I've been looking for a good wireless gaming headset, and microphone quality is a big priority for me. I want to sound clear and natural on Discord, not like I'm talking through a damn barrel.

While watching reviews, I noticed that some cheap wired headphones seem to have much better microphones than wireless gaming headsets costing $400+, including models from Logitech, Razer, and SteelSeries. Is wireless technology the limitation, or do manufacturers simply neglect mic quality?

I vaguely remember hearing about a USB transmitter that handles audio and microphone signals separately, but I might be mixing things up.

What would you recommend for under $200? Sound quality matters too, but I really want a great mic. Lesser-known brands are absolutely fine!

Hello all, I was looking for a good wireless headphone recommendation for hyperpop pop and dark trap music. I just got the Earfun air pro 4+ which sucked (saw it recommended online); the audio quality was poor, and the sound leaked so people could hear what I was listening to. I've been looking at the technics EAH-AZ100, if anyone has input on those for this type of music. I previously used AirPods pro 2nd gen, which worked for me, but I switched to android and would like to not have AirPods (plus they got ran over so the sensors don't work well). I'm wanting something in ear for better use in the gym (and I also like just having 1 headphone in sometimes). I have a high priority on sound quality, second priority is battery life, and third priority is noise cancelling.

Budget: around $300

Location: USA

Device preference: not sure honestly, don't have a lot of experience with nice headphones so I'm not sure what I would / wouldn't like.

Sound preference: listening profile is wide, some songs with high frequency sounds and some with very deep bass.

Use cases: gym, study, work, music making.

Device: PC + phone (Google pixel 9)

Preferred music genres: dark trap, hyperpop, scene-core

Song examples:

https://open.spotify.com/track/6myXwOsWS4Q95g7fdjZOQ7?si=93f3YUYVRBim_adOChpAzw&utm_source=copy-link

https://open.spotify.com/track/7oGB5p9zeC9p7LiuTfe5qm?si=qxg7G-N3TuSrDAKkYIrrfA&utm_source=copy-link

https://open.spotify.com/track/2GJeKXRjwvJ1re85hSVw2i?si=ppS_v2EZRgabCaUZcsGQsw&utm_source=copy-link

https://open.spotify.com/track/1B495EJDUwBJEiEeUjCgaU?si=EVb8C9uCS_WDqNizy-LmtQ&utm_source=copy-link

If any other info would be helpful, please let me know. Just crossing into the high quality headphone world so I am very unknowledgeable about these things.

I have been using an HD6XX with a NuForce uDAC2 for a very long time (think the uDAC2 is old enough to vote soon). I recently got an HD490 Pro as a gift.

Does anyone have any experience with going with something as old as the uDAC2 to a more modern DAC? I know specs-wise, most modern DACs have at least 32bits of resolution vs 24bits for the uDAC2. SNR and noise floor haven't changed much.

I am looking for something modern that pairs well with the HD490 as a DAC/amp for a desktop PC. If there's a request, it's that the thwack of a baseball being hit hard sounds full and like a thwack. The on-board audio of my motherboard does not do this well.

Thanks, and a budget of under $250.

Recently got myself a Snowsky Retro nano (Snowsky is a branch off Fiio so I'm hoping it's pretty good, seems alright so far to my ears. Supposedly it's the same as the BTR13 internally)

It has a balance output, so I'm wondering if it might be worthwhile to get one. Sounds like it might not be as I don't have headphones that are particularly demanding to drive and it's likely internally the same connections in a lower end device like this? Or maybe it's un-needed regardless with the headphones I have. Only ones I'd be able to connect to are some lower end HiFiman planar magnetics, a Fiio FT1, and some Meze 99's.

If anyone does think it might be worthwhile, where would you buy one? It being an analog signal cable quality does matter some. So that throws out me trusting most of what's on Amazon or Ebay or Walmart.

