[Immortal Wombat]

Ok so I've been reading the forum, digested as much of the stickies as i can and searched the relevant terms - basically my brain overloaded and has gone on strike so I need help

For ages I had been borrowing my dad's Senn HD600s, but he's reclaimed them so now I have to get some of my own phones.

As I do a lot of gaming I originally started researching decent headsets, and quickly discovered that they were poor value and that I'm best off getting a good set of phones and buying a separate mic. This leads us on to my current problem and the reason for this thread.

I am looking for a versatile pair of headphones for under £150 ($245ish - prices for electronics vary across the Atlantic so I don't know how useful this conversion is), preferably around the £100 mark but I can go higher for the right pair.

While I do game, I listen to a lot of music in a lot of genres, I have wide ranging eclectic tastes (metal, classic rock, techno/trance/hardcore, jazz, classical, etc. etc.). I'm also a bit of a movie buff and so they should be able to cope with that too. Closed back would be useful for LANs, but if it means I'm getting a much better can then I'll go open backed.

I am somewhat attracted to the DT770s because of the whole 'industry standard studio monitor' rep they seem to have, but past that I am lost - there are so many to chose from I can't cope with all the information. Please guide me to the right few to consider so that I can get some sleep

1000 thanks to any who help

 

[cyberidd]

Welcome to Head-fi, sorry about your wallet

! If you are refering to the DT770 pro 80 ohm, I have never seen them recommended as "industry standard studio monitors", and doubt they would be as they have a very coloured sound with lots of bass and recessed mids. I personally enjoy these cans as my portable pair, but for home use, or for critical listening they are not my headphone of choice. As far as gaming goes, I find that these headphones are quite reasonable as far as just-for-fun gaming goes (try to take what I say about gaming with a box of salt since I do VERY little of it) since IMO their imaging, while within a very small soundstage, is at least relatively accurate, and their bass emphasis makes explosions, etc. fun to listen to. That said, I would not recommend these to anyone planning on doing serious competitive gaming as they do have a small soundstage, and would therefore not have the same imaging advantage that some other phones may have [insert AD700 here]. Also, could you give us some of your opinions of the HD600 to help us to better guage your tastes and needs?

 

[Immortal Wombat]

Thanks for the welcome

From what I understand (after reading these forums) the speaker amp I had been running the HD600s through (Yamaha AX-396 if you wanted to know) didn't have particularly good output through the headphone socket so I wasn't getting the best out of them. I am fully prepared to buy a headphone amp if the phones I end up buying need it.

I've only really ever heard the HD600s and a load of crappy cheapos so they are the best I've heard...but that might not actually be saying much.

About the DT770s - I'm not exactly sure which specific model, but I had read somewhere that they were used in a lot of studio places (and BBC radio). Which admittedly is incongruous with all the talk of them being 'dark' on here.

You mentioned soundstage - I do play competetive FPS (not pro or anything I just like to win

) so positional audio is quite important to my needs. I probably should have put that in the OP.

 

[charliex]

If you liked the Senn 600's then you could get a pair of HD580's (they have same drivers as the HD600's) - and maybe change the grills. If you want closed and portability then consider the Audio Technica ESW9's. I am a Grado fan boy - but if soundstage is very important they may not meet your needs.. I've also heard good reviews on the Beyer DT 880's but you'll need to look into the various models.

 

[estreeter]

Only tip I can give you is to be prepared to factor at least 300 USD into your budget if you are going to get a pair of 580/600 or the higher end Beyers - you will need an amp that does justice to these phones, and near enough isnt good enough : as someone with a mediocre DAC/amp, I can assure you that its a false economy to go 'cheap and cheerful' 'with certain phones.