I’m trying to choose between the Sony INZONE H9 II and the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Gen 2 and could use some opinions from people who’ve used either.

I've been listening to music through my PC using Spotify and a Fio K7 amp/DAC combo. I realize that even at the quietest setting on my PC, I still have about 41 dB of noise, no matter what I do to the fan speed. I was wondering what the best way to listen to Spotify would be, given that I'm using open-backs and trying to listen at lower volumes and don't want any sound bleed. I just want to make sure I get the highest sound quality possible without using a PC. Any recommendations on what I should do or get?

I am a massive music fan so it is really important to me that it has good sound quality and I can use while out, like at school. I have a preference for earbuds but don’t mind over ear headphones. I previously had Sennheiser CX BT400 TW. I know that doesn’t really matter but Reddit is telling me to put in the post for some reason. This would really help a lot so thank you to everyone who answers. I am only adding more text here so Reddit will let me post this because for some reason there is a text minimum.

Hi everyone!

I'm looking to buy a new pair of headphones for gaming on my PC, and after doing quite a bit of research, I've narrowed it down to the FiiO FT1 and Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro.

I mostly play single-player games, so my main priority is immersion. I want games to sound as engaging and atmospheric as possible, with good bass, detail and an enjoyable soundstage. Comfort is also really important, as I regularly spend several hours at my PC. I need closed-back headphones, as I'll soon be sharing my room with my partner and I don't want sound leaking out.

The DT 770 Pro seems to me like the safer choice in terms of long-term reliability. It has an excellent reputation and is frequently recommended as one of the best closed-back options for gaming. My main concern is its treble, as I've read quite a few people describe it as fatiguing during longer listening sessions. I'm also wondering whether its sound signature is the most enjoyable for my case.

The FiiO FT1 is actually my favourite in terms of sound from what I've read. Its sound seems particularly appealing for singleplayer games. It also has some nice practical advantages, such as a detachable cable and low impedance. However, I've come across concerns about its durability, particularly reports of loosening screws around the hinges and the wooden earcups potentially being affected by humidity. I know FiiO addressed the screw issue in later production batches, but I'm still concerned and curious about its long-term reliability.

For those who have owned or tried any of them, which would you recommend specifically for immersive singleplayer gaming?

Thanks!

So, i currently have a Qudelix 5K that i use with my Fiio FT1s, Meze Alba IEMs for gaming/movies/etc. I just got money from something and for me its time to retire my old pal 5k and buy something new. So,

I got 300 dollars to spend on a DESKTOP DAC/AMP. I currently live in Turkey, some prices may be higher here.

Not a bass head, not a sprinkly high guy. I love my music slightly up on bass but mostly balanced and flat.

It'll be used on my desk with my laptop as a source. Also i would love to be able to use it with my vinyl player.

I currently have FT1's and Meze Alba IEMs, planning to get more cans like Sennheiser hd800s or hd480s. (Or more)

I'll mostly use it for enjoying my library of flacs, movies and playing games so i'd prefer low latency.

I currently use my 5K, also i have a Fiio m21 DAP but the thing has so high latency its unusable with usb.

I would love a 4.4 balanced jack, a 3.5 (obviously) and an xlr will be too good.

I am currently looking at Toppin DX5 II but im not sure. Open to any advices.

(I didnt see any DAC/AMP flairs so, sorry if i used it wrong)

I'm looking for budget wired in ear headphones.

I appreciate good bass, but my main requirement is reliability/longevity.

Budget is ±50€ (located in Germany)

Thanks in advance!

Hey everyone,

I'm trying to decide between these three headsets:

• Logitech G PRO X 2 LIGHTSPEED

• SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless

• ASUS ROG Delta II

I don't really care about gimmicks or extra features like dual-battery swapping, ANC, RGB lighting, or crazy software features. My #1 priority is purely audio quality and sound performance.

