Am I making a big mistake?

I was in the same position as you a month or so back, and found this guide very helpful:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/513393/guide-sonic-differences-between-dt770-dt990-models-more

In the end I went for the 80 ohm DT 770 Pro's, with the thought I wouldn't necessarily need an amp. However they seemed a little too difficult for my laptop to power them, and the same for my ipod too obviously. They will run but you feel you'd be running them at 80% volume level to get an adequate sound level from them. 

I bought the fiio e10 and it has worked wonders; greater soundtage, seperation, volume and comes with a bass booster..in the end cost me around 160 and I couldn't be happier. Listen to mostly Hip Hop and Reggae and the sound is spectacular, really brilliant. Not a dubstep man myself but no doubt they will sound awesome there too..just got to find yourself some HQ dubstep recordings ; )

Would you consider an IEM? You could get something really nice from Etymotic, Shure, UE......etc. within your price range and they're easily driven by an iPod whereas the DT770 pro at 250ohms needs an amp. If you do decide on the 770 think about adding an amp like the FiiO E11 for $65.00.

Those headphones are available in 3 OHMs versions, 32, 250, and 600. If you want to use them on a non-amped iPOD, the only choice is the 32 OHM version.....

The Pro model is only available in 80 and 250 ohm versions, at least in the UK. It also has a distinct look when compared with the 32 ohm dt 770. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by fatcat28037 

Would you consider an IEM? You could get something really nice from Etymotic, Shure, UE......etc. within your price range and they're easily driven by an iPod whereas the DT770 pro at 250ohms needs an amp. If you do decide on the 770 think about adding an amp like the FiiO E11 for $65.00.

While I'm sure IEMs are great for some, just feedback from me using a pair of UE and a pair of Klipsch, my ears hurt after using them.  And I don't mean physical pain, I have a lot of ringing in my ears after using them.  I find them very destructive on my hearing, which is I just bought a pair of closed headphones for the first time in almost a decade.  I thought IEMs would be ideal, but the ringing in my ears after using them is intolerable.  And the volume is set at less than 10% on my laptop and barely above on my amp.

I listen to a lot of trance and EDM.  I bought SRH840s, I hope they do well.

80 Ohm DT770 Pro is the way to go.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mm94210 
I'm new round here and after searching the forums for the last couple of weeks I am about to pull the trigger on my first decent headphone purchase. I was all ready to buy a pair of senn hd650 until I realised that they were no way going to suit my needs. I am going to get a pair of Beyerdynamic DT770 pro (unless anyone can convince me better) and my main worry is which ohm choice to go for and whether or not it is essential for me to buy an amp and if so which one. This is my use/criteria list:

- Preferably closed back but not essential

- Over ear headphones

- I want to be able to use them with my ipod because I listen to lots of iplayer radio shows this way

- I listen to all types of music but primarilliy drum and bass and dubstep

- I don't really want to use a seperate amp (especially with my ipod) but I obviously will if I performance is significantly affected

- I do not have a maximum budget but I am reluctant to spend over £300 as this will be my first serious headphone purchase

As I said I am probably going to go for the beyers but I could do with a bit more advice and reasurance that they will fit my needs (in particular as to ohm choice) . Don't be afraid to change my mind and feel free to suggest better options if you think that I am making a mistake. 

I own the DT770 Pro 80-Ohm and 250-Ohm

Any Beyerdynamic DT series headphone (770, 880, 990, 32-Ohm, 80-Ohm, 250-Ohm, 600-Ohm) you really need to use with a headphone amplifier.

In theory, the 32-Ohm would not need a headphone amplifier, but it really needs more juice then other 32-Ohm headphones.

The 80-Ohm will work with anything decently, but the bass is crude without good amplification.