[Duelog]

On a mission to buy my first pair of decent headphones and I've narrowed it down to the dt770 pro 80ohm. While I would try them out personally, due to my location (South Africa), we have very limited in store options, so I would have to be certain before ordering online. My main concern is whether I need an amp to drive these headphones using my smartphone (s8 exynos) and laptop (Acer Aspire 5-573g)?

I am struggling to find a concrete answer. On the one hand, I've read that the difference between an amp and no amp on these headphones will be barely noticeable on volumes where as other hardcore audiophiles are suggesting, absent an amp, it will be super quite and flat with no bass response.

These headphones are already roughly 180$ here an the cheapest amp would cost another 70$, which unfortunately is out of my budget. So if possible, could someone please provide a concrete answer as to whether the difference between an amp and no amp is as substantial as some claim when using the dt770 pro 80ohms?

 

[serman005]

I'm sorry. It is going to be very difficult for any of us to tell you what your experience is going to be with and without amp. It will depend on many things, such as but not limited to: the output characteristics of your phone/puter and, equally or more important, how you personally experience mid-bass and sub-bass. We all have our own biases toward these things and those may color our experience markedly. This is why there are so many successful headphones, in my opinion. Truthfully, given your situation and budget, there are other, better options IMO, such as the SoundMAGIC HP151 (outstanding) and the AKG K550/553 (also excellent). The Senn HD598CS is also an option in this price range. Lastly, if you have to have a DT770, I would urge you to look at the 32 ohm version, which may be a bit easier to drive. Good Luck.

 

[Duelog]

I'm sorry. It is going to be very difficult for any of us to tell you what your experience is going to be with and without amp. It will depend on many things, such as but not limited to: the output characteristics of your phone/puter and, equally or more important, how you personally experience mid-bass and sub-bass. We all have our own biases toward these things and those may color our experience markedly. This is why there are so many successful headphones, in my opinion. Truthfully, given your situation and budget, there are other, better options IMO, such as the SoundMAGIC HP151 (outstanding) and the AKG K550/553 (also excellent). The Senn HD598CS is also an option in this price range. Lastly, if you have to have a DT770, I would urge you to look at the 32 ohm version, which may be a bit easier to drive. Good Luck.

Thanks for the response. I completely understand what you're saying, my only concern is that i'm searching for something on the more bass heavier side. Furthermore, once again due to my location, headphones such as the Soundmagic are even a 100$ more Thus, the dt770 pro 80ohm was recommended as the best option in my budget. I've heard that people have driven headphones up to 100ohms with samsung s6/s7 so sort of hoping the same applies to s8.

As an alternative, I'm going to try out the audio technica m50x, but i've been told it is not as comfortable and durable.

 

[serman005]

Thanks for the response. I completely understand what you're saying, my only concern is that i'm searching for something on the more bass heavier side. Furthermore, once again due to my location, headphones such as the Soundmagic are even a 100$ more Thus, the dt770 pro 80ohm was recommended as the best option in my budget. I've heard that people have driven headphones up to 100ohms with samsung s6/s7 so sort of hoping the same applies to s8.

As an alternative, I'm going to try out the audio technica m50x, but i've been told it is not as comfortable and durable.

Ah, got it. If you are going to look at the M50X (lotta bass), you might also check into the MSR7 and see what you can find, It might work as well.

 

[Duelog]

Ah, got it. If you are going to look at the M50X (lotta bass), you might also check into the MSR7 and see what you can find, It might work as well.

MSR7 is nearly 300$ here, its crazy. Nice to hear that m50x has decent bass. Only concern with the m50x as opposed to the dt770 is the earpads. Unfortunately, we don't have access to the nice earpads of amazon without 40$ shipping, so I'd assume the dt770 velour pads are more durable than the m50x pleather which will probably flake after a year.

 

[serman005]

Maybe you can just ride these pads 'til they die and then replace them.???

 

[Duelog]

Yeah that may be an option. I see South Africa surprisingly does stock generic replacement pads. If you don't mind me asking, how does the bass differ between the dt770 pro 80ohm and the m50x? I'm coming from a sennheiser hd202 which (at least to my untrained ears) have nice bass.