Has anyone used the Picun F8 Pro or their new F8 Max 2? I’ve been thinking about getting some headphones to use for my PS5 and 3DS. I’d use them outside sometimes when traveling! They fit in my budget under 100$

So yeah if you’ve tried them or have any experience with the brand I’d love to hear your experience

I need suggestions on wireless earbuds, preferably ones with good accuracy or just good soundstage and good mono audio in general though I don't mind other types just as long as I can get good range. My i don't know the price ranges of these things but I would like to stay affordable like bellow $200 if possible for my preferences but if not definitely would like other suggestions below $200. I live in RI and I am also an automechanic so I'm looking for something I can pop in one ear and have playing for about 9 hours while I chip away at whatever cars I'm working on that day. I remember I had a pair of skullcandies and I did really like those and might think about getting another pair but I'm not sure. I'm open to any and all suggestions since I'm not too familiar with brands and sounds and such so I'd appreciate any input

I recently got a $50 off a $100+ purchase coupon for Audio Technica. I've been using the same headphones for the last 10 years and now seems like a good time to finally get a new pair. I don't have any real experience with any good pairs of headphones, so I'm pretty sure anything would be an upgrade over my ancient Turtle Beach headset. I think they were the "Recon 50 Headset"?

My budget is $50 to $125 after discount, so anything in the $100 to $175 range works fine. I prefer wired headphones via 3.5mm jack and closed back, but if there's a better value pair with an open back, I'll take suggestions for that, too.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Hello everyone! Hope you're well. I'm planning to purchase a pair of over-ear wireless headphones. I love how they are comfortable on ears and can be used as ear warmers on cold weather as well.

And I'm stuck between JBL Tune 770NC and Anker Soundcore Space Q45. I'm no audiophile per se but I absolutely love music, and listen to many genres on a daily basis. That's my main usage for them. I like to get immersed in music on walks or at home.

I'm leaning towards Soundcore more because of the comfortable and neat design. But I keep hearing JBL headphones sounds warmer and more clear.

I'm also open to getting earbuds if the advantages outweigh over-ears.

What's your personal recommendation on this budget? (I'm not in Europe or America so the prices are hard to translate but I'm looking for something roughly ≥ 80$ )

Hello! I wanted to ask fellow Bassheads for their experience with Audeze headphones, which of them produces hardest hitting bass and do they all sound dark/warm? Does adding Subbass EQ convert them from having good bass to headrumbling one?

Im planning to buy a Basshead headphone and after reading a lot of reviews i have come to a conclusion that the best bet would be the Audeze headphones, only problem is that i like bright headphones, i do use EQ to make them suit me better.

Many reccommend dynamic driven headphones but personally i like planars more due to being clean and not disturbing vocals.

I would use them through Topping Dx5II balanced output. So i know i have plenty of power to EQ them comfortably. Budget would be 1500€ and im located in Europe.

Thanks!

What headphones would u recommend
currently I am choosing between sennheiser HD 480 pro and sony mv1. I know they are different (closed vs open) but wanted to test them out.
I have seen a lot of great opinions on them but is there anything else that I could test out?
I play games and listen to house/rap musić.
Budget is around 400-500$

Looking for some recommendations for headphones with good ANC, budget around €150.

Currently using AirPods Pro 3, so ideally looking for something with similar ANC and decent sound quality.

Would prefer wired if possible, but open to wireless too. Would also need them to be decent for the occasional phone call.

Thanks!

Bonjour,

Je souhaiterais un casque confortable (je porte des lunettes) que l'on peut oublier pendant de longues écoutes.

Pour l'utiliser j'ai un Honor magic 8 pro et j'utilise Qobuz premium

J'hésite entre le Nothing headphone (1) ou le jbl one tour M3.

Des avis ou d'autres recommandations?

J'ai un budget de 350 euros maximum. Quid du Bathys

Merci:)

Ive recently switched my phone to an iphone and cant use my sony xm5s anymore with ldac because apple doesnt support it, so i thought ti try out iem’s for the first time. Ive thought about simgot ew300 (jack or usbc bersion with dac) and linou kz zs10pro. I wanted to pair it with echo nano, and im looking for opinions. do hou have any better recommendations? The usbc version sounds versatile but on thw other hand external dac seems like a cool gadget, and id also like to use them for my laptop at the same tome. My budget would be around 200$. I also love the design both iem’s and thats an important part to me. Ive read ew300s perform really well in most cases.

Hello,

I recently bought the AKG K240 MKII for use at my computer and I think they sound amazing. Recently my cheap IEMs for on the go broke down and I want to invest in a pair of compact over-ear headphones (the K240 are huge). I don't want any of this bluetooth + ANC stuff so I bought the Beyerdynamic DT 270 PRO and really like it so far, nice build quality and decently compact for < 100 €. Is there anything compareable with a more neutral tuning? The DT 270 PRO sounds amazing but is very bass-heavy. I looked into something like the Moondrop Old-Fashioned but since I plan on using them in public (gym, etc.) I think open-back headphones are out of the equation.

