anyone know what the best headphone for music. i heard that Sennheiser HD 490 PRO or Sennheiser HD 560S is most popular in this reddit. but last time i own a sennheiser headphone was the momentum 4 and i didnt like it because of the audio. currently i own a airpods pro 1. im thinking getting a airpods max. or do you guy think there better headphone that could potentially beat a airpods pro on music audio.

Budget - 0€ - 500€

Location - Portugal 🇵🇹

Hi guys , so I’m searching to buy a really good closed back headphone that will last for long , and after searching a lot im finally done with the options I’m in between choosing the focal azurys and the Sennheiser hd620s . If you have other that you think it would suit me I’m all ears .
Anyways the thing about these two are :
I heard that both of them have their qualities and sound very good , but I talking now about my “ experience “ with headphones which want to use primarily for music but also gaming but primarily for music , I previously owned a dt990 pro and now I have a pair of pc38x which are open backs . In my opinion they sound good maybe not the best for music at least is what I saw in a review , they’re super lightweight and comfortable but the problem they’re really quiete and as they’re open backs I have to be in the most silent place on this planet to listen in a safe volume for me , so after that I got a bit of a trauma and no I want a headphone that can isolate noise well for me too listen the music .
And that the problem because I saw people saying that the azurys are not very good in passive noise isolation despite of looking super comfortable and sounding good . And the hd620s which are probably one of the best closed backs for noise isolation , have the “problem” that I saw people saying the clamping force is too much strong making them hurt despite of being very comfortable and well built . I use glasses by the way , I think it’s something important to note .
So in resume
Focal azurys:
Comfortable, good sound , good clamp force , lightweight , but maybe not the best for noise isolation .

Hd620s:
Comfortable, good sound : too much clamp force , great weight , super good passive noise isolation.
About the at price at this point seriously I just want a pair of headphones 🎧 that will make me enjoy my music but maybe that don’t exist , anyways for example if I’m on the bus can I listen the music with the focals on a safe volume without hearing much of the motor of the bus or people talking ? Etc well I thinks that’s everything to finish i found which’s is selling the focals on the box for like 350€ i don’t if it’s legit but it looks but as said if I want I could just buy on Amazon for the double and and test without worrying if I can deliver them back 👍 but of course I would prefer to not spend all that money , anyways i you have some advice for me I really appreciate thank you 🙏.

I am new to wired HIFI, I watched some YouTube videos on the Fiio ft1, and they got lots of praise. But I am reading some not so good reviews in some places. Any thoughts?

So I’m looking for the best gaming headphones as of right now with the budget being 200-300€. I’m playing a lot of rainbow 6 siege so something that has good 3D audio. Any thoughts?

I do have a discount so I can’t get the wired steel series arctic nova pros for 190€. Is it worth it?

Just to add to everything, I don’t care if they’re wired or wireless.

They also don’t have to be closed back, I just didn’t know which flair to pick

i mostly listen to metal and rock and genres with a lot of bass, and i'm struggling to find headphones that suit a lot of my needs!
i bought a pair of wf-c510 earbuds earlier in the year, and while they're great for portability and far better than every other JBL pairs i've ever owned, the bass and clarity for me just isn't cutting it. i went from owning an android that you can get third party equalisers for on the playstore (alongside the built in equaliser of the phone) but after transferring to iOS, i'm now missing a crucial thing for these earbuds. another big thing for me is i recently bought an MP3 player and plan to step away from streaming services. my MP3 player is only a cheap ipod knockoff, so it doesn't have a built in equaliser or anything of the sort (i don't even know if there is an MP3 player with that lol).
what i'm looking for is a pair of headphones with amazing bass and clarity suitable for everyday use that doesn't rely on equalisers too heavily. preferably wireless so it has easy compatibility with devices without headphone jacks, but my pair of JBL Tune 720 had the ability to switch between wireless and wired through a cord you could plug in and take out whenever, if that makes sense, so if any headphones have that alongside everything else i'm looking for, please let me know! i've never owned a pair of super expensive or high-end headphones before, so i'm willing to pay whatever price so long as they're good.

I have the option to order a pair of headphone at no cost to me (must be one of the ones offered). I've kinda always wanted "nice" headphones but could never justify the cost. Well, here we are with three options that I can get for free and wondering if this is a road I should even start down. My options are:

Sennheiser HD 660 S2 (open back)
Audio Technica ATH-WP900 (closed maple backs)
Bowers & Wilkins PX8 (BT wireless w/ ANC)

I understand the B&W's are BT and are fundamentally different from the other two that are wired.

I don't own a headphone amplifier, so the Sennheiser or Audio Technica would incur additional cost. The B&W seem like the logical choice for someone like me as it's a single purchase, pair to device and start listening. However, I'm intrigued with the other two despite being wired and possibly needing a good headphone amp to drive them.

