Jump to content

Best Soundcard for DT990 Pro Headphones

JRNOETH

Hi,

 

What is the best sound card for the DT990 pro headphones? 

.

 

Thanks,

Jeremy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

I assume 250 ohm version?

As, I'm interested too then.

I edit my posts more often than not

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Tan3l6 said:

I assume 250 ohm version?

As, I'm interested too then.

Yes, the setup I want to go for is the Shure MV7 plus the DT990 Pro headphones so I need something to power the headphones I think?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, JRNOETH said:

Yes, the setup I want to go for is the Shure MV7 plus the DT990 Pro headphones so I need something to power the headphones I think?

I'm not so familiar with  "acceptable" headphones, I now use just 30€ headphones, but plannig to buy 250 ohm DT990 Pro's just to test how wide is the gap in sound quality.

But yeah something needs to power the headphones, not sure if you need soundcard or amp...

I edit my posts more often than not

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, JRNOETH said:

Hi,

 

What is the best sound card for the DT990 pro headphones? 

.

 

Thanks,

Jeremy

Why not spend a couple hundred bucks on an external solution? You limit yourself too much thinking of sound cards only.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Headphones like that indeed works best with external solutions.

DAC/AMPs:

Klipsch Heritage Headphone Amplifier

Headphones: Klipsch Heritage HP-3 Walnut, Meze 109 Pro, Beyerdynamic Amiron Home, Amiron Wireless Copper, Tygr 300R, DT880 600ohm Manufaktur, T90, Fidelio X2HR

CPU: Intel 4770, GPU: Asus RTX3080 TUF Gaming OC, Mobo: MSI Z87-G45, RAM: DDR3 16GB G.Skill, PC Case: Fractal Design R4 Black non-iglass, Monitor: BenQ GW2280

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Best? Imo go with a liquid spark amp stack or go with your motherboard instead of a dac just cause it pairs really well. That's $200 for the stack $100 just just the amp

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, HumdrumPenguin said:

Why not spend a couple hundred bucks on an external solution? You limit yourself too much thinking of sound cards only.

what is a good external solutions? an Audio interface?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, JRNOETH said:

what is a good external solutions? an Audio interface?

What's your budget?

DAC/AMPs:

Klipsch Heritage Headphone Amplifier

Headphones: Klipsch Heritage HP-3 Walnut, Meze 109 Pro, Beyerdynamic Amiron Home, Amiron Wireless Copper, Tygr 300R, DT880 600ohm Manufaktur, T90, Fidelio X2HR

CPU: Intel 4770, GPU: Asus RTX3080 TUF Gaming OC, Mobo: MSI Z87-G45, RAM: DDR3 16GB G.Skill, PC Case: Fractal Design R4 Black non-iglass, Monitor: BenQ GW2280

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, CTR640 said:

What's your budget?

well i'm picking up the DT990's and an MV7 I think. So maybe $100-$200? nothing Crazy just need it to be solid and last.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

24 minutes ago, JRNOETH said:

well i'm picking up the DT990's and an MV7 I think. So maybe $100-$200? nothing Crazy just need it to be solid and last.

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=38965

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=33304

Slightly above budget but these 2 are the best pairing within your budget for beyerdynamics. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

37 minutes ago, JRNOETH said:

what is a good external solutions? an Audio interface?

Well, most audiophile amps won't have the mic input you need. I would then start looking into what Behringer or ART has to offer, and expand your search from there if nothing is of your liking. I personally use a USB mic that I quite like for what I need, so the rest of the stuff I have only really need to provide output for my speakers and headphones. This wouldn't be enough to you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, HumdrumPenguin said:

Well, most audiophile amps won't have the mic input you need. I would then start looking into what Behringer or ART has to offer, and expand your search from there if nothing is of your liking. I personally use a USB mic that I quite like for what I need, so the rest of the stuff I have only really need to provide output for my speakers and headphones. This wouldn't be enough to you.

Shure MV7 is made for USB. it has a XLR output but I'm going to use it via USB.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

16 minutes ago, JRNOETH said:

Shure MV7 is made for USB. it has a XLR output but I'm going to use it via USB.

You should have lead with that 😛

 

There's a bunch of amp/dac stacks for USD200-400. In that price point, the only thing I had and could recommend is the Schiit Asgard 3. I can't recommend any dacs though, as the cheapest one I like costs USD700.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

With the Shure MV7 I wouldnt use the XLR output for some reason the USB nearly always sounds better. Probably some magic shure did in the USB converter.

The DT990 maybe "harder" to run compared to cheap headphones but Beyerdynamic are not stupid enough to sell a product which cant be used with 99% of devices.

Most modern devices are reasonably capable and will work perfectly fine with the Dt990.
Best advice someone can give right now is buy the headphones buy the microphone. Plug it into the computer if it works it works, if not come back make another post and we can work it out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

51 minutes ago, Ahoy Hoy said:

With the Shure MV7 I wouldnt use the XLR output for some reason the USB nearly always sounds better. Probably some magic shure did in the USB converter.

The DT990 maybe "harder" to run compared to cheap headphones but Beyerdynamic are not stupid enough to sell a product which cant be used with 99% of devices.

Most modern devices are reasonably capable and will work perfectly fine with the Dt990.
Best advice someone can give right now is buy the headphones buy the microphone. Plug it into the computer if it works it works, if not come back make another post and we can work it out.

