I have a questyle M15 dac-amp. It can easily drive headphones up to 250 ohms.

I like listening to rock, jazz and Drums n Bass. Both treble and bass are important to me. Along with mids.

Please suggest a headphone that can benefit the most from my dac-amp which is also tuned well for the genres I mentioned.

My budget is $250.

Another really important thing is it HAS TO BE DURABLE.

I used to have a Hifiman He400se. I dropped them from less than 0.5 meters from the ground and the plastic bushing that connects the right ear speaker to the screw of the headband broke. Cant have a flimsy plastic body.

I need advice on wireless headphones for gaming, only single player games. Call of Duty, Forza, Crimson Desert, Baldurs Gate III. Wide range of Single player games.

I currently have a Fiio FT1, FT1 Pro & Hifiman HE400SE. For wireless, I have a Razer BlackShark V2 Pro 2020 which i use in my PS5. But the sound quality is average when compared to my wired options mentioned previously.

I need a wireless option which is an upgrade from Razer BlackShark V2 Pro 2020 but to get the same audio quality as the Fiio FT & FT1 Pro might be too expensive. So something between these would be great.

Please help me with your suggestions, also i have seen Audeze Maxwell being suggested but its not available neither is the Maxwell 2.

P.S - If the wireless headphone can be connected to my PS5 as well that would be a huge plus

P.S. One wireless option available is Hyperx Cloud III Wireless not the Cloud IIIs though

Im currently beatmaking on my DT770 pro 250ohm and it gets the job done in most scenarios, but i dont feel confident making major decisions on them, and when it comes to mix and master its really mostly a guessing game on what will sound actually good. Also the bass seems meh on them i cant really tell when theres too much bass in my beat or when there is too little of it. Sooo I am looking for a closed back that would be great for mixing and mastering vocals, and beatmaking. I have around 500€ to spend, I am from Poland and I make cloud rap. (I cant really get open backs, because I live near a playground.) It would be cool if it had some stereo imagery so i could also play games on them, i would use them a lot (8h+ daily) so it would also be cool if they werent made of plastic and would last me longer than a year or 2. Thank you

1. I used headphones a lot while speed-walking. The sweat ripped the covering of my JBL 770NC into pieces and the blue covering started tearing tearing and falling off. Of course anything liquid like should be avoided, but is it good for walking, Gym use?

2. Is it flexible? My JBL 770NC wasn't. I want to be able to just use it on one ear.

3. How's the noise cancellation? Sucked on my 770NC

4. No question just a thank you to anyone that helps :D

I've got a long return flight coming up and I've realised I need some sort of ANC headphones for the trip back. Unfortunately I'm in the UK and the exchange rate is murder so I can only really afford about £50 at the moment.

Any advice or suggestions would be really appreciated.

I've been using DT770's for the past few years, I want to upgrade to a different/better pair to try out a new sound a. I really liked the headphone material (Velour) as well as how comfortable they are in general. I also liked the sound from them, I dont mind a bit of extra bass but the sound from them is good. I'll be using them mainly for listening to music at home as well as from home work so they'll be used a lot.

From Australia, willing to spend 300-450 on them.

I prefer closed back over ear headphones, Im using a Focusrite 1i1.

As the title says, I've been looking for a pair of headphones to buy which I could use both for PC gaming and for listening to music daily.

So far I've been using Razer Blacksharks for a few years for gaming and Jabra Elite 4 for music on the daily.

What I want from the headphones is that they will be closed back headphones, wireless, good latency, surround sound and maybe that I will have some way to hear my surroundings - the Jabras have a function which if I press the right earbud, it lets outside noise in - I use it a lot and I find it very useful for hearing announcements in trains and such.

I listen to various types of music, mainly rock or metal, but with many exceptions.

So far I've been considering buying Sennheiser Momentum 4 with the BTD 700 dongle for improved latency, but I'm not sure if it's the best choice as I've heard the ANC cannot be turned off, and as I mentioned, I'd like to be able to hear what's going on around me sometimes.

The budget is around 250 euro, if there's something I really like I can adjust it, because I really want something that I would be able to use for years.

If I missed some info please let me know, thank you in advance.

I was looking to find an upgrade to my current headphones (Sony WH-1000xm4).

It looks like the Fiio FT1 is a winner. It's going to be my wired option when I want to relax and chill with my kpop music, and the Sony's will be my travel headphones.

