What is the best headphone for my soundcard

Shaomon

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May 30, 2014
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4,510
I looked at multiple headphones including the hd650. dt 880, dt 990, hd 600 and the hd 558. I have tried the AK Q701 but those were too uncomfortable for me to wear for extended periods of time which is not good for gaming, so i had to return them. I looked at various forms with them saying that a AMP and DAC is required to truly get the sound out of high-end headphones. But i figured that since my sound card has a built in amplifier(Sound Blaster Z 5.1) that i can bypass buying a amp. Is the amp on my soundcard good enough for high ohm headphones?I also wonder out of these headphones which one will be better for sound card? Are there better headphones that complement my sound card more? I am looking for headphones that i can use for gaming and music equally that offer a great sound stage but also offer balanced and natural sounds.
 
Solution
the soundblaster Z supposedly supports up to 600ohm headphones. you should be fine.

an external dac and amp combo (such as a schiit magni and mogi) will offer generally a little better sound quality but thats likely nothing that you need to be concerned with.

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as far as what headphones to buy.... that depends on what kind of sound you like.

the sennheiser hd598 has a very wide soundstage and is used quite a bit for gaming because of it. generally considered to be comfortable as well. they are clear and have decent highs, however, they arent known for really deep bass. the bass is good enough for gaming but some types of music (dubstep, d&b, rap/r&b or any bass heavy music) might not sound as good as you may like if you like to...

nukemaster

Distinguished
Moderator
Your sound card has a headphone amp(and the sound card it self is the DAC) so you should not need another one.

They claim it is good for headphones upto 600ohm and I do not think you are going any higher than that anyway(sure line level into speakers could be 5-100k, but these are voltage devices not current.). You should be set for almost any headphones.

What is the "best" will be upto you. I mean everyone's ears are different and comfort level is also different. If a local shop has some on demo, it may be the best place to start.
 
the soundblaster Z supposedly supports up to 600ohm headphones. you should be fine.

an external dac and amp combo (such as a schiit magni and mogi) will offer generally a little better sound quality but thats likely nothing that you need to be concerned with.

--

as far as what headphones to buy.... that depends on what kind of sound you like.

the sennheiser hd598 has a very wide soundstage and is used quite a bit for gaming because of it. generally considered to be comfortable as well. they are clear and have decent highs, however, they arent known for really deep bass. the bass is good enough for gaming but some types of music (dubstep, d&b, rap/r&b or any bass heavy music) might not sound as good as you may like if you like to hear good bass output.

the beyerdynamic dt990pro may not have such a legendary soundstage as the 598 but its wide. they have more bass then them as well but no sub bass. high are definitely clear and crisp. beyers are known to be comfortable.

the audiotechnica ad700x has excellent soundstage but is known for very weak bass output.

if you wanted something with more bass output then you could try the closed headphones below. keep in mind that you would take a hit on soundstage. the previous headphones might seem balanced but i say they might be a little tipped towards highs since they arent capable of sub-bass.

the dt770pro-80ohm is well known to produce sub bass. if you like your bass but dont want to completely overpower or have muddled highs then this is a good choice. it has a somewhat small soundstage because its a closed design though. its a beyer so should be comfortable.

the ath-m50s are cheap and well known for good sub bass levels. they do have the smallest soundstage out of all the headphones here though. depending on your preferences this may or may not be an issue. i personally have a pair and use them and dont have an issue but to each their own. while highs are not super crisp or sibilent they are definitely decent. the headphones have a warm sound to them

if you wanted a headset type (if you dont already have a microphone) you might want to look at the beyerdynamic mmx 300 or sennheiser pc363d. both tend towards mids and highs without a huge amount of (but still some) bass and are known to be clear with good mics. they are however a bit pricey for what they are and a good modmic attached to the side of a standard headphone is $50-100 cheaper.

you might want to google "tomshardware ssddx headphone headset" and read some previous posts i've responded to. there is quite a bit of content in some of those.
 
Solution

Shaomon

Estimable
May 30, 2014
2
0
4,510
Well i would prefer headphones because i barely use a mic in games since i mostly play story based games.I also have a mic that comes with the sound card.