Solved! Audio Technica ATH-A900X / Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro Plus / Sennheiser HD 598 CS / SteelSeries Siberia 650

mihailt

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Dec 7, 2017
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Hi fellas,

As you can probably guess, I'm wondering which of these headphones to pick.

Here's a also a little bit of background. My current setup uses the onboard audio of the Aorus H370 Gaming WiFi motherboard, i.e. the ALC1220 audio chip.

I've been using the HyperX Cloud II headset. However, I wasn't much impressed with the 7.1 soundcard included in the package. In fact, when using the USB dongle, there appears to be some noise introduced in the headphones on higher volume levels. I was more impressed when I connected the headphones to my MoBo audio and played a little with the Realtek equalizer.

I'd say I like stronger bass levels, with reduced mids and slightly increased highs.

Anyways, I've been gifted a Creative Sound Blaster Z sound card, which I'll be installing in my PC some time next week.

The headphones mentioned in the title are available through some very good offerings in my country's second hand market and are pretty much at the same price, so consider they all cost the same.

My first question, I guess, would be if I will notice a difference with any of them over the Cloud IIs connected directly into the Sound Blaster Z.

Secondly, if yes, which of these 4 would you recommend? From what I gathered online so far, the audio quality on the ATH-A900x would appear to be slightly better of the bunch, would you agree with this? The only problem is their design which has 2 wings for overhead support, which allegedly loosen up with time and they start to lose their comfort. Again, this is only gathered from reviews, so please share if you have personal experience with them. Another point is that the bass on the A900x is not as well pronounced as the one on the BeyerDynamics, which have 4 control options on the cans themselves.

I've also come across another offer for a Razer Tiamat 7.1 v1 and they're almost dirt cheap due to some visual defects, which I believe I could fix though. The problem with them is that I've seen many reviews reporting that while the 10 physical drivers give extreme situational awareness, the audio quality has been sacrificed in order to fit them all in a headphone package.

I should note that I'm using my PC for gaming, but also casual watching movies, listening to songs, etc. So I suppose I'm looking for a jack-of-all-trades headphones that have good bass and are a noticeable improvement over the HyperX Cloud IIs. Do any of the headphones listed above fit into this description, or would you recommend me to stick with what I have?
 
Solution
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There are a bunch of good headphone choices the card would work with. The 250ohm Beyerdynamic DT770s would be fine and would give you bass. The DT880s or 990s as well. The Sennheiser HD600/650 or Massdrop x Sennheiser HD6xx ( same as an HD650 but cheaper ) or HD58X would be fine. That's just off the top of my head.

What's your budget? What kind of music do you listen to?

Isokolon

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I got a pair of Sennheiser HD569 (same as the 598Cs, but a tad cheaper) and I must say, this is by far the most comforatable thing I've ever worn on my head.
sound is pretty soft & warm, other headphones got a stronger bass but I think it's quite nice the way it is (and I listen to some deephouse/dark.ambient as well), soundstage is incredibly big for closed back headphones and they got quite a natural feeling for their pricetag. 10/10 would recommend.

Beyerdynamics are really nice as well, can't go wrong. their drivers are superb. friend of mine got those but I kinda dislike the non-detachable cable.

no idea about at the ATH900x tho
 

mihailt

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Dec 7, 2017
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Isokolon, thank you for your feedback!

Is it fair to say you'd definitely NOT recommend the SteelSeries and Razer models?

The Beyerdynamics were the first model I really laid my eyes on and almost pulled the trigger before comingg across the AudioTechnica and Sennheiser models. Another thing to note - the BDs would be bought brand new, whereas the AT and Senns are second-hand (even though the sellers assure they've been barely used and they look preserved visually). What is your opinion on buying used audio tech?
 

Isokolon

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Jul 24, 2016
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I don't hold Razer in the highest regard.
SteelSeries... supposedly the more expensive ones aren't too bad, but in that kind of bracket, I'd rather get brands that actually specialise in audio & hifi

I only know the ATH-M50x/M40x and they're nice but a bit bass driven and don't have the widest soundstage. if you like that kind of sound - I don't. as for the A900x I can't really say. I'm not familiar with this series.

if the fixed cable is no issue to you, the beyerdynamics are pretty dope.
 

mihailt

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Dec 7, 2017
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Yes, technically I'm not too fond of Razer myself, just that specific offer came at a very low cost but I think I'll pass.

Another thing that came up - the output impedance on the Sound Blaster Z is reportedly about 22 Ohms, and I've been advised that low impedance headphones such as the HD598CS and Custom One Pros may suffer in their bass as a result. I was recommended to look at the 250-Ohm version of the BeyerDynamics DT770 Pro. What is your opinion on this?
 
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Deleted member 217926

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I haven't looked at the specs on that card but if it really has a 22ohm output impedance it's going to muddy the bass on HD598s pretty bad. My Asus Xonar STX has a 10ohm output impedance and my ( open back, original ) HD598s are colored a bit by it compared to using my O2/ODAC. I haven't heard the 598CS but it's only a 23ohm headphone vs 50ohm for my original 598 so it would be worse on the closed ones.
 

mihailt

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Thanks for the info, anort3.

I'm starting to have second thoughts about this then. If it's 22 Ohms, wouldn't it limit my choice for headphones now and in the future? Most models I've seen were sub-60 Ohms, or maybe I just haven't searched for higher. Maybe I should sell the Sound Blaster Z and look for another sound card? Are there any particular models that would be considered better for headphones?
 
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Deleted member 217926

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There are a bunch of good headphone choices the card would work with. The 250ohm Beyerdynamic DT770s would be fine and would give you bass. The DT880s or 990s as well. The Sennheiser HD600/650 or Massdrop x Sennheiser HD6xx ( same as an HD650 but cheaper ) or HD58X would be fine. That's just off the top of my head.

What's your budget? What kind of music do you listen to?
 
Solution

mihailt

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Dec 7, 2017
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My budget would be the equivalent of under $200 in local currency. Problem is Sennheisers are massively overpriced here, so I guess I'll go with the DT770s 250 Ohm. Another limitation I have is that I need closed back headphones.

I tend to mainly play games, really, and when I listen to music it's all over the place, can't really single out a genre. I think I'll go with the 770s if I'm unhappy with how my Clouds sound with the new soundcard.
 
Jan 29, 2019
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Used friend's Sennheiser HD 598 CS on my sound blaster sound card and I must say I was really impressed by it. Have used Siberia 650 too but they are not that good. Haven't used A900x or Beyerdynamic so cant really tell about these two.
 

mihailt

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Dec 7, 2017
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Just realized I haven't really followed up on this thread.

In the end, I got a pair of BD DT770 PROs at 250 Ohms and I have to say I'm quite satisfied with them.

Thank you all for the replies