HE-4XX are a bit difficult to drive. So it kind of depends on your listening volume, how much headphone amp power your specific device has. And whether you plan on boosting the bass, as it is fairly neutral and bass response and might need some boost.

E10K can drive them unless you plan on listening really loud, and boosting the bass a lot with EQ. Magni has a lot more power and will drive them pretty much no matter what.

You might also want to look at the HE-400SE. It is currently $129, and a lot of people seem to find it better than HE-4XX

https://www.amazon.com/HIFIMAN-Audiophiles-Great-Sounding-Sensitivity-Comfortable/dp/B08Z2SK5C4/

>and even Drop + HIFIMAN HE4XX

Since the HE400SE came out, they tend to get recommended more. You might want to check them out. Especially since they were on sale for $129.

https://www.amazon.com/HIFIMAN-Audiophiles-Great-Sounding-Sensitivity-Comfortable/dp/B08Z2SK5C4/

And then you could use part of your money to get an amp/dac to drive them.

HE400SE are currently on sale. Bass is fairly neutral relative to the mids. But you could boost it with EQ.

https://www.amazon.com/HIFIMAN-Audiophiles-Great-Sounding-Sensitivity-Comfortable/dp/B08Z2SK5C4

Equalizer APO with Peace GUI is free system wide Windows EQ software that many of us use to tweak our headphones.

Unf those headsets r geared more towards comfort rather than the “audiophile” crowd. It’s voicing/ engineering/ implementation /quality of parts r big factors.

M sure they’re great— but knowing u can’t differentiate a Spotify stream v a Tidal HiFi one means that your headset is not up to task to uncover all the detail, decay, soundstage, imaging of the source format. (formats vary in SQ as well, but that’s another topic for another day)

Going off the BlackSharks price point; the HiFiMan HE400se is a superb contender.

Here is a great resource & review for them.

My lil bro recently just switched from a HyperX Cld2(?) to a much cheaper KZ Z10 Pros& was ecstatic about it. His analogy was the HyperX’s was a “dirty window” & the IEMs is the “window that got the Windex & squeegee treatment”. You don’t notice it, until you do.

I’m honestly still fairly new to the audio world as well. I just started last year. I can definitely say this though. You’re “dream pair” will eventually get replaced by something newer or better which is why I ended up researching/saving for what I have now. With the Sundara/Meze’s that I have, I have a Schiit stack on my desk.

I definitely feel like I have a better gaming experience with the Sundara’s than I do with the Meze’s. If you are interested in open-backs, Hifiman has a cheaper pair, the HE400SE. These are also planar magnetic headphones.

For the mic issue, I feel that. Thankfully, my mic came with a boom arm that attaches to desks. However, I cannot recommend the Blue Yeti arm as I have so many issues with it. I’m planning on switching it out. This is a recommended one just looking on Amazon – InnoGear.

If you’re still interested in planars, the HE400SE has taken over as the entry level recommendation over the HE400i. It’s currently $129

https://www.amazon.com/HIFIMAN-Audiophiles-Great-Sounding-Sensitivity-Comfortable/dp/B08Z2SK5C4

While you’re probably going to want a headphone amp with them, the Fiio E10K will do a very good job with them unless you’re planning on adding a lot of crazy bass boost or listen extremely loud. Then it might need more power

https://www.amazon.com/FiiO-Headphone-Amplifier-Shielded-Extension/dp/B09KNVSBNP/

 

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HD58X is currently on sale at Drop. It is a good all-around open headphone. It is fairly easy to drive.

https://drop.com/buy/massdrop-x-sennheiser-hd-58x-jubilee-headphones

But if you find your computer has trouble driving it, a Meizu Hifi Master dongle from Amazon can work well with driving it to moderately loud volume.

HE400SE is another good all around headphone. It is fairly easy to drive

https://www.amazon.com/HIFIMAN-Audiophiles-Great-Sounding-Sensitivity-Comfortable/dp/B08Z2SK5C4

If you find you find your computer has trouble driving it, the Fiio E10K would be good for it.

Open back:

HE400SE – Probably can’t get anything open better for $150. Add in $100 more for a Qudelix 5k and you’ve got a $250 wireless headphone with really good battery life and sound quality.

Closed back:

Moondrop Aria/FiiO FD3/FiiO FH3 + Comply foam tips

Yes, they are in ears and are technically closed back.

HD 280 Pros sound bad even for the price and they are incredibly uncomfortable. And still, these IEMs with foam tips will isolate better.

HE400SE

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08Z2SK5C4/

Hifiman he 400 se is a great place to start. Infact an amazing place to start.

HIFIMAN HE400SE Stealth Magnets Version Over-Ear Open-Back Full-Size Planar Magnetic Wired Headphones for Audiophiles/Studio, Great-Sounding, Stereo, High Sensitivity, Comfortable, Sliver https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08Z2SK5C4/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_X9EVD162SZ8RJXP5CX46?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Now you need sources. Here if you have a little more money

Amp:

Monolith THX AAA Balanced Headphone Amplifier Featuring THX AAA 887 Technology, Balanced and Single-Ended Inputs (139359)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088HKCRT1/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_C122TDK77VQFJF5DPHEG

Dac:
Topping E30 USB DAC AK4493 Chip Optical Coaxial HiFi Audio DAC DSD512 768kHz Mini Desktop Decoder DAC with Remote Control (Black)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0865GJLB5/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_T0SZ75KYZHNTQE5ZJGF6

Here medium money

Amp:
https://www.schiit.com/products/magni-1

Dac:
https://www.schiit.com/products/modi-1

Here less money:
https://www.schiit.com/products/fulla-2

Or portable.

FiiO BTR5-384K/32Bit Native DSD256 Hi-Res CSR8675 Bluetooth5.0 Receiver/USB DAC/DSD Headphone Amp with LDAC, aptX HD, (3.5mm Unbalanced&2.5mm Balanced Output, Titanium)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088YFDYBB/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_CEMJE4FND2G2KRHMAM6W

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