[vbobo]

Hey everyone,

So I'm currently stuck between the dt 770 pro 80 ohm and the dt 990 pro 250 ohm. I'll be using these headphones strictly for gaming, movies and music on my PC.

I have read a ton of reviews and opinions but I still can't decide which one I want because I'm not sure if I want closed or open headphones. I've never owned an open pair of headphones. I do want the headphones I get to have a good soundstage and although the 990s have the better soundstage is it that big of a difference when comparing to the 770 pro? The main games I play is fps so footsteps and positional accuracy is big for me. At the same time, I do live in a condo and don't want to be annoying neighbors or people within close range of me. I also worry that the open may pick up tv noises in the same room, or my fan that blows at me while playing?

I guess overall what I'm asking is, is it that big of a difference when it comes to soundstage between these two headphones or does the 770 pro 80 ohm have a decent enough soundstage for hearing footsteps and where shots are coming from?

Also, I'll be plugging them into my msi z87-gd65 for beginners and am wondering if that is powerful enough to drive both these or is it a must to buy an amp?

 

[serman005]

Are you open to other options besides the Beyers?

 

[Guidostrunk]

https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/m...-18-2016-mrspeakers-ether-c-1-1-added.534479/

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I have read a ton of reviews and opinions but I still can't decide which one I want because I'm not sure if I want closed or open headphones. I've never owned an open pair of headphones. I do want the headphones I get to have a good soundstage and although the 990s have the better soundstage is it that big of a difference when comparing to the 770 pro? The main games I play is fps so footsteps and positional accuracy is big for me.
---
I guess overall what I'm asking is, is it that big of a difference when it comes to soundstage between these two headphones or does the 770 pro 80 ohm have a decent enough soundstage for hearing footsteps and where shots are coming from?

Open or closed cups aren't the only determinant for imaging. There's also how the drivers are positioned relative to the ear canal, which is why a closed headphone like a Beyer T5P or MDR-1R can have a slightly more proportional soundstage than, say, how an open back SR325 will put the cymbals way up front and far out to the flanks.

At the same time when it comes to games and movies those won't help as much as virtual surround. Repositioning the drivers that way doesn't change the fact that you're listening through a 2ch program through two physical channels where each ear hears only the same side driver, as opposed to two ears hearing two let along 5.1 speakers in-room. Virtual surround takes a 5.1 or 7.1 signal and simulates hearing that many speakers in a room, feeding sound across the two physical channels, while adding reverb to simulate distance away from you and enhance positioning perception.

At the same time, I do live in a condo and don't want to be annoying neighbors or people within close range of me. I also worry that the open may pick up tv noises in the same room, or my fan that blows at me while playing?

OK...first off, if your headphones are audible from beyond a wall with no doorway, I'd worry more about your eardrums.

As for other noise sources within that same room, yes, all that noise can go through, and then you'd have to crank it up, and then the other person watching TV will hear your game audio, so he's going to crank up his TV, which then offsets what you just cranked up so you crank it up again, which then prompts the other person to crank up the TV...there's only so much of this cycle before you escalate, like by shouting at or straight up punching each other. Hell even the blowing gently on the earcups can be annoying enough, and if you're critically listening to music, even a computer's cooling system will get in the way of what you're listening to. That said, critically listening to music doesn't have you processing other stimuli, so it's not like you'd notice these as much once the game audio comes on (unlike how fans can make the low end harder to hear).

Still, since open or closed back is less important than your DSP, I'd much rather get the closed back headphone. Or move that PC into the room where nobody will watch TV while you're playing.

Also, I'll be plugging them into my msi z87-gd65 for beginners and am wondering if that is powerful enough to drive both these or is it a must to buy an amp?

