I’m looking into getting into the higher-end headphone scene. I play a lot of competitive fps games, but I also love listening to music and watching movies/shows on my pc. I have been looking around at some headphones to use, and I want to try open-back. My friend uses a pair of ATH-ADG1X and said he really likes them and wouldn’t go back to a closed-back. I am sick of using the virtual 7.1 surround sound on gaming headphones. I am looking for something I can game with and be able to hear directional and have great sound quality, and something that I can listen to music while I work. I have looked around and found a pair of BeyerD DT990 Pro 250 ohm for $115 used. I don’t need to go entirely overkill, but I want a pair that I will be able to use for years and not be disappointed compared to using a $100 pair of “gaming” headset. I have a MSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon MoBo. I want to keep my budget under $250 for a pair of headphones with a decent mic, or get a modmic to use until I decide to get a xlr mic. Any recommendations and help would be greatly appreciated. 
You might want to look at this combo on Amazon. There’s a clickable $20 off coupon on it right now, too:
I have the X2HR and I’ve been really happy with them for gaming. They blow the doors off of any “gaming headset” you’ll ever try. I also just picked up the new Dekoni suede pads for them which were a great upgrade.
I’ve not got any experience with the DT990 Pros but everything I’ve read says you may run into problems pushing them from your motherboard. Hopefully more experienced folks will post to that effect more reliably.
Okay, I will take a look into those. I haven’t heard much of them before. I eventually want to get a XLR mic. Which will probably be a AT2020 or Blue Ember. So I wouldn’t mind getting a amp or audio interface (I don’t know if an audio interface would power the BeyerD). I currently was looking at getting the Logitech G Pro x headset but I decided if I am buying something for 120, I might as well spend some more and get something that I have always wanted to get.
EDIT: I don’t know if a audio interface for a xlr mic could power a pair of headphones. Could someone enlighten me on that.
I think you’ll have to decide if you’re going to stick with the motherboard, or you’ll pursue a separate DAC/AMP. It’s going to be a bit of the budget, but is likely worth it and will enrichen your options. Something like DT990 250 is going to need proper amplification.
Well in the next few years I do plan on rebuilding my PC as my current pc is 2 years old right now. So, my idea was to what I call “future-proof” with getting a really nice headphone and make due until I do that. I was already looking at some amps incase I had to get one. I found the DT990 Pro on reverb.com used for $115. I would be fine with just an amp. As I wouldn’t be doing critical listening or audio editing.
^ hard nope, x2hr destroys footstep placement in competitives if this is deemed important.
these headphones are very bright forewarning that if you are treble intolerant this headphone will pose heavy amounts of discomfort and fatigue due to sibilance.
that’s a rather restrictive budget… in most cases your going to want an amp but your motherboard has a built in adjusting amplifier on it so this sort of thing would need tested to see if it works… still, motherboards will not offer the same sound quality as a dedicated amp and dac.
^ definitely not x2hr as recommended as those are a fun and very bassy headphone without much refinement to their sound.
The beyers would work fine, DT 880 for neutral bright semi open back, DT 990 for V shape fully open, Tygr 300R for all arounder slightly V shaped. Note the beyers sound best at 600 ohms but this may require an amp… recommend sticking with 250 ohm till you know what that motherboard is capable of
Sennheisers 58x Jubilee will work in this case as well
Okay, I didn’t want to get into the 600ohms, I was skeptical of the 250 ohms if it would cost too much to power them. I tried to find a pair of the 80 ohms on sale or a deal and could not. Do you have any recommendation on a amp for the 250 ohm?
the 250 ohms should be fine with that particular motherboard as it has a built in amplifier… however, that is the max I would recommend trying to push that. 600 ohm variants of the beyers by a pretty large margin have the best sound qualities and in the case of something like dt 990 it has less treble issues… 880 though is less bright in 250 ohms than 600 ohms and can be seen as a potential benefit. do not go 80 ohms on beyers if you can help it.
Tygr 300r is the alternative to those is 32 ohm can be ran easily ampless in most cases and is the fit anywhere headphone with laser accuracy… it’s a redone up variant of the DT 990 just without all that annoying treble getting in the way.
I do, but you will more than likely want a higher budget… would recommend trying your motherboard first hand. Grab the amp later if needed… for beyers recommended monoprice Liquid spark amp + Topping D10 Dac or the liquid spark dac
How did you check for my motherboards built in amp? I could not find anywhere to check that. I tried looking for the Tygr 300r on a deal and I could not find one. Do you have any experience with a similar priced headphone like the DT990 that you would recommend?
simply going to the page for your motherboard… then looking into the particular codec it uses… your board has a built in amplifier that has an impedance adjuster claiming it can drive up to 600 ohms.
tygrs are hard to obtain and sold every now and then… most people keep that one when they get their hands on it… especially gamers even though I have headphones of over a grand I own one as well as a gamer as it’s ridiculously good for that price tag. They can only be bought separately directly from beyer or 3rd party otherwise they come in the FOX bundle which has the headphones microphone. They are $200 new but every now and then you can find beyer selling a B stock for like… $165 or something or someone on ebay, reddit, head-fi, etc selling one… you can use HIFISHARK to scour all these websites at once to see if someone is selling it somewhere including beyer themselves on the b stock
DT 990 is in it’s own area when it comes to it’s signature and performance being a Sharp V signature with a very large stage and extremely accurate imaging… Tygr became the lesser alternative to that and still remains to be in their own grey area unfortunately. You can get other headphones but from my experience as far as directional accuracy those are very hard to be beat in the price tag… especially since you can find that 990 at $100 or slightly above.
When it comes to headphones, it boils down on ones sound preference… what specific signature are you looking for? V, neutral, warm, dark, bright, harman, slight V, mid-centric, etc
I don’t really know what specific signature I am looking for. I do know I want something that is clear with a good bass but not overwhelming and drowning. Considering I play a majority of FPS and MMO games. I am not familiar with the signatures.
Which fps?
So something neutral or slightly bumped I would think will work…
I like to play COD, Escape from tarkov, valorant, DayZ, and some others. I like a good bass sound for explosions and I like to listen to rap, hip hop, and electronic/edm stuff. I listen to everything really.
I’ve never used open back headphones before but from what I have heard I want to try them out.
ALSO: I did just find a pair of BeyerD DT990 on Etsy for 95 bucks.
The moment you mentioned tarkov yep tygr 300r or 990. No others… tarkov is insanely demanding. Both headphones will also fit your preferences in music.
I’m not good at tarkov or have played it as much as I have COD, but that is the kinda sound quality I’m shooting for. Also I think I can find the beyerd DT990 easier than the Tygr300r.
Yea 990 will be cheaper as it’s not only older that treble is a big hit or miss. I personally love the 990s I think they are fantastic especially if you can get one at $140 or less
Yeah, I’ve heard about the highs on them being rough. I’m trying to buy a pair that will last me for years and I will be happy with.
I would say find a place with return policies like amazon or something and give them a shot… if you like them find them cheap
Yeah, I found them for $115 on reverb with a return. So I could try them out on there. Then I could find out if I need a amp or not then.
So I was about to purchase them but noticed they are a coiled cable. Is a coiled cable gonna make a difference? I plan on using them for desk work only and wearing them for long periods of time. Does the coil make them heavier by pulling on the headphones?