Yamaha yh4000 
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It’s warm and full-bodied, also more detailed than utopia.
Most comfortable for my head
Would probably suggest more neutral-ish tubes since it’s already a warm and bassy headphone
My only caveat is that it takes some time getting used to the signature but… once it clicks, it’s 
Thanks for the recommendation
Its interesting to think of Yamaha headphones as warm since my image of the brand, specially coming from their monitors is very analitycal.
Im still dying to try any of the YH from their new line, they seem like I would absolutely love them. Since they are expensive ill try to demo them before including in my wishlist!
Ill tell him about these but now he seems way fixed with ZMF
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My friend completely removed the Meze Elite from the list, after some reviews and comparisons they are almost opposite of what he wants.
Since the goal is relaxed listening sessions I suggested other ZMF models, since the Caldera Open is one of the least relaxed ones
If you have any other suggestions for 2k-3k used headphones for relaxing please let me know
Currently he is thorn between: Caldera, ORI 3.0, verite, atrium; any of those either open or closed.
You can’t go wrong with Verite Open, Caldera Open, or Meze Elite. I own the VO and Elite, and I got a week with the Caldera Open. I find the Elite to be the easiest to recommend, with its unparalleled comfort. It’s a super-relaxing listen that still has tons of resolution. I highly recommend the Angled Alcantara pads with the Elite. They took a great headphone and made them exceptional, at least for my preferences.
My only reservation is his amp. Since the Euforia is an OTL, I’d say a ZMF dynamic is the obvious choice in that price range, especially if looking on the used market. I’m not sure how well the Euforia would drive the Elite or Caldera. I’m partial to the Verite Open over the Atrium Open. Then again, I have an Atrium Closed and OG Auteur, so I never really considering getting an Atrium Open.
Thank you very much, all this info is actually quite valuable
I was also thinking the elite was the better choice at first but it simply doesnt have the sound signature my friend is looking for.
Also the Feliks Euforia Pro is quite the weird OTL, it works remarkably well with low impedances and planars, I have no clue whats going on there, it looks like a regular OTL.
So again, now he is REALLY fixated on going ZMF, he is digging Caldera Open and Atrium Closed the Most. Id like him to consider Verite or VC, so im actually going to try a mutual friend of ours to lend it to him.
As you say, im almost positive Verite and Atrium would be the best pairings.
I need headphone recommendations specifically for gaming. Not competitive or anything, i mostly play single player games, so no need for super precise imaging to hear footsteps around corners or some shit lol
Budget is $500-600, comfort is obviously a big need since I’ll be wearing these for hours at a time but some sacrifices can be made for better sound. Music listening is secondary, mainly looking for something that is gonna be good for more action and atmospheric gaming. For example I play a lot of rpgs as well as survival horror games. Skyrim, resident evil, elden ring etc. Type games.
Im currently looking at hifiman since alot of their stuff has gotten a lot cheaper over the past few years and I kind of like the idea of owning a planar after so long. Mainly looking at the ananda nano right now but I’ve also heard the sundara is good for gaming and it is dirt cheap right now. Any feedback would be great.
I wish I could afford a lcd-x or xc but a little out of my budget unless I can find a good second hand price same for the 800s which I previously owned and used for gaming.
Any and all help is appreciated.
I really like the Audeze Maxwell for gaming, it’s actually a really good sounding headphone even when not used for gaming.
It has good isolation, it’s Wireless and has a Mic if you need any of that.
It does have it’s quirks, if you bind to a Bluetooth device and the Wireless dongle, the Bluetooth device will shut off audio from the dongle when it plays sound, and you can optionally feed part of the signal from the mic into the headset that causes crackle on mine. I just turn that off and don’t bind it to my phone.
I use mine on my Sim rig, it’s not the lightest headset, but I do use it for multihour sessions.
On my primary gaming rig I most aften use my HD800, That’s mostly about weight and comfort.
I was looking at the maxwell at first. But then I started reading a lot of bad feedback… I guess if you look hard enough you can find negatives about any set tho. I will take another look at it, there is also a maxwell 2 now I think
Yeah im sort of regretting selling my 800s, it really is a great all around set especially the comfort and soundstage for gaming.
I really do like the idea of closed back for gaming tho. Which is why I was pining for a lcd-xc even tho its overkill lol maybe I should just grab a dt770pro and be happy 
I have tried many many over ears around your 500-600 budget both open and closed; so I can name a few as to help you brainstorm some nice options.
But which Dac/Amp are you gonna be using? Or should a portion of the budget be used for the gear?
And pls dont settle for dt770pro 
I’ve been really really enjoying the SJY Horizon Closed Carbon for gaming. Doesn’t have the most isolation I’ve ever heard from a closed back, but it actually has a massive stage somehow and razor sharp imaging. Most physical bass I’ve ever heard but stays really well controlled so it’s great for single player stuff and for comp shooters. They’re dipping down around $700 on the used market already and they’re worth every penny of that imo. Super good build quality, though they are Audeze level of heavy but it doesn’t really bother me.
