Hello all!!! I am currently looking to get rid of my current headset because they’re insanely uncomfortable. I was browsing Amazon today and found a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 990 250 ohm open-back headphones. Only to find out that I need an Amp and a DAC to run them well into their respective audio levels. I have looked at many of Z’s reviews but haven’t been able to surely decide on the right one for me. Any help
and recommendations would be much appreciated as I know the audio industry is quite vast in nature.
What type of sound are you going for here? For the 990 250 ohm I like the liquid spark to relax and thicken it up a bit, or the magni 3+ to give it more punch and a more neutral forward sound. Personally I would grab one of the 100 dollar amps and get a nicer dac later, you can run the amp off the motherboard or PC audio for the time being. Later on you could grab an earmen Donald dac with the liquid spark or a topping e30 with the magni 3+ imo. If you really want a combo unit, the ifi Zen dac is pretty nice imo with the 250ohm beyers
Welcome! What kind of sound are you looking for? Beyers are notoriously bright, so that may be tough to change, though there are a few amps that help to quell the highs a bit
Thank you for your reply!!! For the type of sound I am looking for… well you see that’s where it gets tricky for me so I hope you can bear with me. I play a lot of FPS games. So being able to depict footsteps and such things are of importance to me personally, but I do not mind giving these headphones up for a better recommendation if that’s the case. I would love to know how these headphones feel and how they stack up to any competition for the same price range. I also like to listen to many genres of music and was wondering if these were a good pick for any music genre or if they have a niche.
I think if you are concerned with in game performance you have made a very good choice, these headphones are great for positional awareness and very good at emphasising sonic queues, also they are generally good all rounders for most music imo. I think if you can, I would go for the 600 ohm as they are just improved over the 250 ohm in sound if you haven’t bought them yet, but I don’t think you would be disappointed with the 250 ohm either imo
Thank you for the reply!!! In the reply to M0N I stated that I play a lot of FPS games and that I tend to listen to all genres of music. Would these headphones be a good choice? Would a certain DAC or AMP suit the needs of these headphones or would another pick of headphones and DAC combo do a better job? I take all answers and all recommendations as I would a pleasant experience regardless of gear.
Perfect, thank you so much for your time and recommendations. Do more ohms signify a better sound quality? Or perhaps a better sound stage as they call it?
So typically no, it’s more a measure of how hard or easy a headphone is to drive, but specifically relating to Beyer’s, they tend to improve overall in sound quality when you go for the higher impedances, but do get harder to drive. So basically in this case yes but in most cases no. Compared to the 250 ohm, the 600 ohm Beyer is more detailed, has more controlled and less harsh treble, better spatial recreation with a bit more refined and even sound signature
I think so, I think the liquid spark would be good for reducing potential harshness and treble prominence (the 990 can get a bit high end treble imo). The magni 3+ would give you more headroom for quieter tracks and would be more neutral, but might be a tad on the bright side of things if that might bother you
I now know where to start!!! Thank you so much for the recommendations!! I will be getting the 600 ohm 990’s and let you know how to fair with the spark!!! Thank you so much!!!