Headphone setup advice ~£100 (can stretch to more)

XtraSweat

Honorable
Aug 28, 2013
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10,560
Hi,

I have been using my Corsair Vengeance 1500 v2 for ages and they have recently broken so I have switched to using my Audio Technica M50x, which I don't usually use as I take them out and about a lot. I also have my Harmon/Kardon soundsticks so can't plug both in as my front panel headphone port is broken :(

I was wondering if it's worth it to pick up some open back headphones as I will use them a lot for gaming. The Beyerdynamic DT990s are really cheap at the moment and I have also been looking at Audio Technica ad 500x. Please bear in mind that I listen to a lot of DnB on my PC so bass is important as well.

My other option could be to buy a sound card/ amp / dac for my M50x but interested to know what you guys think.

Oh and I will also need a mic, thinking the cheap zalman one. Please remember to check UK prices before recommending.

Thanks.
 
Solution
the m50x doesnt really benefit from amplifiers.

i have a pair of m50s myself. nice sounding headphones but the soundstaging is terribly small so you could definitely benefit from open headphones.

the dt990pro's are an excellent price on amazon.co.uk so it is certainly worth considering them. they are cheaper yet likely better sounding headphones for you than the hd598 or ad500/700x given your need for bass.

at bare minimum you would need something like a creative z soundcard to power them although going with a mid-level fiio amplifier is going to drive them a bit better.

the cheap zm1 zalman is a you-get-what-you-paid-for scenario. it works but its nothing stellar. you can buy other lavalier style microphones (use an adapter) for a...
the m50x doesnt really benefit from amplifiers.

i have a pair of m50s myself. nice sounding headphones but the soundstaging is terribly small so you could definitely benefit from open headphones.

the dt990pro's are an excellent price on amazon.co.uk so it is certainly worth considering them. they are cheaper yet likely better sounding headphones for you than the hd598 or ad500/700x given your need for bass.

at bare minimum you would need something like a creative z soundcard to power them although going with a mid-level fiio amplifier is going to drive them a bit better.

the cheap zm1 zalman is a you-get-what-you-paid-for scenario. it works but its nothing stellar. you can buy other lavalier style microphones (use an adapter) for a bit more which are also a bit better. perhaps the best add-on mic is the modmic but its also not a cheap options. again, you generally get what you paid for when it comes to microphones and prices. not sure how much you care about audio quality.
 
Solution