[Omega7]

I recently bought the Schiit Stack (Magni 3 + Modi 2 Uber) and tried it with the Beyerdynamic DT990 600 ohms I had and it sounded great, but not enough to fully satisfy me.

I figured it must be the impedance as many say the 600 ohm version is quite power hungry. So I returned the 600 ohm and ordered the 250 ohm so I can see which one sounds better to me.

But I'm also looking for a new Amp/DAC combo whether it's separate like the Schiit Stack or 2 in 1.

I've been considering the NFB 11 for some time now bit I've seen some people say it's not that good to pair it with the DT990s in their experience since it's quite bright and the 990 are bright as well.

Although the audio gd site claims that the "NFB 11 sounds detailed, dynamic, controlled but not bright and hash."

Someone mentioned the R2R-11 or an OTL amp to me (I don't really know anything about OTL). And audio-gd states, "If you are a new audiophile , you should choice the NFB11.28 better than R2R 11, NFB11.28 had the modern sound may easy suite the new audiophile."

NFB 11 sounds more suitable for gaming so I'm not sure about that.


I'm hoping to get an amp/dac combo that will be the "end all, be all" within a sub $350 price range, PURELY for gaming that's not to the point of diminishing returns and pairs well with many headphones.


If anyone has experience with an NFB 11 + DT990s that would be a huge plus.

I may as well stick with 600 ohms if I get an amp of that caliber.

Sorry for the long post, I want to make sure I get the most bang for buck option that will do the best for my needs for years on end.

Any responses & suggestions will be highly appreciated and of consideration!

 

[cossix]

If it's purely for gaming, there is really no point in upgrading the Schiit Stack. You won't get any benefits for gaming by upgrading. Now if you wanted to upgrade for music then that's a different story, but even the Schiit Stack is more than you need for gaming. Good choice on switching your headphone though. If you really want to upgrade, I'd get a different headphone which is more suited for gaming with your 350 dollar budget

 

[Omega7]

If it's purely for gaming, there is really no point in upgrading the Schiit Stack. You won't get any benefits for gaming by upgrading. Now if you wanted to upgrade for music then that's a different story, but even the Schiit Stack is more than you need for gaming. Good choice on switching your headphone though. If you really want to upgrade, I'd get a different headphone which is more suited for gaming with your 350 dollar budget

I see..perhaps 600 ohm DT990s are too much for gaming. If that's the case with the amp, then I may end up deciding between the DT990 250 Ohm or the Fidelio X2. Thanks for letting me know

(Will possibly consider the AKG K702 65th Anniversary Edition or AKG K712 Pro if the price takes a dive on Black Friday)

If there are any other pair of headphones that would easily overtake the DT990s at around the same price, I'm open to suggestions!

 

[cossix]

I see..perhaps 600 ohm DT990s are too much for gaming. If that's the case with the amp, then I may end up deciding between the DT990 250 Ohm or the Fidelio X2. Thanks for letting me know

(Will possibly consider the AKG K702 65th Anniversary Edition or AKG K712 Pro if the price takes a dive on Black Friday)

If there are any other pair of headphones that would easily overtake the DT990s at around the same price, I'm open to suggestions!

Out of all the headphones people use for gaming, the top ones seem to be HD598 (I own them), Various Audio Technica open backs), Fidelio X2, and K712 Pro. People seem to agree that the K712 Pro is the best all rounder. Pair it with the Magni 3 and Modi 2, and I think you'd be hard pressed to find anything better for gaming AND music

 

[Omega7]

Out of all the headphones people use for gaming, the top ones seem to be HD598 (I own them), Various Audio Technica open backs), Fidelio X2, and K712 Pro. People seem to agree that the K712 Pro is the best all rounder. Pair it with the Magni 3 and Modi 2, and I think you'd be hard pressed to find anything better for gaming AND music

Awesome. I'll definitely consider getting the K712 Pro then

 

[PurpleAngel]

I see..perhaps 600 ohm DT990s are too much for gaming. If that's the case with the amp, then I may end up deciding between the DT990 250 Ohm or the Fidelio X2. Thanks for letting me know (Will possibly consider the AKG K702 65th Anniversary Edition or AKG K712 Pro if the price takes a dive on Black Friday)
If there are any other pair of headphones that would easily overtake the DT990s at around the same price, I'm open to suggestions!

The DT990 600-Ohm are better sounding (better bass control), then the DT990 250-Ohm.
Guessing (?) both are roughly equal for surround sound (FPS gaming).

Currently my preferred headphone is the Beyer T90 (great clarity).

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I recently bought the Schiit Stack (Magni 3 + Modi 2 Uber)...
---
NFB 11 sounds more suitable for gaming so I'm not sure about that.

