[Njardiss]

Hi!
 
I am looking for a new set of headphones, my areas of use will be equal between movies/tv-series, music and gaming. I read a lot of good about the Fischer Audio FA-011, but I can't seem to find them anywhere, so I am now looking at the Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO Open Studio Headphones 250 Ohms. The DT 990 have gotten a lot of praise, but I still have a few questions about these headphones.
 
Budget: Around 200$, I can go higher if its worth it.
 
1. Is the DT 990 a good choice in this price range?
2. I only have an on-board soundcard on my motherboard, will I need a dedicated soundcard to get something like the DT 990 to run decently?
3. 250 Ohm sounds like a lot, do I need an amp with this? If so, how expensive is a sufficient one?
 
Thanks in advance!

 

[NA Blur]

I had the DT990 for a while and liked it, but after a while you realize that the sound is extremely colored.  The mids are pretty laid back and the treble can be piercing.  The DT880 would be a better buy.
 
You may want to look at the AKG K550 as well.  It is a very nice sounding headphone with no major problems.

 

[Njardiss]

Quote:

I had the DT990 for a while and liked it, but after a while you realize that the sound is extremely colored.  The mids are pretty laid back and the treble can be piercing.  The DT880 would be a better buy.
 
You may want to look at the AKG K550 as well.  It is a very nice sounding headphone with no major problems.

I read Katuns great comparison between the DT990 and the DT880 and he also reccommended the DT880. What I am thinking about though is that the DT880 got a smaller soundstage and worse imaging than the DT990, will I notice this while gaming? I do play FPS games etc, so being able to hear where people are located is important. I am considering the DT880 as well now though. What is weird though is that DT 990 goes for 183 $ and DT 880 goes for 238 $ on amazon. I think maybe the DT 990 is a little bit more suited for my needs, I won't really be annoyed by its unbalance unless its very apparent. Could anyone reccommend a sufficient amp for the DT 990?
 
The AKG K550 looks really good, but it's a little bit outside of my pricerange, I might still get it if its really good, but I would prefer something cheaper though. Do I need an amp or external soundcard for the AKG K550?
 

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

Hi!
 
I am looking for a new set of headphones, my areas of use will be equal between movies/tv-series, music and gaming. I read a lot of good about the Fischer Audio FA-011, but I can't seem to find them anywhere, so I am now looking at the Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO Open Studio Headphones 250 Ohms. The DT 990 have gotten a lot of praise, but I still have a few questions about these headphones.
 
Budget: Around 200$, I can go higher if its worth it.
 
1. Is the DT 990 a good choice in this price range?
2. I only have an on-board soundcard on my motherboard, will I need a dedicated soundcard to get something like the DT 990 to run decently?
3. 250 Ohm sounds like a lot, do I need an amp with this? If so, how expensive is a sufficient one?
 
Thanks in advance!

 
Heya,
 
The Beyer DT990 is a great way to go if you want something with plenty of bass, and some bright treble. It's otherwise great.
 
Definitely get something beyond your motherboard's built in stuff. A Fiio E10 would be an excellent way to go.
 
You can also look at a sound card like the Xonar DG or DGX, but personally, I would suggest you go with something external and discreet like a Fiio E10.
 
Very best,

 

[Njardiss]

Quote:

 
Heya,
 
The Beyer DT990 is a great way to go if you want something with plenty of bass, and some bright treble. It's otherwise great.
 
Definitely get something beyond your motherboard's built in stuff. A Fiio E10 would be an excellent way to go.
 
You can also look at a sound card like the Xonar DG or DGX, but personally, I would suggest you go with something external and discreet like a Fiio E10.
 
Very best,

Thanks for the reply, I think I am going for the DT990 and Fiio E10 combo. By the way is there any big differences between the E10, E11 and E17? I am also wondering if I need something like Dolby virtual surround, I've heard its nice for gaming and movies, but I would probably need a soundcard for that. Can I get all these functions properly in a soundcard or should I just go with the Fiio and ignore the virtual surround sound?

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

Thanks for the reply, I think I am going for the DT990 and Fiio E10 combo. By the way is there any big differences between the E10, E11 and E17? I am also wondering if I need something like Dolby virtual surround, I've heard its nice for gaming and movies, but I would probably need a soundcard for that. Can I get all these functions properly in a soundcard or should I just go with the Fiio and ignore the virtual surround sound?

 
Heya,
 
If you just want music, then go Fiio. On that note, there are differences between the E10, E11 & E17, but amplification wise, they are very similar. The differences are that the E10 is a desktop DAC/AMP, the E11 is a portable AMP only, the E17 is a portable DAC/AMP.
 
If you want surround, look for Dolby Headphone capable sound cards. Again, the Xonar DG & DGX do this for a very low price ($24~45 respectively). They also power headphones fine and will handle the DT990 fine. You can also later add an external amplifier you want to (not necessary) by outputting from the sound card to the amplifier. Fun. Again, not needed though.
 