I have a schiit magni unity with mesh dac card on the way rn so I already have the source sorted
Haha you say this but they are pretty competent for non music listening use case or at least i thought so way back in the day when I owned a pair 
I’ve never heard of that set, thanks i will definitely take a look.
Ok like I said im going to brainstorm since I have a ton of ideas
But since I used almost none of these headphones on a schiit magni I dont know how good the synergies are gonna be
New Headphones
Open Back
Philips Fidelio X2 - $165 Amazon - Classic very comfortable very bassy headphones.
Audio Technica ad900x - $185 Amazon Japan - Great sounstage, fun W shape with enough from every frequency, technically proficient.
AKG K702 - $200 Amazon - very similar to above but replace the W shape with a neutral tunning. You can swap the pads to ZMF Auteur Hybrid to make them ultra comfy.
Beyerdynamic dt990 pro 250ohm - $200 Amazon - Similar to above but replace the neutral tunning with a strong V shape, a bit less technical and slightly smaller stage.
Grado Sr325x - $295 Amazon - Good ol’ grado sound, midrange focused but warm enough. You can make em very comfy by using Yaxi Grado Pads and bending the headband by hand to the shape of your skull (you are meant to do this) so that they clamp just enough to not move around. For even more comfort get the Nyczaj pads.
Sennheiser hd490 pro - $340 - classic warmish sennheiser signature but with good technicalities and stage, fun and chill sound, awesome build quality and comfort.
Hifiman XV - $400 Amazon - Newer egg shaped model than focuses on warmth and fun.
Hifiman Arya Stealth - $600 Amazon - good dynamics, neutral signature, upper mid focused, airy treble, microdetailed and textured, may get fatiguing.
Closed Back
Audio Technica a1000z - $350 Amazon Japan - these have such a fun tuning, W shaped, above average technicalities and soundstage
Sennheiser HD620S - $400 Amazon - Id look for a discount or used, these are amazing allrounders with innofensive sound, enough clarity, insane Isolation and ultra comfy.
Focal Azurys - $429 Amazon - this are quite bassy and also have a lot of punch and impact, with great macro and just enough clarity.
EDIT: WORK IN PROGRESS
Used Headphones
Open Back
Closed Back
IDK, I’ll give another +1 for Maxwell. I have one, and like @Polygonhell I think it sounds pretty damned good, and not just for gaming. I’ve had no issues with mine really.
The dongle does need to be in a USB port though, it doesn’t work right in a hub. That’s one of the few negatives I can think of. It is pretty heavy, but the suspension strap helps a lot. Battery life is fantastic.
I used to use HD560s for gaming. Then I moved to HEkse. However, I found the IEM Simgot SuperMix 4 crazy good for competitive FPS. The image placement is so accurate, I can hear if people are above me, in the room, running down the corridor towards, etc., so easily. Since using these IEMs, I haven’t looked back. I’m definitely a headphone guy for music, but IEMs for gaming 
It’s all good just general feedback is more than good enough, since I won’t be using the schiit for music very often and mostly gaming 90% of the time I think I will manage if the synergy is not a perfect match.
I am very interested in Audio Technica, I’ve never heard one and I’ve always wanted to. I’ve heard the ad900x is a solid gaming set but this is a case where I would be very interested in using it for music as well. Do you or anyone else have experience with their other headphones? I was also looking at an r70x too recently.
The AKG is also a known good gaming set that I always hear about and I’ve always been drawn to them in the past before they kinda went to shit lol fun fact my first ever audiophile headphone was the K240 way back in 2011 and I used it for 6 years until I picked up my HD6xx in 2017.
This is another really popular gaming set for competitive games I believe, from my research it is a very common choice. Since I already have a senn I will probably avoid grabbing another one for now.
I’ve been looking at hifiman a lot recently, their value is unmistakable as they have been really aggressive in price cuts and releasing more budget mid tier cans in recent years.
The Edition XV I looked at briefly but some of the feedback I’ve seen is somewhat mixed on gaming performance, I also don’t know how I feel about the tuning if I was to use them for music at some point. I think The ananda nano has a overall better impression on the gaming side of things, also think it would work well with the type of music I listen to.
I was actually looking and trying to justify the Arya organic but it is slightly over my budget lol
again very interested in AT, but I think these are discontinued? If I could find a pair secondhand for a good price maybe, I really like that they are closed back.
