Looking for a new setup for my PC | Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org

VirtualBoost · Jul 9, 2017

I'm currently looking for a new setup for my PC, as I've been long running the NAD Viso HP50 + Fiio E10k. However, as the NAD Viso HP50 has been hurting my head from times to times and as I find the Sony MDR-1000X more comfortable than the HP50's, I figured it was time to make a change.

So currently, I'm looking at a new DAC/AMP + New headphones. Speaking of the headphones, I'm going to use them mainly for music and games. When I listen where I mostly listen to metal/metalcore/post-hardcore but also some electronic and J-Rock. So I feel that the headphones needs to be versatile while still be able to be good for competitive games (e.g. Playerunknown's Battlegrounds, etc.), so I feel that a larger sound stage and a good sense of positioning (if that makes sense) would be nice to have. I've noticed that I usually prefer a warmer, more pleasing sounding headphone than natural sounding ones, but perhaps that just comes from bad experience. Also, they need to be comfortable to wear for long periods of times, which I don't find in the NAD Viso HP50 or the Sony MDR-1000X.

My price range is around 349$ (even if that is stretching it a bit) for my DAC/AMP and around 300-400$ for my headphones. An option would be to get the headphones first and use the Fiio E10k while I wait for my new DAC/AMP.

The DAC/AMP I have narrowed down to the following:

JDS Labs The Element (349$ + Shipping to Sweden)
JDS Labs Objective2 + ODAC (279$ + Shipping to Sweden)
Schitt Stack (Magni 2 + Modi 2, 200$ + Shipping to Sweden)

Headphones are a bit trickier I feel. After checking the Mad Lust guide here on Head-Fi, I've been looking at the following headphones:

AKG K712 Pro (~271$ in Sweden)

Are there any other headphones that would match my criterias? Anything I've missed? Any assistance would be nice to have!

Thanks!

squee116 · Jul 9, 2017 at 3:41 AM

I've had the AKG 712's and love them, but actually prefer the imaging on the ATH-R70x and Sennheiser HD598 for gaming, in your price range. The upshot of the 598 is no need for amp/DAC

VirtualBoost · Jul 9, 2017 at 3:45 AM

squee116 said:
I've had the AKG 712's and love them, but actually prefer the imaging on the ATH-R70x and Sennheiser HD598 for gaming, in your price range. The upshot of the 598 is no need for amp/DAC

Aha! Looking at the ATH-R70x, I believe I would need a new DAC/AMP for those (considering the 470 Ohm), right? What type of "sound" do they have? Comfortable as well?

squee116 · Jul 9, 2017 at 4:20 AM

Actually, my Asrock Extreme6 can run the R70x at uncomfortable volumes, not speaking to the audio quality though. They have a VERY neutral sound, with soft bass and relaxed treble. They are EXTREMELY comfortably to wear for long listening sessions/gaming, and the soundstage and imaging speak well to the their performance.

VirtualBoost · Jul 9, 2017 at 4:24 AM

Cool! Would my Fiio E10k be able to drive them? My new motherboard is plagued with static noise coming from my graphics card, so unfortunately on-board audio is not an option. :/

squee116 · Jul 9, 2017 at 4:42 AM

It should be able to. I just hooked the R70x up to my fiio x1, and I had to crank it up to 75/100, but it worked.

banco-sg · Jul 9, 2017 at 6:10 AM

Massdrop would be selling HD6xx ($200) in 2 days time, maybe you might want to consider that?

VirtualBoost · Jul 9, 2017

banco-sg said:
Massdrop would be selling HD6xx ($200) in 2 days time, maybe you might want to consider that?

This sounds really nice, would the Fiio E10k be able to drive them for the time being?

EDIT: Also, are they good for gaming in general?

banco-sg · Jul 9, 2017

VirtualBoost said:
This sounds really nice, would the Fiio E10k be able to drive them for the time being?

EDIT: Also, are they good for gaming in general?

I think you need a bit more power than Fiio E10k, since the Sennheiser HD6xx (HD650) impedance is 300ohm, and E10k is listed as maximum 150ohm. But, if you are getting schiit combo (magni + modi), they should be able to drive it without any problem.

Gaming wise, they should be good enough. Pretty all-rounder imo, but ymmv.

VirtualBoost · Jul 9, 2017 at 8:23 AM

banco-sg said:
I think you need a bit more power than Fiio E10k, since the Sennheiser HD6xx (HD650) impedance is 300ohm, and E10k is listed as maximum 150ohm. But, if you are getting schiit combo (magni + modi), they should be able to drive it without any problem.

Gaming wise, they should be good enough. Pretty all-rounder imo, but ymmv.

Alright, sounds good. Yeah, I probably will get a Schitt stack, since they can be shipped from Germany so I don't get any extra fees (customs, etc). How does Massdrop items work? Do you pay for them immediately or do you pay when the drop has ended?

banco-sg · Jul 9, 2017 at 9:51 AM

VirtualBoost said:
Alright, sounds good. Yeah, I probably will get a Schitt stack, since they can be shipped from Germany so I don't get any extra fees (customs, etc). How does Massdrop items work? Do you pay for them immediately or do you pay when the drop has ended?

Wait, i just remember something, the delivery date for HD6xx would be around December 2017. If you need something urgently, i guess it can't be an option for you.
As for the payment, you need to pay immediately and they will ship the item according what they stated in the detail section (it varies from one item to another)

VirtualBoost · Jul 9, 2017 at 10:03 AM

banco-sg said:
Wait, i just remember something, the delivery date for HD6xx would be around December 2017. If you need something urgently, i guess it can't be an option for you.
As for the payment, you need to pay immediately and they will ship the item according what they stated in the detail section (it varies from one item to another)

Ah, yeah. The wait will be painful (for my head aswell) even though the midnight blue color is really nice. It's a very good price though, but I wonder if I can bother waiting so long for them. Is the HD650 still a good option (costs 400$ in Sweden)? Or should I go for something else entirely?

banco-sg · Jul 9, 2017 at 12:24 PM

$400 for HD650 is a bit too high, i think amazon is selling for $315, if you can't wait that long. Otherwise you might want to find another option?

cossix · Jul 9, 2017 at 2:07 PM

650 isn't very good for gaming, the soundstage is a bit intimate. The 598 is much better for gaming and doesn't need any amp

buke9 · Jul 9, 2017 at 2:37 PM

The 650's like said above have very little of a soundstage but are a very good headphone. They do have a bit of clamp when you first get them but can be stretched out by bending the metal part of the headband. Another headphone I think would work for you is the HE-400S as it doesn't require a amp but does better with one and is comfy for hours of listening and sounds pretty dang good to boot. The sound signature is close to the 650's as it is a bit on the warmer side with decent bass but it does have much better soundstage. YMMV as always.