[HeulynG]

Hi everyone first let me say that I am a total beginner when it comes to headphones and audio. I have been reading many forum posts about good headphones and have a list of a few I really like. My first question is about sound cards, I will be using supreme iv at the moment for audio,(the onboard audio of the maximus V formula MB) (most people say this is almost as good as a dedicated SC) is this good enough for getting the best sound out of high quality headphones?
Supreme iv has a built in amplifier for up to 300 ohms, so i hope that will be enough for the time being. 
 
Now for the main question, I hope to be using the headphones for movies and gaming mainly. I would like to have cans that are good with directional audio so I might be able to hear my enemies coming for games. Here is the list I have made, obviously you guys are way better at this so feel free to add any to the list if you think they would be right for me.
 
The list
1 Hifiman HE-400
2 sennheiser HD 600
3 sennheiser HD 650
4 beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO 250 ohm i believe
5 sennheiser momentum
6 Sony MDR-1r
7 Audio-Technica ATH-M50
8V-Moda Crossfade LP headphones
9 Sony MDR-MA900
There She is.
 
 So to recap any help on these 2 questions would be really appreciated. First, Is my sound card good enough for getting optimal sound out of the bad boys listed above. I am willing to buy a dedicated sound card, if you guys have recommendations for that I would love to hear them. And second which of these cans are right for me. I will now try to describe the sound I like, bear with me I am very new to audio. I like a bass sound with clear treble and a richness to the sound, I don't like a hollow sounding bass at all. Forgive me if I did not describe audio preferences correctly. So there we go, let me know what I should go for.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro 250-Ohm headphone, full bass & full treble, which slightly overshadows the mids, but the mids are clear.
Get the DT990 and plug it into the motherboard, I would guess the setup would be good for now, you can always add a DAC/amp in the future.
 
Looks like the latest BIOS update for the motherboard is only 10 days old.
Might also get the latest Realtek drivers directly from the Realtek website.

 

[HeulynG]

Wonderful thank you for that reply, since the DT990 is affordable I can get an amp/dac as well, what do you recommend, in terms of those? 

 

[defcan]

Of your headphones, I've only heard the HD650's and the DT 990's (although the 600ohm version), and between those two I'd go with the DT990's for the purposes of watching movies/gaming.  The DT has more bass (which you said you prefered) and is much less noticeable during long listening sessions.
 
They aren't my favorite headphones for music, but for casual listening/movies I always use the DT's.  They're light, extremely comfortable, the sound is relatively balanced (highs aren't harsh, and bass isn't overpowering), and they aren't too fragile to toss around a little bit.
 
Don't know about the surround sound, but I can check that out later.  Anyways, not telling you to get the DT's, just seeing if I can help wittle your choices down a bit.

 

[HeulynG]

Hey everyone thanks for responding, Can anyone speak to the Hifiman HE-400 vs DT 990? And since most people are recommending the DT990 I am almost ready to jump and grab those. I also hear that the V-Moda Crossfade LP are good can anyone speak to those as well

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Wonderful thank you for that reply, since the DT990 is affordable I can get an amp/dac as well, what do you recommend, in terms of those? 

There are slightly difference versions and revision of your motherboard, do you have a more exact model number?
What kind of budget for the amp/dac?
The cheapest I thing you would spend is for the Creative Sound Blaster Z (SB1500), $95.
You could spend $250 for a Audio_GD external DAC/Amp.

 

[HeulynG]

Not sure if this is what you are looking for, Cpuz says.
 
Asustek Computer INC
Maximus V Formula Rev1.xx
Chipset Intel Ivy Bridge REV 09
Southbridge z77 Rev 04.

 

[JamieMcC]

Hi I have the Senn 650's and am very happy with them.  They work well for dvds are lite and comfortable to wear for several hours at a time. I have not tried them for gaming but see no reason why they would not be capable enough.
 
It wasn't many years ago they were considered as reference phones.
 
Have you thought of buying used? the 650's have been very popular and they regularly come up on the auction sites at keen prices. If you brought this way and they didn't suit then just relist them and you shouldn't be out of pocket for more than a little postage at worse.
 
Good hunting.

 

[HeulynG]

Alrighty I am going with the DT990 I have about 300 dollars left for the best USB DAC amp solution, what do you recommend 

 

[defcan]

Hey, Heulyn.  I don't have any amp experience other than the two I own, but I thought I'd throw out some suggestions since no one else has yet.  Going through the Head Gear section for amps, it looks like these are some popular solide state, desktop choices in your price range:
 
JDS Labs Objective 2 - $168 (5 stars)
Matrix M-Stage - $250           (5 stars)
Schiit Asgard 2 - $250           (4 stars)
Schiit Mangi - $100                (4 stars)
FiiO E9 + E7 - $196
FiiO E9 + E17 - $250
 
I'm not sure what people recommend around these parts for that price range, but that's where I'd start at least.  There are more options for SS desktop amps, but those are just some of the ones that were easy to find.  And there's also a number of tube amps if you're willing to go that route.  Just a few that stood out to me where:
 
Bravo Audio Ocean - $120 (5 stars)
Little Dot 1+ - $116             (5 stars)
Little Dot MK 3 - $289         (4 stars)
 
Anyways, hope that provides some sort of starting point if you didn't already have one.  Just read comparison reviews and make sure the amps are swinging the voltage need/have the outputs you want.  Good luck with your setup.