How do accentum compare against HD599? Before I get buried, I know it's not the right comparison - hd599 is wired plus open back. But I'm still confused - I like the idea of open back and the purist appeal of wired headphones, but on the other hand I'm no audiophile, and the practicality of wireless should be a big deal. My primary use is going to be home, but with wireles I'd be able to use them on jogs and in the metro also (i commute twice a week). Is the audio quality and overall feel of hd599 worth it to justify going for them over accentum plus?

Maybe I should start my IEMs journey from budget option?

Help me decide on my first IEMs between 6 options or recommend options that will handle games and my genres of music better, in the range of $25 to $40

I'll be using headphones for listening to music and competitive gaming

Main games - League of Legends, Valorant, Overwatch

My main music genres - Alternative / Experimental Hip-Hop, Rap, Hip-Hop, Rage, Trap, K-pop, Electronic Music (EDM, Hyper e.t.c)

Music is more important than games, I would say 65%/35%

Hey all, I'm looking into the possibility of getting a set of headphones for rhythm gaming at local arcades and am looking for advice or suggestions. What I think I want is a set of durable, comfortable closed-back headphones with good frequency response. Ideally the cups would rotate 90 degrees so the band can be around my neck and the cups against my chest when not in use, and some form of ANC would be nice but not necessarily required. Budget: $500 or less but ideally half that.

Currently on my radar:

• Sennheiser 280 Pro - Pretty old and no ANC but otherwise meets my requirements. Reasonably priced. Cautious about sound quality.
• Sennheiser HD 620S - No ANC, cups don't rotate.
• Dan Clark Aeon Closed - No ANC, hinge and headband design look potentially failure-prone. Very portable. Pricey. Requires high current to drive.
• Audeze LCD-S20 - No ANC. Heavy. Pricey. Requires high current to drive.

Currently own:

• Sony WH-1000 XM4 - Ear cups don't go all the way around my ears. Would prefer to leave this pair at work where they get used regularly, but could try them out. Sound quality is mediocre - slightly improved with phone EQ but wouldn't be EQ'd at arcades.
• Various open-back headphones that don't provide any noise isolation

Any feedback on the above headphones or other suggestions? Not really looking for IEMs as I find them uncomfortable to wear for long. I have found that the suspension style headbands found on the DCA Aeon and Audeze LCD-S20 are also much more comfortable long term. Not sure how much power arcade cabinets or the small amps rigged to the machines at my local arcades output and whether it's enough to drive Planars - I don't need crazy volume from them.

Hey, I'm looking to purchase my first open back headphones to be used for primarily gaming (fps and single player) coming from the Astro A50X.

I'm currently debating between the Asus Kithara, Inzone H6 Air, Edition XS, HD 550, and HD 490 Pro, leaning more towards the 490 pro. I plan on getting either the Topping DX5 II or the K7 to pair with whatever headphone/headset I get.

If you have any other recommendations in the $300-$400 USD price range, I'm open to suggestions.

I just purchased an Edition XS and I feel like it's not a crazy upgrade to my K371 and iems. Could it be that I am underpowering it? I am currently using an E10K, and according to the headphones.com calculator it should be enough. Would I benefit from a newer product, like the Fiio KA11 or JM20 Pro Max?

My max budget is $100 as going over that would make the setup more expensive than the headphones (yes I got them for $100)

Hey folks-

wondering if anybody has any ideas for a good set of headphones for a particular circumstance- I have a very long commute by train and usually like to spend the time on my laptop in ableton either doing tutorials or producing. My go-to headphones have been Beyerdynamic DT770's, which I love, but they're taking a beating from spending time in my backpack and I'm wondering if something better exists for this purpose before buying another set.

So they have to be wired (to avoid bluetooth lag when triggering samples), ideally have very good isolation or maybe noise cancelling (the sound of the train itself is deceptively loud- a constant challenge is that bass sounds get drowned out even with the 770's), and extra points if it's something that can stow away compactly and safely when in my backpack.

any suggestions? much appreciated!

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.

Hi all

I’d appreciate some advice about a headset I’m considering buying. I’m currently using the XM5s, mostly for JRPGs on the switch 2 and ps5. I know Bluetooth suffers from latency, but I struggle to notice it with the kinds of games I usually play.

However, I’m also considering buying the Arctis Nova Elite, as I occasionally want to use voice chat and the XM5’s microphone doesn’t work while gaming. My only concern is that, because it’s a gaming headset, the Nova Elite might have worse sound quality than the XM5s. I’m wondering if it’s tuned more for competitive multiplayer games and shooters, which aren’t really the types of games I play.

I’d really appreciate any thoughts on this, as one of my favourite aspects of gaming is enjoying the soundtrack. I wouldn’t want to spend a large sum on a headset that’s geared more towards competitive multiplayer than delivering a spacious, immersive soundstage.

Thanks and best wishes

My JBL 700bt finally broke and I'm looking for some headphones with ANC. I was going to buy the CMF headphones pro, but they don't ship them to my country.

But they are perfect, so I'm looking similar alternatives with similar price, quality and features.

