[blackal]

Hey Guys,

I have been reading a lot about these two headphones on several different sources, and they seem to be the ones that are most suggested for a gaming/music mix.

What I would like to know is what people think about the two of these in a gaming and music setting.

I listen to just about every type of music except for hip-hop/rap. I know that neither of them is going to be great for all my music, but I'm assuming that they will fare well in most of the music (much better than the plantronics, I bet.

)

I'm also interested in the positional sound of each of them and how they fare in games such as bf2 and graw2, etc.

At the moment I have about $120-$130 to spend. I wouldn't mind picking up a decent used pair of either of these two, but if needed, I will save up some more until I get enough to buy a new pair.

------------------------------------------------------------

For anyone interested in how I came to looking for higher quality cans, you can read below. I'll consider this as an introduction of myself to the forms. For those that are bored already, feel free to skip this

A little history of my headphones usage. About 5 years ago, I was using a very nice pair of "hi-fi" sony headphones (not sure what model) that I hijacked from my step-father But when I moved out, he wanted his headphones back (doh!).

Being a poor college kid, I've been living with a couple of pairs of $50 plantronics since then (one at a time as they mysteriously fell apart - I blame my roomates, but hey, who knows).

I recently had a friend tell my how great the Razer Barracuda 5.1headphones were, and I read quite a few reviews that said they were "amazing". So I bought a pair, and I had to return them the same day because they were not very good at all, to say the least.

So after that, I hit up HArdForum and Head-fi to see if I could start my venture into the realm of good headphones. After an extensive amount of reading, I think that I have settled on one of the two of these as my entry-level-poor-college-kid phones.

Thanks!
Blackal

 

[darkswordsman17]

I've had both, and here's my take:

Stock, the A900s are the better overall headphone. The 770s really do need a bit of amplification. Also, the 770s really do have very strong bass in that it overpowers other parts of the sound (which while the A900 has a similar sonic signature, the bass doesn't interfere with the midrange like on the 770s).

That is stock. After doing the blu-tak mod, the differences become smaller. I would actually say the 770s are better. There's more detail and the bass is better once you tame it. The 770s seem to have a bit more forward sound. Both benefit from it, although I would say the 770s much moreso (since you can tame the bass and keep it from overpowering the midrange). It is an easy to do and cheap in cost mod that really makes a pretty nice difference (makes them both better overall). Its also completely reversible, so if for some reason you don't like the sound you can revert back to normal.

Comfortwise they are about equal, both can be worn for hours on end. I kinda preferred the A900s as they feel lighter on your head (although they move around more if you move much). The Beyer's are more snug (but not a bad snug).

So really, I don't think you can go wrong either way, they're both very good, and with a little simple modding they sound even better.

 

[mADmAN]

i think the A900 would be a better bet for u as they dont require an amp to shine...

the DT770 however are bass monsters and would require an amp to reach its full potential.

 

[nickchen]

The DT770 is a tiny little bit more detailed IMO, but sounds silly with most genres except ambient & related. Desperately needs an amp.

The A900 has the widest musical bandwidth I ever experienced (only beaten by DT531) and isn't so awfully recessed in the mids section as the boombeyer. Can be run even by a simple flashplayer.

It's a draw in respect of gaming abilities.

My vote for the A900.

Edit: I would be careful in repect of blue tac mods, as they tend to "tame" the lower mids section collaterally as well.

 

[Caribou679]

Welcome to HeadFi, sorry about your wallet.

Have a greataday

 

[Schalldampfer]

I think the presence, or lack thereof, should determine the headphone. A900 if you don't have one and don't plan on getting one soon, and the other if you do.

 

[blackal]

Thanks for all the comments guys! I think at the moment, I am going to go for the A900s and then upgrade later to a nicer set + amp. It looks like right now, though, that the A900s are the best bang for the buck without having to buy an extra amp.

Anyone know where to find a good used pair for around $120-$130? I am keeping my eye on the FS/T section here and ebay, but nothing yet in that price range.

I may just have to buy them next month for audiocubes.

Thanks again for the help guys! I am looking forward to taking the first step into quality audio!

Blackal

 

[TMM]

If you do get the A900s, do the blutack mod as per SK138's post about the A900 in Fitz' W5000 mod thread. It boosts the bass (may or may not be to your liking - if its too much stuff some damping material in there) and opens up the soundstage a little which is great for games

 

[blackal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TMM /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you do get the A900s, do the blutack mod as per SK138's post about the A900 in Fitz' W5000 mod thread. It boosts the bass (may or may not be to your liking - if its too much stuff some damping material in there) and opens up the soundstage a little which is great for games

I have seen the F5000 and the F5005 mods in the forums. Which of the two were you guys recommending? And how difficult is it to disassemble the A900s to do this mod?