If you're mostly going to play games rather than listening for example to an epic metal performance with not so loud but still critical double pedal action, the motherboard will get loud enough with not enough distortion to really be a problem. Not sure about noise since when a computer is involved it isn't just the amplifier circuit's spec that determines that. If your motherboard's audio stage has a DSP with any kind of Virtual Surround, the amp circuit on it is good enough for games and even for music if you're not going to be listening critically with no distractions; if it doesn't, get a soundcard that does, and chances are any decent enough soundcard that has virtual surround likely has a decent enough amplifier circuit. Something like the SBZ or STX.

 

[vbobo]

Open or closed cups aren't the only determinant for imaging. There's also how the drivers are positioned relative to the ear canal, which is why a closed headphone like a Beyer T5P or MDR-1R can have a slightly more proportional soundstage than, say, how an open back SR325 will put the cymbals way up front and far out to the flanks.

At the same time when it comes to games and movies those won't help as much as virtual surround. Repositioning the drivers that way doesn't change the fact that you're listening through a 2ch program through two physical channels where each ear hears only the same side driver, as opposed to two ears hearing two let along 5.1 speakers in-room. Virtual surround takes a 5.1 or 7.1 signal and simulates hearing that many speakers in a room, feeding sound across the two physical channels, while adding reverb to simulate distance away from you and enhance positioning perception.




OK...first off, if your headphones are audible from beyond a wall with no doorway, I'd worry more about your eardrums.

As for other noise sources within that same room, yes, all that noise can go through, and then you'd have to crank it up, and then the other person watching TV will hear your game audio, so he's going to crank up his TV, which then offsets what you just cranked up so you crank it up again, which then prompts the other person to crank up the TV...there's only so much of this cycle before you escalate, like by shouting at or straight up punching each other. Hell even the blowing gently on the earcups can be annoying enough, and if you're critically listening to music, even a computer's cooling system will get in the way of what you're listening to. That said, critically listening to music doesn't have you processing other stimuli, so it's not like you'd notice these as much once the game audio comes on (unlike how fans can make the low end harder to hear).

Still, since open or closed back is less important than your DSP, I'd much rather get the closed back headphone. Or move that PC into the room where nobody will watch TV while you're playing.




If you're mostly going to play games rather than listening for example to an epic metal performance with not so loud but still critical double pedal action, the motherboard will get loud enough with not enough distortion to really be a problem. Not sure about noise since when a computer is involved it isn't just the amplifier circuit's spec that determines that. If your motherboard's audio stage has a DSP with any kind of Virtual Surround, the amp circuit on it is good enough for games and even for music if you're not going to be listening critically with no distractions; if it doesn't, get a soundcard that does, and chances are any decent enough soundcard that has virtual surround likely has a decent enough amplifier circuit. Something like the SBZ or STX.

So I take it if I move the computer to a quieter room, get the 990. Otherwise go with the closed cans?

Are you open to other options besides the Beyers?

I wouldn't mind taking a look at other headphones if you think there's a better option. I've just eyed on these two because of the great reviews for what I'll be using them for.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

So I take it if I move the computer to a quieter room, get the 990. Otherwise go with the closed cans?

I'd move the computer to a quiet room and still get closed cans so I can crank up the computer (intake) fans a little bit more - it's not just the CPU and GPU core voltage that needs the airflow. Motherboard chipset, power stages, etc all need the airflow but don't have a heatsink with its own fan on them, so they rely on incidental airflow from the intake fans (and the exhaust to make sure you don't rely too much on positive pressure to push air out). That only gets worse if for example you have radiators for exhaust since they'll be mounted far from the motherboard and then pull the air up or to the rear.

 

[vbobo]

I'd move the computer to a quiet room and still get closed cans so I can crank up the computer (intake) fans a little bit more - it's not just the CPU and GPU core voltage that needs the airflow. Motherboard chipset, power stages, etc all need the airflow but don't have a heatsink with its own fan on them, so they rely on incidental airflow from the intake fans (and the exhaust to make sure you don't rely too much on positive pressure to push air out). That only gets worse if for example you have radiators for exhaust since they'll be mounted far from the motherboard and then pull the air up or to the rear.

