First off, I’m fairly new here. I’ve been reading many threads over the past month or two but just decided to take the plunge and sign up today.
My main query and reason for the thread is to look at a possible upgrade for my K702 and maybe an AMP/DAC upgrade also.
Items I currently own and my thoughts:
HD58X (Didn’t enjoy these for gaming. Barely used them since)
Philips X2HR (Too much base for my liking)
Philips SHP9500 (Ok as a cheap headset with Vmoda)
AKG K702 (My current go to with Vmoda and adapter)
Creative G6 (seems to be fine but always thought about different setups)
Creative G3 (Could be better, Initially bought when I was taking a PS4 to work)
My home setup is the K702 with a Vmoda (Via adapter) into the G6.
My away from home setup is a laptop with SHP9500 with a Vmoda into a G3.
I guess I’m looking for the next logical step from the K702 and basically had my eye on the DT 1990. From here, I would likely retire the SHP9500 and take the K702 to work instead.
From all the threads I’ve read (Including Falenkors recommendations and many others), The Tygr 300R is also recommended but I would need to mod them for a Vmoda.
Games I play are basically all FPS (CS:Go, Battlefield, Modern Warfare/Warzone, Apex etc etc)
I am also considering an amp/dac upgrade but the only ones I’ve seen with a mic input are the Mayflower Arc or the Schiit Fulla and Arc. Any others that I should consider?
At the minute I can get the 1990 Pro for £360 delivered and can gain some cash back from selling the X2HR, SHP9500 etc. I believe the 1990 is mini XLR so would hope my adapter would work with a Vmoda too.
Use would be 90% gaming, The rest music on Spotify or general youtube browsing.
Part of me even wonders if I’m a bit barmy looking to spend a good whack on headphones just for gaming but the other half said if its something I do daily then be as well by good equipment for it. Can’t argue with her I suppose!!
throw the vmoda in the garbage is my first recommendation. desktop mics are dirt cheap (bm-800 is like $25 with a boom arm) and sound a million times better for the people hearing you. the vmoda wont work with the 1990s anyway. dropping the vmoda also frees up the options for dacs/amps that don’t have big compromises just to make a mic work. seeing that you play games on the bigger side i’d say maybe try to find a pair of headphones with bigger soundstage handling capabilities but its definitely not necessary as the 1990s are pretty good for most games.
I did consider getting a boom arm mic actually so may do just that.
I am fairly happy with the K702 especially with the comfort and sound. Sometimes it feels like the accuracy may be a little off.
I’ve been advised from some on another site that I should stick with the K702 due to its larger sound stage really. Also been told the DT1990 has more bass than the K702 which obviously isn’t ideal for trying to pinpoint foot steps.
IF the bass is too much or the treble is too much on the 1990s pad swaps change the frequency response drastically on 1990s so theres a little wiggle room there but they’re laser accurate compared to the k702. i’ve never thought a single akg or audeze headphone are even remotely good for gaming, but that’s just me. what’s your budget all in?
Ok well thats good to hear that they can be changed via use of different pads.
Interesting you say that though, I feel the AKG do pretty amazingly but that could be due to the other headphones I’ve tried.
I would say budget for DAC/AMP and headphones would be around £500 ($700USD).
Is the sound stage a good bit smaller on the DT1990 compared to the K702?
the k702 might be a tiny bit bigger stage but i cant remember if its the 702 i’m thinking of or the 712, it’s been a while. the accuracy of the 1990s is a lot more natural sounding and the frequency response fits gaming a lot better. i remember the akgs having a mid bump somewhere that really messed with me in most games and made the depth seem off. if you can find something like a topping d10 and a monoprice liquid spark for ~$75USD each used or pay retail at $100 each you could have your source done, and $500us opens a lot of options especially on the used market. do you know if you’re sensitive to treble at all?
If its only a small change then I would be fine with that!
I can certainly look around for that amp and dac, Unsure what the pricing will be like in the UK though or availability.
If you were to get an Amp/DAC combo, Is there any in particular that you may go for? I’m just thinking of desktop space here.
