New headphones and question on how to drive them.

[JellyD]

So I kinda want a more decent headset then my current cans (JVC HA-RX900)

Now, in my current setup I am driving these through the headphone out of my Onkyo receiver. 

I run my sound via optical out to my receiver for my 5.1 speakers (onboard supports dolby digital live), and this makes it very easy to switch to headphones for teamspeak.

 

This setup currently works fine, but I'm not sure if the same headphone out is good enough for higher impedance headphones.

The JVC HA-RX900 are 64ohms.

 

I was looking at cans around the €150 mark. Mainly used for Music/Gaming. I listen to pretty much anything from House to classical to metal.

I do like a good bit of bass, as my current ones are a bit thin on this front, but nothing really extreme.

 

So far I've found these options:

 

Beyerdynamic Custom one pros (I really like the look and customization)

Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro

Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro

Audio-Technica ATH-50

And perhaps the Sennheiser 558 but I hear they're a bit light on the bass.

 

So would my headphone out port be able to drive these cans or do I have to invest in a headphone amp, and which of these headphones would you reccomend? Or is there perhaps a different pair that's even better?

 

 

 

 

[needmorewood]

well first thing the COp's have less impendence than than your current headphones. ive never tried your headphones so i cant guarantee anything you buy would be a significant upgrade.

a dac/amp combo like the Fiio E10 would go well with all these headphones IF you are taking it out from your computer. If its from your reciever then you wont need something to drive it because your onkyo reciever has its own built-in amp.

[MayflowerElectronics]

If you want bass and use them for gaming, get the 990. You'll need an amp for them though.

[JellyD]

I'm pretty sure the COPs will run fine then. I also tested my Sennheiser CX-200 In ears (16 ohms) And they work fine as well. 

The JVC HA-RX900 are pretty good for the price, but they are really entry level cans. I got them for like €60. 

Unfortunately I'm not aware of very many places where I would be able to listen to the headphones I mentioned. 

I could check out the local Media Markt as I remember them having a pair of Sennheisers hooked up, but I can't remember which ones. 

 

The need for a headphone amp is still really confusing for me. I know straight out of the pc I would need one, but I'm running them off my receiver. 

I've done some research and all the stuff I can find about the headphone out of receivers is really confusing. Some say it'll be fine, others say you shouldn't bother.

I do like good sound quality, but not having to buy a new headphone amp would save me quite a bit of money.

[JellyD]

And maybe someone has a recommendation for a decent not too expensive headphone amp?

For use with one of the headphones mentioned in the first post.

In case I do in fact need them.

[ShearMe]

All the Beyerdynamic headphones will sound like, well, Beyerdynamic headphones. The open DT 990 is probably best for gaming, but the DT 770 will have better isolation. the COPs are more meant for portable use, but they'd work great for PC if you like the customization.

 

Something as high-end as a receiver should drive your headphones plenty loud. I'd suggest getting the headphone first and testing, then if you do end up needing more you could add a cheap little amp like the FiiO E6.

[t0wer]

receivers vary, but I haven't heard much good about newer receiver's headphone outs.

 

I'd just say try the receiver you currently have, if you don't like it, then get a headphone amp.

[EmoRarity]

receivers vary, but I haven't heard much good about newer receiver's headphone outs.

 

I'd just say try the receiver you currently have, if you don't like it, then get a headphone amp.

Haven't found a receiver that sounds good yet myself, my dog makes better noises then the headphone out on receivers.

[NosRokanaske]

I've had by 990 Pro 250 Ohm version since june and i dont regret it. Sounds great for gaming and music, they're pretty damn comfortable, and they breathe fairly nicely too so you wont get too uncomfortable with them. From what i'm told all the parts are replaceable and they have a very good warranty on them. Beyerdynamic does have a 32 Ohm version, but that one is substantially more pricier than the 250 Ohm.

 

Linus did a video about the Fiio E10 and i've read over at Head-Fi that it is a good amp for the price and people do recommend it. Its around $75 USD right now, so its not exactly that cheap, but it is high regarded from my understanding. I personally drive them with my ZxR sound card.

[JellyD]

Okay so I think my best bet is indeed going with a headphone amp. 

But I think im going to order the headphones first and see how they sound.

The Fiio E6 is not going to break the bank fortunately.

The E10 however is very badly available over here and more like €90

There is also only one place that I have found so far that has the E6.

I have found the Fiio E20 Olympus which looks a whole damn lot like the E10

Im starting to think that they misnamed it, seeing As I can't find the E20 at all at the Fiio website, and they have the same Olympus name.

The "E20" is €75

 

btw I do like the idea of a dac/amp combo as that makes the source I plug it into less relevant.

Unless you guys can say I really can't tell the difference between the E6 and E10 because the E6 saves me quite a bit of money  :lol:

 

I think I have given up on the custom one pros.

Although I really like the look on them, I do not plan on using my headphones outside, as I personally prefer earbuds for that.

And over here the COP's cost significantly more.

So I'm guessing the DT990 Pro's are the best for my price range/use.

 

The combo (misnamed?) E20 and the DT990 pro's are slightly over budget but I think I can stretch it that far.

Anyone experienced on this combo, and do they work well together?

[faszinierend]

Although you seem to have your mind set, the DT 770 Pro Limited Edition 32Ohm received great reviews and you might not need a headphone amp with those... i myself own a pair and i really like them.

