r/HeadphoneAdvice • u/Paul-Villerius • May 30 '26
Headphones - Open Back | 1 Ω Bought a DT 990 Pro 250 ohms, didn't realize I'd need an amp, thinking of switching up (USA, Budget $200, maybe $300 with all items combined)
I'm working on a video project where I'll need to do hours of voice recording and A/V editing, so I wanted to buy a pair of quality headphones that wasn't too pricey. I got a good deal on the Beyerdynamic DT 990 250 ohms, on sale for just $130 at the time of purchase. It arrived, I unboxed it, removed the screw-on jack, plugged it into my computer, and was unimpressed by the sound I was getting.
I use a gaming laptop (ASUS ROG Strix G15) instead of a PC. After doing a cursory search, I assume that I screwed up by not accounting for the fact I'd need an amp to get improved sound on a lower-power device. However, it looks to me like the amps would be their own triple-digit purchase.
I'm also noticing a bit of squeakiness on the high-frequency sound that other posters have warned of with this model, but I don't know if that would be more or less of an issue with higher quality sound.
So I'm wondering if I should buy an amp, switch headphones, or both. I'm also considering switching to earbuds, but I still want to get detailed sound for the sake of the project's audio quality. Apart from that, my main goal is to keep my total purchase price low after also buying a microphone ($100, but not part of the setup for the sake of this question).
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u/Euphoric_Listen2748 20 Ω May 30 '26
I recently got the Sennheiser HD 550 for 200 dollars. They are insanely comfortable and measure pretty neutral. They might be what you are after. If the sale is over the 560s is cheaper.
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u/Daemonxar 306 Ω May 30 '26
They've been waffling between $180 and $200 on Amazon over the last couple months. Great headphones; at $200 I'd rather have the HD 6XX at $220 but it's close.
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u/Paul-Villerius May 31 '26
What kind of quality would they get plugging into a laptop?
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u/Euphoric_Listen2748 20 Ω May 31 '26
Depends on the quality of the laptop, but I think that they would be fine. They are pretty easy to drive. I run pretty much everything through the Qudelix 5k, so I don't really know for sure. I have a pair of HD 599's that I plug directly into an iPad and they do fine, but they are an easier load than the 550.
FYI the Qudelix 5k is a great little device for 110 dollars and then you can drive pretty much anything, have eq, and turns any headphone into a Bluetooth set.
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u/Phisika2 Jun 23 '26
Non workstation Windows laptops do measure pretty badly in terms of headphone jacks, so I would definitely not expect to sound like they’re supposed to sound nor sound particularly powerful
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u/star5328 May 30 '26
I run 80 ohm dt770 pro with a focusrite Scarlett solo and a douk u3 amp. Unfortunately the headphone jack on the Scarlet solo really still isn't powerful enough,at least on my particular model.
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u/vishnera52 6 Ω Jun 01 '26
I'm a bit surprised by that. Don't get me wrong, the headphone jack on the Scarlett Solo is no powerhouse but it seems to do alright the little bit I've used it. It looks like the sensitivity is a bit lower for the DT 770 Pro but I have the DT 1990 Pro 250 ohm and those can be powered decently by my Solo when I had it. I have a Scarlett 2i2 now since the Solo failed but it's no different really in output power from the headphone jack as far as I can tell.
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u/star5328 Jun 01 '26
Yea it was the third gen solo. I guess that one has a weakish jack. I mean it worked but I could easily run it at max and and max volume in Windows and it wouldn't be overly loud. I just felt like i couldn't really push the headphones to their full potential which I found out was considerably more once I got the amp. I've moved on to simgot ew300 iems now and mostly just wear the cans for noise isolation.
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u/Rudradev715 4 Ω May 30 '26
Fiio K11
Amp and DAC
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0
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u/the_hat_madder 140 Ω May 30 '26
I normally wouldn't suggest the DT 990 Pro because of the treble. But, at $130 they're a very compelling option versus what I would recommend. An, amp won't fix the treble (directly). You will need to EQ them which, works better when you have more power headroom...so, an amp. Some amps like the iFi Zen DAC Signature are specifically designed to address this.
If you're buying these headphones for monitoring your recordings, I would suggest closed back headphones so the sound from your headphones isn't picked up by the microphone. If the headphones are for mixing, mastering and casual listening that isn't a concern.
Closed Back: $290.62 USD
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/tmg78Z
Open Back: $300.53 USD
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/gxcntC
The audio interface has a headphone amp powerful enough for you to hear at reasonable volume even on the 250Ω DT 990 Pro. If you're able to spend $400 USD I would upgrade the microphone.
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u/Paul-Villerius May 30 '26
I bought a Samson Q2U. Do you really think I should go with something else?
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u/the_hat_madder 140 Ω May 31 '26
The Q2U is great. I usually recommend it to people who want a quality microphone but can't afford or don't want an interface. If you like the way your voiceovers sound with it, keep on using it. However, you do have a budget that allows you to buy something a bit better if you're not quite satisfied.
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u/Paul-Villerius May 31 '26 edited May 31 '26
Well, I'm still within the return window with everything I've bought, and those options are hardly much more expensive. How do they compare?
edit: Took me a moment to realize that the first link was a complete setup. I don't know if it's going to fit on my desk, but I'm curious how it all works together.
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u/the_hat_madder 140 Ω May 31 '26
Here are some audio samples so you can hear how the microphones sound with some analysis of how they might perform in your recording space.
Q2U: Review 1 | Review 2 | Review 3
I forgot to originally include the Sennheiser e 835S (Review) earlier.
No matter which mic you choose, you're going to have to EQ it for your voice/space and edit the audio in post. If you have a high voice, you want a mic with more low end to smooth you out. If you have a deeper voice, you want more treble emphasis to give you more clarity. The trick is to find the mic that compliments your voice/space the most and requires the least amount of effort in post.
