Will my Xonar DGX be able to drive 250ohm headphones?
Mar 3, 2014 at 12:23 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 19

BagelMonster

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Hey guys, I currently have an Asus Xonar DGX sound card on my desktop PC. I'm thinking of getting the Beyerdynamic DT880s, but I've heard that the 250ohm version sounds much better than the 32 ohm version when amped. Will my sound card be able to handle the 250ohm version or should I just go for the 32 ohms? I plan to be using the headphones at home only. Or if anyone has recommendations on other headphones that are good for Rock music around the 200-300$ range that'd be awesome as well. Thanks! 
 
Mar 3, 2014 at 1:33 PM Post #2 of 19
I have both a DGX and the Beyer DT880 250 ohm. The DGX will drive them to somewhat reasonable levels with decent sound. It says on the box that is optimized to run 32 ohm - 150 ohm headphones though. A desktop amp drives the DT880s far better.
 
Mar 3, 2014 at 1:49 PM Post #4 of 19
hey I was in the exact same situation as you. I've owned the ATH M50s for about a year and recently bought the DT 880s last week. To me they are a huge improvement. The 880s are 100x more comfy compared to the M50s and give a much more neutral sound. the M50s I found were great for songs with a lot of bass however when listening to songs with loud vocals the 880s were much more enjoyable.
 
Edit: Also you need to consider whether or not you are using it outside. The M50s are closed headphones whereas the 880s are open so sound leaks through. If you are listening to these at home it's fine but I wouldn't use it going out.
 
Mar 3, 2014 at 1:55 PM Post #5 of 19
I also have a the ATH-M50s. The DT880 is better in almost every respect. I always found the M50s to have a recessed midrange (vocals sounded very distant and murky) and a overly strident treble. The DT880s sound much more balanced to me. It's a night and day comparison IMO.
 
Depending on how much more the 32 ohm version is than the 250 ohm, I would consider getting the 250 ohm and an amp. On amazon the pro 250 ohm is listed at $199 and the premium 32 ohm at  $350. You could spend $100 on an amp and still pay less overall than what the 32 ohm version costs. This setup will be far superior than the 32 ohm + DGX combo and cheaper. The 250 ohm is going to perform better overall than the 32 ohm. Check out this article on innerfidelity that compares the different DT880 versions:
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/comparison-beyerdynamic-dt-880-32-ohm-dt-880-250-ohm-and-dt-880-600-ohm-headphones
 
Mar 3, 2014 at 2:15 PM Post #6 of 19
  I also have a the ATH-M50s. The DT880 is better in almost every respect. I always found the M50s to have a recessed midrange (vocals sounded very distant and murky) and a overly strident treble. The DT880s sound much more balanced to me. It's a night and day comparison IMO.
 
Depending on how much more the 32 ohm version is than the 250 ohm, I would consider getting the 250 ohm and an amp. On amazon the pro 250 ohm is listed at $199 and the premium 32 ohm at  $350. You could spend $100 on an amp and still pay less overall than what the 32 ohm version costs. This setup will be far superior than the 32 ohm + DGX combo and cheaper. The 250 ohm is going to perform better overall than the 32 ohm. Check out this article on innerfidelity that compares the different DT880 versions:
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/comparison-beyerdynamic-dt-880-32-ohm-dt-880-250-ohm-and-dt-880-600-ohm-headphones

I live in Canada, so not everything on Amazon ships here. Unfortunately the DT880s don't. There's a retailer here that sells DT880s for $250. Do you have any experience with the DT770s? I just know that they're closed headphones, but they're much cheaper and Amazon ships it to Canada.
 
Quote:
  hey I was in the exact same situation as you. I've owned the ATH M50s for about a year and recently bought the DT 880s last week. To me they are a huge improvement. The 880s are 100x more comfy compared to the M50s and give a much more neutral sound. the M50s I found were great for songs with a lot of bass however when listening to songs with loud vocals the 880s were much more enjoyable.
 
Edit: Also you need to consider whether or not you are using it outside. The M50s are closed headphones whereas the 880s are open so sound leaks through. If you are listening to these at home it's fine but I wouldn't use it going out.

 

I mostly listen to Rock/Alternative/Acoustic music. Also I won't be taking the headphones out, purely for use at home so I don't think it's a big deal for me. 
 
Mar 3, 2014 at 2:43 PM Post #7 of 19
   
I live in Canada, so not everything on Amazon ships here. Unfortunately the DT880s don't. There's a retailer here that sells DT880s for $250. Do you have any experience with the DT770s? I just know that they're closed headphones, but they're much cheaper and Amazon ships it to Canada.

I'm actually from Canada too! I bought my DT880s from NCIX since there was a big discount on it. I haven't tried the DT770s but I know they are similar to m50s than the DT880s since they do have a heavier bass than the 880s. Comfort-wise I think they are probably much more comfier than the m50s. I would go to a local headphone place to sample out different headphones before you make the purchase though :)
 
Mar 3, 2014 at 2:48 PM Post #8 of 19
I have not heard the DT770s. From what I have read they are not nearly as good as the 880s. If you are planning on upgrading to an amp anytime soon I would go with the 250 ohm and use your DGX for the time being. It works pretty well with the 250 ohm, you just won't be able to get high volume levels out of them. The 250 ohm will scale better if you want to upgrade. If your not planning on upgrading at all then go with the 32 ohm version. Those should have no problem being driven by the DGX.
 
Mar 3, 2014 at 2:58 PM Post #11 of 19
I recently just got the DGX so I don't think I'll be dropping another $75 for an external jack...might just go with the 250ohm version for a few months and until I can spend more money on an amp. Thanks for the help :) 
 
Mar 3, 2014 at 2:59 PM Post #12 of 19
I'm using a Schiit Vali with mine. It's a tube hybrid amp. It smooths out the top end of the DT880 just enough but not too much. The Fiio stuff is supposed to be pretty good and a little less expensive.
 
Mar 3, 2014 at 3:01 PM Post #13 of 19
 I recently just got the DGX so I don't think I'll be dropping another $75 for an external jack...might just go with the 250ohm version for a few months and until I can spend more money on an amp. Thanks for the help :) 

 
That sounds like a good move to me!
 

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