[Demise]

Hey. My name is Demise and I have made an account for the sole purpose of acquiring basic info on some good headphones. Now I know that there are other places with masses of information, however, I lack the motivation and patience required to skim through huge databases of information on a topic I know quite literally nothing about. Sorry if that angers you, as I'm positive there are noobs asking the same questions every damn day. 
 
Taking that into account, I hope any of you nice enough to help me out will appreciate the care I've put into this thread to make it as easy as possible for you to help me out.
 
I'm a gamer, first off. Before today I was under the impression that 'gaming' headsets were the same or at least functioned and performed on a similar level to regular headphones, considering the prices. I'm now under the impression that this is not the case. 
 
My noob question is as follows:
 
I am a computer gamer, looking for a pair of quality headphones for games and music, played mainly from my PC. 
My most listened to music genres are: Pop, Korean Pop, Electro, Electro-swing, Progressive Trance, Hip-Hop/Rap, Dubstep, and Jazz.
My Price Range: $125-175
My preference in headphones: over-ear headphones
 
I HATE long wires, braided cords are nice.
 
Aesthetically pleasing is a plus, but not necessary. 
 
Maximum comfort is a must.
 
The only headset i've had experience with is the Trittons, which is a ****ty gaming headset.
 
I like durable materials as well. 
 
Mainly focused on best sound quality and comfort
 
If it makes a difference, i have a Realtek HD sound card in my PC, where all my music will be played from. I also like noise cancelling.
 
I hope I've given enough information to get some easy responses, the more choices the better. Thank you everyone who has read this far. 
 
TL;DR: I am a headphone noob, and am looking to convert from a bad 'gaming' headset to a real quality pair of headphones. Any basic information i can use to simplify my search method, or recommendations, are greatly appreciated. See above for my specifications/preferences. Apologies for asking such a generic question, but I've provided as much information as i could to narrow down recommendations.

 

[Gwarmi]

Beyer Dynamic DT 770.
 
Available for $175USD online, this should suit your genres.
 
Unit is closed and some do use it for gaming, it is very well built and offers
decent passive noise isolation.
 
If a braided chord is everything for you ~ get a Denon D2000 but you
will have to spend more $$bread$$

 

[crinacle]

If you want a headphone just for music and for your genres, the Audio Technica M50.
 
If you need a gaming/music headphone, the AD700. Very, very comfortable, extremely wide soundstaging (how large the headphone is able to make the sound extend out), but unfortunately lackluster bass.
 
The DT770 too; be sure to get the 80 ohm version of this headphone, but be warned: an amp is recommended.

 

[Demise]

So by this, you are also insinuating that the M50 is not well suited for gaming? What is different between the two audio-technicas that makes one of them better for gaming than the other?

 

[crinacle]

So by this, you are also insinuating that the M50 is not well suited for gaming? What is different between the two audio-technicas that makes one of them better for gaming than the other?

To make a long story short, the M50 just sounds congested while the AD700 has a very wide and spacious sound, due to the latter's open nature (no isolation though) and the former's closed nature.

Head-Fi has a lot of reviews on these two headphones; a simple search should garner you plenty of results to chew on

 

[rezel]

^@Demise Didn't crinacle just imply that soundstaging is lacking for M50's ?
EDIT: How do you always beat my posts before I post them, crinacle...

 

[Gwarmi]

Quote:

So by this, you are also insinuating that the M50 is not well suited for gaming? What is different between the two audio-technicas that makes one of them better for gaming than the other?

They're completely different
 
M50 is a monitoring headphone often used in TV, music production and occasionally by DJ's.
It is closed, somewhat neutral with a bit of boosted bass. Not tonnes but I find it ample for
my electronic taste.
 
AD700 is the best value, open, big sound stage headphone on the market. Light, airy, delicate
perfect for locating enemy positions in gaming and also very enjoyable with any music that thrives with
a sense of space between the instruments. It is a nice entry level phone for classical music
and electronic ambient fans who cannot afford an expensive, open high end headphone.
 
It's weakness like many open headphones under $500 is the light bass, which is a factor for
many open models. I would also add that it can also add a touch of graininess on some
highs regarding some tracks. Again, I'm nit picking because for the price, it's great.
 
