HD 800 S

As somebody that has owned both, they are both great for gaming. The HD800s is better in every way for me, music, movies etc., not considering price. That being said, I could have stopped at Aryas and been perfectly happy. Neither of these headphones are going to provide a massive competitive advantage over a $300 set of gaming headphones. But the sound quality will blow them out of the water in every aspect, other than that boomy gaming headphone bass. You also have to accept that open back headphones and computer fans do not play well together. Also everybody within earshot can hear your in game chat. A Topping DX5 II will run either of headphones nicely without breaking the bank. Wouldn't dream of using either of them without a dac/amp though.

HD6*0 series compared to the HD800s, before I purchased the HD660s The HD800s was definitely more detailed and an amazing headphone overall, but I thought the HD600s series wasn't so far behind. I actually think I prefer the tonality of the HD600 over the 800s

> Since people’s preferences differ widely based on what they’re used for, in this iteration, I segmented the analysis by use cases this is great. a lot of posts reference older american rock when providing reviews and i got no interest in the genre. haven't heard of artists like steely dan until i was looking for recommendations here i ended up with lcd-x's for edm/hiphop/hyperpop while my hd800's collect dust

neutral bright or mild v-shape ig found the lcd 2's and worn hd600s boring, hd800 was interesting but too bright. liked 560s, ed xs, arya and sus though currently running an eq'd ed xs, plan to eventually upgrade to the arya stealth/organic

I LOVE the HD 800S with the Schiit Valhalla 3, especially with upgraded tubes. Space for days with lots of dynamics. Some of the best i've heard them be.

I prefer IEMs in most cases, but you can't replicate how some open back headphones sound. This is the reason I've kept my HD800S and don't intend to ever sell it. No IEM regardless of price point can do what that headphone does.

HE1000 Stealth. Last night it painted a picture that no other headphone in my collection could match. In ARC Raiders I spawned near a Raider cache, which has a subtle whirring & ticking audio cue. The sound is easy to miss, especially if it's raining in game since the white noise masks this whirring & ticking. The spawn glitched and I didn't have video, just audio for a while and I couldn't move, only turn. So I took the opportunity to A-B some of my favorite gaming headphones. Wearing the HE1000 Stealth, the direction and distance of the cache was crystal clear. As soon as I put on the HD490 Pros (which are highly regarded for wall-hacking abilities), the cache's audio cue was mostly drowned out by the white noise of the rain. I could hear its direction faintly. But it seemed very distant and veiled. The "shhhhhh" white noise of the rain dominated the sound field and sounded more like a sound effect than actual rain. I was surprised how close to my head the sound was since I had considered the HD490's to have a nice soundstage and imaging. However the rain wasn't nearly as spacious as with the HE1000. As I turned around, the HD490 did give an excellent sense of left, left-center, center, right-center, right and a good sense of behind when I had my back to the cache. But I was shocked how much clearer the sound was with the HE1000. Then I tried my old R70x. The whirring and ticking was a bit louder relative to the rain sound than on the HD490; however as I turned the sound would almost immediately go from left to right and right to left. It was almost impossible to discern when I faced the cache dead on. Again I was surprised because the R70x had long been lauded for its excellent imaging. Then for grins & chuckles, I tried my beautiful Focal Clear. Immediately improved dynamics was evident but I was dismayed by the relative lack of soundstage. I could hear the cache more clearly, but like the R70x, its sound would almost immediately go from left to right and right to left as I turned, but never clearly forward. That reminded me I used these initially with ARC Raiders due to the game's excellent sound design, but switched to the HD490 because any time I heard a Raider cache, I'd have to zig-zag like a lunatic to find it. Eagerly I put the HE1000 Stealth back on my head and WOW! Now I truly appreciated the incredible holographic deep, wide, and tall stage with spot-on timbre. Absolutely stunning immersion. I could practically hear every raindrop. The HE1000's layering is first class. Now the cache's whirring & ticking was no longer blended and smeared with the rain's white noise. I could hear it as a distinct sound source cutting through the rain drops. Simply amazing. By now the glitch resolved so I had video and was able to move. I turned and ran directly to the hidden cache. Found it immediately. With the HD490 I would have immediately turned in the right direction but question its distance and either walk slowly or potentially run past it. With either the R70x or Focal Clear, I'd have to zig-zag my way there, wasting precious time, drawing attention, and staying exposed. The HE1000 Stealth is a true game changer. Furthermore the ARC of ARC Raiders are mostly flying death machines, so verticality is huge. None of the headphones above come even close to the height or depth of stage of the HE1000. For example, when hiding in a building from a Rocketeer or damn Firefly, hoping to sneak pot shots from a window, the HE1000 BY FAR gives me the best idea of where the flying enemy actually is. Other headphones got me killed. Now I can patiently solo a Rocketeer without taking damage. The HE1000 Stealth is indeed a game changer. P.S. The HE1000se layers even better than Stealth due to its thinner diaphragm and has a bigger soundstage in large part due to its treble emphasis. But I was concerned the treble emphasis would get fatiguing during stupid long gaming sessions. Plus I didn't mind saving $700. Also too big a soundstage can exaggerate distances. This is why many elite gamers tried the HD800s and don't like it for FPS where distance cues are as critical as direction. P.P.S. The Arya uses a thicker diaphragm than the HE1000 so it will not layer quite as phenomenally. I tried them, but it had a blatant driver mismatch so I returned them. HiFiMan has spotty QC, so I would avoid their cheaper models, even if the deals are so so tempting. Plus if you're like most of us here, you'll keep chasing that endgame headphone, so why not just cut to the chase with the HE1000 ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