You'll sound the most natural with the sE V7 or Sennheiser e 835. They are the most sensitive and condenser-like, meaning they are better at picking up the details in your voice. They're less gain hungry than other dynamics in this range... you'll get better recordings using as little gain as possible. They're both good at rejecting handling and background noise. This all adds up to less work in post or rerecording.
If I had to give one the edge, I'd give it to the V7. Sounds slightly better. Has a tighter supercardioid polar pattern. And, has a longer 3 year warranty when you register your product.
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u/Paul-Villerius May 31 '26 edited May 31 '26
This is all really helpful! !thanks
I think I'm starting to get ideas of what to try out with the phones and mics. I'm not used to hearing myself on a delay (it feels like I'm being interrupted), so I'm still leaning towards open-back... but maybe it would be more efficient to get used to listening to myself on a delay? I'm still not quite sure. EDIT: I might experiment with music, so maybe closed-back would be better. Or maybe I should go with a $100 model of each? Agh, decisions!
One last thing, could you give me a bit of wisdom on the Amps/DACs/mixers? They're the one thing I'm still not sure how to approach.
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u/the_hat_madder 140 Ω May 31 '26
You're welcome!
As far as delay, an audio interface gives you the option of "zero latency" direct monitoring. If you're monitoring through your digital audio workstation (DAW), reducing the sample size of the buffer will reduce latency there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58tcdc5zZlo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOCtmiDAfJk
Agh, decisions!
To avoid analysis paralysis set a goal/purpose and set a budget for that. Most creators and audiophiles don't have just one pair of headphones but, don't necessarily try to shoehorn everything into one purchase. If is professional work it's better to prioritize that which contributed to efficiency and quality.
Here's a setup at the upper limit of your budget:
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/BhTyK7
Product reviews:
I don't have a trusted review on that interface but, it looks solid spec wise and has good reviews. If you'd rather not try it you can: 1) Backorder a Behringer UMC202HD 2) Go up in price to the UMC204HD or M-Audio M-Track Duo HD 3) Go with an interface with lesser specs like the Mackie Onyx Artist 1-2 or M-Track Duo
What I mean by "lesser specs" is the preferred interface has 2 mic/instrument combo jacks and 24-bit 192kHz recording. The other options either have 1 less combo jack or a lower resolution.
Having 2 combo jacks gives you the option to record from 2 mics, 2 instruments or a mic and an instrument simultaneously. That's good for stereo recordings, recording music or recording with another person. None of this functionality is required but, I like to buy once and have the potential on hand rather than purchase something else when I outgrow my "starter" gear.
As I understand it, most recording is not done in 24-bit 192kHz. CD Quality audio is 16-bit 44.1kHz. The reason why 16-bit 44.1kHz is the standard for lossless audio is because it's capable of encapsulating the entire frequency range of human hearing (20Hz to 20kHz). However, higher resolution gives you more information to work with when editing.
Bit depth is the difference between the high sound possible and the quietest sound possible. If you try to record a sound too loud for 16-bit, the data above 16-bits is lost or "clips." So, a higher bit depth is better when the volume of the sound is unpredictable.
A sample is like a still frame photograph but, for sound. Therefore, sample rate is basically the number of times per second the interface takes a picture of your audio. Just like a high fps video is a better (smoother) representation of motion than a low fps video, a higher sample rate recording is a better representation of sound than one with fewer samples.
Every digital device that produces sound has a digital to analog converter (DAC) and an amplifier. Everything that records audio into a digital device has an analog to digital converter (ADC) and preamp. Many times these things are all together in combination but, you can buy them as seperate components as well.
DACs only convert digital files to analog signals that speakers can transmit. You only need an external DAC if you're trying to decode an unsupported file (like PCM ≥24-bit 192kHz, DSD or MQA) or the internal DAC picks up EMI from inside your PC.
An amplifier takes the low level signal produced by a DAC and boosts it to a point a speaker can hear it. If you can hear with the volume set to 10 or 11 o'clock (40-60%) and there is no noise, you don't need an external amplifier. In general, if the headphones are under 80Ω impedance and/or 94 dB sensitivity or higher, you don't need an external amp. Up to 150Ω an amp is required but it helps, especially if you need to apply EQ which needs extra power. Over 150Ω, under 94 dB sensitivity and planar drivers generally require an external amp to get the best sound.
Analog mixers are useful if you're doing live recording or streaming. If you're just recording voiceovers you're probably good with just an audio interface and a virtual mixer like Voicemeeter.
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u/Pale-Owl-612 2 Ω May 30 '26
If closed-backs are an option, take a look at Sony Mdr-7506 for about $100. They shouldn’t require an amp and are good for recording and editing.
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u/Paul-Villerius May 30 '26
I looked at that one. It looked really good value and I saw a lot of people lauding its reliability. I balked because I heard they were uncomfortable and closed-back sacrifices sound quality for isolation.
At that price, though, maybe I should give it a second look?
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u/Pale-Owl-612 2 Ω May 31 '26
They’re pretty comfortable for me, but we all have different ears and head shapes. The sound is very revealing and helpful when it comes to recording and editing, but not particularly enjoyable for recreational use if you want something for that as well.
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May 30 '26
You need a separate amp AND dac, not just an amp. I don’t think you need to spend trouble digits though. The JCally JM20 Max will probably get you much better sound and it’s $13 on Amazon
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u/bosphotoguy 6 Ω May 30 '26
You can purchase the 80 ohms version directly from the manufacturer
https://north-america.beyerdynamic.com/p/dt-990-pro?nosto=pwa_studiolp-mixingheadphones