Need advice for my first decent headphones!

[Mike26GR]

Hello lovely people.
My name is Mike and I'm from Greece.
I made this account because I am looking to buy my first "decent" headphones and since I'm really new to this I need some help.
Unfortunately I dont have the option to go and try out some pairs so I need to be absolutely sure about what I buy.

My budget is around 100-150 dollars and so far I have selected a few that caught my eye.
My priority list is
Comfort because I will be using them on my PC all the time and there will be some gaming AND I use glasses!
Sound quality of course
Build quality

1) Audio Technica M40x: These are the headphones that most people recommend me to buy...The price is great but I dont see good things comfort-wise.
2) Sennheiser HD 308: Same as the above but 10 euros more expensive.
3) Beyerdynamic 770 80 ohm: I can find them at 138 euros (160 dollars) and I really love the velour pads. However I am not sure if I can use them without an amp... And if I can't I will not consider them because buying an amp isnt an option.
My motherboard is Asus B350 Prime Plus in case you can tell me if it will be enough to power them.

Im sorry fot the long post and any English mistakes I made
Thank you for your time!

 

[YJX94]

Have you considered open back headphones because they're best to use at home on your PC and for gaming.

Closed = isolation, no sound leaking, good for portability
Open = zero isolation, sound leaks, not good for portability, better than closed back/best type of headphone

Report back with what you would prefer between open or closed so we can narrow down your choices further.

 

[buke9]

A lot of people here like the M40X and I can’t say as I have not heard them but have heard the 50X’s if what is said to be the difference I would pick the 40’s also but have to say I did not find the 50’s real comfortable but that is me.
Not for sure but I guess you mean the HD-380 Pros ? Again I have not heard them but do have the 280 Pros and the build looks the same except the cups and the 280’s are not very comfortable after a while either. They sound pretty good but the inner part of the driver touches my ears but that could be because they are 8 years or more old and have the same pads on them.
I have only heard the 770’s once so it wouldn’t be to fair to pass judgment on them as it was a short time about a year ago but the fit did seem pretty good and the sound was fine. Can’t remember if I heard them from a amp or not .
Another in your price range to check out would be the Soundmagic HP 151’s they are fairly comfortable with nice big cups and sound pretty good for the price. I heard them from my Dap that can run a lot of full sized headphones pretty well not sure about a amp for those but at 32 ohm and 95 dB sensitivity they shouldn’t be real hard to run.
Just my opinion is all YMMV.

 

[Mike26GR]

Have you considered open back headphones because they're best to use at home on your PC and for gaming.

Closed = isolation, no sound leaking, good for portability
Open = zero isolation, sound leaks, not good for portability, better than closed back/best type of headphone

Report back with what you would prefer between open or closed so we can narrow down your choices further.

Well I live alone so I dont care about sound leakage... Also I dont see myself going out with them...

I just want them to be very very comfortable and have good audio.

A lot of people here like the M40X and I can’t say as I have not heard them but have heard the 50X’s if what is said to be the difference I would pick the 40’s also but have to say I did not find the 50’s real comfortable but that is me.
Not for sure but I guess you mean the HD-380 Pros ? Again I have not heard them but do have the 280 Pros and the build looks the same except the cups and the 280’s are not very comfortable after a while either. They sound pretty good but the inner part of the driver touches my ears but that could be because they are 8 years or more old and have the same pads on them.
I have only heard the 770’s once so it wouldn’t be to fair to pass judgment on them as it was a short time about a year ago but the fit did seem pretty good and the sound was fine. Can’t remember if I heard them from a amp or not .
Another in your price range to check out would be the Soundmagic HP 151’s they are fairly comfortable with nice big cups and sound pretty good for the price. I heard them from my Dap that can run a lot of full sized headphones pretty well not sure about a amp for those but at 32 ohm and 95 dB sensitivity they shouldn’t be real hard to run.
Just my opinion is all YMMV.

I can't find the Soundmagic ones in my country so I can't comment...

 

[YJX94]

Well I live alone so I dont care about sound leakage... Also I dont see myself going out with them...

I just want them to be very very comfortable and have good audio.

Well within your given price range, for an open back headphone you can't go wrong with the Sennheiser HD 598 or even the Philips SHP9500, get whichever is cheaper. They'll both also be easily driven by a B350 board.

