ATH-R70xa

You should checkout their updated version ATH-R70xa as well.

Yes they are very good for it. The soundstage and imaging for directional cue is very good, better than R70x and many of others headphone. R70xa and MDR-MV1 is leading in this area imo. You should pick the one most comfortable to you. If you want to save money R50x is very solid as well. High value option and after this you start hitting diminishing return on sound as price double up every time.

I just had a chance to sit down with the new Audio Technica R70xa edition. They were fantastic. I own the R70x, it an offers a slightly expanded presence than the 70x’s do and provides great presence. Absolutely not worth the switch if you already have the 70x’s however.

That’s wild to hear you take. I own the r70x as well as well as several Koss offerings and really enjoy them. I’ll admit, I love me Koss ksc75’s over many of my ither IEMs and overears, but it never even really thought to pin them against my r70’s. I’m excited to receive my set!

Generally speaking the ATH R70x gets the nod for its spatial excellence for gaming. As an owner of them, I can't agree more. They are so good at directional imaging. The new R70XA was released last year which has a slight improvement but not drastic. Either version will serve you very well.

I have the R70XA and pads similar to the Refine (really just a thicker/softer pad swapped R70X) and they're amazing. Everything sounds correct and open.

I'm not really that good at properly describing audio quality. For the Pure, they're similar to my Moondrop Arias with a slight bass tilt that I prefer. Vocals are great, songs like Intergalactic Janet by Ley Soul shine on these. With the R70XA, everything just sounds "correct" not sure how to explain it. Like any song I listen through it will just sound great and detailed, I'm not missing anything. I get just enough of everything from these headphones, they're close to what I would say perfect for me. I'd say it's my endgame for sure.

I went from AKG K712 Pro to ATH-R70XA, I swapped for same reason as you did, really happy with these ones.

Owned the HD 560S, FT1, DT 990 Pro 600 ohm, and the AT R70xa. Both the HD 560S and the FiiO FT1 are just average in terms of soundstage in their respective categories (open/closed). Otherwise, the DT 990 Pro 600 ohm and the Audio-Technica R70xa are strong contenders, with the R70xa being particularly open-sounding, with strong imaging.

Good choice. I have the R70xa and think this line is a solid alternative to the 6x0 line everyone first recommends. These ATH headphones are so much more comfortable with a good speaker like presentation and decent space. Glad to see these posted more.

If you can handle the weight, and buy a Capra strap, I think the MM100 from audeze would fit you best to be wired (no batteries to die), built like a tank, excellent for games and well balanced for music. The new Senheisser is appealing if you like or would like to learn eq. Makes it an effective jack of all trades. The senheisser hd 6xx,600,650 are acceptionally balanced and would be music forcused for sure. They lack on comfort in my and some close friends opinion. I personally have issues with hifiman trebble, but they are great for the price when they hit those %40+ sales. Sundara is still a great do it all with room in your budget to spare for a dongle or amp. I also really enjoy the Audio technica ATH-R70XA and find it good for music and games....its weirdly light and has a kinda speaker like presentation, but she's over 400 ohms. Your starting to touch the rabbit hole here Any way you go, that's a reasonable budget for something 👌

I would personally avoid the beyers. They tend to have massive trebble spikes that make them hard for many to listen to, tho they are quite comfortable. I would say under $400 for a do everything well but also very comfortable headphone, something like the ATH-R70XA. In my mind, its much like an Hd650 with more punch and a good sense of space. Mids aren't as sweet as a 650, but pretty close with way better dynamics and punch. And again, a decent sense of space. Only issue is that they are over 400 ohm, so an amp is recommended. Also, you can get the Apos special edition pads for this headphone to increase the sense of warmth too. They are light as a feather, and even more comfortable with the addition of a Capra strap.

The 490 is maybe not THE best but at least top 3 headphones for competitive fps right now. It retails for about 370€ in Europe so $250 is a very good deal. Also remember that reviewers exaggerate. A lot. Like, *a lot* a lot. Yes, proper headphones make a difference. Even a big one. But not really on the level of a religious experience. Oh and you might want to also grab a little desktop dac/amp for them. They are not particularly hard to drive, but motherboard audio kind of sucks usually.

Specifically for competitive FPS (and with a bit of subjectivity sprinkled in), the hd490pro, the Beyerdynamic DT900pro x and the audio-technica R70xa. Honorable mentions, rog x Hifiman kithara, Audeze lcd-x. Others in the ath-r and the beyer DT series are also great, but those 3 are easily the best options. The dt900pro x is the easiest to drive, and the ath-r actually needs a “real” amp, but all 3 benefit from having one.

Yes the R series is the successor to the AD series. The R70xa is supposedly better and cheaper than the Ad1000x/ Ad2000x. With redesigned impedance curves and frequency response. Never particularly liked the ad series, but from the few minutes I had with the previous r70x model, it does seem to be better. Anyway, I’d also put the 490 on top, but everything is subjective :)

Yes but consider the 900 pro x (open) or 700 pro x (closed) instead. They tame the Beyerdynamic brightness a bit. Although from your description in the post, I think you’re looking at the 600 series sennheisers. Or maybe the hd490pro. Or the audio technica ath-r series (50x, 70x, 70xa) over anything Beyerdynamic offers.