Looking for headphones for use at my computer. Primarily for gaming but also music. Lots of people online recommend the Sennheiser HD 560s but I figured I’d ask to see if there’s anything else worth looking at. I think I want open backs since I’ll primarily use them at my desk by myself.
My criteria are: -Decent price (around $200 or less) -Option for microphone attachment (also looking for recommendations there)
If I were to go with the HD560s, would I need an amp to take full advantage of them? If so, I would also like recommendations for that too, as I don’t really know anything about them. Any other advice you could give me would be very beneficial. I’m new to the audiophile scene and don’t have a ton to spend on the best of the best in gear. Thanks!
The audiophile realm divides itself, as I’m sure you’ll find. I’ve been recording/mixing since 2010 in various ways, and (in my opinion) the best headphones you can get for the money is still the Sony MDR-7506. But there are MANY people that would disagree, so it comes down to trying a few pairs over a long period of time to see what your preferences are unfortunately.
The tricky part is the microphone requirement, is there any way you can run a microphone separately from the headphones? If so, you’ll have better options. Something to keep in mind with amps: some people like amps for the color they add to the sound, it isn’t “pure” but some will add warmth
Honestly, I don’t need super good mic quality, just something that gets my voice from one computer to another. I’m not recording anything, just talking to friends.
If mic quality isn’t a big deal, I’d go with a lower-pirced dynamic mic (SM58 is my pick) because they will sound better than most headset mics and probably won’t pick up the sound of your keyboard/controller noises. But that means you’ll have a mic which will need to go through a computer interface (which you may not have) and the headphones to contend with, which may be too much hardware for what you’re looking for
