My setup is a pair of Sennheiser HD598's with a FiiO e10k AMP/DAC + ModMic

The sennheisers are great midlevel openbacked cans and I've had them for years and had no issues. They're also by far the comfiest I've ever worn. 100% recommend. Every time I take them to LAN and people try it they are floored by how light and comfy they are.

I will say that if you're after an "immersive" setup and you want open-backed headphones, you better have a silent room to use them in. I can easily hear everything going on in the room including mouse clicks and keystrokes. This isn't a massive issue for me (and I'll admit I use a fairly low volume) but I find I'm a lot more immersed when I use my old ATHM50s. Again, not a huge issue depending on your room and if you're listening to music at a louder volume it really ain't no thang.

I wouldn't get a Schiit stack unless you pick up some high end ($600+) monitor cans which can actually make use of them. Look into FiiO products as they tend to be a better value buy for an entry level setup. I'm not sure if they still sell the e10k but try and find it's equivalent and have a gander.

I'm not super well versed in Mic tech but I've heard it's important to isolate the modmic cable (using a usb adaptor or similar) to remove the bulk of the static. Plugging it straight into the mobo or even your front I/O port will make your Mic signal pick up all the electrical interference in your case.

Have a look on /r/headphones and especially their wiki. Head-fi is also good. Research goes a long way with Headphones and if you can try and get to a store or something and try some out to see. Keep in mind I'm no expert by any means and I'm just passing on what I've learned through tinkering and researching :)

FiiO e10k is one of the best amp/dac combos you can get in its price range (although the bass switch on it is basically useless), I enjoy mine a lot. For open back headphones I use the Philips SHP9500S which are always discounted on Newegg at $55 for some reason even though Amazon always has them up for like $75.

Antlion Modmic is probably the best mic functionally but a lot of people don't have the like $50 to drop on it so as a secondary I would recommend the VMODA BoomPro (Which is $30) if you can't afford the Antlion.

I use akg k7xx and topping d30/a30 and I don't think you can do much better for the price (or any price tbh).

Currently running a Micca Origen+ it is pretty much useless if you are running windows 10 and don't want to deal with installing bullshit but it has one of the best form factors for a dac/amp combo and is pretty solid. The Fulla 2 being the better version of the Micca Origen+ and doesn't have installation as well as having a better DAC chip in it (not sure of model just know it to be better).

Both of these Dac/Amp combos ran my Fostex T50RP MK3 @ 155$ (50 ohms) quite well, they're not the highest impedance in the world but can use the extra power.

Going to copy paste one of my posts since I answered something similar. These are for 100$> headphones.

Letting you know now that Yes Dac/Amps do help with audio quality and stuff like that but not as much as the headphones and eq will for the headphones I listed above as they are very "easy" to drive. Most harder to drive headphones will need the extra power and such but they're normally 200-300$ or more, if you want to get into that budget range let me know and I'll leave more recommendations.

I use the dac FiiO e10k and beyerdynamics dt990 250ohm. I really like this setup. What audio profile are you intrested in? I im not a fan of too much bass, I like it on the lower side so this setup is perfect for me

Thanks for all the useful tips so far.

Iirc, these Akg were only a massdrop limited edition thing. Is there a place where I can still find them tho ?

Actually yes. I'd greatly appreciate if you took the time to give me higher priced recommandations, just to know what investing that extra money can get you and if I consider worth it for my current needs.

As said in the OP, I don't really know what would please me the most but I'd say that I'm looking for a rather neutral/balanced profile if that makes any sense, since I listen to a large spectrum of music genras but also want it to sound good for games and movies. I might go with a similar signature as yours since too much base could spoilt it and be tiring in the long run.

Using FiiO E10K + AKG K550s - bass is lacking without an amp imo.

AMP is great +1 to everyone else.

Started using Sony MDR-1A at work, which are pretty comfy as well.
bout £100 with my staff discount

For the most part Dac/Amps won't do TOO much for you when it comes to making a neutral/balanced profile better but it does affect it in some way. If you look at my first post the ones I mentioned are very good for a desk setup. I recommend the Fulla 2 if you don't want to dedicate to the Schiit Stack (Magni + Modi)

So since you mentioned a neutral sound which will most likely be limited to the headphones itself. Lets get into the actual headphones in the higher $100-1000 headphones range.