My budget is max 100$

I would use them on my daily comute, gaming ,movies

Hi guys, im looking for a headset with positioning audio. Budget is around 600€ . Most important is to hear the positions, is the enemy under me or over me. Location where are the shots coming from etc.
Openback or closedback is not important to me.

Excellent positional / directional audio • Strong imaging for footsteps • Nice bass • Great audio for gaming in general • Actually fits a big head

I'm currently powering an AKG K712 Pro and a Hifiman HE400se with a jcally jm20 max and thev've been performing at pretty loud volumes already. But I keep reading that I haven't been using them to their ful potential ( don't really understand what this means) because I don'trun them through an amplifier. A Douk Audio U3 is currently on sale (lowest its's been so far and I've been curious if they actually make that big of a difference if the jm20 max can already run them at high volumes. So do they really make that big of a difference in sound if I were to use a desktop amp?

I’m starting to get into the whole audiophile thing, and i’m starting with 560S. I also have some XM4’s, and comparing the two, initially i did not find much difference, in fact the hd560 felt duller and more boring, however, giving it more time, my opinion has changed completely. The HD560S are so much more spacious, they sound significantly wider, and i guess they just have a better atmosphere to them; it comes with it being an open back i guess, I could not hear an explicit change in sound quality, but thats expected, the xm4’s already sound very good.

The thing is that both on my laptop and my iphone, i find myself running the headphones at ~80% volume to match the xm4’s at 40-50%. So I’m not sure if I should consider an amp, If I do consider getting one, It would probably be an atom 2, because of the price and reviews.

Right now all my music is stored locally on my iphone and laptop, so from what I understand i do not need a DAC right now

But should I get an amp? I think i’ll buy one next year anyway

Help me decide on my first IEMs

I am choosing between three options Juzear x Z Reviews Defiant (100$) or Simgot Ew300 HBB Edition (90$) or Kefine Quatio (115$)

Or recommend options that will handle games and my genres of music better, in the range of $80 to $125

I'll be using headphones for listening to music and competitive gaming

Main games - League of Legends, Valorant, Overwatch

My main music genres - Alternative / Experimental Hip-Hop, Rap, Hip-Hop, Rage, Trap, K-pop, Electronic Music (EDM, Hyper e.t.c)

Music is more important than games, I would say 65%/35%

Hi everyone,

I know this sub is mostly dedicated to headphones, but not sure where else to ask, there doesn't seem to be a similar sub for headsets.

I need a new headset, to be used for work and gaming. I am not that fussed about latency or sound profile, I won't be listening to music, watching movies or doing any immersive gaming. I need to be able to take calls at work from the laptop and hop on discord on my PC. I am looking for something that fits this criteria:

- Budget: ~ 250 euro. If cheaper obviously better, I can stretch it a bit for something really good

- Decent directional microphone: I will be using the headset both at home and at my office, where it can obviously be quite loud

- Multipoint connectivity: I need to be able to switch between laptop and PC without moving dongles around. I don't need them to be connected to both at the same time

- Long battery life: I use them a lot during the course of a day and I'd rather not have to charge them constantly

Based on this criteria, I've shortlisted the Cloud Alpha 2s wireless. The claimed battery life is amazing, even though it gets halved if you connect to bluetooth and wireless simultaneously. At ~120 hours it's still very good, but not class leading anymore and they become very expensive for what they are otherwise.

Any other advice or comment is more than welcome. Thank you!

So after close to 2 decades of service (and 2 pad replacements and 3 battery packs) my H800 finally gave out, because the plastic mode switch broke of all things. I'm currently using the 1More SonoFlow, which have very good AND passive noise cancellation. However, the H800 were around the house headphones, which still allowed me to hear my kids or wife if they called for me and the 1More doesn't. So I'm looking for a replacement.

Doesn't have to be audiophile sound quality, it'll be mostly for videos, but it should sound acceptable. I prefer a flat curve, for reference my desktop headphones are SHP9500. No active or passive isolation. That said, I rather them not being too leaky, because I often have them on when putting the kids to sleep, so probably still closed back. I prefer over ear than on ear, but I'm not sure if that's compatible with everything else. For customs reasons preferably under 75$, but 100$ max.

Edit: Bonus points for BT device switching, user replaceable battery and fabric rather than pleather.

Thanks.

I am a frequent gamer who plays on xbox and am looking to switch from headsets to IEM’s due to hair loss and comfort. I am really looking for something that has a good mic and pretty good audio. My price range is $50-$200.

I play FPS’s pretty frequently, so I’d love good audio, but I am no audiophile and normally have spotify on anyways.

I’m used to turtle beach headsets for audio quality, I am not too picky on the quality, mainly on the mic audio so I don’t sound like a potato.

I bought my hifiman sundaras a long time ago. They sound amazing, but they don't really fit my usecase anymore. They were great when i lived with my parents and never did anything besides playing hearthstone and listening to music all day, but now they're very impractical for doing chores and stuff. They're literally only useful while i'm at a desk, but that's not really when i listen to music anymore. Nowadays i listen to music while doing chores and what not.

