Gaming roundup: Beyerdynamic DT150 vs. DT250 vs. DT770pro.

I just can't decide. You guys brought me into this pain, now you have to help me out

First thing to say, my main interest here (i didn't want to put it in the thread tittle fearing nobody would come in) is PC gaming.

I have read loads of opinions about the Beyerdynamic DT770 in the gaming threads and they seem great, but i have been recommended the DT150 and DT250 over them. The problem is that these 2 are barely mentioned in the gaming threads, so i'd like to hear some opinions and comparisons of the three, gaming wise.

So, if you have made it to this point, let me type down some considerations:

What i'm looking for:

My main interest is immersive PC gaming, but i also play a lot of multiplayer FPSs. I prefer immersion and having fun over cheating in multiplayer, so i want the games to sound real, fun and impresive but i also want a good audio positioning to be present (what this means is no, i do not want the ATH AD700 so i can hear only footsteps to "pwn n000bzs" but no explosions and rockets flyng by).

So long story short, i want all games to sound REALLY atmospheric while remaining decently competitive in multiplayer.

* A decent performance in movies and music would be also welcome.

I know headphones in these forums are considered very specialized, but for someone as me, new into this madness you call audiophilia, a pair of 150€ headphones are expected to be mindblowing in every aspect, at least for my "untrained-in-audio-stuff" mind. I guess the overall better headphone should win here (overall meaning gaming, gaming, gaming, music and movies).

* Also, how does audio positioning  particularly compare in these 3 cans?

Price:

- DT150 (250ohm) - 120€

- DT770pro (80ohm) - 129€

- DT770pro (250ohm) - 129€

- DT250 (80ohm) - 145€

- DT250 (250ohm) - 135€

* I see higher impedance is usually cheaper, but it also carries the need of purchasing an amplifier and i dont plan (at least not for now) on buying any amplifier more expensive than, lets say, around 30€.

Durability

Most of the headphones i have had before have had problems in the cables and the soldered joints between the cables and the earphone. It's true that they were cheap and i dont' treat them quite carefully (i move often), but if they are going to cost me 150 euros, a solid build quality would be quite welcome. For that matter, the dt150 and dt250 having detachable cables (meaning that i can replace them if they break) is a detail to be taken into consideration, althought not a primary decision-making variable.

Confort:

Most people say that the 150s sound a lot better than the other two, but they also say they are a lot more uncomfortable. I plan to wear them in long sessions, so if the difference in audio is not that big (specially if its a matter of sound taste and not sound quality) i'd like to have some good and confy headphones instead having to take them off constantly.

Independence:

Right now i only have budget to buy the headphones, and maybe (only if needed) a really cheap amplifier. I'll be pluging them in my PC motherboard (aka onboard soundcard). If i recall correctly its an Asus P5Q SE. I don't plan on buying a soundcard or a good amplifier in a near future because those would cost around 150€ each if i am correct.

That in principle leaves out the DT150 and the 250ohm versions of the others, but since those are a bit cheaper than the 80ohm versions, i could consider buying a 250ohm headphone and investing the price difference in an amp (althought i will loose the option of connecting the headphones to smaller devices), but only it its REALLY worth it.

So what are your opinions? As said, i'm specially interested about their performance in games.

Thanks in advance for the replies.

Well, when i have probably finished reading all of the threads in wich all of these three are mentioned, i think the DT-150 are the winners.

So the next step now is... what do i have to buy to make these work ¬¬

Ideally i'd like to just plug them into my pc motherboard... but since they are 250ohms i presume i need something else... and i really doubt the connector fits in the small standard audio connectors the motherboard has.

So what would you recommend? cheap amplifier? cheap soundcard? nothing? any particular model?

Quote:

Originally Posted by joelpearce 

It's worth toddling over to the computer audio section and get some advice from gamers in there.

Just came back, they were helpful there, but they confirmed my fears about me needing to spend another 500 euros just to be able to hear the DT150.

They certainly seem the best option, but taking into account ill be plugging them directly into my onboard audio makes me feel like spending 120€ on something that is not going to sound is a waste.

So that opens new questions about the 80ohm ones:

1) How does the DT250 positioning compare to the other 2?

2) I know the DT250 sound quality is lower than the DT150, but its also worst than the DT770¿

3) Is the DT770 bass really that bad?

4) Is it overkill (aka a COMPLETE waste) to plug the DT150 directly into the pc onboard sound? (Realtek HD audio) Is it reallt THAT bad?

5) Is there any low impedance cheap headphones that will give me the sound quality and immersion the DT150 are supposed to bring?

* extra comparative question, just to make up my mind: Will a 250ohm headphones as the DT150 (120€) sound better plugged directly in the motherboard onboard audio than a 32ohm headphones (ie my 35€ Senn. HD62TV) wich aparently need a lot less power to sound?

Quote:

Originally Posted by jp_zer0 

If you're not gonna get a DAC/AMP that's more than 200$, you better save your money and get some bargain heaphones like the KSC75, portapro,  PX100, etc. You can't pull serious audio out of realtek onboard chips.

I think that pretty much sumarizes the whole thing.

Its a pity because after a year reading these forums, the Beyer DT150 seemed to be what i was looking for for gaming immersion and overall good performance in music and movies.

The whole thing is a lot more expensive that i thought it would be.
 

Is there maybe another low impedance headphone options to suit my immersive yet competitive gaming tastes? Something i could succesfully (more or less succesfully) use into my onboard audio until i get the coins to upgrade to an average soundcard or something?

I'd certainly look into the AD700 but the lack of bass is just a big drawback for gaming and moviewatching with immersion or to suit my musical tastes when it comes to groups like massive attack or portisthead, or even cuban music and jazz.

*I have some kind of obstinacy for Beyerdynamic, maybe Sennheiser, but any other option would also be nice if not posible.

Thanks in advance.