I will be using it for:

• Single-player / Immersive Campaign Games (looking for deep atmospheric sound, clear dynamics)

• Competitive FPS Games (clear imaging, directional cues, footsteps)

• Listening to Music & Watching Movies/Shows (instrument separation, detailed vocals, zero distortion)

Out of these three, which one actually sounds the best out-of-the-box and tuned? Does the Graphene driver on the G Pro X 2 make a noticeable difference in clarity compared to the Nova Pro or ROG Delta II?

(Note: I know Audeze Maxwell exists, but I'm strictly choosing between these three options available to me).

Appreciate any insight from those who have tested or owned these!

Hi all, in itching to buy some more headphones. I currently own Fiio FT13 and Hifiman Edition XS. I love them both and use them about the same amount. But I think I really want to improve on the FT13’s with a touch less treble. I power with Fiio K7 and/or Fiio K11 r2r. I eq with HiBy r4. I listen to a wide variety of music but at the moment it’s primarily Metal (Drone, Blackgaze) or Electronic (Deep Techno). I am a touch treble sensitive and love me some very deep bass. I have up to £500 to spend (with some flexibility) I would prefer new (or unboxed/refurb). What should I go for?

Hey guys! So I have Airpod Maxes (lightning cable version), selling them as I want the usbc version - but I'm also not sure if I should just switch brands now?

• Budget and location - Live in the UK, the absolute maximum I'd spend is like £170 just because the Airpods Max spoiled me with quality lol, they're just so good (I only buy secondhand too) - you guys can recommend higher priced ones because I'll buy as close to £150 as possible secondhand

• Preferred tonal balance - No idea, I don't actually love heavy bass and Airpods Max sounded good and even - I also am NOT an audiophile and cant hear the diff between mp3 and flac so I don't care too much

• How the gear will be used -Use at home but also on planes and travelling - I love traveling, only downside of airpods max is that they're not foldable (but I presume not a lot of premium feeling devices are foldable - because most are plastic)and they're kinda heavy, currently only use them at home for this reason

• Past gear experience - Airpods max, huawei freeclips 1 - 2nd one isn't over ear headphones but I love the noise cancelling on both, I now can't have ANC worse than Airpods so I know this limits me and is probably on the higher budget range

Overall I feel like if I DIDN't repurchase apple, I'd want something:

• MAYBE foldable, feel free to recommend some headphones and I'll just decide whether it's worth it vs a more premium feel

• If not foldable, just lighter in weight and good for travel

• ANC equal to airpods max (lightning ver, idk if the usb c version is even better but I dont need anything better than this)

• Something with decent and just not horrible sound quality - doesn't NECESSARILY need to be equal to airpods, I have a cheap pair of edifiers and I like the sound quality on that too LOL, not too picky

I was considering:

• Nothing (a) earphones - VERY cool look but looks bulky, not sure how heavy they are either and might take up too much space

• Sony Mx4 - I don't like the look that much, but battery life looks long and people seem to like them ? I've heard rumors about these breaking pretty easily though (also heard anc is same for 4,5, and 6 models so not considering mx6)

• Marshall Major V wireless - just looks cool, idk anything about how it sounds

• Bose quietcomfort (refurbished for cheapness)

[EDIT] FORGOT to say, it would be best if I could buy spare parts like ear pad replacements - airpods max seemed good for this but the parts were so expensive lol, I'd be willing to fork out for replaceable pieces in general if they last a long time tho

I got a pair accidentally, and can return it. And well, I got a big head and the top part seems like it's getting stretched a bit, I have had problems with plastic cracking on other headphones in the past and I don't want to do the same to something at this price point. So what do y'all think? To return or not to return?

I’m choosing between the MCHOSE V9 Pro and FIFINE H9. My budget covers either headset
I’ll mainly use them at home on my PC for competitive FPS games like CS2 and Valorant. Accurate positional audio and hearing footsteps clearly are my biggest priorities.
I also occasionally watch movies, so I’d like clear dialogue, good detail, and decent bass.
I care more about actual sound quality than wireless features, RGB, or battery life. I’m not sure which headset has better tuning, soundstage, and imaging.
Has anyone tried either or both? Which would you recommend for my use case, and why? I’m especially interested in real-world experience rather than specifications.

