[StatiK]

Good day!

I had posted on reddit about me making a first step into getting a DAC and Amp for my pc setup. Currently I'm using Sennheiser 598c's straight to the onboard audio. Nothing fancy but I do enjoy the headset. Now, I was recommended a few items as many were saying my current headset may not benefit much from a DAC and Amp setup.

Beyerdynamic TYGR 300 R (Cant find this for sale anywhere I've looked)
Beyerdynamic 459038 DT 990 PRO 250ohm (More bassy, which is what I wanted)
HIFIMAN HE-400i (A bit more neutral then the 990)
Paired with a Schiit Fulla on a budget of around $400.

I've also seen mentions of the Hel and going the stack route with Magni and Modi. Any benefits to these versus the fulla? I would like something with some upgradability in the future if it's within budget.

Any other points to cover from you guys? I'm very much a beginner as my only purchase thus far were the Sennheiser's I mentioned earlier so any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[plmon]

Good day!

I had posted on reddit about me making a first step into getting a DAC and Amp for my pc setup. Currently I'm using Sennheiser 598c's straight to the onboard audio. Nothing fancy but I do enjoy the headset. Now, I was recommended a few items as many were saying my current headset may not benefit much from a DAC and Amp setup.

Beyerdynamic TYGR 300 R (Cant find this for sale anywhere I've looked)
Beyerdynamic 459038 DT 990 PRO 250ohm (More bassy, which is what I wanted)
HIFIMAN HE-400i (A bit more neutral then the 990)
Paired with a Schiit Fulla on a budget of around $400.

I've also seen mentions of the Hel and going the stack route with Magni and Modi. Any benefits to these versus the fulla? I would like something with some upgradability in the future if it's within budget.

Any other points to cover from you guys? I'm very much a beginner as my only purchase thus far were the Sennheiser's I mentioned earlier so any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

I had the HD598 open back version for a while and I also found that it didn't benefit much from amping (though, I did find the bass response got more slam and seemed a bit tighter).

Do you like the sound of your HD598s? And what kind of music do you usually listen to?

The DT990s are a very different sound. The boosted treble brings out details that you'd never hear with the HD598 and also sounds a lot less muddy as well. But that treble will likely seem very sharp at first since your ears will be used to the 598s, and probably more importantly, the 990s are really lacking in the mids. Vocals do not sound good on them, they pair better with instrumental stuff.

I think the TYGR 300 would be a better all-rounder, though as you've said, they're pretty hard to find. The Hifiman route would also be good as an all-rounder, they're pretty much a step up across the board from the 598, with the caveat being less bass quantity.

Based off the specs, I think the Fulla could get any of these headphones loud enough, but likely be on the higher-end of the volume knob. If you ever wanted more power in the future, you'd need to buy a different amp. A Magni or any of its competitors like JDS Labs Atom, Monoprice Liquid Spark, etc will give you more than enough power for pretty much anything except really inefficient stuff like vintage headphones (and it could power even those okay).

Getting a DAC/AMP stack would allow you to be more flexible if you wanted to switch anything out in the future. And if budget is a concern, you could even skip out on the DAC for now and get one later, since they'd be separate components.

 

[StatiK]

I had the HD598 open back version for a while and I also found that it didn't benefit much from amping (though, I did find the bass response got more slam and seemed a bit tighter).

Do you like the sound of your HD598s? And what kind of music do you usually listen to?

The DT990s are a very different sound. The boosted treble brings out details that you'd never hear with the HD598 and also sounds a lot less muddy as well. But that treble will likely seem very sharp at first since your ears will be used to the 598s, and probably more importantly, the 990s are really lacking in the mids. Vocals do not sound good on them, they pair better with instrumental stuff.

I think the TYGR 300 would be a better all-rounder, though as you've said, they're pretty hard to find. The Hifiman route would also be good as an all-rounder, they're pretty much a step up across the board from the 598, with the caveat being less bass quantity.

Based off the specs, I think the Fulla could get any of these headphones loud enough, but likely be on the higher-end of the volume knob. If you ever wanted more power in the future, you'd need to buy a different amp. A Magni or any of its competitors like JDS Labs Atom, Monoprice Liquid Spark, etc will give you more than enough power for pretty much anything except really inefficient stuff like vintage headphones (and it could power even those okay).

