Audio Refresh / Upgrade

Gaming Audio Competitive
1

Hi,

i’ve been searching online the last few days along with these forums, trying to find my next audio upgrade for my PC gaming

Now i am UK based and i also wear glasses, to throw that out there

Reason for this, i currently play Escape from Tarkov with my friends and it has become obvious i cannot hear the enemy until they are on top of me, where as my friends can hear shots in the distance, footsteps, even when people are moving around in a near by building.

Now i also play other games, CS GO, PUBG, Apex etc… but these are more of when i just want to play something different for a while.

Music wise, i have Apple Music / Spotify and tend to listen to mainly rock.

I currently have a Soundblaster AE-5 and Sennheiser Game One headset

As i am currently building a new system, i thought it would look into new headphones.

Now i was thinking DT 990 Pro / DT 1990 Pro or the HD58x

From reading various topics on here, seems there is a clear message about high treble and i don’t know how sensitive i would be to these.

So i think the DT 880 600Ohm version would perhaps suit me better?

I would also need a recommendation for a DAC / AMP plus I know i would need a seperate microphone setup, now currently we mainly use Discord and some in-game voice, i’ve thought about Streaming, but haven’t made that leap yet

I’m not saying i want the absolute cheapest / rock bottom pricing as i believe in buying it right and ideally once.

I think this is the right version of the headphones

So open to suggestions

Thanks

2

it’s a reasonable choice but…

^ yeah this lol. 1990 isn’t as bad as 990 in most cases involving this… but its still bright as hell.

It works fine in almost all the fps EXCEPT Tarkov… but this is because just how demanding Tarkov really is… it has one of the best sound engines for fps placements on the market even utilizing all the T1 2nd generations soundstage and is the only game on the market that can truly capitalize on the extremely expensive hd800S when it comes to performance… still, marginal gains past the $500 margin headphones.

I would recommend finding a way to try the beyers at the very start… see if you have any intolerance… if your okay with spending that much on the 1990 but perhaps your iffy on the signature you can always try the T1.2 as its quite a bit smoother and more relaxed… in the event your treble intolerant… grab the tygr 300r and call it a day for a while… step up from tygr is a different signature but more than likely the Focal brand of headphones for those who have issues with treble sensitivities as they are still somewhat bright just not as much as beyers.

grab any of the recommended entry levels… if your going a brighter headphone like this it may be best to go with the monoprice liquid spark setup… otherwise schiit stack if thats not available you can look into Lake People which should be available in the UK if I recall correctly

this is fine as long as you keep in mind money will not = the best result… many headphones can outperform those much higher than them… and sound is absolutely up to a persons preference.

Pretty much on the right track, again try the beyers… grab yourself an amp like suggested above those work just fine, if you have other questions… feel free to ask

3

Thanks for the advice, so i’ve been looking around at what’s available, and it turns out not a lot

Shure MV7 USB Podcast Microphone

£169 - Beyerdynamic DT 990 Edition - 600 ohms
£152 - Beyerdynamic DT 880 Edition - 600 ohms

£100 - Monolith Liquid Amp (US Import)

What DAC would you recommend to go with the Liquid? As i need something for it to connect to in order to plug it into my computer

I’ve contacted Schiit UK and they have no idea as to when they might get anymore hardware sent to them from the US.

4

honestly surprised thats not much higher considering the importing…

that’s actually cheaper than they are here for new… as they are usually $200 here. To explain a bit here… 990 is a very sharp V signature… it does have bass issues in competitive that can get in the way however, the heightened treble and detail retrieval makes placements quite easy… its fully open and rather spacious not to mention light weight on the head. The main issue you may face is that treble is sharp… very very sharp.

880 on the other hand is a more all rounder kind of headphone… it fits with a lot more people from what I have seen throughout the time I have recommended it. More neutral signature with brighter treble but smoother and more controlled. Semi open back… so it naturally has less soundstage than the 990 meaning you won’t be able to place sounds as far away… and it does have slightly less imaging than the 990

You should have access to the tygr 300r in the UK they do have their own store over there for beyer… you have to order that one directly from them… tygr 300r is the 990 but without the treble issue and much less worries about needing the amp as its 32 ohm.

hmm, while im not sure if they will be available… the liquid spark dac would complete that stack, topping D10S or E30 would work fine but thats a bit warmer, and donald dac would provide probably the best on the imaging… but it may make them slightly brighter

with the way things are now, this is quite unfortunate but expected I suppose… top that off with they are currently in the process of releasing a lot of new products

5

Thanks for the reply

So other options could be

JDS Labs Atom AMP & DAC = £265

Fiio K5 PRO Desktop Headphone Amplifier & DAC = £165

Topping E30 DAC is £140

Topping D10s DAC is £100

TYGR 300R is not available anywhere in the UK, there is a single ebay item which is the bundle with the microphone, of which i don’t want for £240

So is the Atom combo a good one for say the 880’s?