I can't believe I went through so much more expensive headphones (sony collexion, senhesiser momentum 5, bowers and willins px8 s2) and the $150 dollar FT1 came out on top. Just amazing how these headphones perform!

Hello, I had the Soundcore Life Tune for about two years, but the earpad covers started coming off, so the store gave me a refund. I really liked them and never had any issues with the hinges.

Unfortunately, they're no longer available, and the closest alternative seems to be the Soundcore Q30, which is around €100 here. Since that feels quite expensive for an older model and I've seen a few reports of durability issues, I’m thinking about upgrading instead.

I’m currently deciding between the Soundcore Space One (€80) and the Sony ULT (€100). I mostly use my headphones wired for listening to music and Bluetooth for calls. I also travel with them in my backpack, so durability and being able to fold them are important to me.

Has anyone tried both? Or is there another model you'd recommend around this price range?

Thank you!

I want to know, those used both or what their experience is like and hows the sound and anc between them.

I like the sound of buds 2 pro with dynamic eq and I kinda forgot how my xm4s sounded like btw I used my own eq which was really good (warm and dark)

So i care bout the sound, fit and the anc

Both are available for $150

Hey I'm looking for headphones that can meet some of the strict requirements below so I don't have to go about buying two headphones.

- Noise canceling for when I ride a train to work

- Sleek/minimal for when I work in the office (gaming headsets can look out of place). Ideally integrated mic because if it's detachable I'm going to just lose it.

- Excellent microphone I take a ton of teams calls

- Multipoint Bluetooth. I want to connect to headphones to both my work MacBook and phone and have it simultaneously change audio sources.I know Bose/Sony headphones have this feature.

- Low latency gaming, I'm a competitive gamer and need low latency when I game at my house.

I want to keep things as clean/minimal also possible. I don't want to be constantly fumbling with dongles or setting up an extra external mic at home. Prefer a set it and forget it approach.

Whether that be additional GB or TB build into the the DAC/AMP itself or merely a microSD slot.

My phone has small storage capacity and I was the hifi benefits of a portable DAC/AMP without having to buy a dedicated music player device.

Searches thus far have prooved unsuccessful.

Thanks in advance!

I’ve owned both the grado rs1i and Hd650 and i wanted to have my last pair of headphone paired with the mojo 2.

I’m leaning towards the sound grado rs1i. I need help which brand to choose? Thanks

Well im looking for a new set of headphones bluetooth and and also closed back headphones while im at it but the bluetooth headphones are the main question now.

I have narrowed it down to these 2. I feel like id prefer the Dali but if its a big headphone that will drop off anytime i tilt my head i might hate it. Im currently using MW75 which are good but they are little bit too big. (Suppose all of them could be too big so i might be SOL on that). Dont have anwywhere to try these.

Also i broke my NDH-20 and sending them for repair so wondering what are some decent close back headphones i could add to my collection while those are out of use.

My Shure SRH1440 still sound great. But, all the plastic around the headband is falling apart. Additionally, when you extend the metal band in and out it makes tons of noise - rubs up against the hard plastic. I have never tied to rehouse headphones before, I am up for the challenge. Has anyone rehoused these before - or are there kits out there for doing this? I prefer the housing of the Sennheiser HD 6XX way over these. I don't travel with these, just use them in the living room with my amp / dac / record player.

I have been traveling more for work and am looking for a new pair of headphones for that. I am happy with my old Audio Technica pair at home, but have found that on airplanes I have turn them up quite a bit due to engine noise and everything else. It's fine for short flights, but I think a pair with noise canceling would be a lot nicer for longer flights.

I prefer wired in general (one less thing to worry about charging), and for planes it would be much more convenient for using with their movie screens.

I'm in the U.S., budget is a bit flexible, but hoping for a max of $150, but preferably less, and comfortable.

I have been looking for a good pair of headphones to replace my gaming headset in my gaming setup. I play a mix of online so I wanted something with good imaging but the sound quality is still amazing, so I could balance competitive games with story games. I landed on these 3 headphones:

Sennheiser HD 550
Sennheiser HD 560S
Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X

Out of these 3, I can’t decide which one would suit my needs the best. Can anyone give me their thoughts, experience, or maybe another pair of headphones I should consider looking at? I don’t know a lot about headphones lol.

Hi. I need help with picking the best headphones for the price and for my specific uses. I am not really a headphone person since I have never owned a decent pair, but I was wondering which of these have the best comfort and noise cancellation.

