Best headphones for +/- R3k?

[Sm00thSm0k3]

As the titles suggests, I'm shopping around for a new set of cans having not owned any for a couple of years now. My last pair were the Sennheiser HD569's which were relatively good until the synthetic coating on the headband and earcups started flaking off like black dust shortly after the warranty expired.

After a fair bit of research I initially narrowed it down to the Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro's or the Audio-Technica ATH-M50X's however today someone suggested that I should also consider the Sennheiser HD560S's. They are slightly more expensive but (according to him) they're superior to both the M50X's and DT770's in terms of sound quality/sound reproduction and have have much better stereo imaging/sound-staging because they are open back.

Looking at reviews the HD560S's have been extremely well received and are getting a lot of praise from various tech reviewers so they've also been added to my shortlist.

Any suggestions/recommendations on these cans or any others that I've not mentioned would be most helpful.

 

[Switch]

the headband and earcups started flaking off like black dust shortly after the warranty expired.

Assuming your headset isn't too old, there are 3rd party replacements of varying quality for earcups and maybe the headband.

 

[TicTac]

I got ATH-M50X's on Thursday and they're as great as everyone says. Definitely worth the buy imo!

 

[Kamikaze]

I can't comment on the HD560S's as I've never experienced them. However, if you were to choose between the ATH-M50X and DT770 Pro's I'd choose the latter. I own a pair of DT990s and I've listened to the ATH-M50X and DT770. The ATH-M50X is bass heavy and the DT770 is more neutral. I enjoyed the DT770 more as it sounded clearer throughout the frequency range. If you want soundstage, consider the DT990s rather.

 

[TollieKop]

The Fidelio X2HRs are amazing for the price. Extremely comfortable and amazing soundstage as well as deep bass without adding muddiness to it

Only other headphone I had that were objectively better were $600 planar magnetics.
I was comparing the HD599 and HD598 side-by-side with the X2HR at the time - the X2HR won in almost all senses, whilst costing less than the Sennies

*Also had the ATH-M50X at the time. Wasn't a competitor against the HD598/HD599/X2HR at the price. Closed back and too boomy. The X2HR is open back yet I got all the bass reproduction I needed to mix and master my music properly.
Tested the songs at 110% volume cranked [multiple headphones] (after mastering with the X2HR) ) without distortion so I trust the X2HRs neutrality

*Also, all mentioned are great, I just got the best from the X2HR - say 94% rating
HD599 close with an 87% rating

https://www.amazon.com/Philips-X2HR-Over-Ear-Open-Air-Headphone/dp/B01N5VHLUG

 

[goldfritter]

To add to what @Kamikaze and @Grizzle have said, the Beyerdynamic DT-series comes in three variants: the DT770, which is closed-back; the DT990, which is open-back; and the DT880, which is "semi-open." Other than the open-ness of their backs, they are all the same under the hood.

I.e. if you're looking at that specific price range, and you want open-backs, you don't need to ante up to the HD 560S; you can get the DT990, which is likely to be in the same realm as the Sennie in terms of quality. And, if you want my opinion, open-backs are worth it for the soundstage, unless you listen to music somewhere noisy, or if it's very important that as little sound as possible escapes from your cans while you listen.

That said... Get the Fidelio X2HR. They're a bit less than R 3k on Amazon, shipped to your door: https://www.amazon.com/Philips-X2HR-Over-Ear-Open-Air-Headphone/dp/B01N5VHLUG/ref=sr_1_3

 

[TollieKop]

Shameless plug

X2HR low budget alternative

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ENMK1DW/

 

[dash09]

Any particular music that you mainly listen to? Do you have any dac/amp setup or do you want something that will just run straight from source? What is the source?

 

[Sm00thSm0k3]

Thanks for the responses all. Much appreciated.

Any particular music that you mainly listen to? Do you have any dac/amp setup or do you want something that will just run straight from source? What is the source?

I have a broad musical palette but mostly rock/metal with the occasional Techno/Electronic stuff and 70s/80s pop/rock.

