[hoth17]

I'm moving into a dorm in a few weeks and I thought I would do my roommate the curtsy of getting myself some closed headphones instead of my current hd555s.

I will be using them solely for my computer in which I have an X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Sound card, though I am willing to sell them and get a new sound card, amp and headphones if that is what you suggest.

I will mostly be listening to music, literally all types; hip hop, rap, metal, classical... However, I play fps as well, and I do like to hear footsteps through walls.

My budget is ~ $150 + what ever I could sell my X-fi sc and hd555's for

I having been looking a the M50, but I don't really know what I'm doing, so any help is much appreciated, thanks!


edit:

thoughts have changed, see post #14

 

[niftymatt]

Check your PMs. I have something you may like.

 

[Sovelin]

It sounds like the Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 ohm would be perfect for you. They are bass monsters, which is perfect for the genres you listen to (except classical). They also make gaming a lot of fun.

 

[hoth17]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sovelin /img/forum/go_quote.gif It sounds like the Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 ohm would be perfect for you. They are bass monsters, which is perfect for the genres you listen to (except classical). They also make gaming a lot of fun.

I have looked at those, but I worry about them missing the mid's and high's because of the overpowering bass.

I was unsure of how these would be for soundstage and in games if I could make out the location of footsteps over the sounds of exploding grenades.

 

[Sovelin]

Well, are you gaming more for fun or professionally? If professionally, then the A700 or A900 will be better. Mids and highs sounded fine to me when I tried out the 770's. See if you can try them out at a guitar center or daddy's junky music.

 

[hoth17]

I game for fun, but I don't like to loose...

But I am looking more for music.

 

[RallyMaster]

Well to be honest, I would think twice about bringing your desktop to campus. I did that for the past three years and to be honest, I didn't realize how inconvenient (and stupid) it was until I got a laptop at the end of last school year and threw gaming aside. Bringing a gaming computer is also a killer on most people's grades. I found I often ended up gaming instead of working on something productive or doing something social (e.g. spending time with friends).

Since the school year just started, I've found myself keeping my desktop shut down for the most part unless I really need to do massive multitasking/processing. As a result, I've also been using my Westone UM1 (IEMs) from my Thinkpad a lot instead of one of my large headphones and I'm getting more work done as a result.

If you're really bent on getting some closed headphones, I think the recent recommendation is to take a look at the Shure SRH840 which are in the $170 range if I recall correctly. One thing to take note: people steal stuff in college. Are you sure you want to bring expensive headphones to campus?

 

[Sovelin]

If you want to go more for music then gaming, the 770 really is your best choice. If you prefer gaming to music, then the a700. I don't think there is anything that will give you the best of both worlds.

Your best bet would actually be to get both, using the A700 when you really want to win. But unless you're doing it professionally, realize you are in college and that gaming should be more of a stress reliever than anything else. But the 770 will be the most fun for music, gaming, and movies. The bass may be a bit much for competitive gaming, but you really need to decide if that is the most important thing to you.

 

[hoth17]

School is by far more important to me, music and games are just for fun. And I have put to much work into my desktop (water cooling and overclocking) to leave it at home. I will have to chain it to my wall or something to keep it form being stolen.

Does the 770 need an amp? or will the x-fi titanium suffice?

 

[Sovelin]

lol, that actually depends heavily on who you ask. It sounds just fine without an amp. It sounds much nicer with an amp (that does not at all mean it sounds bad without one). I'm not too sure about how powerful that sound card is, though. There should be a lot of discussions on that in the computer audio thread.

 

[hoth17]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sovelin /img/forum/go_quote.gif lol, that actually depends heavily on who you ask. It sounds just fine without an amp. It sounds much nicer with an amp (that does not at all mean it sounds bad without one). I'm not too sure about how powerful that sound card is, though. There should be a lot of discussions on that in the computer audio thread.

I think I want to get an amp for them. I see you have the same ones, are you planning to get an amp? If so, which one?

 

[Sovelin]

I'm still waiting on mine to come in. They'll be in on Monday. I'm holding off on an amp for now, but am planning in the iBasso D2+ Boa. It's a portable, but it's what I need. And it is supposedly a very decent DAC.

 

[hoth17]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sovelin /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm still waiting on mine to come in. They'll be in on Monday. I'm holding off on an amp for now, b/ut am planning in the iBasso D2+ Boa. It's a portable, but it's what I need. And it is supposedly a very decent DAC.

how does the iBasso cobra compare to the d2+ Boa?

 

[hoth17]

Okay, after a bit more research, I'm starting to lean towards the Denon 2000.

How do these compare to the DT-770 for music, gaming?

Should I get an amp for these?
With about $150 to spend on an amp, are the iBasso D2+ Boa good choice?

 

[Sovelin]

I haven't tried either of the ibasso's, so I couldn't tell you how they compare. The portable amp forum would be more helpful for that.

Unless portability is really necessary, you're better off with a desktop amp. At the same price point, a desktop will always beat out a portable. For portables, I know nothing better then the Boa at that price range.

Between the 770 and 2000, it isn't an issue of which sounds better as much as which sounds better to you. It's a complete preference thing to decide between those. Personally I think the 770 is a lot of fun, and for the music you mentioned earlier (hip hop and rap) the 770 would most likely be more enjoyable. It would also be more fun for gaming.

The 2000 has a significantly wider soundstage, and will be most likely more enjoyable for genres like classical, jazz, vocals, etc... No idea about the 2000 and gaming.


The way I decided on what to choose was that I made a cd of what I listen to most, and I hunted down the headphones I was trying to decide between and tried them out. None of the reviews I had read meant anything anymore at that point. The AKG K240S have great reviews, but I absolutely hated the way they sounded. The 770's were very engaging and enjoyable, so I went for them. You're best bet will be to find a place that demo's headphones. A local hi-fi store, guitar center, or daddy's junky music are examples.