"Best" Audiophile headphones?

nyxanna · Jul 8, 2014

I was going to purchase an Astro A50 but was told that "audiophile" headphones together with a stand-alone mic would actually be of a lot higher performance.

I do not mind at all using a stand-alone mic if it means I get better sound.

After googling for a bit I can tell that audiophile headphones can get pretty expensive so my budget for one is £300 right now, without mic.
Can someone tell me the best audiophile headphones I can get for £300?

Edit: And please, if you think that for £300 I won't get any worthwhile headphones just say so since most I am seeing seem to be more expensive.

Traciatim · Jul 8, 2014

Audio is such a subjective thing you'd be hard pressed to get a single opinion even if you asked a single person let alone a whole forum. I kind of like my Beyedynamic DT660's because I like the large cups (huge ears are a problem), the balanced sound, and the passive noise cancellation (IE, they are big and have lots of padding so outside sound doesn't leak in as much).

Generally for audio quality you would want an open design though, and most professional headphones are usually matched to professional gear so have a high impedance which means for the best performance you'd probably want a headphone amp that matches. Something like these: http

/www.audio-technica.com/cms/headphones/591d1ba45202f375/index.html would work in consumer gear just fine and probably sound great too.

If however you just want things that make the most obnoxious bass sound that drowns out everything else you could just look at beats.

Are you plugging them in to your on board sound?

rwpritchett · Jul 8, 2014

What will you be using to drive the headphones? Onboard audio? Many of the really "good" headphones need proper amplification to really shine.

ssddx · Jul 8, 2014

it looks like the forum is back in working condition again and we arent getting error 500 when posting now...

this is what i sent you since it would not allow me to post. (posting it here now so everyone else can view it as well)

i see that you started a new thread on the subject and i'm guessing my response was the reason why.

i would have responded in the new thread but it appears we are working out some forum bugs right now since i'm getting error 500's.

i would highly advise that you take a look at my previous responses to other threads to get a good baseline idea of what various models sound like. i have listed alot of information in such threads you may find informative.

http/www.tomshardware.com/s/ssddx+headphone+headset/
https/www.google.com/#q=ssddx+tom's+hardware+headphone+headset

as i stated in the other thread i'd look into the hd598. the dt770/880/990pro are also good headphones but i would need to know what kind of sound profile you like (ie do you like sharp highs and low bass or do you like deep heavy bass with slightly less clear highs) as well as if you care about closed vs open headphones in regards to heat/sweating.

i'll have to respond in your thread when the forum appears to be working again.

as far as how to drive them.... that depends on what you have already and what headphones you want to get. some work fine without much amplification but sound better on a better soundcard. others need a soundcard with a decent amp. something like the hd598 can be typically driven by onboard but a soundcard or dac-amp can really make them shine.

also it certainly is not true that open is better for audio quality than closed. they both are good in their own ways. closed typically (but not always) has more bass presence however may also be just a tad muddier in quality. they are passively noise isolating but also tend to get just a bit hot if worn for extended periods of time. open headphones have a wider soundstage and a more spaceous airy sound but typically have less bass response (again, not always). open headphones can be a bit clearer as well. they are cooler to wear (temperature) but also leak sound out which could be a problem if you like high volumes and sit in close proximity to others. there are also semi-open headphones (dt880 for example) that are a bit of a mix of both

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"Best" Audiophile headphones?

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