Also, should I wait until after burn-in to do this mod? (I'm assuming yes).

And last question, what affect does this mod have on the positional sound from gaming from these cans?

Blackal

 

[TMM]

I'd wait until its burnt in well so you can decide if you like the mod or if stock sounds better.

Disassembling them is easy. Just pull off the ear pads, then theres 4 screws holding them together.

SK138's post i was referring to is this one
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showpo...9&postcount=67
Imo this is the best mod for the A900. I wouldn't take out the damping foam though as the bass becomes a little boomy/muddy. To me the soundstage seems larger then stock (everything sounds more spaced out so its easier to tell where sounds are coming from in games), but that said i don't have a stock pair to do an A/B comparison to

You can also put a thin layer (<1mm thick) of blutack on the inside of the Aluminium cups (you don't need to cover the whole cup, just in the middle where the driver sits when its closed up) as it'll help kill the echoes in the treble due to reflections off the cups. Even if you don't like the previous mod i'd still do this one as it doesn't alter the soundstage or tone of the 'phones too much, it just improves the quality of the treble

 

[hfk88]

This is funny. I was in the same situation 2 years ago, went with the a900s and they served me well for gaming, music listening and mixing until now. The plastic band broke from having the phone fall to the floor one time too many (hint) and i was unable to fix them proberly with glue and tape so i stashed them and went with the beyers a couple of days ago.

The a900s have a very fine and controlled sound. Everything is like perfectly balanced wich makes them very pleasant with ANY material you can find. They are slightly forward in treble and bass wich gives them a warm and exciting soundsignature.

They do have some downsides though. First and most importantly they almost
completely lack the SLAM/Rumble that DT770s can give you from very-lowrange basskicks/sweeps/explosions. Literally the kind of rumble you hear from explosions in the cinema (something i can't live without now, it's just a huge funfactor). a900s look stupid on your head and has a quite loose fit, I would never wear them outside the house. Compared to the DT770s they don't block as much sound out and they leak more sound as well. After much use a plastic layer on the pads start to break and fall off wich doesn't really matter cause the foam inside feels good, but it looks stupid.

About the beyers. Right out of the box and by default the bass, while of good quality, is very dominant, and kind of make the midrange sound recessed because of the sheer volume with bassheavy music. Simply lowering the bass frequencies by an amount adjusted to your needs with an EQ did the trick though, and now I have balanced sound almost completely like a900s except for way better reproduction of lowrange bass.

For games and movies you might have a problem with the beyers if you can't stand the default amount of bass. If you don't care too much for bass at all or hate when bass is dominant you should get the a900s. If you absolutely love potent lowrange bass reproduction you HAVE to get the beyers!

Remember its always good to have some kind of amp, it doesn't really have to be a dedicated headphone amp. Using multimedia speakers or a ministereo/reciever with a headphone output works very well with these phones!

 

[blackal]

It seems that I may have found a good price on a set of the DT770s. If I were to go this route, what kind of amp would you guys suggest? I will probably have to pick this up later, but assume I can spend around $100 on the amp.

Blackal

 

[blackal]

Also, I will be using this mostly on my PC which has the HT Omega Claro Plus sound card

And this card makes my little crappy logitech desk speakers sound very nice (compared to the onboard sound) so I can't wait to see what it makes some quality sound equipment sound like

 

[warubozu]

I also own both A900 and DT770 and agree with what has been posted so far about both cans. I find both cans to be excellent for gaming and listening to music. I prefer the A900 over the DT770 slightly due to it's more foward and overall balanced sound. Although the A900 doesn't have the deep bass extension as the D770, sometimes the bass out of the DT770 can be a little too much for my listening taste. Also the A900 doesn't need an amp to sound good where as the DT770 would sound it's best if it was hooked up to an amp. The one complaint that I can find with the A900 is that the mids are a bit recessed. While this is a problem for many who really like their mids, I don't really find this be a dissatisfaction in my listening sessions.

 

[ihaveworms]

I also would like to know what kind of amp would be needed if I decide to get one for my DT770s. I have the 80ohm version, so is it really necessary? Also, I am running my sound through a dedicated sound card through my computer.