What would you recommend as a start to understand what I’m looking for?
Sorry if I wasn’t clear, I meant the Liquid Spark Dac is out of stock and only in a month they expect to have it again in stock, not the Liquid Spark Amp.
So my question was to understand if there’s a big difference between the Liquid Spark Dac and the Topping E30? Is it worth waiting for over a month for the Liquid Spark Dac? Both are around the same price, so I would choose the one with the best quality for 990/880 600ohms.
Again I think there was a little confusion created by my side, when I said the combo I didn’t mean all in one, I meant the Liquid Spark Amp + the Topping E30, I meant to ask if they were a good combination (the amp + dac) and also if they are a good combination with the 990/880 600ohms?
In regards to the design part, where you suggested the Manufaktur, I’ve read somewhere else before that changing the colour of the pads, will change the pads and therefore give the headphones a different sound signature. Is this true for both of the models?
My plan at this point, with the current information that I’ve gathered, is to purchase the Liquid Spark Amp + the Topping E30 and the 990/880 600ohms, to understand which one fits my preference the best, as I’ve no clue what truly expects me. Mind blowing!
If I’ll be going this route, I expect to spend around 450€ for the setup. Do you agree that such setup, for such budget is a good deal? Should I also consider a different setup, with this budget?
ah I do apologize for the misunderstandings… it does happen sometimes.
I would definitely side with the E30… I haven’t really sat with the sparks dac as it’s still really new but out of most dacs at that price range… E30 is quite nice and adds a bit more warmth to the sound. Granted, most dacs in the entry level don’t have very noticeable sound changes to my ear. D10 or E30 would work just fine in replacement to the sparks dac.
yes that’s completely fine, again sorry for the misunderstanding.
So, it’s not really the color of the pads as much as the design itself changes based on which color you go with. The silver pads are a bit more curved inward on the ears while the black are a bit on the thicker side and just a full circle… they have slight changes between the two that does indeed change the sound to small degrees with black having the more bass tonality and silver having the more treble.
Starting out just like I did, by all means go for it.
hmm, let me think… so over here DT beyers of the lower entry are $200 maximum at their 600 ohm variation… Adding a liquid spark those are typically $100 and the E30 here is $130 bringing it to $430. Mathematically that’s quite a bit higher than I would expect… since beyers should be cheaper in europe and other areas out that way. I will always recommend that anyone take the route that saves them money, provided they still gain that same quality of sound… I would recommend looking into the alternatives I believe I have mentioned previously to see if you can find cheaper options to you…
Do keep something in mind, while the 3rd party market seems a bit daunting at first you can definitely save yourself a lot of money by just buying used… Over here beyers can be found for $100-$125, spark at $70, and E30 at like $90 sometimes. Depreciation of an items value is quite common so it shouldn’t be too hard to find something at a good price. If it helps, I do use Hifishark to scour the websites for a good deal on something audio related.
I think your current idea of trying out the beyers is a good one… just don’t jump head first into the rabbit hole at first… experiment, if possible, with different sound signatured headphones… 880 is a neutral bright headphone, 990 is a V signature, that leaves Warm(Fidelio X2HR would be a great cheap way to try this), Neutral(can also be mid centric, sennheiser is a good one to try this signature), Harman(akg k371 comes to mind a bit here), and Dark(at times you will be a combination of Warm and Dark as well such as T1 3rd generation where it’s super bassy but has darker treble. Nighthawks come to mind here for this signature at a budget… maybe some others but nothing is coming to my mind right now…).
There are some headphones that are really good at kind of testing the waters as well… beyers are good for changing their sound through something as simple as some equalization or pad swaps. While on PC look into a program called PEACE APO this is a free software(it’s two downloads but very easy to setup, I use it myself when I am not using my Loki) equalizer… this program will let you tinker with the multiple frequencies and test things further… feel free to tinker at your leisure and see if you just enjoy the sound… things like treble boosts, vocal boosts, low boosts, sometimes harman tuning like Oratory’s Harman EQ tunings also can come into play to give you a good idea of what your own personal preferences are… then afterwards if you decide well… maybe this headphone isn’t right because you have to EQ it to such a degree or you liked some other headphone more… you know what tuning you should gravitate more towards. This will narrow down your search results leading to your most ideal headphone that you can find the most enjoyment out of as well as particular brands you will more than likely end up sticking with… it makes it easier and less mind numbing digging through all this heaps of information
Then again, it is very possible you could fall completely in love with the Beyers and never need to bother taking another step forward lol
Based on your description of the different sound signatures that exist, I’ve finally made my mind and just ordered the following, based on my “assumed” preferences.
