Audio-Technica - ATH-ADX3000

My favorites in terms of "bank for your buck" are definitely the Arya Stealth. If you spend a bit more, you get the LC2C which are also absolute beasts. Focal Utopia stunned me by how good it sounds for dynamic headphones and it made me reconsider how I view dynamics. As for immersion, I'd pick Susvara any time of the day, they were the best sounding ones and the most resolving ones I've ever tried (if I had the budget ofc). Other than that, the ADX5000 are brilliant and if you can't afford them, the ADX3000 is a cheaper model but still sounds amazing.

How the HE1000 Stealth and HE1000SE were not mentioned is really baffling to me as I consider these both very popular headphones. The Audio-Technica ATH-ADX3000 was also not mentioned which I consider better than the ADX5000. One thing they all agreed on though is the Sennheiser HD820 is a terrible headphone. I've not heard it but this is not the first time I've heard this opinion. The Hifiman Audivina also was slated as terrible (heard that opinion many times too)

https://preview.redd.it/z34p5lro6gyf1.png?width=1917&format=png&auto=webp&s=a3f6d6e1a2d7fb4ffed818041135a118401e7bcb Holy shit they fixed the trebble of the ADX5000/3000 while making it EVEN more bassy??? Absolute fucking banger. I hate the price, but at least i know its worth it.

I know I'm getting one, it's inevitable. I just need to decide between the R70Xa or the ADX3000

So, it wasn't easy at all because finding the 70xa for auditioning was harder than I thought here in Sweden. In the end I went with the ADX even tho my recommendation for anyone who listens is the 70xa. The Xa has a better all rounder tuning and better mid bass. The ADX however has the classic AT tuning with scooped mids and forward vocals that just work for female like nothing else.  I had the chance of trying them both on a Feliks audio tube amp and that sealed the deal for me, the ADX driver its just more capable of spicier things. I still keep that, for anyone who asks, the 70Xa is the way to go. 

Precisely. Cost vs Performance and the fact that the R70xa tuning is more "mainstream". The ADX3k is an amazing headphone for someone looking for "Whats next". But if you are dipping your toes into openbacks, the R70xa is too good of a deal. I love my ADX tho, and i found that running them through tubes (bottlehead crack) makes PURE magic.

Planars are great. But if gaming is your main criteria, stick with dynamic drivers. Beyerdynamic 9 series (900 pro X, 990 pro, 1990 pro) Sennheiser 600 series ( hd600, 650, 660, 660s, 660s2, and including the 490pro) and 500 series ( hd560s is one of the most recommended options for gaming around here), Some of the audio technica ath-ad models. Specifically for competitive fps games, these are pretty much the best options out there at reasonable prices. Adding an amp like the Fiio k5 you mentioned is also a good idea with most of these. I personally like Sennheiser more because I listen to more music than I play video games, but I occasionally get called a cheater in r6 with my old hd600 + Fiio k11. If you don’t care about music or other media, the beyers should technically be even better.