Best Headphone for Music / Gaming under $200

[zLukez]

I listen to music like pop, EDM, etc. I play League Of Legends and CS:GO competitively. I currently have a Sony MDR-XB50 earbud, however I'm looking for better audio quality. So far, I've considered Audio Technica ATH M50x and Sennheiser HD 598. Any opinions or recommendations? Also, I don't have any headphone amps or sound cards. I will most likely be plugging it into my Dell PC or iPhone. I also don't really carry it anywhere, so convenience isn't of an issue but better to have. Also, I use this daily.

 

[envy14tpe]

U found two really good choices. The M50x has more bass but the 598 is open back. Open back means the sound leaks out and others can hear your music. The M50x has more freedom and you can take it in public, but the 598 u can't.

Based on your music I'd suggest the M50x. It is better for EDM and will sound excellent in games.

 

[zLukez]

U found two really good choices. The M50x has more bass but the 598 is open back. Open back means the sound leaks out and others can hear your music. The M50x has more freedom and you can take it in public, but the 598 u can't.

Based on your music I'd suggest the M50x. It is better for EDM and will sound excellent in games.

Although, I also listen to acoustic music too. I don't really mind sound leakage.

 

[envy14tpe]

U found two really good choices. The M50x has more bass but the 598 is open back. Open back means the sound leaks out and others can hear your music. The M50x has more freedom and you can take it in public, but the 598 u can't.

Based on your music I'd suggest the M50x. It is better for EDM and will sound excellent in games.

Although, I also listen to acoustic music too. I don't really mind sound leakage.

Any stores by you that allow people to listen to headphones? This helped me a lot on deciding a pair.

 

[zLukez]

U found two really good choices. The M50x has more bass but the 598 is open back. Open back means the sound leaks out and others can hear your music. The M50x has more freedom and you can take it in public, but the 598 u can't.

Based on your music I'd suggest the M50x. It is better for EDM and will sound excellent in games.

Although, I also listen to acoustic music too. I don't really mind sound leakage.

Any stores by you that allow people to listen to headphones? This helped me a lot on deciding a pair.

Sadly, no.

 

[zLukez]

Are the Audio Technica ATH M-50x good for movies and accoustics too?

 

[envy14tpe]

Are the Audio Technica ATH M-50x good for movies and accoustics too?

I can't answer that in comparison to the 598. Both those headphones u listed are great just excel in different ways. The M50x has more bass and the 598 has more spatial sound.

 

[ssddx]

i have the m50s (older version of the m50x) and they have both good and bad points.

good:
capable of low level bass
good sound quality
portable, foldable
easy to drive

bad:
small earcups
get hot (all closed cups with leather pads do)
extremely small soundstage

they are NOT for competitive fps gaming due to small soundstage... but that isnt to say you couldnt use them. i like mine but they get used for music

i would suggest something open if you want that. the ad500x would be the most competitive but lacks bass. the hd558/598 are neutral so would also work.

there are other choices, but the ones i'd recommend need an amp.

 

[zLukez]

i have the m50s (older version of the m50x) and they have both good and bad points.

good:
capable of low level bass
good sound quality
portable, foldable
easy to drive

bad:
small earcups
get hot (all closed cups with leather pads do)
extremely small soundstage

they are NOT for competitive fps gaming due to small soundstage... but that isnt to say you couldnt use them. i like mine but they get used for music

i would suggest something open if you want that. the ad500x would be the most competitive but lacks bass. the hd558/598 are neutral so would also work.

there are other choices, but the ones i'd recommend need an amp.

Currently, there are deals on Amazon I wasn't aware of and I will be willing to buy an amp with it too.

Current Consideration List :
1) Sennheiser HD 598
2) Sennheiser Momentum 2.0
3) Sony MDR-1A
4) Beyerdynamic DT 770 pro.