[JellyD]

Oh my mind is certainly not set yet and that seems to be a really nice suggestion. 

The 770 80Ohms is also another option I might consider.

 

On the topic of amps, I'm still not 100% clear on this.

I've heard if they sound loud enough, and don't pop or crackle or anything you don't really need an amp.

But my understanding is that it also isn't quite as simple as work or not work. 

So say I got the 80Ohms version. I'm fairly sure they'll run from my onboard or receiver headphone out. (I'd prefer the headphone out but I can switch with onboard as well)

Is an amp going to impact the soundquality significantly other then volume levels?

[faszinierend]

I'm not an expert on this but as far as i know it won't impact quality all that much... it might highlight or dampen certain details but that's it. I read somewhere that sometimes the outgoing impedance of a sound card might not match the headphone impedance which could lead to a shitty sound, maybe an amp could fix that i'm not sure, but if you reliably want to improve the quality you have to invest in a better DAC section.

I use a decent DAC so i didn't have to worry about this in the past

[isen]

Oh my mind is certainly not set yet and that seems to be a really nice suggestion. 

The 770 80Ohms is also another option I might consider.

 

On the topic of amps, I'm still not 100% clear on this.

I've heard if they sound loud enough, and don't pop or crackle or anything you don't really need an amp.

But my understanding is that it also isn't quite as simple as work or not work. 

So say I got the 80Ohms version. I'm fairly sure they'll run from my onboard or receiver headphone out. (I'd prefer the headphone out but I can switch with onboard as well)

Is an amp going to impact the soundquality significantly other then volume levels?

amp won't improve sound quality that much unless you're playing with different opamps i think and its hard to detect even for audiophile, but don't quote me for it tho. 

 

Thing is , I have a sennheiser HD580 which has 300 ohm impedance and I can drive them using my mobo output and the volume is loud enough at 40% , normal 30-64 ohm headphones is loud enough for me at 20-30%. And no hiss or watever too. ;D

 

P.S altho i do have an o2 amp tho ;DDDDDD

[JellyD]

Okay this is making my head hurt but I think I've got an idea now  :rolleyes:

Im going to go for the DT990 pro 250 ohms and try them with my current setup.

If they are too quiet, or sound like utter utter crap I'll get myself an E10

If they sound fine I think I'll keep the money in my pocket.

Because for that little difference it's going to make, the price is not worth it IMO.

[JellyD]

I just compared my receivers headphone out to my onboard sound, and The headphone outs are indeed not very good. 

It's a pretty close match but the receiver has less bass, and a little less dynamic sound. 

So that one is out of the question 

So I'm guessing I'm going to need a headphone amp or amp/dac to make good use of the DT990 pro's

[tehsprayer]

Once I got the 990s they sounded decent on my old receiver, I got the e10 and they have a punchier bass and brings out the mids more. That's if you want to get the most out of this headphone.

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk 2

[ShearMe]

I just compared my receivers headphone out to my onboard sound, and The headphone outs are indeed not very good. 

It's a pretty close match but the receiver has less bass, and a little less dynamic sound. 

So that one is out of the question 

So I'm guessing I'm going to need a headphone amp or amp/dac to make good use of the DT990 pro's

 

It might just be an impedance mismatch, which higher ohm'd DT's would be better with. Just get the headphones first and make sure before grabbing an E10, like you were already planning. 

[JellyD]

Alright awesome.

I have found A nearby place to go listen to some headphones.

They only have the DT990 non pro's though, but I'll check if I like the overall sound of them.

I'm guessing they'll be slightly similar.

[ShearMe]

Alright awesome.

I have found A nearby place to go listen to some headphones.

They only have the DT990 non pro's though, but I'll check if I like the overall sound of them.

I'm guessing they'll be slightly similar.

 

they should be exactly similar, minus manufacturing tolerances and the minor effect of the differences in the housing of course.

[JellyD]

they should be exactly similar, minus manufacturing tolerances and the minor effect of the differences in the housing of course.

 

Ah nice. Only problem is they sell them for €300  :blink:

I can get the pros for €140... 

Ah well sucks for them  :lol:

[JellyD]

Okay so I went on to listen to some headphones today.

And what I found out was that I prefer the Sennheiser sound to that of the Beyerdynamics.

The Beyerdynamics sound just a little to harsh to my ears in the upper levels.

The bass from the Sennheisers was plenty for me. So I now have to reconsider my options.

So that leaves me from my original list with the Audio-Technica ATH-50 and the Sennheiser 558.

I tried the 598s on the same marantz cd player I used for the Beyerdynamics, and that sounded pretty damn good.

I later tried the 558s as well but they ran of a shit source with shit music, so that was hard to compare. (they also had an HD700 hooked up to the same source, which were next to some beats  :blink:)

So does anyone have some more recommendations apart from the ones already listed, considering I wouldn't be happy with the Beyerdynamics?

[h264]

If you like the Sennheiser sound, get Sennheiser.

[JellyD]

Okay last question (I hope  )

Shall I get the HD558s or the HD598s

The 558s are €140 and the 598s are €190

I do prefer the black look of the 558s and that would leave me with a little more money for a dac/amp

I know the 598s sound better then the 558s but do they sound €50 better?

[MayflowerElectronics]

Just get the 558's and mod them. Save the money, you don't really need an amp with those.