I’m currently looking for new headphones and something to power them.
I mainly play Valorant, and need that imaging.
I’m looking at either DT1990pro or HD660s. That said, by reading this forum the DTs seem to be the most recommended.
And now over to something that can drive them.
I was first looking at Sennheiser GSX 1000, but this seemed like a weak option for 250ohms. I use a desk mic with a stand anyway, so the mic thing isnt needed.
Is there any other amp+DAC combo that is very good?
My amp+dac budget would probably be under 500$, since I would use this audio setup for movies and music in the future anyway.
With the 1990 in that range, if you wanted an all in one the jds element ii is a good pick imo, it’s going to be more neutral clean, but slightly sweeter sounding in the treble to remove a bit of harshness (but it’s still going to be fairly revealing)
For separates, I like something like the modius and Asgard 3 for something a bit warmer and fun, slightly smoother without sacrificing performance, really nice with the 1990 imo
Skip, this thing can barily power anything at all… Horrible for power supply.
either of the headphones here would be good for valorant though from my own experience it appears as though 1990 has the better imaging… its laser accurate and extremely revealing plus the natural sound signature is very ideal for competitive gaming with the extra pads being able to be used for more casual games as it emphasizes more bass.
I can feasibly +1 to this or maybe the Ifi zen dac for a combo unit as it will add a touch of warmth but roll off the treble so it’s not so harsh. Element may be better though as it’s the more neutral option.
Most definitely +1 to this. I don’t own the modius I own a bifrost but asgard 3 pairs insanely well with a 1990 due to that spatial recreation in competitive games its superb. If you want a cheaper option Magni 3+ / Heresy + Topping E30.
I would love a cleaner desk, hence a amp/dac combo, but im not totally against two separate units.
That being said, I do love the looks of the element ii.
And was about to ask about a button to quickly choose between speakers and headphones, which the jds element ii has.
I currently have HD 598 plugged directly into my PC, so I’m counting on the DT 1990 + element ii would be a upgrade.
Especially against my old Steelseries Arctic Pro wireless cans I used before I switched to the HD598.
The Zen dac is fun for the 1990 but imo can lack drive and punch at times with the 1990, but I don’t think it would be bad either (but generally I would say the element is higher tier with it’s amp)
In that regard? That would be a huge difference in my opinion.
Not enough experience with this one so can’t speak fully on it. Though as far as drive and punch lacking? Yeah, I can see that though granted this is for competitive gaming so punch isn’t as much of a concern and I didn’t really have drive issues with the zen dac
I’m getting a bit scared that the treble might be overwhelming. I wouldn’t mind getting althe EQ APO and tweak if this is a workaround?
And I’ve dig deeper into the element ii and find the button in the back to be a bit annoying.
The Asgard 3 keeps getting recommenced with the 1990s, what kinds of DAC pair well with 1990 + Asgard 3?
Feel free to give a few different ones withIn various price ranges.
That being said, I can’t find a topping E30 to purchase here in Norway, but I see the Asgard3 have dac module options. Are these any good?
The Asgard 3 with the multibit dac card sounds like a really solid choice here imo. The multibit dac is a pretty smooth easygoing dac, and with the Asgard 3, it should do a good job at avoiding potential treble issues.
If you were the most concerned about treble, potentially you could find a more relaxed smoother tube amp, but I have a feeling you might be spending just as much on the amp alone vs the headphones where you are. You might be able to get a darkvoice 336se but that’s not going to be as refined as the Asgard 3 (but I highly doubt treble would be of any concern, but I personally would still lean toward the a3)
You can use EQ to control the treble, but I would make sure to not go overboard on EQ.
Just gotta say valorant isn’t a very demanding game in terms of audio. Sounds are very simple forward without a lot of nuance. You can easily tell when jet is jumping and dashing to you , or when kill joy lays her shit out. A $150 HD 58x will do the job rather nicely or if the magical day the tygrs come back in stock happen you should be great. In a game where sounds have more nuance though like siege 1990 pro would be a benefit. Sound can only get you so far in most games.
Lol that’s good. If it was just for valorant then imo you were spending too much but in the case of just competitive gaming in general then I would probably do the same.
I agree with RiceGuru. If you are going back to CSGO or other competitive games, the DT1990 would be worth, but for just Valorant, not really. If you want a general sound upgrade for things other than Valorant, then it’ll be worth.
I personally had no issues with the buttons in the back.
too add to this imo the valorant sound engine is pretty bad and unrefined. I think at some point it will be improved but currently within hearing range there inst any kind of sound degradation and footsteps next to you sound the same as footsteps on the edge of your circle. At this point the defining sound features are just the texture difference of the surface you’re walking on, or discerning drops/jumps in a direction. The game is early and sound is an area of criticism that they’re aware of so I this is something I think will get changed and improved.
That being said the 1990’s with the jds el stack was my main comp gaming setup for a long time and I really think it’s hard to get a better setup for that particular use case and have impeccable imaging and great sound stage.
its pretty okj but then again given enough time I can easily learn a sound engine. this is also the first game where riot acutally has to design binaural sound , in lol all they had to do is sound by proximity in relation to the camera.
yeah the game is still early, and since they added deathmatch there’s definitely more attention on the sound and the need for improvement, so i really do think it will get updated and improved at some point in the near future