Open Cans

• Beyer DT 1990 Pro @ ~$500-600 range(Amazon Link)
  These FINE GERMAN CRAFTED CANS are very regarded as one of the best neutral sounding headphones. I've only ever had a listen a few times due to a friend owning a pair but the sound stage and imaging are quite incredible and should be very useful for gaming.
  
• Philips Fidelio X2 @ $300 could be found for cheaper.
  Now most people know Philips for having a pretty neutral sound and so on, well these babies definitely have them. HOWEVER, they can give you a good amount of bass that the sound can still be very fun and enjoyable (movies, shooters) but does not lack in the Sound stage/immersion and imaging. They're like the cheaper and very good babies of the Beyer DT 1990 Pros
  
• Sennheiser HD 650 @ $315 as of posting. Normally 400+
  THESE PUPPIES are very similar to the Philips Fidelio X2 in they are neutral and still have a bit of a nice bass to them, but these guys give you this really nice warm sound all around that just makes your ears and don't feel like removing them. HOWEVER, with an Impedance of 300 ohms, they need the extra power to run well. (Not to worry really as the Schiit Fulla 2 can handle these cans)

Closed Cans

• Shure SRH840 @ $150 normally 200~
  I can keep this short and sweep. Closed Can Headphone Neutral Kings. Other than minor build quality issues regarding the comfort and padding... phenomenal.
  
• Fostex T50RP MKIII @ $~160
  JUST LETTING YOU KNOW I only linked these as they're a personal favorite of mine and are a current can I run a LOT. Yes the impedance (50 ohms) isn't much, but they can use the extra juices and when they get them, boy can they SING. (Yes it says semi-open cans on the amazon link but for the most part they are closed)
  
• Fostex Premium TH610 @ $~550 at time of link can go up to 600+
  These cans are one I never owned at some point in my life so the things I'll be referencing are not from experience. However, the things people say about these are quite good. Solid bass for incredibly neutral sound. Accurate sound imaging.
  One last thing. Wood Cups.

edit: fixed some pricing stuff as well as format

Wow thanks a lot, this is incredibly helpful man.

Btw I would use them in a quiet environnement so I'm gonna go with open cans to benefit from a wider sound stage.

So regarding the Beyer DT 1990 Pro, I was actually doing some research yesterday on the cheapest way to get them shiped to where I live and it seems like I can get them for 445€ through some amazon shennanigans.
Hence a few questions:

- For that price, would you consider it a no-brainer?

- Based on your experience with them (I know you said it's not much but real experience is always more helpful), how was the comfort ?, the sound when listening to music, when playing games ?

- Would a Fulla 2 be enough to take full advantage of those cans? and if not, would the Shiit Stack/ Mayflower ARC make a noticeable difference to the point that its worth to invest double the price ?

- Is there anything more that you could say about this pair ?

In my opinion yes. I've seen them on sale for 600 USD and other higher prices. The build quality is perfect, these things were built almost as if they're tanks so the price is worth it.

Comfort is quite good the pads are comfortable as is which is something that isn't said much about a lot of cans, pretty sure they come with different pads as well to swap if you prefer different kinds. Due to the nature of the headband, clamping can be experienced if your head is pretty large but most of my friends say my head is quite big and I had no issues with that. Sound is insane. How I would like to explain their sound is that it is very neutral, nothing is going to really pop too hard over something else, but the sound is not boring, it is incredibly enjoyable. Some headphones can be SO NEUTRAL that they can seem incredibly boring but not in the case of these cans. This comes from the incredible precision and sound stage of these things that gaming should be no problem at all.

Fulla 2 is said to handle up to 550 Ohms so it definitely will handle the 250 Ohms.

If they're down from their $600~ normal, these are a sure buy. You will definitely NEED the Fulla 2 or any Dac/Amp combo you wish to go for (Schiit Stack being incredibly good) to help these things. One last thing is they're incredibly nice to look at.

