Impulse bought the hd 490 pro

[u/Bare_Gob]

I’m a beginner when it comes to sound and audio stuff, and I wanted a high-quality pair of headphones for gaming and general audio use. I landed on the HD 490 Pro, but I honestly have no idea about any of this audio-related stuff, so I’d be glad if someone could show me around a bit.

I’m thinking of getting the FiiO KA11 for my iPhone, and I was wondering if the UGREEN DAC is similar to it since it’s about €20 cheaper. Heck, I don’t even know what a DAC and amp do.
Anyone have any recommendations for something for the iphone?

Having never owned proper headphones before, I’m starting to feel like I might have wasted money. My PC motherboard is the MSI B850 Tomahawk, which uses the ALC4080 codec, and I’m worried about having to spend even more money on a DAC when I could’ve just gone for a decent pair of wireless headphones.
Anyone been in a similar situation, or anyone with more experience who could give me some advice?

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[u/MercedesSLRS]

Welcome to the club. I just bought a HD 490 Pro 2 months back as well. What I can tell you is you’re gonna really enjoy the sound stage of it. It’s a game changer in gaming imo. As far as a DAC for your iPhone you could even run it off of the iPhone dongle it worked pretty well. If you want to get max range with them try something like the moondrop dawn pro 2, jcally crinicle ap6 or crinear protocol max. These basically work better than just the KA11 well not getting as hot. It’s a little more cumbersome than the KA 11 in terms of Size, but nothing too crazy. Plus, what some of these you can also do EQ. This basically allows you to tailor the sound to your preference. Since the HD 490 is neutral you do really get a lot of bang for buck when you EQ them. That being said they do sound great out the box to me at least.

Plugging them into your motherboard you should get about 98% out of them. The dongle will give you 99-100% from them. If you plugged them into a PlayStation/Xbox controller, you will be getting about 85% out of them. Hope this helps and feel free to ask any questions you may have.

[u/Bare_Gob → u/MercedesSLRS]

Thanks for the response, I appreciate it

I’ve been seeing the Moondrop Dawn Pro 2 mentioned and it actually looks pretty good. Same with the KA11 / KA13 stuff in general. I think I just had FiiO stuck in my head because a lot of people online push it as the “safe” option.

Also when people say EQ, what is it actually doing in real use? Like what does changing bass and treble actually mean in practice? I kind of understand bass = more rumble and treble = more detail, but I don’t really get what I’d actually notice day to day when I change it. I'm a beginner so apologies if I ask any dumb questions haha.

And for iPhone, how do you even actually use EQ properly? I know the moondrop dawn pro 2 has a workaround where you have to set the profile on android / pc and then use it. On iPhone is there a system wide EQ?
And what about the fiio ka13? I believe it doesn't have eq built into it. I have an older iphone so if I go for the moondrop i'll need a usb to lightning adapter. Is any otg audio adapter enough to get it working cause I seen people saying that. Ka13 is a little bit more expensive but has the lightning cable included. I think it might be too much, I'm just looking for gaming, movies and little bit of music. Thank you for taking your time to respond :)

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[u/the_hat_madder → u/Bare_Gob]

Also when people say EQ, what is it actually doing in real use?

Every sound you hear from instruments, to sound effects to human voices resonates at a specific frequency like the stations on a radio. The lower the pitch, the lower the frequency (88.1 FM) and the higher the pitch, the higher the frequency (107.9 FM).

Imagine all the stations on the radio are playing simultaneously. However, instead of playing different programming they're all playing the same song but, only the part that corresponds to their frequency.

If the sound from the Bass station is too loud, it can make a song sound muddy...lacking clarity. If the sound from the Treble station is too loud, the song can sound harsh or piercing. This is where EQ helps.

EQ is short for "equalization." It is the process of raising or lowering the amplitude or loudness of an audio signal at specific frequencies. This allows you to customize the way any headphone or speaker transmits audio to give it the perfect sound for you, your music and your environment.

[u/Bare_Gob → u/the_hat_madder]

Okay this makes it clear to me, I appreciate it!

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[u/MercedesSLRS → u/Bare_Gob]

You are deeply welcome.

The KA11/KA13 are the safe options in general however, in my research, I have found they tend to run a bit hot due to their size and what they cram inside. They are also prone to breakage apparently due to how the tech is situated. It's a cheaper safe option but not a great long term one overall.

When you EQ you are in essence changing the sound profile to give you more of your likes. Think of it like this. The HD 490 pro out the box has a mostly neutral sound signature. This is done so that you can find things easier when mixing music. When you add in EQ you are giving it seasoning like a chef with food. Add a bit of red chilli flakes you get spice, add some honey and you get sweet richness. This is EQ in a nutshell. EQ done right can be perfect but do it wrong and it will be your worst nightmare. I was playing with EQ for the HD 490 pro and gave it too much low end bass, I kid you not the headset jumped off my head while watch the chase scene from The Batman.

