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Beyerdynamic DT770 (80 ohm) for Gaming and Music

post #1 of 11
8/19/12 at 5:25pm
Thread Starter 

Hey all,

 

I have been trying several different headphones, but still have yet to find one I like.  I started with the ATH-M50s.  I loved the sound, but the comfort was an issue.  It had too much clamping force, and not enough ventilation to prevent sweat, and the pressure was too much. 

 

I then tried the V-Moda M80.  I thought I wanted an on-ear to avoid the pressure/sweat issue.  But the headband was too tight against the top of my head.  I also found the sound while good on some tracks, especially for bass, tended to muddle the mids, to the point that I was loosing the guitars on a number of classic rock tracks.

 

I tried the HD-25-II.  I loved the sound of that one, even more than the ATH-M50s.  But the clamping was way too much.

 

I was considering the Senny 598, but I heard they have absolutely no bass.

 

I am thinking of going back to an over-ear model.  I was researching the DT770(80 ohm).  How does that compare sound wise to the 25-1-II and the ATH-M50?  From Mad Lust Envy's gaming thread, it appears to be a favored model for gaming (I probably would only be doing stereo gaming for now as I only have the onboard sound card that lacks the Dolby Live encoding to support Dolby Headphone amps like MixAmp).  I am more looking for an immersive experience rather than competitive spacial needs.  

 

I also want to use this for music listening and for sound editing in video editing applications.  Would it sound okay driven occasionally just by my smartphone?

 

I heard that these are preferably driven by an amp.  Do they sound bad coming off a desktop onboard soundcard?  If so, I do have the desktop tied into an older Yamaha 290 watt amplifier with the following rating on the headphone jack:  Headphones Jack Rated Output/Impedance  8 ohms, 1 kHz, 0.01% THD 0.6 V390 ohms.  Would that drive the headphones better?


Edited by livngston - 8/19/12 at 5:27pm
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post #2 of 11
8/19/12 at 11:58pm

The Senn 598 has bass, but it is not for bassheads.  It is very well regarded can for all around use, including for gaming.

 

The gaming thread is the best resource out there that I know of for picking the right gaming or gaming/music can.

 

With regard to your particular computer compatibility issues, your best shot at a quality answer is probably to post that question in the Computer Audio section of the forum.

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post #3 of 11
8/20/12 at 12:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by livngston View Post

Hey all,

 

I have been trying several different headphones, but still have yet to find one I like.  I started with the ATH-M50s.  I loved the sound, but the comfort was an issue.  It had too much clamping force, and not enough ventilation to prevent sweat, and the pressure was too much. 

 

I then tried the V-Moda M80.  I thought I wanted an on-ear to avoid the pressure/sweat issue.  But the headband was too tight against the top of my head.  I also found the sound while good on some tracks, especially for bass, tended to muddle the mids, to the point that I was loosing the guitars on a number of classic rock tracks.

 

I tried the HD-25-II.  I loved the sound of that one, even more than the ATH-M50s.  But the clamping was way too much.

 

I was considering the Senny 598, but I heard they have absolutely no bass.

 

I am thinking of going back to an over-ear model.  I was researching the DT770(80 ohm).  How does that compare sound wise to the 25-1-II and the ATH-M50?  From Mad Lust Envy's gaming thread, it appears to be a favored model for gaming (I probably would only be doing stereo gaming for now as I only have the on-board sound card that lacks the Dolby Live encoding to support Dolby Headphone amps like Mix-Amp).  I am more looking for an immersive experience rather than competitive spacial needs.  

 

I also want to use this for music listening and for sound editing in video editing applications.  Would it sound okay driven occasionally just by my smartphone?

 

I heard that these are preferably driven by an amp.  Do they sound bad coming off a desktop on-board sound card?  If so, I do have the desktop tied into an older Yamaha 290 watt amplifier with the following rating on the headphone jack:  Headphones Jack Rated Output/Impedance  8 ohms, 1 kHz, 0.01% THD 0.6 V390 ohms.  Would that drive the headphones better?

Asus Xonar DG sound card, $16 after $10 mail in rebate.

Better DAC then your motherboard's.

Half-way decent headphone amplifier that can easily handle 80-Ohm headphones.

Dolby Headphone surround sound.

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post #4 of 11
8/21/12 at 1:00pm
Thread Starter 

What would be your recommendation for the next best sound card with a headphone amp after the Xonar DG?  My newer Dell doesn't have any legacy PCI slots, only PCI-e slots.

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post #5 of 11
8/21/12 at 1:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by livngston View Post

What would be your recommendation for the next best sound card with a headphone amp after the Xonar DG?  My newer Dell doesn't have any legacy PCI slots, only PCI-e slots.