 

[envy14tpe]

Check out this excellent AMP/DAC : https/www.amazon.com/FiiO-E10K-Headphone-Amplifier-Black/dp/B00LP3AMC2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468373558&sr=8-1&keywords=fiio+e10k

 

[zLukez]

Check out this excellent AMP/DAC : https/www.amazon.com/FiiO-E10K-Headphone-Amplifier-Black/dp/B00LP3AMC2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468373558&sr=8-1&keywords=fiio+e10k

What about headphones?

 

[ssddx]

dt770 is like the m50 but better all around with wider soundstage. if you want a closed bassy can that can s till be used for gaming its not a bad option. soundstage will not be as wide as an open can, but for closed cans its rather big.

dt990pro250 is similar but open with less bass and more treble. very fun sounding can and very good value at its current price.

dt880 is a more neutral version of theses also open.

any of them are really good buys but will need a decent amplifier. i suggest the schiit magni2.

hd598 is more mellow than these and has less bass/treble edge. its an all around easy listening can that is easy to drive.

e10k is a decent budget dac/amp but its not good for all situations. pick a headphone first then we can worry about what amp works best for your needs.

 

[zLukez]

dt770 is like the m50 but better all around with wider soundstage. if you want a closed bassy can that can s till be used for gaming its not a bad option. soundstage will not be as wide as an open can, but for closed cans its rather big.

dt990pro250 is similar but open with less bass and more treble. very fun sounding can and very good value at its current price.

dt880 is a more neutral version of theses also open.

any of them are really good buys but will need a decent amplifier. i suggest the schiit magni2.

hd598 is more mellow than these and has less bass/treble edge. its an all around easy listening can that is easy to drive.

e10k is a decent budget dac/amp but its not good for all situations. pick a headphone first then we can worry about what amp works best for your needs.

What would you say in your opinion is the best headphone? Currently, I think plugging into my iPhone 6 sounds better than my computer. Probably because the computer's audio thing is cheaper I'm most worried about the bass on the Sennheiser 598, I heard it's not strong. I don't like music without any bass. Most of the time I listen to pop music like 40%, Guitar & Piano etc. 30 %, 30% EDM.

 

[ssddx]

best? it really depends on what you're looking for as a sound signature. all have areas they excel at and areas they do not.

there are 4 classifications i'd put headphones into for signatures (or bass levels as well). to try and give you an idea how much bass the cans will be able to provide i'll describe it again.

bass light: can give punchy bass but without real depth. not bass-less but bassheads may feel that way. good for gaming. things like the ad500x fall into this category.

neutral: can give punchy bass with a little more depth. while not capable of deep low level bass they do not give the feel of being super light on bass either. bassheads may not be happy but most normal people may be. while not quite as advantageous for fps gaming as bass light cans, they do have a little more oomph to them so are a bit more fun. neutral still can sound a bit more flat compared to v-shaped cans, but they hold the midrange between bass light and bassy. things like the hd518/558/598 would fall into this category.

bassy: capable of more than average bass. many are capable of deep low tones while not affecting clarity of mids and highs. certainly some low end punch which makes bassy songs fun to listen to. bass covers up footsteps in games so they arent as advantageous as ligher ass headphones for gaming but its more than possible to game competitively with them if you prefer bassy signatures. the advantage of bass light headphones is not going to trump skill. things like the m50, 770/880/990 fall into this category

bass cannons: capable of the most bass you fill find on headphones. bass tends to be extremely powerful with much quantity. often sounds a bit bloated and in some headphones tight while others flabby. headphones in this category focus on bass alone so treble/mid quality suffers and can sound muddy. things like the sony xb would fall in this category. i would not suggest these for gaming or any use unless you are an extreme basshead and its the only way to satisfy you.

for you, i would say anything from the neutral or bassy category would suit you. its hard to give you an estimate of bass but this is generally the case for most people who arent bassheads.

the hd598 is not weak with bass but not strong either. its not like there is going to be none at all (even bass light headphones are not completely without bass). its neutral.. bass is about the same level as the rest.