If you're investing this kind of money you should try a few headphones and figure out what you actually like instead of just guessing.
You're in a position where not only you can choose but you have to choose because no headphones are perfect.
Letting someone on the internet guess for you what you might like isn't a good idea.
Go to a store. An actual professional store that'll let you do some listening tests.

Keep in mind that DACs/amps can't magically make headphones sound better. Headphones are inherently imperfect, they'll always change the signal that goes in by a few percent, whereas for DACs/amps the goal is to get as close to zero percent as possible.
So beyond the DAC/amp not doing horrible things with the signal you feed it and in case of the amp providing enough voltage/current/gain more money only buys you features and getting closer to perfection. Of course I'm ignoring tube amps because you don't want to go down that rabbit hole. Anyway this means if you're spending more on your amp than on your headphones your priorities are probably wrong. Headphones first, DAC/amp that do their job properly are a must, beyond that only if you can afford it. It's not worth giving up headphones that suit your tastes much better just to get an amp with 0.001% lower THD+N.

Value is highly subjective for audio.
Diminishing point depends on your tastes and hearing. If you can't hear above 20kHz anymore anyway then you probably don't care about a spike at 22kHz. On the other hand if you can hear PSU noise at 25kHz and it drives you insane then you should probably pay attention to that.
Set yourself a budget. Or this will escalate really quickly.
I mean you're looking at 150$ and 600$ headphones and compare them as if the money didn't even matter. And that's all based on the guess that you really want a neutral sound signature.
After that you start worrying if the DAC/amp are really good enough if you're investing that much money. Then you start comparing the 600$ ones with other 400-600$ headphones because it's only fair, right, and there might be something even better at that price.
Stop, take a step back, set yourself a budget with max +x€ if you need an extra 20€ or something like that to make a certain headpones + DAC + amp combo happen. Then work with that. If you're really not satisfied with what that gets you can start over. But really if you can test at least the headphones before you decide that's not good enough.

v5 = v4 + modular cables + both mic options (omni/uni-directional) at the same time.
Omni-directional v4 isn't sold anymore afaik.
So for omni (or both, if you think you'll need to switch depending on the environment) or if you want modular cables v5.
Otherwise v4.
Uni-directional needs a lot of gain and I have yet to see onboard sound that could provide enough. You might be able to get away with it with the v5 set to omni-directional but I wouldn't count on it. Any cheap USB ADC is enough though.

EDIT: Once you've decided on headphones you can actually do the math how much voltage/current/gain/power the amp needs to be able to provide.

It's not really that I tread money as if it doesn't matter, but I'd say that, being that new to more 'professional audio', I'm just at the stage where I'm trying to figure it out by just gathering informations and valuable experiences.
Besides, who said that I had already made up my mind and insta-ordered some random pair that people recommended ? Point is I'm trying to understand what money can get you, how big are the differences and how much of it just comes down to personal tastes.

EDIT: Also the fact that I went as far as checking all the different pricing options that I had showcases that I consider price to be such a major factor, hence the willing to get something that suits me well.

Yeah, I was definetly going to avoid those, especially since that'd be my first amp.

That was already planned and you're 100% right. Tho the sound signature that I indicated (an mb for not making this clearer in the first place) is based on a few experiences that I've had with decent headphones in the past. Obvisously going to decide after doing some tests in a proper store.

* can't ?
____________________________________________________________________________________________

Also, I highly appreciate that you took the time to warn me against common mistakes that beginners do. And the technical and modmic explanations were very clear too,
Ty !

Obviously you haven't ordered yet. I meant if you look at a list of recommendations and there's 150$ headphones and 600$ headphones it's obvious which ones are going to be better. That's why you have to figure out your price range first and then compare headphones in that range. Figuring out whether or not headphones for x€ get you what you want is a different matter and you'll obviously need to test headphones for that. Recommendations at different pricepoints for that, but you were already considering buy the DT 1990 without testing any.

Which headphones did you try and which did you like best? I might be able to find something similar.