 

Heya,

 

Xonar STX is a very popular and solid sound card, able to handle up to 600ohms with it's onboard chipset for amplification.

 

However I would suggest you just use your Yamaha. It's going to be fine for the Beyers.

 

If you want to buy something very simple that will take care of your needs, the Fiio E10 would also be perfect for this.

 

If you want something for a smart phone (as well) consider something that is both desktop and portable (like Fiio E7, E17, iBasso D-Zero).

 

Very best,

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post #6 of 11
8/21/12 at 2:02pm

The Asus Xonar DX or D1 sound card (used, $50), comes with a decent DAC chip (CS4398) and Dolby headphone surround sound, so you can run an analog (3.5mm to RCA) cable from the Xonar's green jack to the Yamaha's RCA input.

Which model Yamaha is it?

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post #7 of 11
8/22/12 at 6:39am
Thread Starter 

I believe it is the R-V98, but I have to double check when I get home.  It is an old Pro Logic surround receiver.  What does  Headphones Jack Rated Output/Impedance  8 ohms, 1 kHz, 0.01% THD 0.6 V390 ohms. mean?  

 

Does that mean it starts at 8 ohms and goes up to 390 ohms?  Would that drive the 250 ohm variant of the DT770?

 

Does upgrading the sound card from the integrated RealTek (bought computer this year) to the dedicated Xonar sound card really make an appreciable difference in audio quality?

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post #8 of 11
8/22/12 at 7:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by livngston View Post

I believe it is the R-V98, but I have to double check when I get home.  It is an old Pro Logic surround receiver.  What does  Headphones Jack Rated Output/Impedance  8 ohms, 1 kHz, 0.01% THD 0.6 V390 ohms. mean?  

 

Does that mean it starts at 8 ohms and goes up to 390 ohms?  Would that drive the 250 ohm variant of the DT770?

 

Does upgrading the sound card from the integrated RealTek (bought computer this year) to the dedicated Xonar sound card really make an appreciable difference in audio quality?

8-Ohm sounds like it's referring to the impedance of the headphone jack (8-Ohms is a low impedance, which is good).

Not really sure what the V390 Ohm is about?

Usually when you plug the headphones into the headphone jack of the receiver, the speaker amplifier(s) switch from powering the speakers to powering the headphone jack.

So should be enough power to drive 250-Ohm headphones.

Motherboards come with low cost DACs (Digital to Analog Converters) that barely do the job, so the DAC on the DX/D1 (CS4398) should easily improve the audio quality.

If you do not have to deal with outside noise, maybe get the Beyer DT990 Pro 250-Ohm.

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post #9 of 11
8/22/12 at 8:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by PurpleAngel View Post

8-Ohm sounds like it's referring to the impedance of the headphone jack (8-Ohms is a low impedance, which is good).

Not really sure what the V390 Ohm is about?

 

I think the specs mean that the maximum output into 8 Ω is 0.6 V, with an output impedance of 390 Ω. Therefore, the maximum unloaded voltage is 30 V (0.6 * 398 / 8), and the headphone jack is simply fed by the speaker amplifier through 390 Ω dropping resistors. If this is true, then a 600 Ω headphone would be preferred.

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post #10 of 11
9/6/12 at 5:45pm
Thread Starter 

So I wound up purchasing the DT770 Pro 80 and the Xonar DGX (150 ohm amplifier).  I figured the headphone amp would help, and worst case for $40 I get the Dolby Headphone functionality.  The headphone sound great with the DGX.  However, I then plugged them into my Yamaha and it is like night and day.  The bass is more pronounced.  The drums have more resonance.  (I should point out that I am using the DAC on the back of the sound card to the RCA inputs of the Yamaha, so I guess it is being amplified twice.   I don't have optical inputs on the old Yamaha).

 

I can't wait to try these out on my 40+ year old McIntosh.

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post #11 of 11
9/6/12 at 7:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by livngston View Post

So I wound up purchasing the DT770 Pro 80 and the Xonar DGX (150 ohm amplifier).  I figured the headphone amp would help, and worst case for $40 I get the Dolby Headphone functionality.  The headphone sound great with the DGX.  However, I then plugged them into my Yamaha and it is like night and day.  The bass is more pronounced.  The drums have more resonance.  (I should point out that I am using the DAC on the back of the sound card to the RCA inputs of the Yamaha, so I guess it is being amplified twice.   I don't have optical inputs on the old Yamaha).

 

I can't wait to try these out on my 40+ year old McIntosh.

 

Heya,

 

Told ya to just use the Yamaha. ;)

 

Very best,

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