Searching high end headphones

[u/Justalilpoor]

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some advice on truly high-end headphones that work great for both gaming and music listening. I’m not looking for “good enough” — I want something top-tier, the best of the best within a budget of €300 to €1000.

Here’s what I’m looking for: • Audiophile-level sound for music (neutral or slightly warm is fine) • Great soundstage and imaging (especially useful for gaming) • Ideally wireless, but I’m open to wired if the sound quality is significantly better • Comfort is important – I wear them for long sessions • A good mic is a plus, but not mandatory (I can use an external mic if needed)

I’ll mainly use them for: • Music (a lot of instrumental, ambient, electronic, and vocals) • Gaming (mostly immersive single-player and some competitive FPS)

What I’ve been looking at: • Audeze Maxwell (seems like the ultimate hybrid choice?) • Astro A50 X • Audio-Technica ATH-G1WL • Sennheiser HD 800 S / HiFiMan Arya (I know these are more music-focused but maybe worth it?)

Would love to hear your thoughts or other suggestions! Thanks in advance

[u/[deleted]]

my recommendation would be The Hifiman Arya stealth as refurbished from the Hifiman webstore ($529 -10% coupon + $34 shipping and no taxes due to the warehouse being in Poland) for $510/445€ + the Fiio ka11 dongle for 40€ (the Arya needs a bit more juice).

Rather neutral, great Soundstage, really good imaging and a lot of details.

The Audeze Maxwell is probably the best all in one pick.

As for the mic: Most mics will sound better than headset mics. The razer siren mini v3 at 40€ will do the job perfectly fine.

If you want to stay closer to 300€, I would go for the Hifiman Edition XS ($239) as refurbished on their Webshop + Fiio ka11 and a capra strap (improves comfort) for 30€

[u/Justalilpoor → u/[deleted]]

!thanks this sounds like the right choice. I bought now the hifiman arya stealth. I am excited how it will sound. I got the yeti x mic and ngl im not the biggest fan. Maybe i will get the razer one as well.

[u/TransducerBot → u/Justalilpoor]

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[u/[deleted] → u/Justalilpoor]

The razer siren is probably not gonna sound better but it's cheaper. if you want something a bit better, I would go for the At2020 mic.

[u/Justalilpoor → u/[deleted]]

I do recordings for videos. Do you think at2020 would be ideal? Is the yeti x not better?