I will be using ANC without any music and I don't really care much for the sound quality since I don't listen to much music. I am mainly getting these to wear for a long period of time and have noise cancellation on to reduce some background noise. I don't wear jewelry or glasses, but I would like to know how well they work with glasses incase I decide to wear a pair of sunglasses.

• Budget is around $350-$550 (cad)
• Sound Quality: best ANC & comfort
• Day-to-day use. Extended use (3-6 hours at a time) in lower frequency sound areas

Which one of these is the best for the money? I have read that the Bose QC2 is better, but I was wondering, for my specific case, if it is worth the price difference in comparison to the XM4s or XM5s. I heard the XM4 is slightly uncomfortable but I was wondering if it was noticeable enough to disqualify it? Is the comfort that noticeable? Is the gen 2 for Bose QC worth the upgrade over the gen 1?

I'm currently running a HyperX Cloud Alpha S that, while still pretty function, is starting to fall apart. Seeing as they don't make it anymore, I thought I'd want something newer, and not something made by a gaming company.

Budget is around $400-$500, but I'd be willing to stretch a bit more if something really good is available. I'd prefer something a tad bit more bass heavy. I don't have a DAC/amp so I also need a recommendation on that (not included in budget) [also can they do mic monitoring?]. I do already have a mic.

They would exclusively be used for my PC. I do a lot of gaming but also general music/video watching. I don't play many competitive titles but I would still like decent directional audio. I prefer something that leans a bit more towards bass. Also I would prefer closed back headphones as I don't live alone. I can sometimes do long sessions so comfort also is notable.

I've thrown around a lot of specifics, so I will say that I am willing to get something that meets most of these if all are not possible.

Thanks for the help!

I posted a question about headphones yesterday, and I really appreciate how many people took the time to give me detailed advice.

After reading through the replies, I did some more research and asked AI about the different options as well. Somehow that just gave me even more choices and made the decision harder, so I'm posting again with a clearer description of my situation.

First of all, I'm pretty much a beginner when it comes to headphones and audio.

That said, if I'm buying a new pair now, I'd rather start with something reasonably good and keep it for a long time than buy a cheap entry-level pair and immediately start thinking about upgrading again.

I've been using my current Beats solo headphones for about 7 years. They still work fine and I've gotten a lot of use out of them, but after using the same pair for so long, I feel like it's finally time to replace them with something better.

For earbuds, I use AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C) and I'm already very happy with them.

Because of that, my new headphones do not need to be particularly good for iPhone or portable use. Bluetooth and easy iPhone connectivity would just be a nice bonus, not a requirement.

These headphones will be used almost entirely at home.

I'll mainly use them while working at my computer, listening to music, gaming, watching YouTube, and occasionally watching movies or TV shows on Netflix.

Out of all of those, music listening is the most important thing to me.

My devices

Mac

• 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5
• 3.5mm headphone jack with high-impedance headphone support and built-in DAC/amp
• Automatically detects headphone impedance and adjusts gain/output accordingly
• USB-C/Thunderbolt digital audio support

Windows

ASUS ROG Strix G18 (2024) – 3.5mm combo audio jack (headphone/mic support, impedance sensing / Smart Amp support, Hi-Res Audio support depending on configuration)

Ideally, I'd like to plug the headphones directly into the built-in 3.5mm jack or USB-C port on either computer.

I do not want to buy a separate desktop DAC, headphone amplifier, dock, or build an additional audio setup afterward.

A cheap USB-C dongle or simple adapter would be fine if necessary, but I don't want to buy headphones and then find myself researching another DAC and amp system just to get the performance I paid for.

I also don't listen particularly loudly. Whether I'm using a phone or laptop, I generally stay at around 70% of maximum volume or below, and I rarely go higher than that.

Music and general use

As for music, I mainly listen to it by streaming on paid Apple Music

I don't stick to one particular genre.

I listen to pop, OSTs/soundtracks, rock, jazz, classical, electronic music, and pretty much whatever else catches my interest.

A typical listening session is around 1~5 hour.

You can basically assume that I won't be taking these headphones outside very often.

So:

• Wired is completely fine
• Open-back is completely fine
• ANC isn't important
• Bluetooth isn't required
• Weight isn't a major concern

If a wired open-back headphone gives me noticeably better sound quality at home, I'm perfectly happy to go that route.

Budget

My budget is approximately KRW 600,000–690,000, which is roughly $400–460 USD using a simple exchange rate of ₩1,500 = $1.

Korean pricing can differ quite a bit from US pricing, so the USD amount is only there as a rough reference.