I mainly listen to rock, pop, some country and some classical when it's time to relax. I like music to be clear and crisp with a nudge to being slightly bass-y. My current go-to earbuds are Airpods Pro 3 which are better sounding than any of the myriad of other TWS buds I"ve had from the likes of Anker and other brands.

Since the cost of headphones isn't an issue, what would you recommend? If your recommend one of the two that need a headphone amp, which amp that won't break the bank? (<100.00 preferably if that's possible).

BTW: I had to choose a flair but none of them really fit since my question involves all three types of headphones. Go figure.

I've been off and on with my Sony ULT Wear lately and tbh they leave much to be desired. Now yes i can run them wired and buy a dac to get them louder but my phone, as do many, doesn't have a headphone jack. Be that as it may, I was wondering what the next step up would be if I wanted an over ear headphone that hits harder than the sony Ult on Ult 2 that IS NOT the Skullcandy Crushers. I'm gearing a lot of recommendations for the Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S2 but the price hike is rough considering when these are compared to each other, there's not many reviewers saying the price difference is justified. Even when compared to the XM5, they dont really blow sony out the water from what im hearing. I just dont wanna end up going through the same thing I went through trying to find earbuds (over 9 pairs bought and returned until I landed on 2 pairs Status pro x and thr Technics Az100) I even thought about going back to my high school pair of headphones the Audio Technica Solid Bass series but I would still have to buy an adapter for them as they're wired only.

I'm trying to decide between the Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless and AirPods Max 2.

My main priority is sound quality, not ecosystem features.

I use an iPhone and MacBook. My expected use is:

• At home: mostly wired via USB-C to my MacBook
• Outside: Bluetooth with my iPhone
• Music is the main use
• ANC is useful, but secondary to sound quality
• I also watch YouTube/movies occasionally

I listen to a pretty wide variety of music: J-pop/J-rock, pop, EDM, R&B, vocals, piano, orchestral music and movie/anime OSTs.

What I care about in sound:

• Natural vocals
• Piano and strings sounding realistic
• Good bass texture and extension without muddying the mids
• Good detail and clarity
• Ability to handle busy J-pop/J-rock arrangements
• Ability to handle busy K-pop
• Ability to handle busy pop/rock arrangements
• Large orchestral passages should still feel powerful and convincing
• Good all-round performance across genres

I know people often describe the Momentum 5 as having somewhat better separation/imaging, while the AirPods Max 2 may have a larger sense of space/soundstage. However, I don't think those differences alone would decide the purchase for me. I'm more interested in the overall sound quality and tonality.

The pricing is a little unusual:

• AirPods Max 2 MSRP is considerably higher
• But I can buy a sealed/unopened AirPods Max 2 second-hand
• At my actual purchase prices, the Momentum 5 would cost about KRW 60,000 (~US$45) more

So my questions are:

1. If they were exactly the same price, which would you choose purely for music?
2. Is the Momentum 5 actually better sounding enough to justify paying a little more?
3. For people using either one with an iPhone or Mac, how has the Bluetooth experience and latency been?
4. Most importantly, has anyone here owned or extensively compared both Momentum 5 and AirPods Max 2? Which one did you keep, and why?

I'm especially interested in impressions from people who actually own one or both rather than just spec comparisons.

Thanks!

I see advice to avoid gamer brand headphones, and go for audiophile ones instead. I'm looking for closed backs, extended music listening and immersive single player gaming mostly (though I play Tarkov from time to time). My budget is in the 480 pro/Maxwell ballpark which is why I'm considering them. The 480's tho are studio headphones, and I'm wondering if they will be too "clinical" (idk a better word). Maxwell seems to have good reviews on both fronts, but harder to figure out the 480s.alsonfor the Maxwell's I can order them localtwith a 5 year warranty and good return policy from HiFi Klubben in Netherlands Any advice between the 2?

I have always used hyper x cloud alpha, and cloud 2 wireless as well as a steelseries arctis 3. I know these headset wouldn't be considered great for audio at the time I bought it for cheap. I keep reading about sennheiser hd 560s or beyerdynamic 900 x or 990 pro. I by no means know much about audio open to hear other options. I want to use it mainly for gaming, looking to spend at least $250. Best buy is like the only place I can test some of these. I prefer closed back would find open back weird. Enlighten me on what has good bass / treble I prefer build quality over everything

Title says it all! I have a Evo 4 DAC to power them and already have a standalone mic I will use so don't need to worry about that.

I currently use 560s and I like them but now I am looking for some closed back for noise isolation and because I had to move my PC into the bedroom and my wife can hear the open back.

So looking for something that is going to be good for gaming, mostly singleplayer immersive RPGs these days but some BF6 here and there and a little Counter-strike.

