[Bill-P]

Quote:

I guess ur right, but the Fiio E6 is all i can afford. I'm 16 and don't have a full time job so i don't earn much money. Which cans under $200 would you recommend that would work well with the E6 and have lots of bass (better then average) and still maintain overall balance.

 
I think as mentioned, I would go ATH-M50. If you lack bass, the E6 should be able to push a little more force into those.
 
The reason I'm saying that is because you can get the M50 relatively easier compared to the rest of the list, plus if you are willing to get it used, you can find it for around $100.
 
Quote:

It turns out that you should be able to get sufficient volume out of a 250 ohm DT 990 with just an E6. See here.
 
The actual drivers on the DT 7/8/9 series are different for each level of resistance, so get the highest impedance version you can and enjoy it now. You'll get at least equivalent sound and much better comfort now and better scalability once you step up to something like the Fiio E10 or new Audinst HUD Mini.

 
I wouldn't recommend going over 250 Ohm for anything lower than a Fiio E11 (which can still clip if it's trying to drive a 250 Ohm headphone to higher volumes).
 
Impedance is nominal at 1KHz, so it may be very different elsewhere, especially at lower frequencies. What that means is that a 250 Ohm headphone may still have an impedance spike of more than 300 Ohm when it's trying to reproduce certain tracks.
 
I know for a fact that my Fiio E11 can't hold a candle when the DT990 is driven to "movie-worthy" volume. Beyer headphones love... and need a lot of voltage to shine, especially the higher impedance ones.

 

[iDriveFerraris]

how about the 80 ohm dt 770's? will the e6 be able to drive them?

 

[HighFiguy]

yepp, you wont have a problem driving them from an e6

 

[iDriveFerraris]

sick, but do u know for sure?

 

[HighFiguy]

Honestly I've haven't heard them myself but a trusted reviewer on headfi has said it even drives the 250ohm ones well too
 

 

[HighFiguy]

my fiio e10 drives my hd650's plenty, im pretty sure the e6 will do fine with the 80ohm dt770's

 

[iDriveFerraris]

eshays

 

[HighFiguy]

ditto

 

[iDriveFerraris]

lol

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

There's a difference between driven a headphone loudly, and driving a headphone properly. The E6 is nowhere near what the 250ohm DT990 Pro deserves. I'd say it's the best I have bought under $200, but it sure as hell needs a good amp to bring it up to it's potential.

I'd suggest the DT990 pro, then save up just a little for at LEAST a Fiio E11, which would put you just a little over $200...

 

[iDriveFerraris]

what about 32 Ohm premium DT 880s with Fiio e6? i heard that they still need a powerful amp because of something to do with damping factor.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

No. The DT880 32ohm (I owned it and the E5 which has the similar power as the E6) is about as hard, if not harder to drive than the 250ohm, due to needing more current. The Fiio E5 and E6 are glorified volume boosters, not to be taken seriously as amplifiers. I love Fiio, but the E5 and E6 are causing people to believe they are getting quality amping. They aren't.

I also blame Beyerdynamic for marketing the 32ohm premium Beyers as portable friendly. It's sad, because they sound very weak unamped, and through the entry level Fiio amps. Don't settle for anything less than the E11 for the Beyers.

 

[iDriveFerraris]

cheers boss

 

[iDriveFerraris]

UPDATE: IVE DECIDED TO GO WITH THE FIIO E11 INSTEAD OF THE E6, SHOULD CHANGE THINGS AROUND A BIT

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

The E11 should be better equipped for the DT990 Pro now. It should hold you over until you can afford a desktop amp in the future.