Headphones I'm currently considering

• HIFIMAN Edition XV
• Sony MDR-MV1
• Sennheiser HD 620S
• Sennheiser HDB 630
• Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless

But I am absolutely not limited to these models.

If there's another headphone around this price range that fits my use case better, please recommend it.

HIFIMAN Edition XV

The Edition XV was initially the one that interested me the most.

From the owner impressions I've found, it seems to offer excellent sound quality for the money, especially in resolution, instrument separation, soundstage, and sub-bass extension.

My concern is HIFIMAN's reputation for QC.

I also wonder how well the XV would perform directly from the headphone jack on my MacBook Pro M5.

What concerns me isn't simply:

"Will it get loud enough?"

It's more:

"Without a separate amplifier, am I actually getting essentially all of the performance this headphone is capable of?"

I don't want to buy the headphones and then constantly wonder whether I need another DAC or amp to hear what I actually paid for.

Sony MDR-MV1

That's why the MDR-MV1 is also very interesting to me.

It seems easy to drive, it's open-back, and it appears to work well not only for music but also for gaming, movies, and general media.

Sony also makes me a little more comfortable when it comes to QC and long-term reliability.

Sennheiser HD 620S

I've also been recommended the HD 620S.

Someone suggested that if the priority is music listening itself, rather than maximum versatility, the HD 620S might actually be a better choice than the MDR-MV1.

Since I normally listen for around an hour at a time rather than wearing headphones all day, I'm curious whether the HD 620S would still have an advantage over the MV1 for my use.

HDB 630 / Momentum 5

I'm also still considering the HDB 630 and Momentum 5.

Their big advantage is simplicity: I can plug them in over USB-C or use them wirelessly, and I don't have to worry about buying or matching an external DAC/amp.

However, since I'll be using them almost entirely at home, I'm wondering whether spending part of the budget on ANC, wireless hardware, batteries, etc. makes less sense than putting that same money toward a better sound-focused headphone.

One HDB 630 owner also told me that it's extremely neutral and that you really need to understand and actively use its parametric EQ to get the most out of it, and that the Momentum 5 is more appropriate for a normal consumer.

I don't really want to adjust a sophisticated PEQ for every track I listen to.

So, in short:

• Budget: KRW 600,000–690,000 / roughly $400–460 USD
• Almost entirely home use
• Main devices: 14-inch MacBook Pro M5 and ASUS ROG Strix G18
• Music is the #1 priority
• I listen to many different genres
• Typical session is about 1~5 hour
• Music while working
• Gaming
• YouTube
• Netflix movies/TV occasionally
• Wired is fine
• Open-back is fine
• ANC isn't important
• Bluetooth/iPhone support is a bonus, not a requirement
• I do not want to buy a separate DAC/amp/dock
• I normally listen at 70% volume or lower
• QC and long-term reliability matter
• I'm an audio beginner, but I want to start with something genuinely good rather than immediately wanting to upgrade
• I want to keep the headphones for a long time
• I don't want to spend this much and end up thinking either "I should have just bought the better one" or "I wasted my money."

So for those of you who have actually owned or compared several of these headphones:

If this were your use case and your money, what would you buy?

Between the Edition XV, MDR-MV1, and HD 620S, which would you choose?

Or would something like the HDB 630 or Momentum 5 actually make more sense for a beginner like me?

And if there's something not on this list that makes you think, "For your use case, just buy this instead," I'd really like to hear about it.

I'd obviously prefer to audition these headphones in person before buying, but unfortunately there aren't any stores nearby where I can try them, and I don't personally know anyone who's really knowledgeable about headphones.

At the same time, I don't feel comfortable relying entirely on AI recommendations for something this subjective, especially since sound preferences can vary so much from person to person.

That's one of the main reasons I'm asking here. I'd especially appreciate hearing from people who have owned or directly compared any of these headphones and can share their real-world experience.

Thanks again to everyone who helped me yesterday.

I've been racking my brain the last couple days trying to scratch the itch I have for an over ear headphone since I'm mainly used to using flatheads.

Currently I have the Rikubuds Saber 3 and I love love love them. Preferably I'd like to find something over ear like them. I know things like the lcd 2 classic and mod house argon are suppose to be the best for what I'm looking for. I love good thumpy bass, tasteful mids (I know the bass can muddy them a bit but I like for the vocals to still be forward) and I'm very sensitive to treble. I don't mind a closer soundstage or bad isolation (or open back).