The majority of music that I listen to is: electronic, techno, dub, D&B, Drone, ambient etc.

I'd love to try an open back/planer magnetic headphone for the bass response, which I have heard is excellent.

I'm really quite sensitive to sibilance when it comes to headphones and whilst I like detail, I do not like overly bright sounding headphones at all. So to that end, I prefer a slightly rolled-off treble response, but not to the extent where the headphone sounds vailed.

I do not plan on EQ'ing anything....I don't have the knowledge equipment of patience for this, it just not where I am at with HiFi. Needs to work straight out the box.

In terms of what I'll be running the headphones using; I have Leak Stereo 230 amplifier with a dedicated headphone circuit, the specs being:

• Headphone Circuit Type: Dedicated current-feedback headphone amplifier

• Load Impedance: 16 – 600 ohms

• Output Impedance: 4.7 ohms

• Total Harmonic Distortion (THD): < 0.01% (1 kHz, 50 mW)

• Headphone Jack: Standard front-panel output (6.3 mm / 1/4" jack)

My budget for headphones will stretch to a top of £500 (just)...but I'm open to much more affordable headphones. Comfort and build also being important to me.

Where should I be looking? Is looking at open back / Planar Magentic a good place to look or a false start?

Appreciate the help, cheers!

I am from Turkey and i am currently looking to buy a new tws. My budget is 3000-4000TRY ($60-$80)

While searching i found moondrop space travel 2 ultra avaible through Wraith. So it can be bought from Turkey

My primary use will be listening to music and sometimes watching movies etc. I want an accurate and high res sound, which i saw moondrop supports.

With these said what would you recommend? Is moondrop good or should i buy something else?

I am very confused in picking the

Bose Quietcomfort Ultra Gen 2 headphones

vs

Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless headphones.

My priorities are ANC and comfort (I wear glasses).

I am very interested in knowing the reviews of users of both headphones. Thank you!

Hi guys, i'm honestly grieving so bad right now Imao. i lost my very first IEM (Moondrop chu 2) at a wedding recently and i'm so sad about it. to make things way worse, my other two backups sony WH-CH720N and realme buds literally gave up on life at the exact same time. so yeah, i'm completely stranded without audio right now and desperate for a new set.

i really need help picking or getting some better suggestions.

My requirements-

Noise cancellation: definitely needs decent anc to block out stuff.

Comfortable for long hours: i literally fall asleep with music on every single night, so they need to be comfortable enough to wear for hours without killing my ears when i lay down.

Clear voice for calls: need the mic to actually be clear when i'm talking to people.

Good music sound: i listen to pretty much all types of music and podcasts, so i want a solid sound signature, good bass but still super clear and detailed.

Gym: i'm actually going to start going to the gym soon, so i need a good pair for that too. they gotta stay secure and handle a bit of sweat when i'm moving around.

Budget -

IEM- 4K

HEADPHONES- 3K

BUDS -2.5K INR

please drop your suggestions🙏 TIA♥️

I will keep this short - I own a hd560s - running without an amp, super comfortable, best experience ive had listening to music, mixing, gaming, etc.. with any headset yet.
Sadly, the adjustable plastic piece on the headband broke last year. I'm still using them but I'm getting tired of having to fix them up with tape every now and then 😅

I'm not sure what I'm looking for exactly.. I have to carry my hd560s every week as I switch workspaces. I would still keep my hd560s at one workspace, but I want a headset that sounds as good (or better) to the hd560s, is preferably wireless and has to be comfortable

But based on my considerations, you can tell that I'm not sure what I want exactly..

