Looking for headphones exclusively for home and computer use ($100-200)

[thezooloomaster]

I'd like to get a decent pair of cans that I will only be using at home, and probably only on my PC. I have no amp/dac, nor a dedicated sound card at the moment.

I've been comparing various Beyerdynamic DT series, and realised that some people seem to favour the dt770 over the others because they are closed and bleed less, but I will be listening in a mostly quiet environment, and without the need of sound privacy.
Simply put: if open headphones provide superior sound quality than closed ones, then I would rather get the former.

dt770, 880, 990 and all their variants come with different levels of impedance, and if I understand correctly higher impedance models don't reach their full potential using integrated soundcards on motherboards.

N.B.: I'm not a Beyerdynamic fanboy, so if there's a better choice elsewhere, please say so.

 

[shotgunz]

Simply put: if open headphones provide superior sound quality than closed ones, then I would rather get the former.

Open headphones have better sound quality in almost all aspects compared to closed when in a quiet enviroment. Most the popular $750+ headphones are open back.

Beyerdynamic's DT880 generally is the most balanced sounding out of their DT series. I've heard it myself and found it quite enjoyable to listen to. I'd personally go for the 250ohm version which still sounds fine out of onboard while letting you improve it with an amp later on.

There's also the usual Sennheiser HD558/HD598 recommendation which are more comfortable for users with bigger ears due to their deeper earcups.

This is just my observations as a HD598 owner, They sound slightly veiled compared to the DT880 but have a larger soundstage and better positional audio. I prefer the DT880 for music but HD598 for games. The sub bass is audible on DT880 while HD598 somewhat struggles with it. It's easier to listen to a HD598 though since the bass and treble are rolled off while the DT880's bass isn't as rolled off and it's treble is quite pronounced. A bit of EQ can fix these issues.

 

[RazerZ]

What is your onboard audio chipset? You can post your motherboard model if you're not sure. Do you have any problems with your onboard audio that you know of?

Open back headphones are usually better than closed back in terms of sound quality and if you have are using them just at home I would say that route would be a viable option. Closed back are usually better for bass quantity though you face problems like a limited sound stage and reverberation due to the design.

I own the 770 PRO and have tried the 990 PRO. The 990 PROs are more detailed but have more of a v shaped sound which some like and others hate. In the end it is all about finding a headphone which sound sig best fits your taste. You might find that some headphones are better than others at a certain genre, but for now stick with one headphone that can do it all.

It is not so much as full potential as the volume itself. If you're onboard audio can't drive the headphones to enjoyable volumes you would need to start looking for a headphone amplifier. If the DAC is no good and has problems like channel imbalance, static, crackling, etc. a new DAC would also be called for. The main advantage soundcards offer compared to a dedicated amp or DAC or a dac and amp like a Fiio E10k is virtual surround sound. Again it comes to personal preference. Most games have their own audio engines which can give a sense of surround sound just fine though some people would prefer using virtual surround sound software.

At that price range there is certainly a good amount of choices available. Have you tried any headphones in that price range before? If so what what did you think of them?

If you could give us the genres you listen to as well as any sound preferences (bear with me)...such as either a fun and exciting sound or more mellow and laid back it would help out both you and me.

 

[thezooloomaster]

What is your onboard audio chipset? You can post your motherboard model if you're not sure. Do you have any problems with your onboard audio that you know of?


If you could give us the genres you listen to as well as any sound preferences (bear with me)...such as either a fun and exciting sound or more mellow and laid back it would help out both you and me.

My motherboard is ancient and low/mid-range: Gigabyte EP45-UD3R with a Realtek 889A.

I listen to anything and everything, from ambient and classical to hip-hop and chip tunes.