Fair warning, most of my experience is in live audio, not studios. Studio techs tend to have a lot more nuance and perfectionism, while live audio tends to be flying by the seat of your pants. So my tastes may not be as nuanced as an experienced studio tech’s would be. Lots of studio techs are intimidated by live audio, because they want to be a perfectionist. They see audio a lot like an art form, where each brushstroke is very intentionally placed to make a cohesive painting. Meanwhile, live audio techs are more like speed painters. There is still a lot of room for nuance in speed painting, but everything is done under time pressure because there are no redos. So all of that is to say, I have my personal preferences that work for me, but they may not align with what a studio tech would prefer to use.

It really depends on what you’re planning on using it for. If you’re going strictly for accuracy, (and by that, I simply mean that the sound waves being produced by the headphones are as close as possible to the electrical signals being sent from your computer), I would suggest splitting your mic and headphones apart into two different devices. It’s worth noting that lots of users don’t actually want accuracy from their headphones. That’s why the debate is such a personal thing. Lots of gaming headsets will be decent enough for gaming… But that’s largely due to convenience (having a mic built into the headset makes playing with friends easy) and it severely limits your options in regards to audio accuracy. Most gaming headsets will be tuned for what companies think the average gamer wants, not what is accurate. Going from a set of gaming cans to a nice set of reference headphones will likely feel like they have less “punch” in the bass, (most gaming headsets are tuned to be very bass heavy) but you’ll likely notice more clarity in the mids and highs.

The best accuracy is generally going to come from something like a set of studio monitor headphones. Something like the Audio Technica ATH M or ATH R series, or the Beyer Dynamics DT990 Pros will be solid and have good audio quality. Some companies (like the Beyer Dynamics I mentioned) even use easily replaceable head/ear cushions, which can help move them from “buying for my current setup” to “buying for life” status.

For monitor headphones, they’re basically split into two different types - Closed, and open backed. Closed back is what you’re probably used to, with the solid ear cups. Open backed are going to have an open/mesh cup instead. The point of an open-backed headphone is that it more naturally emulates a live listening experience where you’re hearing a performance in a room, not just hearing a speaker recreating those sounds. If you can tolerate room noise, (or at least have your desk set up in a quiet area), an open backed pair will likely be more appealing. They’ll also likely be more comfortable for long-term wear, as they won’t trap as much heat and moisture.

Personally, I use a pair of closed-back headphones (or my IEMs) at work. When I’m using them to monitor something in a noisy room, I need the isolation. If a band is playing on stage and I’m surrounded by drunk festival-goers, a closed-back pair of headphones will help passively isolate me so I can hear the specific input I have cued. But in a studio setting that is much less of a concern, because your performers are in a soundproofed room and completely isolated from you already.

If you’re really considering a pair of monitor headphones, you’ll likely want an amp to go along with it. Your computer’s output will likely be underpowered for driving the bigger cones in a pair of decent headphones. Your computer’s output may be audible without an amp, but it likely won’t be very loud. And you’ll likely miss lots of the lower end, as the bigger cones take more voltage to move. Headphones are rated in ohms, and a higher rating means it takes more power to reach the same volume level. There are plenty of audiophiles who will argue about which headphone and amp combos are the best, but it likely won’t make a huge difference for the average user. A basic amp rated at (or at least near) whatever your headphone’s ohm rating is will likely be fine. And if you end up going with a lower ohm pair, you can probably skip the amp entirely. For instance, the DT990 Pros I mentioned earlier have 80 ohm and 250 ohm models. The 250 ohm would likely be more accurate (and be designed to be driven by professional audio gear) but would need an amp. While your consumer-grade computer motherboard would likely be able to drive the 80 ohm model just fine.

Monitor headphones won’t have a lot of the bells and whistles that you’d expect from a gaming headset, like an included mic, surround sound, noise canceling, etc… They do one thing, and one thing only: Make noise as accurately as possible. The expectation is that you’re going to be using them in a treated room meant for monitoring audio. For example, in a recording studio. So they ditch things like noise cancellation, because they expect you’ll have that built directly into your infrastructure instead. They won’t have an included mic, because they assume you’ll have a dedicated talkback system. They won’t have surround sound (unless you’re specifically using a pair made for mixing surround sound) because music is typically mixed in stereo.

In regards to a mic, I’m going to say something potentially controversial: You probably don’t need a nice one. Believe it or not, most gaming headsets have good enough mics for the average user. A basic dynamic mic on a boom arm will likely be fine. There’s nothing wrong with something like a Shure SM58S, except for the fact that you’ll need an audio interface (like a Scarlet 2i2) to plug it in. But if you’re already in the market for a headphone amp, you can probably just get an interface that does both. Unless you’re streaming for a living and the quality of your vocal input really matters, you can use a basic USB mic or whatever cheap dynamic mic floats your boat. Your friends on Discord won’t notice the difference between a $50 USB mic and a $2500 condenser mic.

Personally? I do enough audio at work. I don’t want to think about it at home. I use a Corsair gaming headset when I want a mic+surround sound, or Sennheiser HD 280 Pros (or my IEMs, if I’m feeling fancy) for listening to music. They’re comfortable enough for daily use, and I honestly couldn’t be bothered to set up a bunch of audio gear at home. My desk setup is already complicated enough as it is; I don’t need to complicate it even more with an audio interface or mic boom just to enjoy playing my games. Audio gear is a world of diminishing returns, where going from “bad” to “good” is usually pretty easy, but going from “good” to “great” quickly gets expensive, and you start stumbling across all of that snake oil I originally mentioned. Personally, at my own desk, I’m fine with just “good enough” quality gear. If I want to mess around with the really nice stuff, I’ll do it at work where the employer is footing the bill.