looking for a good step up from dt770 pro's.

Ciao, 

Which soundcard you currently own? assuming you plug the headphones to your pc. 

Also, do you want to stay on the Beyer's line? 

hey zack

Congratulations on your beyers - a great headphone - currently listening to my 880s giving my hd650 senns a break - dont like to forget them.

as to your question

well done for including ideas of what you want and a price - many posters forget these along with usual listening music.

as im more of a senn sound person im going to leave upgrade options to others better able to do so - plus all of the denon guys out there.

i thought i would jump in with the amp/dac questions and the tube amp.

When i first got my beyers i happened to be also upgrading my soundcard in my computer at the same time and ended up buying an asus stx - which comes with a good headphone amp inside

I immediately noticed a better quality coming from my beyers than through the basic soundcard - more so than when i was using my ipod

so i definately think you would benefit with an amp.

As for the whole solid state vs tube amp -theres a wealth of imformation on these forums as well as other audio forums

so make sure you do your research - however for a first amp - you shouldnt be scared to go for a tube amp - but your right it is easier to stick with Solid state.

im using a Fiio e9+e7 for my laptop and i use the e7 when im portable - so that is a simple option and would be within your price range - again check the various reviews here and elsewhere - but this combo is very user friendly and a great entry level bit of kit.

Good luck in your quest.

some questions for you

1) as i stated above - what are your musical tastes?

2) what is your source - a pc or a portable player - or a standalone - Turntable or other?

theses should also help other people reply to you.

EDIT - Cancel the last bit as you have answered since i started typing.

I think the Ultrasone Pro 750s would be a decent fit for your description and music taste. The S-Logic takes a little getting used to at first, but I personally love the 750s. One of my go to's for electro. Look around and you may find a deal too, I ended up finding them new on Amazon for about $225.

If you are running them straight off your computer then getting almost any amp should help considerably.  Getting something with more quality bass than the DT-770 Pro 80-ohm is pretty much an impossible task.  The headphones that have more in pure quantity like the XB-500/700 and LP2 are sidegrades or downgrades.  The Pro 900 will have similar quantity, but it flips the balance from sub-bass to mid-bass.  The Denons will have a similar amount of mid-bass, but less sub-bass, so it will be less bassy overall.  Getting better amplification than just a computer headphone output should definitely be the first priority, as without it the DT-770 will be underpowered and you won't even be getting the bass potential that it already has.  The E9 drives my 250-ohm DT-770 just fine, so the 80-ohm would be even easier to drive.

Yeah, I suppose I should clarify, if you're going to be coming from the computer you'll want the E7 as a DAC for the E9.  The E7 also comes in handy as a portable amp if you ever need it for that. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by LithoJazoSphere 

If you are running them straight off your computer then getting almost any amp should help considerably.  Getting something with more quality bass than the DT-770 Pro 80-ohm is pretty much an impossible task.  The headphones that have more in pure quantity like the XB-500/700 and LP2 are sidegrades or downgrades.  The Pro 900 will have similar quantity, but it flips the balance from sub-bass to mid-bass.  The Denons will have a similar amount of mid-bass, but less sub-bass, so it will be less bassy overall.  Getting better amplification than just a computer headphone output should definitely be the first priority, as without it the DT-770 will be underpowered and you won't even be getting the bass potential that it already has.  The E9 drives my 250-ohm DT-770 just fine, so the 80-ohm would be even easier to drive.

One person says that the Pro 900 and DT770 have equal sub-bass. The Pro 900 has better highs and I'd definitely consider these an upgrade.

I love my Pro 900 and feel no need for something better. The only thing I'm going to do next is to get a ZO2 for more bass.

You should definitely give these a shot.

Eh, my ears tell me, and graphs show that the DT-770 has more sub-bass.

Without a decent headphone amplifier the DT770 Pro 80-Ohms are not being used to their potential, bass is muddy without a headphone amplifier.

Fiio E9 and maybe a Fiio DAC ($25) like the D3 or D5.

I'd suggest getting a new headphone, like the ah-d2000.

But if you want to save some cash and go the DAC/Amp route right now...

Get the Fiio e10.

It is a DAC & Amp in one. It pairs really well with my Beyer DT770 Pro 80ohm.

If you're looking for more bass, the e10's bass boost is just what you're looking for. It gives the 770's an extra punch and thump!

It is similar to the e7, yet it has a better DAC & Amp.

However, the e10 is not portable, it must connect to your computer via USB.

Down the line, you can upgrade the amp to a Fiio e9 (you would attach the e9 to the e10, using the e10's DAC, and e9's amp).

This is what I did, and it sounds great (for the price that is).

Quote:

Originally Posted by LithoJazoSphere 

Eh, my ears tell me, and graphs show that the DT-770 has more sub-bass.

 

Note that this is the frequency response of the (now discontinued) 2005 edition of the DT770, the "Pro" ones - which are more similar to the old pre-2005 design - have different bass. This is a graph I created using the 250Ω version, presumably the 80Ω I do not have has more bass, but should be similar; due to the limitations of the testing method, the treble is completely wrong, but that is not relevant here. The bass roll-off shown is partly due to the microphone, so it is less in reality. Note also that the bass response depends on how good the seal is, for example even wearing glasses would reduce it. For comparison here is an old graph from Stereoplay that looks somewhat similar to mine.

Wanting more bass than the dt770s is nuts to me, as they already have tons, but personal preference I suppose. The 770s are great phones, most people complain about the bass over powering the recessed mids from what I've read, but if that's what you like then perfect. A headphone amp with give you more bass, and enhance the sound however I haven't notice any difference going from my laptop sound card and iPhone to a fii0 e11. Just don't let the term high end make you believe they're going to sound like the 770s but better. The higher up you go typically the flatter the frequency response.

I think the 770s are great for you needs, and if you don't have a keen ear for subtle difference like myself a headphone amp will make a negligible difference. Don't know about a DAC though as I haven't used one.