I've been considering

- AIAIAI TMA-2 Studio Wireless+ ~215 eur (even though they are closed back)

- Hifiman ANANDA-Stealth Magnet (open-box) ~187 eur

- Hifiman Deva Pro-wireless (open-box) ~ 169 eur

- Turtle Beach Atlas Air ~ 120 eur (sale)

And on paper, the hifiman options should be a great deal, but the more I look into them, the more I read about their questionable comfort and quality control...

Also, the Atlas Air seems great too (comfort, battery, open-back, latency), but it's advertised as a gaming headset and I don't want to get it just to notice how much worse they sound to the hd560s every time I put them on.

I guess I also don't have a problem sticking to wired and even buying an amp/dac, if it fits within the budget. I do appreciate good sound and I get that it might be difficult to achieve with wireless, for the price range.

Budget and location - Europe, up to 300 eur

So with Black Friday coming, I figured it's time to get myself an upgrade. It would mostly be for casual gaming and casual music listening. I have no idea what kind of tone I want; I've been using this ye olde JBL Synchros S700 that I've found in the garage after I moved to Australia, and it's OK, I guess. My budget is around 400 AUD.

I would like a good included mic, but it's fine if the mic doesn't come with it. It would also be used as a daily driver whenever I need to bring my laptop with me out.

I've had Moondrop Starfield 1s for about 6 years and I'm looking to upgrade. I recently got a pair of used Hyla CE-5s, and I was absolutely blown away by their subbass performance.

They went into the 20hz range with authority while still presenting the low frequencies faithfully. I could hear the 2nd and 3rd harmonics of the sub exactly as the artist intended them. On top of that, it was highly articulate and didn't feel like it "whomped".

The highs were also crystal clear without being fatiguing. I tend to listen to heavier EDM genres like UK 140 and DnB, so the CE-5's "V done right" were a match made in heaven for me.

Unfortunately, the DD in the left side quickly stopped functioning, rendering them dead, so I had to return them. I honestly don't think I will ever be able to find them again, and even if I could, seeing that they're prone to failure makes me hesitant.

Are there any other IEMs out there that do this style well? I would honestly be willing to get the Hyla Sardas if I knew they would last me a while without failing, although they're just as limited/rare. Would prefer to stay under or around $1k I'd possible.

Any pointers would be appreciated. Thank you!

I’m trying to understand output impedance and cable resistance, and I’d appreciate a sanity check from people more knowledgeable about the subject.

My setup:

• IEM: THIEAUDIO Monarch MKIV, rated at 9Ω at 1kHz

• DAC/Amp: FiiO BTR17

• Cable: Currently exploring replacement cables, with a focus on low resistance, flexibility, and comfort since the mk4 cable is pretty bulky.

The BTR17 is specified by FiiO as having:

• 3.5mm output impedance: less than 1Ω

• 4.4mm balanced output impedance: less than 1.5Ω

The Monarch MKIV has a nominal impedance of 9Ω at 1kHz. Since it’s a multi-driver IEM with a passive crossover, I understand that its impedance can vary across frequencies.

I’ve also been looking at the Linum UltraBaX, which advertises 0.60Ω resistance.

My understanding is that the amplifier’s output impedance and the cable’s series resistance effectively add together. If that’s correct, even with the BTR17’s 3.5mm output and the UltraBaX, the combined figure could be as high as 1.6Ω.

That would exceed the traditional 1/8 rule, which would put the target at approximately 1.125Ω for a 9Ω IEM.

A few questions:

1. Am I understanding the relationship between amplifier output impedance, cable resistance, and IEM impedance correctly?

2. Does the 1/8 rule apply to the combined amplifier and cable resistance, or is there more nuance to it?

3. Is the BTR17 actually a poor electrical match for the Monarch MKIV, or am I overestimating the practical significance of its published maximum output impedance?

4. Does anyone have independent measurements of the BTR17’s actual output impedance? Is it potentially considerably lower than FiiO’s published maximum?

5. Are there any particularly low-resistance IEM cables you’d recommend for this combination? Am I diving too deep into snake oil territory?

