I am honestly in a weird predicament at the moment, I figured I should upgrade to a more clear and competitive-geared pair of headphones but I am honestly lost in this sea of different brands, price brackets, open/closed back… you guys get the idea.
I have a pair of Logitech G PRO X headphones that failed on me which were really good for hearing quieter sound signatures because of the closed back nature but they lacked the clarity that my Sennheiser HD 598 had.
My biggest issues with my HD 598 was that my cat chewed through the cable and I could just buy a new one but I figured it was high time to start thinking about getting away from the other issues I had with the headphones. I had to turn up the volume to hear anything subtle which in turn made the lows almost punch too hard in some games and the highs pierce my eardrums in others. This was most apparent in games like Apex Legends with the highs and Modern Warfare with the lows. I’d also like to mention in MW that there are sound options that allow for the audio mix to boost highs, I used it and it still seems to feel too muddy. I don’t know if it’s because of not using an external audio solution but I’ve come to the conclusion that I have 2 routes to go down;
I buy a new pair of headphones that sound good and can also be improved further with a DAC/AMP later down the road (perhaps all in one go if possible), my budget being under $200 CAD but if need be I can stretch it to 250
I have a Sennheiser HD 598 so I could just get a new cable and invest in a DAC like the Fulla Schitt 3 or something that produces a neutral tone. Or perhaps someone could recommend me a good bang for buck DAC/AMP to pair with a semi-budget pair of cans!
I’m new to this world of high quality audio so I hope someone can help me learn a thing or two! Thank you for reading :))
Welcome to the forum. Honestly, the HD 598 is a really good pair of competitive gaming headphones. I’d start by replacing the cable and getting a good amp or dac/amp. If volume is a problem, an amp would give you the best boost in performance. Do you game on console or PC? The Sound Blaster G6 is a good entry DAC/amp combo. Also includes surround sound processing and different profiles if that’s a feature you’re interested in. I like the G6 because I go between PC and console a good bit and it works well with my PS4. The Fulla 3 is another great option. If you just need an amp, though, you can look into the JDS Labs Atom, Monoprice Liquid Spark, Schiit Magni 3+/Heresy, Topping L30.
Since you mention both the Logitech and Sennheiser headphones, it’s important to choose what you like best in terms of open or closed-back cans. In my experience, open-back headphones are the better choice for competitive play because of their wider sound stage and imaging. YMMV. But if you need the isolation, then obviously closed-back would be the way to go.
As for headphone recommendations, check out Falkenor’s guide. He offers a ton of recommendations at different price levels.
TL;DR: I’d replace the 598 cable and buy a good amp or amp/DAC combo.
Dt 880 + Dolby Surround Sound Software i think it’s a one time cost of 15 Euros or something. You get a great Driver + a Surround Sound Software thats better than logitechs or razers.
Even the HD series Like 598 works for that. You can use a Trial for the Surround Sound Simulator
Funny thing is I never actually use surround sound on headphones, I find I can actually pinpoint where a sound is coming from with stereo much faster and easier than with 7.1 surround.
Not saying Dolby Atmos is bad or anything, just used to stereo to be completely honest.
since you have a 598 right now you can use that as a carry over headphone to get soemthing better like a 880 600ohm in the future which is a better can for gaming IMO. and for now put some cash into getting somehting that can actually push these cans like a better amp and a dac. or grab the beyerdynamic tygrs if their in stock and call it a day. the 598 is pretty good for gaming and I would use that any day over the gpro x. so in summary I would just fix up your existing issues with the 598 and get gear to be able to run something better basically.
hmm since you have a hd 598 but it gets a bit too bassy… lets see… Probably the DT 880 but you’d need an amp to drive it… Honestly, I would wait and save up as your headphone is technically fine the issue you describe sounds like you need an external unit amp and dac as the hd 598 is honestly very balanced out in tonality. Very All-Rounder so to speak. Switching over to an 880 will yield a lot better results it just demands a good setup. Though good thing about a setup is once you have it your good to buy whatever headphones typically. Recommend you look into a dedicated amp and dedicated Dac in the $100 ranges. My recommendation would be either Schiit Magni 3+ or Monoprice Liquid Spark(especially the spark for brighter headphones like a Beyerdynamic DT 880) pair one of those with a Topping D10(or e30 which is slightly more expensive but cleaner) and your good. You can also get away with a combo unit such as IFI Zen Dac or Schiit Hel
I know the DT 880 is a semi-open design but other than that is it basically the same headphone as 770s and 990s? And if so what would be the best value for money version of it? My guess would be the 250 OHM because 600 requires a crazy amount of power to drive it lol.
