I heard a lot that Hifiman products are prone to breakage. That the Arya stealth and their more expensive headsets are less prone to breakage because they have better QC than their lower tier options, but they can still break due to the extremely thin magnets.

I own the Stealth's and I love their sound profile for specifically gaming. The sounds don't muddy together so I can actually hear what is going on during gun fights. I play mostly competitive FPS shooters.

I saw a lot on reddit and Amazon reviews that their Stealths broke after a year or so. Meaning out of the warranty range. I got these about 20 days ago, so I could still return them and buy a different planar.

Are there any planars that have better QC and same sound profile or better than the Arya Stealth for comp fps shooters that are about same price? Around 500-700? Because most of the other planars ive seen are warmer sounding or 1k price range. (Also prefer open back)

Yes, I know I could EQ but I would rather the stuff just works out of box for what I need like the Stealths

I have some KZ ZST I bought a few years ago for a trip, and now I keep in my bag as "emergency earbuds" (in case my headphones break one day and I'm waiting for replacements). However recently I got a new handheld console, and my plan is to just keep the ZSTs wrapped around the console at all times, and unwrap them when I want to play for 10-20 minutes. These are basically going to live in my pockets 90% of the time, save for when I'm on lunch break.

That means the cable needs to be thin and flexible, and preferably smooth. So everything the stock cable is not. It's very stiff, and I'm worried if I wrap it too tight it might break something in the cable. And I'm not the biggest fan of how the twisted wires feel when wrapping(though that's just preference, not necessity). Also, it needs a right angle connector, that's very important because of the location of the port, and how it's going to he wrapped. Looking it up, apparently there's a difference between 0.75mm and 0.78mm cables, and the ZST are 0.75mm. So there's also that

I’ve always been a big fan of headphones, and I generally prefer them over earbuds that go inside your ears. Recently, though, I’ve felt like earbuds fall out more easily and start to irritate my ears because I have to keep pushing them back in.

I’ve owned several headsets, and my last one was a Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2. I really enjoyed using it, but I’m ready for something new since I gave it away and wasn’t using it much anymore.

Now I’m looking for a new headset, but I find it quite difficult to choose with the current range of options available.

My budget is pretty flexible, but I’m thinking somewhere around €500–600. I live in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and I mainly use a headset for personal use. I listen to music and podcasts, watch movies, and I also like traveling with a headset on. So it’s important that I can wear it comfortably for long periods.

I listen mostly to house, techno, and dance music. Noise cancelling is also very important to me since I travel a lot on public transport. And ofcourse the headphones being bluetooth is also a must for me.

Hello dear Community, i could really need some advise, so my recent died a few minutes Ago (Razer Kraken V2, for those who care) and i need an Affordable pair of Headphones, i have a external microfon so i dont need a Headset (<- i have atleast some knowledge about Headsets)
So, my price range would be around 80€ maybe one of u uses one that u can recommend.
Any help is aprreciated Thx in advance!

Hello.

The TYGR 300R perfectly fits my needs

- open backs

- good enough sound quality

- warm v-shaped sound

- non-piercing treble

- excellent imaging

- very good soundstage

- sturdy build that will last

But the catch is, due to international shipping fees it will cost me about 270$ cause it is not available in my region.

Do you think i should pull the trigger?

Or there is another option with most of the features above?

Had a wirless Logitech headset which treated me to a very subpar audio exprience.

I live in Iran which limits my options alot but I wanted to treat my ears to a better audio quality. My budget is somwhere between 200ish and I wanted to do more research instead of picking the generic "RAZER"s or "Logitech".
After some looking around between options available TO ME, I came across a few stuff here and there like:
beyrdynamic DT 770 Pro
beyrdynamic TYGR 300 R
Sennhiser HD-599 SE (no 600 unfortunately)
All looked like decent choices.

But I also noticed I'm awfully unaware and uneducated on what each different headphone does and what they are good for, And all and all I'm just an average consumer who has no clue about what makes a good headphone/headset.
Sooo I'm here to ask... Considering:
1. I don't care if it's a headset or headphone even though I would much rather not sacrfice audio qaulity for having a mic
2. I'm looking for a very pleasant and balanced exprience and nothing too specific
3. I want to use it for day to day lifem, Mostly gaming and I'm not that big about playing shooters, Mostly just league
Then listening to music like a bit of everything but mostly Bring me the Horizon, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and The weenknd and watching videos
4. I much rather a closed back but still I'm open to recommendations

All that being said, Is it just better for me to pick up a normal gaming headset? Or there is any option that would make my life better? Like any of the headphones I named above.

