[DADDYDC650]

I'm thinking about purchasing the HE-400 for $374 with no tax and free shipping from Crutchfield. I also purchased a Creative ZXR since I game a lot as well as watch a ton of movies. I need cans that have amazing bass and equally amazing mids and highs as well. I also need a wide and accurate sound stage for fps games. Is the HE-400 + ZXR a good combo for me? Is there a better/cheaper set of cans that are as good if not better than the HE-400?  Thanks in advance folks.

 

[davidsh]

Go look at MLE's gaming guide...

 

[DADDYDC650]

Just checked it out. Lots of great info. .. has me thinking about buying an AD 900x or AKG 702/AKG 712 PRO. Worried about the lack of bass compared to the he-400 though.

 

[Shazb0t]

Q701 is great for gaming and casual music listening imo. I use it over my HE-500 in CS:GO because I feel the larger soundstage and imaging abilities are better for gaming.

 

[Fedelesk]

I'd say HE-400's you cannot go wrong. I personally don't enjoy them as much just because they aren't bassy enough for me (I hear they ARE strong bass cans for being fully open though). I am just used to closed and not open, so they seem weak, but in the world of open headphones, they have some impact. They have a very nice soundstage, I haven't heard tons of headphones to give comparisons but noticeably better than my BeyerDynamic DT-880's. These get way down in the low range, but they sure don't forget the mids and highs. They are pretty smooth and crisp sounding. If your really basing your decision heavily on gaming though, I cannot say I would know the right choice, I just do know the HE-400's have been called the do it all, make anyone happy headphone. 

 

[davidsh]

Quote:

I'd say HE-400's you cannot go wrong. I personally don't enjoy them as much just because they aren't bassy enough for me (I hear they ARE strong bass cans for being fully open though). I am just used to closed and not open, so they seem weak, but in the world of open headphones, they have some impact. They have a very nice soundstage, I haven't heard tons of headphones to give comparisons but noticeably better than my BeyerDynamic DT-880's. These get way down in the low range, but they sure don't forget the mids and highs. They are pretty smooth and crisp sounding. If your really basing your decision heavily on gaming though, I cannot say I would know the right choice, I just do know the HE-400's have been called the do it all, make anyone happy headphone. 

Except those who get easily fatigued by sibilance and treble.
 
If you want a real treat that will follow you for years to come, you should get some vintage Stax. Also, it barely loses value...
 
Don't know if it is a bit too daring for you, but the old stuff is as good as the new stuff.
 
Have you thought about whether you need an open or closed headhpone? Also, when it is for gaming and movies, you shuold be very aware of the comfort. That isn't a plus for the HE-400.

 

[Fedelesk]

Quote:

Except those who get easily fatigued by sibilance and treble.
 
If you want a real treat that will follow you for years to come, you should get some vintage Stax. Also, it barely loses value...
 
Don't know if it is a bit too daring for you, but the old stuff is as good as the new stuff.
 
Have you thought about whether you need an open or closed headhpone? Also, when it is for gaming and movies, you shuold be very aware of the comfort. That isn't a plus for the HE-400.

As far as HE-400 comfort I wouldn't say they are anything bad, I've been wearing em here for a while they feel good but could be better I guess. And yea I agree with the fatigue from sibilance, I personally suffer from that unless I drop the 8/16k frequencies on my EQ way down. Also yea, I personally would prefer closed for movies/games (music also but not the main point), so to the OP I would make sure to consider closed for isolation and extra impact if you want that (problem is your pretty much always going to sacrifice sound stage though which you want). The HE-400's would let in tons of outside noise during quiet parts of movies and games. Obviously lets out tons of noise too. The reason you would skip closed headphones would be the likely sacrifice of sound stage, so how important is that to you? 

 

[DADDYDC650]

Quote:

As far as HE-400 comfort I wouldn't say they are anything bad, I've been wearing em here for a while they feel good but could be better I guess. And yea I agree with the fatigue from sibilance, I personally suffer from that unless I drop the 8/16k frequencies on my EQ way down. Also yea, I personally would prefer closed for movies/games (music also but not the main point), so to the OP I would make sure to consider closed for isolation and extra impact if you want that (problem is your pretty much always going to sacrifice sound stage though which you want). The HE-400's would let in tons of outside noise during quiet parts of movies and games. Obviously lets out tons of noise too. The reason you would skip closed headphones would be the likely sacrifice of sound stage, so how important is that to you? I've actually been thinking about buying a set of closed cans since I love impact and I find myself enjoying the fact that I can't hear anything else except what's coming out of the drivers. Do you recommend any closed back phones that are good for movies, music and fps games?

 

[Fedelesk]

Honestly I'd have a hard time doing that because I haven't barely any closed back high end headphones. Everything I have heard is under $150 for closed. I can recommend what people have recommended to me only. The Beyer-DT770's might be your best bet. I have been reading a ton and it sounds like they have a decent sound stage for closed. If you go read about them, I feel like they are perfect, actually now that I really think about it.
 
-They have extreme comfort, good for long sessions (basing this on my BeyerDynamic DT-880s; out-of-this-world magical clouds that make sound.)
-They should have the sound stage your looking for
-They will have the natural impact of closed headphones
-They are also much, much cheaper than the HE-400's
 
Just be careful and do some comparing, I feel like they wont have enough bass for my personal needs (its one of my options for my upcoming purchase) but they could have too much for others. I've said this in a lot of my posts, don't take anyones suggestions to seriously, I spent amazing amounts of time reading suggestions and giving preferences, and both of my last two purchases have been ultimately unsatisfying. 

 

[DADDYDC650]

So, I'm stuck on the DT880/DT990, HE-400 or the HE-500's..... Would my Creative ZXR's amp be able to push all of the headphones to their full potential?

 

[davidsh]

Quote:

So, I'm stuck on the DT880/DT990, HE-400 or the HE-500's..... Would my Creative ZXR's amp be able to push all of the headphones to their full potential?

Nope, not to their full potential. dt880/990 would probably be fairly good, the hifimans okay. Not that I know anything about the amp in your sound card.
 
Why not k701?
 
You should also consider some of the newer audio technica's ad900x etc...