[razor5cl]

  which of the dt would be better for 1. gaming on the pc 2. movie watching on the pc 3. music listening on the go with iphone?
a. dt 990
b. dt 880
c. dt 770
 
and at which impedance ?
 
what kind of amp should i get for the iphone and what kind of amp should i get for my computer? or will they run fine without?
 
thanks

For gaming, either the 880 or 990 would be best as they are both open backed, so there is a better soundstage and for games like Counter-Strike this is essential for hearing footsteps and sounds behind/to the side of you. And better in all games in general, although I do hear of people who prefer the closed style for this as it makes things like explosions and gunfire more....."explosive" if that makes sense. My vote goes to either the 990 or 880 though, leaning towards the 990s as they have a more fun sound sig.
 
For movies, this is a preference issue. 880s will sound a little more natural whereas 770s are a lot more bassy and congested, great for action movies etc but for natural sounds like speech the 880s or 990s will be better. But this is more of a preference issue, and in the grand scheme of things all 3 will perform admirably here.
 
For music on the go, you'd probably be forced to go for the 770s as the 880s and 990s do not isolate you at all, neither from outside sound coming in or from your music escaping.
 
Impedance depends on what you're going to be running them off. I'd try to get the lowest impedance you can, as there is little sound quality change among the various impedance models.
 
For the PC, get a decent DAC and amp combo like an O2/ODAC combo or similar Fiio model. However for portable use the only model there that would be applicable would be the DT770, and for these I'd suggest getting the 32 ohm model in which case you can forego an amp completely, on PC or mobile.

 

[ChosMister]

Hello Head-Fi!

Does anyone here have experience with the DT990s vs. Philips Fidelios X2 or Sony MDR-MA900?

I am looking for open back headphones for mixing, and some personal use.

Also, I read in a review that the 250 ohms version can be run off of a laptop or portable device (albeit not at their best). Anyone know if this is right, or do the 250 ohms ones require an amp?

Thank you all!

Sincerely,
A Grateful Newbie

 

[RickB]

Hello Head-Fi!

Does anyone here have experience with the DT990s vs. Philips Fidelios X2 or Sony MDR-MA900?

I am looking for open back headphones for mixing, and some personal use.

Also, I read in a review that the 250 ohms version can be run off of a laptop or portable device (albeit not at their best). Anyone know if this is right, or do the 250 ohms ones require an amp?

Thank you all!

Sincerely,
A Grateful Newbie

 
I find my DT990 Pro 250 ohm a little harder to drive than even the HD600 300 ohm, so I would say you do need an amp for satisfactory performance.

 

[DangerClose]

Does anyone here have experience with the DT990s vs. Philips Fidelios X2 or Sony MDR-MA900?

I am looking for open back headphones for mixing, and some personal use.

Also, I read in a review that the 250 ohms version can be run off of a laptop or portable device (albeit not at their best). Anyone know if this is right, or do the 250 ohms ones require an amp?
 

 
DT990 and MA900.  Both are good.  DT990 is pretty light.  A bit clampy.  MA900 is probably the closest thing to not wearing a full-size headphone, or even many portable headphones. DT990 is more exciting, MA900 more laid back.  DT990 has strong highs and excessive bass.  I usually eq both down.  Obviously some people like them as-is.
 
I've run the DT990 250 off a Moto G phone.  The volume at max probably isn't enough for many people.  I only listened to a couple songs with it, so a quieter-recorded song would have even more problems.  Other portables probably have more power, but I'd expect to need some kind of amp unless using it that way isn't the primary use.
 
JVC S500 portable headphone is louder at half volume on the Moto G than the DT990 250 is at full volume.    

 

[2Dutch]

(I use the Aune T1 with the DT 990 Pro)
Got mine yesterday and haven't had much time to listen to them just yet, but in my newbie ears the bass is nice and present, but not overdone. The highs are a bit more pronounced as well, not bothering me at all: feel like I'm exploring listening to music all over again, especially the details I've missed in the songs I love to play over and over. Very nice headphones for the money, feel like clouds on my big ears

 
Some folks complain about the coiled cord, but I actually like that: stretches when needed, no risk of me running over the cord with my deskchair

 

 

[kiler]

I just recently got these and am running them off a Sabre Dac into an Objective 2 and I can just say that they are an amazing and fun sounding pair of cans! Hearing old school trance in these is a bliss.
 
Now I just need to find a pair of headphones that make vocals shine a bit more, because the DT990 can make the vocals sound kinda recessed.

 

[Player One]

Just a quick noob question to anyone feeling helpful, I hope this is the right place.
 
I was recently offered a pair of DT 990 Pro 250 OHM for what seems like a really good price. I want them but do not own a headphone amp nor want to buy one at the moment. I do however have an old Technics A600 mk2 amp laying around. Can anyone tell me if the headphone output from that amp is powered/good enough to drive those headphones decently or even would they run okay without an amp?
 
Thanks in advance.

 

[Sam21]

  Just a quick noob question to anyone feeling helpful, I hope this is the right place.
 
