AKG - K553 MKII

Sennheiser HD558. I think more interestingly, many many headphones later the AKG K371 finally made me lose interest in chasing ever better headphones. Honorable mention to the K553 which I regret selling. Also honorable mention to the Apple USB-C 3.5mm dongle for teaching me that audiophile amps and DACs are a scam.

The DT 900 Pro X headphones are absolutely fantastic. Before getting them I had used AKG K550 Mk 2, AKG Q701, and Grado SR325e headphones, all of which are great, but I like these Beyerdynamics most of all. The soundstage is not as wide as the Q701s, but it has far better bass response than all of the above and has great clarity in the upper mids with good but controlled treble. The fact they don't take much at all to drive is a boon, too. The clamping force is a bit much at first and can get uncomfortable, but a bit of mild stretching sorts it out. Now I can wear them for many hours without a problem. For around 200 euros the quality of these cans is just incredible. Definitely better to get a good pair of dedicated headphones instead of a set of gaming ones. There probably are some decent enough ones out there somewhere, but if you want reliability and the best sound quality for the price, then you need to invest in some proper cans.