Apparently I have pretty big ear lops and just big ears overall. When I put on the 480s, they cover my entire ears - the problem is that then they touch the inside of it and after a while it can get annoying and a bit sore. If they were just a bit deeper theyd be perfect. Also I know the tag says open back but Im open to anything really, not super expensive, Id perfer something less than $400. Ideally I want something just really comfortable that I can "forget are there".

So Amazon has the B&W PX8 on sale brand new for $357 USD. Catch is, they ship from Amazon Germany. I know the PX8 S2 exists, but they’re pretty pricey. I’m curious, is this a good buy or should I skip? I’ve got AirPods Max already and I love those, but the batteries starting to go. I’ve been impressed by some of the cans that B&W has put out. Mostly using for home office listening/lounging around the house.

Any help would be great!

I previously owned the Sennheiser Momentum 4 and really enjoyed them. However, after using them for around three months, I started wondering whether I should upgrade and try something different. I also wanted to experience open-back headphones, so after doing quite a bit of research, I’ve narrowed my options down to the Sennheiser HD 490 PRO and HIFIMAN Edition XS. I’m getting both for around the same price (used), and I’m having a hard time deciding between them.

Here are my main preferences:
Soundstage: This is one of my biggest priorities. I want a wide, spacious, open sound that doesn’t feel confined inside my head.

Treble sensitivity: This is my biggest concern. I’m sensitive to treble and dislike headphones that sound sharp, piercing, or fatiguing. If one headphone handles treble noticeably better, that’s a major advantage for me.

Instrument separation: I want to be able to distinguish individual instruments easily, even in busy tracks.
Imaging: I want precise positioning, where instruments and vocals feel properly placed in the soundstage.

Detail retrieval: I enjoy hearing subtle details in music without everything sounding artificially sharp.

Vocals: I want clear, natural vocals that don’t get overshadowed by the instruments.

Bass: I prefer punchy, well-defined bass with good extension, but I don’t want it to overpower the mids or vocals.

I’m not necessarily looking for a bass-heavy sound. I want a spacious, detailed presentation with excellent separation and natural vocals, somewhat bass too lol

My main dilemma is this: If the HD 490 PRO and Edition XS have similar levels of treble sharpness, I’d prioritise whichever offers the wider soundstage and more spacious presentation. However, if one is noticeably smoother and less fatiguing without sacrificing too much soundstage, I’d seriously consider it.

For those who have tried both, which would you recommend for my preferences? I’d especially appreciate comparisons of their actual soundstage, instrument separation, and treble performance rather than just general statements about which one sounds more detailed.
Thanks!

I have a budget of under $500. I will mainly be using headphones for gaming, but there are certain video game soundtracks I like to listen to such as:

Fallout New Vegas battle themes, ambience, radio etc

Hitman 2 Silent Assassin and Hitman Contracts soundtracks

Prototype 1 soundtrack

Bloodborne soundtrack

Sonic Frontiers soundtrack

...i know none of this is real music, but this is what I listen to and similar video game soundtracks. Anything with dark, gritty, industrial tones I would enjoy. Metal and only some bass I would enjoy

Headphones are to be open-back. Past headphones ive had were Audio Technical M50's, Beyedynamic DT 990 Pro and V-Moda Crossfade. I want to get some serious headphones now.

Headphones that I've considered are the HD 490 Pro and ASUS Kithara. Gaming is my #1 priority, so those two headphones are on the top of my watchlist. However, I wonder if there are still very good gaming headphones out there that also fit better with the type of video game soundtracks I enjoy.

The budget I have is ideally around 180€ but I could go up or down. I currently have the sony CH720n headphones, but would like an upgrade with better noise cancelling (enough to cover up loud gym music), possibly better sound quality and maybe a tiny bit tighter fit.

And so far everywhere I've looked every one is just complaining saying that over ears suck for the gym but if you stick to stuff like bench press and rows they really dont get in the way at all (other than overhead extensions). PLUS, in ears are super uncomfortable for me.

