I always heard that the listening experience on a pair of open-back headphones is unparalleled, but never had the means to delve into the world of open-back headphones.

Recently, I decided to take the leap and experience open-back headphones. However, the wallet still did not allow it. Until I found these online.

While they are in no way comparable to the likes of Sennheiser HD600 or HD650s, they are a nice way to experience a more open listening experience on a budget.

Pros:

• Budget: Cost only GBP40 link
  
  
• Clear sound
  
  
• Good separation
  
  
• 10ft wire with a very strong audio jack and spring around the termination. Also, cable management included!
  
  
  Cons:
  
  
• Subpar, plastic build quality; They really do feel like they are going to break if I am not careful
  
  
• Very heavy on the bass
  
  In no way will I ever be using these as my primary pair of headphones, but these are a good option to experience the open-back listening experience on a budget
  
  {Driving the headphones using the 13 inch retina macbook pro. No amps being used }
  

Your post is going to be removed due to rule #1.

🎧 Headphones

Personal recommendations:

• AKG K52
  
  Sound: Has a large soundstage, good imaging, clarity and detail retrieval and decent separation. It doesn't over- or under-emphasize the bass or treble. The bass can sound a little muddy in e.g. blasts and explosions. I've explained the sound characteristics further down.
  
  Build: Is closed-back and over-ear. Durable and very lightweight. The cups tilt and swivel, so they should adjust to the shape of your head nicely. The earpads have decent quality and are soft and removable, but they're shallow.
  
  
  
• Philips SHP9500
  
  Sound: Has a medium soundstage, good imaging, separation and detail retrieval and very good clarity. It doesn't over- or under-emphasize the bass or treble.
  
  Build: Is open-back and over-ear. Durable and lightweight. The cups tilt and swivel and the cable detaches. The earpads have good quality and they're soft and removable, but they're shallow.
  
  
• Superlux HD668B
  
  Sound: Has a large soundstage, I'd say 50% bigger than SHP9500. It has very good imaging, separation, clarity and detail retrieval. It has emphasized treble and a small boost in the mid-bass.
  
  Build: Is semi-open-back and over-ear. Sturdy and lightweight. The cups tilt and swivel. The cable and earpads are detachable. The earpads have bad quality and are shallow, so I recommend replacing them with pads from HiFiMAN.
  
  
• Superlux HD681 EVO
  
  Sound: Has the same soundstage as HD668B. It has very good clarity and good detail retrieval, but has poor imaging and separation. It's warm sounding with deep bass.
  
  Build: Is semi-open-back and over-ear. Durable and lightweight. The cups tilt and swivel. The cable and earpads are detachable. The earpads have decent quality and are soft and detachable, but they're shallow and the drivers stick out quite a bit, so I recommend taking out the loose felt inside the cups, unless you're sensitive to treble, and replacing the earpads with pads from HiFiMAN or pads from Brainwavz.
  
  

  
  

  
  I also compare to AKG Q701, Audio-Technica ATH-AD700x, Beyerdynamic DT990 (600 ohms), HiFiMAN HE400i, HyperX Cloud, Monoprice Monolith M1060, Philips Fidelio X2 and Sennheiser HD700. I strongly advise against HyperX Cloud / Cloud II / CloudX if you don't need closed-back. I recommend K52 over them for closed-back. My evaluations derive mostly if not only from gaming (so take it with a grain of salt for music listening). I can't emphasize enough that perceived performance in headphones is relative.
  
   
  
  Highly regarded alternatives:
  
  

• Audio-Technica ATH-AD500x (open-back)
  
• Status Audio OB-1 (open-back)
  
• Status Audio CB-1 (closed-back)
  
• Superlux HD681 (semi-open-back)
  
• Superlux HD669 (closed-back)
  
• Superlux HD662 (closed-back)
  
   
  
  Terminology:
  
  
• Closed-back
  
  Headphones that have cups with solid shells that largely isolate sound from passing in and out.
  
  
• Open-back / semi-open-back
  
  Headphones that have cups with perforations/grills that allow outside sound to freely pass in and sound from the drivers to freely pass out. How loud you hear outside sound and how loud people around you hear the sound emanating from the headphones depend on your volume, of course. The sonic benefit to open-back is generally a big soundstage.
  
  
• Soundstage
  
  Perceived space and environment of sound. It can be compared to virtual surround sound; both attempt to produce the same spacious, three-dimensional effect. VSS can sound more ambient and immersive, which depends on the processor (CMSS-3D, Dolby, SBX, etc.), but it degrades the sound quality and diminishes detailing due to compression from digital processing. You might also experience less accurate imaging and separation if the headphone already has good imaging and separation. Note that a deep soundstage is equally important as a wide soundstage.
  
