[WEeziel]

First of all, first post. Hello everyone! Now lets get straight to the point. I'm getting a pair of DT-990 Pro headphones, but I'm not sure what amp to get along with it (and possibly a dac too?). I have a budget around 300$ for the amp (+ possibly for dac), but it is flexible if needed.
 
When you give recommendations, please explain WHY I should choose that specific amp/dac and not some other, as so far I have just read people recommending good amps/dacs but haven't really said much on why they should choose that specific one.

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,
 
The DT990 PRO is 250ohm, so you can use any solid state amp, but it also opens the door for tubes as they can generally deal with 200+ ohms loads more effectively than lower (in OTL setups). So you have options there.
 
Ultimately though, for your budget, I would put you on something like the Schiit Modi & Magni for $200 together, the JDS Labs O2 & ODAC, for a bit more (same quality really), and/or something like the Audio GD NFB 15.1 or so for this price range in solid states. All handle everything fine. Good DAC's. Good amplifiers onboard and can easily handle the loads. For a little tube tasting, maybe a Little Dot MK III or Musical Paradise MP-301 perhaps.
 
There's really no reason for why you should go after any of them. Amplifiers do their job, they power loads. They slightly color things, but that's where you read reviews and what not. Someone's favorite pairing might not be your favorite pairing, as this entire field is very subjective to opinion and preference.
 
Very best,

 

[cel4145]

Heya,

The DT990 PRO is 250ohm, so you can use any solid state amp, but it also opens the door for tubes as they can generally deal with 200+ ohms loads more effectively than lower (in OTL setups). So you have options there.

Ultimately though, for your budget, I would put you on something like the Schiit Modi & Magni for $200 together, the JDS Labs O2 & ODAC, for a bit more (same quality really), and/or something like the Audio GD NFB 15.1 or so for this price range in solid states. All handle everything fine. Good DAC's. Good amplifiers onboard and can easily handle the loads. For a little tube tasting, maybe a Little Dot MK III or Musical Paradise MP-301 perhaps.

There's really no reason for why you should go after any of them. Amplifiers do their job, they power loads. They slightly color things, but that's where you read reviews and what not. Someone's favorite pairing might not be your favorite pairing, as this entire field is very subjective to opinion and preference.

Very best,

+1

This is probably the best advice you'll get. All of those are excellent amp and DAC choices. And don't get too caught up in which amp someone says has more "synergy" with what headphones. The differences can be so subtle and are so user taste specific.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

First of all, first post. Hello everyone! Now lets get straight to the point. I'm getting a pair of DT-990 Pro headphones, but I'm not sure what amp to get along with it (and possibly a dac too?). I have a budget around 300$ for the amp (+ possibly for dac), but it is flexible if needed.
 
When you give recommendations, please explain WHY I should choose that specific amp/dac and not some other, as so far I have just read people recommending good amps/dacs but haven't really said much on why they should choose that specific one.

Is this setup for music only?
Or would you need something for movies and gaming?
Assuming this is for a PC computer setup?

 

[WEeziel]

Quote:

Is this setup for music only?
Or would you need something for movies and gaming?
Assuming this is for a PC computer setup?

Yes, this is for a PC setup. It will be used for gaming, movies and music alike. Music is mostly metal(progressive, melodic deathmetal), rock, rap/hip-hop and some techno.
 
Quote:

Heya,
 
The DT990 PRO is 250ohm, so you can use any solid state amp, but it also opens the door for tubes as they can generally deal with 200+ ohms loads more effectively than lower (in OTL setups). So you have options there.
 
Ultimately though, for your budget, I would put you on something like the Schiit Modi & Magni for $200 together, the JDS Labs O2 & ODAC, for a bit more (same quality really), and/or something like the Audio GD NFB 15.1 or so for this price range in solid states. All handle everything fine. Good DAC's. Good amplifiers onboard and can easily handle the loads. For a little tube tasting, maybe a Little Dot MK III or Musical Paradise MP-301 perhaps.
 
There's really no reason for why you should go after any of them. Amplifiers do their job, they power loads. They slightly color things, but that's where you read reviews and what not. Someone's favorite pairing might not be your favorite pairing, as this entire field is very subjective to opinion and preference.
 
Very best,

Thats actually a very good advice. Thanks alot! Ill take a look at those. Just needed atleast some guidlines what should be considered and what should be avoided. How important is DAC in this setup?

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Yes, this is for a PC setup. It will be used for gaming, movies and music alike. Music is mostly metal(progressive, melodic deathmetal), rock, rap/hip-hop and some techno.
 

Thats actually a very good advice. Thanks alot! Ill take a look at those. Just needed atleast some guidlines what should be considered and what should be avoided. How important is DAC in this setup?

Need to use a sound card (add-on or built in) for games and movies.
A USB connection out to an external DAC will bypass sound cards (add-on or built in).
(and external sound cards are usually not the best choice)
So, you could get an external DAC & Amp. with a S/PDIF (optical or coaxial) input, which would allow you to use the motherboard's built in sound card.
Or just buy an add-on internal sound card with a headphone amp (all sound cards have a DAC).
Or buy a cheaper add-on internal sound card (without head amp.) and add any external headphone amplifier you like.
 
A really low cost solution is to just connect an external headphone amplifier to the motherboard's line-out/headphone jack.
which would allow you to use the motherboard's built in sound card (which would come with a low cost DAC chip).

 

[WEeziel]

Quote:

Need to use a sound card (add-on or built in) for games and movies.
A USB connection out to an external DAC will bypass sound cards (add-on or built in).
(and external sound cards are usually not the best choice)
So, you could get an external DAC & Amp. with a S/PDIF (optical or coaxial) input, which would allow you to use the motherboard's built in sound card.
Or just buy an add-on internal sound card with a headphone amp (all sound cards have a DAC).
Or buy a cheaper add-on internal sound card (without head amp.) and add any external headphone amplifier you like.
 
A really low cost solution is to just connect an external headphone amplifier to the motherboard's line-out/headphone jack.
which would allow you to use the motherboard's built in sound card (which would come with a low cost DAC chip).

Alright, good to know. I was thinking of Matrix M-Stage amp, but I'm not sure what dac I should try to pair with it. Any suggestions?

 

[WEeziel]

Alright, so I'm quite sure Ill get the Matrix M-Stage and Topping D3 as a dac. What do you think? The Topping D3 also has some built-in amp features. Will it effect if I'm essentially using "2" amps in the setup?

 

[laon]

No it has pre-amp rca out so you can use it with another amp.

 

[inthere]

 I would suggest getting an Objective 2 or a Fiio E 12 before you get a DAC. It's possible you can get a radical improvement just with one of those amps. 
 
 Because there is a lot of clutter to sift through in the sub-$500 range in DACs and nothing on the PC side really noticeably shoots to the head of the class. 
 
 Once you pass the $500 mark pay attention to things like driver support and software packages, some on the pro side have nice ones but while great for pro audio, can have problems with video gaming and movies. 

 

[WEeziel]

Alright, thanks for the info! Will be buying these in a matter of days unless someting changes my mind. I will however, report my impressions if Indeed will get these.

 

[inthere]

 PC audio has improved dramatically the past few years and onboard sound in particular has skyrocketed in quality. Don't be surprised if a dedicated DAC doesn't improve sound quality at all-especially for under $300. 

 

[laon]

If you have transparent enough headphone the difference between onboard even for today's standard against properly designed dac, even cheap one like topping, is noticeable. Properly amped DT990 should be able to tell you this.