Choosing a headphone? Which one to get?

[Devon68]

I have been wanting a headphone for some time now, but never got around to get one. Now I'm in a dillema because I dont know which ones are good. I will be using the onboard audio on my motherboard.
I dont know a lot about headphones but I've heard that the Razer Kraken series in pretty decent. This is the shop I will buy from, and these are my options :
http://www.winwin.rs/pc-periferije-monitori/slusalice-i-mikrofoni.html

Any help or ramble is appreciated.

 

[Bill_Bright]

The first thing you need to decide is if you want "over the ear", "on the ear", or "in the ear".

For the best sound, typically "over the ear" have the best options as they form a seal around the ear to block exterior noises and have space for multiple drivers (speakers) for a fuller sound. But a lot of people don't like to be that isolated from their surroundings.

"On the ear" let exterior noises in, but can be distracting to others in the same room. The better models have excellent sound.

"In the ear" (earbuds) offer pretty good sound, but not the best. They are lightweight, great for when exercising (when fitted properly), but may block out too much exterior noise for you liking. And if they don't fit right, may not be comfortable. The better models come with several size covers or tips.

The second thing you need to decide is your budget. Headphones can cost from $2 to $1000 (US dollars) or more.

After that, you really need to try them yourself to feel and hear what you like best.

 

[Jetster]

ATH-M50X

 

[Frick]

The first thing I would do is see if you can get an SB4060 for cheap somewhere (I recently bought two of them for €1 each ). It's a Creative X-Fi ... Platinum I think found in Dell machines, and it will make an unbelievable difference to anything you plug in them. Seriously, it's mind boggling, especially if you have a cheap motherboard (which you have).

 

[Fourstaff]

http://theheadphonelist.com/headphone-review-list/

This list is compiled by |joker| from HeadFi, its a very good starting point to choose from.

 

[lorraine walsh]

Sony MDR-1A. Though on the pricier side but they are best in terms of bass effect and comfort.

 

[Bill_Bright]

What did you decide on, and why?

 

[peche]

This ones....!

Got mine's due warranty replacement of a Tt Shock headset, my local dealer didn't have the exact model for a replace so he gave me this model,i was about to sold them new, not even openning the box, then i decided to explore what was inside the box, and found a great headset sir, i have mine's more than 2 years ago!


Great sound, several accessories, pretty comfortable for larger gaming sessions, ultra great mic sir! also is detachable.!

 

[Devon68]

I havent decided yet. Will decide soon.

 

[Toothless]

Corsair has some good headsets though the one i got is USB.

 

[cdawall]

I'm a fan of Fisher myself.

 

[Toothless]

I'm a fan of Fisher myself.

Never heard of them, but sounds interesting. Is the CEO's name Sam?

 

[Kursah]

Depends on what you want from your headphone and what your budget is...what kind of sound do you want?
Do you have an issue tuning your sound with an EQ?
Are you going to be primarily gaming and communicating?
Or just gaming?
Or music/movies/gaming?
Are you a basshead?
Are you a detail-oriented individual?
Do you feel you need the gimmick of software emulated surround sound for FPS gaming?
Do you need isolation from outside noise?
Do you need a mic?
Does the mic need to be attached to the headphone/headset?
Are you looking for a pair of headphones or a gaming headset?

Honestly need more details about what you want, and maybe some other sites you're willing to buy from....

I have had great luck with JVC, Denon, AKG, HifiMan, etc. Depends on what sound you're looking for too...the link you posted looks more like gaming headsets and bluetooth headphones, neither of which I have interest for anymore as I prefer a better quality headphone and separate microphone.

Frankly, if you don't have a decent onboard sound device, USB device (DAC/AMP), or a dedicated sound card like @Frick suggested, you won't get desired results. Good output will make a huge difference even on a cheap pair of headphones. I still recommend the JVC HARX700's for a good budget pair...large, but lightweight, indestructable, sound pretty good overall...with mods and EQ tuning, can sound nearly as good as a far more expensive pair.

To me from the link you shared, the Logitech 930's are up top...not sure if that's what you're after but I do have friends that own and love that headset...but I have trouble recommending such expensive headpieces when good headphones and a decent mic can be had at a lower price...BUT if you don't have the power or tuning to drive headphones properly then you won't be happy...that's a start, let's see where this goes.

 

[cdawall]

Never heard of them, but sounds interesting. Is the CEO's name Sam?

Probably a crazy russian name tbh

 

[Bill_Bright]

Never heard of them [Fisher], but sounds interesting. Is the CEO's name Sam?

??? Really? They are one of the big name companies from the "Golden Age" of vacuum tube audio reproduction electronics back in the 1930s - 1960s. They've changed hands several times since their heyday but the company had a rich history of quality innovations and products back in the day. However, their most recent products are not in the same league as the major brands of today. Panasonic was their last owner - and the Fisher brand was phased out a couple years ago.

Fisher should not be confused with Fischer Audio who also make headphones. That is a totally different company.

 

[cdawall]

I was actually talking about Fischer Audio my phone autocorrected that one.

I own these, but in bog oak

http://www.head-fi.org/t/577460/review-fischer-audio-fa-002w-high-edition

and all of these in the woods listed (if applicable)

http://fischeraudio.com/shop/jubilate64-padauk/

http://fischeraudio.com/shop/fa-011/

http://fischeraudio.com/shop/fa-003-ti/

 

[WhiteNoise]

You plan to power them off on-board? Or do you plan to buy a dac and amp or dac/amp combo? Or maybe you have a stereo or AVR sitting around?

Sennheiser, Audeze, Grado, Sony.

Those are the brands I prefer...but there are so many more great cans out there.

 

[Devon68]

You plan to power them off on-board?