I’m also a bit unsure if I am sensitive to treble or not.
can you get amazon us to ship to you? Thats a good safe headphone, outperforms the 1990s by a lot and is cheaper used than 1990s are new so already a little ahead and they’re just fantastic headphones. If you’re comfortable doing a 5 minute mod on the Gold Planar GL2000s and you KNOW you’re not sensitive to treble, they can be had for around ~$400USD used pretty regularly and they have become my absolute go to for gaming. Not my absolute favorite headphones of all time for music but for gaming specifically they’re just outstanding. If you want to go a little cheaper and give yourself some more room on source gear, Hifiman HE400se are a pad swap away from being extremely good and with pads they’re ~$180usd. as for amp/dac combos i personally would look into how small some of the entry level dacs and amps are. i think just seeing some of them on a product page makes them look bigger than they are. the topping d10s is only 10cm wide. most combo units kinda suck if you ask me. the asgard 3 isn’t bad but its $400 with the multibit dac…
I’ve had a look and it appears they won’t deliver unfortunately. I’ve also checked several other places and they are basically looking at £400+ for second hand which would leave me nothing for a DAC/AMP unfortunately.
I seem to remember the HE400se having some quite poor QA ssues before, Unless of course I’m thinking on something else.
I have to chime in on this… why? I am rather curious… there is nothing wrong with the v-moda as a cheap mic option.
while this is not only subjective prices are rather different based on location. At the same time not everyone has the space / room for a boom arm or dedicated microphone and some of us are couch gamers so this point while can be accurate… is not accurate in every case.
incorrect, there is an adapter that works on the 1990 that allows use of the v moda boom pro.
This is a thing yeah, but you can always use a splitter cable for this sort of issue. Vmoda comes with one albeit rather short.
lol yo
with such lower ended units you can really just keep the G6… if anything I would just say keep the g6 as the dac and upgrade the amp… as the g6’s dac isn’t too shabby and you have the extra gamer options which is nice for some people. As for headphones… I would encourage making sure to try a brighter headphone first and foremost like an 880 or 990. 1990 is not only expensive but very bright and aggressive so it may not be the best fit for you… while the 9500 may indeed be a brighter headphone it has nothing on the beyers in this case. Depends on the signature you prefer really.
no, stay with the g6… mayflowers crap better off just getting a full setup at that point in my opinion. People can yell at me for that all they want… its crap and I wont be convinced otherwise… okay so its not complete junk… but for the price? no, you can get a much better setup with like an audio interface or something at that point. G6 can drive up to 600 ohm beyers and is rather cheap which is why its a good option. Beyond the $200 price bracket your better off with a full dedicated setup in my opinion… you stand to gain more from that.
if you mean the adapter that goes to the k702? yep, it does indeed work with the 1990
depends on you really… 1990 are damn good cans but you can definitely get cheaper cans like the lesser beyers and get a lot of enjoyment… I actually have spoken with people who hate the 1990 yet love the 880 and stay with the 880 over the 1990… I went the T1 2nd generation route honestly.
k702 does have a large stage and good amounts of air however, it has imaging inaccuracies which the 1990 is laser accurate and corrects this issue. Top that off with k702 is a bit bass recessive while the bass on 1990 is more involved and around neutral… while it isn’t ideal in fps its not a deal breaker since its not rumbling and in the way at all… just more involved so better for music listening and general enjoyment.
changing the pads on the 1990 to other pads other than a velour will cause the 1990s to gain too much in the bass region and disrupt the placement capabilities of the headphone… just a headsup
k702 are a little bigger but its mainly in the presentation and air quality that its noticeable… as the 1990 is more in your face kinda slamming your face into the sound so to speak.
This is what I use personally, I can definitely vouch for these… They are my regular daily gaming drivers and something I would compete with due to how great they are performance wise.
Id say in this case considering its a hit or miss I wouldnt recommend this less the had more knowledge and practice in the hobby… modding a headphone can be a bit on the risky side if you ask me
I dont agree these outpace the beyers like the 880 but in terms of games that need verticality like apex yea, these are a solid alternative.
Agreed but depending on where hes at probably alternative options… if its like EU for example Lake People would be a good alternative to Schiit since schiit is extremely expensive
I see, that’s interesting. Never thought to use a separate amp and use the G6 as a DAC only. Which amp would be recommended? I noticed you mention a JDS Atom before or the Liquid spark often. If buying this, Could I use the G6 still as a mic input?
