[Lansing]

Hi guys,
 
I am planning on buying a new under 200$ headphones, and I am looking for the best possible headphones under this pricetag.
 
My main music preference is EDM/House/Pop kind of style, and for music I am looking for this punchy bass combined with high quality sound. I would use them for video games and movies aswell. I stumbled upon the HD598 which is known for having an extremely great soundstage, which is perfect for gaming/movies and enjoying high quality music, but the low bass I have heard from several reviews was a turn off for me. So I came across both the Beyer Dynamic DT770 and ATH-m50x which I think suits my needs perfectly. A good full high quality sound with some bass perfect for my music taste, and I believe they are great for gaming and movies aswell. 
 
Now my question is, which one of the two is better overall and sound quality wise, taking my music taste into consideration? I have heard that the DT770 might have a better fit than the ATH-m50x and can be worn for hours straight and still feel really comfortable on the ears, which isn't true for the ATH-m50x where the headband can get pressuring/painful on the head after a while. But most importantly I would like to know how the two compare to each other sound quality wise. Do they differ a lot? Somebody who has personal experience with both headphones and can give me a recommendation overall?
 
Thanks a lot .

 

[Youth]

DT770 beats M50x in both comfort and sound quality IMHO. I haven't tried M50x with gaming but I would think that DT770 wins that one as well.

 

[Lansing]

Thank you very much for the reply. I suppose you own the DT770, which Ohm level do you have and do you have a preference for any of the three possible options (32, 80 or 250)?

 

[cel4145]

I have the M50 (not the M50X), although apparently the same driver with only minor changes to the headphone. I agree. I think the DT770 is a better headphone.

What kind of amp/device (make/model) do you plan to use the headphones with.

 

[Youth]

I would stay away from the 80 ohm. Wether you like the 250 or 32 ohm comes down to preference really. Also the 250 requires amp where as 32 only scales very little.

 

[Lansing]

I would stay away from the 80 ohm. Wether you like the 250 or 32 ohm comes down to preference really. Also the 250 requires amp where as 32 only scales very little.

 
Why stay away from the 80 ohm? You're saying that the 250 amped is better than the 80 amped, so no reason to go for the 80? 
 

I have the M50 (not the M50X), although apparently the same driver with only minor changes to the headphone. I agree. I think the DT770 is a better headphone.

What kind of amp/device (make/model) do you plan to use the headphones with.

 
I'm not 100% sure. It all depends on the headphones that I'm going to pick. I think I might go for the DT 770 since more people recommend them over the M50X. Then it all comes down to the impedance I'm going for. 32 ohm wouldn't require an amp I believe. 80 and 250 do. Then the question remains: Is 80 or 250 amped equal sound quality wise as the 32 non amped? If there is hardly any difference, I would go for the 32 non amped just because it's more convenient and would be cheaper afterall. The amp I might buy would be the FiiO E10k Olympus 2.
 
So... 80/250 ohm amped definitely better sound quality wise than the 32 ohm non amped, or is there just a minor difference?

 

[liquidzoo]

Why stay away from the 80 ohm? You're saying that the 250 amped is better than the 80 amped, so no reason to go for the 80? 


I'm not 100% sure. It all depends on the headphones that I'm going to pick. I think I might go for the DT 770 since more people recommend them over the M50X. Then it all comes down to the impedance I'm going for. 32 ohm wouldn't require an amp I believe. 80 and 250 do. Then the question remains: Is 80 or 250 amped equal sound quality wise as the 32 non amped? If there is hardly any difference, I would go for the 32 non amped just because it's more convenient and would be cheaper afterall. The amp I might buy would be the FiiO E10k Olympus 2.

So... 80/250 amped better than 32 non amped?

The 250 and 32 Ohm versions are cheaper, for one.

I have the 80s and love them when I use them. Bass is supposed to be punchier on the 80 Ohm than on any of the other versions (including the new 16 Ohm DT770i).

For either the 80 or 250 Ohm versions you would want an amp. They sound hollow without one. Sound Blaster Z (if you're gaming), Magni/Modi, Fulla, E17...any of them would work.

 

[Lansing]

The 250 and 32 Ohm versions are cheaper, for one.

I have the 80s and love them when I use them. Bass is supposed to be punchier on the 80 Ohm than on any of the other versions (including the new 16 Ohm DT770i).

For either the 80 or 250 Ohm versions you would want an amp. They sound hollow without one. Sound Blaster Z (if you're gaming), Magni/Modi, Fulla, E17...any of them would work.

 
Actually the 80s is cheapest here. 148 dollars for 80 ohm, 165 dollars for 250 ohm and 173 dollars for the 32 ohm. Do you think the 32 ohm non-amped is worse sounding than 80/250 ohm amped? If there isn't really a noticable difference it would save a lot of money to not go for an amp and spend the 25 dollars extra on the 32 ohm.