And how would he know if it "works"? If I give you something that you've never tried before and you tell me you like it, how would you react if I said there's way more to it than what you are experiencing right now? I don't see your advice as "best", so we're in the realm of subjectivity here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, HumdrumPenguin said:

And how would he know if it "works"? If I give you something that you've never tried before and you tell me you like it, how would you react if I said there's way more to it than what you are experiencing right now? I don't see your advice as "best", so we're in the realm of subjectivity here.

Because amplifiers increase volume and DACs reduce interference and increase bit rates.

When it comes to DACs in computers they are good enough with high enough bit rates and low interference that cant notice much difference or you got interference. So thats normally a yes or no answer.

With amplification most computer audio can amplify reasonably equally across all frequencies and at a high enough power output for most headphones.


Please explain what this magical better experience is which I'm presuming you think a external amp and dac will produce even though they should also amplify equally across all frequencies thus resulting in no difference to the sound and should only change max volume and possibly increase bit rates and maybe less background noise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

On 4/18/2021 at 8:20 AM, Ahoy Hoy said:

Because amplifiers increase volume and DACs reduce interference and increase bit rates.

When it comes to DACs in computers they are good enough with high enough bit rates and low interference that cant notice much difference or you got interference. So thats normally a yes or no answer.

With amplification most computer audio can amplify reasonably equally across all frequencies and at a high enough power output for most headphones.


Please explain what this magical better experience is which I'm presuming you think a external amp and dac will produce even though they should also amplify equally across all frequencies thus resulting in no difference to the sound and should only change max volume and possibly increase bit rates and maybe less background noise.

Amplifiers are not only about getting the volume loud. That’s an oversimplification of it. I don’t presume anything, as I have tried several different audio gear on my own.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, HumdrumPenguin said:

Amplifiers are not only about getting the volume loud. That’s and oversimplification of it. I don’t presume anything, as I have tried several different audio gear on my own.

Actually its not over simplifying it.


The perfect sound system will have a DAC which produces audio at a very high bit rate with low interference and a amplifier which amplifies equally at a good power output with no electrical interference and doesn't change the audio sound.

The thing motherboards built in audio struggle with is electrical interference.
It doesn't struggle with power output and it doesn't struggle with amplifying equally.

So when someone buys £120 headphones they are still very much in the low end world. There no longer bottom of the barrel low end and a lot closer to the middle.
They are also not past the price to performance threshold where spending more still gets you a lot more performance. So in the end if your buying £100 headphones the recommendation shouldn't be spend another £100 of other equipment which has very little affect compared to just buying £200 headphones. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Ahoy Hoy said:

Actually its not over simplifying it.


The perfect sound system will have a DAC which produces audio at a very high bit rate with low interference and a amplifier which amplifies equally at a good power output with no electrical interference and doesn't change the audio sound.

The thing motherboards built in audio struggle with is electrical interference.
It doesn't struggle with power output and it doesn't struggle with amplifying equally.

So when someone buys £120 headphones they are still very much in the low end world. There no longer bottom of the barrel low end and a lot closer to the middle.
They are also not past the price to performance threshold where spending more still gets you a lot more performance. So in the end if your buying £100 headphones the recommendation shouldn't be spend another £100 of other equipment which has very little affect compared to just buying £200 headphones. 

Yeah...no. Penguin's out. This is going nowhere.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Just now, HumdrumPenguin said:

Yeah...no.

Please expand how no. Ill accept any sort of data or mathematic testing or even group opinion testing. I will not accept personal opinion as that is biased.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, HumdrumPenguin said:

Yeah...no. Penguin's out. This is going nowhere.

 

12 minutes ago, Ahoy Hoy said:

Please expand how no. Ill accept any sort of data or mathematic testing or even group opinion testing. I will not accept personal opinion as that is biased.

Its alright Ill do it for you

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/gigabyte-z390-aorus-motherboard-audio-review.13083/

So this is some one reviewing a high end motherboard from a couple years ago. Ill be fair if your buying bottom end boards you're asking for bad audio.

"Considering how bad PC implementations of audio can get, the Gigabyte Z390 Aorus actually does well. Grading on a curve, it is one of the best audio subsystems I have seen in a PC. In absolute terms though, a $99 DAC will run circles around it but audible difference may be fleeting. In other words, what is there is "good enough.""

Motherboard audio is good enough. If your buying the lower end of headphones even if its the lower end of good headphones you still don't need to spend the same amount of money on headphones on amps and dac.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

On 4/17/2021 at 2:50 AM, JRNOETH said:

Hi,

 

What is the best sound card for the DT990 pro headphones? 

.

 

Thanks,

Jeremy

Owner of a pair of DT990 pros here, an external solution will be much better for them. I use a focusrite scarlett solo but thats only because It works for my needs and I use it for my mic. 

 

There are guys on here that are more qualified to answer your questions, just thought Id share my solution. 

Main PC: the literature club machine

Intel I5 9600k @ 4.2 Ghz | MSI z390-a pro | G.Skill Trident Z RGB 32 GB 3000Mhz | Samsung 970 Evo 500 GB | Seagate barracuda 3.5" 2.5tb  | Thermaltake Floe Riing RGB 240 | Asus GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB DUAL OC | Thermaltake Core P3 TG Snow Edition

 

Daily drivers

OPPO A52 | Razer Blackwidow Chroma | Razer Deathadder V2 Pro | Beryodynamic DT 990 PRO | Focusrite Scarlett solo gen 2

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×