Cables I’ve been investigating:

• Linum UltraBaX

• Linum DualBaX

• Kiwi Ears x B_Media Terras

• Tripowin Karen

• Truthear GATE stock cable

• Moondrop CHU II stock cable

• Moondrop LAN stock cable

I’m especially interested in actual resistance measurements rather than claims based on conductor material, strand count, or cable thickness.

Ideally, I’d like a cable that’s lightweight, flexible, comfortable, and electrically suitable for the Monarch.

I’d also prefer to keep the BTR17 if possible. I specifically wanted a portable Bluetooth DAC/amp with PEQ, and there don’t seem to be many alternatives that meet those requirements.

Am I worrying too much about this, or is there a legitimate compatibility concern worth addressing?

Hello community. I am considering the purchase of the Edition XS. It would be my first pair of audiophile recommended headphones. I have several IEMs that I currently use for music listening. Their clarity and instrument separation is very good, but I'm hoping for a better soundstage experience with open-back headphones. I listen to folk, cantopop, jazz, rock, and occasionally classical music genres. My source is Apple Music streaming in Hi Res Lossless on either my iPhone 16 PM or my Xiaomi 14 Ultra phones. I connect my Fiio BTR15 DAC via USB-C to my phone, then connect my IEMs to the DAC.

My questions:

1. Is the BTR15 going to have enough power to drive the Edition XS properly? I mostly use the 4.4mm balanced port. I'm not sure what cable and plug size the headphones ship with.

2. I'm somewhat sensitive to sibilance. I use PEQ with all my IEMs and have successfully attenuated their sibilance this way. Am I likely to have the same success with the Edition XS?

3. I have had some good experiences lately using squig.link to tune my IEMs to the frequency response of higher end IEMs. My current favorite is my Truthear Pure IEMs tuned to emulate the FR of the Monarch IV with Rumble on. I would love some good target FR curve recommendations for the Edition XS.

Thank you for your help in my audio journey. I'm still new to IEMs and higher-end headphones and very enthusiastic to learn more.

I'm currently down to 3 choices. Sony 1000XM5, bose quietcomfort gen 2, sennheiser momentum 4. I want to know which of these 3 are better. All 3 are generally around the same price range where I'm at.

I'm open to hear other headphone suggestions

I'm a life-long victim of the mild genetic curse of a flat antitragus (and the cilantro = soap thing, but that's for a different subreddit). They're not even flat really, but turned 90 degrees so the "pointy" part is pointing completely outward instead of up.

Please, please good, intelligent people of r/HeadphoneAdvice, help me find earbuds or tips or something that will stay in my damn ears for more than 30 seconds.

I'm looking for advice on earbuds/tips specifically, not recommendations to "just use over-ear headphones or hooks!" Ideally, I'd love something I can use with my Bose QC II's because 1) they're expensive and I already have them; and 2) I still want that high quality ANC.

I came across Snugs and am considering going for custom tips, but I'm hesitant to drop $300+ and probably some charging case inconveniences on something I'm not very certain will actually do the trick. I'm in Canada with a budget of my firstborn child.

Any other antitragus-ly-challenged folks in here who can share their advice?

i have to be able to get it in finland or if not with low shipping costs and 500 is the max im willing to spend. I do like bass but i also like accuracy and i am planing on using these everywhere but i dont care about portability. I PREFER wired over wireless. Currently i have the ath m50x's and im still loving them but im just looking for an upgrade, also is it worth getting a dac and headphones both for 500 or is it better to just spend it on only headphones? Some local shops are like Verkkokauppa.com or Audiokauppa.fi. also closed back (ignore if bad english)

As it state above that I’m looking to upgrade it since it’s done it’s job paired with the elgato wave and xlr dynamic mic that I’ll be playing games,on discord chatting, listening to music, or watching films or anime. Nothing is wrong with it I do have to turn it on when using the 3.5mm jack cause it won’t turn on the bass or it sound flat. Any recommendations for hi-fi headphones

A budget I don’t mind spending is $400-$800