example of dt990 vs hd598
http/graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=0&graphID%5B%5D=2851&graphID%5B%5D=2141&scale=30
example of hd558 (which is almost the same as hd598) vs ad700 (old version of the ad700x)
http/graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=0&graphID%5B%5D=533&graphID%5B%5D=2661&graphID%5B%5D=2861
880 990 770
http/graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=0&graphID%5B%5D=2751&graphID%5B%5D=2241&graphID%5B%5D=2131

chart site is down or i'd link them all in one. heres an idea of what the frequencies are like in terms of audio https/static.gearslutz.com/board/imgext.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fi113.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fn204%2Fsaneoner%2FScreen_Shot_2013-06-25_at_4_zps62xhdqof.jpg&h=92d6236498075c1bafb4e410cd9398cb

the iphone (like all apple products so far) have decent amplifiers in them (perhaps this may change with them wanting to put different jacks on their phones...) so often sound better than cheap onboard audio. given that you mentioned this, i'd definitely suggest upgrading your onboard audio when using better headphones. for easy to drive headphones this could be simply something like a soundcard (for hd598) or for harder to power cans, i'd suggest an amplifier and dac or amplifier and cheap soundcard. (beyerdynamics cans)

so.. thats alot to read.

tldr, anything from the neutral to bassy category would suit you. hd598, dt880, dt990, dt880 would all work. hd598 would be cheaper to amplify (soundcard) while beyers would be more expensive. personally given that i have a m50 and like the v-shaped signature (its fun sounding) my own upgrade preference would be to the beyer 770 or 990 but to each their own. the beyers will have more energy and be more articulate sounding than the 598 (but at the same time, this may be fatiguing for some.. it depends on if you like detail or not)

 

[envy14tpe]

wow. I read none of that ^
Condense and convey.

 

[ssddx]

@envy
maybe you should. you might learn something.
posts without explanations are pointless.

 

[zLukez]

@envy
maybe you should. you might learn something.
posts without explanations are pointless.

This was extremely helpful. Although, I think I'm going to order the Sennheiser HD 598 to compare it with my Audio Technica ATH M50x (going to return this or the other). The beyerdynamic has a lot of Ohms, so I would have to basically carry an amp / dac everywhere so we can forget that. The Sennheiser HD 598 doesn't need an amp, but has the potential to do significantly better with an amp, so I'd like to have that option. Also I want to try a change of headphone type to be open.

 

[ssddx]

the hd598 will have noticeably less bass then the m50 but also will have noticeably more soundstage (depth) to audio as well. the m50 is capable of low frequency bass (its one of few cheaper cans that does it well) which is why it sounds so deep bassy.

yes, neither really need an amplifier although some weak devices still fail to drive m50/hd598 but you can chalk that up to more of an oddity than commonplace. if you wanted improvement i would just get a soundcard for them.

 

[zLukez]

the hd598 will have noticeably less bass then the m50 but also will have noticeably more soundstage (depth) to audio as well. the m50 is capable of low frequency bass (its one of few cheaper cans that does it well) which is why it sounds so deep bassy.

yes, neither really need an amplifier although some weak devices still fail to drive m50/hd598 but you can chalk that up to more of an oddity than commonplace. if you wanted improvement i would just get a soundcard for them.

Alright, I will order it and see which sound I like better. I will post an update later.

 

[envy14tpe]

the hd598 will have noticeably less bass then the m50 but also will have noticeably more soundstage (depth) to audio as well. the m50 is capable of low frequency bass (its one of few cheaper cans that does it well) which is why it sounds so deep bassy.

yes, neither really need an amplifier although some weak devices still fail to drive m50/hd598 but you can chalk that up to more of an oddity than commonplace. if you wanted improvement i would just get a soundcard for them.

Alright, I will order it and see which sound I like better. I will post an update later.

Good idea. Keep in mind the 598 you can't walk around with as people around you would hear the music. The 598 does sound really good though.