Hello everyone. My Logitech G Pro X headphones just broke and I need new ones ASAP. I'm looking for something that will last a long time (5+ years), I don't like having to buy new stuff. As for sound quality, I am quite happy with the sound quality of my G Pro X headphones, my only problem with them is they break quick. I am not an audiophile and don't need the highest-quality audio. I mostly use my headphones for playing games and watching movies. I also would prefer headphones with a microphone, though if it would be better to buy one separately, I could also do that. In that case, I would also like recommendations for a microphone. Don't need anything incredible there either, but something that sounds pretty good, and maybe that doesn't pick up too much background noise. I would prefer to keep it in the 100€-150€ range, but I can go above if necessary.

The only option I know is Apple AirPods Max, but I'm looking for something suitable for both gaming and work.

I want breathable materials (fabric or mesh) around the headband, ear cups, and ear cushions, with no leather or faux leather that can peel over time.
Any recommendations under $1,000 USD? Thanks!

i have a pair of hd650s love the sound but i want more bass without tear. i have qc45s but they are underwhelming, for my music choice. airpod pros are great (fantastic noise cancellation) but don't fill the gap im searching for. also torn in between wireless and wired, a hair of noise cancellation would be cool. i have a fio q3 "mini dac" and a iphone 14 pro. as well as a hifiman ef400. i'm looking to upgrade my set up. i've been watching sennheiser hdb630 prices, i saw they go on sale for multiple suppliers but i slept. right now moon audio has the sale price i've been targeting but have never heard of them and don't know their history. i slept on the major trusted brands that provided sales a month ago. i'd love to find my forever set of cans. but not sure where to start. budget unlimited, i listen to mostly boom bap/ cloud rap / chillers. I want to find a high end set up to match my taste. highs all there mids present and bass existing.

Hi,

I very recently got the ASUS ROG Kithara headset but I'm debating returning it for something else. I don't have much experience with HiFi stuff. Prior to this I was using Sony WH-10000XM3's for many years.

Before buying the Kithara's I did do research on them and saw they were getting very good reviews for most things. But bad reviews regarding quality control as well as things like clamping force being too loose.

I decided to try them but I do find myself adjusting them frequently due to that light clamping force not being enough for me. Which surprises me honestly because my head is on the bigger side. Also I've noticed when I move the right side 3.5mm cable I get some very slight sort of creaking sound. ASUS seems to say that's normal for planar magnetics but I don't really know.

So now I'm looking for other options to try. I do generally prefer over ears rather than IEM's for comfort. They'll be used mostly at my PC for a combination of gaming and music. But I need fairly deep ear pads so my ears don't touch the drivers. For example on the Sony headphones I mentioned before I had to buy aftermarket thicker pads for that reason. With the Kithara's the velour seem to be fine but the leatherette pads are a bit too narrow for my ears.

I already have a DAC which was also recently bought (it's still within it's return window too). But for some reason whenever I mention it's brand AutoMod instantly deletes my post. So all I can really say is it's model is K7. It has separate 3.5mm jacks for headphones and a mic as well as a 4.4mm balanced on the front. It also has RCA, optical and bluetooth. Hopefully you can figure out what DAC it is based on that info lol.

I also currently have a dual 3.5mm to balanced cable coming from Hart Audio Cables so it would be nice if I can still use that rather than it having been a waste of money lol.

I paid $370 (Canadian dollars) for the Kithara's and $280 (again, canadian dollars) for the DAC. So ideally I'd like to stay somewhere around that price range for everything if possible.

I look forward to checking out your suggestions!

i have a pair of hd650s love the sound but i want more bass without tear. i have qc45s but they are underwhelming, for my music choice. airpod pros are great (fantastic noise cancellation) but don’t fill the gap im searching for. also torn in between wireless and wired, a hair of noise cancellation would be cool. i have a fiio q3 “mini dac” and a iphone 14 pro. as well as a hifiman ef400. i’m looking to upgrade my set up. i’ve been watching sennheiser hdb630 prices, i saw they go on sale for multiple suppliers but i slept. right now moon audio has the sale price i’ve been targeting but have never heard of them and don’t know their history. i slept on the major trusted brands that provided sales a month ago. i’d love to find my forever set of cans. but not sure where to start. budget unlimited, i listen to mostly boom bap/ cloud rap / chillers. I want to find a high end set up to match my taste. highs all there mids present and bass existing.