I'm hoping to get an amp/dac combo that will be the "end all, be all" within a sub $350 price range, PURELY for gaming that's not to the point of diminishing returns and pairs well with many headphones.

If you already have the Modi2 Uber and Magni3 and it's purely for gaming you might as well just get a soundcard with Virtual Surround and send the signal to the Modi2 Uber via optical cable. Virtual Surround will help you a lot more than the lower THD, lower noise, and Class A operation that you'd get from an upgrade like that.

 

[Omega7]

If you already have the Modi2 Uber and Magni3 and it's purely for gaming you might as well just get a soundcard with Virtual Surround and send the signal to the Modi2 Uber via optical cable. Virtual Surround will help you a lot more than the lower THD, lower noise, and Class A operation that you'd get from an upgrade like that.

Forgot to mention I don't play on PC, I play on console, sound cards aren't compatible with my setup unfortunately.

 

[Omega7]

The DT990 600-Ohm are better sounding (better bass control), then the DT990 250-Ohm.
Guessing (?) both are roughly equal for surround sound (FPS gaming).

Currently my preferred headphone is the Beyer T90 (great clarity).

Trust me, I would've stuck with the 600 ohm but it just wasn't exactly enough for me. They sounded absolutely great but not up to par with my expectations perhaps. Wasn't sure if it was my source (a monitor), the Schiit Stack, or the headphones (being power hungry) to blame.

I actually cancelled my order of the 250ohm DT990s and will go ahead and purchase the AKG K712 Pro soon enough (Black Friday perhaps) since many say it's one of the best if not the best all rounder for gaming.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Forgot to mention I don't play on PC, I play on console, sound cards aren't compatible with my setup unfortunately.

 

[Omega7]

Whoops, I'll check it out

 

[squee116]

I use my headphones for gaming... A LOT. I mean, thousands of hours in DOTA, and nearly a thousand hours in Rocket League, PUBG, Rainbow Six Siege, Battlefield 4, and more recently Dota 2 and Fortnite Battle Royale.

My 2 cents:
I used the 250 ohm DT990s, with an Astro Mixamp on Console gaming, as well as with the Vali/Modi 2U on my desktop. I found these cans were "meh" in the spectrum of headphones I've used. The treble was a bit strident and fatigued me when gunshots were close and regular. The bass was lacking, and the sound stage and imaging were average. They were comfortable, though, which doesn't mean nothing. I honestly think you're amp/dac will take you further with a different set of headphones than your 990's will take you with different amp/dac.

The K712/K7xx have a MASSIVE soundstage. This is great for creating depth and spatial sound cues, but the accuracy wasn't the best, and I had lots of sound cues where the elevation in particular was wonky. I moved from these to the Philips X2. The AKGs were probably the most comfy headphones I've ever worn though.

The X2 had great stage, decent imaging, but were a bit heavy for my tastes, and I heard some grain in the treble. For gaming, that's not a big deal. For a person who listens to hi-res classical though, not the greatest. Went from these to AT-R70x

The R70x has almost no standout quality. The detail retrieval is "meh", bass is less than middling, but sound stage and imaging were solid. Frankly, for long-term gaming, and no musical use, these are hard to beat. Both physically and audibly comfortable for long-term use.

The HE400i was a great mix of moderate stage size, accuracy, bass extension, detail retrieval, and clean treble. I still use these regularly, for gaming and music.

I just had the HD6xx show up. The stage is a bit smaller than the HE400i, but not by much, but the imaging in my games is almost next level. The sound cues haven't misdirected me yet. While they shine brighter with hi-res music, these don't slouch at all in gaming. The last 3 or 4 models discussed would be my recommendation for gaming.

 

[Omega7]

I use my headphones for gaming... A LOT. I mean, thousands of hours in DOTA, and nearly a thousand hours in Rocket League, PUBG, Rainbow Six Siege, Battlefield 4, and more recently Dota 2 and Fortnite Battle Royale.

My 2 cents:
I used the 250 ohm DT990s, with an Astro Mixamp on Console gaming, as well as with the Vali/Modi 2U on my desktop. I found these cans were "meh" in the spectrum of headphones I've used. The treble was a bit strident and fatigued me when gunshots were close and regular. The bass was lacking, and the sound stage and imaging were average. They were comfortable, though, which doesn't mean nothing. I honestly think you're amp/dac will take you further with a different set of headphones than your 990's will take you with different amp/dac.

The K712/K7xx have a MASSIVE soundstage. This is great for creating depth and spatial sound cues, but the accuracy wasn't the best, and I had lots of sound cues where the elevation in particular was wonky. I moved from these to the Philips X2. The AKGs were probably the most comfy headphones I've ever worn though.

