[Tavilyn]

Hi there. My name is Gregg, I'm 31 and totally blind. I live in Canada, and I'm kind of in a weird position. I've owned a set of Logitech G35s for about two years, and I find their sound fairly crisp, decently loud, decently bassy and quite bright. They're dying though, so last week I bought a Hyper X Cloud 2 headset expecting to be blown away. Other than being loud, the Cloud bosts nothing the G35s don't. As such, thinking a set of audiophile cans might be better, I did a ton of looking and tried to go with the DT800/250 OHM and a FIIO-E10k amp/dac combo. Ran me nearly six hundred bucks on Amazon and..again, I was underwhelmed. I listen to a lot of music but I would like to have a good mic for Skype; the games I play aren't all that demanding, so I don't need top of the line support and no alternative device support. What I'm after is a set that isn't too hard to drive and has a good amount of slam without getting muddy; I found that the only appreciable soundstage the DT880 gave me was when I literally squished the drivers against my ears. I'm not deaf or anything, but the whole thing just underwhelmed me. Perhaps I'm expecting too much and perhaps I just don't know what I'm doing...but that's why I'm here. Please forgive my ignorance. I'm hoping that with this thread I can sort of streamline what I'm after. I really don't want to mess with an amp/dac unless I absolutely must or unless the resultant set of cans gives me everything I want. Preferred genres, btw, are rock, lighter rock, a bit of metal, the occasional hiphop/rap track. Also also, muddy is bad, and I know some truly basshead phones are bad for that. Thanks in advance, and I'm sorry if this is all sort of scattershot...as a blind user I'm having some trouble with your forums and editing posts.

 

[wolfjeanne]

You write both DT800 and DT880, but google could not find a DT800 so I will just assume that was a typo and you mean the Beyerdynamic DT880 in both cases.
 
It might help if you could say what you were underwhelmed by
Was there too little bass? The DT880 is said to have a treble-focused sound, which is very different from the usual sound found in a gaming headset. From what I'v heard the Logitech G35s are no exception here, and you describing them as quite bright hints at this.
Perhaps there was just not enough added value for the added money you spent? The law of diminishing returns will do that to you...
Perhaps you prefer a more intimate/direct sound? That is it least what it suggests if you press the drivers to your ears to get a better sound. Have you listened to IEM's? did you like those?

Also, if you liked the Logitech G35s, why are you not buying them again?

 

[Rainbowsloth]

Hello. You said the dt 880 ere underwhelming? Have you tried the completely open dt 900? A little bassy but give a really good sense of space in games and movies. I feel they are great and fairly cheap at £120. With the amp you have they should be good. Also have you seen the akg k550 its Not open so sound stage suffers but still an amazing headphone with great positional audio in games and a flat sound signature. This means they have bass it it doesn't drown everything else out. You have an amp so the senheiser hd 598 are amazing!! great with everything especially movies. I would also recommend the akg k 702. Their sound stage is so big it almost sounds unreal. It is good at pin pointing were things are coming from in games and movies. Very comfy as well. Only downside is they are fussy and require a good amp to power them and maybe not all amps will sound good with these headphones. Hope this helps. 
NOTE: the akg k550 are very large and need a big head to accommodate them or the seal on the head is not good and bass is lost. 
I also recommend getting the FIIO-E17. Its similer to the FIIO-E10k  but from what i hear works perfectly with the akg k702 headphones

 

[Tavilyn]

Thanks for the response. To address the DT800...yes, I meant 880, that was a typo, so I apologize. I was underwhelmed by the difference, mostly. I expected a set of 100 dollar headphones - and a gaming headset, no less - to be far worse than a set of 400-dollar cans. Maybe I expected too much. The reason I don't want to just buy another g35 is because, while I like this sound well enough, I want more. The g35 isn't all that loud, and I'm not really that fussed about Dolby surround-sound and all that. That's one feature of the g35 I never used; it just made everything sound as if it was coming out of a big steel pipe...no good, in other words. As such, I kind of wanted to look at a set of headphones with a good bass presence but a clear and honest soundstage (not muddy, not so boomy that everything else is lost) and figured a good set like the 880 would do the trick. It's not bad, but even with my amp/dac it's really not all that loud or powerful. Sound  lovely squished against my head though. All that being said, I'm wondering if there are any headphones that would give me some good thunder without sacrificing everything else, not to mention being fairly easy to drive. Skype and other mic-related stuff is secondary at this point and I could always just get a mic for that. Originally I had my eye on the Beyerdynamic MMX 300 gaming headset, but a lot of reviews are saying that you're paying a lot for convenience. I'm sorry if I haven't answered your questions or concerns, and please forgive me, I'm a bit new to all of this and even after reading reviews and helpful advice threads, I'm kind of in the deep end.