Yes. It will be power from the back of the motherboard. I dont want any dacs/amps. I dont even need the headphones to have a mic.
I belive I narrowed it down to these 2 choices:
1. Audio-technica ATH-M20x
http://www.winwin.rs/pc-periferije-...udio-technica-ath-m20x-crna-9169-1191882.html
2. Razer Kraken Pro Neon Purple (They are almost 50% off so it seems like a good deal)
http://www.winwin.rs/pc-periferije-...o-neon-purple-rz04-00871300-r3m1-6787680.html

I just want to use them with my PC for music, gaming and watching movies. (Before I only had cheap 5$ in ear headphones so I'm not that experienced in choosing a better type of headphone)
My budget is about 100$ equivalent to about 11.000 rsd.

 

[WhiteNoise]

I'd nab the Audio-Technica if choosing between those two. Ive not heard those but I have listened to the M50x and they be nice.

 

[Kursah]

I asked a bunch of questions above, you didn't answer them...you really should. I'll try to move forward and help regardless.

Judging from the specs of your mainboard, http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4174#sp, it seems you have a Realtek ALC887. Which itself should be okay for audio, but your board's output might not be enough to sufficiently drive headphones very well.

I have no experience with the M20x, but if they're anything even close to the M50x's you'll be very happy. Razer headsets are okay...

In this situation though, you might benefit from a USB headset if you're unwilling to add a more appropriate audio power source, even if just a headphone amp to the mix. I say this because I did use my JVC's years ago with onboard, and it was okay but the volume never got loud enough, bass was weak and the whole sound spectrum sounded muffled. I added in a X-Fi Creative Music and was literally blown away by the difference...plenty of volume, EQ control was substantially better which made the audio SOOOOOOOOOOO much nicer to enjoy that it wasn't even worth comparing or going back to onboard after that.

I'd vote you try to find an old Creative X-Fi sound card, as suggested prior for the source. Then continue looking into other budget headphones, again I don't know much about the M20's, but Audio Technica makes nice gear for sure...they're usually clear audio representation and bass can really go either way...punchy or weak. The M50's had decent bass with proper EQ-ing, and most headphones will for that matter with EQ-ing...but if your amp output is too weak, all you'll hear is clipping and distortion.

If it were up to me, I'd get a used X-Fi card like this for PCIe, or this for PCI.

Then I'd look at JVC, Sony, Audio Technica, Panasonic, Phillips, Fischer, Koss, etc. I still prefer my JVC HA-RX700's as an excellent budget headphone that really jives with the Creative X-Fi cards and X-Fi EQ. But I can only truly recommend what I have experience with, but there are A LOT of options out there...not entirely sure what is available for you in Russia, but I would assume that you have access to a lot of options.

• What kind of sound do you want from your headphones?
• Does comfort matter?
• Would you sacrifice comfort for sound?
• Do you need isolation (closed-back) or do you want a larger sound stage with sound bleeding in and out (open back)?
• Do you prefer on-ear or over ear?
• Are you able to go out and try out models you can afford?

 

[Devon68]

• What kind of sound do you want from your headphones?

As I dont really have any experience with headphones I guess I expect them to have clear sound and a not too weak bass.

• Does comfort matter?

Actually lately I dont play for 8-12 hours like I used to, but I would like them to be comfortable to wear a few hours a day (like 4-5 hours max)

• Would you sacrifice comfort for sound?

Probably no. I would like them to be comfortable with a decent sound quallity.

• Do you need isolation (closed-back) or do you want a larger sound stage with sound bleeding in and out (open back)?

Closed-back.

• Do you prefer on-ear or over ear?

I prefer the over the ear type.

• Are you able to go out and try out models you can afford?

Unfortunately no. Many of the retailers dont have them in the shop in my city so they would have to ship them from one store to the other, what they dont want to do if you dont plan on buying them.


I will see about the Sound card, but other than that I'm kind of leaning toward the Audio-technica ATH-M20x. Will decide in a few days, and post my choice to let you all know how I decided.

 

[Ungari]

I just bought the Logitech G35 but sent them back because the software kept muting my mic, changing my settings, and had to be restarted each time to fix the problem.
The Corsair Void with Dolby 7.1 Surround is what I chose as a replacement and not only do they sound better, they are the most comfortable cans I've ever worn.

 

[MxPhenom 216]

Hyper X Cloud II.

 

[gupsterg]

@OP

Never been a headphone user until about last year, so no experience of using them as well. After consulting a UK PC magazine review pages that I subscribe to (Custom PC, some reviews are online@bit-tech), I opt'd for Kingston Hyper-X Cloud (ie the 1st edition which are Q-Pad QH-90 rebrands). After many years of owning Sound-blaster cards it was also the first time I was going on-board audio, well TBH AMD GPU audio via DP. The set is amazingly comfortable, has great clarity and depth of sound, even if it is the GPU providing audio signal. I had been toying with the idea of the Cloud II but glad I went with the Cloud I.

 

[GamerGuy]

Must it be a closed back headset/headphones? For me, when it comes to gaming (must be in a quiet environment or where there nobody around who'd be disturbed by sound leakage) open back cans are much better for positional awareness. They generally have wider soundstage which is better for positional gaming due to their being 'airier'. If the ATH-M20X shares the same weakness as its much more well-known sibling the M50X, it would have a narrow soundstage which isn't what you want for positional awareness. For headset, a half decent closed back one to consider is the HyperX Cloud series, for headphones, I'd rather take an open back one (unless you absolutely need a closed back can due to noisy environment) and the one that's pretty good given its price range is Philips SHP9500, nice slightly boosted bass, good mids and clear treble. FYI, I'd tried the Razer Kraken Forge a while back, only thing that stood out for it (to me anyway) is das bass......they sound like bass cannons.