i have a pair of hd650s love the sound but i want more bass without tear. i have qc45s but they are underwhelming, for my music choice. airpod pros are great (fantastic noise cancellation) but don’t fill the gap im searching for. also torn in between wireless and wired, a hair of noise cancellation would be cool. i have a fiio q3 “mini dac” and a iphone 14 pro. as well as a hifiman ef400. i’m looking to upgrade my set up. i’ve been watching sennheiser hdb630 prices, i saw they go on sale for multiple suppliers but i slept. right now moon audio has the sale price i’ve been targeting but have never heard of them and don’t know their history. i slept on the major trusted brands that provided sales a month ago. i’d love to find my forever set of cans. but not sure where to start. budget unlimited, i listen to mostly boom bap/ cloud rap / chillers. I want to find a high end set up to match my taste. highs all there mids present and bass existing.

I want to buy some Grado G-Cushion style pads for my Moondrop Old Fashioned but the originals are near impossible to find and multiple times more expensive than I'm willing to spend anyway, the next best option I see is the Geekria G-Cush on Amazon, but then I see dozens of knock off options for much cheaper on Aliexpress but I can't tell if they're actually the right dimensions.

If anyone knows of a good option from Aliexpress or even a different over-ear style pad that works with the Old Fashioned (or the similar Koss stuff) I'd love to know

Hello, I've bought the FIIO FT1 a week ago as my first "real" headphones, and the sound is world's difference for the shit I used to listen with, but I've thinking could I do better? Especially since I listen almost only to jazz and classical, so I think it's less bass heavy and more neutral? Will the open back design of the HD560S better for me? How do y'all think the two compare sound wise? Also my budget is 200$, if y'all have a better recommendation then due tell me, finally, build quality is important to me, I want something that will last me years.

I am currently looking into either one of these headphones as both are on sale on hifiman right now (the listed prices are WITHOUT the additional -15% I can get on open box/refurbished items, which I will also claim).

I currently own Ananda Nanos and I am pretty happy with them, however, they are definitely not the most comfortable headphones I've worn and as for why I am even looking at new ones, my current ones are in a rough shape. The band broke off and I had to disassemble them to put it back, however with that the adjustment mechanism on the affected side also broke but at least it stays still on my head. Also the right ear cup has a distinct metalic rumbling when I move my jaw that I can make out fairly often. Anywho, they are not in the best of shape and the current price of both the Aryas are at about what I paid for the Nano + my fiio k11 r2r initially.

For these two, I read up on a bunch of reviews, reddit posts e.t.c. And from what I can tell, Stealth is better for making out various sounds and is also a bit more "neutral" like the Nano, while the Organic is a bit more out there and a bit more dynamic. The Organic is normally a much more expensive headphone that rarely goes on sale, locally for example, the price difference between the 2 is almost 400 euro consistently with it only being 100 on the EU Hifiman website. For such a small price difference, would you say the Organic is the better buy? For context, I listen to a decent amount of classical music (mostly from video games), but I do dabble in various other genres as well. I also play games quite a lot and from what I've seen the Stealth gets recommended for gaming a fair amount more often than the Organic.

I do enjoy my Nanos still, they sound great, but there are times where I get "overwhelmed" not just by music but even in games by the sheer amount of clear sounds I can make out and it gets hard to focus on specific sounds comparatively.

For such a small price difference and with a pairing with a r2r dac (like the fiio k11 r2r) and my use cases, would you say its best to just spend the extra on the Organic or is it better to just save the little bit of money?

​

I’m looking for headphone recommendations, but I’m struggling to describe what I want. I thought I understood terms like “immersive” and “accurate soundstage,” but trying headphones known for those qualities often gave me the opposite of what I expected.

I’m a music teacher, so I feel a little ridiculous struggling to explain this, but I know next to nothing about audio engineering.