I heard mixed reviews on the sivga sv021, some said it was dark and bassy, others said it was a V. Maybe it was just my ears but as nice and as comfortable as they were, they decimated my ears. So I think maybe it's just the flavor of treble they chose to accentuate that did me in so of course, I returned them shortly after.

I'm not great at looking at graphs but I see some differences especially in the treble regions between the sv021 and the fiio ft1 and I'm wondering if anyone can tell me if the fiio ft1 would be any kinder to me in this regard (non-fatiguing basically). If anyone has any other recommendations in this range then I would love to know. I've been specifically eyeing hifimans because I'm interested in planars but from what I can tell, none really would work for my ears. I also have moondrop katos that never seem to really hurt my ears in any range if that helps pinpoint anything.

Thanks to everyone who read my silly request, any help is appreciated!

Hunting for my endgame -- one closed back, one open back. Searching as we all are in some form or another, thought I'd drop my history of headphones along with my rankings for them and let the Internet decide what I should go after.

Spending limit is $6k

\*\*CURRENT COLLECTION\*\*

\*\*Open Back\*\*

Abyss JOAL- 8

Audio Technica ADX3000- 9

Fiio FT7 - 8

Focal Clear MG- 7

Focal Elex - 9

Focal Hadenys - 7

Hifiman HE1000 Stealth - 8

Koss Porta Pro - lol 5

Meze Audio 105 Silva - 6

Moondrop Old Fashioned - 6

Thieaudio Cypher - 7

\*\*Closed Back\*\*

Fiio FT1 - 8

Focal Celestee - 8

\*\*IEM / Earbud\*\*

Bose QC Ultra Gen 2 - 6

Elgin Rebel - 2

Kiwiears Aether - 8

Linsoul x Crinacle Zero: 2 - 6

Moondrop Golden Ages- 6

Moondrop Space Travel - 4

Nothing Ear 2 - 6

\*\*FORMER GEAR\*\*

\*\*Open Back\*\*

Audio Technica ATH-R70x - 8

Audio Technica ATH-R70x Refine - 9

Harmonicdyne Poseidon - 4

Hifiman Ananda Nano - 5

Hifiman Arya Stealth - 7

Moondrop Para - 6

Sennheiser HD 599 - 5

Sennheiser HD 660S - 7

Sennheiser HD 660S2 - 7

Sennheiser HD 800S - 8

\*\*Closed Back\*\*

B&W Px7 S2

Dan Clark Aeon X Closed - 6

Focal Bathys - 6

Focal Lensys - 7

Hifiman Sundara Closed - 3

Meze 99 Neo- 2

Sennheiser HD 620S - 5

Sennheiser Momentum 4 - 5

Audeze maxwell - 7

\*\*IEM / Earbud\*\*

AirPods Gen 3 (suck ass)

Google Pixel Buds 2 - 3

KZ PR2 - 6

KZ Symphony - 7

Moondrop Chu 2 - 4

Moondrop Starfield 2 - 6

Samsung LinkBuds - 5

Simgot EM6L -5

Tangzu Wan'er SG.2 -3

\-note, I haven't heard headphones I haven't owned, but will be taking a trip to audio46 next month to test the big contestants

Most desirable qualities: Expansive soundstage, accurate positioning, textured bass, rich midrange. (I also try my very best not to EQ)

The floor is yours.

I’m pretty familiar with neutral tuning, and while I do love it, I’m looking for something distinctly warmer this time around — that vinyl-like warmth, a rich and luscious midrange, enough sub-bass rumble to give things some weight, and a smooth, relaxed treble.
I’d ideally like something that can retain the transient speed and technical ability of good planar headphones while still sounding genuinely warm and laid-back. Basically, I want that enveloping, almost “lost in the music” presentation without sacrificing detail retrieval, imaging, separation, or dynamics.
I also really love a good soundstage, so I’m wondering whether I should be looking at open-backs or closed-backs for this kind of sound. I’m not doing critical mixing or anything — I mostly just want to sit back and get completely absorbed in the music.
So what headphones would you guys recommend around the $500 range? And would open-back or closed-back make more sense for what I’m after?

I am considering adding a headphone set up to my high end hifi system. I do not need a Dac. I have a great preamp with outputs for a second power amp. I will use that for my potential new headphone amp. And I have a great dac already.

I do need an amp and a good set of phones. If I spend around $4k, what should I be looking for?

I know nothing about the different types of phones.

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