 

[Mike26GR]

Unfortunately the Philips ones have been discontinued for some reason here and the 598 start at 214 euros (250 dollars)

 

[YJX94]

Unfortunately the Philips ones have been discontinued for some reason here and the 598 start at 214 euros (250 dollars)

214 Euro for the HD 598? why the hell are they that expensive....

Is it the original HD 598 you're talking about with the cream/beige colours? check how much the HD 598SR is, they are all black.

 

[Mike26GR]

Yes im talking about the creme/beige ones..... The blacks arent even mentioned anywhere I have searched

 

[YJX94]

Yes im talking about the creme/beige ones..... The blacks arent even mentioned anywhere I have searched

I see. So you're in Greece yes? where do you intend to buy them from?

 

[Mike26GR]

Yes Im in Greece.
I dont have any preferences, I just go for the cheaper place...

 

[YJX94]

Yes Im in Greece.
I dont have any preferences, I just go for the cheaper place...

I found a pair on eBay for you. They are brand new from a trusted seller and they ship to Greece as well, they also have a 14 day return and refund period and the seller accepts PayPal. They should fall within your budget when the currency is converted.

Check it out and let me know how it is: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sennheis...sh=item33d9ea59c3:g:TL8AAOSwhpZZ6fac#shpCntId

 

[Malfunkt]

Hey Mike, I second @YJX94 's suggestion regarding the HD598. Now realize this, the HD598 comes from a Sennheiser family that for all purposes are pretty much the same! You will find the previous generation HD518, HD558, HD598 and HD598CS (closed versions) and you will now have the HD559, HD569 (essentially the HD589CS), HD579 and HD599.

They have different tunings, but pretty much the same enclosures and drivers. They have been updated a bit, and from the sounds of it improved a smidge.

But go with the open-back of this design. Look into HD558, HD598, HD579 and HD599. If you buy used you will find some great prices. If you want to save money, and you find in good condition the HD555 and HD595 are the designs that started this series out, but would only buy if really cheap.

The one thing about the HD5xx series is that they don't have the most impactful sub-bass. They have bass, and they will still be good all-rounders. They will be especially good with games and movies.

Also, if you really need a mic for gaming, you can get a separate mic or Google 'mod mic', or you may opt for one of Sennheiser's dedicated gaming headphones, which are still very good. If you found a used, Game One that would also be good.

 

[Mike26GR]

Oh man so many options...
I have found a lot of these but God if I could just try them out.

I can find the hd 518 at 88€, the 559 at 98€ and the 558 at 119€...
Have any of you tried the wireless 4.40 bt? I see them at 114€

So many options I'm going crazy !

And of course the 770 80 ohm at 140€...

 

[biggbenn74]

I have to say, for the criteria given, I'll recommend the Sennheiser HD598 as well. If you can find a pair in your given price range, they are incredibly comfortable and sound incredible for their price (especially for jazz music). I have worn them for 4+ hours before and had no issues with the earcups getting warm or the headband being uncomfortable.

Also, if they are available in your country, the Audio-Technica AD700 or 900 are incredibly comfortable. I actually keep a spare AD700 at the office, even though they leak sound, it's not too major.

 

[Weebs]

I'm going to jump on the HD598 bandwagon. Two years ago I spent approximately 15 hours in different stores going through different headphones in the $100-$300 range. I bought a pair of Monster over-ear because I needed sound isolation and they were on significant sale. But what I really wanted was the Sennheiser 598 that I had tested. Fast-forward 1.5 years and I now needed a pair of open headphones. I jumped at the chance to buy them on sale on Amazon for $110 (Canadian).
The sound is very clear and clean with a slight base emphasis. The open-backed design with velour pads allows your head to breathe so that it doesn't get hot or sweaty over long periods. It also allows the sound more room. The best way I can describe this is that it sounds like the singing is coming from someone in the room with you instead of coming from a speaker on your head. I am a big fan of these headphones as they seem to bring so much depth and life to my music. I find they sound significantly better from my iPhone 6s than from my laptop so there is something to be said for the quality of your DAC.
That being said probably the first thing that should be asked is what you are planning to listen to, since if you want to listen to hip hop or play shooters with big explosions this might not be the best fit...