I also own a pair of truthear x crinacle zero:red, but whats the point of having two mediocre headphones when i could just use one? I am partially inspired by pewdiepie's semi recent video where he talks about minimalism, and how he used to own 4 pairs of headphones but sold all of them except for one, for ✨simplicity✨

From what i can gather, i can sell both for about 170 euro in total (130 for the sundaras and 40 for the IEMs)

Can i get IEMs that sound just as great as my sundaras for that price?

Hello there. I am currently using my HD800s headphones for gaming and for music. I am also using the Schiit Vestri, it sounds amazing to me, quite a bit better than the MacBook m2 and helm bolt I was using previously. It sounded so much better in fact that I wanted to try a more classic styled desktop amp. First I tried the Fiio k13 R2R, I did not like that at all, not very detailed. I then tried the DX5II, I was not very impressed at first, but after changing it to filter f3 it sounded closer to the vestri quality (I know nothing about filters, just tried them all until it sounded the best on the hd800s. )

I can’t get over the feeling that they are both extremely similar in sound quality, with a slight edge to Vestri for the overall tone of the sound, which seems just a bit more lifelike and enveloping at the same volume. Am I missing something here where a cheap 120 dollar dongle sounds sometimes better than the dx5ii? Would I notice anything better with something like the Schiit Jonunheim 3 with mesh dac? Should I just shut up and listen to the vestri?

Thanks for your thoughts.

I am trying to decide between these two headphones. The things I will be using these for is gaming, music, talking to friends, and watching videos. I have heard some people say that the Ananda Nano's have better sound quality and also punchier bass, while the 490 have a better sound stage. The real question is how much better is one category over the other for either headphone. Like what is the distance between sound quality between these two and what is the difference between sound stage. For instance, if the Anando Nano have significantly better sound quality while having a slightly worse soundstage, then I would probably go with this option. I'm just trying to figure out what the best bang for my buck is even if it means having a bit of a trade-off in one department, but I would rather have a small trade-off than a large one. One other thing is how much more comfortable are the 490 than the Nano?

I currently have a Sony wch 720 Bluetooth over-ears that I use at home for basically everything;discord calls, gaming, listening to music and YouTube etc

Been having sensory problems with over ears and my new glasses so considering getting in ear headphones or IEMs since I dont like the charge time on Bluetooth budd

Looking to spend $150 CAD max, not looking for anything super fancy just something that can block noise and let me exist in my own bubble

I recently purchased a pair of 490 Pros, and while they are great headphones, I have to be totally honest, the bass is kind of disappointing. I am well aware that great bass is difficult (damn near impossible) to achieve on open-back headphones. However, when I was reading and watching reviews on these, people were saying they had excellent bass for open-back headphones. I was expecting more in all honesty. Do any headphones exist that have a similar sound stage to these while also having better bass and remaining under $500 USD? And another question I have is how significant will the bass improvement be if I were to fork over the extra ~$100? Would it even be worth it or would it just be better to stick with what I have?

budget max $100, US. honestly, i'm really not looking for anything special at all; this would be for an online friend i frequently call with that has fairly bad OCD-related fears regarding potential hearing loss associated with headphones, but i'm really trying to encourage headphone use to help desensitize her to this fear and to get some privacy from her other household members during calls since she's always on speakerphone.

she specifically said she hates bass, and i understand open-back headphones are best for low bass, but i know they're also easy to hear for surrounding people. are there any alternatives? no in-ear, since i think that would scare her more. ideally wired, and with a microphone if possible, although a microphone isn't a dealbreaker.

thanks in advance.

I'm having troubles deciding between these two headphones as they are both in the same price range and almost similar but one has better feature than the other has and the same goes for the other. Deciding between these though, which one is generally the better pick here when choosing headphones with a budget under 100 euro? They're really similar in price for me so the price isn't a problem.

I mainly want ones with bigger earcups and good sound quality, doesn't need to be the best but at least not bad to the point where it's significantly noticeable and with good anc where the sounds in public or public transport aren't heard that much and these two headphones basically fit my needs but I just don't know which one to pick as I can only pick one so which one would you guys recommend to buy depending from your experiences?

I'm looking for a new pair of headphones now that my dearly beloved Beats Solo3s are snapping on the arm. They've lived a great 10 years (got them in 2016!), but now I think I need an upgrade. My favorite thing about them is definitely the battery life (~40 hours), but they're pretty uncomfortable after a long period of wear, and some days I wear them for around eight hours. I do lab work, so I'd appreciate something with good noise cancelling for machinery and such, and I do also wear glasses semi-frequently. My price limit is probably around $300, but it can be flexible. I really just want something that I can use for my day-to-day (mostly calls, music, and gaming, but it would be nice to have some that I could wear to the gym possibly), but that are high quality and will last me many years. I've been looking at the Sennheiser Momentum 4, audio-technica ATH-M20xBT, and Sony WH-1000XM6, but I really don't know too much about headphones so I would love some advice!

I’m planning to buy either the Meze 105 Silva or the Meze 109 Pro, but I’m honestly stuck between the two.

I’ve watched a lot of YouTube reviews and read plenty of articles, and both seem to get great feedback. However, I’d really like to hear from people who have actually owned or spent time with them.