[Somebody007]

So my brother asked me to get him good headphones(very roughly around 100euro category)

So I suggested the dt990 Pros. After discarding AKGs for their looks and apperently mediocre comfort, sennheisers because I wanted something different than sennheiser for once and all the rest because of their high prices in Europe.

So is my choice a good one?

And can anyone recommend a cheap dac for it? I though of the fiio D3 which costs 20 quid here seems like a good choice right?

Also I still have a cmoy if he needs an amp.

 

[Canadian411]

Eventually you or your brother will gradually seek for the better sound all the beginner/starter equipment is such a waste of money.
 
I had many many headphones, from low end Senns, Beyerdynamic, Sony, Dr. Dre, all waste of money if I look back.
 
Just buy one of highend headphone and save money to build a good system.

 

[Somebody007]

I have hd650s now and I am more than satisfied with them. I don't think it's a good idea to splurge out on very high end phones yet. I've moved up the ladder in almost every tree of hobbiest never thought of the lower end products as wastes. Just a neccesary step in working your way to the top and besides everything you don't use you can mod lol!

So in this price range any suggestions ^^?

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,
 
DT990 PRO's are great if you like bass/treble and understand that they're open-air and going to leak (though Beyers leak a little less I found compared to some other brands).
 
D3 is a DAC, but you need an AMP depending on your impedance rating of the headphone, so if the CMOY is available, good. The D3 is actually great, and inexpensive. Does he need to be able to go portable?
 
Very best,

 

[Somebody007]

Hello and thank you for the reply,
 
He mentioned he didn't mind open headphones(I picked the 990s because of this seeing as the consensus seems to be that open headphones sound nicer for their price), and that he will use them for his laptop only so they it will be kind of a portable rig seeing as it has to be moved a lot, but it won't be used on the go.

Yeah my CMOY is definitely available(otherwise I wouldn't mention it lol) seeing as I don't even use it and I still have a lot of parts to build more ^^. So if he finds it in improvement in sound(I'm guessing he will) he'll take one of my cmoys.

So it seems with those 3 components he should have a fairly good laptop rig?

Thanks again

 

[BotByte]

Quote:

Hello and thank you for the reply,
 
He mentioned he didn't mind open headphones(I picked the 990s because of this seeing as the consensus seems to be that open headphones sound nicer for their price), and that he will use them for his laptop only so they it will be kind of a portable rig seeing as it has to be moved a lot, but it won't be used on the go.

Yeah my CMOY is definitely available(otherwise I wouldn't mention it lol) seeing as I don't even use it and I still have a lot of parts to build more ^^. So if he finds it in improvement in sound(I'm guessing he will) he'll take one of my cmoys.

So it seems with those 3 components he should have a fairly good laptop rig?

Thanks again

Laptop rig, no.
 
The Beyers are like carrying around a second head. They don't fold nor go great around the neck.
 
My laptop rig is my EEPC with m FiiO and M1's. IEM btw
 
It would be better getting something smaller or foldable. HD25 for example.
 
IMO, ATH-M50's would be a much better choice. And you don't need a amp, but one would help them a little bit.
 
EDIT: DT660 would be a better beyer for him. But more expensive.

 

[Somebody007]

hmmm dt660s huh? 

They are actually the same price here. Are they fully circumaural or are they on-ear? Because that was his primary request for them to be big ^^ and have velour padding. Also how does the sound compare to the 990s?

also I may have misstated when I said laptop rig. He'll move it maybe 4-5 times a year so it's not such a big deal if they are a pain to carry around. Just interested in the 660s because you seem to think them more valueable as they are actually 5euros cheaper here in Belgium.

 

[BotByte]

Quote:

hmmm dt660s huh? 

They are actually the same price here. Are they fully circumaural or are they on-ear? Because that was his primary request for them to be big ^^ and have velour padding. Also how does the sound compare to the 990s?

also I may have misstated when I said laptop rig. He'll move it maybe 4-5 times a year so it's not such a big deal if they are a pain to carry around. Just interested in the 660s because you seem to think them more valueable as they are actually 5euros cheaper here in Belgium.

The DT660 are used mostly for portable and are closed to have more bass.
 