Your problem is that you want all these qualities in one headphone. That probably is
not going to happen at $150-$175 - you're going to have to make a sacrifice.

 

[Demise]

Ok thanks a bunch Crinacle! I'll check out some reviews for those two, but now I at least have an idea of what I'm looking for

 

[Demise]

Quote:

AD700 is the best value, open, big sound stage headphone on the market. Light, airy, delicate
perfect for locating enemy positions in gaming and also very enjoyable with any music that thrives with
a sense of space between the instruments. It is a nice entry level phone for classical music
and electronic ambient fans who cannot afford an expensive, open high end headphone.

Yeah that's a good point, but I feel like since I'm neither accustomed nor ever heard a quality headphone, that the lacking of bass won't really affect me, because the only knowledge of better sounding bass will be the comments about it from other people. I'm sure the bass, although lacking in your experienced eyes, will still be far better than any bass I've heard on my terrible gaming headsets with fake surround sound haha. Or is the bass really that bad? Either way the AD700 sounds like a good choice, considering the price and the lightness and comfort. You are right, I won't find all the qualities I'm looking for in my price range.

 

[Gwarmi]

Quote:

Yeah that's a good point, but I feel like since I'm neither accustomed nor ever heard a quality headphone, that the lacking of bass won't really affect me, because the only knowledge of better sounding bass will be the comments about it from other people. I'm sure the bass, although lacking in your experienced eyes, will still be far better than any bass I've heard on my terrible gaming headsets with fake surround sound haha. Or is the bass really that bad? Either way the AD700 sounds like a good choice, considering the price and the lightness and comfort. You are right, I won't find all the qualities I'm looking for in my price range.

Yeh it's a dilemma but hopefully it sheds light on why most of us on here have 4 or more headphones - you're starting to see the light! 

 
We're not mad (well..) it's just different head phones do different music really well with strengths and weaknesses.
 
Bass is decent quality, it's not bloomy and one noted - but it is muted. You won't find yourself feeling 'like you're in da club' anytime
soon but it will give you the edge in 3D shooters and the spacious sound is great for many big body musical works.
 
One last thing, comfort ~ AD700 comes with the Audio Technica 'AIR' wings which are a lot more comfortable and less
'clampy' than the M50 for long periods of use.

 

[butter30]

Maybe the v-moda cossfade m80? might be little over your price bracket 

 

[Demise]

Gaming actually does come second to music though, as the games i play don't really require complex sounds like hearing footsteps and stuff. In fact i don't even play shooters, really all i play is starcraft 2, so having dedicated headphones for gaming isn't that important. I listen to music while gaming is the thing, and most of my music really has a large emphasis on bass sounds. Do you think that in that case the m50s would do a better job?
 

 

[Gwarmi]

Quote:

Gaming actually does come second to music though, as the games i play don't really require complex sounds like hearing footsteps and stuff. In fact i don't even play shooters, really all i play is starcraft 2, so having dedicated headphones for gaming isn't that important. I listen to music while gaming is the thing, and most of my music really has a large emphasis on bass sounds. Do you think that in that case the m50s would do a better job?
 

Definitely but if I could go back in time to when I bought my M50 ~ I would get the Ultrasone 580 instead,
 
It's just a better headphone for bass orientated genres, it's a warm sounding headphone (opposite of bright sounding)
and the bass texture is better all round. Construction is decent too.
 
M50 has the most bullet proof construction of all though ~ if that matters to you, but the 580 is the better 'phone.
 

 

[Demise]

Quote:

Definitely but if I could go back in time to when I bought my M50 ~ I would get the Ultrasone 580 instead,
 
It's just a better headphone for bass orientated genres, it's a warm sounding headphone (opposite of bright sounding)
and the bass texture is better all round. Construction is decent too.
 
M50 has the most bullet proof construction of all though ~ if that matters to you, but the 580 is the better 'phone.
 

Oh I see. I'm a complete noob when it comes to these high end headphones but I'll definitely look into all three and see if i can make sense of any of it. It is 5 am here though so Im off to sleep. Thank you so much for your very helpful insight. Excited to get my first pair of real headphones
 
 

 

[fatcat28037]

You will probably find helpful information here.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/529144/buying-headphones-seeking-guidance-dont-start-a-new-thread-ask-for-advice-here