[Lickumms]

I need your guys help on figuring out what the next headphones I should go for.
 
I'm looking to upgrade my current mid-low end headphones(list of what I own at bottom) to a slightly higher end set of cans. Though being a poor-ass college student with some hefty medical bills doesn't give me a lot to spend. The most I want to spend is around $300 on the new cans(if they require an AMP I would be willing to go for closer to $400 for the cans and amp.) I feel that I will first want to upgrade my closed cans given that my current ones are pretty beaten up. Unless, of-course, the open cans are far superior in sound over the closed ones.
 
I want to make sure that I get something that offers a very noticeable improvement in sound quality over what I own. 
 
Primarily I will be using them on my computer(for music and gaming mostly gaming) so they don't need to be portable.
 
So far this is what I have found for Headphones in my price range:
 
Open:
Sennheiser HD600/650
Philips Fidelio X2
 
Closed:
Mr.speakers Mad Dogs
Denon AH-D5000
 
Let me know your opinions on what I have found so far for options.
I am also open to all suggestions, open or closed, if you know of something that is better than what I listed.
Or if you know of a good amp to pair with any oh these headphones. I haven't done a lot of research into Amps yet cause I want to figure out what kind of headphones I should get than figure out what Amp I should go for.
 
 
Current headphones I own:
Sennheiser HD598s
Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO, 80 ohms (recently gifted them to my brother)
ATH-M50(they are in pretty ruff shape)
MEElectronics M-Duo
Sony DR-9

 

[cel4145]

You might like the AKG K7XX: http://www.head-fi.org/t/743280/the-akg-k7xx-massdrop-first-edition-thread

Massdrop just opened a drop on them: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/akg-k7xx-massdrop-first-edition-headphones

You would definitely want some kind of amp with these to get the best out of them.

 

[Youth]

What sound signature are you looking for? I personally like open headphones more than closed.

 

[Lickumms]

Well, I guess I'm mainly going to be using them for gaming. So I believe open is suppose to be better. Plus of the headphones I have the HD598s are my favorites. So I guess, if I understand what sound signature is, I prefer open.
But I do plan on eventually getting a better pair of both open and closed.

 

[Youth]

I guess AKG Q701/K701 + Modi should do the job nicely then 

 

[cel4145]

Well, I guess I'm mainly going to be using them for gaming. So I believe open is suppose to be better. Plus of the headphones I have the HD598s are my favorites. So I guess, if I understand what sound signature is, I prefer open.
But I do plan on eventually getting a better pair of both open and closed.

I have not tried them with that, but the HD598 are supposed to be excellent for gaming. Note that Mad Lust Envy's rating is a 9.25 out of 10. http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lust-envys-headphone-gaming-guide-5-31-2015-beyer-cop-and-shure-1540-added So not sure what you hope to improve from there for gaming.

What kind of sound card are you running?

 

[WhiteCollarHIFI]

Agreed on the above recommendations but if you have the budget to work with I'm currently pushing Audeze LCD2's ($750 used on Amazon) with a Lyr 2 amp ($400 used) and plug that into my Xbox One and PC and don't miss a shot over my ear or the depth of an explosion in any game.  Battlefield 4 is nasty with this set up as is any of the Wolfenstein/COD action.  I like the explosion handling capability without suffering when I want to blast some Quake level "soundtrackage" over the sounds of whatever game I'm blasting carelessly through. 
 
I looked through these posts and moon-audio to check out the rankings of each.  I also push my headphones with the E12 ($100 max used on Amazon or 4120 new) and gain up as a portable rig with the FIIO X5 ii Titanium ($350 new) that I carry with me everywhere listening to FLACs I've ripped from my collection or from a streaming service.  
 
