Beyerdynamic DT990 PRO vs AKG K-701 vs Audio-Technica ATH-AD700

[HyperBlue]

Hello,

I have been struggling with a decision which is where to get a Beyerdynamic DT990 PRO, Audio-Technica ATH-AD700 or a AKG K-701, the primary use of which will be gaming 70% (all genre of games), music 20% (mainly dubstep, alternative modern rock and some pop) and films 10%. I will be purchasing these headphones with the Asus Xonar DGX and a headphone amp which I am not sure about yet. My priorities for these headphones will be an immersive gaming experience (I play all games from RPG's to FPS') so good bass is a must, however I also want to play competitively which will require good positional audio, but I still want an immersive experience>positional audio however only by a bit, keep in mind that price is not a problem with these 2 headphones, however if you suggest anything new make sure it's in the range if ~£150

I have a couple of questions:

1) Is the bass really that bad on the AKG 701's?
2) Is the DT990's mids really that bad as I have heard?
3) What amp should I get £80 max (I know wrong forum but need more opinions anyway )
4) Is bass that important for immersion in the game (such as Skyrim, BF3 etc.)?
5) What headphones do you think will be the most immersive in games and the music I listen to?
6) Is the AD700's bass and mid bass really that bad (don't forget I want immersion and I listen to music and watch movies, not just game competitively)
7) What do you think would be the best out of the three for my uses? (if you have more suggestions I have a budget of about £150 - I live in the UK).

 

[Lyons]

TL;DR get DT770's (£130) and a Fiio E7 (£70).

 

 

1) Is the bass really that bad on the AKG 701's?

>not if driven adequately. With a decent amp, the bass is perfect and very well extended

 

2) Is the DT990's mids really that bad as I have heard?

>yeah, maybe 'bad' compared to HD800's or something...

 

3) What amp should I get £80 max (I know wrong forum but need more opinions anyway )

>O2, Schitt Magni, Fiio E7 (also DAC), Fiio E10

 

4) Is bass that important for immersion in the game (such as Skyrim, BF3 etc.)?

>subjective, really. Bass helps with explosions, but I look for detail and positional accuracy first before bass for gaming, FPS at least

 

5) What headphones do you think will be the most immersive in games and the music I listen to?

K701/2's are fantastic, amazing sound stage, very detailed. DT990's are great too if you want a little more bass. This is really price dependant as DT990's are more expensive. K702's in my experience have fantastic detail and positional accuracy.

 

6) Is the AD700's bass and mid bass really that bad (don't forget I want immersion and I listen to music and watch movies, not just game competitively)

Not as good as the other two you've mentioned. They're less than half the price. You get what you pay for. AD700's are reknowned for their positional accuracy though. For music, K701/2's or better would be superior to the AD700's

 

7) What do you think would be the best out of the three for my uses? (if you have more suggestions I have a budget of about £150 - I live in the UK).

Why are you talking about K701/2's or DT990's when you can't afford them? Get DT770's if that's your budget

[h264]

Hello,

I have been struggling with a decision which is where to get a Beyerdynamic DT990 PRO, Audio-Technica ATH-AD700 or a AKG K-701, the primary use of which will be gaming 70% (all genre of games), music 20% (mainly dubstep, alternative modern rock and some pop) and films 10%. I will be purchasing these headphones with the Asus Xonar DGX and a headphone amp which I am not sure about yet. My priorities for these headphones will be an immersive gaming experience (I play all games from RPG's to FPS') so good bass is a must, however I also want to play competitively which will require good positional audio, but I still want an immersive experience>positional audio however only by a bit, keep in mind that price is not a problem with these 2 headphones, however if you suggest anything new make sure it's in the range if ~£150

I have a couple of questions:

1) Is the bass really that bad on the AKG 701's?

2) Is the DT990's mids really that bad as I have heard?

3) What amp should I get £80 max (I know wrong forum but need more opinions anyway )

4) Is bass that important for immersion in the game (such as Skyrim, BF3 etc.)?

5) What headphones do you think will be the most immersive in games and the music I listen to?

