Meze Audio - 105 SILVA

I managed to try the 105 AER at a store and I honestly found the sound a bit muffled/dull, at least in comparison to the 105 Silva which I thought were pretty good

Ya I feel most planars are good for fps like cod since they don't have lots of bass, are very fast, and if open backed, give really go directionality. But some like the closed back of the ft1 for it's smoothness in non fps and for music. It comes down to your preferred sound signature. For instance, I like the meze 105 for almost everything except fps. I like the para for gaming and most music, but not all. It took me a while to find what works vs what I like vs what is best for the use case.

Meze 105 Silva. Perhaps the 105 AER can do it for you as well, I just prefered the tuning of the Silva’s so that’s what I went with. HD650 and HD660S2 are awesome for long sessions as they are some of the least fatiguing headphones in the game, but they have a bit more clamp force than Meze’s so that might be a factor for you. I own both of them and have worn both for 10-12 hours at a time with no issues.

Sennheiser 490 Pro is designed to be comfortable. Other options are the hifiman xs / xv / ananda / arya. Meze 109 and 105 are very comfortable. There are also options from Audeze, Meze, and DCA if you're looking to spend a couple grand on comfy headphones.

Focal will pretty much max out your budget since their models are $500+ new. I think Meze could be a good fit since something like the Meze 99 v2 is more similar to the AKG K340 than the others (at least the K340 I heard was somewhat V-shaped with nice bass and fast treble), while also being capable of using on-the-go. You could also try the Meze 105 Silva for open-back. Either way, their brand is pretty luxurious looking. For Sennheiser, there's of course the legendary HD600 series. The HD6XX is a steal for its price and I think could fill the spot for a more relaxing, midrange-focused set. It won't be the best for electronic, but I think for the other genres it does amazing because of how natural it makes instruments and vocals sound. Hifiman's Edition XS would definitely be something different, that spaciousness is really the strength of Hifiman's collection. But yeah, you're rolling the dice with the QC more than the other brands.

For comfort I can advice the Meze 105 silva or aer. They both sound good, but that is something u should experience and listen yourself tbh.

My favorite headphones for comfort (and, coincidentally, two of them are some of my go-to mixing headphones) are the Sennheiser HD 490 Pros, Meze 105 AER/Silva, or 109 Pros, Aune AR5000, Audio Technica R70X Refine, FiiO FT1 with a CapraAudio comfort strap, and the B&W PX7 S3. The latter is an option if you're considering ANC headphones; a bit pricier, but one of the best wireless sets on the market. I'm forgetting some options here, but I'd recommend any of the above sets. Some of the more expensive options can usually be found on the used market for \~$400 (like the 109 Pros). From a tuning perspective, the Aune AR5000 and HD 490 Pros with the Producing pads will probably provide the least amount of actual listening fatigue; the FT1 would fit here as well, but the comfort is contingent on buying the comfort strap.

The two best options at that price are an Arya Stealth (slightly above your budget) or the Sennheiser HD 490 Pros; with few exceptions, these are the two best gaming headphones on the market that are also great casual-listening sets. Personally, I'd shoot for the 490s -- and these are what I actually use -- since you'll have the option to run mixing pads for competitive titles, or producing pads for immersive or single-player games. Wheras the Arya Stealth would be a better choice for pure competitive play. Both of these sets are well-known for their sound quality, imaging, and soundstage.

Basically same genres. Honestly, I’d shoot for the 105 AER or 105 Silva. You can jump up to the Focal Azurys as well, but Focal can have some timbre issues for some as you get into the upper mids and treble. If you want to look at planars, I’d consider something like the Edition XV over the Stealth. It’s a darker, more suitable for casual listening. One benefit of the Meze is the AER will work with the Meze boom mic cable if you ever want to easily add a mic for voice chat. I run that same setup myself from time to time. And it’s a bit of a curveball, but if you’re open to IEMs I’d also look at sets like the Thieaudio Hype 4, Xenns Top Pro, or Punch Audio Martilo. All three will handle those genres well; I’ve run the Hype 4 for gaming many times as well; it’s one of my favorite sets for single player.