  
• Imaging
  
  Determines how accurately sounds/objects are positioned across the soundstage. And I mean where they are positioned and not merely what direction they come from. This distinction is important because being able to tell only what direction objects come from isn't good enough to me when playing against people.
  
  
• Separation
  
  Separating individual sounds from a range of sounds. Good separation makes it easier to filter out or discern overlapping sounds from other sounds and track them.
  
   
  
  ---
  
   
  
  

  🔊 Microphones
  

  
  

  
  

  
  Attachable to headphones:
  
  

• Antlion ModMic 4
  
  Uses a clasp system and is easy to attach and remove. Is compatible with all headphones. Comes with and without a mute switch.
  
  
• Massdrop Minimic
  
  Uses a clasp system and is easy to attach and remove. Is compatible with all headphones. Has a mute switch and is modular. Is only available via drops on Massdrop.com. I recommend requesting it if you want to wait for it.
  
  
• V-MODA BoomPro
  
  Connects to the headphone's jack, replacing the headphone cable. Is compatible with Philips SHP9500 and Status Audio CB-1. Has a mute switch and a volume control.
  
  

  
  

  
  Alternatives:
  
  

• Neewer
  
  
• Sony ECMCS3
  
  
• Zalman ZM-Mic1
  
  
• Blue Snowball
  
  
• Samson Go
  

Sticking with your $100 to $115 top price I take it? You might take a look at the Status Audio OB-1, which is reported to have a mild V shaped sound. I haven't heard them, so I can't speak from experience about them.

The closed back version, the CB-1, is getting very good reviews, but seems to be sold out everywhere.

https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M20x-Professional-Headphones/dp/B00HVLUR18/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1466752971&sr=8-3&keywords=audio+technica+ath
This one should be pretty good, this whole lineup of audio technica is amazing. this one is probably over your budget, but I've heard great things about it https://www.amazon.com/Status-Audio-Studio-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B01BE1EEEG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1466753028&sr=8-3&keywords=status+audio

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor | $343.99 @ SuperBiiz
CPU Cooler | CRYORIG H5 Ultimate 76.0 CFM CPU Cooler | $56.60 @ Amazon
Motherboard | Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard | $150.88 @ OutletPC
Memory | Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory | $59.99 @ SuperBiiz
Storage | Sandisk Ultra II 960GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $228.60 @ Amazon
Storage | Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $117.99 @ Micro Center
Case | Fractal Design Define R5 Blackout Edition w/ Window ATX Mid Tower Case | $109.99 @ Newegg
Power Supply | SeaSonic 660W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply | $126.99 @ SuperBiiz
Monitor | Acer G257HU smidpx 60Hz 25.0" Monitor | $259.99 @ B&H
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total | $1455.02
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-14 11:38 EDT-0400 |

So seeing you have a headset, the A40s. They aren't very good compared to price equivalent Of DT 990's and as well as DT 770s now I would highly suggest upgrading to a headphone and a modmic or blue yeti.

Comparisons

Headsets are generally really bad, the A40s/A50s are ok, they aren't great but not bad. What I would do is move to headphones and a modmic. People have made this switch and love it. The DT 990s are stupid comfy, same for the DT 880s and DT 770s and any Bererdynamic headphones. They are so comfy, huge pads, deep cuffs, comfy, so much.

Open vs closed back

Headsets are generally closed back, however they have some issues with that. They tend to have bad audio positioning in the headset. They don't give spacial awareness and such.

Open headphones leak sound, so people around you can hear. The drivers are directly exposed or slightly covered. However they offer a lot better experience, much larger sound stage, much better audio positioning, and everything better overall.

Mics

Now for headphones, they don't come with mics so you have a few options. You can get a Blue Yeti mic, a modmic, Audio Technica AT2020, or similar. I'll list a few

• Modmic 4.0
  
  
• Blue Yeti
  
  
• Snowball
  
  Headphones closed and open
  
  
• Open, DT 990
  
  
• Closed, DT 770
  
  
• Open, AKG q701
  
  
• AKG 7xx, open
  
  
• Closed, Status Audio CB-1
  
  
• Open, Status Audio, OB-1, Hardware Canucks did a video on this
  
  AMPs/DACs
  
  
• Magni 2
  
  
• Aune T1 Mk2
  
  Finals words
  
  I would visit /r/headphones for a 2nd opinion too. Also feel free to ask any questions regarding this or the build. I included a 1440p monitor if you wanted to upgrade instead of the headphones.

I use a pair of these and they've always been good to me. https://www.amazon.com/Status-Audio-Studio-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B01BE1EEEG

Status Audio OB-1