Any idea what the best closed, over ear headphones are for around $500?

Darkslayer16

Heck, They'd still sound better than the HD598 and Asus Xonar.. There 250 ohms they don't need that kind of amp for them. Wolfetan

Not sure which is 250 ohms; the HE-400 is 35 ohms and the HD598 is 50 ohms.

Let's get to it: I haven't heard the HiFiMan HE-400 personally. Let's just get that out there. That said, I have used the HD598 at length. They sound very, very good- as good as the AKG Q701's, in my experience without requiring an amp to shine, but benefitting from one (as do the HE-400's, I understand). And I would agree that the Xonar Essence is probably more than is necessary to power the HD598's, but both headphones will benefit from the cleaner amp and better isolation the card offers.

Now I'm going to go out on a limb, a bit: I would personally get the HD598 over the HE-400, again, without having listened to the HE-400. This hurts my argument, but my understanding is that the HD598 is a more accurate and more comfrotable headphone at a lower cost, to boot:

The HD598 is going to offer more detailed mid- and upper-range response, and a more neutral sound, overall. I can also vouch for its comfort and performance, where the HE-400 is supposed to be heavier and doesn't offer the comfy velour pads of the HD598s.

I'm not saying the HE-400 is a bad headphone, but for the price and purpose of the OP, I think they'll be happier with a sound card that supports environmental audio effects, Dolby Headphone, and offers a bit of amplification (which both the Xonar DG and Essence cards do) paired with less-expensive, more comfortable headphones.

Happy gaming,

Boz

If I may add a question to this thread,m if its not to old...

I have a completely opposite problem: my front panelaudio jackworks great. I use steelseries h7 headset and the sound quality is superb. In the rear jack I have 2.1 speakers which also work fine (i think - hence I have no alternative to try). However, when I plug the headset in the rear jack, the audio quality drops like 80%. I get the sound but it's just to quiet and no bass. What could be my problem? I would like to use my back panel jack for haedphones really bad, since my little ones (kids) seem to like pull on wires...:)

Spec: dell optiplex 745, w7 ultimate x64, soundMax integrated hd audio - system up to date, drivers also latest.

bobbydoors

Get the Hifiman HE-400 and FiiO E10. Trust me.

Wolfetan