Aside from music though I also plan to game with the cans so they must do both jobs fairly well.

As for a DAC/Amp, my plan was to purchase one at the same time as the headphones but trying to figure out which one is the best bang for buck is a damn mission on it's own. My current shortlist is:

Schiit Fulla E
FiiO E10K (but lacks a microphone jack)
FiiO K3 Type-C (also no microphone jack)
Creative Sound BlasterX G6 (but knowing how Creative operate I'm weary of them dropping future software support when they release a newer/better model)

There are probably other good DAC/Amps I may have overlooked but these are the ones that stood out to me.

In the interim I may have to run the headphones off of my onboard "SupremeFX" sound.😝

 

[goldfritter]

As for a DAC/Amp, my plan was to purchase one at the same time as the headphones but trying to figure out which one is the best bang for buck is a damn mission on it's own. My current shortlist is:

Schiit Fulla E
FiiO E10K (but lacks a microphone jack)
FiiO K3 Type-C (also no microphone jack)
Creative Sound BlasterX G6 (but knowing how Creative operate I'm weary of them dropping future software support when they release a newer/better model)

There are probably other good DAC/Amps I may have overlooked but these are the ones that stood out to me.

In the interim I may have to run the headphones off of my onboard "SupremeFX" sound.😝

Some thoughts.

- Why do you need a mic jack on your DAC/amp? You can just plug your mic directly into the motherboard (or if you're using a USB mic then it doesn't matter anyway).
- E10K is a very good entry-level DAC/amp easily available in SA, and is difficult to beat for the price. The next step up I'd consider is the iFi Zen DAC (can also get in SA). But that tier is quite saturated and there are lots of opinions there.
- All of that said, with headphones, the headphones themselves have the largest impact on quality. Then amp, then DAC. So if you get the headphones themselves first and use them with motherboard audio for a bit, that is fine.

 

[dash09]

Thanks for the responses all. Much appreciated.



I have a broad musical palette but mostly rock/metal with the occasional Techno/Electronic stuff and 70s/80s pop/rock.

Aside from music though I also plan to game with the cans so they must do both jobs fairly well.

As for a DAC/Amp, my plan was to purchase one at the same time as the headphones but trying to figure out which one is the best bang for buck is a damn mission on it's own. My current shortlist is:

Schiit Fulla E
FiiO E10K (but lacks a microphone jack)
FiiO K3 Type-C (also no microphone jack)
Creative Sound BlasterX G6 (but knowing how Creative operate I'm weary of them dropping future software support when they release a newer/better model)

There are probably other good DAC/Amps I may have overlooked but these are the ones that stood out to me.

In the interim I may have to run the headphones off of my onboard "SupremeFX" sound.😝

So 95% of the time I listen to old school rock and metal. I found open back ideal for this. Not to say closed isn't good, an open sounds better to my ears for cymbals/hihats, I also find open to have more separation compared to closed being a bit muddled together (to my ears), think of some early dream theatre tracks with fast bass drums and cymbals plus the keyboard blasting all at the same time, I can identify each better with open. The best advice is to test both and decide what sounds right for you.
Open is excellent for gaming.

The m50x is a great set but its very v shaped, good for some hip hop or a bit of doef doef. For pop/soft rock its clean enough without losing too much detail. Female vocals sound great. The m40x is a bit more of an all rounder imo, consider this as an option.

Cant comment on the beyers because I dont have much experience with them, I know they do have an open back dt, not sure which model it is though.

You dont necessarily need a mic jack on the amp, just buy cheapo usb mic. Either fiio will do the job, creative looks very decent but like you mentioned the software support is the issue. M50/40 wouldn't need an amp, will sound cleaner with 1 but not required to run it. I believe the beyers need some juice but nothing excessive.

I have experience with sennheisers so I will always recommend them, many models to choose from

 

[Kamikaze]

Something to look at perhaps - https://carbonite.co.za/index.php?t...mic-dt770-pro-80-ohm-headphones-black.426688/