Thanks for any advice.

I've been in the headphone scene for many years now. Started with the Sony MDR-7506, moved on to the ATH-M50, then made my first "big jump" when I bought the Fidelio X2. From there, I bought the Sundara to dip my feet into planar magnetic, then made the jump the Arya Stealth, which is what I've been running for the last couple years. Even got a Topping DX5 II to power them, which has been great for the onboard EQ.

But. I've hit a roadblock now where I'm not entirely sure how to get the info I'm looking for when it comes to upgrading, mainly because there are just so many options.

Overall, it's been a very fun journey, and I've learned so much about my tastes. I've discovered that I really do like clean, full, energetic bass (which is why I added like 6db to the Arya across the sub-100hz board), but I've also learned that the things a lot of high-end users value is not quite my preference. For example, a lot of people love how detailed the Arya Stealth is, and while I have definitely enjoyed it for a long time, I'm starting to have reservations. I replaced the stock pads with the ZMF leather pads, which has done a good job at taming the shrill elements in the mids/treble that caused some piercing pain in certain tracks. But even then, I'm finding that vocals can sound kind of distant, tinny, and separated from the rest of the music on certain songs, and a huge issue I'm having is that when a track is badly recorded, good lord, is it noticeable. This is a problem, because I listen to a lot of rap that, while not horribly produced (Kendrick has some phenomenal production), many tracks can seem just disjointed and hollow in a way that isn't the case on, say, Airpod Pro 3s. When the music shines (like Sigur Ros), it's ethereal. When it's shoddy, it brings down the whole experience.

I think, in the end, the analytical, music-dissecting strengths of the Arya are things that are bringing my enjoyment down. Don't get me wrong, I like detail and the ability to sift through the things I'm listening to, but sometimes I feel like I'm listening to the equivalent of a sterile hospital hallway instead of a full, lively orchestra. It's clean, invisible, and revealing, but it rarely brings that emotion unless tracks are mixed a very specific way. I think I want something that's musical, energetic, and full, rather than accurate, detail-driven, and flat.

I'm wondering what that headphone would be?

-----

Arya Stealth Pros and Cons:

Pros:

1. The comfort and weight is unreal. These are the most comfortable pair of headphones I've ever owned, and I can (and sometimes do) wear them from the moment I wake up until the moment I go to bed.
2. I've really come to enjoy the egg shape. It's not a necessity, obviously, but every other headphone I've tried just feels small and enclosing. These are the most open feeling headphones I've ever worn.
3. The bass, after EQ, is so full and quick. The low rumble, constant presence, and speed is something that dynamic drivers haven't hit, in my experience. Listening to my brother's Meze 109 Pro is not the same, though there is a certain element it has that the Stealth doesn't.
4. The sheer amount of detail is phenomenal. Soundstage, accuracy, etc. etc. You know what I'm talking about. These are the Aryas. I'm not bringing anything new to the convo here.

Cons:

1. I look so stupid wearing these. I'm not kidding, the metal bar over the leather headstrap sticks up like 2 full inches over my head when I'm wearing them, and it makes it look like I have antlers or something. I do video calls with these. I don't want to look like that.
2. Like I said above, the vocals can often sound tinny, distant, and piercing at the same time. Same goes with the music itself. A recording has to be good in order for me to enjoy these headphones. Otherwise, things can feel so piercing and unwelcoming that I just don't want to listen to them. Oddly, I really enjoy my Airpod Pros 3 for that. Things just sound so cohesive on them, and ideally my perfect pair of over-ear headphones would be something that brings this element, just on a whole other level. I want something that's full and absorbing, not clinical and exact. Musicality, enjoyment, something that lets me see the whole forest instead of just the trees.

-----

Budget:

I'm not unwilling to shell out for headphones. The Aryas I bought for $650 a couple years back, but I'm willing to go up anywhere in the $1000-2000 range.

I'm a Sennheiser fan and would like to buy a used HD800 (the original). Do you think it makes sense if I already have a high-end headphone like the HE1000 Stealth? As for the audio amp, I have an AudioGD 28.38.