Getting a DAC/AMP stack would allow you to be more flexible if you wanted to switch anything out in the future. And if budget is a concern, you could even skip out on the DAC for now and get one later, since they'd be separate components.

Thanks for the reply. As far as music I'm into rock, metal, rap, hip-hop, and EDM. Got any suggestion for headphones outside of the Hifiman, currently looking at getting it if nothing else. I do like the sound of the HD598's but do wish for a bit more punch.

 

[plmon]

Thanks for the reply. As far as music I'm into rock, metal, rap, hip-hop, and EDM. Got any suggestion for headphones outside of the Hifiman, currently looking at getting it if nothing else. I do like the sound of the HD598's but do wish for a bit more punch.

The DT990 has good bass and is fast enough that stuff like metal/hardcore or high-bpm EDM doesn't sound muddy or congested. The instruments stand out sharply due to the treble detail. But the overall sound was kind of thin, everything sounds like it's lacking a bit of body to the sound (kind of like if you turned up the treble boost on your stereo). I also thought there was just a little too much mid bass.

I haven't heard the DT880s, but they seem to trade-off some of the bass for a little more presence to the mids. Maybe that could be a good compromise?

The Sennheiser HD58x Jubilee would be pretty much a direct upgrade from the HD598. It sounds more natural (the characteristics of voices and instruments sound like how you'd imagine them sounding IRL) while having punchier and more extended bass. But it's also a more relaxed, smooth sound, so rapidfire guitar riffs or drum beats didn't sound as distinct. Not bad though, but the vocals were clearly the standout vs the instruments in the Beyers.

I think either of these would probably fit better than the Hifimans, since you really do need a decent amount of bass to make those genres sound lively.

 

[Voxata]

If you can afford it I really enjoy the HD660S for those genres, and by extension the 58X would do the job as well. The 660S is pretty amp friendly and has a great sound that doesn't fatigue like many headphones out there.

 

[StatiK]

The DT990 has good bass and is fast enough that stuff like metal/hardcore or high-bpm EDM doesn't sound muddy or congested. The instruments stand out sharply due to the treble detail. But the overall sound was kind of thin, everything sounds like it's lacking a bit of body to the sound (kind of like if you turned up the treble boost on your stereo). I also thought there was just a little too much mid bass.

I haven't heard the DT880s, but they seem to trade-off some of the bass for a little more presence to the mids. Maybe that could be a good compromise?

The Sennheiser HD58x Jubilee would be pretty much a direct upgrade from the HD598. It sounds more natural (the characteristics of voices and instruments sound like how you'd imagine them sounding IRL) while having punchier and more extended bass. But it's also a more relaxed, smooth sound, so rapidfire guitar riffs or drum beats didn't sound as distinct. Not bad though, but the vocals were clearly the standout vs the instruments in the Beyers.

I think either of these would probably fit better than the Hifimans, since you really do need a decent amount of bass to make those genres sound lively.

Thanks for the solid input. I decided to go with the massdrop hd58x now I just need to get an amp and dac. I think I'm going to use the extra funds and invest in 2 separate units for long term use.

 

[StatiK]

If you can afford it I really enjoy the HD660S for those genres, and by extension the 58X would do the job as well. The 660S is pretty amp friendly and has a great sound that doesn't fatigue like many headphones out there.

Have a dac and amp combo that connects to desktop that you'd recommend for the Hd58x?

Thanks for the input. Very much appreciated!

 

[Mkkilla]

Have a dac and amp combo that connects to desktop that you'd recommend for the Hd58x?

Thanks for the input. Very much appreciated!

I have the 58X and use the Schiit magni and Schiit modi and have been really pleased with it. You could also go for the Schiit Heresy which costs the same as the magnificent but sounds different. I would do some research between the two to find out which one to get, but either choice is good.

 

[StatiK]

I have the 58X and use the Schiit magni and Schiit modi and have been really pleased with it. You could also go for the Schiit Heresy which costs the same as the magnificent but sounds different. I would do some research between the two to find out which one to get, but either choice is good.

Did some reading last night and found the heresy to be very detailed where as the magni has a smoother sound to it so I decided to go that route. Ordered the magni/modi stack. Very much looking forward to breaking then in.