 

[serman005]

In my opinion, the DT770 80 ohm bass is more detailed, clean, and nuanced than the M50X. Quantity-wise, again, I think they both have abundant, copious bass. It's just higher quality on the DT770. Also, be aware, the top end of the DT770 is rather strident and, for many people, harsh. Really, really emphasized treble. Very v-shaped. Pluses and minuses. These are all just my personal opinions, of course, and your mileage may vary.

 

[Duelog]

Oh okay. I would prefer going for the beyer's so I think I should consider trying out the 30ohm version for the sake of no amp. I'm not sure if i'm understanding this image correctly, but does this image (assuming it attaches correctly :3 ) depict the 30ohm version as having an increased mid bass?

 

[serman005]

There is that hump in the range from about 80 hz to around 160 hz and I would expect you, given how prominent the hump is, to hear it. Mid-bass is usually thought of as being in the sort of 140-400 hz range or so.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

On a mission to buy my first pair of decent headphones and I've narrowed it down to the dt770 pro 80ohm. While I would try them out personally, due to my location (South Africa), we have very limited in store options, so I would have to be certain before ordering online. My main concern is whether I need an amp to drive these headphones using my smartphone (s8 exynos) and laptop (Acer Aspire 5-573g)?

I am struggling to find a concrete answer. On the one hand, I've read that the difference between an amp and no amp on these headphones will be barely noticeable on volumes where as other hardcore audiophiles are suggesting, absent an amp, it will be super quite and flat with no bass response.

These headphones are already roughly 180$ here an the cheapest amp would cost another 70$, which unfortunately is out of my budget. So if possible, could someone please provide a concrete answer as to whether the difference between an amp and no amp is as substantial as some claim when using the dt770 pro 80ohms?

There isn't one, unfortunately.

In absolute terms, a good amp will always be beneficial to any headphone. By how much depends on many factors, like the headphone itself. The DT770 80ohms doesn't have high impedance, so it won't require an amp that can kick up a lot of voltage to maintain power output at that impedance. The sensitivity is fairly high at 96dB/1mW. But that's not the end of it.

For starters, it's not literally 96dB with just 1mW of power, not to mention that a sinewave of a single frequency doesn't exactly reflect the simultaneous frequencies being played at different loudness levels on actual music. Depending on how loud you'll actually listen, and keeping in mind you're not literally going to be able to make it to 105dB with the S8 driving it, you might end up making it clip. Or even if it doesn't clip, you could still deal with a lot of distortion or noise. And then the damping factor of the amp to minimize the drivers being like a 1975 Porsche as opposed to something like a more powerful but more planted 996 Turbo.

And then there are variances as to the quality of smartphones and laptops. My S3, S5, and even my S7 Edge from T-Mobile suck next to every version of the Note, including T-Mobile. The S3 was the worst, regardless of what reviews say about it being better than the S (well, OK, it's better than the S2), where even on a 120dB/1mW IEM it was bloated at the low end well into the lower mids. Similarly, the 117mW, lower impedance SE535 gets noise issues, not just from smartphones but also from amps and DAPs.

The most certain we can be is "if you listen at very low volume, ie, you're only using about 2mW out of the smartphone, you're still getting a very clean signal."

 

[Duelog]

There isn't one, unfortunately.

In absolute terms, a good amp will always be beneficial to any headphone. By how much depends on many factors, like the headphone itself. The DT770 80ohms doesn't have high impedance, so it won't require an amp that can kick up a lot of voltage to maintain power output at that impedance. The sensitivity is fairly high at 96dB/1mW. But that's not the end of it.

For starters, it's not literally 96dB with just 1mW of power, not to mention that a sinewave of a single frequency doesn't exactly reflect the simultaneous frequencies being played at different loudness levels on actual music. Depending on how loud you'll actually listen, and keeping in mind you're not literally going to be able to make it to 105dB with the S8 driving it, you might end up making it clip. Or even if it doesn't clip, you could still deal with a lot of distortion or noise. And then the damping factor of the amp to minimize the drivers being like a 1975 Porsche as opposed to something like a more powerful but more planted 996 Turbo.

