[Gwarmi]

Quote:

Excellent. Thanks for that. Hopefully it will drive the DT990s at least a bit. 
 
At this stage, I plan to buy the Valhalla from Schiit and the E10, just as an easy to move amp. Assuming the Valhalla will be enough to drive it, but the webpage specifically states that the Beyer 600ohm headphones love those amps.
 
I'll have to do some more research before investing in a good DAC. Will the Valhalla still be able to take input from a MBP or anything for a while before I can get the DAC?
 

 
Use the DAC in the Fiio E10 ~ to run the DAC signal to the Valhalla you will need to use the line out at the back.
 

 
You will also need one of these so that you can run the 2 x RCA cables running into the back of the Valhalla (left and right channel)
 

 

[klinic]

Beyerdynamic DT990s and FiiO E10 are on their way, still not 100% sure about which amp to get, so that will probably be a while ago, but at least I've got the headphones and 'play' amp on the way.

 

[Gwarmi]

Quote:

Beyerdynamic DT990s and FiiO E10 are on their way, still not 100% sure about which amp to get, so that will probably be a while ago, but at least I've got the headphones and 'play' amp on the way.

Good work - should post your impressions when it comes in!

 

[Gwarmi]

Quote:

Good work - should post your impressions when it comes in!

One last tip for an amp if you like second hand shopping
 
~ Vintage receivers that you see here and there.
 
Sometimes a really decent Sanyo from the 1970's shows up at a garage sale for practically nothing.
 
Sure they're big but the headphone outs love a 600ohm headphone. Just saying.

 

[klinic]

Quote:

One last tip for an amp if you like second hand shopping
 
~ Vintage receivers that you see here and there.
 
Sometimes a really decent Sanyo from the 1970's shows up at a garage sale for practically nothing.
 
Sure they're big but the headphone outs love a 600ohm headphone. Just saying.

Awesome advice! What sort of second hand amps should I be keeping an eye out for?
 
I noticed a Heed CanAmp around second hand for $400. Apparently barely used and with adhesive plastic still attached. I don't know what sort of reputation that amp has though.

 

[Gwarmi]

Quote:

Awesome advice! What sort of second hand amps should I be keeping an eye out for?
 
I noticed a Heed CanAmp around second hand for $400. Apparently barely used and with adhesive plastic still attached. I don't know what sort of reputation that amp has though.

I'd let your ears make the decisions with the Beyers ~ ask for a quick demo with the DT990's and see how it sounds.
Regardless of the model, it could be broken or damaged so you want to make sure it sounds ok. At least, get a return
policy on it.
 
Heed Canamps are fairly well respected, only downer is how you would deal with warranty if something went wrong.
 
I'd suggest something worthwhile for the Beyer ~ Violectric V90 or Lehmann Rhinelander, nothing more frustrating
than spending $300-$400 and realising that it's not doing the headphone justice. You won't regret it and you'll feel
confident in knowing that any future headphone can be taken of in terms of amplification.

 

[klinic]

One more question! Is it necessary to get a decent sound card for my PC if I'm using a DAC? I'll really only be using the PC for Skyrim, I almost exclusively use my MacBook Pro.

 

[Gwarmi]

Quote:

One more question! Is it necessary to get a decent sound card for my PC if I'm using a DAC? I'll really only be using the PC for Skyrim, I almost exclusively use my MacBook Pro.

Good question ~ as you know the DAC in the E10 is nothing more than an external portable sound card, try it out via USB on the Macbook Pro
and see if you like the sound. If you do then continue to use it on the PC as well via USB!
 
A good sound card like the ASUS Essence STX is excellent value ~ I had to spend a very decent amount $$$ to finally exceed the
massive value that it offered with it's on-card headphone amplifier.
 
That said, some may disagree (STX hardcore fans) ~ it won't drive the 600ohm Beyers like a very good amp, it will appear loud but it
will also sound a little strident and harsh in the treble area on some tracks
 
I never upgraded the OP amps chips on the card, which are pretty easy to swap over and are fairly cheap ~ this may have yielded
a few improvements for little outlay. Still at the end of the day, an external setup DAC + amp is much more practical and portable.

 

[petercintn]

So the E-10's are out. Hope your happy with it. Those 990's of yours are not gonna be happy till it gets to eat some tubes. I had the E-9 with an Forte soundcard and the best thing happened to me was the Forte stopped working. So I bought a cheap (TubeMagic D1) DAC, got a cheap Ray. windmill getter for it and my 990's are tamed and beastly at the same time. With the E-9 the 990's were beastly but not tamed (I don't do audiophile speak) and the highs would get on your nerves without EQ. Plus my POS Pioneer receiver has a more detailed output than the E-9 so I'm using it for now.
 
But the tube in the D1 (not stock mind you) has tamed the highs of Beyer's. I would highly recomend a tube amp the next time you buy. Get something like what I'm thinking about, the DIY Bottlehead Crack. It will set you back 212 US dollars but comes highly recomended (I have not heard it.) Then I'm gonna get me some Senn 650 loving now that the price has gone down.
 
I think you'll find down the road you'll need a better DAC than the E-10, and (it has an amp, right?) a better amp. You will not need a tube in your DAC, you don't need a tube anywhere, but high impeadence headphones love 'em.