I need some help. I have been looking to upgrade my sound for my PC with a DAC/AMP.
For my kind of use I was looking at the Schiit HEL but that schiit is expensive to get to Denmark and incl taxes it would sit me for 340 USD. So I kinda need to find something else since that is almost double the price.
What I like about it is the possibility to connect my mic to that. Using a modmic. So I wouid like another option if possible but not the end of the world if mic in is not included.
I am mostly gaming Battlefield 5, Borderlands, Division. Also other games but then I listen to music while playing them.
Music is anything from Rock, pop, some classic, hardstyle. A good mix.
Currently I have a pair of DT 770 PRO 80 Ohm driven by my motherboard. And I am super happy with the sound of those but I have also been looking to upgrade to a DAC but haven’t really found one yet except the Schiit HEL. And I would also like to try out an open back headphone and looking at the DT 1990 PRO.
Now the following opportunity to buy following
1x beyerdynamic DT-1990 Pro 250 Ohms
1x DROP + GRACE DESIGN STANDARD DAC BALANCED
1x DROP + THX AAA™ 789 LINEAR AMPLIFIER
1x Supra High Performance USB audio cable
Total price would be around 685 USD.
Would this be something that I should go for?
My budget would be way lower to get a DAC and then keep my DT 770 but since this bundle is up, should I go for it?
Is the THX paired with DT 1990 a good setup?
If you suggest me to pass, what the HEL should I go for?
Say the budget else would be 200 USD for DAC.
First off wow thats a lot for the schiit hel and I understand the reasoning behind not choosing that jeez. Some good alternatives here while keeping the mic input would be Soundblasters X3, SOundblasters G6, mayflower arc and the cheapest option would be the Syba Sonic(new one is in black and can power the 1990s).
If this is outside the budget and your still okay with paying around the $200 margin for your amp and dac $100 amps other than schiit would be Topping A30, JDS Atom, and Monoprice Liquid Spark which will sound the best for beyers. Dacs would be Topping D10, Enog 2 Pro, and Topping E30
I would skip this for the amps I listed above… not the best amp honestly. It’s decent though but there are better options.
are you planning to balance the dt 1990? It cannot be balanced unless modded to be a 4 pin. Recommended skip for listings above as 1990 is not a balanced headphone.
I mean, for that price the bundle isn’t bad just not the greatest thats for sure. Not something I would recommend at all personally as far as a setup but will get you by. Not quite sure why they have a balanced setup going with the 1990 though. You would want the T1.2 for balanced setups but thats a very different headphone.
I would sooner point you to the $100 liquid spark before I told you the thx 789 was a good pairing for the 1990 lol. Its decent
The gear list you have is pretty decent. It will certainly get the job done. However, I’ll agree with @Falenkor that you can probably find an amplifier that’s a better match to the DT1990.
First off, the DT1990 is an excellent headphone. I would stick with that. I don’t think the Drop 789 is the best sonic match for it, though. THX amps can be forward and aggressive in the treble, and the 1990 is already forward and aggressive in the treble. In the EU buying a Lake People G103-S amp from Thomann is a good option. For a DAC, I would suggest looking for what’s available where you are among the Topping E30, SMSL M100 or Sanskrit 10 Anniversary Edition, or EarMen Donald DAC.
@Falenkor is right that the DT1990 doesn’t do balanced, but IMO balanced isn’t necessary at this price point. For headphone setups generally, balanced isn’t really necessary unless all the gear is balanced, and then those balanced setups generally only sound better than their single-ended counterparts because the engineers put more time and care into desinging the balanced sections. There really isn’t much of a theoretically audible difference between balanced or single ended in headphone systems.
I never really see these amps and dacs around other than the e30 or smsl lineup which are nice and I love my e30 dac. Heard good things on the lake people brand for beyers too just forgot bout it and I don’t have experience with it so I can’t really recommend something that I don’t have a lot of knowledge on lol.
So lets break this down a bit here. you can generally get a dt 1990 right now for $450 on a good sale and at its most its $600. Grace design is $150. Thx 789 is $300 and supras are a few dollars here and there. It’s not a bad deal honestly as the price brand new worth is $1050 maybe a little over brand new. However it’s $685 and for that same price you can also grab a $450 1990, $80-$100 liquid spark, and $130 Toppping E30 coming out at the same price and being a better fit for both the 1990 as well as your dt 770 as the liquid spark pairs fantastically with beyerdynamic headphones in general as well as many other brighter headphones while the THX lineup tends to make beyers brighter and more aggressive like @WaveTheory mentioned
I think that bundle is solid given the current pricing of the dt1990 here in the US($600) if you were looking for a dt1990 that is.
That being said if you just want a dac/amp combo I would honestly look at anything that’s recommended often and don’t worry about the mic input. Personally I currently have a k5 pro and when I still had a modmic i would run that to a cheap sabrent usb sound card, and my headphones to the headphone amp. They don’t need to plug into the same thing, it’s just convenient. So ya any standard dac and amp will work fine with a gaming setup.