 

[Rainbowsloth]

I recommend getting the beyerdynamic dt 990 or the akg k550 and then getting the Blue Yeti Microphone. Its super easy to use and it just pugs in then your ready to go. It also alows you to pug your headphones into the mic for instant audio feedback. I use it for Skype and gaming and its great. I don't recommend getting a headset with a microphone on as they are low quality and cost more than buying great headphones with a great mic separate. If you want something a little less quality but still OK then get the yeti snowball microphone. half the price  and almost as good. 
Blue yeti : 
 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blue-Microphones-Yeti-USB-Microphone/dp/B008F4USMS/ref=pd_cp_MI_3
 
 
blue snowball : 
 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blue-Microphones-Snowball-Microphone-Adjustable/dp/B006DIA77E/ref=pd_cp_MI_2

 

[Tavilyn]

Hi there, and thanks for the responses. It may bear mentioning that I'm using a Lenovo IdeaPad Y510P laptop, not a desktop, so portability is handy. Not absolutely necessary, but handy for sure. Running the DT880 through my FIIO-E10K produced nice, balanced sound, but with less improvement from the G35 than I was expecting. I honestly still don't know if I just set my bar too high. I don't require a precise, flat sound; indeed, I like sound that's a bit warm and a little heavy on the bass, something you're going to feel as well as hear to some extent. I don't mean Beats-style bass though, don't worry. Would the DT990s be more to my liking then? This whole conundrum has me feeling very badly outmatched. Ideally, the more I think about it the more I want something strong that I can plug and play, rather than monkeying with amps and dacs and stuff. I am not expecting premium, absolute top-notch sound without the extra peripherals to provide it, so on that score at least, I know I'm not expecting too much. I really doo appreciate feedback, by the way. Also, if any of you are in the Hamilton Ontario area or know someone who is, I'd love to actually find somewhere that I could audition before I buy.

 

[Rainbowsloth]

the beyerdynamic dt990 are 25o ohm headphones ha a sound almost identical to what you want. If you want no amp the akg k550 are the absolute best. Their 32 ohm and are amazing. Portable with no amp the shure srh 840 are your best bet. Their amazing and great for on the go audio.

 

[Tavilyn]

I'm kind of wondering just how much you sacrifice by getting a 32OHM model and leaving out the amp, versus going 250OHM and using an amp. If I'm paying an extra hundred and ten dollars or so for something like a .8 percent sound change, it's...probably a diminishing returns thing. Also, from what I understand, closed-back headphones are more notorious foor a deeper, warmer sound; can the DT990s actually deliver this beefier sound with an open design? If so, it might be something to consider.

 

[cel4145]

It's not bad, but even with my amp/dac it's really not all that loud or powerful.

Well, I'm guessing you got the DT880 Pro 250 ohms? If so, note that the E10K is rated up to 150 ohms. While many people find that the E10K does quite well with Beyerdynamic 250 ohm headphones, that doesn't mean that amp will drive them to be "loud" and "powerful" enough for people looking for a lot of volume.

Running the DT880 through my FIIO-E10K produced nice, balanced sound, but with less improvement from the G35 than I was expecting. I honestly still don't know if I just set my bar too high.

Quite possibly. The returns on better sound are diminishing as you go up in price. The trick is also to find the pair that best matches the sonic signature that suits you.

I don't require a precise, flat sound; indeed, I like sound that's a bit warm and a little heavy on the bass, something you're going to feel as well as hear to some extent. I don't mean Beats-style bass though, don't worry. Would the DT990s be more to my liking then? This whole conundrum has me feeling very badly outmatched. Ideally, the more I think about it the more I want something strong that I can plug and play, rather than monkeying with amps and dacs and stuff. I am not expecting premium, absolute top-notch sound without the extra peripherals to provide it, so on that score at least, I know I'm not expecting too much. I really doo appreciate feedback, by the way. Also, if any of you are in the Hamilton Ontario area or know someone who is, I'd love to actually find somewhere that I could audition before I buy.