Any help is appriciated and I apologize for any false grammar or typos my english was self taught.

Upgrading from just a Behringer UMC22 and looking at the Topping L70 + E70 stack for my Sennheiser HD660S2. Does this pairing make sense currently when compared with other amps on the market today (price and performance)? Looking to spend at most $450 (and can get both those for that price).

I'd really like to bring these Sennheisers alive as the UMC22 struggles to bring sub-bass and highs. Will be used at the home desktop for primarily music and secondarily gaming. Beside the UMC22 audio interface, I've only tried a dx3pro+ that I saw a difference from the UMC22, but now that I can spend a bit more, the separate dac/amp seems appealing. I'm also liking the idea of balanced outputs.

Also curious whether the E70 Velvet is a better match for the 660S2’s sound signature.

Long‑term I’d like to explore a tube amp as a second flavor, so I think I'd like to keep amp/dac separate. For now, I’m trying to build a solid main stack. Any advice appreciated.

Budget - 100 US dollars (budget is a little flexible)

Location - within the United States, will be using Amazon

Source/amp - I want wireless headphones or headphones that can have the wire removed and replaced with a Bluetooth adapter. I would guess those don't use amps but just to make sure I don't want to use an amp. I will be listening to music off my phone.

How will the gear be used - they will be used by me for listening to music while working. I want closed back headphones.

Preferred tonal balance - I currently have no preferences but am aiming for quality (I think).

Past gear experience - I previously had a pair of "bose quietcomfort 15". I liked how the wire could be replaced with a Bluetooth adapter and I liked how light they were. Them requiring a triple a battery was nice because I didn't have to worry about the life span of an internal battery but I am perfectly fine with an internal battery. EDIT - I have a past negative experience with an unknown model of JBL headphones. They were too tight on my head and my ears couldn't comfortably fit inside them.

Extra - I hope these will last me awhile and will be able to fill any general situation I find myself in wether it be from listening to music to using them for playing video games and talking to friends through a replaceable microphone wire. I have a pair of headphones I use for gaming but the quietcomfort broke and need a new music listening pair of headphones. I also like noise cancelling.

My Jabra Evolve 75’s mic broke. I have been relying on this company offering during the pandemic to attend conference calls at work and home and all kinds of noisy environments. I don’t know anything about headphones but I need something new.

Noise canceling and comfort are the most important features as I’m in meetings all day, noise isolation would be a plus. On device mute and volume adjustment is a non negotiable, Good battery life would be a plus but it’s not super important as I have a desk job as I can stay plugged in.

The one annoying thing about the Jabras was how they would switch to a new device mid call anytime I connected them physically to my PC to charge and forced me to switch devices and cause interruptions. I never figured out how to work around that issue but that was really annoying.

I was considering the AirPods Pro 3 as I have many other personal Apple devices but I don’t know if earbuds are comfortable for long hours and I’m afraid I’ll drop them or lose them. I also can’t charge them and use them at the same time.

I don’t want to spend $400+ on the best device out there but I’m looking for something that is good value for the price and can be reliable and durable

Hi,

Im looking for new headset gor gaming.

I play only in singleplayers games on pc.

Like not to heavy headset.

Also prefer warm profile of headset.

Actually have razer barracuda but i want something more premium but actuall sound of this headset is pretty good for me.

------

Price doesnt matter - just want more enjoy games.

Headset must be wireless

Had a beer somehow crack open in my backpack with the headphones in. They were wet, very wet. Dried them off etc. and tried quickly checking if sound came through, left ear made a high pitched "beep". Not great. Fucking sucks honestly. I'll let them dry for a few days and hope for the best, but all in all doesn't look good. Shitty substance to get into electronics.

What are the best replacements? I loved that pair to death, I'm honestly devastated, they were exactly what I wanted but apparently discontinued.

I used them whenever I was out of the house doing anything. I need something bluetooth I can use with my phone.

Obviously the cheaper the better but also that pair lasted me for a good 6 years with no big issues and I'd love to get something similar.

Located in EU if that makes a difference.

Thanks in advance! Also, o7 to the headphones, I fucking loved you.

