[DashBerlin]

Trying to decide between these three headphones at the moment as a replacement for my old ultrasone hfi 580's that stopped working in one ear. I do mostly gaming and listening to bassy music like house techno dubstep stuff like that and want something that has good solid bass and soundstage.
 
Also do the either of the HD headphones need an amp? I know the 990's certainly do and I was going to get a schiit magni for them but was wondering if either of the other headphones need something similar.

 

[teb1013]

Trying to decide between these three headphones at the moment as a replacement for my old ultrasone hfi 580's that stopped working in one ear. I do mostly gaming and listening to bassy music like house techno dubstep stuff like that and want something that has good solid bass and soundstage.

Also do the either of the HD headphones need an amp? I know the 990's certainly do and I was going to get a schiit magni for them but was wondering if either of the other headphones need something similar.

I have the 558s. The 5xx series including the 518, 558 and 598 are open phones. I find the bass solid and realistic. True bassheads are not as satisfied. Soundstage is good especially after the simple "foam mod" which some say makes these sound like the more expensive 598s.

These are low impedance phones that don't "need" an amp to sound Ok. I have found that with a little dac/amp like the Fiio E7 the improvement is modest but with my Aune T1 hybrid dac/amp they really shine! I am sure that the Schiit Magni Modi combo will drive these excellently (they are of course SS, while I have grown to prefer tube sound).

Anyhow good luck in your search!

 

[DashBerlin]

I have the 558s. The 5xx series including the 518, 558 and 598 are open phones. I find the bass solid and realistic. True bassheads are not as satisfied. Soundstage is good especially after the simple "foam mod" which some say makes these sound like the more expensive 598s.

These are low impedance phones that don't "need" an amp to sound Ok. I have found that with a little dac/amp like the Fiio E7 the improvement is modest but with my Aune T1 hybrid dac/amp they really shine! I am sure that the Schiit Magni Modi combo will drive these excellently (they are of course SS, while I have grown to prefer tube sound).

Anyhow good luck in your search!

Quick question do you need the modi's with the magni's or can you just use the magni's for your amp?

 

[teb1013]

The Magni doesn't need the Modi to run.

 

[PurpleAngel]

 

The Magni can be plugged into a lot of stuff besides the Modi.
But having at least a decent DAC should help.
What would you plug the Magni into?

 

[DashBerlin]

I think I'm just going to stick with one of the sennheiser's for now. On a tight budget and it seems like i would have to buy not just an amp but a dac like the modi for something like the dt990 pro's to work. I originally thought that you could just buy the amp and the headphones and hook the amp to your computer and then hook the headphones into the amp but now I've found that is not the case I guess. I just don't have the money necessary to do that.

 

[teb1013]

I think I'm just going to stick with one of the sennheiser's for now. On a tight budget and it seems like i would have to buy not just an amp but a dac like the modi for something like the dt990 pro's to work. I originally thought that you could just buy the amp and the headphones and hook the amp to your computer and then hook the headphones into the amp but now I've found that is not the case I guess. I just don't have the money necessary to do that.

You may find this thread helpful. http://www.head-fi.org/t/681452/questions-about-dacs-amps-and-sound-cards

 

[PurpleAngel]

  I think I'm just going to stick with one of the Sennheiser's for now. On a tight budget and it seems like i would have to buy not just an amp but a DAC like the Modi for something like the dt990 pro's to work. I originally thought that you could just buy the amp and the headphones and hook the amp to your computer and then hook the headphones into the amp but now I've found that is not the case I guess. I just don't have the money necessary to do that.

 
Assuming this audio setup is for a Win PC?
Asus Xonar DG (PCI) sound card, $26 and there is a $10 mail in rebate this month (Amazon).
Basic headphone amplifier.