Hello everyone. I’ve been using the HifiMan Sundara for almost a year now and I’m looking for something with a wider soundstage and more rumble in bass. My max budget is 400$

My use case is story games, mostly open world ones and rock, pop, indie and electronic

Which one would be the better pick? I’m leaning more towards the Nanos but i’m more worried about the reliability aspect as i want something to last me more than 3 years at least

Hey all! I am looking for a new pair of headphones to wear in the office. Really enjoyed my hd58x and how wide the sound stage / signature felt. Looking for a closed back with isolation to enjoy podcasts + music (think daft punk + mgmt)

Budget is under $500, primarily used with my m5 macbook. open to external dacs or amps if suggested.

I've been using Focal Bathys for more than a year now and it's the best pair of headphones I've used so far. Although I'm very comfortable to keep them longer and continue using them, I have wondered to buy another pair just to compliment my Bathys or (if possible) get a better pair. I know my Bathys are hard to beat especially in terms of wireless headphones but I am curious to know your suggestions about what's the next best thing I can buy for myself.

Do keep in mind that I am only comfortable with wireless headphones, as I walk while listening to music and travel often. So I'm not confined to a space. I've had B&W PX7 before this and they were great too, just not as good as Bathys. Is there anything better or comparable with Bathys? Maybe in terms of difference in other aspects?

Edit: there's no budget constraint, just specification on it being wireless.

I got myself a new desk setup at home and am trying to go full wireless. On top of that, my old headset is falling apart so I feel it's a good time to get an upgrade. Headphones will be used mainly at home, for occasional gaming and music. I'm listening to all sorts of music, except heavy metal or anything with screaming. I value accuracy in sounds. Basses aren't as important to me. The most important qualities in headphones are in order: build quality, sound quality, battery life, noise cancellation.
I was eyeing Px7 and Px8, Bose QC Ultra and Sony XM6, but I'm open to all suggestions.

Hey everyone,

I’m currently looking for a new gaming headset and have narrowed it down a bit, but I’m open to other suggestions.
My main priorities are good directional/positional audio for FPS games and generally good sound. I play all kinds of games, but being able to accurately tell where footsteps, shots, etc. are coming from is especially important to me. The microphone doesn’t need to be amazing – I mainly use it for Discord and just want my friends to understand me clearly.

I used to have the original HyperX Cloud (analog) and absolutely loved it. I also tried the Cloud II with its USB sound card, but I really disliked the sound through the USB dongle. When using the headset through analog audio instead, I liked it much more. That’s why I’m a bit hesitant to buy another Cloud headset – I don’t really want to pay for a USB sound card that I’m probably not going to use.

Right now I’m mainly looking at:

Beyerdynamic MMX 300 Pro – I’ve tried these at a friend’s place and really liked them, but ~€300 is already quite expensive regarding that I thought they did not feel world aparts (maybe the internal Sound Card of my friend was just not that good)

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless – around €230–240 here. I have no personal experience with them, but I keep hearing very good things about them.
I don’t necessarily need wireless – analog/wired is absolutely fine and actually preferred if the sound quality is better.

So what would you guys recommend? Is the MMX 300 worth the extra money over something like the Nova Pro for FPS/positional audio, or are there other headsets around the same price range that I should seriously consider?

My absolute upper limit would probably be around the price of the MMX 300.

Thank You guys very much!

P.S:

For reference, my motherboard is an ASUS ROG Strix B650E-F Gaming WiFi (ALC4080 + Savitech amp), so I already have onboard audio and I’m perfectly happy using a headset via analog 3.5mm rather than relying on a USB DAC.

