Help picking headphones that isolate noise, and are good for music and gaming ($150-200)
Apr 23, 2019 at 8:51 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 15

Spoonerman

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Hello Head-Fi community! This is my first post, and with that being said I'm a little scared to post here, but I've been in search of help on other forums and I haven't been able to get much help. To begin:

I've owned a pair of HyperX Cloud I's for about 4 years now. They're not premium audiophile headphones by any means, but they have served a great help in its lifespan. Unfortunately, the microphone is starting to fail, and as comfortable as these headphones are, it's definitely time for a step-up.

First of all, my biggest issue is that I live in a loud house. I have an extremely noisy family with guests over constantly, and with that I need something at the very least noise isolating. The Cloud's did a commendable job at this, where it didn't necessarily remove the sound (which would be ideal) but just drowned it out/muffled it quite a bit.

Secondly, I'd like to just take a step forward into the beginner audiophile category. I want to be able to enjoy music more, as it is a daily part of my life.

I play a lot of games on PC, but I don't play very seriously. I just like to enjoy games casually so things like being able to hear footsteps and whatnot aren't priorities for me. I listen to music all day, mostly hip-hop, electronic, and RnB with a little bit of everything sprinkled here and there (jazz, classical, funk, pop, rock, etc.) I really enjoy bass but I don't want a pair of headphones to the point that it drowns out other essential pieces, such as vocals, which I prioritize as well.

I've been reading reviews for a little while now, and I see that the DT 770's are a solid choice. I've used the ATH-M50x's, but they don't have the noise isolation I was looking for, however sound light years better than my Cloud's.

I don't have an amplifier, but I'm open to purchase one. Any suggestions would be great as well! ($25-75). Also, I'll be buying a separate microphone, because I've heard that headsets tend to have lower audio quality to that of normal headphones, however if you guys have any solid recommendations on headsets, I'm down to hear them!

Overall, I just want a solid pair of cans that's able to block or at least drown quite a bit of sound while also helping me enjoy music more. Comfort is also a pretty big deal for me as I'm on the computer for hours a day. Sorry if I'm asking for a lot, just inexperienced with headphones and I'd like some input, any suggestions or comments would be great, thanks in advance!
 
Apr 23, 2019 at 9:39 PM Post #2 of 15
Soundmagic HP151 headphones.
 
Apr 27, 2019 at 8:15 AM Post #5 of 15
If you go down the DT770 route, the 'monitor' version with pleather pads is a lot more isolating than the silver coloured velour pads, but the price for extra isolation is a slightly more aggressive sound which isn't as tonally accurate as the velours.
 
Apr 27, 2019 at 10:04 AM Post #6 of 15
How noise isolating do you want?a bit higher than most closed backs will offer or ear protection level which is a different type of ballgame?

Either way check out rtings to help you narrow down your search they test out isolation levels on headphones among other things. Though it's mainly concerning noise leakage, I image the less it leaks the more it will block out as well.
 
Apr 27, 2019 at 9:34 PM Post #7 of 15
If you go down the DT770 route, the 'monitor' version with pleather pads is a lot more isolating than the silver coloured velour pads, but the price for extra isolation is a slightly more aggressive sound which isn't as tonally accurate as the velours.
I own the DT770, I like the Soundmagic HP151 headphones better.
 
Apr 27, 2019 at 11:00 PM Post #9 of 15
Why do you like them better? Sound quality or noise isolation? Or both?
Sound quality, the HP151 is like a hybrid DT880 and DT770 sound. so HP151 has better mids then DT770.
Noise isolation is not something I've very compared.
 
Apr 28, 2019 at 3:03 AM Post #12 of 15
I own the DT770, I like the Soundmagic HP151 headphones better.
Weirdly dt770 sounds it's best after the pads are fully broken in and a little flatter than new pads. Makes a measurable difference.
 
Apr 30, 2019 at 11:02 AM Post #15 of 15
Do the DT770 pleather pads sound better than the HP151? The DT770 seems like a solid choice for me because I'm most worried about noise isolation.
The HP151 in general sounds better (better mids) then the DT770,
 

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