IMO the 600 ohms are going to be the highest preforming of the Beyer’s, and also the “edition” versions are more comfortable with a straight cable instead of more clamp and a coiled cable
What I saw on the Beyerdynamic website, you’re able to customize a normal version of the headphones to have 600 ohms and a straight cable. So if I go with the 600 Ohm version, what’s the biggest differences between 990 and 880 and how would that translate to rock/metal and gaming?
Mainly signature, the 990 is going to be a bit more v shaped, but otherwise they aren’t too different. IMO for just raw imaging performance I think the 990 beats the 880 out by a tad, but the 880 can recreate space more accurately imo so its a wash. For music it’s mainly preference, I personally prefer the 880 but if you find yourself really wanting treble and a bit more subbass the 990 might be more up your alley
I don’t believe it’s been mentioned here yet but for the beyers at least the 880 do NOT get the black pads. Go with the silver, I would assume it’s the same for the 990. The silver pads are significantly more comfortable and make the headphone less bright in my experience. Comfort difference between the two is pretty huge imo
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Is there really that big of a difference between different colored pads? According to the customizing website both should be velour.
The black pads are firmer and more dense, and a slightly different velour that tends to accentuate the high end and also tends to reduce spatial recreation performance imo.
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in my opinion yes i own both. Given that the silvers are readily available I would never choose the black pads in any situation. the difference in comfort is pretty big for me the black pads are very stiff. Sound wise the black pads bring up the treble and for some can even be sibilant, that will depend on your ears but the beyers already are on the brighter side. Material wise they are both velour so I’m not sure if it’s a difference in the filler material of the pad but most people that have tried both would recommend the silver in my experience
Well good to know, thanks a lot for bringing that up. Would not have guessed that there would be that big of a difference. I’ll make sure I’ll get the silver ones.
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Considering all of the above, will the k5 pro be enough to push the dt 800 600 Ohm version?
I just wanted to use this as a guide to purchase my own and was just wondering about this as I read in another article that " The K5 Pro is recommended for headphones between 16-300 ohms".
Is this pair a good entry into hifi audio?
Yes it will push them, but you will be on high gain and also somewhat pushing the volume at times. I think if you are more concerned, then the magni heresy or liquid spark would be my pick if you feel worried
So let’s say I’d get the Magni Heresy, what dac would you recommend?
Either something like a topping d10 or smsl m100, solid picks that preform well for the price
Could I get the k5 pro and if I find its not powerful enough, can I just use it as a dac and then connect a separate more powerful amp to it?
Yes that would work as well, but imo the k5 pro doesn’t have as good of a dac as standalone dacs, but it is still pretty decent
Is there’s a good alternative dac/amp for approximately the same price as the Heresy + D10 combo, so around $200?
The jds Labs atom and a smsl m100 perhaps (but you loose a bit of extra power)?
There is the liquid spark but that’s a warmer more colored amp than the atom and spark
How about a single dac/amp, apart from the FiiO K5 Pro? Or is the Heresy + D10 combo just that good at that price range, that it doesn’t really make sense to get something else?
Hmm the k5 pro is also nice for an all in one. IMO the heresy d10 combo is very good, for all in one alternatives you might want to look used like a used Asgard 3 with a dac module or an original jds labs element, or perhaps a xduoo xd05 plus if you want to try out something portable (but it’s not ideal with the 880 600)
For the JDS Labs Element, do you know if there’s any other way to get one anymore except for buying oneBay or a medium like eBay?
You kinda have to look 2nd hand or buy directly from JDS to get one. There are distributors for uk and canada, but I think in the us you would need to buy direct from jds