[2252B]

I am thinking about getting some new headphones to upgrade the ATH-M50 that I currently own. I have decided from what I read that the DT 880 and 990 seem to be my best choice. I will be running them from a fifth gen ipod video, which oddly enough after searching the forums is apparently the best sound quality mp3 you can buy. Currently the headphones leave me with no money for an amp so I was thinking of getting the 32ohm DT880, and most likely a fiio e11 down the line.
 
Now for the questions:
 
Will my ipod be able to drive the 32 ohm DT880 without an amp sufficiently?
Will I regret getting the 32 ohm, and not the 250ohm version?
I do like bass a good amount and I have researched that the 880 has much less than the 990, but the 990 has very harsh highs. I do not like highs very much...
 
Overall in your opinion compared to my opinion does it sound like I am making a good choice?
 
Also on a side note due to my location I can not currently hear these headphones for myself.

 

[Hoagie]

since you are asking an opinion.  I would get the fiio E11 and a line out to go with the ipod first.  this will improve the sound of the M50s.  since you like bass, this may be the real answer.  the m50s have more bass than the 880s.  i don't know anything about the 990s.  the e11 also has a bass enhancement switch
 
this first step will help your financial situation as well.  if the M50s with the amp do not meet your expectations, you can follow up later with the new headphones.  bottom line.  I would reverse the order of your purchases 

 

[Pianist]

I think DT990 has a higher sound quality than DT880 - the former is more detailed, transparent, more dynamic and more open sounding. But DT990 also does have more treble and bass than DT880. More bass should be a good thing for you. I personally found DT880 a bit bass shy actually, while DT990 is just about right for me in the lows, maybe slightly too strong compared to neutral response. The treble, while it is emphasized, it is in no way harsh in the sense that it is very smooth and high quality. The highs are free of odd peaks and dips and respond very well to EQ. Thus, if you find them too bright, you can easily shelf the highs down a notch or two with any half decent equalizer with great results. Thus, I recommend DT990 over DT880. I think the 32 Ohm version will work just fine from a weak source, but you will still need a good amp down the road to reveal the potential of the headphones. A Fiio E11 won't suffice to get the best out DT880/990, although it can get them to sound very good. You will want a decent desktop amp like an Objective 2 or something to drive the Beyers perfectly. However, even unamped, straight from a portable player, the 32 Ohm and even the 250 Ohm DT880/990 will sound better than M50 amped by the best amp IMO. If you can afford to get a nice desktop amp down the road, it may be better for you to go with the 250 Ohm Beyer DT990 Pro version, which costs two times less that the Premium editions, while sounding nearly the same. DT990 Pro will be hard to drive straight from a portable, but personally, I would still choose them over the M50 any day regardless of source. The Beyers are much more technically advanced headphones.

 

[MrEleventy]

Quote:

since you are asking an opinion.  I would get the fiio E11 and a line out to go with the ipod first.  this will improve the sound of the M50s.  since you like bass, this may be the real answer.  the m50s have more bass than the 880s.  i don't know anything about the 990s.  the e11 also has a bass enhancement switch
 
this first step will help your financial situation as well.  if the M50s with the amp do not meet your expectations, you can follow up later with the new headphones.  bottom line.  I would reverse the order of your purchases 

 
I agree with Hoagie's suggestion. E11 first and if you're not satisfied, save up for the headphones because.... yes you will regret not buying DT880/250s. With the higher resistor, you can EQ them better w/o distorting the sound so you can eq the mess out of the bottom as long as you have sufficient amping.
 
To be honest, I think you can run the DT880s/250 straight out of the touch w/o an amp. I have the DT880/600s and they can get to a decent listening level straight out of my Galaxy S3. They perform better with amping but in a pinch they work.

 

[2252B]

Well thank you guys very much for the very detailed responses. In all respect you answered what I asked almost to deeply because after the countless of reading the forums you have cleared up any questions I have had left over, and now I have to asses what I feel will be the best fit even more deeply. I think I will go with the 990's at some point down the line. I never really considered using the fiio e11 with my M50's since what I have read on the forums is that it does not really improve them too much, but that may be something I will try before spending the bigger dollars on the beyerdynamics. Once again thank you.