[kral789]

Hi,
 
First of all, this will be my first headphone so i want to buy a good one. My budget is around $150. I am planning to buy one of these;
Beyerdynamic DT-990 250ohm vs Ath-m50 vs Sennheiser HD598
I usually listen to rock, old songs and sometimes hip hop. Which one do you suggest ?

 

[maximus1245]

I've had my m50's for some time and are absolutely great plus they're easily driven. I also listen to rock, and they sound phenomenal. Awesome bang for your buck. I highly recommend these. If you're willing to spend $60 more you can get the PA2v2 to use as your portable amp.

 

[maximus1245]

I would recommend the m50's, as they are awesome and are easily driven! I also listen to rock and they sound great in these! My personal experience has been great since I bought them last year. Highly recommended! Also if your looking for a great,cheap and reliable portable amp for these, checkout the PA2v2, they go well with these headphones.

 

[liquidzoo]

Do you care if there is sound leakage (both in and out)?

If not, any of those will probably be good and are highly recommended. If you truly don't care, the 598s or DT990s will be better than the M-50s (which can get a bit hot on the ears due to the pleather earpads).

If, on the other hand, you DO care about sound leakage (using them in a noisy environment or where people around you aren't likely to be receptive to hearing your music), then the M-50s are the only choice from that list that will work as they're the only ones that are closed.

 

[kral789]

Do you care if there is sound leakage (both in and out)?

If not, any of those will probably be good and are highly recommended. If you truly don't care, the 598s or DT990s will be better than the M-50s (which can get a bit hot on the ears due to the pleather earpads).

If, on the other hand, you DO care about sound leakage (using them in a noisy environment or where people around you aren't likely to be receptive to hearing your music), then the M-50s are the only choice from that list that will work as they're the only ones that are closed.

 
I will use them indoors so don't care that much.I'm currently using Creative EP-630 so this will be a big change for me. Can you suggest me another one if my list is not good enough ?

 

[liquidzoo]

What do you have for a source?

The DT990 and possibly the 598 (never heard them, so I'm not sure) will definitely benefit from amplification.

Even something like the Soundblaster Z (using the rear ports always) will be better than no amplifier.

 

[kral789]

What do you have for a source?

The DT990 and possibly the 598 (never heard them, so I'm not sure) will definitely benefit from amplification.

Even something like the Soundblaster Z (using the rear ports always) will be better than no amplifier.

I'm going to buy a FiiO E10k 

 

[winrarlee]

I believe DT990 definitely need an amp. I have tried 598 on IPC and AK100 w/o amp, getting a very significant signature, which is very, very, very close to your face but wide imo. I feel I like it only with some smooth songs. 

 

[liquidzoo]

Should be plenty for either in that case.

Someone who has experience with both would have to chime in. The 990s have a V-shaped signature, not sure about the 598s.

 

[DangerClose]

  I have tried 598 on IPC and AK100 w/o amp, getting a very significant signature, which is very, very, very close to your face but wide imo. I feel I like it only with some smooth songs. 

 
That's how the HD558 is too.  People say it has such a big soundstage, but it's mainly only left-right, and then there's a big blob of sound in your face and at your ears blocking the rest of the left-right sounds.
 
Get the 990, add some EQ if the bass or highs are too strong.  Great headphone at basically everything, if you like the V-shape or if you don't are willing to EQ the V-shape.

 

[Audioholic123]

Hi there

 
First off you need to decide on an amp for your new headphones, as the headphones you mention definitely perform best when amplified. Fioo E10k is a good start!
 
Then you must decide which of these headphones suit your favourite music to listen to. Personally i'd strongly recommend the ATH-M50X as they are the best "all rounder" in the price category that you mention. They have great bass and clear instrument separation.
 
The Beyerdynamic DT 990 250 Ohm will be harder to power as they demand more juice compared to the others. They offer a nicely balanced sound.
 
Now....the Sennheiser HD598's are definitely the more " audiophile sounding" headphone of those mentioned above. You may not like the open-ness of them. There is almost nothing behind the drivers so people will be able to hear what you play through them even at moderate volume. They are accurate and have better than average instrument separation
(due to being open-back).
 
So i strongly recommend the ATH-M50X for you as you may or may not like the open-ness of the Sennheisers. If you do like that kind of thing then by all means go for them. The DT990 250 Ohmns fall between these 2 in terms of sound quality. But as i said they require more power to sound their best.
 
There are other offerings out there too, such as the AKG K550 or K612 ( good for older recordings), the Denon ah-d1100 (good for Hip Hop) and the Creative Aurvana Live ( good for rock). Then there's my favourite unknown classic...the Pioneer SE-A1000... Comparible to Sennheiser HD650 but for less than $100...
 
Hope i could be of help!

 

[winrarlee]

990 premium or pro? Or they are kind of same v-shape?

 

[kral789]

990 premium or pro? Or they are kind of same v-shape?

pro

 

[AudioYuvi]

Hi,

First of all, this will be my first headphone so i want to buy a good one. My budget is around $150. I am planning to buy one of these;
Beyerdynamic DT-990 250ohm vs Ath-m50 vs Sennheiser HD598
I usually listen to rock, old songs and sometimes hip hop. Which one do you suggest ?

Hi,
I can understand you quite well as I also found myself in this situation a year ago. I did a lot of research to find my first pair of good headphones. My budget was 200 dollars.
I narrowed down to Hd 598 & Ath-m50x(never heard beyerdynamics at that time as I was new to the audio world).
As I searched the internet and found that both the headphones are quite good.
I chose Ath-m50x because of the following reasons -
1-They are good for all types of music.
2-They are more portable as they can be folded.
3- They were less expensive than Hd 598 in my country India.
4-In my opinion they are slightly better built.
If you have never owned a good pair of headphones before these are definitely the ones to look for.

 

[DangerClose]

990 premium or pro? Or they are kind of same v-shape?

 
Sound is the same.  Pro has a coiled cable and a tighter head clamp, and the grills aren't as pretty.  I have other headphones I hate the coiled cable on, but the DT990's isn't overly weighty or annoying.  I'd still prefer non-coiled, but the price was right on the Pro.
 
If the OP wants a more balanced sound than the DT990, there's the DT880, but they might be above budget.  
 
As long as the person is willing to use some EQ, I think DT990 can do pretty much whatever you want.  Soundstage is big but not "artificially big" like some people criticize certain other headphones for.  The sound has detail and has pretty fast decay (tight, quick), yet walks the line between "analytical" and "fun."  The pads are made out of kittens.  Though they may wear faster than some other pads.  Sound signature preferences aside, it's quite the bargain compared to something like the more expensive HD600.  
 
An AKG 701 or similar is also a good relative bargain lately, but they're more love it/hate it than the DT990s V-shape is.  imo.  
 
Pretty much any decent headphone recommended around here will probably sound amazing to someone new to such things.  There's lots of choices.  And no matter what headphone they choose first, it probably won't be their last.