Looking for some open back headphones around ~$150

Dingleberg

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Sep 21, 2012
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Budget: ~$150

Music preferences: High bitrate classic rock, some rap, a little dubstep.

Type/form-factor: over ear

Open or closed: open

Listening from: atr-2500 microphone output

Details: I create ads for my company and I prefer to have live feedback of my voice, so I use the output on my microphone. If you have any other ideas, please let me know. I am all ears. Also csgo is a daily thing so I need dat dank footstep booster
 
Solution
if you want something more tailored to gaming the ad-700x perhaps. wide soundstage, good treble/mids focus but very little bass depth. if you want something general use then perhaps the hd558 or hd598 which are a good jack of all trades with neutral sound signature. not sure how much power is output from the atr's jack but you might want/need an amp in line there after the mic output. i would try without one first though and only get one if you feel its needed.
if you want something more tailored to gaming the ad-700x perhaps. wide soundstage, good treble/mids focus but very little bass depth. if you want something general use then perhaps the hd558 or hd598 which are a good jack of all trades with neutral sound signature. not sure how much power is output from the atr's jack but you might want/need an amp in line there after the mic output. i would try without one first though and only get one if you feel its needed.
 
Solution

Dingleberg

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Sep 21, 2012
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I've been thinking about the hd598 and I've gotten to test them as well. I like how they sound quite a lot. Do you know of any sort of amp that would provide me with a live microphone feedback? Actually, it may not be an amp that I'm looking for. Just something that I could plug my mic and headphones into that would provide that functionality.
 
since the atr2500 is usb, it is not compatible with mixers/audio interfaces so to get true live input you need to use the supplied 3.5mm output. if you went direct from pc you could use "listen to this device" to hear yourself in your headphones however on some systems there is lag while on others there is not.

as i stated before, i would try without an amplifier as they are not very hard headphones to drive but if you have problems like low volume levels, tinny sounding or other similar issues an amplifier like the fiio a3 is a good budget product.

the diagram to connect would be mic 3.5mm output -> amp -> headphones if you were using one.
 

Dingleberg

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Sep 21, 2012
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What's your opinion on the akg q701? It's only a little bit more expensive and I don't want to miss out on a better deal just because of a few bucks.
 
overall a good headphone, with caveats.

wide soundstage like the ad-series. fairly neutral. not terribly bassy but certainly more so than the ad series. signature leans towards treble, mids with a bit lesser of bass like the ad series. overall fairly respectable specs.

now for the not so good part: they absolutely need good equipment and a good amplifier paired with them or they will sound like crap. they are a bit picky in that regard. also, if you have poor quality audio recordings they will rip it to pieces and sound like crap. if you're running on good equipment with good quality files then hey will sound great. the q701 is generally a love it or hate it type of product.


 

Dingleberg

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Sep 21, 2012
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I just got my hd598s and I can say they are not loud at all with my system. I will be purchasing a cheap amp and will update you with any change.
 

Dingleberg

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Sep 21, 2012
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Just got the 598s and I definitely notice they are tinny and quiet. I have a bit more money I can spend on an amp, but I want an amp I won't have to upgrade on my next set if possible. Will ~$130 be alright for an amp like that?
 
tinny and quiet is definitely a symptom of not having enough power to drive headphones. you are correct in assuming an amplifier.

the hd598 is not hard to drive. even something like a fiio a3 is more than enough to drive them.

if you wanted to spend more or possibly use it with other headphones in the future then the schiit magni is an excellent amplifier. powerful and very transparent. its a bit overkill for the hd598 but certainly a quality product if you wanted to invest in one. it can power pretty much most of what you would ever get into. it is transparent, which while a good thing doesnt warm up any cool sounding headphones (some people like a warm amplifier which makes everything a bit more warm and bassy) but this comes down to taste and some of that you can adjust with eq.
 

Dingleberg

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Sep 21, 2012
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I was talking to Z Reviews on youtube. He recommended me to get the SMSL SD793-II. I can plug my SMSL 50w speaker amp into it so I don't have to split my outputs.
 
no idea about the quality of that thing. could be good for the money or not so good. you're on your own there as for researching it, reading reviews and making that call yourself.

magni 2 uber has l/r outputs i know. i think the normal magni 2 doesnt.