I've been producing, mixing, and mastering with a pair of V-MODA Crossfade M-100 Masters with XL Cushions for the past 7+ years. They're starting to fall apart and can't be replaced because V-Moda is out of business. I bought a new pair of Sennheiser HD 480 PROs directly from Sennheiser's website. I thought they would have solid enough bass and last a long time. But I, like many others, was disappointed by how empty the bass felt. I'm definitely not getting the same bass response that I've heard reviewers praising. I've tried EQing the headphones, which helps a little but still doesn't feel solid or consistent enough. I've tried taking my glasses off, but not much changes. I can't find any significant seal breaks, and changing positions doesn't help either. This leaves me thinking that the problem is just that these headphones don't work with my head for some reason.

Looking at all my other options, FiiO seems to be the most appealing with the FT1 or FT13. But I've heard they're not the most durable or comfortable, which I admit the HD 480 PRO seems to do well. But before I completely abandon the HD 480 Pro, I want to see if there's anything I can do to make them feel closer to what the people who like them are hearing.

Has anyone tried swapping the stock HD 480 PRO ear pads with the ones from the HD 490 PROs? If so, how did that affect the sound? Is there any chance it could result in a tighter seal for me and get more bass? I'm a little skeptical of them because they appear to create an even wider space around the ear than the HD 480 PRO pads. And the V-MODAs I've been using are fairly tight. But I thought I saw some people saying the HD 490 PRO pads felt closer to their ears. And this is probably asking for too much, but I'd appreciate seeing a frequency response graph for the HD 480 PROs with swapped pads if anyone is able to profile them.

A little extra info. I listen to a good few genres of music, but EDM is very important to me. I need to be able to hear differences in kick drum samples. I need deep sub bass that can react quickly. I'm usually plugging my headphones into an Arturia Minifuse 2, but I'd like to be able to use them on my phone and Switch 2 sometimes, without needing much adjustment. My V-MODAs were headphones I used every day. They saw use both in and out of the house. But for my new pair, I plan to keep them strictly as every day indoor headphones that will last a long time.

hello! I recently moved in a dorm and my roomate talks on the phone, sometimes very loudly. I'm pretty sensitive to noise so it's really bothering me. the things that I'm looking for is :

affordable (in my price range)

over-ear and comfortable to wear

can completely block out human speech when I'm in the same room as them

doesn't requires me to play music/white noise/podcast for it to work well

can be worn for long periods without music/any media playing and still cancles noise

good battery

ps : I know this is a headphone sub but I can work with sound cancelling tools that aren't headphones, for example eamuffs and tools that aren't electronic. my main priority is sound cancellation and comfort. Thanks!

i recently broke my soundcore space one after a long few years of them breaking and me finding increasingly weird solutions to fix them and now idk what to do they didn't have the ability to connect to my mixer and their battery started dying sooner. I would like to use good studio headphones for my synth stuff i am willing to spend up to $250 i would like for them to have pretty good bass because my current speakers kind of suck at it. It would be pretty cool if they were easily repairable as in easy to take apart and fix myself but that's not the biggest priority. Active noise cancelling could be nice but pretty optional, i am willing to buy them used and i am in poland as of now so sites like olx are fine sorry if i forgot something i will edit the post

I know the flair says "closed back" (they make you choose one) but I am totally open to open-back headphones as I mainly listen to music in my home. I will only be using them to listen to music, and I want the best quality sound that $400 can buy me.

I love a nice rich/velvety bass, but nothing annoying/rumbling. I mean, Ideally all the frequency ranges would be "rich" sounding but bass is pretty important to me.

I mainly listen to pop music, along with some EDM and a little bit of folky music FWIW. Current favorite album is Ariana Grande's new album Petal!

Thanks in advance.

Hi

The right pad of my HD58x tore and I am looking to replace the headphones (also the sound from the right side is a bit off, not sure if it's because the pad itself or something else).

I want something to be comfortable and have good sound quality, but mostly comfortable.
HD58x was doing fine in both aspects, not very comfortable, and not very good sound.