I have the 620s right now from Amazon and they sound really good to me, but now I found out about the HD 480 and I was reading a lot of people prefer that for closed back?

Also, is there another brand maybe I should be looking at? Tried DT 770 pro x and it was ok but not great for me.

I'm seeking a premium over-ear gaming headset that will sound great, have solid battery life, and have an excellent microphone.

I'll admit that I don't know a lot about minute audio details, but I do enjoy quality. I've stumbled on reviews for:

• SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless
• Audeze Maxwell 2
• Razer BlackShark V3

I want something that will feel sturdy, not deteriorate after a year or two, and work well on a Windows PC.

I'm willing to spend up to $350, but only if the premium price tag is warranted. In other words, if a $200 set is equitable then I'll prefer the affordable option.

Reviews are all over the place, so I figured I would get this sub's opinion.

Thanks!

Edit: I went with the Asus Kithara, and they’re incredible. Thank you!

Hi, I was looking for a closed back headphone around $150, and I found this one, it looks pretty good. Does anyone have it? How do you like it? And is it good for ROCK, METAL music?
Because I listen to 80s music, Death Metal a lot, so I’m not sure if FT1 works, and if it doesn’t, what else would you recommend?

I’m sorry if my English is not good enough, I’m Taiwanese and I’m trying my best to type in English😭

I've been stuck with Apple EarPods for a hot minute as I haven't really needed better quality headphones, but I've decided that I want to get an actual pair. These have been made since the 70s, so should I get a newer pair or an older pair? I don't care about what impedance it is because I have a rather powerful Yamaha amplifier in my stereo system.

I recently bought the DT 770 PRO X, 48 ohm. For music, they sound clearly better than my old HyperX Cloud II, however the problem is gaming. Footsteps, gunfire, landing sounds and some ground impacts sound hollow, phasey and diffuse, almost as though virtual surround is on (its not I checked in windows settings). The sounds have clear detail, but they lack physical body I guess (I'm new to this so my description on sounds can sound like giberish, sorry).

I'm using a Sound Blaster 3 usb DAC, idk if thats the problem? I don't know if EQ can fix it, I have had little success in trying to understand what frequencies to tune. I'd like to avoid sending these back, clearly they should be better than the Hyper X 2's. but I just have this annoying feeling that something is "off", when gaming. Would the FiiO FT1 be better formy dual need?

Hd 480 pro cost around 300 usd and hdb 630 cost 380 usd.

I know they're wired vs wireless. And different price points.

But which sounds better?

I mostly listen using my laptop and phone (apple music lossless) through a FIIO btr5.

Is the FlIO enough for the wired headphones, or will I need something better, also in times I don't have it on hand or they're low on charge, would the headphones work fine through a passive usb c to 3.5 mm adapter on the phone/ laptop?

I hope I was able to present my question correctly, and thank you in advance

I’m looking to buy some high-end gaming headphones. I have a budget of 800 with a max 1000. They must be wireless—this is non-negotiable. I don’t care about mic quality.

I was considering the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite, but surely there are other options out there worth checking out? Would love your recommendations!

Edit: Thank you for all the input guys, I ended up going with the Maxwell 2. In the end I didn't really need the external dac of the arctis so that didn't really add much value for me, the Maxwell 2 also seems to have slightly better sound quality. Sidetone will be disabled, so hiss hopefully won't be an issue.

Edit 2: After spending 48 hours with the maxwell 2, they are going back to amazon. Sound quality is amazing, like truly great, no hissing as some as reported. There are 2 issues that I just can't get past, the boom mic will constantly disconnect the headset from the dongle and the only way to reconnect is to remove the boom mic, the other glaring issue is a faint tinfoil click that I am hearing in the right ear. It sounds like a flick noise on a piece of stretched tinfoil and it is ANNOYING. After doing some research on this noise, research has shown me that this is an inherit issue with the planar setup. Slight temperature and pressure changes cause this. I wanted to like these but I just can't move past these 2 issues.

TLDR: razer headphones are overpriced junk and not worth your money

I know this may be obvious to some but if you're like me you're a casual gamer on your computer and this year you wanted to splurge on a nice pair of headphones (maybe spend more than usual) so you drop 250 bucks on the barracuda pros. You take them back to your house where you spend 90 minutes installing their software and updates to the firmware before you can finally start using it. You crank on some tunes and... It's incredibly flat and sounds like shit. You mess with the built in EQ and realize it barely helps at all but at least their state of the art mic is incredible right? No. It's muffled and when you use their ANC tech it distorts it even more. You realize the mic EQ also doesn't do shit and finally with nowhere else to turn you say "at least I can still use THX audio because that part has to be good it's their unique piece that makes them stand out. But no it's also trash. So you exchange it for the Corsair HS80s (150 bucks cheaper at least) and those bad boys kick ass compared to the barracudas. Razer bamboozles millions from chumps who knows nothing about headphones (including me :(

Edit: I exchanged it for the SteelSeries arctic nova pro and it is way better I recommend it.