I was recently offered a pair of DT 990 Pro 250 OHM for what seems like a really good price. I want them but do not own a headphone amp nor want to buy one at the moment. I do however have an old Technics A600 mk2 amp laying around. Can anyone tell me if the headphone output from that amp is powered/good enough to drive those headphones decently or even would they run okay without an amp?
 
Thanks in advance.

 
get the 32 ohm version of the dt990 and buy an introductory tier amp like the O2/E09K/Magni2uber etc.
 
the amp you mentioned is a headphone amplifier or a speaker amp ?

 

[Player One]

   
get the 32 ohm version of the dt990 and buy an introductory tier amp like the O2/E09K/Magni2uber etc.
 
the amp you mentioned is a headphone amplifier or a speaker amp ?

The headphones are second-hand so I don't get to choose which version. It's 250 OHMs or nothing.
 
The amp is a late 1990s/early 2000s speaker amp with a 6.35 mm headphone output on it. I a) don't know if the headphone output is amplified enough/at all for those headphones or b) if that even matters?
 
Thanks for your response, Sam.

 

[Sam21]

  The headphones are second-hand so I don't get to choose which version. It's 250 OHMs or nothing.
 
The amp is a late 1990s/early 2000s speaker amp with a 6.35 mm headphone output on it. I a) don't know if the headphone output is amplified enough/at all for those headphones or b) if that even matters?
 
Thanks for your response, Sam.

well that is a terrible amp for a headphone ... very noisy and probably with a high output impedance.
 
the 250 ohm beyers are very hard to drive so you'll need a strong amp...you could use a tube amp like the Schiit Valhalla 2 or a SS like Schiit Asgard 2 or Even the Little Dot MKIII, in the order of  power/quality.

 

[Player One]

  well that is a terrible amp for a headphone ... very noisy and probably with a high output impedance.
 
the 250 ohm beyers are very hard to drive so you'll need a strong amp...you could use a tube amp like the Schiit Valhalla 2 or a SS like Schiit Asgard 2 or Even the Little Dot MKIII, in the order of  power/quality.

Thanks for the replay, Sam. I feel like you might be overestimating the quality of my ears and the size of my wallet slightly.
 
I don't really want to spend any more money than the relatively small sum I am handing over for the headphones. I certainly don't wish to spend $300ish on an amplifier.
 
What I really need to know is: are Beyerdynamic DT 990 250 OHM headphones really useless when used without an amplifier?  And if yes, would the stated amplifier (Technics A600 mk2) do a reasonable (but obviously not excellent) job of powering them?
 
Thanks again for the reply, Sam. And thanks in advance to anyone else who might be able to help.

 

[Sam21]

Proper amping of a headphone brings the headphone to it's full potential(how it is supposed to sound), with the 250 ohm beyers, if you plug them into a smartphone or the on-board sound-card of your PC you won't hear the headphone's true sound, these sources would struggle to power the phones. Some receivers or DAPs might be able to drive the 250-Ohm Beyers. the amp you mentioned might actually be able to drive the Beyers(there are no power ratings on the manufacturers web site so it is a guess), but the SNR of the amp is terrible. 
 
maybe try asking them for power ratings at different impedances.
 
Over-amplifying your headphones could damage the drivers, the Spec for DT990's max input power is 100 mW so the amp should output about 100 mW at 250 ohms....
 
EDIT: this amp has a headphone out, so ask for the headphone-out's power ratings.

 

[pp312]

  Just a quick noob question to anyone feeling helpful, I hope this is the right place.
 
I was recently offered a pair of DT 990 Pro 250 OHM for what seems like a really good price. I want them but do not own a headphone amp nor want to buy one at the moment. I do however have an old Technics A600 mk2 amp laying around. Can anyone tell me if the headphone output from that amp is powered/good enough to drive those headphones decently or even would they run okay without an amp?
 
Thanks in advance.

 
Have you tried the headphones with the amp? Does it sound good? Does it distort? There's no great mystery here--I've used speaker amps for years with no problem. Hey, the reason they put a HP socket in the front of the amp is so (all together now) you can plug headphones in.

 

[kiler]

Like pp312 said above, nothing like trying it and see if you like the sound. It will probably run to their full spec, since HP outs in these old amps used to be good, if I'm not mistaken.

 

[2Dutch]

It's been a bit more chilly here lately, so more time for the DT 990 pro (being indoors). Unfortunately, I've noticed that for me the headband isn't very comfortable after longer periods of use. The top of my head gets a bit sore, which is a shame really..didn't really expect that to be(come) a problem. It's not too tight around my ears or anything. And I noticed that I need to shift it around on my head a bit while wearing it. I got a PC360 sennheiser for gaming and I can wear that for -hours- without any issues and it stays on the exact same spot and I don't have to shift it.
 
I'll give it a few more tries..but if the sore feeling returns I'll spend some extra cash and go for the HD600 with it's very thick cushioning. I've had great experience with Sennheisers in the past as well.