Philips - SHP9600

I'm a HUGE fan of the Philips SHP9600. For the money, I think it's the best headphone ever made by anyone.

shp9600. Spare parts are easy to find, build quality is great for the price. I love my shp9500 and it's still in good condition even after 7 years. I bet the 9600 is better since the treble isn't as piercing as the 9500

because difference of "generally" accepted good performance is right at the $200-300 level. The exceptions are known... The pair of FIIO FT1 and FT1 Pro, Philips SHP9600, Koss's 4 on ear "headphones", Grado SR60x, Sennheiser x Drop HD6xx (sale price) or even the HD58x...🤷🏻‍♂️ There's a reason why IEM is competitive with headphones at that under $300 price point. Price to performance...IEM usually perform better than headphones

I’m using Philips shp9600’s.  Huge soundstage, open back. You can connect a mic to it if needed. 

Philips SHP-9600 or 9500. I have the 9600 and it doesn't disappoint. Comfiest headphones i have ever worn hands down. Sound is pretty good IMO, but I am no audiophile. They are wired headphones, but you can get bluetooth adapters for the 9600 model for relatively cheap.

Where is your sound leaking into your mic from, your TV, your headphones, or speakers? I have several open back headphones with third party microphones and none leak sound into the chat. Cheapest microphone I have is the $20 BoomPro I’ve been using for 6 years. Open Back: [Philips SHP9600 $68 (on sale)](https://a.co/d/05AbXdtV) and [V-Moda BoomPro $20](https://a.co/d/01ALdMap) [Sennheiser Drop PC38X $150](https://a.co/d/09UtSGJ9)

phillips shp9600 has great, wide soundstage and are very comfortable. they are open back though.

They're pretty efficient so the apple usb-c to 3.5mm adapter is enough. For music the tuning is a little wonky. I recommend the EQ below. Just copy and paste it into a text file and import it into your EQ software. For gaming I don't really care and the "muddiness" could even make footsteps more audible. EQ (shp9600 autoeq to diffuse field 10db tilt) Preamp: -7.0 dB Filter 1: ON PK Fc 140 Hz Gain -4.5 dB Q 0.700 Filter 2: ON PK Fc 950 Hz Gain -2.5 dB Q 4.000 Filter 3: ON PK Fc 950 Hz Gain 1.1 dB Q 8.300 Filter 4: ON PK Fc 1900 Hz Gain 7.0 dB Q 1.400 Filter 5: ON PK Fc 3500 Hz Gain 3.9 dB Q 3.500 Filter 6: ON PK Fc 4600 Hz Gain -3.5 dB Q 7.800 Filter 7: ON PK Fc 5200 Hz Gain 1.7 dB Q 10.000 Filter 8: ON PK Fc 5700 Hz Gain -1.9 dB Q 9.700 Filter 9: ON PK Fc 6200 Hz Gain -9.3 dB Q 6.000 Filter 10: ON PK Fc 8400 Hz Gain 3.8 dB Q 5.400

Philips shp9600 over ear open back $75

I bought a set of Phillips SHP9600 based on a recommendation here. They are awesome, and also well below your budget. I also got a V-Moda BoomPro Microphone for them for when Im playing something where I need to talk.

For semi-closed backs - Fiio JT1 / Simgot EP5 +GH22 For open backs: SHP9500/SHP9600 + boom mic cable like V-moda BoomPro. If you’re aiming for sub 50$ - go with IEMs like Kefine Klean. “Gaming headsets” from mainstream gaming brands are mostly overpriced shit and not worth any attention.