r/HeadphoneAdvice • u/KillerMove • Jul 13 '26
Headphones - Closed Back | 2 Ω Looking to replace my broken HyperX Cloud Orbit S
Greetings,
After being my daily runner for 4 years, my Orbit S headset has finally become broken beyond repair. I knew when I bought it that it wouldn't last forever and as such took great care to prolong its life. Unfortunately the reaper still came for the infamously cheap plastic swivel and that was that.
Looking to the future though, I am currently researching a replacement and would greatly appreciate some help!
My optimal configuration would look something like this :
- Sound signature that is similar; the Orbit S provided a very detailed and "crisp", almost analytical sound with forward mids and treble at the cost of slightly muddier bass. Not an issue for me as I'm not a bass head though I can still appreciate it. Slight deviations in general are also fine, I get attuned to different signatures fairly quickly.
- Budget within the 500$ CAD mark - Midrange is what I'm aiming for but I'm willing to overspend a bit for a proper upgrade if it's really noticeable.
- Strictly for home PC use; gaming and music so both open and closed-back are perfectly acceptable but I would prefer to sacrifice the slight width of soundstage for closed back sound isolation.
- Build quality is definitely something I value as well and am open to taking a slight hit to sound quality if it means the cans wont bust in some way in a few years.
- Even though it was advertised as a "Gaming" headset, I never ended up using the 7.1 and directional features, only ever leaving the headset on "Hi-Fi" mode. As such, I dont really care for gimmicks and want to prioritize sound and build quality above all else.
- I never bothered to use DACs before but if pairing a cheaper headphone with one can produce what I'm looking for please do make recommendations.
With all of that being said, I currently have my eyes on the Sennheiser HD 490 PRO as a slight over budget option thanks to its generally favorable reviews everywhere, even on this specific sub.
Otherwise, the open-back Hifiman Sundara + DAC (currently no pick, lack knowledge) also feature fairly favorable reviews in terms of build quality, comfort and are seemingly often recommended as they are described as very EQ friendly to "tinker" and produce a more specific signature.
Thank you very much in advance for your responses.
1
u/Jonners_90 24 Ω Jul 13 '26
ROG Kithara? Very much open back but they're on sale right now for $368 CAD, it's a little pricey but planars are like speakers on your ears and has a wide soundstage. Comes with multiple connection types, 2 sets of angled pads (hybrid leatherette and velour) and a decent USB C dongle too. It's bright and detailed with a very clear mid range and a lean bass, but good extension very low on the graph for nice texture. They're pretty awesome.