD498s better. Considering you can get the Beyerdynamic DT-990 Pro 250Ohm Headphones $120 after $35 Rebate + Free Shipping, that's a heck of a bargain. I'd give them a serious consideration. They will have a bit of a v-shaped response, which means treble and bass emphasis. But the DT880, DT990, and HD598 are all arguably just as good a headphone. Which you would like better is a personal tastes thing

I don't think I'm gonna buy on this site if they want me to pay $110 for shipment lol.
Did you perhaps have a chance to use HD598 and DT990? I've heard that 598 are one of the most comfortable headphones around, do you think DT990 can compare? Secondly they are 250Ohm so it means that it's pretty hard to amp them, Xonar DG wouldn't be enough right? A lot of people are saying that vocals on HD598 are amazing, if DT990 focuses on bass and treble it means vocals are worse? If I have to pick between vocals and bass I'd probably take the first one. Lastly with one from these 3 would you pick and why? (i know it's personal preference but still 

)
Damn that's a lot of questions, sorry

Thanks for posting, you are a great help.

 

[serman005]

Soundmagic HP200 may be a consideration in this price range as well, IMHO.

 

[Brooko]

For an all-rounder, I'd probably agree with Cel.
 
But I'll throw something else in as well.
 
DT 880 Pro - will be great, but as long as you don't mind neutral and a little bright.
Alternative is AKG K612 Pro which is not quite as bright in the upper end, still very clear, and has a little more mid-bass.  Sounds quite a bit like the HD600 in fact.
 
Both need amping - but something like the Fiio E10K would be sufficient to get you started.

 

[Tavilyn]

When I was a sort-of-similar boat, I was told to at least consider the Philips Fidelio X2. They might be a little high but they also drive easily and don't need amping (which isn't true of your DT choices). Maybe give them a look, anyway. I'm going to after my own 598s come in, if I find the 598s aren't what I'm after. You might also like the 558: cheaper, slightly less clear, but slightly more punch for most accounts. There's a huge debate about whether the 598 or 558 is preferable, and I've come to believe it comes down to taste and not much else.

 

[Youth]

If you can up the budget a little there is the Philips Fidelio X2.
 
If not then I'd go with either DT990 Pro 250 ohm or Soundmagic HP200.

 

[Hitan]

  Soundmagic HP200 may be a consideration in this price range as well, IMHO.

Have you used them? From what I'm reading hd598 are better.
 
 

  For an all-rounder, I'd probably agree with Cel.
 
But I'll throw something else in as well.
 
DT 880 Pro - will be great, but as long as you don't mind neutral and a little bright.
Alternative is AKG K612 Pro which is not quite as bright in the upper end, still very clear, and has a little more mid-bass.  Sounds quite a bit like the HD600 in fact.
 
Both need amping - but something like the Fiio E10K would be sufficient to get you started.

yhym yhym I understand some of those words

K612 seem great, will have to read a little about them.
 
Philips Fidelio X2 are definitely out of my price range and I'd rather just pay few more dollars and buy HD598 instead of HD558.
 
Are HD598 not liked on this sub? Not a single person recommended them in this thread. Right now I'm leaning towards HD598 and DT990 PRO 250Ohm. Is bass really that bad on HD598? I'd listen to Daft Punk, Infected Mushroom, Mr. Oizo and The Chemical Brothers. DT990 PRO 250Ohm I believe are hard to drive so Xonar DG wouldn't be enough? I could buy FiiO E10 instead of xonar but I'll probably have to buy cheaper headphones.
I know I'm stubborn with Sennheiser but their look and unbelievable comfort is something else

. If only I didn't have to worry about their sound...

 

[Mr Rick]

 
Have you used them? From what I'm reading hd598 are better.
 
 

yhym yhym I understand some of those words

K612 seem great, will have to read a little about them.
 
Philips Fidelio X2 are definitely out of my price range and I'd rather just pay few more dollars and buy HD598 instead of HD558.
 
Are HD598 not liked on this sub? Not a single person recommended them in this thread. Right now I'm leaning towards HD598 and DT990 PRO 250Ohm. Is bass really that bad on HD598? I'd listen to Daft Punk, Infected Mushroom, Mr. Oizo and The Chemical Brothers. DT990 PRO 250Ohm I believe are hard to drive so Xonar DG wouldn't be enough? I could buy FiiO E10 instead of xonar but I'll probably have to buy cheaper headphones.
I know I'm stubborn with Sennheiser but their look and unbelievable comfort is something else

. If only I didn't have to worry about their sound...

You sound like your mind is pretty well made up. If you get something else you will always wonder if you made a mistake in not getting the HD598s. Why not just get them, try them, and be done with it.

 

[Tavilyn]

The longer I'm here, the more I realize that when you're getting your feet wet in this area for the first time, the best thing to do, just as it is in cold water, is plunge in. If you don't like it, get out and try again. Try to buy from a source where you can get your money back if you don't like it. Don't abuse the hell out of it just because you can, but most of these places do make money on most things and are giving you the option of a refund. All that having been said, my recommendation is to get the 598. Try it, see how you like it, then start to wiggle. The 558 might have a touch more base oomph; the Fidelio might have a slightly more v-shaped sound; the Soundmagic might also have a more v-shaped sound; the 600 or even 650 might be cleaner across the board but with slightly less bass presence. Without knowing precisely what you like and why you like it, we can't advise you best on what to choose. Do as was recommended I do; choose, give it a spin, and make your decision then.

 

[cel4145]

Have you used them? From what I'm reading hd598 are better.

Read this review: http://noblehifi.blogspot.com/2013/05/soundmagic-hp200-review.html

The K612s that Brooko mentioned are also worth considering

 

[superjawes]

Don't ever sweat one negative review unless you really, really trust the author's opinion. The review is obviously very detailed, but should it outweigh all of the positive reviews the 598 has?

From what I can tell, the 598's biggest problem is the price, which usually runs closer to $200. Sound-wise, it's supposed to be fairly similar to the 558, which is currently (and has been) available for ~$120 from Amazon. At those prices, it is quite difficult to recommend the 598 when you can get great value from the 558. Fortunately, the 598 has been running much lower, and the Amazon Prime price is $147 right now. That makes it a more appealing venture.

As a starter pair of headphones, I don't think you can go wrong with the 598 (nor the 558). Start building a mental inventory of what you like, what you don't like, and want. Once you figure out what you want to hear, you can better guide future headphone purchases, which is especially imporant when you run into "sorry about your wallet" territory