Monolith Liquid Spark Amp for 140€
TOPPING E30 DAC for 140€
Beyerdynamic DT 990 600 ohms and DT 880 600 ohms too for 310€
The physical EQ its something that I quite like… maybe I’ll add one in the future, if I find myself tinkering with the EQ often. Also thanks for sharing your recommendations on the EQ software!
I’m waiting for an epic trip into my music library and also an absolutely wonderful experience in regards to soundstage, imaging and clarity by the competitive gaming @ Valorant.
Wish me luck…
Thanks a lot Falenkor, I’ll for sure drop my own “newbie” review once I get everything so you also have a feedback from your very kind assistance on this complex topic for anyone outside of it.
I love my Loki, it’s a little unit with only 4 dials but it hits each section of the frequency quite well without extensive tinkering on an eq board. Still, Peace can do everything this unit can do and more… as it’s a full customizable EQ… just don’t forget if you use peace when you do an adjustment remember to adjust that preamp gain at the top to make sure the power stays correct otherwise the sound goes weird. Equalizing takes more power.
Sounds great, I do wish you the best with that and I hope right out the gate you found the headphone your looking for.
Have you tried the Koss 95X with gaming? I really liked how much clearer I could hear every directional cue. Only planar I had at the time was a Sivga P-II (since retired the 95S for a L700, overkill but oh-so-clear), so maybe it’s not really better than a Sundara, etc. But it was lightyears ahead of all the dynamics I tried.
I have, I don’t particularly like the idea of recommending an electrostatic headphone(boils down to the special amp needed for them and the pricetag to go to the next electrostatic is absolutely absurd) but it is another option. I found them quite a bit boring in all honestly so they definitely aren’t my thing as the bass to my ear was heavily recessive… mids and highs being closer to neutral though emphasized. Soundstage large and imaging exceptional. It shouldn’t have issues with pinpoints really, I wouldn’t say soundstaging is better than sundara but imaging was really good on that one. It’s another alternative I would say to something like AKG k702 or something like AD1000x
Edit: I could probably add that one to the list later on… I will write it down as a potential for later on
For competitive gaming, the bass roll off is a bonus more than a handicap =). Estats + Dolby Atmos is fucking great. $450 is rich for a gaming headset, but the 95X comes with an amp so pretty comparable to a Sundara + entry amp.
This depends on the game, but I wouldn’t call it more of a bonus. Neutral bass is just about as good as recessive… but it limits it’s uses outside of competitive if that’s not your signature preference. Games like… rainbow six siege though do have some sounds in the low end as well such as the floor boards and the like… so recessive bass could cause potential issues(not a big deal but something to take note of) which is why I would say more neutral bass is a bit more on the ideal.
That, would be super subjective and a subject in particular I would try to avoid getting into… as anything 7.1 95% of the time causes more issues then benefits.
Electrostatics are quite expensive… yes the 95x isn’t bad on it’s price as it also comes with an amp but others up the chain are expensive as well… You can gain the same or similar results the 95x is capable of in competitive with something like AD1000x, K702, DT 880, etc to certain degrees however, electrostatics are limited to their respective amp type… meaning if you go electrostatic and then you want to switch to any of the other drivers… you will need the amp purchase as well which is another additional cost therefore causing some weird limitations when it comes to budget… you stand to gain more from going with other drivers after purchase of a normal Solid State amp.
The 95x are normally $500(double the price of Sundara’s open box sales) not including a microphone and $390 when on sale this places this headphone potentially between $450 - $620 including a microphone not including taxes and potential shipping fees. This includes the amp… but the mic is an additional cost… this puts this headphone in the upper spectrum of headphone price brackets up there against DT 1990, T1.2, Elex, Ananda and others… It is due to this that it’s a bit more of a gamble. I would sooner point someone towards the other drivers than an electro static.
That isn’t to say 95x is a bad headphone, it’s really not by any means, it’s just that there is quite a few cons that makes it a bit less worth while in comparison to the alternatives.