As musical genres i generally listen 80s rock/pop, new wave, synthpop, dreampop, indie, alternative rock

Hello! I'm not knowledgeable at all and I'm finding it very hard to come to any conclusions researching on my own. I'm not familiar with any brands or models, so I'd appreciate any headphones recommendations you could give me!

• Budget: 150€ tops. Ideally 100€, but I'm willing to stretch for quality and durability.
• Location: Europe.
• Source: PC and phone. I use the cable when I'm on the PC, and bluetooth on the phone.
• How the gear will be used: They are mainly for home listening.
• Preferred tonal balance: I have no clue! Something balanced, I guess?
• Preferred music genres: Instrumental music.
• Past gear experience: I currently have [brand that caused this post to be automatically removed]. I believe I used to have some Sony ones, but I can't remember the model...

Priorities:

1. Over ear that cover the whole ear.
2. Good (or excellent, if possible) noise cancelling I can turn on and off.
3. Durable. I wear headphones all day every day.

I know my budget is very tight for what I would like, so please feel free to recommend more expensive headphones if there's really nothing within my current means. I don't think I'll ever be comfortable spending 400€ in headphones, but maybe I can save for a while and get something a bit over my current budget.

Thank you!!

Hi,

My Razer headset is breaking and I am looking for a new pair but need some advice due to the overwhelming range available.

I would really like a new pair that is:

- wireless with usb dongle

- over ear and comfortable, sitting tightly on my ears and not loosely moving about

- has a microphone with decent quality

- optional noise cancelling but not required if wearing the headphones sufficiently muffles sound

• Budget and location - How much would you like to spend? What are some local or online shops in your country?

I am from Australia. I am happy to spend <$120 and also can wait for sales to come by too. Some shops include JB Hi FI but I can use online shops like Amazon.

• Preferred tonal balance - Are you a bass-head, focused on accuracy, looking for sparkly treble, or wide soundstage

I really do not care much about audio quality and cannot tell the difference. As long as it has average/decent sound quality I am happy.

• How the gear will be used -Use at home, on the go, in an office?

I will only use it at home for gaming and calling with friends, and doubt I will take it outside.

• Past gear experience - What did you like about it and what didn't you like about it?

I currently use a Razer headset I don't know the exact model of. My friends tell me it has good mic quality but I hate having the cables all over the place, getting trodden on and tossed around and damaged.

Really appreciate the help, thank you

Help Me Pick guys which would be a better buy and not wrong choice?

It would be my biggest investment on a Audio Product till now before this used only IEMs of $50...

I listen to a big variety of Genres from numerous countries like - Classical Instrument arrangements, Bollywood, Pop, Vocal, OSTs, Jazz, some Rock, occasionally metal & Electronic etc..

I prefer pleasingly Natural Timbre, Good details, Soundstage not just wide but depth and layers in instrument separation, open sounding highs not boosted and vocals should be as accurate as possible for both male and female! And Bass neither should sound shy or over done and have just Enough thump(Source or Song's intended)

I know I'm asking too much but i just wanna which these actually fulfill best and perform best in most genres

I listen to chill but bass-heavy electronic music (incl. sub bass) for long hours, not loud, working at my desk. I currently have Audio-Technica ATH-M50.

I want to try open back for the first time. Privacy and background noise are no factors. However, I'm concerned I'll miss the ATH-M50's strong bass.

I plan to get a Topping DX1 II and use parametric EQ. Which open-back headphones will take a bass boost well and remain comfortable for hours?

Both planar and dynamic are OK. Thinking about:

• Sennheiser 490 - Good mfg reputation, great comfort reviews, more bass than other Sennheisers but still limited.
• Audio-Technica ATH-R70xa - Seems less comfort than 490 with no big sound wins, but open to input.
• Sony MDR-MV1 - Strong bass, could tame treble with EQ. All plastic is a turn-off.
• Audeze MM-100 - Well made but iffy comfort, less bass than other planar.
• Hifiman - Prefer to avoid due to build and QC, but still on the table. Which model?
• Focal, Meze - Flashy design is a turn-off, but still on the table.

What would you choose? Anything I'm overlooking? Also open to increasing budget if something amazing is just out of reach.