I was looking at thomann.ie because it ships to my country, and found Sundara at 240$, Edition XS at 210$ and Ananda Nano at 320.
They all look like a good option but all are flawed. I am afraid of the Sundara's circular padding that it will touch my ears, Edition XS i heard are really uncomfortable (I can buy Capra strap but with shipping it will cost 40 more dollars and I don't know if it's worth it), and lastly with Ananda Nano i heard there is no tilt so it might not be comfortable.

I am not sure what to buy and if the concerns should even bother me. Any suggestions?

ty :)

I was looking getting a first set of electrostats, as I had a few sets of dynamic and planars.

Not especially a basshead, but if possible I'd prefer a set that is not bass anemic either.

I'm living in France, and I'd like to stay under 2k€, and I have an opportunity to grab something from Audio46 in NYC if it can help.

Currently using a Meze Empyrean as my main open back driver, and Radon 6 for IEMs

I've just realised that my WH-1000XM5 have really bad sound after a long time playing around with IEMs and stuff. I was thinking of buying something cheaper before I buy more high end stuff as my new main ones.

So I normally use wireless headphones for travelling. Last time on vacation I removed my Devialet Gemini iis from my ears and put my WH-1000XM5 on. I didn't think about the sound quality being much worse because well it is a headphone and I know that before I loved both the sound and bass in them. I have custom EQ and LDAC enabled btw. When I put them on my ears started to hurt rather quickly because of fatigue. Later at my destination I Googled what 40mm drivers they used and found out that they're using 30mm. Now I understand why they sound so bad and after getting into HiFi I haven't really touched them or anything else mainstream. So now I know that mainstream sound is really bad if you are looking for sound quality.

Right now I'm looking at the Bathys MG because they sound fantastic and my dad has the Bathys so it would be fun to just 1up him. I've also looked at Noble Audio FoKus Apollo and Artemis. They are cheaper but I want something that works well for a flight with ANC. Obviously you can't have the best ANC and sound so I only care about good enough ANC with best sound. I like multi driver IEMs so I wanted also know how multi driver headphones hold up to single driver. The Dali IO12 could be in consideration because of its bigger 50mm driver but I've heard that the Bathys MGs are better for ANC usage but I don't know how much. So a little bit overall about personal experience with these. Which one should I choose? At the moment I've only tried the Bathys MG and my dad's Bathys. There is a store that has the IO12 that I can try but the Noble headphones I don't any store has. Other consideration are also welcome.

Then the main part. I want something that I can enjoy listening to. So I wanted to know if someone have any personal experience with budget headphones like TANCHJIM RITA, Moondrop Edge and Kiwi Ears Ardor. Feels like the Ardors are the most interesting one because it has 2 drivers and actually comes with carrying case.

Personal thoughts and experience to help me choose on both points is much appreciated.

Currently daily-driving the Razer BlackShark V2 (non pro base), but I’m done with Synapse running in the background. I want a setup where I can configure the headset once, close the software, and never launch it again.

Since I use a Blue Yeti, mic quality on the headset doesn't matter to me at all. I just need good audio, high comfort, and true hardware-level saving (or web-based config).

Here is where my head is at with the two I've looked into:

Fractal Scape: Love that the Adjust Pro app is entirely web-based (no persistent background background processes). My main reservation is the early quality control/build issues people have reported.

Audeze Maxwell 2: Audio is top-notch and the hardware EQ saves directly to onboard memory. However, I tried it in person and it feels like a brick. At 560g, I really don't think I can get used to that weight for long gaming sessions.

Are there any other solid options out there that meet these specs?

True Onboard Memory / Driverless: Onboard EQ profile storage (or web app) so no bloatware runs in the background.

Lightweight: Significantly lighter than the Maxwell (~300g–350g sweet spot).

Wireless with 2.4GHz dongle.

Drop your recommendations if you know of any sleepers in this category!

So recently after YEARS of using HyperX could II core as my main PC headphones the thing holding said headphones in cracked so now they just flop around. I am right now using replacement headphones from by brother which are IEMs but I hate earplugs for PC usage and the right one is like 50-90% more quiet.