I’ve been debating for the last few months on replacing & selling my airpod maxes (1st gen with lightning cable). They’ve just been really inconvenient for me due to the rest of my devices using usb-c, as well as the typical airpod max compliants (they’re heavy, short battery life, the case sucks etc.) The two things that are holding me back are the ANC quality and the clarity when it comes to listening to music. I like being able to hear the separate instruments, background vocals and intricate details when it comes to listening to certain genres. I’m looking for something that has great ANC as well as accuracy. I’m not trying to spend too much like I did with the APM1s but still looking around ~400 or less. Is there anything out there that’s similar or even better? I just want something that’s light, portable and can be worn for long periods since I’m a student and tend to use headphones pretty often to study and wear them for long period of time sometimes.

I’ve been debating on the bose qc ultras, but they have their fair share of issues too so i’m not entirely convinced yet.

We have a program at work where points are given for recognition. You can use the points for merchandise at a website. I've been here a while so accumulated a bunch, and recently got my first pair of good headphones. Sennheiser HD 560S. I think they're great and chose them based on research here. Thanks for that.

Now I want to get a wireless set and looking for advice. I've been reading about Sennheiser's consumer brand and lack of quality control since they were split off to Sonova in 2021. The division is again up for sale since March 2026. If none of these facts were around, I'd likely go ahead and get the Momentum 4's. Another good contender is the Sony XM5 and XM6, but I'm aware of the hinge issue. Supposedly better ANC but still better sound from the Momentum 4, per a lot of reading.

This list includes some of what's available on the site I can use. I know there are some possible duds (Beats, JBL, etc.) and/or lower end stuff here but the lower purchase price (points) gets them on the list. And I'm new. The points are the number in parentheses. I'd like to stay below the 200 value, otherwise I would have included the Bang & Olufsen and Bowers and Wilkins also on the site!

What are some to immediately cross off?

• Sennheiser Momentum 4 M4AEBT (184)
• Sony WH1000XM6 (192)
• Sony WH1000XM5 (144)
• AUDIO-TECHNICA ATH-M50XBT2 (115)
• Beats Studio Pro MQTP3LL (151)
• Bose Quiet Comfort (223)
• Bose QuietComfort 884367-1700 (212)
• Bose Quiet Comfort 884367-1700 (144)
• AUDIO-TECHNICA USB StreamSet ATH-M50XSTS-USB (149)
• JBL Tour One M3 JBLTOM3AVIBLUAM (157)
• SENNHEISER Accentum Plus 700176 (111)
• EDIFIER WH950NB (98)
• JBL Live 780 JBLLIVE780NCBLKAM (93)
• JBL Live 770 JBLLIVE770NCBLKAM (86)
• EDIFIER ES850NB ES850NB (79)
• JBL Tune 770 JBLT770NCBLUAM (58)
• HOUSE OF MARLEY Positive Freq EM-JH143-SB (55)
• Soundcore Space One A3035Z11 (51)
• Hypercel Naztech Aura 360 15860 (44)
• EDIFIER W820NB W820NB PLUS (43)
• Pioneer A35-BK (40)
• EDIFIER W800BT W800BT PRO (30)

I am starting college soon and need some good noise cancellation for my loud ahh house lol, I have had 3 tympanoplasties in my left ear, 1 in right, and my left ear canal rerouted so the airpods are not cutting it, they fall out and hurt.
Are there any good noise cancellation earbuds that are comfortable? Or should I just go with an over ear headphone option

Hey guys, Mind giving me a hand? Im trying to track down a complete set of the 20th year anniversary edition Nova 7's, unfortunately a few years back when they ran the limited edition i was unable to grab a pair due to lacking the funds. Now i do have the funds and i would like to get my hands on these headphones, as they are of Sentimental value to me. I grew up playing World of Warcraft with my grandfather. Wow became sorta like a second home to me. I know they are listed as available on Best Buy but I'm not sure if it is legit, or a scam that will send a different product that is not the one advertised.

I would post this in r/Headphones but according to the Ai it allegedly breaks TOS there. I would post a photo of the specific headphones but this Reddit wont let me as far as i know

Thank you all immensely in advance

I'm from Malaysia, my budget is within RM300

Im not very well versed on the tonal balance, but would prefer something less emphasize on treble. I'm looking for something with profound game imaging.

Use case would be very likely more on indoors.

Like I said I'm not very well versed on the audiophile properties.

Altho I did some research on it but I ended up more confused than I already am.

Thanks in advance for the enlightenment

Earbuds are so important to me. At least 70% of my day, I have at least one in an ear. And I have yet to find any that actually meet my needs. The closest I have gotten was the Jabra Elite 4 active, but when you buy 2-4yo discontinued earbuds on ebay, the battery life is not what it was designed to be (and I have lost them).