But overall are these closed cans good for what I'll be using them for? I'm currently using razer kraken 7.1 and the sound is terrible

 

[vbobo]

https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/m...-18-2016-mrspeakers-ether-c-1-1-added.534479/

I've read that completely, and I see the 770 scored a 6/10 for competitive vs the 990 scoring 8/10. Are those ratings that big of a difference? Is there better competitive closed cans?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

But overall are these closed cans good for what I'll be using them for? I'm currently using razer kraken 7.1 and the sound is terrible

What exactly is terrible about it?

For a start, that's a Razer Kraken - the Beyerdynamic DT770, DT1770, T5P are all closed. So are the Audeze LCD-XC and EL8C. Closed or open doesn't really tell you anything other than what conditions the driver's T/L parameters prefer to operate or how the manufacturers prefer they'd operate either way. So to begin with, maybe you just don't like the Kraken's sound, or the Kraken probably just sucks. That doesn't mean getting an open headphone automatically will be better - you're just more likely to find crappy closed headphones than crappy open headphones not because the design is superior, but if a manufacturer is going to make a headphone that people can't use in a high noise environment, then they'd likely assume the kind of person using it is more likely to be the more discerning listener, so if they make an open back headphone they might as well just use better drivers to begin with.

That's kind of like you want a new car, you won't necessarily go racing or grand touring, but you only, only, only want either RWD or AWD because your front wheel drive econobox sucks, and you'd be suspicious of how good a Mazda or Acura or Volvo (or Saab, but they're dead now) FWD drive sedan can be considering you're not exactly planning on carving up canyons (much less a racetrack) with a high torque engine.

 

[vbobo]

What exactly is terrible about it?

For a start, that's a Razer Kraken - the Beyerdynamic DT770, DT1770, T5P are all closed. So are the Audeze LCD-XC and EL8C. Closed or open doesn't really tell you anything other than what conditions the driver's T/L parameters prefer to operate or how the manufacturers prefer they'd operate either way. So to begin with, maybe you just don't like the Kraken's sound, or the Kraken probably just sucks. That doesn't mean getting an open headphone automatically will be better - you're just more likely to find crappy closed headphones than crappy open headphones not because the design is superior, but if a manufacturer is going to make a headphone that people can't use in a high noise environment, then they'd likely assume the kind of person using it is more likely to be the more discerning listener, so if they make an open back headphone they might as well just use better drivers to begin with.

That's kind of like you want a new car, you won't necessarily go racing or grand touring, but you only, only, only want either RWD or AWD because your front wheel drive econobox sucks, and you'd be suspicious of how good a Mazda or Acura or Volvo (or Saab, but they're dead now) FWD drive sedan can be considering you're not exactly planning on carving up canyons (much less a racetrack) with a high torque engine.

The headphones sound feels washed out, doesn't sound realistic. I listened to my dre beats on pc and there's definitely a difference to sound quality. That's what made me realize how meh the krakens were and that I needed a better headset for what I was doing. Do the 770 pros have a decent enough soundstage and positional accuracy for closed cans? Some say it's good others say the bass overpowers certain noises causing it harder to distinguish noises and where there coming from.

 

[domsch1988]

Since i've had both for several months:
If you don't need to hear your surrounds: Get closed. Especially on PC and Gaming closed headphones help with immersion!
The 250Ohm Beyers are pushing it on my motherboard. They are usable for sure, but if you want that last bit of headbanging volume when the music gets tasty, An Amp is needed. For moderate listening volumes it should work. And they do get better in sound with a decent amp.
The DT770 has a bit better low end, the 990 resolves a bit better in the Top. Both are really detailed compared to other brands. If positioning of sounds is important for you, i'd maybe look at other headphones too. The Soundstage on these is not as big as other headphones.

