Looking for GREAT PC headphones for Gaming and Music

[Lo Maximo]

I'm looking for High End headphones for Music and PC Gaming. I've been doing research and notice that people recommend the HD 598s. I noticed that they're a bit old though. I was hoping someone can direct me to something newer and better.

Also, I was wondering if I should buy a soundcard (sound blaster Z) or an amplifier to get the full experience out of the headphones. Or should my onboard be good enough (Z97x G5 Gigabyte MoBo)

I would say my price range is from $100-$300 for headphones and $50-$150 for amps/Sound cards if necessary.

I appreciate any help or advice given to me.

 

[martinch]

I'm looking for High End headphones for Music and PC Gaming.

The Grado SR-60e (and -80e) look cheap and horrible, but sound absolutely excellent and have a very wide soundstage (positioning), and will at least equal pretty-much anything in a vaguely similar price range (this includes my Sennheiser IE7 IEM's, which were more nearly three times as expensive). They are however, open cup, so leak sound and don't provide any noise isolation, which may be a deal-breaker.

I've been doing research and notice that people recommend the HD 598s. I noticed that they're a bit old though. I was hoping someone can direct me to something newer and better.

Honestly, unlike PC hardware, headphones don't improve very quickly, and older stuff tends to still be decent. I wouldn't worry about the age of them.

Also, I was wondering if I should buy a soundcard (sound blaster Z) or an amplifier to get the full experience out of the headphones. Or should my onboard be good enough (Z97x G5 Gigabyte MoBo)

Personally, I've found the onboard audio on my motherboard (Realtek ALC1150) to be really rather good. You might be better off getting a USB DAC, rather than a sound card ...

 

[Lo Maximo]

I'm looking for High End headphones for Music and PC Gaming.

The Grado SR-60e (and -80e) look cheap and horrible, but sound absolutely excellent and have a very wide soundstage (positioning), and will at least equal pretty-much anything in a vaguely similar price range (this includes my Sennheiser IE7 IEM's, which were more nearly three times as expensive). They are however, open cup, so leak sound and don't provide any noise isolation, which may be a deal-breaker.

I've been doing research and notice that people recommend the HD 598s. I noticed that they're a bit old though. I was hoping someone can direct me to something newer and better.

Honestly, unlike PC hardware, headphones don't improve very quickly, and older stuff tends to still be decent. I wouldn't worry about the age of them.

Also, I was wondering if I should buy a soundcard (sound blaster Z) or an amplifier to get the full experience out of the headphones. Or should my onboard be good enough (Z97x G5 Gigabyte MoBo)

Personally, I've found the onboard audio on my motherboard (Realtek ALC1150) to be really rather good. You might be better off getting a USB DAC, rather than a sound card ...

What USB DAC do you recommend for the HD 598

 

[ssddx]

doesnt matter if the hd598 is old, its a good design and certainly competes perfectly fine in todays market. that does not mean it is right for you of course (depending on taste in audio) but its a good all-rounder.

i'll be brief here until you fill us in on some details.

first read a few threads i've answered before https/www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=tomshardware%20ssddx%20headphones%20headset

answer what kind of sound you like in a headphone, country, needs (such as if you need virtual surround) and comfort/fit issues (ear size etc).

how to drive headphones depends on which ones you get and what features you need. again, you need to be more specific.

do yourself a huge favor and do not try to rush this and get an answer in 1 or two posts. read through some of the threads i have answered, see what information was given, what questions were asked and fill us in on the details. even things like country of origin are extremely important as they affect pricing.

 

[martinch]

What USB DAC do you recommend for the HD 598

I just use the onboard audio (Realtek 1150), as it's good enough for my purposes. I generally tend to see people say if you're looking at a sound card, you might as well look at a DAC, as they're likely better. I'm afraid I can't recommend any for that reason - you're probably better off asking on an audio forum like Head-Fi.

 

[ssddx]

@martinch

that really depends on the situation as to what setup is better as both offer different advantages and disadvantages. in any case there are certainly users here who are familiar with audio and can make those recommendations. while head fi is certainly a great place for information, unless you have an idea what you're looking for the answers on there can be hard to sort through and they are not as receptive to people asking basic questions.

you might want to read over some posts just like i told the op.. you can learn a bit about external dac, dac+amp and soundcards in case you are unfamiliar with them. for reference, a dac is a digital to analog converter. an amplifier boosts the signal. all soundcards are basically a dac+amp with software attached. the difference between "soundcard" and "dac+amp" units? generally headphone dac-amp units are 2.0 stereo only and do not have software attached for things like virtual surround and do not have things like mic inputs. they can be good or bad depending on the cans you pick and your needs