6) Is the AD700's bass and mid bass really that bad (don't forget I want immersion and I listen to music and watch movies, not just game competitively)

7) What do you think would be the best out of the three for my uses? (if you have more suggestions I have a budget of about £150 - I live in the UK).

 

The specific english word for this is "several", if I remember correctly, but no matter:

 

1) It's not booming enough for some.  It's perfect for mixing, mastering, and classical drums, but bad for bangs and explosions.  Unless you LIKE your bangs and explosions NOT rattling your brain, like me.

2) No it's really more that the highs and lows are very accentuated.

3) Well, I'd skip the DGX entirely and get a FiiO E10 unless you intend to get the DT990pros, due to the fact it's really the only amp under $100 that has a good damping factor with the K701 and AD700, but I'm pretty shrill about output impedance.  If you get the DGX do understand it's ALREADY a headphone amp and you won't need a separate one for any of the headphones you are considering, although the DT990 will work best with it.

4) I don't think so.  I think it's more important to convince yourself you are the pyro and you walk forward and burn things until the heavy kills you...

5) Good ones.  Durable and comfortable ones that last you a while would be best to convince yourself your not sitting in front of your computer with awkward headphones on.

6) Not really.  It's a good choice if you want to wear "salmon" colored headphones while you frag your enemies.  That'll make em feel your, say, impressive, presence.

7) Beyer DT990pros since I think you'll appreciate their build quality and how fun and exciting they make everything sound with their accentuated highs and lows.

 

Well hope this helps and happy frags!

[h264]

TL;DR get DT770's (£130) and a Fiio E7 (£70).

 

 

1) Is the bass really that bad on the AKG 701's?

>not if driven adequately. With a decent amp, the bass is perfect and very well extended

 

2) Is the DT990's mids really that bad as I have heard?

>yeah, maybe 'bad' compared to HD800's or something...

 

3) What amp should I get £80 max (I know wrong forum but need more opinions anyway )

>O2, Schitt Magni, Fiio E7 (also DAC), Fiio E10

 

4) Is bass that important for immersion in the game (such as Skyrim, BF3 etc.)?

>subjective, really. Bass helps with explosions, but I look for detail and positional accuracy first before bass for gaming, FPS at least

 

5) What headphones do you think will be the most immersive in games and the music I listen to?

K701/2's are fantastic, amazing sound stage, very detailed. DT990's are great too if you want a little more bass. This is really price dependant as DT990's are more expensive. K702's in my experience have fantastic detail and positional accuracy.

 

6) Is the AD700's bass and mid bass really that bad (don't forget I want immersion and I listen to music and watch movies, not just game competitively)

Not as good as the other two you've mentioned. They're less than half the price. You get what you pay for. AD700's are reknowned for their positional accuracy though. For music, K701/2's or better would be superior to the AD700's

 

7) What do you think would be the best out of the three for my uses? (if you have more suggestions I have a budget of about £150 - I live in the UK).

Why are you talking about K701/2's or DT990's when you can't afford them? Get DT770's if that's your budget

 

OOOH, you beat me! darn...

[Kiraaaa]

5) What headphones do you think will be the most immersive in games and the music I listen to?

K701/2's are fantastic, amazing sound stage, very detailed. DT990's are great too if you want a little more bass. This is really price dependant as DT990's are more expensive. K702's in my experience have fantastic detail and positional accuracy.

OP is talking about the DT990 PRO's which are actually cheaper.

 

The K701 and DT990 will both require an amp, whereas the AD700 won't. So you could save a lot by going with the AD700 (cheapest of three + no amp needed). They're great for competitive gaming... but really lack in bass which you also want since you mentioned dubstep and movies.

 

I think the K701 are out of your price range, though.

 

I think the DT990's would be your best option, because I think they are considered more "fun" phones compared to the AD700 when it comes to things like dubstep.

[OddballMV]

Couple of other options for you:

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-HD-598-Circumaural-Headphones/dp/B0042A8CW2/ref=sr_1_11?s=electronics-accessories&ie=UTF8&qid=1371880738&sr=1-11&keywords=headphones - All rounder, immersive audio plus positional audio, just reduced to £150

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-MDRMA900-AE-Home-Headphones/dp/B007I1QXX2/ref=sr_1_66?s=electronics-accessories&ie=UTF8&qid=1371880766&sr=1-66&keywords=headphones - Started out at £200 but down to £141 now, 70mm drivers so very good bass while still being open backed so good positional audio.