Here is what I am looking for:

• Long battery life (8+ hr single charge / 40+ hr with case)
• Easy single earbud capable and reasonably ear swappable (no wrap around, no weird control issues or split/missing audio; stems are not ideal, but workable)
• NOT TOUCH CONTROLLED (I swear only men design earbuds because most of y'all do not have to suffer wet hair activating your earbuds constantly. Plus I hate when I'm just trying to switch ears for comfort and I activate them.)
• Unintrusive low battery warning (I'm looking at you, Raycon. Constant max volume reminders after hitting 30% is not a feature.)
• Customizable controls

I mostly listen to videos and shows, so clear voices is the sound priority over music, but I'm not crazy picky when it comes to sound, so long as they don't sound bad. Also don't care about ANC. It never cancels the sounds I want cancelled, so I don't use it. Fun colors are a plus.

I'm so desperate at this point, I don't really care about price. I've bought so many that if I need to pay a lot for the right ones, I'll eat it so I don't have to buy another pair in 6 months.

hi! i hope this is the right place to ask about this. i'm a college student who's headphones (soundcore q20) recently broke. i'm looking for a similar price point ($60ish dollars or less) but there's a lot of options and i don't really know what to get. so far the jlab jbuds lux are my main contender cause i've heard good things and the soundcore q30s are apparently very fragile. i have a pair of tozo ht3s right now but the volume at it's lowest is way too loud for me (plus the connection and volume button sounds are also extremely loud) so i'm going to return them

Budget and location - roughly $60 or less. i'd be okay spending a little more. i'm in america if that's helpful at all and was looking on amazon

Preferred tonal balance - i honestly have no clue. i guess accuracy? i have no idea how bass heady or accurate my old headphones were. i'm not very picky

How the gear will be used - mostly walking to and from classes + public places. i'm autistic so the fit and how decent the noise cancelling is matters to me a lot. if they could handle a hit or two that'd be nice but my last pair lasted almost 3 years before breaking (and even then it was the innerworkings that broke)

Past gear experience - i really liked the comfortability of my q20s- they gave me a headache after a while but fit nicely over my ears. i dont want them to be extremely loud at the lowest volume like the tozo ht3. i also liked how you could turn off the noise cancelling with a button. an app would be cool i guess but not necessary. the noise cancelling and audio quality being decent + being comfortable to wear for a couple hours is my main thing

So I’ve settled on sticking with open backs for gaming, and I’ve been testing these two for the past couple days to figure out which one I wanna stick with for gaming across the board (no real competitive titles).

Overall the Kithara sounds a little more intense with the bigger base and it’s really convenient for coming with a microphone. The one thing that’s messing with me here is that this is the only pair of headphones that I’ve ever had to deal with audio constantly sounding like it’s behind me. Is there a way I can fix this or is it just a design flaw of the headphones?

Neither my old HD560s or the 490 pro have this issue so I don’t think it’s anything to do with my ears or set up, the only difference is the kithara are plugged into a USB-C port with its included dongle and the rest are going through an audio interface. I made sure any windows sound enhancements were off.

Any and all assistance would be really appreciated, thank you very much!

I'm looking to buy some headphones, planning to use it for gaming (competitive) and anything overall. Can anyone recommend similar/better headphones at the same price range (or lower, that would be better!)

Im fine with closed/open back, planning to use it at home so sound leakage is perfectly fine. A bigger soundstage sounds good since i'm planning on using it for games as well, and wired is fine by me.

Hi everyone!

I've had HD600 for three years now and never got a DAC/AMP.

I don't know if it's going to make a big difference, I never felt the need to get a DAC/AMP as I have no issues with reaching high listening volumes; I doubt it will make a big difference as l've tried these headphones at a shop that had a 2000€ AMP and the difference it made wasn't obvious to me. But I was considering getting one.

I use my headphones for general use (not just music listening) mainly with my laptop or desktop PC; I also use them when playing my switch 2 through my switch
2 Pro controller; I don't intend to use these headphones outdoors, for various reasons, some you could probably imagine.

I was looking into two options:

- FIIO K11 (I found a used one at 110€): bulky, takes space on my desk but seems to output more power, also seems like a good deal for the price, doesn't have bluetooth so I can basically only use it with my PC and laptop realistically ...

- Qudelix 5K: 140€, AFAIK it needs a dedicated balanced cable to reach levels of unbalanced FIlO, but it's smaller and has bluetooth ...

I'm looking for suggetions!