I have autism and ADHD and rely on noise-cancelling headphones to get through the day. I listen to binaural beats, isochronic tones, meditation music, and hypnosis that combines them. Sensory language is the most accurate way I can explain what I need, so please bear with me.

I currently use Soundcore Space One Pro headphones, which have been one of the best sound matches I’ve found. I’m attaching my HearID profile and a drawing to help explain.

The sound I’m looking for

I want sound that feels slightly warm, full, and close, but wide from left to right. Imagine it extending sideways from my ears toward the walls of my room, while staying close in front and behind me.

I want to feel “nuzzled in,” without feeling claustrophobic.

I’ve described it as a “weighted blanket” of sound. Think of ASMR videos that give you intense tingles, but apply that feeling to music. I still want clarity, without shrillness or distracting bass vibration.

Too often, I find sound that is precise but lacks body, or warm but muddy. Specifically:

- Headphones I tried for an “accurate soundstage” sounded too bright, hollow, or “pitchy” to me. It felt as though warmth had been sacrificed for precision.

- Others I tried for an “immersive” sound felt too warm, muddled, or hazy.

These are my experiences with the headphones I tried. I’m unsure whether I’m using those terms correctly.

What I noticed during HearID

Please see this image for a visual explination of the following info:

https://postimg.cc/zL5S6Mjc

Each of the six A/B comparisons seemed to change the sound in a different area around my head. The numbers in my drawing show where I perceived those changes. I don’t know what the app was technically changing, but here’s what I heard:

1. Chose A: Warm, close, and full. B sounded bright, hollow, and far away.

2. Chose B: Distant, airy, and precise. A sounded full but had an echo.

3. Chose A: Bright and open, although slightly hollow. B sounded close and muffled, making me feel boxed in.

4. Chose B: Wide and clear. A sounded close and muddled.

5. Chose B: Full, with an EDM feel. The best words I have for A are “stale” and “straight.”

6. Chose B: Full, with sound wrapping around my ears from front to back. A sounded faint and “pitchy.”

I’m keeping my sensory descriptions because I’d rather explain what I actually heard than replace them with technical terms that might be wrong.

What would you call this combination of qualities, and which headphones would you recommend trying? Am I mixing up tonal balance, soundstage, imaging, or something else? Knowing what language to look for in reviews would help.

My maximum budget is around $400.

Hello, I’m looking for some everyday portable headphones and after destroying 10th jack to lightning adapter I decided it’s time for something wireless. So far I’ve been using Koss Porta Pro wired version as my daily option for going out.

When I’ve seen the wireless version and I like the idea a lot, it looks very light and effortless. However after reading some reviews I’ve found out about some problems with lag and general sound quality. Is it an actual issue or just an exaggeration? Has there been a revision of this model or maybe it’s coming up?

If you think that choosing them is a terrible idea what could you recommend up to 300$(preferably 200$)?

Hello,

I currently use the HD599 through a Kosi K5 to play on Ps5 and Switch 2 (I mostly play RPGs, FPS and cinematic games. Strictly single player). I just got a nice bonus from my job and I decided I’d get a new pair of headphones and gift my wife my HD599. Which one would benefit me the most?

I’d buy them through Amazon, I see the HD550 drops sometimes to $200 on sale and the HD560s is currently at $180z

Hi! I'm looking for a decent pair of headphones for under $70.

I'd like something versatile for everyday use. I mainly listen to music (hardtekk, metal, and rock), both at home and while walking. I also watch a lot of movies, so I'd like headphones that work well for that too.

Replaceable earpads are important to me, and good passive noise isolation would be a big plus.

Of course, I understand that I'll have to make some compromises at this price point.

I'm open to buying from any online store, including platforms like Kakobuy.

I'd really appreciate any recommendations. Thanks in advance!

I have a pair of IEMs I like but they get pretty annoying static noise on many devices. On devices with a usb-c slot my Jcally JM6 Pro solves the issue but also I want to use them on older devices that only have a 3.5mm slot so is there anything I could use instead of or in addition to JM6 Pro for that?

I would like for the price to be under 30€, preferably even lower if possible. I live in Sweden.