[Aphexx]

I have the ad700 and the dt770's and I would never ever use the dt770 for call of duty. or any FPS game. don't get me wrong the dt770 is a freakishly fun headphone but its just on the edge of being too muddy and has a vague and closed in soundstage to my ears. 

 

if you look at the ath ad700 appreciation thread on headfi it is filled with people like me who think the bass on the ad700 is not that bad. it definitely is recessed compared to the ridiculous bass on dt770 but not that far off when compared to the ath-m50 which I also own. it is very satisfying for chillstep especially when you EQ more bass into it. 

 

that said I'd love to sell my ad700 to get my hands on the akg

 

 

ooooorrrrrrr.   you can do what I did. for the price of the akg you can afford both the ath-ad700 and an ath-M50 and have a specialized tool for a certain job. plus the m50 would double as a good portable headphone for on the go because none of those 3 would be great for walking around in. 

have a spoon for drinking soup and a fork for eating steak instead of trying to use a spork to do it all. 

[Richyo]

I own the AD700 and can't contribute to what has already been said. Comfort wise the AD700 they are great and looking at the design of the K-701 they should be good too.

I wear my AD700 for at least 8-12 hours a day and have no comfort-bility issues with em on my large sized head (helmet and hat size).

No real sweat issue in the Australian summer also.

In the $300 price range you might as well consider the AD900 or 900x from Audio Technica

[HyperBlue]

TL;DR get DT770's (£130) and a Fiio E7 (£70).

 

 

1) Is the bass really that bad on the AKG 701's?

>not if driven adequately. With a decent amp, the bass is perfect and very well extended

 

2) Is the DT990's mids really that bad as I have heard?

>yeah, maybe 'bad' compared to HD800's or something...

 

3) What amp should I get £80 max (I know wrong forum but need more opinions anyway )

>O2, Schitt Magni, Fiio E7 (also DAC), Fiio E10

 

4) Is bass that important for immersion in the game (such as Skyrim, BF3 etc.)?

>subjective, really. Bass helps with explosions, but I look for detail and positional accuracy first before bass for gaming, FPS at least

 

5) What headphones do you think will be the most immersive in games and the music I listen to?

K701/2's are fantastic, amazing sound stage, very detailed. DT990's are great too if you want a little more bass. This is really price dependant as DT990's are more expensive. K702's in my experience have fantastic detail and positional accuracy.

 

6) Is the AD700's bass and mid bass really that bad (don't forget I want immersion and I listen to music and watch movies, not just game competitively)

Not as good as the other two you've mentioned. They're less than half the price. You get what you pay for. AD700's are reknowned for their positional accuracy though. For music, K701/2's or better would be superior to the AD700's

 

7) What do you think would be the best out of the three for my uses? (if you have more suggestions I have a budget of about £150 - I live in the UK).

Why are you talking about K701/2's or DT990's when you can't afford them? Get DT770's if that's your budget

 

 

I can get the DT990's for around £130 and the AKG's at around £160

[HyperBlue]

Thanks for the suggestions guys, keep 'em coming!

 

Also as OddBallMIV has pointed out the HD 598's have just been reduced to £150, however I have heard the bass on these is recessed, from experience has anyone had any trouble listening to music like bass heavy dubstep?

[Kiraaaa]

The HD 558's use the same drivers as the HD 598's. There is an easy, reversible mod that involves removing a piece of foam in the 558 to make them sound very similar to the 598's. So that's a cheaper alternative.

As for bass, it may seem like the 558/598 are lacking in bass but when compared to my brother's AD700's, I can really tell/feel the difference in bass. The AD700's are just a lot lighter on bass impact compared to the Senns.

Sure both are fine for chillstep, but I have a feeling that you won't get the bass impact you are expecting from these cans with dubstep.