I don't think the DT990s are usually thought of as warm. In addition to a bit more bass than the DT990s, they also have a bit more treble.

It seems like you definitely need to find a way to listen to some headphones.

 

[Tavilyn]

Yeah, I probably do. I thought that by reading a lot I could at least have a fair gauge of what to expect. I get some of it, but obviously not all. Feel a bit like I'm floundering here. Now the trick will be to find somewhere that will let me try some different models. I know what I like, but I would be hard-pressed to explain it particularly well. Sorry about that. And yes, I definitely did get the 250OHM model of DT880, figured that the amp/dac I got would drive them hard enough to make them loud if I wanted. They're not super-quiet, but the volume difference between those and my G35s without any real amp to speak of is pretty minimal. Volume is not everything, and not even the main selling point, but I do like to be totally immersed in sound sometimes, whether open or closed, and the quieter you go the harder I tend to find immersion.

 

[cel4145]

Well, and if even you could listen to a half a dozen different models somewhere, then you would be able to describe what you like/don't like about them. That would give people here more of a common point of reference for making recommendations.

 

[Youth]

E10k will not drive the DT880 proberly. Even if the volume is loud enough it will still miss alot of dynamics.
 
That being said I think you need another pair of headphones for your music taste and other needs. DT990 will have bigger soundstage and more bass without being muddy as you call it.
You will need a new amp to drive them though, can you return ur FiiO amp and DT880? If it's from amazon all of it I'm pretty sure you will be able to do so.

 

[Tavilyn]

Yes, I'm able to return them both, minus shipping which I'm happy enough to pay for since they're taking a greater loss. I feel bad returning it in the first place, but unfortunately when you spend money and don't like what you get, it's either keep what you don't really like and feel soured, or tweak until you're satisfied. That, or slink away, defeated, and go back to sub-par sound. I wasn't really planning on spending 600 bucks on headphones plus a really strong amp to begin with; the fact that I started with a gaming headset, touched briefly on the MMX300 at the top of the gaming headset line, then springboarded to the DT880 is sort of surprising to me when I look back at it. I'm still really hoping to find something good that doesn't require an amp to be fairly loud and fairly detailed; I know amps will round off the top quality, so to speak, but if that extra few percent costs almost half as much or more as the headphone itself, it's not worth it to me on my budget. Budget is roughly 400-600 bucks, hopefully including a mic.

 

[Beyakusenn]

  ...If you want no amp the akg k550 are the absolute best. Their 32 ohm and are amazing. Portable with no amp the shure srh 840 are your best bet. Their amazing and great for on the go audio.

It's true that the K550 is easy to drive, but it's bass neutral. They have a lovely bass but no punch and I think Tavilyn is looking for a somewhat enhanced bass. The SRH 840 is a better choice imo, but I think there are still better alternatives.
 
@ Tavilyn
What is your budget? MrSpeakers Mad Dog or Sennheiser HD650 might suit your tastes, but they are not the easiest to drive (I'd guess harder than the DT880) so you'd need a more powerful amp. Two easy to drive headphones with (slightly) elevated bass and good overall performance would be the Sennheiser HD518 and the Denon AH-D600. I could have named some good on-ears, but those will always lack soundstage compared to over-ears.

 

[Tavilyn]

Probably between $300-$500, the cheaper the better so long as I'm not making huge sacrifices. After all, I could just go safe with the MMX300 as a gaming headset at about the 400-dollar point and get the mic and headset in one fell swoop, and that one even comes with a form of external sound card/amplifier thing powered by USB, which these others don't. However, that thing is more tuned for gaming, and while I do game sometimes, mostly I'm interested in music and movies. Bearing in mind that I am totally blind, knowing exactly where everything is in a video game is not quite as vital for me, since I don't play games with that sort of audio detail; for the blind, they sadly don't exist. One of you has mentioned the Sennheiser HD650, and I was torn between those and the DT880, but I thought that the HD650 was not only semi-difficult to drive but also a great deal less bass-friendly. Ugh...this is all so bewildering.