I do use the 990 if i'm playing with my wife as i can hear her without taking of the headphones. They still isolate enough to keep PC noise out.
The 770 is used when i'm playing alone or when "critical" listening is the task (either recording or when it's not background music i'm listening too).

Edit: Also, both are not overpowering in the Bass department. If you are used to Beats, they are certainly not on that level of Bass! Compared to AKG or some Sennheisers they do have more bottom end though.

 

[Humblepie]

Well, first off I'm going to go against the grain here on some info. This is because of how things are defined and how they really are.

To begin with, understanding what is imaging and what is soundstage. The how they relate to gaming. Imaging is actual 3d positioning. It is being able to tell if sound is coming from left, right, up, down, back, or front. It is able to pinpoint exactly where something is in relation to you. Soundstage is how far away something sounds without forcing everything away. Meaning good sound stage things will some clear up close and sound proper further away.

Some headphones can have great imaging and bad sound stage (many closed headphones don't do soundstage as well), an headphones can have crappy imaging for great sound stage. Meaning you only get left/right "stereo" imaging only, but the sounds all have great distance ranges within that image of left/right only.

Imaging is of paramount importance to gaming. Soundstage is nice, but not a must have. Especially since soundstage is more artificial when it comes to positioning in regards to distance. That isn't to say it can't help. For example in gaming, I want to hear footsteps of people trying to sneak up behind me. Good imaging will allow me to know someone is coming from behind me. Good soundstage will let me know how close that person is to me are when they are coming from behind. However, that later part is a bit harder to be exact on when it comes to headphones. It also takes a lot of practices with a particular set of headphones with wide soundstage to understand the audio ques in regard to accurately understanding the presented soundstage distance.

That being said, you can do very well playing games on closed headphones with vary narrow soundstage. You can do as well even in comparison to open headphones with a wide soundstage. Strictly from a gaming performance standpoint this is why imaging is more important that soundstage. Also, every so often a gaming headset company randomly turns out something good, but because they put a really ridiculous price on the headset it doesn't sell and goes to the way side. An example of that would be the Razer Blacksharks. Those were a fantastic headset with great durability, sound, and imaging. They also have a $150+ price tag. When you go over $100, unless you market the crap out of it (ala Astro headsets), gamers aren't going to buy them.

Speaking of marketing, when it comes to headphones 5.1, 7.1, 9.1 and other 3d positional descriptions in regards to headphones it is all marketing hype. So long as the sound channels are going through proper sound algorithms, the DAC you are using can properly separate signals, and the headphones you are using can represent imaging well then all the sound will become "3D" to your ears. The problem is cheap crappy gaming headsets have crap sound, bad imaging, no soundstage, and are basically there to give some audio with a crappy attached mic while looking cool. They also tend to be made of crap materials that just don't last. By comparison, much more expensive gaming headsets basically have drivers that are better at imaging at least. Most of these expensive gaming headsets still don't do sound well in terms of good reproduction, have no soundstage, tend to use a slightly better mic, still use questionable construction materials/methods to have bad durability still, and only double down on the look factor. Because a gaming headset company makes the headsets look better, use a slightly better mic, and no have proper 3d positional setup, they jump prices from $20 range to the $100 range and many non-audio oriented gamers lap that up. Why? They never experienced anything better. Gamers also want mics attached.

There have been exceptions to the formulas gaming headset makers have followed in the past. Right now the popular Cloud series by Kingston is such an exception. Kingston took a popular, inexpensive Chinese brand headphone and built on a mic. The looks were good enough to attract gamers, the price was compelling to gamers, and they sounded great with great imaging. Soundstage isn't huge, but it is a bit better than the vast sea of junk out there.

Now with all that being said, the average gamer looking for suggestions on this site is probably open to the idea of going with a non-traditional headset route, and may decide upon a good headphone instead with a different option for Mic. Either as a decent condenser mic, or something like a mod-mic setup. Still most gamers I know, and I know many, are not really wanting to pay more than $50-$75 or so for a headphone + mic setup. Good thing there are several possible setups to choose from in that price range right now.