Nope, can.
Most likely you won't be able to test the exact DAC/amp/headphones combination you want to buy, but I know it's tempting when you read reviews, where all the faults, shortcomings and downsides of headphones are pointed out, to think that those aren't good enough and you should look for something better (which will usually end up being more expensive). In those cases if at all possible you should test the headphones first.

Tbh I don't even remember the brands but I definetly recall testing a headset with a more 'heavy bass' signature and thinking that it was too much, unpleasant and tiring. I'll post my impressions once I start doing some real testing ;)

Oh I see you, but DAC & Amps aren't really meant to change the signature that much, aren't them ? From my understanding, they might color the sound a bit if anything but correct me if I'm wrong here.

If you're looking for a setup that purely sounds good and you don't care about sound leaking get open, closed headphones are just never going to sound better because of physical limitations on the design.

depends a lot on the gear in specific - generally speaking a pair of hd800s or something are always going to sound like a pair of hd800s but things are going to sound different depending on what they're hooked up to - whether that's "significant" depends on who you ask and what the comparison is really between. Some headphones are more revealing of what's further up the chain than others - hd650s are an example of this which is part of why that headphone is so popular - it scales with the gear it's hooked up to a lot more than other headphones tend to. Somebody earlier said that you shouldn't spend more on an amp than headphones which is sort of misleading/not always true for cases like this (there are people who use 650s with schiit ragnarok for example).

If you were looking to be cheap I would just get a pair of akg k240s and call it a day, if you're looking to get into actual hifi I would look around at what you can get used since you're going to get a lot more for your money generally - I got a $1000 msrp pair of headphones for 450 used. Otherwise I would say get a schiit modi 2 uber (don't bother with the multibit), hd650s and as big of a class a amp as you can find for them that you're willing to spend on. The schiit fulla and most cheap amps aren't enough for those headphones to really do what they're capable of. I would try looking for a used gustard h10 or maybe schiit asgard.

@ OP

+

____________________________________________________________________________________________
Thanks for the detailled explanations.
I still believe that spending more on the AMP/DAC that on the headphone is a poor decision tho, but I can see where you're going with your example.

They shouldn't. Obviously sometimes there's weird interactions because of weird output stages, but other than that it's mostly DAC output vs amp input, gain (you want to be able to use volume control effectively instead of being forced close to min or max) and general usability. Nice if you can test it but most of the time it'll work perfectly fine anyway.

And the Class A fetishists have arrived.

They are still dropping on massdrop and they're all over Amazon/eBay. If you can't get them, q701/k7 whatever are just as good, they're pretty much all the same thing. I've tried quite a lot of different cheap and expensive headphones and they're my favourite. But I'd definitely second going to a store and testing out whatever you can (lol can).

Anyone recommending no soundstage Crackhiesers for gaming should GTFO.

Anything short of the hardest to drive headphones should be fine on cheapish dac/amp.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DI33YNQ
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06X9MB1XW
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071XTCRZD

For general purpose listening i love my Audio Technica ATH-MSR7BKs with lamb leather Brainwavz pads. Can listen to them for hours comfortably. Extremely easy to drive (can be used comfortably from a phone), wide soundstage (for closed backs), decent imaging, solid but not exaggerated bass, detailed but not sibilant highs, and compatible with the v-moda boompro. Not the BEST at anything but extremely well rounded.

https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-MSR7BK-SonicPro-High-Resolution-Headphones/dp/B00PEU9CFA

For pure competitive gaming and analytic listening i recommend the Audio Technica ATH-AD1000X/2000Xs. Both are easy to drive, extremely comfortable, VERY detailed, and have soundstage and imaging i havnt seen from anything less than high end planars.

https://www.amazon.com/Technica-Audiophile-ATH-AD1000X-Open-Air-Headphones/dp/B009S330O8/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1511481661&sr=1-1&keywords=ath+ad1000x
https://www.amazon.com/Technica-Audiophile-ATH-AD2000X-Open-Air-Headphones/dp/B009S32ZPI/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1511482064&sr=1-1&keywords=ath+ad2000x

Good bundle deal on a DAC/AMP and some BeyerDynamic DT 1990 PROs.

https://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-Studio-Headphones-Slappa-Accessories/dp/B01KMWRZ0S/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1511482292&sr=1-2-spons&keywords=dt+1990+pro&psc=1

The best way i could describe the BeyerDynamic DT 1990 PRO is VERY German.

