Quote:
Originally Posted by
ebmp19 
I want to buy some good sounding headphones around the 200-250 price range. I will be using them for rock, metal, a bit of dubstep and general computer sound (some games maybe). I will probably be getting a fiio e7/e9 combo, or if you know something better in the 200 price range. I don't think 600ohm will be good with a cheaper amp so it leaves it to the 770 pro 80ohm and the 880 250ohm (or maybe even the 990 250 ohm (there the same price) but I have heard they need high end equiptment/lots of fiddeling to sound good).
The E9 should be good for any of the headphones you listed, it can produce 80 mW of power even on 600 Ohm loads. So, you can base your decision on which headphone has the best sound for you. Regarding the 80 Ohm vs. 250 Ohm, I cannot say for sure, I only have the latter, and there are mixed opinions from various people; perhaps this indicates that the difference is not big overall. Here is a thread where you can find detailed comparisons, perhaps this will be of some help.
If you want the most accurate sound without bass emphasis, then the DT880 is the best option. If you like emphasized bass (may be good for dubstep) and treble (may be too much for metal), and do not mind not having isolation, then choose the DT990. If you need isolation, then the only choice from these is the DT770, which is closed; it also has accentuated bass (especially sub-bass, not so much upper bass) and treble, but maybe not as much as the DT990, and a less even frequency response (the cost of being closed). All of these are available in "Premium" and "Pro" versions, the latter are cheaper, only available in 250 Ohm and 80 Ohm (DT770 only) versions, have coiled cords (with the exception of DT770 Pro 80), and always have more clamping force, slightly better isolation, more bass, and less sound stage.
On the different impedances: technically, the 600 Ohm versions are the best (but need the most voltage to drive), and the 32 Ohm ones are the worst. 250 Ohm is somewhere between these, but it always has the most treble, which you may not like. For being driven by the E9, 250 Ohm is optimal, but 80 and 600 are still good (the latter can still improve slightly on the quality compared to 250 Ohm). With your setup, there is not really any reason why you would want 32 Ohm. If you use the E7 only as a portable amplifier, then 250 is still good, while 600 is acceptable, but it will not get very loud.
Edited by stv014 - 11/21/11 at 12:14am