Going back to the Kingston Hyperx Cloud series, they are great sounding gaming headsets. They all come with mics, and all are made fairly durable. You can't go wrong with this series of headsets at all. They have great sound, comfort, and imaging. Their downsides are a lack of a detachable cable, mediocre mics, and lack of soundstage.

Options that bring in soundstage are plenty and still keep within that budget range of most gamers. Philips SHP9500 has been going for about $50 for a long time now. Pair the philips with an inline boom mic for $30 or less and you are all set. Great sound, great comfort, great imaging, great soundstage, and a decent mic. The mic can be even better with a decent inexpensive $30-$50 condenser mic. There are plenty to choose from, but I won't go into the mic discussion so much in this post.

Another option for slightly cheaper would be the SuperLux 668Bs. Build quality isnt quite as good as the SHP9500, but the build quality is still better than 95% of gaming headsets on the market. Paired up with a mod mic or condenser mic and you are all set.

Of course, the person with the bigger than average gamer budget can have a huge selection of options of headphones to choose from.

Things to remember. Imaging is the most important aspect to gaming, but soundstage adds a lot to the immersion factor in playing games. It gives a better gaming experience overall and a more satisfying one so having a headset able to give good sound, imaging, and soundstage is really what most people should be looking for.

 

[vbobo]

Since i've had both for several months:
If you don't need to hear your surrounds: Get closed. Especially on PC and Gaming closed headphones help with immersion!
The 250Ohm Beyers are pushing it on my motherboard. They are usable for sure, but if you want that last bit of headbanging volume when the music gets tasty, An Amp is needed. For moderate listening volumes it should work. And they do get better in sound with a decent amp.
The DT770 has a bit better low end, the 990 resolves a bit better in the Top. Both are really detailed compared to other brands. If positioning of sounds is important for you, i'd maybe look at other headphones too. The Soundstage on these is not as big as other headphones.

I do use the 990 if i'm playing with my wife as i can hear her without taking of the headphones. They still isolate enough to keep PC noise out.
The 770 is used when i'm playing alone or when "critical" listening is the task (either recording or when it's not background music i'm listening too).

Edit: Also, both are not overpowering in the Bass department. If you are used to Beats, they are certainly not on that level of Bass! Compared to AKG or some Sennheisers they do have more bottom end though.

So would you say the 990s do keep some sound out even though they are open design? I could have it completely quiet in the room if needed without issue, just would like the best bang for my buck when it comes to gaming performance.

Well, first off I'm going to go against the grain here on some info. This is because of how things are defined and how they really are.

To begin with, understanding what is imaging and what is soundstage. The how they relate to gaming. Imaging is actual 3d positioning. It is being able to tell if sound is coming from left, right, up, down, back, or front. It is able to pinpoint exactly where something is in relation to you. Soundstage is how far away something sounds without forcing everything away. Meaning good sound stage things will some clear up close and sound proper further away.

Some headphones can have great imaging and bad sound stage (many closed headphones don't do soundstage as well), an headphones can have crappy imaging for great sound stage. Meaning you only get left/right "stereo" imaging only, but the sounds all have great distance ranges within that image of left/right only.

Imaging is of paramount importance to gaming. Soundstage is nice, but not a must have. Especially since soundstage is more artificial when it comes to positioning in regards to distance. That isn't to say it can't help. For example in gaming, I want to hear footsteps of people trying to sneak up behind me. Good imaging will allow me to know someone is coming from behind me. Good soundstage will let me know how close that person is to me are when they are coming from behind. However, that later part is a bit harder to be exact on when it comes to headphones. It also takes a lot of practices with a particular set of headphones with wide soundstage to understand the audio ques in regard to accurately understanding the presented soundstage distance.

