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ATH-M50 or DT770pro 250ohm or DT250 80ohm?

post #1 of 22
7/2/09 at 10:48am
Thread Starter 
I live in Canada, while searching for a place to pick up the Audio Technica ATH-M50 I found a music store that's about 10min from my house and it actually carries the phone, however unexpectedly they also carry a few Beyers and at a price relative to the AT that actually makes it worth considering I think. Here's the breakdown:

Audio Technica ATH-M50 - $199 (~$172US)
Beyerdynamic DT770 pro 250ohm - $215 (~$186US)
Beyerdynamic DT250 80ohm - $225 (~$194US)

for reference the store I'm talking about Long & McQuade - Departments

I need closed phones to hook up to my PC with a Essence STX, I'll be listening mostly to Drum & Bass, House and other electronica.. as well as playing the occasional game or film.

I was pretty settled on the M50 but for some reason I thought it'd be way cheaper than the Beyers and it's not, at least at this store. I don't know much about Beyers because I figured they're out of my price range.

So what do you guys suggest?
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post #2 of 22
7/2/09 at 12:06pm
I haven't used any of these. But if you're limited to choosing between these three, FWIR, I'd probably go with the DT250/80 or maybe the M50.
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post #3 of 22
7/2/09 at 5:42pm
Thread Starter 
any reason behind the suggestion? I don't know anything about the dt250 to be honest I'll have to do some reading, with the DT770 I find the fact that it's 250ohm attractive in that I think the STX can handle it and it should respond better with my stereo receiver if I choose to use it. Just not sure about the SQ and if it fits my use, lots of varying opinions on the phone not to mention the different types.
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post #4 of 22
7/2/09 at 5:45pm
hello my friend 186 is too much for a 770pro as you can get them for sales at about 100 fairly frequently on ebay or 120 here. the dt250 is very nice sounding and is my favourite of this group. i will suggest the m50 because it does not need an amp as badly as the others. the price on the m50 is ok
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post #5 of 22
7/2/09 at 6:31pm
the DT 250-80 can be great, but I have had one pair that had way too much bass. However, since it is a brick and mortar store you can return them if there is an issue.

I haven't heard the 770 in 250 ohm or the m50 at all, but I would say that chances are the 770 and 250 will have the comfort edge because of velour earpads - probably the 770 over the 250 because of the extra room in the earcups.

You can find an m50 for just a bit over 100, but 180ish is still the best you can do for a DT250-80 down in the states.

Definitely try them out - only you can decide if the coiled cable and smaller earcups are an issue for you.
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post #6 of 22
7/2/09 at 6:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrOutside View Post
hello my friend 186 is too much for a 770pro as you can get them for sales at about 100 fairly frequently on ebay or 120 here. the dt250 is very nice sounding and is my favourite of this group. i will suggest the m50 because it does not need an amp as badly as the others. the price on the m50 is ok
Unfortunately as Canadians, we get hosed with headphones. Most of the eBay stores don't ship to Canada. The ones that do aren't cheap and tend to use UPS who charge brokerage on top of tax which would most likely bring it to the same price. But the suggestion for the FS is good, just have to wait for one to pop up, and for that person to be willing to ship to Canada.

But as another poster suggested, you could try each one and return them; that will give you an idea of the fit/sound etc. Or do they let you demo it in the store? I would recommend the DT770 over the DT250 esp. if you're not going to use for office or portable use, and the larger cups would make them more comfortable. I haven't listened to the M50.

Some others to consider in the ~$100 range available in Canada:
  • M-Audio Q40 - Mentioned often along with the M50, easily driven, made for studio monitoring.
  • Creative Aurvana Live - (Same drivers as Denon D1001) full-size closed back.
  • JVC RX900 - These might not have as much bass as the previous mentioned but are closed back and there's a big impressions thread on here as well as [H].

