[[Brick]]

Hopefully this is the right forum, and this shouldn't be posted in the headphones forum lol
 
Thanks to the recommendations from people on this site, I've had the Beyerdynamic DT880 Premium headphones for about a year and a half now. I use them primarily for gaming, and they are excellent headphones. Back in the fall I finally built my first custom gaming PC, and now I feel it's time to invest in a good amp and DAC combo to compliment my headphones. It's been a while since I last posted on this site, and last time some suggestions were made, but because it's been so long I wonder if any new amps and DACs have come out that work really well with the DT880.
 
Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[Powello]

Well I have the same phones and run them with a Little Dot Mk IV SE, works wonders.  lots of flexability too with tube rolling to get the sound "just right".   DAC i use is entry level musiland MD10 which was a massive step up from my sound card, but that's also my next upgrade something along the lines of a musical fidelity M1 etc.

 

[[Brick]]

I've heard good things about the Little Dots. I've never owned an amp or DAC before, so I'm completely new to this all.

 

[HamilcarBarca]

Quote:

Hopefully this is the right forum, and this shouldn't be posted in the headphones forum lol
 
Thanks to the recommendations from people on this site, I've had the Beyerdynamic DT880 Premium headphones for about a year and a half now. I use them primarily for gaming, and they are excellent headphones. Back in the fall I finally built my first custom gaming PC, and now I feel it's time to invest in a good amp and DAC combo to compliment my headphones. It's been a while since I last posted on this site, and last time some suggestions were made, but because it's been so long I wonder if any new amps and DACs have come out that work really well with the DT880.
 
Thanks in advance for the help.

 
For ~US$300, the ODAC+O2 combo is audibly neutral and the designer specifically used his 600-Ohm Beyers, known to be difficult to drive, as part of his testing. There are a few other equally good units which are less expensive and many which are more expensive. You can use an equalizer in your PC to adjust the sound.
 
Designing, manufacturing, and maintaining a tube-based amp is more expensive all around, compared to digital design, so many manufacturers settle for various levels of audible distortion to reduce costs. Buying tube after tube to alter the distortion levels -- this is the one and only effect of "tube-rolling" -- seems like a needless expense, many like to experiment.

 

[[Brick]]

Quote:

 
For ~US$300, the ODAC+O2 combo is audibly neutral and the designer specifically used his 600-Ohm Beyers, known to be difficult to drive, as part of his testing. There are a few other equally good units which are less expensive and many which are more expensive. You can use an equalizer in your PC to adjust the sound.
 
Designing, manufacturing, and maintaining a tube-based amp is more expensive all around, compared to digital design, so many manufacturers settle for various levels of audible distortion to reduce costs. Buying tube after tube to alter the distortion levels -- this is the one and only effect of "tube-rolling" -- seems like a needless expense, many like to experiment.

 
Wait, for tube amps you actually have to buy and replace the tubes, or am I misunderstanding?
 
See, I really am totally new to this! 

 

[hodgjy]

Yep, tubes wear out and you have to replace them.  Most last 4000-10,000 hours, depending on the tube and usage.  However, they can all fail at any moment without warning.  It's best to have a backup set at all times.
 
Quote:

 
Wait, for tube amps you actually have to buy and replace the tubes, or am I misunderstanding?
 
See, I really am totally new to this! 

 

[Powello]

I pay about $10 per tube though. Totally worth it when you think how lng they last.

 

[[Brick]]

Tube amps are better than regular amps though I'm guessing, right? Making them worth the extra cash? I may be new to this, but I definitely want to get a quality set up and really make the sound in my games shine.