Agreed, not likely to buy any of these. I might buy the Audeze Maxwell on a great sale. I have a couple of headphones for console that can be powered by a potato, the PC38x and Aune AR5000. For PC, where I'd play competitive games, I use HE1000se, HE6se V2, and HD490 Pro. I've heard the Arya Stealth is also excellent for gaming, but I don't have that one.
So that's about $400 USD. Does he already have an amplifier? Most good headphones will need one but not all.
Sennheiser has the HD560S. I thought the HD490 Pro, which is considered to be superior to the HD560S, would be in that price range because it is about $350 USD here, but for whatever reason it is $800 AUD on Amazon Australia.
The Aune AR5000 is very easy to drive and doesn't need an amplifier tosound decent. It looks like it sells at $499 AUD, which compromises the value proposition a bit compared to prices here in the US. It is $299 USD, and I bought it on sale for $210 USD recently.
I have a couple of HiFiMan headphones that are fantastic for gaming, but they are outside of that price range.
I found the HiFiMan Arya Stealth on a huge sale, just over half off:
[https://eliseaudio.com/en-us/products/hifiman-arya-stealth-magnet-version](https://eliseaudio.com/en-us/products/hifiman-arya-stealth-magnet-version)
I think he'd be VERY pleased with this assuming he already has a headphone amplifier to run it. To go from an Astro to an Arya Stealth would be like a 2000 Honda Civic to a new Ferrari. This is a high end audiophile headphone good at just about everything that received very strong reviews and is considered elite for gaming. BTW, I don't know anything about Elise Audio and can't vouch for them. I've never bought anything from them. I just did a search and saw that sale.
Just about any headset or headphones tuned in a manner that's good for gaming will sound great on PS5 provided it has adequate power. The higher quality headset, the better it is likely to sound.
I have a few easy to power headphones (as in no amp; plug into controller) I mainly use with the PS5 Pro, the PC38x, Aune AR5000, and soon the Audeze Maxwell 2 (well, this one is wireless). I also have the Ziigaat Arete 1 IEMs. The Maxwell 2 is supposed to also work with the Switch 2, which I'll try out soon.
I'd have to figure out how to get an amp working with the PS5 and get long enough cables to run to my couch for my higher end headphones like the HE1000se, HE6se v2, or HD490 Pro. I haven't bothered with that and just use those with my PC for both gaming and music.
creatibe aurvana live se. And that's the bass done. i own the x2hr and everythin asbout it is awesome, i really love it. But the aune ar5000 is better and i own that too so it doesnt get used much.
i bought a headphonr thbat dose bass, and an open back dynamic drier since owning it, so whenever i feel like either i use either, but not the 2xhr that does both good. I miss the x2hr actually even though its in my view right now. Im drunk so i use the closed vback that plays loudest since that's what i want. i miss using it.
Harman-ish bass shelf without scooped mid-bass/lower mids into linear mids. Slightly recessed 3-4k (pain point), optional recess at 1.5k-2k, treble case-by-case because measurements can get wonky.
Like half the usual dynamic suspects in the 300-400$ space roughly fall into that category and can be matched easily via EQ. 490 Pro, AR5000, 105 AER, R70X, MDR-MV1 and so on. Heddphone D1 might work as well. Conversely also something like the Six Hundos, Six Fitties and HD550 with some caveats.
Probably Truthear Pure for IEMs.
Glasses wearer with a giant head here:
I’ve worn my HD650’s and HD660S2’s all day long with no problem. Clamp force is a bit tight at first but goes away after a few days.
Meze 105 Silva is insanely comfortable as well.
Aune AR5000 is really comfortable as well. However I will say this, if you don’t have a big head, you may want to skip on these. Barely any clamp force.
Usage: Primarily competitive FPS gaming.
What I like about the SHP9600: Imaging is perfect, the ear cups are large, the clamp force is perfect, the sound is 90% perfect.
What I hate about them: Subpar quality control since the left side broke after 2 months of use (I take care of ALL of my gear). Higher pitched sounds / frequencies can be a little fatiguing at times.
What I've used:
Philips SHP9500 (I've had these since they launched and they've held up ever since but I only use them to watch YouTube) Sound quality was subpar for my gaming needs.
Philips Fidelio X2HR (Great build quality and these got rid of the higher pitched sounds and frequency fatigue I had with the SHP9600. However, I didn't like the sound signature, the clamping force was way too much, the ear cups were too small and while detecting the position of enemy players in game was directionally almost on par with the SHP9600, the wider soundstage hindered my reaction time since the audio queues were too soft and far away).
Sennheiser HD 550 (The ear cups were too small and I didn't like the sound signature. I couldn't pin point enemies in the competitive games I play whatsoever. I couldn't even hear someone who was like 8 feet behind me in game).
Audio-Technica ATH-R50X (Pretty much the same as the Sennheiser HD 550. The ear cups were too small and I didn't like the sound signature. I couldn't pin point enemies in the competitive games I play)
Aune AR5000 (One of the worst sounding headphones I've ever heard in every aspect and once again the ear cups were too small. Clamping force was way too much.
Meze Audio 109 Pro (They felt more comfortable thanks to the material used on the ear cups but ear cups were still too small. Everything sounds muffled in these as well.
Hifiman Ananda Nano (Not good for my gaming needs but they are 90% what I wanted for my music needs. I use these daily to listen to music only. Clamping force was INSANE on these but they sounded so damn good that I bent the metal to make them usable).
Hifiman Arya Stealth (I simply cannot remember if I tested these for gaming. I tested them for music and didn't like them so the verdict is still undecided for these).
Beyerdynamics TYGR 300 R (Bought them, didn't like them and forgot to return them. They've been packed away in my closet for the past couple years now. Once again the ear cups are too small and they sound terrible).
My budget: I don't really have one since I've spent as much as $800 trying to find something I like. Basically all I want are the SHP9600 with better build quality. It's as simple as that. Hopefully this community can help. I like open back headphones since closed back headphones tend to make my ears feel fatigued after a while BUT I am willing to take suggestions for both open and closed headphones since I am now desperate. Until I can find something else, my only option is to keep purchasing the SHP9600 until they break :(
Top Headphones (Over / On Ear) on Reddit
1
Sennheiser
HD 560S
79% positive of 619 users
Budget gaming king with clear sound, but tight fit.
AK_R