These sound excellent for the price and are a excellent entr into planars if you are willing to deal with some build quirks.

https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-Monolith-M1060-Planar-Headphones/dp/B01N32N5DD/ref=sr_1_12?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1511482451&sr=1-12&keywords=monoprice+headphones

I heard GOOD things about the Fostex TH-X00 Purplehearts. Plan to get myself a pair eventually.

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/fostex-x-massdrop-th-x00-purpleheart-headphones

I could recommend some endgame cans (think $800+ and requiring a high end amp) but this being your first set of high ends these are all good entry points.

Note:
Sennheiser anything and Audio Technica ATH-M50Xs are HIGHLY overrated.

Just a reminder:
OP appears to be in France (unless the US recently switched to €) so I don't think deals that are only available in the US are that useful, no matter how good they are.

Also "Sennheiser anything" isn't overrated, their MSRPs are ridiculous though. No one except Sennheiser even tries to sell e.g. HD650s for 500$ and no one in their right mind would buy them for that price.

That's right, and I'm looking for recommandations and tips more than anything. I'm confident that I can then find the best deals online and reduce costs once I've settled on a pair.

I'm currently running my HD800 out of a schit valhalla2 and it's a pretty good combination.
Obviously that's well past the point of diminishing returns, but if you're looking for something open backed in a lower price bracket, I'd recommend an HD600/HD650 as that's always a good starting point (if you don't mind the sub-bass rolloff and lack of soundstage of the lower end sennheisers).
If you don't want to spend extra on something that can power the 300 ohm nominal impedance of the 600/650 (including their 500 ohm bass impedance spike) or want something with better soundstage and a greater sense of openness, check out the AKG K701/K702.

They are overpriced because of brand recognition and poor build quality (who makes $100+ headphone frames out of plastic?). Don't get me wrong they are not BAD. But you can usually do better for your money unless you get a good sale. Also Sennheiser has a notoriously narrow sound stage. I see WAY too many people buying the HD 600 meme for games.

Forgot to post earlier but Innerfidelity is a great resource for comparing the sound signatures of headphones you haven't gotten to hear in person.

#24
You might be underestimating how much plastic there is in most headphones. Weight/ease of replacement are also things to consider. But while you're free to question their choices I'd generally assume first that someone who is paid to do a job and hasn't been fired after many years does at least have a basic idea of what they're doing.
Like I said I've never seen them not on sale and they've been playing that weird MSRP game for a while (because of some authorized dealer stuff).
Please don't generalise like that. The HD600/650 have a notoriously narrow sound stage. If all headphones were the same why would any manufacturer bother with more than one model?

#26
It is enough of a problem that Crackheiser has become a meme in audio enthusiast circles.

https://hydrogenaud.io/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=111069.0;attach=9227;image
https://cdn.head-fi.org/a/1312006.jpg
https://cdn.head-fi.org/a/2533062.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/yaguTrR.jpg
https://cdn.head-fi.org/a/1619771.jpg
https://www.gpforums.co.nz/attachment.php?attachmentid=172296&stc=1&d=1283040633
https://cdn.head-fi.org/a/8122872.jpg

When i refer to Sennheiser having a narrow sound stage i mostly refer to the HD600/650 which are the only headphones they make that are better at something than there competitors and even then if i wanted a headphone with that sound signature i would still rather get Audio-Technica ATH-R70Xs.

Like i said they are not bad. Just over recommended. I put the company as a whole on about the same tier as Bose.

Oh shit I forgot. Sennheiser = HD600/650 because everything else they ever made doesn't matter.

Nice meme.

Pretty much. Not like they make anything else worth buying.
Don't know why you are trying to defend this company. They were a lot more relevant like 8 years ago (HD 600s are amazingly good for how old they are) but we have other options now.

surprise surprise screwball is being a massive retard again