Buying new headphones and an amp/dac

[Saftarz]

Hello everyone! I'm a swedish guy who just joined the forums, and i would like some help with choosing my first pair of "real" headphones.

My current setup is a pair of sennheiser pc 350's and i'm using a samson meteor mic since the mic on the sennheisers broke. And now i wanna upgrade and get some quality headphones, and an external amp/dac cause i can't fit an internal soundcard in my computer. The headphones i've been looking at are the sennheiser HD558's and the Beyerdynamic DT990 250 ohm's, but i'm also open for different brands aswell. I will use the headphones for gaming ( cs:go, singleplayer games, mmos ) and for music, mainly hip hop, but also some punk rock now and then.

The dac/amp i've been looking at is the FiiO E10k, but i don't know if that one will match with the 2 headphones i'm interested in. And i will not carry it around, it will just sit on my desk so the size doesn't matter.

My budget is about 300 dollars. I hope this is enough info to get some help  

Thanks in advance!

// Saftarz

[Diederik_Gr]

The DT-990's are my first choice, i own a pair (The 'Edition', not the pro's), and gaming has been a blast with them. No idea for a dac/amp, because I'm using it on integrated audio. I heard an amp gets a bit more out of the headphones, so I'm in the market for one as well.

[xtroria]

300 dollar? Fidelio x2 and you dont need any amp dac

[Saftarz]

Thanks for the suggestion Diederik! And xtroria, isn't it better to buy an amp/dac and a pair of headphones? that way i have more options if i'm going to buy new headphones later. Also i would like a volume control, so an amp/dac seems to be very useful!

[X_Rated_Box]

For an amp id go with the

FIIO E10K just sayin:D

[xtroria]

Thanks for the suggestion Diederik! And xtroria, isn't it better to buy an amp/dac and a pair of headphones? that way i have more options if i'm going to buy new headphones later. Also i would like a volume control, so an amp/dac seems to be very useful!

Fidelio x2 is only 32 ohm and I believe it has pretty high sensitivity. Another route that you could go with is to look for used K7xx in head-fi trade sub-forum and probably grab schiit fulla. Either choices are excellent and you should come away happy

[Saftarz]

Fidelio x2 is only 32 ohm and I believe it has pretty high sensitivity. Another route that you could go with is to look for used K7xx in head-fi trade sub-forum and probably grab schiit fulla. Either choices are excellent and you should come away happy

The problem is that i live in sweden, and i don't like buying from ebay or countries far away because of the shipping time and cost. That's why i was looking into the sennheiser's and the beyerdynamics, and also the fiio e10k. I can get them for a good price in stores near me So out of those two, which one would you recommend to me? Or can you give me some other suggestions in that price range?

[xtroria]

The problem is that i live in sweden, and i don't like buying from ebay or countries far away because of the shipping time and cost. That's why i was looking into the sennheiser's and the beyerdynamics, and also the fiio e10k. I can get them for a good price in stores near me So out of those two, which one would you recommend to me? Or can you give me some other suggestions in that price range?

Both are good, they have slightly different sound signature and I dont really prefer one over another, I own K7xx and tested fidelio x2.

Other options include DT880, DT990, Hifiman HE-400, HD600

[Saftarz]

xtroria: Do you think the Fiio e10k amp is enough to power the beyerdynamic dt990 250ohm properly, cause i saw that the recommended impedance was 16-150 ohm. Or do you have any other suggestions on cheap dac/amps that can power them? Cause i feel like testing a new brand, i've been using my sennheiser pc350 for nearly 6 years now and it's always fun with something new

[xtroria]

xtroria: Do you think the Fiio e10k amp is enough to power the beyerdynamic dt990 250ohm properly, cause i saw that the recommended impedance was 16-150 ohm. Or do you have any other suggestions on cheap dac/amps that can power them? Cause i feel like testing a new brand, i've been using my sennheiser pc350 for nearly 6 years now and it's always fun with something new

It will get louder than the comfortable listening level. DT990 is pretty U-shaped sounding though so make sure you can return the headphone if you dont happen to like it

[o0Martin]

I have a FiiO E10k, it works well, and I know everyone doesn't have this issue so you may be fine, but the casing isn't enough to shield it from the signals from my phone, whenever I use the internet on my phone or I get calls/texts, or even if I just lay my phone next to it I will get an annoying buzzing sound, if you want to avoid that I would look into getting a different amp+dac solution. But I know some people who have it and haven't had that issue at all, so it may just be me.

[Captain_Slow]

the new Fiio E17k gen 2s are out! and they look great, they are also portable.

 

if you are in the states you can get Sennheiser HD650 for $300, same price as the DT990 and I'd prefer the Senns.

 

as far as a desktop Amps go i use a E09K + E17K setup, the Amp in the E09K is much more powerful. 

[Saftarz]

I have a FiiO E10k, it works well, and I know everyone doesn't have this issue so you may be fine, but the casing isn't enough to shield it from the signals from my phone, whenever I use the internet on my phone or I get calls/texts, or even if I just lay my phone next to it I will get an annoying buzzing sound, if you want to avoid that I would look into getting a different amp+dac solution. But I know some people who have it and haven't had that issue at all, so it may just be me.

Alright, that sounds strange =/ But thanks for telling me! Do you know any other dac/amp in that price range that you can recommend? =)

[Saftarz]

the new Fiio E17k gen 2s are out! and they look great, they are also portable.