At this point in time I’m torn between the ananda nano or one of the AT open backs either ad900x or r70x. The ananda i think will be the higher performing set but also be the less comfortable because of the size and weight. I need to do more research on the r70x because I’m not crazy about the permanently attached cable on the ad900x lol
Thanks a lot for taking the time to write all of this up, much appreciated
Nothing beats isolation when it comes to comp stuff. I wish it were more complicated than that, but it kinda really just matters more than any other technicality when it comes to super competitive gaming. Finding an IEM that works for you is just invaluable for comp shooters imo. A really well isolating closed back without any serious drawbacks is something I still haven’t come across but there’s so many options for wildly capable IEMs out there that I stopped looking for closed backs entirely. I don’t even know what made me want to try the Horizon Closed Carbon recently, but it actually turned out to be really solid. I wouldn’t take them over an IEM for comp, especially with some ear pro over an IEM, but they really did surprise me.
Well Im an ATH collector so ive heard all of them except for the super expensive limited editions and the new adx7000
Ad900x scales up very nicely with amplification, I usually mod them to make a detachable cable, its the audio technica “signature” starter pack, its got most of the quirks the brand is know for but at its price the frequency response is far from perfect, still expecting perfection out of a $200 piece… yeah its also quite plasticky and the floating headband may or may not work for you. To some its one of the comfiest headbands ever to others like m0n its borderline unusable.
For the r70x and r70xa you definitely want the apos refine pads, they keep the sound while fixing the stock pads terrible comfort. Id say the r70xa was a worthy small upgrade.
This is ATH answer to the HD600/650, it has the same tuning but more technical and less boomy, cleaner. Theyre just as hard to drive if not more.
XV Definitely not for competitive but for general gaming theyre better than other options because of the fatigue the higher models can cause from their upper mids and highs after long hours.
But yeah the other models are better for music and competitive, just not for 4+ hours depends on the person. Just avoid ananda nano its ultra overhyped and not worth it.
Also there are many many other models to look into with hifiman, they have gone down in price infinitely by now; I still prefer audeze every single time but its more costly and I have a thick neck for the 600 grams.
Theyre not discontinued in japan only, also this is the price they usually go for secondhand, I mean you could save like $50 or $100 if youre lucky.
Maybe the taxes are different here, It costs me $350 shipping and taxes included.
This is one is a fan favorite, it represents the ATH sound signature perfectly and its a staple closed back. Also attached cable but really easy to mod it takes me 10 minutes with this model.
The floating headband again will make or brake the fit cause its a closed back, from my experience like 90% people get a perfect seal which is necessary.
Well I just bought a detachable cable modded AD900x off of usam, comes with a pretty decent aftermarket cable too. Was a good deal at $155 shipped. I’ll probably want to replace pads because I’m weird about that on secondhand stuffs, do you have any aftermarket pad recommendations for this or just stick with stock?
Thanks again for all of the help, If I like this one I might buy other AT headphones in the near future to try out.
Been tuning my setup for years towards having an ethereal/layered presentation for single-player gaming (Souls games, indies, emulation). The Arya Organic is the best you can get under 1K for that. The Nano is a good pick, but it’s not as much of a stage monster. Very capable driver, albeit with a tendency towards pushing imaging towards centre and it doesn’t quite have enough separation and micro for recreating larger scale spaces. The Arya Stealth is stronger in that direction with a grander stage, but it’s moderately hard to drive and match with to get decent depth and holography out of it. The Organic is best of both and just about the easiest Hifiman planar to drive, like the Nano, with a more U-shaped tonality compared to the Stealth which slightly artificially opens up the stage but it’s a good trade-off considering the range you’re shopping in. Maybe out of budget, but worth saving up for and you can look for an open-box on Hifiman’s site with the open-box discount code that’s usually floating about.
Hard agree, also dealer priced Ananda Unveiled is kinda wild. Pads too. Old standard Hifiman pads before the new Unveiled series are massive, and I mean absolutely colossal hinderances to the stock performance. You can steer all kinds of different directions with custom pad swaps, but basically anything you do that involves non angled and thicker pads and some kind of leather outside with some soft foam is going to seal so much better and completely correct any bass deficiencies that come from pad gap and they literally just enable them to take a bass shelf where they just couldn’t before. It’s not just a normal change to their tuning, and for some people I can totally understand not liking it depending on the configuration, but the capabilities also skyrocket and if you can EQ around that, it’s actually a crazy transformation in overall technicalities. I have separate sets for my HE1000se and Edition XS and Shangri-La that kind of cater to what they need. Honestly after hearing my egg shaped Hifimans with the custom pads and some EQ cope, I genuinely don’t think I’d own any of them without the custom pads if not solely because of the complete lack of slam without them. They can slam without the pads, but with them, it means something.
The best pads in the world were just discontinued without notice a month ago, the yaxi ad2000x/a2000z pads.
They are exactly the same as the adx5000 stock pads that maybe ATH would sell without having an adx but probably way too expensive
Any original pads from the ad#x line is what id get right now by emailing parts@atus.com
Like ad1000x are the best imo but any will do even ad500x; probably ad900x id pick if I were you.
There must be better options im sure but I do have 3 yaxi ad2000x and 1 adx5000 pads which give the best resolution ive hear to any ad#x series so I havent looked for anything else, no idea how much they cost but they will improve the sound