Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro. questions

[iso]

Can anyone answer the following questions for these headphones.
(I plan to get the 770pro/80's). Will only be used on my computer.

1. What are the differences of the DT 770 M, DT 770 Pro and DT 770 Pro 250 ohms?

2. Is powering The 770pro/80's from A PC good enough or do I need an amp? If so what is a good one for or under $200r?

3. On the 770pro/80 does the bass sound muddy?

I mainly listen to rap.
feel free to add anything else you think I might need to know before buying them.
Thanks

[denl82]

Hi Iso=]
I think I can answer the questions for you.

1) The DT 770M has extra isolation for drummers. The DT 770/250 is harder to drive than the DT 770/80, so you will need an amp for sure with the 250 ohm version.

2) The sound was fine when I drove the DT 770/80 from my x-fi soundcard, but did improve when I used an amplifier. The highs became less harsh, and the soundstage a bit wider. I also had a lot of volume to spare when I used the amplifier.

3) If you're coming from a non-hi-fi audio setup, the bass will be amazing. But if you're comparing its bass to something that is in the same league but bass-lighter, or something even higher-end, like the dt880s, the bass will seem somewhat muddy. Or not muddy, but excessive.

Hope that helps!

[ph0rk]

I don't think they can be described as muddy, but certainly bass-prominent.

Depending on the pc soundcard, they can be powered direct if 80 ohm version (I have used mine briefly with the generic realtecHD stuff in current mac pros). I am not terribly convinced the 80 ohm version benefits much from amplification, but others will likely disagree. If they behave anything at all like the 250 ohm DT990, the 250 ohm DT770 will need amplification.

Something like a headroom total bithead amp with a usb DAC will get the digital to analog conversion of the sound outside your PC, and have enough power for an 80 ohm DT770, perhaps a 250 ohm. The (beloved?) emu 0404 usb will do all that and have enough juice for a 250 ohm '770, and some other bells and whistles too.


Oh:
The DT770 just has an inline volume control and many regard to to have worse sound quality than the 770/80. The older pro 80 ohm has been considered by some to have better SQ than the newer 32/80 or 250 ohm models, but YMMV - beauty is in the ear of the belistener.