 

if you are in the states you can get Sennheiser HD650 for $300, same price as the DT990 and I'd prefer the Senns.

 

as far as a desktop Amps go i use a E09K + E17K setup, the Amp in the E09K is much more powerful. 

Since my budget is 300 bucks for headphones and dac/amp i can't really get a pair of HD650 or DT990 600 ohm's.

[Saftarz]

Also, would the sound leaking from open headphones be a problem for my condenser mic? I've been using my closed sennheiser headphones for about 6 years so i don't really know how much open headphones leak.

[Captain_Slow]

Since my budget is 300 bucks for headphones and dac/amp i can't really get a pair of HD650 or DT990 600 ohm's.

Oh for both...

 

I see. the Sennheiser 558 or 598 plus Fiio E10k or E09K

[xtroria]

Oh for both...

I see. the Sennheiser 558 or 598 plus Fiio E10k or E09K

558 and 598 dont need amp at all

[Oktyabr]

I have a FiiO E10k, it works well, and I know everyone doesn't have this issue so you may be fine, but the casing isn't enough to shield it from the signals from my phone, whenever I use the internet on my phone or I get calls/texts, or even if I just lay my phone next to it I will get an annoying buzzing sound, if you want to avoid that I would look into getting a different amp+dac solution. But I know some people who have it and haven't had that issue at all, so it may just be me.

This can happen but the thing to realize is that the case actually offers more shielding than does the headphone cord itself, in most cases.  EMI doesn't target specific hardware or brands.  Put the cell phone next to the headphone cable and see if you don't get the same (if not worse!) interference!  The cable itself acts like an antenna.

The solution isn't to buy a different amp/dac (since they are unlikely to be any better in these regards)... it's to keep your cellphone away from your headphone gear

[Saftarz]

Captain_slow and xtroria: Thanks for the suggestion captain! But xtroria, isn't it worth getting the dac/amp cause of the dac itself, and the volume control? Or maybe you could name a pair of good headphones that will benefit from the amp, that would be fantastic =)

So these are the two options: Buying sennheiser hd 558 and the FiiO E10k because of the dac and the volume control, or buying a pair of headphones that need amping, like the beyerdynamic dt990 250 ohms and the FiiO E10k aswell.

To me it sounds like a little bit of waste buying the sennheisers then, and it would be better to actually buy a pair of headphones that will benefit from the amping. Thoughts on this?

[Oktyabr]

To me it sounds like a little bit of waste buying the sennheisers then, and it would be better to actually buy a pair of headphones that will benefit from the amping. Thoughts on this?

Benefit in what way?  All an amplifier does is amplify an analog signal making a speaker (in this case your headphones) louder.  Buying a pair of headphones that will "benefit from the amping" can only really mean buying a pair of headphones so *difficult to drive* that your phone, motherboard, sound card, whatever cannot drive them to a volume loud enough to please you.

I like having a desktop dac/amp for the volume knob, clicky switches and the headphone jack right in front of me, rather than down on my PC case somewhere.  Any headphone would 'benefit' from this, in my opinion.  

[Saftarz]

Benefit in what way?  All an amplifier does is amplify an analog signal making a speaker (in this case your headphones) louder.  Buying a pair of headphones that will "benefit from the amping" can only really mean buying a pair of headphones so *difficult to drive* that your phone, motherboard, sound card, whatever cannot drive them to a volume loud enough to please you.

I like having a desktop dac/amp for the volume knob, clicky switches and the headphone jack right in front of me, rather than down on my PC case somewhere.  Any headphone would 'benefit' from this, in my opinion.  

i thought that headphones with higher impedance would sound better than headphones with low impedance, when amped correctly, if you know what i mean. Oh well, now i know that Thanks for the lesson haha.

So now beyerdynamic is out of the picture i guess, cause the 32 ohm's are too expensive. Too bad, the beyerdynamic's seemed like a good pair of headphones, and they look great. So now i would like some other suggestions than the sennheiser HD558's, so that i have some options. 

 

[Oktyabr]

Beyerdynamic, Sennheiser, AKG, Audio Technica, Philips, and Shure are all among some of the better brands you will find people will recommend.  The E10K is a handy amp that should run pretty much anything (with a few very expensive exceptions) so plan on getting it, even if it's just for the knob, and finding a headphone from one of those companies that suits your budget.

[creatip123]

i thought that headphones with higher impedance would sound better than headphones with low impedance, when amped correctly, if you know what i mean. Oh well, now i know that Thanks for the lesson haha.

So now beyerdynamic is out of the picture i guess, cause the 32 ohm's are too expensive. Too bad, the beyerdynamic's seemed like a good pair of headphones, and they look great. So now i would like some other suggestions than the sennheiser HD558's, so that i have some options. 

 

 

Get the 250 ohms then. Lots of users of those, plugging straight from mobo.

 

Here's a light read: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/290749-the-impedance-ballad-image-heavy/

[Saftarz]

Oktyabr: Thanks for the brand suggestions! I will look into those, and go with the FiiO E10k

Creatip123: Wow, thanks for making and linking that post to me! So do you think the FiiO E10k can power the dt990 250 ohms good enough? I don't really know how dB works, how loud 100 dB is for example.

[creatip123]

Oktyabr: Thanks for the brand suggestions! I will look into those, and go with the FiiO E10k

Creatip123: Wow, thanks for making and linking that post to me! So do you think the FiiO E10k can power the dt990 250 ohms good enough? I don't really know how dB works, how loud 100 dB is for example.