6

for just gaming this is probably your best bet considering the prices… it should be able to drive the 600 ohms but of course there is better options they just cost more

yeah its fine, atom does have a cleaner more neutral sound but with an ever so slight sharp edge to its sound.

7

So if i was to get the Atom combo, would it also be good for the DT990’s / TYGR 300R if i was to get them to try?
Another set that has been suggested is the AKG K712PRO, but they are £205

Gaming / FPS is my primary use, followed by Music and the odd other genre of gaming.

Ready to order any of what i have mentioned so far

Thanks

8

K5 pro sounded distorted with my 770 990 1990 i send it back after a day and used my sxfi dongle till i got my rme adi 2

9

yeah, works fine. The entry levels all should power up past 600 ohms with still leftover headroom on the volume knob… they shouldn’t have issues for any gamer really. Only recommended going to like a lake people or asgard amp for the more “best” case result or better sound qualities so to speak such as a better spatial recreation of your soundstage.

the k712 isn’t bad at all but it does have imaging issues. k702 is the more analytical 712 is the bassier more balanced out signature. Long as your okay with some small imaging issues it does the job just fine if you prefer that route.

10

The Schiit Asgard 3 Amp is £235, what Dac would you recommend pairing with it?

Is there a specific model i should be looking for with the lake people?

Thanks

11

G103 I believe it was that should be around the same as the asgard 3.

a dac for asgard? Modius, E30, could always just get the module built into the unit as well

12

Thanks for all your advice

Looks like i will have to wait for the Asgard / Modius to come back into stock. seems nowhere has them forsale currently in the UK

13

So I am pretty settled on getting the Asgard 3, however it will have to be a US import

So i now have my DT880 headset, plus i have managed to source a TYGR 300 R headset 2nd hand from Ebay to mix it up a little bit and would imagine in time, i’ll get the bug like a lot of you for some higher grade headphones.

So for the Dac to go with the AS3, i can’t decide between the following

Schiit Modius
Schiit BiFrost 2
Topping E30

If we are looking at cost, E30 is £140, Modius is £215 in the UK, however to import it, with fee’s etc. probably more likely closer to £300, Bifrost 2 is £710 in the UK, again more likely £800 importing it

But for the long haul in terms of growing my headphone collection, which should i go for?

Seems the AS3 / Modius gets mixed reviews, but still described as a warm combination, some can’t tell a massive difference between the Modius and the BF2

Then there is the E30 which falls under the good but cost effective bracket

As i am going to be hit with the import fees on the AS3 as it is, do i still pair it with the Modius or do we go big and get the BF2?

Thanks

14

Strictly gaming modius or e30 and just be done with it

Future proof, extensive collection, lots of music? Bifrost 2 is one hell of a dac but considering imports I believe there may be some alternatives though id ask someone like m0n or others in your area what they think on that one. Bifrost is my favorite dac only swapping when I go to my violectric amp as the two don’t get along

I’d say itd depend on if you plan to really dive in with multiple headphones and a more extensive setup… if you go to bifrost 2 you more than likely wont need another dac and even then past bf2 your talking well over $1000 for an upgrade

If it’s just gaming though don’t jump the gun just grab the modius or e30

15

How about an easy to get hold of and low cost start?

Topping L30/E30 combo?

Would that work with my current headphones?

£250 for both items.

16

I’m not particularly a fan of toppings amps but it will work just fine… it’s not as good as asgard with things like spatial recreation but as a starter? Yea works just fine. I’d say that or a geshelli setup if those are also cheaper would be okay. Lake people amps are said to be a cheaper option to schiit for those in the uk and their amps are rather similar

Also do be sure to hit reply to me on the site here otherwise it wont notify me you responded and I may not see it. I only saw this one as I glanced over the gaming thread