That being said, you can do very well playing games on closed headphones with vary narrow soundstage. You can do as well even in comparison to open headphones with a wide soundstage. Strictly from a gaming performance standpoint this is why imaging is more important that soundstage. Also, every so often a gaming headset company randomly turns out something good, but because they put a really ridiculous price on the headset it doesn't sell and goes to the way side. An example of that would be the Razer Blacksharks. Those were a fantastic headset with great durability, sound, and imaging. They also have a $150+ price tag. When you go over $100, unless you market the **** out of it (ala Astro headsets), gamers aren't going to buy them.

Speaking of marketing, when it comes to headphones 5.1, 7.1, 9.1 and other 3d positional descriptions in regards to headphones it is all marketing hype. So long as the sound channels are going through proper sound algorithms, the DAC you are using can properly separate signals, and the headphones you are using can represent imaging well then all the sound will become "3D" to your ears. The problem is cheap ****ty gaming headsets have crap sound, bad imaging, no soundstage, and are basically there to give some audio with a crappy attached mic while looking cool. They also tend to be made of crap materials that just don't last. By comparison, much more expensive gaming headsets basically have drivers that are better at imaging at least. Most of these expensive gaming headsets still don't do sound well in terms of good reproduction, have no soundstage, tend to use a slightly better mic, still use questionable construction materials/methods to have bad durability still, and only double down on the look factor. Because a gaming headset company makes the headsets look better, use a slightly better mic, and no have proper 3d positional setup, they jump prices from $20 range to the $100 range and many non-audio oriented gamers lap that up. Why? They never experienced anything better. Gamers also want mics attached.

There have been exceptions to the formulas gaming headset makers have followed in the past. Right now the popular Cloud series by Kingston is such an exception. Kingston took a popular, inexpensive Chinese brand headphone and built on a mic. The looks were good enough to attract gamers, the price was compelling to gamers, and they sounded great with great imaging. Soundstage isn't huge, but it is a bit better than the vast sea of junk out there.

Now with all that being said, the average gamer looking for suggestions on this site is probably open to the idea of going with a non-traditional headset route, and may decide upon a good headphone instead with a different option for Mic. Either as a decent condenser mic, or something like a mod-mic setup. Still most gamers I know, and I know many, are not really wanting to pay more than $50-$75 or so for a headphone + mic setup. Good thing there are several possible setups to choose from in that price range right now.

Going back to the Kingston Hyperx Cloud series, they are great sounding gaming headsets. They all come with mics, and all are made fairly durable. You can't go wrong with this series of headsets at all. They have great sound, comfort, and imaging. Their downsides are a lack of a detachable cable, mediocre mics, and lack of soundstage.

Options that bring in soundstage are plenty and still keep within that budget range of most gamers. Philips SHP9500 has been going for about $50 for a long time now. Pair will an inline boom mic for $30 or less and you are all set. Great sound, great comfort, great imaging, great soundstage, and a decent mic. The mic can be even better with a decent inexpensive $30-$50 condenser mic. There are plenty to choose from, but I won't go into the mic discussion so much in this post.

Another option for slightly cheaper would be the SuperLux 668Bs. Build quality isnt quite as good as the SHP9500, but the build quality is still better than 95% of gaming headsets on the market. Paired up with a mod mic or condenser mic and you are all set.

Of course, the person with the bigger than average gamer budget can have a huge selection of options of headphones to choose from.

Things to remember. Imaging is the most important aspect to gaming, but soundstage adds a lot to the immersion factor in playing games. It gives a better gaming experience overall and a more satisfying one so having a headset able to give good sound, imaging, and soundstage is really what most people should be looking for.

So what would you say in regards to soundstage and imaging of the DT 770 pro 80 ohm vs 990 250 ohm? I've also read a little bit about the AD700x. Would any of these open headphones have some small decent isolation to background noise when gaming?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

The headphones sound feels washed out, doesn't sound realistic.