Hi! I’m not sure what to do. I have Spotify Premium and have been using it with my JBL 510s for a while, but I think it’s time for a change (I don’t really like them, though that’s a separate issue). I’m looking for a pair of headphones that support Hi-Res audio and have noise cancellation, with a budget of €50. I found the CMF Headphone Pro on sale on Amazon for €50—do you think it’s worth the switch, or are there other options I should consider? Thanks! (I’m just looking for them to be comfortable and have good bass for their price range)

Looking for good quality closed back headphones for someone who listens to a lot of rock and indie music and basically no other type of music. Also needs excellent ANC features - for example, would cancel noise very well on a large crowded bus. They should also be comfortable and easily adjustable.

Willing to spend any amount, but I’d prefer it to be less than $400.

Fiio jt1 - 40dollars

hifiman se400 45-50

Philips SHP9500 - maybe below 50? seller is a prick

hd 598 with new pads - 47dorra

Those prices are with delivery, price may or not get lower

usage: pc-alc 887, mostly games, sometimes music

had 599, not that bad, comfty but sold it for higher price(cheapest ones were 65dolars for this tikme)

My current pair of headphones (SkullCandy Hesh ANC) is dying and I would like to get another pair before they do because I rely on my headphones for both noise cancellation and music/podcasts.

Location- I am in Canada, specifically Ontario. Shopping Canadian is important to me, however anything not American will suffice. If need be I will buy American but I would prefer not to.

Budget- $200CAD preferably, although I would be willing to stretch this to $300CAD is absolutely necessary. I am a student so money is tight.

Tonal Balance- I really do not care. Audio quality is not the most important thing to me; as long as nothing is ringing or has a high-pitched whine behind it and I can listen my music I’m happy.

Use- all the time. I need headphones to manage grocery stores, halls, the dishwasher being on, watching TV with my friends at a volume that is comfortable for them etc. I would estimate that my headphones are on my head 40% of the time when I’m at home, and 80% of the time when I am in public. Ideally these would be comfortable for all day use.

What I like about my current headphones: (Skullcandy Hesh ANC)
- long battery life (only need to charge once every 2-3 days)
- lightweight, anything too heavy will hurt the top of my head
- over ear, I have pretty small ears and the headphones fit over my whole ear without crushing any part of my ear
- lasts a long time. I’ve had my current headphones for about 6 years. I struggle with change so a headphone that lasts only 2-3 years I will struggle with the transition
- doesn’t squish my head
- has active noise cancellation
- takes to stickers and paint pretty well

What I don’t like about my current headphones:
- takes calls really badly. It should in theory be able to take calls, they just don’t
- announces things LOUDLY. It will say “POWER ON/OFF” “[DIS]CONNECTED” “BATTERY LOW” “NOISE CANCELLING ON/OFF” “AMBIENT MODE ON/OFF” at a volume it deems audible, but I deem to be headache inducing. Ideally a new pair of headphones will communicate this through chimes or similar soft sounds
- ear pads disintegrated. I had to sew new pads to go on them. I am okay with this and like the new fabric better on my head, but ideally I don’t have to do this
- audio breaks and flutters
-occasional “ticking” sound if no audio is playing
-occasional high pitched whine
- ANC is objectively shit. It exists but that’s about it

Please let me know of anything! If the budget is too low let me know and I can save up longer if it will get me an objectively better headphone.

Heyo, so I'm after some decent enough headphones with a mic that I can use for the occasional gaming and voice chat on my PC. They won't be for everyday use.

My budget is around £45 ($60 USD) and I'm looking for some good audio, good mic quality and they have to be comfy as well since I'm a glasses wearer lol. Preferably wired. Based in the UK if that helps.

I've been looking at Razer Blackshark V2 X, HyperX Cloud III and Steelseries Arctis Nova 1s so far. The main thing I need is a good mic.

I know I can spend £££ on IEMs and a stand-alone mic but I don't have the funds or room for those things. I already have pairs of high-end Sony's and Marshall headphones so I know I won't be getting amazing quality, I'm just looking for good enough.

Thanks for any input :)