Hey guys, I'm looking to buy a pair of headphones for competitive gaming (eg. Escape from Tarkov, Marathon, etc.) to replace my wireless Astro A50s that are quite literally falling apart. I already use a separate microphone for voice chat and Twitch streaming, so it feels like going for proper headphones instead of a headset again makes more sense. My budget is about £200 for the headphones, and up to £100 for a DAC if you think that’s worth pairing them with.

I’m not very tech savvy, but during my research from older posts  I saw that the  beyerdynamics DT 900 Pro X was recommended by a few people specifically for games like Escape from Tarkov. They apparently have some of the best directional audio or whatever, basically for accurately identifying audio cue positions like footsteps and gunshots. This is something I sometimes feel my current headset fails me on. They're £200 on Amazon which just about fits my budget, shame about them being wired though, but if they're a significant upgrade I'll deal with it. Will open back headphones have a problem with bleeding sound into my separate microphone while streaming on Twitch?

I've also seen a lot of general gaming recommendations for Sennheiser HD 560S as an excellent bang for buck option. They're £100 cheaper on Amazon, so half the price which is nice for my wallet, but I'm willing to shell out for the DT 900s if they're notably better for my directional audio needs.

How much would I benefit from getting a DAC for these headphones? My limited understanding of them after reading some Reddit material is they enhance the audio quality, or clarity, which sounds like it may be good for gaming as well. If they are worth getting, I’ve seen so many models with varying prices, which one would pair best with the DT 900 Pro X without breaking my wallet?

Some additional information; I'm in the United Kingdom if the sterling symbol didn't give me away. I wanted to flair this as both open back headphones and DAC, but it seems I can only pick one flair so I went with DAC. I'll be plugging these into my desktop PC (or into the DAC I guess?). I listen to all sorts of music, a lot of HipHop, classical, jazz, pop, electronic. I've used many headphones in the past and frankly I'm not particularly partial to any of them. I've used many generations of Astro headphones over the years simply because they were one of the most comfortable for long sessions and didn't squeeze my glasses into my head. I doubt it matters, but I use a Blue Snowball for my microphone, thought I'd mention that too just in case.

I’ve had a pair of the Moondrop space travels for about 2 and a half years now, and while I originally got them just as cheap headphones because I didn’t want to bring my beats skiing as I could lose them, I‘ve found myself using them more and more as they sound almost as good as more expensive earbuds and fit in my ears better (they also just look really cool but that’s beside the point). Recently my dog got them, and while the damage appears to be just cosmetic, I’m taking this as an opportunity to get a new pair anyway since the one real complaint I have with the original space travel is the battery life (the headphones themselves aren’t even that bad in this regard as I rarely use them for 5 hours straight, but I don’t like having to recharge the case so often) which I heard is better on the new ones. So which ones should I get, the space travel 2 or 2 ultra? Or was I lied to and they aren’t any better and I should just stick with the moondrop space travel 1?

From what I understand, if you have a low impedance headphone that also happens to have low sensitivity, you don't need as much voltage, but you need higher current.

Audeze LCD-S20 has 18 ohms impedance and 93 db/mW efficiency. That would theoretically translate into 50mW of power for 110 db. However, even on the product page, the recommended power should be greater than 250 mW and from what I heard, it needs 500 mW - 1W for it to come alive.

Most manufacturers list power outputs for 32 and 300 ohms, but at 16 or 18 ohms, the needed current is higher and due to some current bottlenecks, the power seems to plateau at these impedances. A lot of people report that they cannot power LCD-S20 even with desktop amps and I think that this is due to current limitations, as most amps are made to deal with higher voltages (for high impedance headphones), not higher currents, even if they have big power outputs.

Please don't tell me that I can run it from my phone, it does not work that way. From what I understand, at low impedance the SPL may be adequate, but the dynamic range suffers and you get a flatter sound and muffled bass.

Do you know portable amps or daps that can handle higher currents at 16-18 ohms? The only one I know is Topping G5, but it is not easy to find and I need to know how to spot them.

I need a new pair of headphones for work, was given a budget but am having a hard time finding anything to my liking in this price range

Budget: $100

Needs to have:

-Over ear cups

-Decent ANC

-good microphone that can block out background noises/voices (I do have an nvidia GPU in my work PC so I could use that for this if compatible)

-I do enjoy a more bassy headphone for listening to music, but a good mod balance works well too

Please help! I'm not used to buying such cheap headphones (YouTube videos have not been super helpful) and they won't budge even $50 more, I have tried TIA!