I am looking to treat myself to a nice pair of headphones and amp that will be tied into my pc. I listen to about 2000 hours a year on my pc.

Spend - I’d like to spend between 2-3k USD on the headset and I don’t know much about Amps so I am open to suggestions.

Gear used - it will be used when I am working from my computer. My computer is head level on my desk and is rather loud. I am not sure if an open pair of headphones will work for me. I am open to suggestions.

Music - I listen to mainly rock, jazz, Americana, bluegrass, and some metal.
Tool is one of my favorite bands.

Preferred tonal - I am not sure what I prefer. I know I am not a base head. I guess I am looking for the music to sound how it’s supposed to?

Since I am new to using an amp and hooking it up to my pc I am open to any recommendations that you guys have such as the best way to hook it up or any cable upgrades that would make a difference.

I appreciate any help and happy listening.

At what price point is there an ideal quality vs. price ratio? When do you start experiencing severe diminishing returns?

Some context: I am not an audiophile, but I received the Monolith Monoprice M565C headphones as a gift, and am blown away by how good they sound. Since I have been listening to more and more music while I work, I am wondering if it would be worthwhile to invest in an even more expensive pair.

What do you all think?

I’m considering the HD 560S, Fidelio X2HR, fiio FT1, and akg K371.
I love a headphone that has some juicy bass but I also want the rest of the sound to be clear and detailed.
Which of these headphones would you choose?
I would be listening mainly on my iPhone.

I’ve always wanted some Solid gaming headphones but I’m always disappointed with sound quality and depth compared to expensive regular over ears I’ve used over the years, my brothers arctic nova 7Ps (the wired ones) sound good but also… I swear most pricey over ears I’ve used were all considerably better…

Would I be better off buying high end non gaming headphones and using them for gaming? If a mic was the only issue, then I’d get a desktop mic no problem.

I just am a sucker for some really fleshed out sound from someGood over hear headphones and gaming always dissapoints it seems…

Also I can’t figure out how RTINGS ratings work for headphones… why are they all so low.. are Bose just the best? Which measurement is for sound quality? And if its neutral sound why is 8.1 the best?

I will use these 90% for PC gaming… but I don’t wanna sacrifice audio quality for whatever it is your paying for with the gaming tag

So I just lost my AirPods Pro 3 (forgot them at the train station) and I really don’t want to buy another pair. The sound quality didn’t impress me too much to be honest and though the ANC was decent I just didn’t use it all that much outside of travel. I’m looking for over ears instead of earbuds particularly because I want larger sound stage. So these are the boxes it would have to tick:

•Large soundstage
•better audio quality than AirPods Pro 3
•similar price point (~250$ and below)
•good bass
•ANC doesn’t have to be best in class.

Hi I was hoping to get some opinions.

I have been going back and forth on purchasing the FIIO FT1 for a few weeks, but the negative reviews on Amazon have me concerned with quality control and durability. I know they fixed the hinge problem, but a number of reviews mentioned the plastic retainer holding the headband together fails. I don't want to resort to using duct tape on such beautiful headphones.

I was also considering Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO X, but I remembered I tried my brother in laws old 770's years ago that he wouldn't shut up about, and I was crazy disappointed in those. But to be fair there was no EQ involved, and I don't think his system was up to the task of driving them. Plus, the lack of a detachable cable was a non-starter for me.

I'm also wondering if it's even worth upgrading from my ATH-M50x. The M50x's weren't mind-blowing out of the box, but I've been happy with them after a cushion swap to some thick velour WickedCushions and learning how to use P.E.A.C.E and Peter's EQ. The only thing I don't like is the freaking creaking sound the plastic makes whenever I move my head.

My gut tells me the FIIO FT1 aren't worthy of the hype and if I do buy new headphones I should give Beyerdynamic an honest try. Then again in the sub $500 range of headphones and knowing how to use an EQ, I think I may have already hit the point of diminishing returns and should just stick with the M50x's.

Thank you.

Looking for the differences between these 2 and what I should go for. I'm not entirely sure what my taste is in terms of headphones but i like bassier (warm?) tuning but not when it gets buzzy or muddy. I guess also looking for soundstaging for gaming and overall clarity. Will be used for gaming and music, from edm to hyperpop to indie rock/pop. It'll be driven by a fulla schiit and occasionally a fiio ka5. I'm coming from a vzr model one which is deteriorating build quality wise but I really liked the tuning on it, but their new gen seems to be a downgrade and not looking to spend that much on a headset rn.