[Wheelzz]

Hello there,
 
I am looking into getting some new cans and have never really purchased high end cans, some advice would be appreciated. NOTE: I will be powering these cans with a FiiO Olympus E10. 
 
I am looking for a headphone that does everything fairly well. I often watch TV, listen to music (mostly rock), and play games. That being said, I'd like the cans to do fairly well in all those things, the music is what they will likely be used for the most. I don't hate base, I like it, I just don't want the bass to overpower anything else too much. My primary choices right now are the Beyer D770 Pro and DT990 Pro, both the 250 Ohm variants. The desk at my mothers house is in my living room, but I hear the DT990s don't leak too bad. If they are a better option by far, I have no problem with the open design. The isolation might be nice to keeps things out.
 
Also note: 
DT990 Pro = $200 USD
DT770 Pro = $170 USD
 
I am in Canada, but the cans are much cheaper on the US amazon, so I will be purchasing them there and paying the slight duty.

 

[gambit50]

I am actually thinking of selling my DT 990(250ohm) pro and acquiring the 770 pro(though might do 80ohm).
The openness is fine until it is not. The comfort is great though.
I don't find the leakage too bad but the lack of isolation is more my issue.
Depends on your listening environment and personal sensitivity. So far I am mostly fine but when outside noise comes through too often, I get my knickers a bit twisted. And I would rather have just one pair for desk and travel. Cannot imagine 990s doing well with that.

 

[Wheelzz]

Yeah, my desk is in my living room (also an open concept house) right near the TV. The closed DT770 Pro are looking like the best option, but I worry they will be too bass heavy and not have a nice range. 

 

[SunshineReggae]

The DT770 has strong bass response, but it isn't the overwhelming or boomy type. Its more of a strength that it handles subbass very well, that it doesn't overemphasize midbass too much and that it takes advantage of being a closed headphone. Most reports from them being boomy probably come from people powering it with an integrated amp or headphone amp with high output impedance. In that case, the midbass can easily become too loose and fatiguing. With a proper amp, they sound fine with any decent recordings. The E10's .5 ohm is not going to give you any issues with that. The only thing that might be a concern is whether you can get them loud enough but that's is true for the 250 ohm versions of both the 770 and 990. You might want to consider the 80 ohm version for that reason, although you should probably be okay unless you typically listen very loud.
 
I personally own the 770 (80 ohm) and I like them quite alot. They're very comfortable, detailed and surprisingly revealing. I don't know about the 990's.

 

[Wheelzz]

  The DT770 has strong bass response, but it isn't the overwhelming or boomy type. Its more of a strength that it handles subbass very well, that it doesn't overemphasize midbass too much and that it takes advantage of being a closed headphone. Most reports from them being boomy probably come from people powering it with an integrated amp or headphone amp with high output impedance. In that case, the midbass can easily become too loose and fatiguing. With a proper amp, they sound fine with any decent recordings. The E10's .5 ohm is not going to give you any issues with that. The only thing that might be a concern is whether you can get them loud enough but that's is true for the 250 ohm versions of both the 770 and 990. You might want to consider the 80 ohm version for that reason, although you should probably be okay unless you typically listen very loud.
 
I personally own the 770 (80 ohm) and I like them quite alot. They're very comfortable, detailed and surprisingly revealing. I don't know about the 990's.

IIRC, the E10 is rated for up to 300 Ohm, and reports seem to be that it can properly power 250 Ohm cans such as the Beyer 770-990 series. 

 

[gambit50]

Thanks for the info, Wheelz. I was not too concerned about the bass in DT 770. Sure it is possible to be 'weaker' in some way but I just do not believe it would be a full drop off. Will probably go for 80ohm as I will connect with a portable amp, maybe Fiio e10 or e17. Definitely need something to kick up the juice from a phone. A bit concerned about reliability with the Fiio brand though.
The physical comfort of the DT 990s is fantastic for myself which is why I want 770s as opposed to another brand o' cans.
Unless there is one in the range that is considered as comfortable.
Also, need to figure out which phone will do a decent job of handling this setup.

 

[Wheelzz]

  Thanks for the info, Wheelz. I was not too concerned about the bass in DT 770. Sure it is possible to be 'weaker' in some way but I just do not believe it would be a full drop off. Will probably go for 80ohm as I will connect with a portable amp, maybe Fiio e10 or e17. Definitely need something to kick up the juice from a phone. A bit concerned about reliability with the Fiio brand though.
The physical comfort of the DT 990s is fantastic for myself which is why I want 770s as opposed to another brand o' cans.
Unless there is one in the range that is considered as comfortable.
Also, need to figure out which phone will do a decent job of handling this setup.

E10 won't work with a phone, it requires USB power.

 

[Sxooter]

Recently got the DT770s pros 250ohms and a NuForce MMP and the combination work really well. Very clear sound, pretty level frequency response with a slight emphasis on bass but nothing too crazy (think 2 or 3 db). The response right down to 50hz and below is phenomenal. The MMP's nothing special, but it's light and can run about 8 hours on the battery.