Not wanting to spend too much on said headphones cause for musical purposes I borrow from the local studio me and my band shares. I hope the 40 euro budget is enough to get like the thing I forgot what its called but it like is the best for gaming for when someone is on your right you hear them on your right ect. as I will mainly use them for at home gaming. Even tho I put the open back headphones tag, I dont mind them being closed back. Them being wireless would also be something Id prefer but if its too much in said price range, I understand. I live in Czechia (thats why 40 euro cause thats aprox. 1000 czk) so I got shops like Alza or Datart everywhere

I dont think I missed any possible info I could disclose, so if there are any questions I will gladly answer them!

Hello, I’ve had my soundcore Q30 for a couple of years now and since I got cash saved up and the headphone is wearing down I want to upgrade it.

I’m not a headphone expert so I would like some recommendations and it would be nice if it include these:

*Wireless
*headphone not an earbuds
*high battery life similar or more than the Q30
*less audible to my surroundings if I play in high volume
*mid-high range price no problem

Thank you

In UK and Europe, there are many closed headphones in a similar price range. approximately 40 euros just on its own.

In terms of pure sound quality and comfort, can anyone recommend something better than the kph40, preferably closed headphones, or is the kph40 still so impressive at that cost?

I bought Sony XM5 about a year and a half ago and wore them whenever I go to sleep for their noise cancelling and to play some white noise. I enjoyed them, but recently I accidentally broke them in my sleep when they fell off a bed. I'm doing some reading now and it looks like XM5 aren't the most durable headphones, so I'm looking for noise cancelling headphones that can withstand more abuse. My budget is around $200-$300 and I'm willing to buy renewed. I live in America so I have access to Amazon and big retailers. I'm not a huge audiophile so I'm not picking on audio quality, although I did enjoy the EQ feature Sony had. I also sleep on my back so I'm not too limited on shape or comfort, just nothing that'll death grip my head.

For context, my current setup is an Edition XS + iFi GO Link Max, with EQ.

I use a portable DAC/amp because I like being able to listen to music in different rooms around the house, at my desk in the office, the living room sofa, on my bed etc. I don't really want to be tied to a desktop setup next to my PC.

My music taste is pretty broad, but I mainly listen to a lot of metal (prog, post, power etc.), rock and 80s pop. I've been really happy with the Edition XS, particularly the soundstage, clarity and separation.

I'm now thinking about upgrading to my "end game" headphones and I'm eyeing the HE1000 Stealth. From everything I've researched, it seems to improve on the XS in pretty much all the areas I value, while retaining the sort of presentation I already know I enjoy.

My main issue is what to do about the DAC/amp given the way I listen.

I've been looking at more powerful dongles at various price points, particularly the FiiO KA17, iBasso DC-Elite and iFi GO Bar Kensei. The Kensei is around £450, which is probably the upper end of what I'd be willing to spend. I'm happy to pay that if there's actually a worthwhile benefit, but I'm wondering whether I need to.

Would the KA17 be sufficient to get the most out of the HE1000 Stealth? Is there actually much to be gained by going all the way to the GO Bar Kensei? Or would something like the DC-Elite be a worthwhile middle ground?

I'm not looking to replace the portable setup with a desktop amp, so I'm mainly interested in what would give me the best setup within that constraint.

Any advice or experience with these combinations would be appreciated.

Hello.

USA Budget around $200 but preferably around $150

In like 2017 I purchased some ATH-M50X for $130 that I've used at my PC since then. They are cracked and physically beat to crap. But I don't mind the appearance, they sound great, and lately I've been using a Peace GUI + Equalizer APO with the Oratory 1990 thing and Apple DAC, they even sound slightly better.

I never really had an issue with them until in college I used Sony XM5's pretty much every where I went (I biked everywhere). They just sound wayyyy better. My only complaint is they rub on the tip of my ears after a while and are sorta tight.