If he's not going to take his laptop and headphones around, Like I do, he'll be fine with the fullsized.
 
Get the Beyer that say 32ohm. That's portable without a amp. A amp would help that though, but not needed

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

Laptop rig, no.
 
The Beyers are like carrying around a second head. They don't fold nor go great around the neck.
 
My laptop rig is my EEPC with m FiiO and M1's. IEM btw
 
It would be better getting something smaller or foldable. HD25 for example.
 
IMO, ATH-M50's would be a much better choice. And you don't need a amp, but one would help them a little bit.
 
EDIT: DT660 would be a better beyer for him. But more expensive.

Heya,
 
This is more of a point of humor, at least indeded this way, but .... if DT990's are like a second head and hard to deal with when someone moves around a lot with a laptop, I shutter to think of people with cups of coffee, soda bottles, cords, etc, have to deal with when moving around. Must be like having second arms and legs.

 
Portability is relative really. If someone is willing to carry it around and it doesn't bother them, then it's portable. For some, that requires it to fit in a pocket. For others, the biggest honking set of cans can be portable because they go no where other than the head and neck are anyways.
 
Just say'n.
 

 
That said, DT660's are pretty decent, but are closed back. If doing that, might as well go with something like Ultrasone HFI 580. Meh to the M50. hehe.
 
Very best,
 

 

[Thommohawk]

I'm a little biased as I own the DT 990 Pro, but I have to be honest and say that they're by far the best headphones I've ever owned....they sound amazing out of anything (due to the signature of the headphones) - many audiophiles will disagree with that but whatever they sound excellent to me in anything I've plugged them in to. 
 
Build quality, at this price especially, they are to me the best built in the business at that price - mostly steel, the only plastic you see is on the outer cups. 
 
I also can tell you that the Fiio E7 is a strong suggestion @ 60 quid, really good portable DAC/Amp unit, highly rated, really good price-performance ratio. Also has good synergy with the DT 990 Pro as it tightens everything up and cleans up a bit - so it lessens the bass a bit while keeping it alive, lessens the highs quite a bit while keeping them detailed so takes some shrill away, brings out the mids a lot and adds a sense of depth and balance.
 
 

 

[paconavarro]

DT990s are great, as mentioned, if you like bass and highs they're a good option, depends a lot on what music you listen to.
I've read that the 600ohms version si less harsh than the 32ohms, and that the 250ohms has the best balance of them all.
 
I can say that they are very confortable and FUN, for me thats the "dealmaker" I really enjoy music and Im not expecting extremely analytic HP, but some music styles will have better presentation with a "midcentric" HP like Senns.
 
I use a FiiO e7 as DAC, until I can get my hands on a bifrost, and a Meier Corda HeadFive amp and the transparency is remarkable.
 
On the other hand, its hard to use them somewhere else than in your office or home, I carry them all the time, because I drive to work and have enough space in the car, but when traveling on plane for a trip you have to count them as an onboard carrying bag, and they wont isolate a thing. 
 
If you can test the HP you think might fit your needs do it before purchasing, but if you cant dont get disappointed, you can return them, sell them or use a bit of EQ to fit them to your sound signature.

 

[Somebody007]

Okay seems like I'll be going for those 990s then. I realize they are tons of just as viable options, but hey I gotta pick one right 

. About the amp/dac I still gotta see I was thinking the e7, but then I kind of waste my cmoy... So It's probably gonna be cmoy+ d3. I don't know yet I will let my brother decide.

Anyways thanks for all the input guys

 

[Elanzer]

Aren't the "Pro" version of DT990 250-Ohm though? They're easily one of the best pairs of headphones I've used for their cost (they're what made me buy the T1), but the 250-Ohm version didn't go loud enough on my laptop straight from headphone out, and things dramatically improved with a dac/amp.

 

[Thommohawk]

Quote:

Aren't the "Pro" version of DT990 250-Ohm though? They're easily one of the best pairs of headphones I've used for their cost (they're what made me buy the T1), but the 250-Ohm version didn't go loud enough on my laptop straight from headphone out, and things dramatically improved with a dac/amp.

Yes.