I will do that eventually but want to focus on headphones for now. logitech surround works fine for now, got them many years ago. Will upgrade eventually.
need to find a closed high quality headphone. preferably that is less than $350 and best for gaming. would be sweet if i could use dac/amp to be able to use them on consoles as well
For that budget you can do all at once. Seriously.
Split DAC and amp into two devices for more flexibility later on. The FiiO D03K is dirt cheap, like 25,- bucks in Germany and not bad at all. It converts digital toslink into clean line out.
Check ebay and the likes for a nice old amp for less than 100,- bucks.
Buy HD280Pro for closed back gaming goodness.
You can use pre out on the amp to control your active speakers for now and take your time looking for a good set of stereo speakers.
Given your situation, that is precisely what I would do. 
And the head-vice of doom.
not comfy for long sessions?
The HD280 Proâs are amazing at keeping noise out. And just like earmuffs, they got some clamp to them.
would you recommend replacing the pads or anything to make them more comfortable?
I only had them on loan (the pre-2019 facelift) and never tried pad swapping them.
Depends on budget and source signal (SPDIF, Toslink, analog, etc.)
If you need just an amp, the Schiit Magni Hersey is super clean and tidy. As said, DAC depends on the signal you have.
The Fiio k5 Pro (not the standard version!) is a very nice dac/amp combination. Has all inputs and can later be turned into âjust a DACâ.
thanks any dac or amp recommendations?
i would like a dac with all the inputs
Surround is not really a thing in headphones.
Sound sources need to actually be apart for the ear to differentiate.
All this virtual surround BS makes the sound just worse and doesnât really improve anything.
As long as you have a Stereo Headphone with a good soundstage you can achieve the same effect.
Try this, even works with bad headphones:
More important then the Headphones or the DAC/AMP is the sound mastering, and you canât do anything about that especially in games.
Whatever you do to 280Pros will make something worse. They are the way they are to do the things they do, which is isolate you from the outside and sound accurate and great. I bought the old version about 15 years ago or so and they held up pretty nicely. Now I have the newer version and the build quality is pretty much the same. But the sound is not. Donât get an old pair, get the new ones! The old ones have the headstrap in one consistent thickness while the new version has two bumps instead.
ok i will not modify them. im still trying to figure out what headphone, dac, amp to get. i will probably get the new version 280 pros but still looking around.
hd280 pros or Audio-Technica ATH-M40x?
I would like to be able to get a dac with all the input types for âfuture proofingâ but all i really need is analog and optical inputs i think(for current use)? I would also like to be able to have a dac with bass boost when not playing competitively
Astro A-50. But its like $300 
Then theres A-20 as well
If youre not an astro fan then check out the steal series arctics
That was linked in the initial post and already discussed 
Why would any sane person buy a 300$ UbE2PR0G4m1ng headset if you can buy 2 HiFi Headphones and still have leftovers? Especially when a Mic is already present.
was told all of those arenât good choices for audio
They are not âbadâ per se, just way overpriced for what they are. Which is basically true for all gaming brands.
i just want to order the products already sop i can start using them. the headset I am using now is not good.
I would have thrown the B&o H6 in here but if youâre a basshead, itâs not for you.
i am but i want to make sure they are good for gaming competitively primarily.