For gaming, I’ve been rocking cheapo Superlux 668b with velour pads for 5 years or so and I’m looking for a bit of an upgrade.
What I like about them is just how wide they are. That’s what I was looking for when buying them, it’s what I’ve gotten used to over the years and it’s what I still want.
Second to that is comfort. The 668b themselves are pretty bad in this regard but the velour pads are truly transformative here. Comfort is pretty decent with them, so I’d like at least that or (ideally) better. On-ear or shallow pads are out of the question.
What I don’t like is how bright and kinda sharp they sound. It kinda gets on my ears after a while. This is what I’d like to upgrade the most but build quality is kinda wonky too.
I had a pair of Sennheiser 660s for a while and while and while I much prefer their sound signature (still a bit odd tbh) and greatly appreciate their comfort and imaging, they just don’t do it for me in the sound stage department, so I returned them.
I tried the HD800S at a local HiFi store and they’re amazing. Probably my end-game as I didn’t like any of the other (supposedly) HiFi headphones they had there (x000€ headphones that rattle when shook and/or have the comfort of a 30€ gaming headset; wtf?).
They’re a tad too expensive for me though. They’re extremely good but not 10x as good as my 668b, so they fall very flat w.r.t. value, and kinda overkill for my purposes (mainly gaming).
Other headphones I have tried:
- AKG K712: Didn’t immediately seem to be a downgrade in sound stage but I don’t think I fully liked them. I’ll have to re-test them.
- ATH-M40x: Didn’t buy them for gaming but they’re obviously very tight. While also quite V-Shaped, they’re not as “sharp” as the 668b
- HiFiman Ananda: Decent sound stage but terrible material quality (I want to upgrade away from that). Also too expensive for what it is and the bass makes me sick
Other constraints:
- AMP is a MOTU M2. Should be able to power everything that isn’t terribly inefficient.
- No wireless.
- Must be reasonably purchasable in Germany
What other headphones do you think are worth checking out?
If you love soundstage (presumably imaging as well) you should try a r70x. It’s on the higher end of the range you listed but I think they are fantastic for comfort and staging.
I will, thanks.
How large are your ears? Over-ear headphones become uncomfortable on-ear headphones for me if their pads aren’t what I’d describe as “rather deep”.
my ears are on the smaller side. Admittedly the r70s stock pads are on the smaller end for most people as well. Nothing some aftermarket pads can’t help with though.
Aftermarket pads are what I’d like to avoid. They drastically alter sound signature IME.