Any good movie/gaming headphones for $500+?

[Stealth3si]

Hello, I am new here and a headphone newbie. I already use an HT system but, aside from applying room correction, Dynamic Volume (for night time) and turning down the volume, I'd still love to crank the volume up on a full-scale surround sound configuration without annoying everyone around me, particularly when I watch movies or game at night. The solution for me is a headphone.

This is my current headphone night time setup:

1.) Denon AVR-1712 > Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80.

Alternatively I can use the following audio setup as well:

2.) Asus Xonar DX Sound Card > O2 Headphone Amp > Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80.

Certain features I'm looking for are:

1.) Open-back
2.) Natural sound
3.) LFE bass (from movies/games)
4.) Comfort/circumaural

I'm replacing Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80 because it is:
1.) mostly used for music
2.) closed-back
3.) when plugged into the AVR for certain movies/games, it crackles/clips during noticeable low frequencies, i.e., rumbling deep low bass

My budget is $500 or more. Any advice is appreciated. TIA!

 

[Bizarro_Stormy]

It looks as though the Sennheiser HD 700 ($498.27) hits most, if not all, your requirements...

 

[tyhjaarpa]

I myself can highly recommend Sennheiser HD600, great neutral sound headphone that performs well in all areas you are looking for. Beyerdynamic DT990 600Ohm is another headphone I would recommend in your price range, not as neutral as HD600 but still great choice with more bass extension than HD600.

I hope you know that you wont get subwoofer performance out of any headphone, as you refer to LFE bass.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

good suggestions about, but one thing OP is seems to be in conflict with :
a) " I'd still love to crank the volume up on a full-scale surround sound configuration without annoying everyone around me,"
and

b) "Certain features I'm looking for are: 1.) Open-back"

Pick a OR b.
Open Back phones do leak out noticeable amount of sound and while I prefer them for comfort and sound-stage - you WONT be able to use them next to someone who is sleeping or wants to have quiet

On good authority I can tell you I love the sound of my AKG K712pro (made in Austria, not China)

 

[afterlife2]

These are amazing with music/movies(dialog sounds amazing) and are only 60 bucks. Believe me I've had tons of headphones of various prices and these do a great job. Long cord too which I really like. Hey if you don't like them return them back, but I doubt you will. Some have compared them to senns 650 at head-fi: http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-SE-A1000-Over-Ear-Stereo-Headphones/dp/B0033PROOY/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1448286947&sr=1-1&keywords=pioneer+se-a1000

 

[Stealth3si]

Beyerdynamic DT990 600Ohm is another headphone I would recommend in your price range, not as neutral as HD600 but still great choice with more bass extension than HD600.

From a scale of 1 to 10, how well would it perform under AC powered O2 amp, with 1 being barely and 10 being its fullest potential?

good suggestions about, but one thing OP is seems to be in conflict with :
a) " I'd still love to crank the volume up on a full-scale surround sound configuration without annoying everyone around me,"
and

b) "Certain features I'm looking for are: 1.) Open-back"

Pick a OR b.
Open Back phones do leak out noticeable amount of sound and while I prefer them for comfort and sound-stage - you WONT be able to use them next to someone who is sleeping or wants to have quiet.

I pick b, because I'm using it away in a separate room.

 

[tyhjaarpa]

From a scale of 1 to 10, how well would it perform under AC powered O2 amp, with 1 being barely and 10 being its fullest potential?

I pick b, because I'm using it away in a separate room.

I don't own O2 amp, but what I have read about it it should be able to fully drive those 600 Ohm versions as well. O2 can output 88mW for 600 Ohm and I have read that for studio usage some have ran theirs for 75mW, but of course this really depends how hard you want to run them so its subjective. There is also 250 Ohm version of those DT990 but they sacrifice a bit of sound quality from 600 Ohm version.

 

[Stealth3si]

I am looking at a AKG K7XX. Anyone with experience with both headphones know how they compare? AKG and DT 990 600ohm

 

[tyhjaarpa]

I am looking at a AKG K7XX. Anyone with experience with both headphones know how they compare? AKG and DT 990 600ohm

AKG K7XX is pretty much the same as AKG K701, and I believe the later can be found for cheaper, AKG Q701 is really close as well, so if you end up with AKG get the one of those you find cheapest. In my experience said AKG headphone is more neutral than DT990 while DT990 has more bass extension. For my head the DT990 offers better comfort than said AKG models as well.

 

[Stealth3si]

Thank you, you're very helpful! In your opinion terms of movies, what type of movie genres do you think a neutral sound movies are more suited for? Likewise, for the V-shaped sound coming from the DT 990s?

 

[tyhjaarpa]

Thank you, you're very helpful! In your opinion terms of movies, what type of movie genres do you think a neutral sound movies are more suited for? Likewise, for the V-shaped sound coming from the DT 990s?

If you like action movies with a lot explosions and effects then I would say DT 990 is superior because of the bass extension. For thrillers and such I would say neutral headphone might be better choice as it will bring out more detail in scenes.

 

[yepimonfire]

If you want something that sounds very accurate on voice and sound effects, AKG Q701's really surprised me. Best gaming headphones would probably be any of the ATH ADxxx series.

 

[Stealth3si]

For thrillers and such I would say neutral headphone might be better choice as it will bring out more detail in scenes.

Can you give me examples of thrillers? Are they more in between drama and action, i.e., relatively 'louder' than drama but relatively 'quieter' than action.

 

[yepimonfire]

Can you give me examples of thrillers? Are they more in between drama and action, i.e., relatively 'louder' than drama but relatively 'quieter' than action.

I don't see why people would want an inaccurate headphone for any reason. Especially when voice is involved, the variation in timbrel characteristics would stick out in a grating way. The only reason I would ever suggest a less accurate headphone over a more accurate one is for a wider soundstage, as headphones will always sound unnatural when it comes to this, some do a better job than others at correcting for it, and when it comes to things like gaming, that's more important than accuracy. Find a set of headphones that has a good balance between soundstage, an extended low end, and is as close to accurate as you can get, then it will sound good no matter what you play through it.

 

[Stealth3si]

After some googling here are some headphones I'm deciding between the following. I am considering trying them all out but I'd rather narrow down my choices to a couple or few.

$700 - Beyerdynamic T1 Tesla
$550 - Beyerdynamic T90
$300 - HiFiMAN HE-400i
$258 - Beyerdynamic DT 990 Premium/Edition (600 Ohm)
$215 - AKG K7XX Massdrop LE
$60 - Pioneer SE-A1000 (Comparable to $400 Sennheiser HD650, according to Head-Fi members)

My updated order of preference is comfort for extended periods, followed by bass for movies/games, next is soundstage for immersion, and lastly is rock/metal music.

 

[tyhjaarpa]

After some googling here are some headphones I'm deciding between the following. I am considering trying them all out but I'd rather narrow down my choices to a couple or few.

$700 - Beyerdynamic T1 Tesla
$550 - Beyerdynamic T90
$300 - HiFiMAN HE-400i
$258 - Beyerdynamic DT 990 Premium/Edition (600 Ohm)
$215 - AKG K7XX Massdrop LE
$60 - Pioneer SE-A1000 (Comparable to $400 Sennheiser HD650, according to Head-Fi members)

My updated order of preference is comfort for extended periods, followed by bass for movies/games, next is soundstage for immersion, and lastly is rock/metal music.

Havent heard the Pioneer, but all others are good options in my experience. For price/performance I would say DT 990 and AKG K7XX are best tho.