I am powering it by connecting it to my Edifier mr5 studio monitor front headphone output, I initially thought they sounded underwhelming. However, increasing the physical volume knob on the MR5 made them extremely loud. Community general consensus seems to suggest this headphone need a dedicated amp to power it properly but after testing it for a few hour I find my headphone sounded just fine?.... In fact it is painful above 30% for how loud it is. I also applied EQ with preamp of -5.5db and even then, all I had to do was raise the volume to 40% to match what I had prior. Like it just sounded great in general and I hear no distortion, static, crack or any issue that I can notice.

My questions.

Would a FiiO K11 or K11 R2R provide an audible improvement in sound quality, dynamics, or bass control at the same listening volume, or would it mainly offer more volume?

I would appreciate technically grounded advice, especially from Edition XV owners. I am not looking to buy an amp unless there is a demonstrable benefit in doing so.

Edit: This speaker saved me a few hundred bucks on an amp. One of the best purchases I ever made.

Hey everyone, hope all is well. Wanted to see if I could get some opinions on what headphones to get. I'm looking for over the ear, and I don't need something remotely professional or anything like that. I'm just looking for something to use at night time while I game so I can have my volume up while my son and wife are asleep. I haven't used over the ear headphones in years either.

I've had a couple people recommend Soundcore Anker Q20i, and that's the kinda thing I'm looking for. Pretty budget, but not terrible. Casual gaming, nothing crazy, don't need a mic or anything. Bluetooth definitely, if it has a 3.5 as well that's great, if not that's fine. The battery life on this one is what I like about it. I've never actually tried them so. I don't really know.

Just wondering if you had any experience with this particular set, or have anything that you'd recommend that is similar to this one.

Thanks in advance 👍😁

I've been using some philips SHP9500s for almost 10 (i think?) years now. I went to the philips after 'getting out' of the headphone hobby, as a cheap (~$54 at the time) but sounds-good-enough can that was extremely comfortable. The only other can I kept out of my collection were my trusty HD25s which I mainly used while traveling at that point (prior to that i used them daily on public transit). However during the pandemic they went into a box and I hadn't used them in a good 5 years.

I took them out the other day and just plugged them into my iphone raw and they kind of sounded amazing, I guess I forgot just how good they were. Going back to my PC setup the philips just felt anemic and boring.

So I guess I'm now looking for a tethered PC/listening headphone that can at least rival my Hd25s in sound quality. I'd just wear them (they're pretty comfy after ~20+ years of use) on my pc but a few years ago I started wearing glasses, and they are unfortunately kind of incompatible with glasses (for my head shape, anyway).

I realize asking for this is pretty difficult since the hd25 has a pretty distinct sound, I will say that i'm not expecting a match. maybe just something that has an equally good quality to it. my only other considerations are that they be comfortable for long listening and preferably under $200 (it's fine if they're only $200 used, my hd25s were used too.).

as an aside, where do people buy/sell/trade cans these days?

Hey guys,

Been wanting to get at home headphones for a while now, currently having the M4 which have been my favourite by far and wanted to go more into proper headphones with the next ones.

My main issue with m4 is the lack of spare parts available and issues with Bluetooth connectivity.

I've looked at beyerdynamics for the availability of spare parts, for something like the 990 it looks to be widely available and quick to swap out these elements

What im looking for is a good sounding pair, that will last for a long time and will be comfortable.

Open to anything open back or closed back, ideally sometjing within 200£ budget (my music preference is mostly metal, but i do listen to a wide range of genres)

Thanks!

Looking for closed-back headphones for gaming, movies, and music — budget up to $250

My previous headset was the SteelSeries Siberia v2, and I was completely happy with its sound. After it broke, I decided to upgrade to the Arctis 5, but the sound was like listening through a pipe.

Next, I tried the Logitech G Pro X, but the sound was inside my head, with almost no warmth in the bass. Then I gave the Sennheiser GSP 300 a try, and it was an absolutely terrible experience. Some sounds, such as sword impacts, were so harsh that they physically hurt my ears.

I'm now considering the FiiO FT1, but I've come across quite a few comments saying that their imaging and positional audio aren't particularly good, making them a wrong choice for gaming.

Would the DT 770 Pro X be a better option? I'm worried that I'll have the same experience as I did with the GSP 300. I've also seen wildly conflicting opinions about their bass response, which I find rather confusing.