I've owned MadDogs, Alpha's and Alpha Primes as well and I've used each for gaming or casual listening as well as critical sound editing.  I was a big follower of Dan at Mr. Speakers and everything they churned out but have recently been reaching for my HD800s and the LCD3's (for opposite reasons).  The LCD2's are a bit heavy for gaming, but I don't mind them with a few slight mods to the straps (which you can find easily on the internet).  The HD800s though are easy to push with a mobile amp E12/7/17 or the like and can handle spatial stage (like shots coming in from the left or right) very well.  The limit will quickly become your sound card and or DAC you're using between you and the music/sound you're listening to.  
 
 IEMs are also a nice idea if you don't need to chat to someone while playing.  I've been using the Shure SE846's due to the bass cannon feeling and isolation I get from the room of distractions.  Those, again, are powered nicely by a modest amp due to low impedance.
 
-WCHifi

 

[Badfish5446]

X2 ($250-300) or SoundMagic HP150 ($170-200) plus Schiit Magni 2/Uber = Open/Closed Options between $270 and $450.  Neither requires a headphone amp, both benefit from one!

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  Well, I guess I'm mainly going to be using them for gaming. 

 

Note that it's harder to perceive differences unless you're comparing two headphones with radically different frequency response curves. This is because when gaming your brain is preoccupied by other stimuli, as well as how an explosion and other SFX would not immediately show an improvement with a more accurate headphone than, say, if you were comparing a cheaper headphone with a lot of bass boost vs one with a smoother response playing music with fast bass drum hits. Sometimes the bass boost makes your perception of explosions sound better too, the same way that in some HT systems people use larger subs set to a higher gain while purely music use subs would sometimes be only up to 10in; for a dual purpose system, they just lower the gain of the sub in an HT system when listening to music.

 

[Lickumms]

Thanks for all the answers!
 
I don't have a dedicated sound card. My current motherboard, ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. M5A99FX PRO R2.0, is currently running as the sound card for me. 
How important is a dedicated sound card in the mid-range headphone game? Cause my current motherboard does have an Optical S/PDIF on it that I was planning on using for hooking up an dac/amp. If I get the Modi 2 I have to get the Magni 2 also, right?
 
Since the AKG Q701 and AKG K7XX are the same price, both are $200. Would the K7XX be a better choice since they have the same drivers as the AKG K702 65th Anniversary Edition?
 
Though from looking at that gaming head set review my HD598s seem like they are pretty good gaming. So i guess I would be more on the look for a music listening headphone.
 
What would be considered an improvement if I was going to be using the new headphone for music listening? When I am not playing games I am mostly listening to music(Right now I'm pretty into indie folk, Classic rock, and some weird form of electronic music)
 
Actually, thinking about it I probably do more casual music listening with my headphones than I use them for gaming.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

 
I don't have a dedicated sound card. My current motherboard, ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. M5A99FX PRO R2.0, is currently running as the sound card for me. 
How important is a dedicated sound card in the mid-range headphone game? Cause my current motherboard does have an Optical S/PDIF on it that I was planning on using for hooking up an dac/amp.

 

Unless we're talking about one that is badly designed, like a high output impedance and you're using a low impedance headphone, the only real difference as far as gaming is concerned would be the DSP (on a soundcard or a red motherboard), which can do among all other things virtual surround simulation.

 

[cel4145]

Since the AKG Q701 and AKG K7XX are the same price, both are $200. Would the K7XX be a better choice since they have the same drivers as the AKG K702 65th Anniversary Edition?

Which would be the better choice would be more based upon your preference for one sound over the other. The K7XX have a bit better bass extension with a bit more bass emphasis. So little bit warmer sound that a lot of people prefer, but not everyone (of course). Given that you are coming from owning the M50 and DT770, I would guess that you would like the extra bit of bass emphasis and warmth of the K7XX better.

You would likely need an amp either way. You could start with a Schiit Magni 2 and hook it to your computer, than one day upgrade by adding the Modi 2 into the equation

 

[JD1993]

I would also recommend the K7XX's. Another headphone to consider would be the DT 990 Pro (~$200).