New Guy, A few questions
Mar 28, 2011 at 2:14 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 27
jakers11

jakers11

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Hello, I have been very interested in buying an audio setup for the past while. I have about $500 to spend. After doing some research I will be buying the Fiio E7/E9 combo. I was wondering if I was to run my audio through my PC would I need a sound card with those two acting as an amp? I have all of my music in FLAC or other high quality formats as well. As for headphones, I have been looking at the Beyer Dynamic DT880 or DT990 both at 600 ohms. I was just wondering what the major differences are between them? I know there are probably hundreds of things but just broad answers. Anyways, I hope that this belongs in this subboard. Also, I will be buying all three of these off of Amazon.com even though I am in Canada as we have a mailbox across the border. Any suggestions to keep the prices down are more than welcome as well. Thanks in advance for all of the help and please excuse if terms are used badly as I am still learning all of this.
 
Thanks,
Jake
 
Mar 28, 2011 at 2:18 AM Post #2 of 27
You won't need a soundcard to run the E7+E9. The E7 is a USB DAC (digital-analog converter), which does the exact same thing as a soundcard, except it's external, so don't worry about buying an internal soundcard.
 
Mar 28, 2011 at 2:22 AM Post #4 of 27
The DT990 has considerably more bass and treble compared to the DT880 which is more neutral and truer to the music. That said, I prefer the fun of the DT990, but 9/10 people probably won't be able to take the treble that they have.

They both sound great off the E9, though I'm sure there's better synergy to be had with the DT990 and something else, as the innate treble of the DT990 won't be subdued by the E9 (which is a pro and con...).

The safer choice is the DT880, but it may not move you as much as the DT990. Decisions, decisions.

It would help to know what type of music you mostly listen to. If its more instrumental and electronic, the DT990 will be better. If its more vocal and live, the 880s will be better.
 
Mar 28, 2011 at 2:31 AM Post #5 of 27
I have the e7/e9 combo and have the DT880/600. I can't speak for the DT990's but in my opinion, the DT880's are too bright and have to much sibilance at high volumes. If the DT900's are brighter, I couldn't imagine them to be too great, especially over a lot of time. Just my two cents.
 
 
Mar 28, 2011 at 2:38 AM Post #6 of 27
Thus proving my point. Treble is pretty up there on the Beyers. The 990 will punish you if you are sensitive to treble peak. You will need to pair them with an extremely warm amp that rolls off the treble quite a bit, or just get another headphone altogether. The three mid-fi Premium Beyers are all peaky by nature.
 
Mar 28, 2011 at 2:39 AM Post #7 of 27
The DT880s sound excessively bright and sibilant when under powered, the only time I hear sibilance is when it's in a poor recording. As with any brighter sounding headphone they will benefit from a tube amp. For the money there are better alternatives to the Fiio combo, any op-amp based desktop amp/DAC will suit you just fine.
 
Mar 28, 2011 at 3:12 AM Post #9 of 27
The DT880 is the most versatile of the two. It doesn't have glaring flaws, but the DT990 does electronic and bass dependent music better.

OP has already stated he's getting the E7/E9.

In any case, I don't find the DT880's treble to come close to the DT990s, so its a safer choice in that regard.

Treble is an area that is largely debatable, due to varying levels of sensitivity between all of us. One man's harsh is another man's neutral, and one man's neutral may be another man's muddy. For me, the DT880 is north of neutral in treble, but not harsh. The 990 is definitely hit or miss for me. It can sting at louder than moderate volume levels and can get harsh in several occasions. If you don't listen to music loud, the DT990 will be fine. Its volume sensitive when it comes to the treble.

Both DT880 and DT990 have been called sibilant, even with other MUCH more expensive amps (even the T1 has been called sibilant with well regarded amps). The E7/E9 won't mask the brightness, whereas another amp may or may not. Again, it varies by person, as treble is a debatable area of sound.
 
Mar 28, 2011 at 3:20 AM Post #10 of 27
Alright, I think that I will go with the DT880s but before I buy them I will check around at the local audio stores and see if they have a demo. There should be at least one store around here that has them. I will probably buy online as the prices are jacked up here in the Great White North. Any good sites I can check out that would have the DT880s at a good price? Apparently the offer at Amazon.com was only if you subscribe to an ebook service which I am not interested in. Anyways, thanks for all of the help so far everyone. 
 
Mar 28, 2011 at 9:31 AM Post #13 of 27
The best price I have found is at proaudiostar. Is this shop any good? Also, I believe Micca is the only store where you can get the E7/E9 combo for $199. Am I right in thinking that? thanks.
 
Mar 28, 2011 at 9:33 PM Post #15 of 27
There's a guy on ebay selling the combo for $199, but he's taking offers. You might be able to work him down to $170, I bought my E9 for $100 from him. Careful though, I have to get it exchanged, the 1/4" jack was defective. I don't think it's a common problem, he's got 99.9% feedback.
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-FiiO-E9-E7-Earphone-Headphone-Desktop-Amplifier-/120677345486?pt=Other_MP3_Player_Accessories&hash=item1c18ee28ce
 
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