beyerdynamic DT 880/990 250ohm vs. 600ohm

Quote:

Originally Posted by zxc00 

I've been doing a lot of research lately and have been liking what I hear about beyerdynamic's 2 models. The thing is everyone says "go with the 600 ohm version" and how they are "easier" headphones to drive. I'm looking to spend around $300-400 on an amp, but I'll go a tad higher if I have to, I'm thinking something along the lines of the Schiit Asgard or Valhalla or other similarly priced amps. Last time I checked the 600 and 250 are around the same price but the 600ohm kinda scares me, is this something I should look into?

 You'll be fine with $300 to $400 I'd even look into a solid and reliable 2nd hand deal so you can shop

 your way up to a $600-$700-ish amp that is perhaps a year old or so.

 Go the 600ohm's, they're smoother and more refined overall, but either way ~ both versions are extremely

 good for the money.

 Spoke to an audio engineer the other day who had never heard the DT880-250ohm (he owns a HD800)

 he tried them out and was quite impressed.

 'I could listen to these..' he said 

See if this guy will cut a deal, much nicer than the Valhalla or Asgard

http://www.head-fi.org/t/588666/violectric-hpa-v90-headphone-amplifier-black-2-months-old

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gwarmi 

 

 

See if this guy will cut a deal, much nicer than the Valhalla or Asgard

 

http://www.head-fi.org/t/588666/violectric-hpa-v90-headphone-amplifier-black-2-months-old

Yep. For me the Schiit stuff is overhyped/overvalued but that's a different story ;)

So go for Violectric if possible (within your budget).

Update: and take the 600 Ohm version

Get the 600 Ohm version. It's true that the 600 ohm is easier to drive than the 250 ohm. 

My onboard soundcard (Realtek 889) drives my dt990/600 to comfortable volume level at around ~65% of the Windows volume slider. My D2 needs only 40% volume to drive them loud (need ~60% volume to drive the 250 ohm to that level).

My case the 250 Ohm was almost half the price of the 600 Ohm version (for all the beyer model 770/880/990). I pulled the trigger on the Dt990/600 ohm and never had an ounce of regret 

Quote:

Originally Posted by zxc00 

I've been doing a lot of research lately and have been liking what I hear about beyerdynamic's 2 models. The thing is everyone says "go with the 600 ohm version" and how they are "easier" headphones to drive. I'm looking to spend around $300-400 on an amp, but I'll go a tad higher if I have to, I'm thinking something along the lines of the Schiit Asgard or Valhalla or other similarly priced amps. Last time I checked the 600 and 250 are around the same price but the 600ohm kinda scares me, is this something I should look into?

Quote:

Originally Posted by khaine1711 

Get the 600 Ohm version. It's true that the 600 ohm is easier to drive than the 250 ohm. 

My onboard soundcard (Realtek 889) drives my dt990/600 to comfortable volume level at around ~65% of the Windows volume slider. My D2 needs only 40% volume to drive them loud (need ~60% volume to drive the 250 ohm to that level).

It depends on the source what is easier to drive. For high impedance, you need voltage mainly, but if sufficient voltage swing is available without distortion (which is unfortunately not the case with many typical modern consumer devices like iPods etc.), then high impedance is otherwise easier in general. On the other hand, low impedance needs less voltage for the same loudness, but draws more current, is more sensitive to the output impedance of the source, and amplifiers (especially unbuffered opamps) tend to perform worse with low impedance loads. The above of course assume that the sensitivity/efficiency (dB/mW) is the same.

Your D2 probably has very high output impedance if it is really louder with 600 Ohm.