The X2 had great stage, decent imaging, but were a bit heavy for my tastes, and I heard some grain in the treble. For gaming, that's not a big deal. For a person who listens to hi-res classical though, not the greatest. Went from these to AT-R70x

The R70x has almost no standout quality. The detail retrieval is "meh", bass is less than middling, but sound stage and imaging were solid. Frankly, for long-term gaming, and no musical use, these are hard to beat. Both physically and audibly comfortable for long-term use.

The HE400i was a great mix of moderate stage size, accuracy, bass extension, detail retrieval, and clean treble. I still use these regularly, for gaming and music.

I just had the HD6xx show up. The stage is a bit smaller than the HE400i, but not by much, but the imaging in my games is almost next level. The sound cues haven't misdirected me yet. While they shine brighter with hi-res music, these don't slouch at all in gaming. The last 3 or 4 models discussed would be my recommendation for gaming.

Good insight, quite helpful! You're right about the treble on the DT990s, they can certainly be fatiguing yet I didn't really mind it. Not sure why you feel they lack bass as that's the first time I've seen anyone say that and I thought they had plenty. As for soundstage and imaging, I thought they were actually really good. Treble only stemmed to be the glaring issue. The DT990s are very good to me yet not amazing per se..not enough to fill that small void left that I have.

And that's where getting another pair of headphones would make the biggest difference as you've said I suppose.

I've heard great things about the K712 Pro and it seems to be the pair I'm leaning to.

The Fidelio X2 seems like a good choice as well and at this point I'm considering buying the K712 Pro, DT990, and Fidelio X2 and comparing them in person then keeping the best of them. I'd rather not do that but it's difficult to compare them with some mixed views from others on the limited amount of gaming experience topics that are around.

 

[squee116]

Good insight, quite helpful! You're right about the treble on the DT990s, they can certainly be fatiguing yet I didn't really mind it. Not sure why you feel they lack bass as that's the first time I've seen anyone say that and I thought they had plenty. As for soundstage and imaging, I thought they were actually really good. Treble only stemmed to be the glaring issue. The DT990s are very good to me yet not amazing per se..not enough to fill that small void left that I have.

And that's where getting another pair of headphones would make the biggest difference as you've said I suppose.

I've heard great things about the K712 Pro and it seems to be the pair I'm leaning to. But, I'm wondering how well it fares against the K7XX. Are the differences marginal? Or is it worth throwing down some extra cash for the K712 Pro?

The Fidelio X2 seems like a good choice as well and at this point I'm considering buying the K712 Pro, K7XX, and Fidelio X2 and comparing them in person then keeping the best of them. I'd rather not do that but it's difficult to compare them with some mixed views from others on the limited amount of gaming experience topics that are around.

There are differences between the K7xx, which is based on the 702s, and tuned to sound more like the 712s. I've heard both, and prefer the K712s still, but both still have a fairly spicy treble. They work better with warm amps.
They're very different from the X2 though. The X2 is on the warm side of neutral with what I think to be a FAR superior bass to the 990s. The treble is more controlled, but not the cleanest.

If you're using these for Arma, PUBG, or some similar game where positioning matters and margins of error are small, I'd recommend the x2 over the k712. it just images more accurately. I think the K712 edges out the x2 for specific types of music, but the x2 plays better with other music, and performs better in general non-music use. The offset is that the x2 is heavy, and can be uncomfortable to wear for hours at a time. No such problem with the k712. I think the better comparison in this case might be the K712, ATH-R70x, and X2. The 712s lean towards the bright side,, the r70s (or the hd600) tend toward neutral, and the x2s (or hd6xx) are warm. At least then you'd have a variety to judge from.

 

[squee116]

Good insight, quite helpful! You're right about the treble on the DT990s, they can certainly be fatiguing yet I didn't really mind it. Not sure why you feel they lack bass as that's the first time I've seen anyone say that and I thought they had plenty. As for soundstage and imaging, I thought they were actually really good. Treble only stemmed to be the glaring issue. The DT990s are very good to me yet not amazing per se..not enough to fill that small void left that I have.

And that's where getting another pair of headphones would make the biggest difference as you've said I suppose.

I've heard great things about the K712 Pro and it seems to be the pair I'm leaning to.

The Fidelio X2 seems like a good choice as well and at this point I'm considering buying the K712 Pro, DT990, and Fidelio X2 and comparing them in person then keeping the best of them. I'd rather not do that but it's difficult to compare them with some mixed views from others on the limited amount of gaming experience topics that are around.

Also, I'm not too versed in Beyer products, but I think it's the 770s with the reputation for a juicy bass experience.