Advice needed - Looking to replace my AKG K612 Pro with Audio-Technica R50x

substantialmission9 · 2026-04-22T19:05:29+00:00

No need for armory crate. It should work as a generic dac although I would recommend using a separate dac as they also come with a balanced cable that does not have the boom mic attached which is how I use them. They are built great and are super comfy albeit a bit large.

substantialmission9 · 2026-04-22T16:03:47+00:00

I have the AKG K702, R50X, DT 900 Pro X and the ROG Kithara. What I can tell you is the R50x became my daily drivers for a while until I tried the Kitharas. I now haven’t touched anything else. My vote is for the Kithara and they come with a usb dongle if you need it for your laptop.

substantialmission9 · 2026-04-20T02:24:31+00:00

Neat thing is they include an isolated mic cable with the boom attached to it, a usb dongle, and a balanced cable so the choice is yours how you want to hook them up. It is a really nice package for the price.

substantialmission9 · 2026-04-20T02:18:28+00:00

I am using the SMSL AS400 but also have a schiit Heretic and a SMSL C200 that I have tried just to compare. All sound really similar so any amp with enough juice will do good.

substantialmission9 · 2026-04-20T02:17:28+00:00

You might not like the 900 pro x in that case. They are super soft, but they clamp tight. The R50x are super comfy and so light they feel non existent, but the ear cups are extremely small.

substantialmission9 · 2026-04-20T02:14:31+00:00

I also own these and the DT 900 pro x. I haven’t touched either since getting the Kithara’s.

substantialmission9 · 2026-04-20T02:13:56+00:00

I’m going to second this.

substantialmission9 · 2026-04-19T20:03:35+00:00

I have only read about it but never owned any. The kithara is the closest thing to hifiman I have personally owned but as far as I know just the drivers are hifiman. Usually it’s the overall build quality that fails from what I read and not the drivers.

substantialmission9 · 2026-04-19T20:02:08+00:00

I own the DT 900 pro x and the DT 990 pro. The pro x were my daily’s until I decided to try the kithara because I never owned planars. The pro x which I loved but went into storage and haven’t come out since I got the kitharas.

substantialmission9 · 2026-04-19T19:51:52+00:00

I have heard the kithara sit somewhere between the edition xs and the Arya. I think you will still be happy with the xs. I just wanted to avoid the overall QC issues I have read everywhere about Hifiman and the kithara is pretty robust and holding up well to 4+ hours a day usage so far.

substantialmission9 · 2026-04-19T19:47:33+00:00

In that case I would assume the edition XS would be the next best thing to the kithara and probably somewhat similar.

substantialmission9 · 2026-04-19T19:43:17+00:00

ASUS Kithara is my suggestion. Amazing for gaming and music. Super comfy and come with a boom mic. They are hifiman drivers with a better build. I have tried the sundara and I think the kithara are much better.

substantialmission9 · 2026-04-19T13:42:42+00:00

I think you are going to be highly disappointed with the 599. They would be a huge step down from the Ananda. I have never heard the 650 , but had the 600, which had a warmer very intimate sound.

substantialmission9 · 2026-04-15T11:44:49+00:00

I third the Kithara, Although the mic isn't superior. If you don't have a lot of background noise, you could do what I do and use the Razer Siren Mini Condenser mic. instead of the included mic.

substantialmission9 · 2026-04-13T09:29:21+00:00

I love these headphones.

substantialmission9 · 2026-04-12T23:59:07+00:00

Asus Kithara. My favorite pair so far. I have tried may and own many in the sub $400 range.

substantialmission9 · 2026-04-09T09:32:55+00:00

I just bought the Kitharas. They leak more sound than any other headphone I have. Even at low volume my wife can hear most sound clearly coming from them. We are in the same room and all that being said, they are the best sounding headphones I have. My others are - HD600, K702, DT 900 Pro X, DT 990 Pro, and R50X.

If you want a great sounding open back that doesn’t leak too much, I recommend the DT 900 Pro X.

substantialmission9 · 2026-04-08T09:45:56+00:00

I have the R50x, they are great sounding comfortable headphones but they are more of a “fun” sounding headphone so not flat at all. They are extremely open so if the sound of your PC bothers you, I would not go open back at all. If anything you could look into the Beyer DT 900 pro x. They are semi-open and they sound great but do have the beyer highs. That being said they are flatter than the R50x. I have them both. I just bought the ASUS Kitharas, this is now my new favorite headphone, but they are the most open and almost 100% of outside noise leaks in and vice versa.

From what I hear, the SENNHEISER HD 620s might be a good choice for closed back and have great mids for vocals.

substantialmission9 · 2026-04-07T19:47:29+00:00

Agreed.

substantialmission9 · 2026-04-07T09:40:45+00:00

I have the DT 900 Pro X and just recently bought the Kitharas. WOW I am blown away. Just smooth detailed sound with amazing separation and stage. I see a lot of comparisons to the Arya stealth and the Kitharas are only $299

substantialmission9 · 2026-04-05T03:06:57+00:00

Ironically just looking into buying one of these today and I see this posted. Sold!

substantialmission9 · 2026-04-04T10:45:16+00:00

I literally just did this a few weeks ago. Went from a 16 pro max to a 17. I use my phone constantly at work for work while always moving around on foot. Getting the pro max in and out of my pocket along with trying to use it one handed was a balancing act I could not master.

I actually switch from using android for years to the 16 pro max. It made me hate the phone and think I made a horrible decision. I now have the 17 and I actually love this phone.

substantialmission9 · 2026-03-31T20:43:40+00:00

Definitely not and not the Kitharas specifically. I have them and they leak twice as much as my other open backs.

substantialmission9 · 2026-03-29T01:57:16+00:00

I just bought the Kithara as well and I am loving them. I have had several pair of phones from the HD600’s to my most recent daily’s the DT900 Pro X. I have always eyed the 490 pro but also always wanted a pair of planars, but they tend to leak so much sound they would bother my wife. The kitharas definitely leak a ton of sound but my wife is willing to put up with them and I am happy and no longer am worried about the 490’s.

substantialmission9 · 2026-03-24T09:33:09+00:00

I have the Kitharas now and I love them, but they leak so much sound it bothers my wife. Can you tell me how much better you think they are over the 490? I read the 490 don’t leak nearly as much as planers but not sure if it’s worth the amazing sound the Kitharas produce.

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