[afreeman]

Hi all, so i have been going through the forums and after seeing the different reviews and opinions expressed on the board i decided to the get the AD700 with a xonar dg for games. But then i saw the DT 990 Pro 250Ohm for about 160$ and from what i can tell its definitely a step up from the audio techinca. However i have read that the Beyerdynamic definitely needs an amp, since i was going for the Xonar DG which has a headphone amp built in, but it only supports headhpones upto 150Ohms, do you guys think i should get an external amp or would the DG suffice?
 
 
 
Should this be in the amps section?
 

 

[TMRaven]

Well I've read the Beyerdynamic headphones are reasonably easy to drive considering their high impedance ratings, my research on this forum have been that they still require a good amp to sound great, and that the xonar cards often produce clipping and distortion/bloated bass for a good amount of high-end headphones that are power hungry.  I heard the beyerdynamic phones pair nicely with tube amps-- so I went and bought myself a Little Dot MKII for my DT990 600ohm.  Whether I like it or not, well I havn't found that out yet, but other people really like their Beyers with good tube amps.

 

[afreeman]

Well the little Dots seem a bit out of my range right now. I was hoping to find something ~$100. This is my first stop into the world of good cans and i just want to go slow. . Any other opinions options i could look try? The reason i wanted to get the Xonar DG was its ability to give me sorround sound in games which i would really like.  Maybe if i can't drive the DT 990 with the Xonar i should just go with the AD700?
 
 

 

[afreeman]

Oh and i will be using the headphones exclusively with the pc for gaming and music.

 

[Tacoboy]

How about getting the Asus Xonar DX and some used Audio Technica ATH-A700s from amazon, it will be less money then you had planned on spending.

 

 

[afreeman]

Does the DX come with an amp? I thought only the higher priced asus cards had amps. Which of  the three cards do you find to give you better sound?

 

 

[TMRaven]

There is the Fiio E9 at around 100.  AD900 is an option, but if you like thumping bass, 990 Pro is what you want.
 
I have the AD700, but only really use it for games, where it's crystal clear and nice.  It can be ok for music, but I always find myself EQing it for lots of bass, and even then it doesn't have the sub-bass presence as something more neutral and closed like the M50.

 

[Tacoboy]

Quote:

Does the DX come with an amp? I thought only the higher priced asus cards had amps. Which of  the three cards do you find to give you better sound?

 

My DG is still in the box and two weeks ago I removed the DS and installed the DX, so I have not done a direct comparison and I like using a Muse 6922EH headphone amp. with my Beyerdynamic DT 770 80-Ohm headphones, but the DX's headphone amp. seems to do a nice job. I do use the third party Unified Xonar drivers. When I have the DG installed in my second computer, I'll post a review
 

 

[Graphicism]

You might get sufficient volume out of these sound cards but it's not going to sound like it does from a desktop amplifier.
 
Cheapest option has to be the Behringer UCA202 for around $30, I've heard good things about it. From there I'd look at the ZERO DAC, used for around $100.

 

[afreeman]

Hmm, so i think i'ld get the dt 990, the only reason for not getting the ad700 was the lack of bass. Couple that with the xonar DG for now. Hopefully i'll get a desktop amp a little later. the mixamp looks nice so does the e9. Thanks for the input guys really appreciate it.
 
 

 

[Thommohawk]

As a DT 990 Pro owner I can tell you that the Asus Xonar Essence is a really worthy investment and drives the 990 Pro well. Also a cheaper option but on balance as good would be the Fiio E7 Dac/Amp. That doesn't have virtual 5.1 but imo it's not needed on the 990 Pro as it doesn't do reverse sounds all that well regardless and the regular 2 channel sounds much better anyway. But with the Fiio it does a really good job with it's bass boost feature. Depends what you're after though. 
 