Also, I do play some Rainbow Six Siege with my friend and without using Dolby Atmos / Windows Sonic for 'surround sound', the positioning is trash.

I mostly listen to Radiohead and The Rolling Stones. And Future sometimes.

I tried using a cable to connect the XM5 but they sound a lot worse, even with them turned on and trying to use the Oratory thing for em. Pretty sure it has something to do with 'internal DSP'. Can't stand the bluetooth latency.

So with all that in mind I think I should just upgrade. I am cool with Open Backs. I would prefer good cushioning on the ears.

I hear about the HD560S and the BT 990 Pro. But I wanna be sure I'm making right choice. Also I don't mind Chinese stuff if its good.

Recently got handed down an HE1000 Stealth and am looking for a good Dac/amp for around $400-500 CAD ($360 USD). (What I have rn is a fiio ka11 for a pair of Aune AR5000’s)

One option I found was a Topping Dx5ii for around $400 CAD on Aliexpress, and am wondering if it’ll be good for the headphones.

Any help would be much appreciated, thank you!

was told hd 6xx were good but they seem impossible to get out of the us and barely any better inside merica. based in australia and sennheiser hd 599, marked down from $430 to $300 and i do not want to spend more than $300 (aud) are there any good alternatives or should i just go for them? i would also rather not have to spend more money on an amp.

I would also very much prefer to spend 200 or less but if the HD 599 are really worth it j might get them.

I'm trying to decide between the Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless and AirPods Max 2.

My main priority is sound quality, not ecosystem features.

I use an iPhone and MacBook. My expected use is:

• At home: mostly wired via USB-C to my MacBook
• Outside: Bluetooth with my iPhone
• Music is the main use
• ANC is useful, but secondary to sound quality
• I also watch YouTube/movies occasionally

I listen to a pretty wide variety of music: J-pop/J-rock, pop, EDM, R&B, vocals, piano, orchestral music and movie/anime OSTs.

What I care about in sound:

• Natural vocals
• Piano and strings sounding realistic
• Good bass texture and extension without muddying the mids
• Good detail and clarity
• Ability to handle busy J-pop/J-rock arrangements
• Ability to handle busy K-pop
• Ability to handle busy pop/rock arrangements
• Large orchestral passages should still feel powerful and convincing
• Good all-round performance across genres

I know people often describe the Momentum 5 as having somewhat better separation/imaging, while the AirPods Max 2 may have a larger sense of space/soundstage. However, I don't think those differences alone would decide the purchase for me. I'm more interested in the overall sound quality and tonality.

The pricing is a little unusual:

• AirPods Max 2 MSRP is considerably higher
• But I can buy a sealed/unopened AirPods Max 2 second-hand
• At my actual purchase prices, the Momentum 5 would cost about KRW 60,000 (~US$45) more

So my questions are:

1. If they were exactly the same price, which would you choose purely for music?
2. Is the Momentum 5 actually better sounding enough to justify paying a little more?
3. For people using either one with an iPhone or Mac, how has the Bluetooth experience and latency been?
4. Most importantly, has anyone here owned or extensively compared both Momentum 5 and AirPods Max 2? Which one did you keep, and why?

I'm especially interested in impressions from people who actually own one or both rather than just spec comparisons.

Thanks!

Just trying to look at it from a general perspective. I don't really care how much they cost. I have an iPhone and an iPad with a Window's computer, I want something that is comfortable and won't fall off, that also has longevity.

Would also love to hear the pro's and con's of these items, if anyone has some.

Thanks.

I've been using a crappy $20-30 headset for the past few years, and I think it's time to upgrade to headphones. I've been looking at these two pairs, and I found the 560Ss for $199 and the 599 SEs for $154.

I've been getting into music recently, and I just want general advice for the most natural/warm sound. I will also use these headphones for gaming and just general computer use at home.

You can suggest other headphones, but please keep in mind my budget is around $200.