The 770s, 880s, and 990s are all different from one another with different sound signatures. 770s are closed back they are a bit U shaped with mids faling more along neutral bass and treble increased, granted kind of all over the place if you look at a chart for them lol. 880s are the unusual one of the bunch as they are more mid centric less than neutral bass neutral mids and raised highs making it a bright headphone. 990s are the ones that will scratch out your ears if you have treble sensitivity or a bad amp pairing they are an extremely sharp V signature with bass and treble raised big time and recessed mids.
The different ohms change the tuning quite a bit. 600 ohms are recommended though require one of the $100 amps (liquid spark, atom, a30, magni 3+, heresy, etc) or higher priced power units however can sound even better with more powerful units such as asgard 3 or emotiva bas-x a100 among others. If you aren’t okay with a big lack in the bass department from the dt 880 there exists a bit of a special alternative with the headphone in 250 ohms called the “limited edition black” which has a different tuning with more bass to it that doesn’t get too much in the way for competitive gameplay. Note that the dt 990 black edition is purely cosmetic and only the dt880 250 ohm limited edition black had a different tuning.
In terms of the best of the 3 for competitive? DT 880. Second best? DT 990 easily due to larger soundstage and extremely good imaging despite the bass being raised this can be dealt with as dt 990 responds well to equalization. 770s are good but have the smallest soundstage of the 3 and are very bassy making them the least ideal less you need isolation from a closed back.
You can fix most beyers treble peaks through a cable filter if you contact Solderdude over on DIYheaven, change the pads to something of a thicker material so your ears are a bit further from the driver or different material however any thicker than a velour will increase bass less perforated, modify it by putting something behind the foam on the driver such as a piece of 4 ply toilet paper cut to size this will reduce both treble and bass.
I have seen from time to time these 3 beyers get sold for under $100 so I would recommend digging around a bit see what you can find. Lower ohms just don’t sound good. 80 ohm dt 770 is fine just not great for competitive it has more bass response but marginal. 250 ohms is good while 600 ohm is best especially for 990 as it refines and smooths out that really crazy treble
Actually really natural, bass is very pleasant band everything else is either natural or elevated. Really efficient too so yeah… great set for gaming. However you may get side tracked with a good music score so careful of good music if you’re trying to be competitive.
If I remember right Auteur was the one with the more brightness too it so that would be the one I would gravitate towards. Though good to know they can have a mic attachment. That’s pretty neat.
Auteur’s are the neutral and sound stage monsters. The Eikons have more character and slam that may actually work better for gaming and better imaging.
I want to know the difference between dt880 black edition and chrome edition. I heard that dt880 black edition has bad soundstage and bad stereo, so it’s not good at competitive gaming. I really want to buy dt880 for fps gaming, but it doesn’t look good. So I want to buy chrome edition. Is the sound of chrome edition different from black edition?
Hey, Welcome to hifiguides @sarang7895 thanks for reaching out. Hopefully this information helps you out.
eh? Not sure where you heard bad soundstage or stereo, it has the same staging and stereo as the original. The main difference is just the tuning. The black 250 ohm(not the 600 ohm as that is aesthetic only) special edition is bassier and like an inbetween with the DT 880 and DT 990 granted still lacking body. It’s just not a very good headphone in my opinion less you really wanted that slight extra bit of warmth however, you can get that quite easily by just an equalizer or a simple swap of the pads on the regular DT 880 without the difference in signature.
incase you wanted a frequency chart comparison. red there is the black 250 ohm and green is the original 250 ohm edition dt 880.
They both are good at competitives, but honestly if you wanted that bass I would sooner tell you to buy a DT 990, granted you could withstand that much brightness to begin with. Seeing how DT 990 has the better imaging, soundstage, bass, and even brighter treble. It’s just not that great in the mids like the DT 880 is by like any means as the vocality of the dt 880 is very nice as well as the detail between both of them is superb. Just keep in mind that bass is typically a no go for competitive gaming as it will get in the way.
Chrome is the same as the regular it’s only aesthetic. However, only in 250 ohm. If you have an amp to drive them, go with the Black 600 ohm if need be as it has the best refined sound among the whole lot and you get it in black which in my opinion looks incredibly nice.
I only found all these differences out by testing them personally, which is why I found it extremely odd about the black 250 ohm. Keep in mind though, theres also the black 250 ohm MANUFAKTUR edition which is just aesthetic however MANUFAKTUR versions are mainly only available over in the EU and are special ordered custom variations. I will post an example of a Manufaktur version of the 990 below