Those drivers aren’t near fast enough to provide the same level of detail. And my DT880 (haven’t tried the others) is fun to listen to, but it’s in no way comparable in detail as the 95X. Which seques nicely to
I only play Overwatch which has Dolby Atmos built in. It’s impeccable. I can hear everything at once with pinpoint accuracy with the 95X and the L700. The same can’t be said for Sundara, Sivga P-II, DT880, HD6XX, X2, Elex, kph30i… Only thing really missing is sub bass (which, I’ve never heard as a key audio cue in a competitive game). Bass is there, sub bass is not. It makes the sound much less muddy.
I wouldn’t use any spatial audio other than one baked into the game engine (otherwise stereo is just better). But yeah, for most folks estats are overkill for gaming, but if folks are shelling out $1-2k for high refresh gaming monitors, shelling out for audio that provides comparable fidelity makes sense.
The level of detail on them is fine, most game engines can only be taken so far which is the unfortunate truth. While no, those headphones cannot keep up with speed, if you were to bring in the Sundara which is half the price of the 95x on open box sales… the Sundara can most definitely keep up with the 95x. It just makes things quite debatable…
Also, There is a difference between speed and detail retrieval. 880 has plenty of detail it’s just not as fast as a planar or electrostatic… it places sounds just fine in competitive games without much issue if at all in any of the FPS. 95x though is a detail champ as are most electrostatics from my experience with them so if you want every single bit of detail and speed, it makes more sense to look into something of that sort.
I do not have any of these issues so I would even chock that up to atmos or overwatch itself. I cannot speak for Overwatch personally as I played it for a short period and stopped… it’s just not my kind of game however, I will say that Overwatch is one of the absolute least demanding games for sound engine placement, the sounds are loud as they are present and you don’t need to pick out every tiny sound from miles away.
the sub is not really needed and not a audio cue. Forms of rumble are unacceptable in competitives
I wouldn’t want to use it to begin with as it screws up my T1.2 in any game I have tried atmos with… it completely destroys most of the imaging capabilities and just sounds pretty bad if you ask me. This goes for the 1990, Elex, and many others… It’s why I speak heavily against it… feel free to use it if you like it after all who cares what others think if one enjoys something. Though for me, I have had entirely negative experiences with that more than I have positive.
most people aren’t shelling out $2k for monitors… least not the people who view this and send me loads of messages on the daily. Something such as the 95x for a lot of the people I speak with is entirely out of budget for them… as they may play with a high refresh rate monitor… but you can get a good refresh rate for pretty cheap… it depends on the size on the monitor and resolution as well.
People on here typically appear to look right around the $200 range so headphones like 58x, DT series from beyers, sometimes the AKG’s, and a few select others like I got asked about some superlux a bit ago…
I will agree with you that something like the 95x is also in the “overkill” listing. The only place I found it can technically fall slightly short was in Tarkov(soundstage issues not details or imaging)… all other games 95x does perfectly fine. Granted, I definitely am not a fan of it for any forms of casual gaming, not at all. Love the comfort, love the build, love the clarity and accuracy, but it’s just not that engaging headphone I look for when it comes to casual and music
eh, depends. You can just use a modmic if you prefer that route… they attach to whatever headphone you wish and work well enough for gaming…
For a dedicated mic you will have to choose between condensor and dynamic.
Condensor: designed for sound proof or extremely quiet rooms, pick up a ton of sound and are used in sound proof recording rooms. Have the most clarity and good reproduction on sound but are just really sensitive. Many USB variations.
Dynamic: used in live concerts and better at blocking out sound but with some different clarity and reproduction notes. Generally more expensive and can be quite a bit better than condensors in the right setup imo you will in most cases need an XLR interface to use one of these microphones. Note: XLR interfaces can also be your DAC as well as the microphone interface so if you choose the dynamic route you can replace the DAC with a good interface in your setup
I have quite a few I can potentially recommend to you, but it depends on which you would prefer
Cooler Master MH751 vs hyper x for my kids ?or what else? close with for fortnite only like all the kids lol
close for fortnite only like all the kids lol
7 and 11 years old
you sure you want closed? Keep in mind the isolation factor… they won’t be able to hear you if you need to call them or talk to them about something while gaming lol.
Still though, MH751… MH752 if you want to give them a bit more in terms of flexibility on the sound as that has the 7.1 and the equalizer… so a bit more handy… MH6-- series is the more fun one. Otherwise, HyperX Alpha.
PC37x or Tygr 300R(may need amp) for open back(just keep in mind the tygr needs a microphone so modmic is the probably best option there). Other alternatives for that… Astro A40, and 58X Jubilee(may need amp)
I got my MH670’s today, they are superb! I was using Logitech G230 for almost 6 or 7 years and this sounds way better ! Thank you so much ! If it was not for your posts i think i would buy a shitty razer headset.