If it's strictly a multiplayer surround sound type headphone I'd stay away from the 990 Pro and maybe check out the Sennheiser 380 or something known for it's surround effect. Mixture of that and music you can try the 990 Pro and if you are happy cool but from what I've read the DT 880 might be a better option - albeit nearly 100 dearer.

 

[afreeman]

^^Thommohawk I am equally interested in the music and movies aspect and the gaming aspect of the dt 990. I was reading through mad lust's review of dolby headphones and i noted unlike you he stated that the sound stage and positioning was good on the dt 990. I wonder why such difference in opinion. I probably will be getting a desktop amp a little down the road. Oh and after my last post i ordered the dt 990 and the xonar dg, so i think this thread's going to get answered when i get them delivered . Again thanks to everyone for their valuable input, even if i didn't take their advice . Hoping to feel the difference in sound.

 

[Thommohawk]

Quote:

^^Thommohawk I am equally interested in the music and movies aspect and the gaming aspect of the dt 990. I was reading through mad lust's review of dolby headphones and i noted unlike you he stated that the sound stage and positioning was good on the dt 990. I wonder why such difference in opinion. I probably will be getting a desktop amp a little down the road. Oh and after my last post i ordered the dt 990 and the xonar dg, so i think this thread's going to get answered when i get them delivered . Again thanks to everyone for their valuable input, even if i didn't take their advice . Hoping to feel the difference in sound.

Yes pal but I'd just like to point out to you that the key piece of info there is 2 fold;  the DT 990 Pro is a totally different headphone than the DT 990 premium....and more importantly in this case he (MLE) said the DT 880 rear sounds are problematic in that they sound more like they're centralized - well I can honestly say I get the same impression on the DT 990 Pro and this was before I read Mad Lust's thread there. Something to consider fwiw.  
 
I will say this though, DT 990 Pro for movies you cannot go wrong imo....DT 990 Pro + blu ray 5.1 HD MA track is just simply awe inspiring. Music, if like me you like your bass to be there and don't so much mind recessed mids and IF the highs don't get on your nerves (EQ if they do) then this is a great headphone for music - nice wide soundstage and the instrument separation is awesome for me. Gaming for fun these are fantastic too....nice bass and treble....the opening to Uncharted sounds awesome when you walk through the jungle and you can hear the birds tweeting and wind rustling the swaying leafy greenery. It's only competitive gaming that suffers really as the 5.1 aspect is better on other headphones for real even cheaper ones. Plus the added bass. Hence why for competitive gaming I'd recommend something else. But apart from that it's a really solid built headphone with excellent audio qualities if you like bass and can live with the brightness.
 
EDIT
 
No worries, I see you've opted for the premium DT 990....I hope you enjoy them!  
 
 

 

[afreeman]

I actually ordered the 990 pro 250Ohm not the premium. It seems from your description that i would definitely enjoy these cans especially going from cheapo ones i had been using previously. As far as gaming is concerned i might splurge on ad700 when i get an amp (which knowing me wouldn't be very long off).

 

[Thommohawk]

Oh bud these headphones are a class apart, obviously given the price, compared to cheapo headphones. The biggest difference for me is the wide soundfield (sorry soundstage) and instrument separation which for me is the best part about these headphones by far. These are pretty much the only headphone I've had to date where I didn't have a specific issue of something lacking to the point where it bugged me.....if anything these headphones could be described as giving 'too much' - but to me this is not a problem.....bring it on! 
 
It's only issues technically speaking are recessed mids, forward bass & treble and a lacking rear surround positioning. But for the money spent you will not find a better built or better sounding headphone at this price and the nearest competition is pretty much twice the price and I still think Beyer are the best built headphones in the business save for lack of a detatchable cable. In short I think Beyer is the sweet spot headphone in the $100+ price range. Screams quality imo. 
 
Also if you like rock or electronica with strong basslines then you'll love these - if you happen to like Red Hot Chili Peppers then I can tell you now that with the DT990 Pro you're in for a treat!