Since I didn’t upgrade my iPhone (the first time since the iPhone 4 I think 😳) and iPad this year, I clearly had too much money lying around, so I decided to do some research on new headphones and eventually bought the beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO and the Sound Blaster X7 USB-DAC sound amplifier.

Since the introduction of the AirPods two years ago I almost exclusively used them on my MacBook as well as my iPhone and iPad. Sometimes even with the AppleTV. Apple Earpods have always fit very well in my ears and have never fallen out. Earplugs in general also seem to be better for my tinnitus, so I was and still am extremely happy with the AirPods. Not having a cord and being able to stand up from my desk and go to the toilette while still listening to music is amazing! 🚽🎧

So, why did I just buy new expensive headphones?

For quite some time now I was craving for the listening experience of more traditional over-ear headphones and I was also interested in higher quality audio, especially for gaming, where I used a Razer Kraken 7.1 V2 headset for the past 1 1/2 years. Which also definitely isn’t a bad headphone.

But I can say I am extremely happy with my new setup. It sits very comfortably and I can wear it all day. The audio quality is amazing, especially the Scout Mode of the Sound Blaster X7 is doing wonders when playing games.

This upgrade means I no longer have a microphone right on the headphones and have to use my Blue Yeti microphone for Discord while gaming, but that’s fine and is probably even better for my teammates.

I mentioned that my tinnitus has been better with earplugs than with headphones in the past and this still seems to be true. For that reason and that I still really like the AirPods because of all their advantages, I will keep using them, but not exclusively anymore.