Dt 990 and fiio e7

I had the E6, and my DT990s got loud enough... but they were EXTREMELY harsh, lacked detail, and had one-note bass. In short, no. The e7 and e6 have roughly the same amp section. The Essence would be much better, but your cans still wouldn't be anywhere near what they could be. Yes, get the Essence if you want a DAC - however, the FiiO E9 is actually a much better amp for the DT series than the built-in amp of the essence, so if you're good for a DAC just get the E9. Or, if you're willing to spend $250 on an amp, the Schiit Asgard does a FANTASTIC job of driving the DT990/600 ohm. In fact, you'd have to pay probably 8 times more to get another improvement. 

EDIT: Welcome to Head-Fi! Whatever questions you have, ask 'em.

They get plenty loud with my E10. If you want a source/amp combo for a relatively low price the E10 would be a great choice. It will at least hold you until you save up enough cash to buy a more powerful amp, which could easily be used together with the E10's line out (that's what I'm doing).

I would strongly suggest staying away from sound cards; why put the extra hassle into upgrading, and tether your listening to one computer, when you could have it all in a convenient transportable box? DACs tend to have a better price/performance ratio too.

Hey Coolzo, nice headphone inventory. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by geeeduck 

I just purchased a pair of Denon DT990 600 ohm and they don't get loud enough!

I am using them with a Fiio e7. I also own a pair of ath-a700 which get much louder then the 990's

Is the e7 not enough to power these cans? I am considering a Asus Xonar Essence ST, would that be sufficient to power these headphones?

I believe your talking about the Beyerdynamic DT990 Premium 600-Ohm, not "Denon".

The Essence ST will power 600-Ohm headphones just fine.

My Essence STX powers my 600-Ohm headphones just fine.
 

 , 
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by macrocheesium 

They get plenty loud with my E10. If you want a source/amp combo for a relatively low price the E10 would be a great choice. It will at least hold you until you save up enough cash to buy a more powerful amp, which could easily be used together with the E10's line out (that's what I'm doing).

 

I would strongly suggest staying away from sound cards; why put the extra hassle into upgrading, and tether your listening to one computer, when you could have it all in a convenient transportable box? DACs tend to have a better price/performance ratio too.

 

 

Hey Coolzo, nice headphone inventory. 

Why thank you, sir! Yours isn't too bad either ;) 

I didn't even consider the E10 for some reason, but you're right. I think the OP would be smartest to buy that temporarily until he can afford something better, then he can just upgrade the amp first while still having an external DAC. The Essence isn't too bad of a deal as far as sound cards usually go, however. Although again, you're right about it being somewhat tethered.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PurpleAngel 

I believe your talking about the Beyerdynamic DT990 Premium 600-Ohm, not "Denon".

The Essence ST will power 600-Ohm headphones just fine.

My Essence STX powers my 600-Ohm headphones just fine.
 

 

 

The Beyers are slightly different beasts than your average "600-ohm headphone", there are many more factors than impedance at work. Also, the E9 for me was a huge difference over my old Essence for powering my Senn HD595, which isn't all that hard to drive per se. The Essence would DRIVE the DT990s, for sure, but would they do it WELL? Nah, not particularly. Once more, the HD595s benefited significantly from an external amp.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coolzo 

Also, the E9 for me was a huge difference over my old Essence for powering my Senn HD595, which isn't all that hard to drive per se. The Essence would DRIVE the DT990s, for sure, but would they do it WELL? Nah, not particularly. Once more, the HD595s benefited significantly from an external amp.

The E9 and the Xonar ST/STX have basically the same headphone amplifier. Are you sure your card is working correctly ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by geeeduck 

sorry i meant whats the difference between the e7 and the e10?

I've been working a lot lately and i'm tired. this is my first day off in 13 days.

E10 is USB powered, so it's strictly for laptop/desktop use. Whereas the E7 has battery in it, so you can use it as portable amp/dac with your mp3 player.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coolzo 

The Beyers are slightly different beasts than your average "600-ohm headphone"

They are pretty much the only 600 Ohm headphones still made. I think it is not unlikely that the 600 Ohm AKG's are even harder to drive, since AKG studio headphones tend to have quite low sensitivity.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stv014 

They are pretty much the only 600 Ohm headphones still made. I think it is not unlikely that the 600 Ohm AKG's are even harder to drive, since AKG studio headphones tend to have quite low sensitivity.

 

 

True... I stand corrected lol. I suppose what I really meant to say (and this has nothing to do with the sensitivity or impedance) is...

Quote:

Originally Posted by stv014 

The E9 and the Xonar ST/STX have basically the same headphone amplifier. Are you sure your card is working correctly ?

 

...the E9 doesn't suffer from computer noise problems.

The dt990 sounds amazing with the solid state Schiit amp - Asgard

Quote:

Originally Posted by ewalcacer 

The dt990 sounds amazing with the solid state Schiit amp - Asgard

Seconded

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coolzo 

...the E9 doesn't suffer from computer noise problems.

Computer noise issues (which are often exaggerated, and are not significant in my machine, for example) have nothing to do with the problems you claimed with 600 Ohm headphones. In fact, those would be the best to minimize the noise due to their low voltage sensitivity. Although if you did have audible noise, that makes it even more likely that your card was not working properly.

The E9 is noisy enough on its own without being in a computer, by the way. For low noise, the O2 is better, and is not much more expensive pre-assembled.