 

[liquidzoo]

Actually the 80s is cheapest here. 148 dollars for 80 ohm, 165 dollars for 250 ohm and 173 dollars for the 32 ohm. Do you think the 32 ohm non-amped is worse sounding than 80/250 ohm amped? If there isn't really a noticable difference it would save a lot of money to not go for an amp and spend the 25 dollars extra on the 32 ohm.

I suggest reading this: http://www.head-fi.org/t/513393/guide-sonic-differences-between-dt770-dt990-models-more

The 80 Ohm version of the DT770 is tuned differently than the 32/250 Ohm versions.

Specifically from the Sound Charastics section:

DT770
The DT770 is beyerdynamic’s answer to those who wanted a closed headphone with balanced sound with good isolation. It’s four versions are all good, but they have varying sound signatures. It has the most balanced sound amongst all three lines.

- 32Ohm
The 32Ohm model of the DT770 is closer sounding to the 250Ohm and 600Ohm models than it is to the 80Ohm model. The most striking difference is that they have far less bass than the 80Ohm model, but also are fuller sounding. The bass on the 32Ohm's is tight and controlled but rather light on impact. If I had to rate it's impact I would say it's like the DT880/250, but even less than those. The high while quite extended and detailed but has a slight edge to them, but not grating or strident sounding. All of the DT line (DT770-DT990) has a treble oriented sound, so the DT770 will emphasize this. Now the mids, while fuller than the 250Ohm and 80Ohm models, are there but still recessed to a degree. The mids are clear, detailed, and possess decent transparency. Now the soundstage is smaller than the 80Ohm and 250Ohm and has an "in your head" sound to it. The dynamics of this model seem slightly lower compared to the 250Ohm version, but it’s hard to tell.

- 250Ohm
This Ohm version is good improvement over the 320hm version. It has improved dynamics and transients are pretty good. The bass while, tight and controlled is kind of slow sounding. The bass seems to extend just as much as the 32Ohm model but has a little less weight to the bass. Now the mids are more recessed or shallow sounding on this model compared to the other two models, but are more detailed and transparent than the lower models. The treble though is rather strident sounding and this can has more treble than the lower two versions. The treble seems to take over the sound on modern mastered stuff. One thing to note is that the treble is more extended as well and even more detailed. Now the soundstage on this model is pretty good for a closed headphone, but still rather closed in.

- 80Ohm (PRO)
The 80Ohm model has the most bass out of all the DT770 models. The bass is nice and pronounced with having good impact and depth, though when under amped it can have a mind of it's own. When underamped the bass gets bloated and flabby. The mids are probably the fullest of the DT770 line up but still on the recessed side. The treble is presented nicely although it sounds like it slightly rolled off. The treble is also the smoothest of the DT770 line. The soundstage is smaller then the rest though and certainly smaller than the DT770/250Ohm, most likely due to the bass and treble. This ehadphone it really good for rock, rap, metal, and any other bassy music genre's.

In my mind, the 80 Ohm + an amp is well worth it, and if you can get them for $148 (which is $100 cheaper than Amazon, for example), then do it. You'll be very happy especially with your music preferences.

 

[Lansing]

Thanks a lot for that little guide, really helpful. The 80 ohm does sound appealing and would fit my music taste well. I suppose an AMP would be best for the 80 ohm impedance it has. The FiiO E10k looks really appealing, however I heard it takes away the surround sound. Since I play loads of FPS (CS:GO), this could be a con. Would the Sound Blaster Z soundcard you recommended be a good option to still have great surround sound and also have the same high quality sound for music/movies which the E10k promises? Or would you vouch for a completely different AMP/DAC or possible soundcard combined with the 80 ohm 770 DT? 

 

[liquidzoo]

Aah thanks a lot for that little guide, really helpful. To my surprise the 250 ohm is on a discount right now, only 130[COLOR=252525]$. [/COLOR]So I will probably go for that one. Now since the impedance is really high there I would certainly need an amp. The  FiiO E10k looks really appealing, however I heard it takes away the surround sound. Since I play loads of FPS (CS:GO), this could be a con. Would the Sound Blaster Z soundcard you recommended be a good option to still have great surround sound and also have the same high quality sound for music/movies which the E10k promises? Or would you vouch for a completely different AMP/DAC or possible soundcard combined with the 250 ohm 770 DT? 

Soundblaster Z or Xonar U7 (USB) would be my votes, with the Soundblaster getting a slightly higher rating (and price) with much better gaming and driver support.

If you didn't want the gaming features, the E10K, E07K, E17K, or Schiit Fulla would get my votes (though not necessarily in that order).