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post #7 of 22
7/2/09 at 7:05pm
Have you considered the M-Audio Q40 as well?
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post #8 of 22
7/2/09 at 7:35pm
I agree with the m50. Its does not require an amp at all and can suit a wide variety of music. I use it straight out of my itouch and think it sounds fantastic. I have auditioned the DT770 (not sure if its 250) at guitart centre using my itouch and it sounded pretty weak, indicating it needed an amp. I have not auditioned them with an amp.
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post #9 of 22
7/2/09 at 7:43pm
I had both DT250 and DT770 Pro but i sold them and stayed with DT150.
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post #10 of 22
7/2/09 at 11:59pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the help so far guys, much appreciated..

I have considered the Q40, that's how I found out about the M50 and decided on it instead, I'm just weary of problems with the cable others have experienced with their Q40.

Regarding the DT770, I'm not afraid of being able to drive it with my setup as others are reporting good results, portability is not an issue either. I guess my only concern is which is the better overall phone as they're all strangely similar in price, I was thrown off by that actually as other online places quote +$300Cad for those Beyers so I kind of assumed DT770 is of higher class or something.

No worries good to have it cleared up, didn't have a chance to go down there today as I hoped but maybe tomorrow, hopefully they stock everything so I can audition or at least try and return. Listening to them myself is probably the best way.

Again, thank you guys.
Cheers.
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post #11 of 22
7/3/09 at 2:19am
You can try the GMP 8.35 D Monitor...http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/ger...indeed-406658/
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post #12 of 22
7/3/09 at 2:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrOutside View Post
hello my friend 186 is too much for a 770pro as you can get them for sales at about 100 fairly frequently on ebay or 120 here. the dt250 is very nice sounding and is my favourite of this group. i will suggest the m50 because it does not need an amp as badly as the others. the price on the m50 is ok
This is the 250 ohm edition, not the 80 ohm. The 250ohm goes for around $160-180 USD on the FS forum while the 80 ohm can be had for less.

And to the OP, I'd recommend doing a bit more research on the DT770s before buying so you get a good idea of what you're getting into. I like my DT770s as I find they're great for games and heavier slower music, but the bass can still be too much for some folks and the lack of musical diversity as well can prove to a tiring factor; I loved them for a few months and then I wanted something new. Although, a good amp makes all the difference... Which is sadly not something you'll likely find with your STX as going from my Claro Halo to my Travagan's Red was mind-blowingly awesome.

There are a lot of great phones in that price range, so I'd recommend lurking around the forums a bit more.
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post #13 of 22
7/3/09 at 6:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jiddu View Post
Regarding the DT770, I'm not afraid of being able to drive it with my setup as others are reporting good results, portability is not an issue either. I guess my only concern is which is the better overall phone as they're all strangely similar in price, I was thrown off by that actually as other online places quote +$300Cad for those Beyers so I kind of assumed DT770 is of higher class or something.
All those DT770 models are confusing, there are four stock models:
-DT770 consumer edition 250 ohm (best sounding and most expensive)
-DT770 Pro 80 ohm
-DT770 Pro 250 ohm
-DT770 M 80 ohm

The Pro versions are the bass heavy ones and not great sounding IMO. For those I think the DT150 is a better alternative.
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post #14 of 22
7/3/09 at 8:49am
Thread Starter 
hmm.. ok, they don't seem to have dt150.

I've already eliminated a lot of headphones to arrive at the M50, I should've just stuck with it I guess. We get limited options as far as headphones go up here so someone like me sadly has to rely on what's written about them and then if all else fails order online.

Anyway, it is only my first proper pair of headphones, I'm a bit used to the studio in your face sound from some old sony model I used to have a long time ago and I actually prefered it to the fake sounding sennheiser my dad had.. which I borrowed and broke, flimsy things they are.

M50 will do me fine.. for a while, then I'll be back with my wallet
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post #15 of 22
7/3/09 at 9:49am
i just bought a M50 for my first taste of headphones..... awesome...still need some burning though.
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