I had heard the 1990 was pretty bright but was quite unaware exactly what that was until I researched it.
I may keep an eye out for used T1 as mentioned earlier but to be fair I do still quite like the K702. I thought perhaps I may be missing out with the K702 over other equipment.
I’m still considering a Beyer headphone to try out so may opt for a second hand 880/990.
The mic input should still work fine, windows will set the g6 as the usable device still. Atom and spark are alright they would be a small upgrade but I would recommend the step above there if possible Around the $200 range like asgard 3… at that point no real reason to upgrade past there outside of just upgrading the g6 to a full fledge dac.
It goes on a by-person basis… everyone reacts to high treble differently so you may be fine but I would still encourage testing a less bright headphone like 880 which is similar in sound before hand. This way you know if you can tolerate the 1990. High treble like that can lead to fatigue, headaches, discomfort, etc.
Nah k702 is quite good at what it does… not the best but still very nice.
Frequency of K702… its on the brighter side of that pair of headphones… The k712 and k7xx have better bass tones and less in the treble in comparison to this but not by much.
Then theres the 1990 in green and 880 at 600 ohms silver version in red.
The 3 are similar yet different. Beyers have better bass but brighter treble. 880 is noticeably more mids as seen even in the graph. K702 has a more balanced out signature and is more airy / relaxed while the beyers are more in your face and aggressive less you go to T1.2 which… ill post that one as well I guess…
Thanks! I did look into the Asgard 3 but may be a struggle to get it in the UK. I can hold out for it though.
I think I may slowly start upgrading the equipment and at least having the Asgard 3, I should be pretty set with it.
I may look at getting the DT880 to try out. It appears I can get them second hand fairly cheap in the UK. I will likely mod them to take a 3.5mm jack too. Then I can sell on once I’ve used them a while.
Also, Thanks for the graphs, I think I have a good enough understanding on how to read them.
since its the UK the good alternative to come ot mind is Lake People which has similar performance and traits to asgard… and in some cases people find the lake people to sound better so thats a bonus.
They are surprisingly quite an older headphone that have just been around for a long time… despite this they are fantastic cans that many own and love. Zeos gushed like crazy on the 600 ohm version… I can definitely agree they are quite something and very well rounded. I think the best part though if you ask me about a beyer is simply the fact they are built like a tank and just doing something as simple as a pad swap can change the signature dramatically to give a different kind of signature, mind you the stock pads are a nightmare to get back on…
Not sure what else you had in the other post… says deleted, if you have other questions feel free to ask.
I’ll check out Lake people. I’ve never heard of it before but think you mentioned it further up the thread. I thought perhaps a spelling error haha.
It was the 600 ohm version I would be looking at. Got to make use of the new amp huh?!
The other post was saying that someone local was selling the 600 ohm version for £85 ($110) but upon querying them, it sounded like there may have been a slight driver issue and mentioned needing tape to keep the band from sliding.
I would recommend searching the used markets on them just find them in a good condition. They are commonly found at $100+ range even in mint condition so they aren’t hard to find.
well to be fair… the g6 can run them lol but yeah gotta break in the new amp.
Well, Ideally I wanted a DT880 but I’ve managed to get a pair of as new DT990 (Black edition) with an extra set of pads for £80 delivered. Thought I be as well give them a try for that price and see how I get on with the treble.
Its looking like I won’t be able to get an Asgard 3 for some time though as the USA site states 6-8 weeks but people have been waiting longer than that and the UK site have said they have no idea when they will receive any products.
that was my first audiophile headphone and it remains in my collection due to that as it holds a special place for me personally. 990 though is incredibly sharp but definitely a great way to test treble sensitivity, after all if you can tolerate 990 you can do 1990, 880, T1, Sundaras, etc many other bright headphones that aren’t as bright.
they have been having some trouble keeping stock… there are alternatives of course which youll see me mention like lake people that may be more accessible… I am currently looking into testing out other amps myself like singxer and burson but itll be quite a while before I have anything to say on other units like that.
Let me know what you think on the 990 though, hopefully its tolerable. You can dial the treble back through tygr filter pads(on the beyer website its labelled for the amiron wireless I believe), simple pad swaps, or eq.
