[yseviel]

I'm trying to help my partner find a good budget ($50-100 no amp needed since we just moved and have a lot of new expenses) headphone for both gaming and music. I have the Phillip SHP9600 which I recommend but they obviously have very low clamp force so they are comfy in a way but can slide off easily which he's not a huge fan of. We received the HD 559 and immediately it sounds awful, maybe not as much of a surprise to those here as it was to me. I just always hear such positive things about Sennheiser I didn't do as much research as I normally would. First of all it needs an amp, and we found out his PC actually has less audio power than mine and runs the Senns at a very restricted volume. But even my LG phone can't make these sound good. So everything is muffled, hollow and the clarity is garbage.

https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/brands-s-se/hd559/
Based on this we have the potential to try to fix them but I'm not sure he would like them even if we did. We also have one absolutely crappy $20 Steelseries gaming headset that sounds awful to me. He was listening to it for volume comparisons and he handed it to me and immediately I was like oh this treble is horrendous. It just sounds like someone clanging plates together. Anyway he didn't think it sounds bad so that tells me he would probably like a bright and sparkly headphone. Which it seems like the normal recommendation would be DT 880 which is out of budget.

IEM may not be out of the question. He has I'm 99% sure BQEYZ KB100 for listening to music on his phone but I think they got broken last week. He doesn't hate my old Rock Zircons even though they are very bassy. The main thing that sucks is fatigue when he's on the PC 6+ hours at a time.

He listens to mostly synthwave but also death metal. And plays FPS games where separation is important.
I'm not sure he really cares about Open versus Closed back. I was thinking Takstars but he's not enthused about the long shipping time and less ease of return.
Any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated. Even if he thinks he's happy with the Steelseries they are so bad, I don't want him using those lol.

Edit: I have 9500 not 9600
Update: In case this ever helps someone else. There is nothing wrong with 559s, they are a pretty nice budget headphone. The issue was in a faulty 6.3 to 3.5 adapter.

 

[Cheesebuggah]

I'm trying to help my partner find a good budget ($50-100 no amp needed since we just moved and have a lot of new expenses) headphone for both gaming and music. I have the Phillip SHP9600 which I recommend but they obviously have very low clamp force so they are comfy in a way but can slide off easily which he's not a huge fan of. We received the HD 559 and immediately it sounds awful, maybe not as much of a surprise to those here as it was to me. I just always hear such positive things about Sennheiser I didn't do as much research as I normally would. First of all it needs an amp, and we found out his PC actually has less audio power than mine and runs the Senns at a very restricted volume. But even my LG phone can't make these sound good. So everything is muffled, hollow and the clarity is garbage.

https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/brands-s-se/hd559/
Based on this we have the potential to try to fix them but I'm not sure he would like them even if we did. We also have one absolutely crappy $20 Steelseries gaming headset that sounds awful to me. He was listening to it for volume comparisons and he handed it to me and immediately I was like oh this treble is horrendous. It just sounds like someone clanging plates together. Anyway he didn't think it sounds bad so that tells me he would probably like a bright and sparkly headphone. Which it seems like the normal recommendation would be DT 880 which is out of budget.

IEM may not be out of the question. He has I'm 99% sure BQEYZ KB100 for listening to music on his phone but I think they got broken last week. He doesn't hate my old Rock Zircons even though they are very bassy. The main thing that sucks is fatigue when he's on the PC 6+ hours at a time.

He listens to mostly synthwave but also death metal. And plays FPS games where separation is important.
I'm not sure he really cares about Open versus Closed back. I was thinking Takstars but he's not enthused about the long shipping time and less ease of return.
Any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated. Even if he thinks he's happy with the Steelseries they are so bad, I don't want him using those lol.

I think I know an almost perfect headphone: Koss KSC75 or KSC75X (If he wants it black and with a microphone). Crinacle rated these as the best for gaming under $50, I think. They are comfortable to wear: enough for hours (although some people don't use the clips). They are well within your budget and needs no amplification. They are bright and sparkly, albeit probably not the best for metal or synthwave since people complain about the lack of sub-bass. They have good tone, which is why I think they would sound good enough with those genres. The only gripe I have with them is that the detail is quite mediocre (hence why I modded them) and the build quality/longevity. Also, some people don't like the clip form factor while people like me and MadLustEnvy love them. I also have the SHP9600 and they are a dark headphone, the opposite of bright. I also found that the clamp was too light, like you mentioned. I don't like the 9600's tuning, so it is my least favorite headphone that I have.

I would read more about them and if you think it is a good option: I would make sure he doesn't have it already. I am sorry if it sounds like I am extremely biased towards these, but I love them. Generally, people consider them "legendary". Crinacle is a reputable reviewer and he rated tone: A or A- and technicalities: C. I would also check out RikuodouGoku's review on them here on Head-Fi. Sennheiser has some pretty good HD5XX series headphones, but I can't recall any of them but the 560S. Sennheiser is notorious for their 600 or 650/6XX series here. Crinacle also vouches for the PC38X, but they are not bright or sparkly and they are probably a little over budget. Please, don't be afraid to look into the used market if you have to!

Edit: I almost missed the main question. If they don't sound good to you stock, then I wouldn't bother modding them. I would return them. I wouldn't rely on burn-in or brain burn-in to make a complete 180 on the sound.

 

[yseviel]

I think I know an almost perfect headphone: Koss KSC75 or KSC75X (If he wants it black and with a microphone). Crinacle rated these as the best for gaming under $50, I think. They are comfortable to wear: enough for hours (although some people don't use the clips). They are well within your budget and needs no amplification. They are bright and sparkly, albeit probably not the best for metal or synthwave since people complain about the lack of sub-bass. They have good tone, which is why I think they would sound good enough with those genres. The only gripe I have with them is that the detail is quite mediocre (hence why I modded them) and the build quality/longevity. Also, some people don't like the clip form factor while people like me and MadLustEnvy love them. I also have the SHP9600 and they are a dark headphone, the opposite of bright. I also found that the clamp was too light, like you mentioned. I don't like the 9600's tuning, so it is my least favorite headphone that I have.

I would read more about them and if you think it is a good option: I would make sure he doesn't have it already. I am sorry if it sounds like I am extremely biased towards these, but I love them. Generally, people consider them "legendary". Crinacle is a reputable reviewer and he rated tone: A or A- and tech: C. I would also check out RikuodouGoku's review on them here on Head-Fi. Sennheiser has some pretty good HD5XX series headphones, but I can't recall any of them but the 560S. Sennheiser is notorious for their 600 or 650/6XX series here. Crinacle also vouches for the PC38X, but they are not bright or sparkly. Don't be afraid to look into the used market if you have to!

I did get Koss Porta Pro before but I can't possibly make them lay flat on my ear so I didn't pay much attention the actual sound. He definitely doesn't have anything other than what's been mentioned except a Corsair Void Pro gaming headset. I will let him know about your suggestion, thank you