I've gotten used to the lack of bass and enjoy the music regardless.. but I am still considering buying a "fun" pair of just complete basshead cans for when I just want to feel my head rumbling, lol.

[HyperBlue]

The HD 558's use the same drivers as the HD 598's. There is an easy, reversible mod that involves removing a piece of foam in the 558 to make them sound very similar to the 598's. So that's a cheaper alternative.

As for bass, it may seem like the 558/598 are lacking in bass but when compared to my brother's AD700's, I can really tell/feel the difference in bass. The AD700's are just a lot lighter on bass impact compared to the Senns.

Sure both are fine for chillstep, but I have a feeling that you won't get the bass impact you are expecting from these cans with dubstep.

I've gotten used to the lack of bass and enjoy the music regardless.. but I am still considering buying a "fun" pair of just complete basshead cans for when I just want to feel my head rumbling, lol.

 

Cheers for the input.

[h3ll0]

What about the MDR 7506 from Sony. I use a pair myself and they have great positonal audio and crystal clear highs.

 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000AJIF4E

[HyperBlue]

What about the MDR 7506 from Sony. I use a pair myself and they have great positonal audio and crystal clear highs.

 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000AJIF4E

 

Sorry but those headphones are not in the league of the headphones which I have specified.

[h3ll0]

Are they really not in the same league. I mean the AD 700 is in the same "league" as the Sony's.

 

http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=0&graphID[]=2361&graphID[]=703&graphID[]=2241&graphID[]=2631&scale=30

[Aphexx]

dude its ok don't take it so personal. I'm sure the the 7506 has good soundstage. I even classify my M50 as having good soundstage and wore them for FPS games before I got my ad700.

 

the phones that are on his list are for soundstage at a totally different level as the 7506, exceptional soundstage as opposed to 'good' 

[vanwazltoff]

I personally like Grados, not the most comfortable but the I love the soundstage and clarity. They are great for gaming and movies

[h3ll0]

 

dude its ok don't take it so personal.The phones that are on his list are for soundstage at a totally different level as the 7506, exceptional soundstage as opposed to 'good' 

 

It's not that its personal it's just the way he said it was an jackass/asshole way to say it, if he would have said it like you just did my comment wouldn't be there. <_<

[HyperBlue]

It's not that its personal it's just the way he said it was an jackass/asshole way to say it, if he would have said it like you just did my comment wouldn't be there. <_<

 

Sorry if it came across that way, I hope no hard feelings.

 

More suggestions please :).

[h3ll0]

Sorry I took it the wrong way had a bad day yesterday, no hard feelings. :)

[HyperBlue]

So would people say that DT990's are more "fun" headphones?

[Gorgatron]

I used to own all headphones OP (still have the AD700). Now I use my Beyerdynamic DT770 80ohm. The 701 wasn't bad, it is just really picking when it comes to amplification and I felt it wasn't adequate for playing games. The AD700 and DT990 were awesome for games. The AD700 lacks bass (which for games I really did not care) and the DT990 from what I remember had a really fun soundstage and the bass I wanted for drum and bass and trance music. The DT990 headband was much tighter but still really comfortable.

[HyperBlue]

I shall be purchasing the DT990's thanks a lot guys, not to choose an amplifier (if anyone can help I have a budget of £80, I can stretch this to £100 if need be).

 

I have heard the O2 is a good amplifier, however, I cannot locate it anywhere for £100, any ideas?

 

Also the fiio 10 comes up a lot, not sure about this.

 

And finally people say I need an amplifier and a dac, what is the difference (if you can offer examples of products).

 

Thanks!

[HyperBlue]

They will be the 250 ohm edition I think.

[HyperBlue]

I shall be purchasing the DT990's thanks a lot guys, not to choose an amplifier (if anyone can help I have a budget of £80, I can stretch this to £100 if need be).

 

I have heard the O2 is a good amplifier, however, I cannot locate it anywhere for £100, any ideas?

 

Also the fiio 10 comes up a lot, not sure about this.

 

And finally people say I need an amplifier and a dac, what is the difference (if you can offer examples of products).

 

Thanks!

 

Correction: by fiio 10, I meant fiio eo9k