Not sure what you mean by "washed out," but whatever that is, it could be due to the how the Kraken drivers really don't have a good response to begin with but possibly also that its soundcard's virtual surround makes it worse, quite possibly its design focus being gaming it might be too aggressive on the virtual surround tuning. On the flipside, without being more clear about what you're hearing, it's hard to tell how different the DT770 will be.

That said, I use the Superlux HD330 and Xonar U3 on my gaming rig, which has a heck of a lot of bass, and apart from the addition of reverb on top of crossfeed, it sounds "realistic" enough, in the sense that it is not grossly unnatural. I've gone from games to YouTube and I've reached for the speakers' volume button since the sound can be imaged far enough to the front when virtual surround is running (it helps that I adjusted the clamp and they feel no tighter than my HD600).

I listened to my dre beats on pc and there's definitely a difference to sound quality. That's what made me realize how meh the krakens were and that I needed a better headset for what I was doing.

If the difference is in how the Beats sound more like any headphone while the Kraken sounds more like being in some kind of chamber, then there's the possibility that the Kraken is just good for what it's meant to do, ie, trying to simulate surround speakers, which isn't the same as bare 2.0ch audio nor even Crossfeed.

Do the 770 pros have a decent enough soundstage and positional accuracy for closed cans? Some say it's good others say the bass overpowers certain noises causing it harder to distinguish noises and where there coming from.

I have the even bassier Superlux HD330 running off a Xonar U3, though I play more Total War than anything else these days, and if I position the game camera to my infantry line's flank I can clearly hear the difference in the shield-on-shield pushing match to one side and the whirling cavalry to the other side. Not a competitive advantage but it improves immersion, like how no matter how limited rear imaging can be it's still fun to hear hooves closing in (no matter how horrifying that is when you realize what's coming).

It doesn't give me a competitive advantage on FPS either but that has a lot more to do with how no headphone can really image well in terms of height and rear depth. Not even the K701 and HD800 can do that on current virtual surround tech.

 

[Humblepie]

So would you say the 990s do keep some sound out even though they are open design? I could have it completely quiet in the room if needed without issue, just would like the best bang for my buck when it comes to gaming performance.

So what would you say in regards to soundstage and imaging of the DT 770 pro 80 ohm vs 990 250 ohm? I've also read a little bit about the AD700x. Would any of these open headphones have some small decent isolation to background noise when gaming?

You basically have the following styles to chose from with regards to headphone backing types.

Open
Semi-Open
Closed

True open headphones are open to all sound. They isolate nothing and if loud enough anyone around can hear what is being played on them. Of course they need to be fairly loud as the direction of the sound is still aimed at your ears and not the outside world, but they can still be heard by others.

Semi-Open block some of the sound going in an out.

Now as far as sound signature... that is again personal preference. Loud, and certainly bass that rumbles on and on, can drown out sound from other frequencies happening at the same time. Which means in a game the fainter noises, like footsteps, could be washed out from load bass explosions. Big bassy explosions are very nice, fulfilling, and make you go DAAYYAAMMM!! when they go off, but they can also lose you a bit of competitive advantage as well. Which is why some gamers go for headphones with as much clarity in the mids that they can get and don't mind a weaker bass response and roll off. It really all depends on what sort of gaming audio experience you are after.

Then again, you can be like me and have many different headphones to use based on the listening experience you are after.

Closed block most of the sound coming in and going on.

Open headphones tend to have the best soundstages, with semi-open ok soundstage, and closed headphones rarely having good soundstage.

When it comes to actual imaging, that is not really a function of the headphones per say, but the source sound and what is routing that source. However, some headphones are better at reproducing accurate imaging compared to others. All the good "audiophile" headphones, which include beyerdynamics, are going to have good imaging. For gaming, the differences are in the soundstage representation. DT770 are closed and don't have much soundstage. The 990s are "open", but really not fully open as others. Still, being open means that they are more open than the 770's at least. They will have a bigger soundstage in comparison to the 770s.