Looking for recommendations for good sub-€200 headphones

[Thijsieh]

Hi there,

I'm looking for some new headphones and I am planning to spend big (for my doing) for some decent ones this time. I currently have the Logitech G230 that I find to be rather uncomfortable around the headband. And it sounds very mediocre, even my €20 philips earbuds sound better.

I am looking for Over-ear headphones for music movie and gaming (good positional sound would be great) at home. I would prefer headphones that have a very good bass response instead of very flat and neutral ones. I plan on using them for many hours straight so comfort is top priority for me, together with sound quality ofcourse. I find the design less important because I will be using them almost exclusively at home. (prefer my in-ears outside)

I've looked at:
- Audio Technica ATH-M50X
- Audio Technica AD-AG1 Gaming Headset (Can pick them up for €180, I think this may be a good choice?? They appear to be very comfortable.)
- Sennheiser HD 558/598 (Worried about the too flat sound signature)
- Bayerdynamics DT series (Don't have a DAC/AMP or anything like that)
- Sony XB950BT (Worried about the comfort after many hours from what I've read in reviews)

I lack a lot of knowledge about audio so I'm really unsure about what would be the best choice for me.

Recommendations and advice would be really appreciated,

Thijs

 

[ssddx]

unless you are an absolute basshead, you do not want a sony xtra bass headphone as they are bloated and lose clarity on highs.

while the m50x is good, the dt770 is better in all regards for not much more cost generally.

adg1 is based on the ad700x headphone which is incredibly bass light.

while the558/598 are not bad headphones, it seems like you are looking for something a bit more bassy than what they offer.

--

want bass but not so much to completely distort the rest of the audio stream? (bassy headphone compared with bass cannon class headphone) then i'd look at beyerdynamics dt770 or dt990. prices in europe are good too compared with the rest of the choices you have.

heres an example of how they compare in terms of audio signature. the 770 is bassier with more pronounced v-shaped signature while the 990 is a little less pronounced in bass (but still strong) and with less of a v-shape. the 770 is closed (sound isolating, less soundstage but still great for closed cans) while the 990 is open (sound leaking, wide soundstage). the 770-80 is the most bassy while the 770-250 is a bit more refined. if you went 990 you want the 250 pro.

amps like the fiio a3 or e09k would work well and will give a warmer sound to them without breaking the bank. the schiit magni is a good amp as well however due to being transparent will retain the coldness of the dt's (most people like to warm them up with a warm amp). technically you could use a soundcard like the creative z instead.

 

[Thijsieh]

Thanks a lot for your advice!

The DT-770 Pro is available for around €140 here in 32/80/250 ohm editions.

How you explain that they have good bass but don't distort the rest of the stream definitely sounds appealing to me. The problem is the amp, the ones you mentioned are unfortunately not available where I live. I wonder if I could use the on-board sound card of my P8P67 motherboard, or that there are other alternatives that will not make me go over €200. I see that FiiO does sell the E06 for €32, maybe that would work?

 

[ssddx]

as i mentioned before the soundblaster z soundcard would work.dt770.

the fiio e06 is a bit light for the 80 or 250. maybe the 32 but that model is not as nice as the others.

 

[Thijsieh]

Allright, I ordered the dt770 80 and I'm going to try to look for a shop where I can test soundcards like the soundblaster before I buy any.

Thanks!