[HickorySwitch]

Should I continue losing sleep, looking at possible upgrades for my DAC or amp?

Gear: DT 1990 Pro, Schiit Heresy and GIGABYTE Z390 Aorus Extreme with an ESS SABRE 9018K2M DAC onboard

Goals: I like how my old DT 770 Pro 250 Ohm sounds for the most part but I just ordered a DT 1990 Pro. Would like to experience soundstage only open backs can provide and all the detail and imaging I heard the DT 1990 provides. The DT 770's bass feels impactful and fun but I suppose too muddy. I've heard there is "tighter" bass out there, like on the DT 1990 Pro. The DT 770 sounds a little piercing at times and I heard that's a problem with the 1990 Pro too so I'm trying to take care of that not by getting a new DAC or amp but with a passive filter from DIY-Audio-Heaven and maybe Dekoni Elite Velours. Hopefully with those couple mods and my current setup, I will be very happy with my DT 1990 Pro for a long time.

Uses:

• Games: I game a lot; mostly Heroes of the Storm and Quake Champions for competitive multiplayer games and any one of the many single player or less competitive games in my Steam library.
• Music: I usually listen to metal (Andrew Hulshult, Markie Music and some from my teen years like Disturbed, Static-X and System of a Down), Japanese jazz fusion (T-Square and Casiopea), certain J-Pop (Kirinji) and whatever Urbangarde's genre/type is. They seem to adopt my most listened to genres. I mostly pay attention to instruments. I enjoy vocals but I hardly ever memorize lyrics. Big fan of drums, bass guitar and all sorts of synth sounds, but especially what T-Square and Casiopea have come up with. They must have been influenced by Kraftwerk and Yellow Magic Orchestra.

Budget: $250 but flexible. Trying to avoid "having" to get anything else for a while with the aforementioned mods though.

 

[PurpleAngel]

To feed the best signal to the Heresy, with your current hardware (motherboard).
Set the PC's audio to 2-channel and "Speaker" out, not "Headphone" out and max out the PC's volume controls.
(turn down the volume control, on the Heresy, before maxing out PC's volume controls)
Use the Heresy's volume knob to control volume.
These setting will send the best signal, from the on-board audio, to the Heresy.
What, if any, headphone surround sound functions do you use?

 

[HickorySwitch]

Thank you for that tip! I did just that and it helped with my current DT 770 setup. I don't have my DT 1990 and its accompanying gear yet. The passive filter is getting mailed from Europe tomorrow so it might be a minute until I can share how I feel about it all.

I have DTS Headphone:X, Dolby Atmos and Razer's THX Spatial Audio installed but I seldom use them. Might try them out with more shooters. Been thinking of getting back into Titanfall 2 and Battlefield 1. I've had fun with DTS, though I never use their Spatial Mode's "Spacious" setting. Only its "Balanced." Atmos has decent EQ but haven't personally heard good results with THX Spatial Audio. Maybe because I haven't done all I can with it.

 

[HickorySwitch]

I tried my DT 1990 Pro with all the aforementioned gear and found that it isn't exactly my cup of tea. I would keep it in a headphone collection but can't justify that since I'm not fiscally at my best and I'm looking for an all-rounder I can use for years.
They're great on some, but not all of the music I've listened to. I was amazed when listening to anything from Monster Hunter World's OST but was less amazed when listening to Casiopea's music and some not very well recorded podcasts. I would like more forgiving headphones. Something that makes everything sound at least decent. Maybe Phonon's upcoming SMB-01L will be my endgame, or best all-rounder. We'll see.

My DT 1990 Pro, all of its original packaging and some accompanying gear is listed in the For Sale forums and on eBay, where my handle is wjm621.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Takstar HF 580 Planar Magnetic headphones with Sendyaudio Avia ear pads, both sold at Aliexpress.
It's what I using right now

 

[HickorySwitch]

Looks like a good deal. I'll keep my eyes and options open, especially if I can sell my DT 1990 Pro. Maybe something less revealing? If I find myself really needing studio monitors, I might look at Japanese options (Audio Technica, Phonon, Sony or Sound Warrior.) As far as prices from $300 (Takstar) to $500 (Dan Clark Aeon) go, there seems to be great pleasure/musical options. So, fingers crossed on my current sale.