Interesting, as I should be getting my sp200 and am currently and owner of the 770 + 990 and hopeful future owner of the 1990. Any slightly higher end amps you might recommend with beyers?
RNHP or asgard 3. RNHP will struggle on 600 ohms but can still drive them though with the 1990s it sounds incredible. Asgard 3 will power any of them and is extremely good. If you are trying to power the DT 880s or T1.2 I would then say Darkvoice tube amp, again asgard 3, or something like a liquid platinum balanced
I mean, its not that its unnecessary its a nice small addition if you want better quality on something like a Modmic UNI and will fix the issue with how “Hot” that microphone tends to be making it generally better. Still, one could do without it just fine.
Yeah, I would only say that based on brand new prices but you can definitely find a better bundle for the same price as the bundle listed that pairs to the 1990s better.
Thanks for your replies so far. Still at bit confused though.
The deal is a private person selling. If I can get the 1990 without the rest i will do so.
But maybe i should go for it, sell off the drop and find something else?
It is really a jungle with the mix and matches for dacs and cans.
I was looking at the creative x3 the Other day but is it not a shame to pair 1990 with the x3?
Was also looking at the fiio e10k but Don’t know how that Will turn out. Many write it is good value.
But then again, if i Don’t get the bundle i Will Stick to my 770 since new 1990 is 600+ usd.
I’ll dissent here — on the assumption that the THX789 will be audibly identical to the Monolith “887” anyway )since that’s the amp O know)… it pairs well with the DT1990. I think you’ll have to equalize the 1990a or get a passive filter to tame the “Mt. Beyer peak” anyway, even with a liquid spark. So the amp wouldn’t “save” the headphone anyway.
The THX789 is able to run “balanced” in effect, which the Dt1990 won’t be able to take advantage of. And you get more power at least as cleanly single ended from cheaper amps, but… those are not part of this package deal. Still, the 1990s don’t need more power than the single ended output of the 789 (at least… I can’t listen that loud…)
So I think that package deal is looking good, myself. You’ll have an amp that is versatile enough for some other headphones to run balanced, later, if you want, too.
I can’t speak on the DAC in that bundle. But seems like the deal is good even without it, if everything is in good condition.
Well, the thing is while yes you can get something that’s a good value the fact remains that some amps just make the headphone sound better while others just don’t and could even make them quite sibilant in some cases, like the thx 789 over there in some cases depending on how tolerant to treble you are.
This would be an interesting idea if you could pull it off and still make off with the money as the bundle provided is in brand new conditioning should be able to make your money back.
it’s decent just not the greatest. In my opinion the soundblasters are just that… fairly decent
Good value just not the greatest.
Honestly the two headphones have a fairly different signature. While I consider the dt 1990 essentially the reigning champ of competitive headphones if you enjoy the 770 that much you may appreciate the 1770 or 177x GO even more than the 1990s even more so if you are more partial to closed back headphones.
I personally don’t like the idea of pairing a combo unit to the 1990 anything I have tried such as Fiio e10k Soundblaster G6, Ifi Zen Dac just didn’t sound as good as my liquid spark. Though, that’s my opinion
The deal is fine, just not ideal for the 1990. It will be good for a fairly good variety of headphones. I would just take setups over it.
I can’t say you’re wrong in any of this, and don’t want to type a complete disquisition on where I differ… especially since I am on an iPhone here. But I think it comes down to…
I think for the DT1990s, a more intrusive “tone control” is called for than, say, a Liquid Spark vs a THX amp. This is in the form of pad choice, and then to me either EQ or a passive filter. Without EQ or a passive filter perhaps amp choice matters more; but to me, using an amp as tone control is either not really sufficient on its own (given the treble peak) or pretty much obviated (overwhelmed, even) by a more intrusive plan.
Caveats:
-I am not Golden Ears, even if I May have thought I was when I was a lot younger.
I have not heard the variety of amps that you have
I’m ready to be wrong. Or chalk it up to subjective differences.
I ended up with a passive filter from DIY-Audioheaven and the Dekoni Elite Velour pads
Have listened at length on a Monolith 887 SE, JDS Labs Atom, and Liquid Spark at various times. But haven’t done any rigorous ABX or even A-B with a switch testing.
if a good deal on the phones is available separately, that may well be the way to go. But I think the deal with the amp has advantages as well, and I think the same interventions will be needed pretty much whatever amp. The treble peak is rather a severe mar (depending on the track) on otherwise really topnotch FR on these headphones.
I would take the package deal, personally. Unless the items are in poor condition, you’ve got a great deal in front of you. If the DAC or amp are overkill or unnecessary, then just sell those separately, get something cheaper, and pocket the difference. You should be able to get a solid enough DAC/amp (combo or separate) for about $200, and you could probably sell the amp for around that much. I’d sell the DAC before the amp though, because a balanced DAC won’t do much for you.
I also agree with wagstaff that I wouldn’t worry too much about perfect synergies with the 1990 because you’re likely going to want to EQ it anyways to deal with that classic Beyer treble mountain.
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