Beyerdynamic - DT 1770 PRO MK II

As the title implies I am looking for headphones that would be both great for music and games like FPS shooters where audio cues are important. I’d like to upgrade from the typical gaming marketed headsets. It seems the audio quality is not typically worth the price, and I am in belief that a standalone microphone paired with a wired micless headset would be much better in terms of overall quality. My price range is up to $400. One suggestion I’ve heard frequently is the beyerdynamic DT 770s. I love the look and comfortability of these. Any suggestions? UPDATE: I ended up buying the beyerdynamic DT1770 pro MKIIs and they have been everything I was hoping for. I won't say blown away because these were quite expensive compared to a lot of alternatives which I imagine would do just as great. To start they are extremely comfortable and sit perfectly on my slightly above average sized head. I love the appearance and build quality of these. Music: These absolutely blew me away coming from my old $100 Steeleseries Arctis 1 gaming headset. The quality is just on a completely different level, and I am rediscovering love for old songs just by listening to them on these. After a bit of EQ tweaking, the bass is great, and not overwhelming. Everything sounds so clear and separated, but also smooth. Don't want to go too in depth on it because I am no audiophile. Gaming: Exactly what I was hoping for in these headphones. The sounds in a first person shooter are all very distinct, and I feel that I can very clearly know what is happening around me. Overall I am very pleased and this is exactly what I needed for a gaming/music combo. I imagine the $200/$400 cheaper version of this headphone would give you a very similar experience, and I likely overspent. However for my needs these ticked every single box. Hope this helps someone find what they are looking for.

I went with a risk on the new DT 1770s since they only require 30ohms, and they will be compatible with more devices. Its a bit over budget but I will let you know how it goes and if I end up keeping them.

DT 1770s pro MKIIs turned out to be perfect for both music/gaming. I imagine the old versions would be great too!

Your third requirement severely reduces the amount of options you have. Aune SR7000 are quite solid and very open sounding for being closed-back, but you have to deal with dual entry cables. Another option is the DT1770 mk2, but you have to deal with the Beyerdynamic excessive treble. FiiO FT1 is an affordable option and really good at $150, but dual entry cables.

They're awesome...I just don't like the price. The 1990s are amazing but there is a lot more competition now in the price bracket for what they're asking for vs when the 1990 series came out. If you want to go the extra step, sure. I really can't say anything bad about them. Ive loved Beyer dynamic for years (except their over priced T1 and t5 models). But any advantages the 1990/1770 have are more for producers and audiophiles imo. I love them for music but for a gaming/music hybrid you can save yourself a lot of cash and be just as pleased with a 900 or 700 pro x imo.

Er...sorry using 1990 and 1770 interchangeably here but I mean the same thing.

The Beyerdynamic DT1770 MK2 fit the bill. I'm listening to similar type of music, and they sound great. They are studio reference headphones so they are well built, great sound separation, and good bass. They will take you close to the $800 mark, though.

I use DT 1770 pro mk2 (closed back) with Topping dx3 pro+ DAC. Was right at about $1000

Depends how loud your keyboard is tbh. Closed backs for gaming are a lot better on PC. I had 1770 Pros for gaming/mixing before but there was a huge discount on 1990 Pros and the 1770 Pros had way too much bass for mastering I so went for those and gave the 1770 pros to my wife. I had to buy new keyboard because I had MX blues and gaming was horrible on open backs and loud switches. I still kinda prefer the 1770 for gaming tbh as they isolate better. For mixing and mastering the 1990 pros are perfect and for gaming as well after getting silent switches. But for budget I would go with DT 770 Pro 250Ohm and pair them with ifi zen dac v2. I made testing with 1770 Pros and 770 Pros on ifi zen dac V2 and the difference wasnt that huge I was expecting (the 770 were decade old lol). https://youtu.be/5nQ4Za2Qd6U?si=xCDnnywE-Gdw9lgS When it comes to gaming they are really good. I used to play a lot of competitive fps before (OW1, Cod, CS) and all games I played I reached top 1% so no complaining.

There is no best, it's subjective. Though I would generally prefer open-backs over closed backs, especially when you're just using them in your chair and not a noisy environment. "Audiophile grade" is also not a clearly defined term. There are a lot of good options available for under 1000$, I would recommend ordering a few different pairs and comparing them. Like, as far as open-backs are concerned, get a Hifiman Arya, Sennheiser HD 6XX and maybe a Beyerdynamic DT1990 (note that there's two versions, you can get some great deals on the older MK1 but it has a very spicy treble). If you really need/want something closed, your options will be more limited, you could try a Senny HD620 and Beyer DT1770. Personally, I think the AKG K702 (open) for 180 USD is an incredible deal, but some don't like the mid-heavy sound. And there's no doubt there are better headphones to be had for three or four times the price, but they won't really sound three of four times better, and whether it's worth it spending so much is up to you.

(Beyond that suggestion; generally people making music want headphones that are more "objectivist" in nature; i.e. that present the sound as it was recorded rather than coloring it. Generally, Sennheisers have a warmer than neutral sound. I love that tuning (as to a lot of people!) but it may or not be his cup of tea. Beyerdynamic makes a closed back (DT 1770) and an open-back (DT 1990) that are well-regarded for music production and mastering, but may be less pleasant for just listening to music.)

The 770's aren't "veiled", they just don't push the highs as much as other Beyers (like the 880) or especially the Sony's. They are pretty clear. That being said, if you want a comfortable closed-back that is more "pure-sounding", the DT-1770 - not 770, 1770 - is far better. It is just expensive. That's what I use for my personal closed-back in the studio, though I put 770's (or 700 Pros) on the other stations for clients. Open-backs are both more accurate and more comfortable, on average, but also don't work so great for a lot of environments. When I was stuck in an apartment mixing for a couple of years I went *deep* into getting a "good enough" headphone setup - tried a bunch, including $$$ options - and settled on Sennheiser HD-800's with a Lake People amp and some virtualization options as the best compromise. The 600's are almost as good, the 800's just get you a bit more comfort and a fair amount more detail at the cost of being expensive and harder to drive well. Headphones will ALWAYS be a compromise, but some are better than others at certain things. FWIW I use 1770's and HD-800 still, and I could afford most things (not a true Stax setup or something, just not worth the expense).

My personal fav closed back right now is the Sony mdr m1. Fits all your criteria except maybe feeling premium. They are well built and super comfy but don’t feel super preem. Awesome bass and sound sig for rock and metal because the highs are very non fatiguing you will have a lot of fun and they play loud. The audeze lcd s20 fits your bill in every way except it’s got cables to each ear. For gaming focus and still good for music and wireless the audeze Maxwell works. The beyer dt700 pro and the 1770 are solid options. Try both see what you prefer.