I wanted to ask you, where can i learn to make this sound more “neutral” or “better” by using EQ ?
i made some research and learned that cm’s eq software is somewhat limited and windows eq settings have wider options, so i made this settings from the windows eq(from a reddit post about mh670) but i still don’t have anything in reference to compare, for example author of the reddit post said this settings are bassy but how can he know that ? What does he take as reference ?
After some more research i found that this is a very long subject and i found some useful links for how to make eq for beginners, anyone interested can look up to it.
Update 2: I found an AutoEQ thread that has over 3000 headphone EQ’s. It requires frequency graphs to make that EQ’s but MH670 doesn’t have one on the internet, if anyone has it please share it with me, although i found MH630’s graph, do you think they would be same Mr. Falenkor ? If they use the same driver i think they would, some review on the internet said all mh6 series sounded different but i don’t know
better would be subjective and based on your own ears… neutral you’d need to know it’s frequency chart to really get to that point… of which nobody has taken measurements of this headphone to my knowledge and it’s still fairly new.
it is but so is other alternatives outside of actual equalizers such as peace apo and other pieces of software.
Alright, so let me bring up a frequency graph here.
This is a frequency chart of the DT 1990 grabbed off of “RTings”. below you will see 20, 100, 1k, 2k, 10k, and 20k these are the same as what your seeing in but, as you can see in RTings there’s a label on the frequencies showing where the bass, mids, and treble are.
just in different areas of the frequency response respectively… though you can see the dashes at the bottom of the graph I posted there…
heres a better one
we can see there that from 0 - 100 on this graph is the bass, 200 - 1k is the mids or vocals and 2k - 30k is the treble
it is indeed a very very long subject… and takes some time to understand how to properly implement EQ
They do not, no for a couple of reasons. If they sounded the same, nobody would really want to buy the 670 as 630 is much cheaper. The pads are different of which pads are one of the easiest ways to significantly change a sound signature, your comparing a cloth type of pad to a leather. Lastly, it’s wireless… so it will sound different regardless as wireless loses sound quality just for the fact of being wireless, while some headphones are surprisingly good despite being wireless… this is just how things are for the time being… transmitting signals tends to mess with sound qualities. Unless someone here has this headphone and a measurement rig, obtaining a FR response graph for the 670 is probably not going to happen… though to be fair, I wouldn’t worry too much about it anyway… just EQ it to your own personal preference and listening pleasure
Hello all, I’m hoping to get some advice on picking my next headphone. I’m currently using the v1 150 ohm Sennheiser Game Ones and have narrowed down my upgrade choices to roughly the HD560S, HD58X, Tygr 300 R, or DT1990 Pro. From what I’ve read in this thread, I believe I would like the HD560S or HD58X slightly more since I find myself really enjoying listening to vocals.
My main use case is 70% casual FPS gaming + 30% music. The headphones will be ran off the Schiit Magni/Modi stack. No strict budget, but preferably under $600 new or used. I mainly listen to Soft Pop and Alterantive/Indie, and occassionally Dance/Electronics.
Examples of songs:
Exile by Taylor Swift ft Bon Iver
Intentions by Justin Bieber
Crashing by Illenium ft Bahari
Some headphones that I currently own:
AirPod Pros:
Actually really enjoy the sound signature
Easy to listen to, rarely get fatigued. Sufficient bass, although a little more would be welcomed
JH16 Pro (v1):
Note: I just sent these in for cleaning and diagnosis. The left earpiece seems to be quieter than the right, so my impressions below may not be accurate if something was indeed broken.
Used to enjoy these tremendously, but I started using the AirPod Pros much more after Covid started due to their convenience for work. I actually slightly enjoy the sound signature of the AirPod Pros more.
Very good bass, deep and impactful
Mids slightly recessed I feel, prefer them to be more present
On the warmer side, could be brighter or more neutral
Treble is good, no sibilance issues
TH-X00:
Great looking headphones, but not a fan sonically unfortunately
Too bright, prefer warmer
Fatiguing after a while
Sibilance issues
Comfort is a big factor and I currently find the Game Ones really comfortable.
Based on these info, is there a headphone out of the four (or even outside of the four) that would fit my preference well?
but, as you can see in RTings there’s a label on the frequencies showing where the bass, mids, and treble are.