Very best,

 

[AgentCOPP1]

I might suggest that you take a look at the Beyerdynamic Custom One Pros once before you make a final decision.

 

[PurpleAngel]

I think the Fiio E10 offers a lot for the price, but offers zero surround sound for movies or gaming.
The Fischer Audio FA-011 with Xonar DG or DGX would work with your budget if there were any FA-011 around.
 
 
Technical Pro HPT990, $70, semi-open headphones.
http://www.buydig.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=TPHPT990&ref=froogle&omid=103&CAWELAID=1503880855
 
Asus Xonar DG $22.95
http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Channel-Sound-Card-XONAR_DG/dp/B0045JHJSS
 
Xonar DGX, $39.99
http://www.amazon.com/Xonar-DGX-PCI-E-GX2-5-Engine/dp/B007TMZ1BK/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1352424716&sr=1-1&keywords=DGX
 
HPT+ DG is $92.92
HPT +DGX is $109.99
 
Leaves you left over cash for something else.

 

[Njardiss]

Quote:

 
Heya,
 
If you just want music, then go Fiio. On that note, there are differences between the E10, E11 & E17, but amplification wise, they are very similar. The differences are that the E10 is a desktop DAC/AMP, the E11 is a portable AMP only, the E17 is a portable DAC/AMP.
 
If you want surround, look for Dolby Headphone capable sound cards. Again, the Xonar DG & DGX do this for a very low price ($24~45 respectively). They also power headphones fine and will handle the DT990 fine. You can also later add an external amplifier you want to (not necessary) by outputting from the sound card to the amplifier. Fun. Again, not needed though.
 
Very best,

Thanks for the info!
Edit2: Considering a souncard, but I kind of want a better than "fine" amp : p
Would a ASUS Xonar D2X/XDT amp better than the Xonar DG & DGX or do I really need a seperate amp outside of a soundcard for more than fine power?

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

Thanks for the info!
Edit2: Considering a souncard, but I kind of want a better than "fine" amp : p
Would a ASUS Xonar D2X/XDT amp better than the Xonar DG & DGX or do I really need a seperate amp outside of a soundcard for more than fine power?

 
Heya,
 
Well at that point, you could just get a Xonar STX and that is 'better than fine' amplification right there on board.
 
Or, you can do something simple like the Xonar DG/DGX and output it to an external discreet amplifier, such as the Fiio E9, Schiit Asgard, JDS Labs O2, Little Dot MK III, etc. There's a plethora of others to choose from really.
 
The thing is though, the Beyers are pretty efficient, the impedance rating is pretty deceptive. I have nearly all the Beyers and at everything from 80ohm to 600ohm and they all sound just fine coming from a lowly Fiio E11 and I've tried them on the Xonar DG too. You would think they are hard to drive based on that number alone, but in reality, they are not.
 
Very best,

 

[RushNerd]

Quote:

 
Heya,
 
Well at that point, you could just get a Xonar STX and that is 'better than fine' amplification right there on board.
 
Or, you can do something simple like the Xonar DG/DGX and output it to an external discreet amplifier, such as the Fiio E9, Schiit Asgard, JDS Labs O2, Little Dot MK III, etc. There's a plethora of others to choose from really.
 
The thing is though, the Beyers are pretty efficient, the impedance rating is pretty deceptive. I have nearly all the Beyers and at everything from 80ohm to 600ohm and they all sound just fine coming from a lowly Fiio E11 and I've tried them on the Xonar DG too. You would think they are hard to drive based on that number alone, but in reality, they are not.
 
Very best,

My ST was not driving my old DT 990 600ohm very well. Maybe if you used no EQ it would be fine, but it was pretty marginal.

 

[Njardiss]

Thanks for all the advice, I've read up on all the different headphones you reccommended and in the end I went with the DT 990 and a Xonar Essence STX.
Looking forward to it arriving!

 

[hifimanrookie]

Quote:

Hi!
 
I am looking for a new set of headphones, my areas of use will be equal between movies/tv-series, music and gaming. I read a lot of good about the Fischer Audio FA-011, but I can't seem to find them anywhere, so I am now looking at the Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO Open Studio Headphones 250 Ohms. The DT 990 have gotten a lot of praise, but I still have a few questions about these headphones.
 
Budget: Around 200$, I can go higher if its worth it.
 
1. Is the DT 990 a good choice in this price range?
2. I only have an on-board soundcard on my motherboard, will I need a dedicated soundcard to get something like the DT 990 to run decently?
3. 250 Ohm sounds like a lot, do I need an amp with this? If so, how expensive is a sufficient one?
 
Thanks in advance!

try the hifiman HE300 its 249 now..a bit above ur budget...but In my honest opinion it blows almost everything out of the water under the 400 mark..except for his bigger brother the HE400 ofcourse but thats a 399 headphone..