And then there are variances as to the quality of smartphones and laptops. My S3, S5, and even my S7 Edge from T-Mobile suck next to every version of the Note, including T-Mobile. The S3 was the worst, regardless of what reviews say about it being better than the S (well, OK, it's better than the S2), where even on a 120dB/1mW IEM it was bloated at the low end well into the lower mids. Similarly, the 117mW, lower impedance SE535 gets noise issues, not just from smartphones but also from amps and DAPs.

The most certain we can be is "if you listen at very low volume, ie, you're only using about 2mW out of the smartphone, you're still getting a very clean signal."

Thanks for the response. I guess my safest bet would probably be the 32ohm version. Hopefully the bass is not dramatically less than my hd202's.

 

[H T T]

I have the 80 ohm version of the DT770 Pro. It needs an amp. Just out of a device, especially a phone, will not drive the headphone properly. From my experience, driving from just my iMac sucks out the mids dramatically on the DT770 80 ohm. I didn't even try it with my iPhone X. The 32 ohm version might be better. But, for your low impedance needs you should consider more mobile-friendly headphones like the Thinksound On2, the V-Moda XS, etc. You might want to look into the AT M40x as a compromise.The AT M40x is a more balanced headphone than the M50x. The M50x is not a clear upgrade from the M40x.The M40x can be driven by a phone, but it needs a bit more power than what a phone can provide. The DT770 is clearly superior to the M40x sonically when driven well, though. The 770 is more detailed, has significantly less resonance, leagues better transient response, and is quite comfortable. Some are sensitive to the Beyer peak. I find the peak quite enjoyable as it gives more instrument separation. (It is a taste thing).The Beyer treble peak also gives solo strings much more realistic sizzle. A real violin sounds much more "harsh" than most headphones present.

Be advised, this hobby will only end up with you wanting more, and more, and MORE, and MORE!

I hope that helps.

 

[Duelog]

I have the 80 ohm version of the DT770 Pro. It needs an amp. Just out of a device, especially a phone, will not drive the headphone properly. From my experience, driving from just my iMac sucks out the mids dramatically on the DT770 80 ohm. I didn't even try it with my iPhone X. The 32 ohm version might be better. But, for your low impedance needs you should consider more mobile-friendly headphones like the Thinksound On2, the V-Moda XS, etc. You might want to look into the AT M40x as a compromise.The AT M40x is a more balanced headphone than the M50x. The M50x is not a clear upgrade from the M40x.The M40x can be driven by a phone, but it needs a bit more power than what a phone can provide. The DT770 is clearly superior to the M40x sonically when driven well, though. The 770 is more detailed, has significantly less resonance, leagues better transient response, and is quite comfortable. Some are sensitive to the Beyer peak. I find the peak quite enjoyable as it gives more instrument separation. (It is a taste thing).The Beyer treble peak also gives solo strings much more realistic sizzle. A real violin sounds much more "harsh" than most headphones present.

Be advised, this hobby will only end up with you wanting more, and more, and MORE, and MORE!

I hope that helps.

Thanks for the response, and it's definitely appreciated. I think my s8 should be able to drive the m50x and dt770 pro 32 ohm fine as they drive my hd202 which is also 32 ohm to uncomfortable levels. I guess I'm just trying to find headphones which I can wear for hours on end and almost sink into my own world. But perhaps that needs to wait till my studies are finish so I can afford to blow on headphones xD

 

[Modo]

If you can afford one, always get an external DAC+amp. Whether a device can drive the headphones is one thing. At 80 ohm, most will do fine in terms of volume. The real issue is, you rarely know what kind of output impedance is baked into that integrated headphone out. A phone is actually the better bet, since it is supposed to be set up for headphones. A laptop or the iMac mentioned above may have more of a line-out that doubles as a headphone jack. In that case, it may have high output impedance that will generate serious distortion when used with headphones, and get this, the more distortion the lower the headphone impedance. Unfortunately, you rarely can find out the details of those headphone outputs, so sticking with them is a crapshoot.