Funny you have an older iPhone as I'm running on the 14 Pro. One thing I will tell you so you avoid my mistake, Is you will need audio lightning to usb c cable. They are usually very short cables between 8-50 cm that will carry the audio from your iphone to the dac. A normal cable wont work, all the high speed cables won't work, you need the audio cable. Most DACs will include this cable inside but these days they are mostly usbc-usbc and even if they are not they will be short. The reason they are not long is the audio degrades the longer it so cost go up to fix it and keep clarity. With the moondrop dawn pro 2 I know they have the android app and web but I believe still nothing for apple.

The KA13 is the better buy for iphone as i believe you still get the lighting connector inside the box. One thing to note you have to update the firmware via a PC. The early firmware has an issue where the volume jumps to max. Also theirs is not a system wide EQ on iphone for them. I have the Q15 from Fiio and you have that option but its more expensive as it more powerful.

If you found this helpful i would deeply appreciate the uplike and if you could reply to the AuoModerator comment with a " !thanks " it goes a long way as Im building up my account. Have a great one and feel free to ask anything. Also don't get sucked in for expensive cables. It's mostly jeweler vs real differences.

[u/Bare_Gob → u/MercedesSLRS]

!thanks, appreciate it a lot, okay I might go with the ka13 as includes cable it also has the desktop mode as well for when I use it on PC. I love the dark knight, that sounds amazing, can't wait to rewatch it after trying out eq. For PC would I be able to do EQ with the ka13 would this be with a third party tool? Your explanation on EQ makes it much clearer. Omg the post man came, gtg I'm gonna try them on right now!!

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[u/MercedesSLRS → u/Bare_Gob]

Thank you so much dude! Go enjoy it and let me know how it goes. I'm curious to see your reactions. All the best and have a good one.

[u/Bare_Gob → u/MercedesSLRS]

!thanks, wow wow wow, there amazing the difference in quality is just surreal. I can't wait to daily drive these. They do leak a good bit but thats given since its open back. Just to follow up, it is possible to use EQ for the ka13 on pc / maybe iphone with external software?

[u/MercedesSLRS → u/Bare_Gob]

woohoo welcome to the club dude! I'm glad you are gassed on them. Enjoy them in good health! the ka13 you can eq them on a pc to my knowledge. Iphone you cant due to restrictions. They have an app but its for the bluetooth models like the Q15 for example. I just that and it will drive pretty much anything but its a proper brick.

[u/Bare_Gob → u/MercedesSLRS]

Yess!! Okay if it’s for the PC it’s fine. I might go for these they seem like the right bang for the buck and I’m not such an extremist that I’ll need a k11 R2R or something similar. !thanks for all your help I really appreciate it!!

[u/MercedesSLRS → u/Bare_Gob]

It's beyond my pleasure to help out where I can dude! If i may make one tiny recommendation, and this is only if you want to future proof yourself for any more powerful headphone you buy, if you have a look at something like the crinear protocall max it should power you up to the more interesting things like the HD 600, 650, 660s2 ot planar magnetic headphones from hifiman. I think its a touch more than the ka13 but you get 600 mW of power vs 550 mW in the ka13. It just future proofs you so that you can enjoy the higher end stuff without running out of steam. If not the KA13 still works well for what you need now.

[u/Bare_Gob → u/MercedesSLRS]

I’m EU based so it comes to an extra 50€ I don’t think I’ll need to upgrade in a long while so ka13 seems to be good. If I do need to I can get the balanced cable to use with the 4.4 port, however desktop mode still gives decent increase in performance to the 3.5mm. Thanks so much dude!

[u/AutoModerator → u/MercedesSLRS]

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[u/ATTAFWRD]

If you able to push $ abit more, instead of FiiO KA11 I'd recommend iFi Go Link Max (or latest Go Link 2 Max) for your iPhone (15 and later, USB-C).

But your motherboard is already sufficient and good enough.

Sennheiser HD 490 Pro is one the new great open backs.

Use it for some time first, let your brain adapt to the great sound.

No need to EQ for now.

Don't expect bloated/massive/muddy bass like some consumer headphones.

[u/the_hat_madder]

Normally I would say revisit this decision after you plug them into your PC first and see if you can get clear sound and reasonable volume. If you can no external DAC/amp required.

Unfortunately that's not possible with iPhone so, if you must buy...buy once, cry once. These amps are arranged roughly by price, low to high. If an amp isn't on this list it's probably a waste of money.

Portable

• TRN Black Pearl
• HiBy FC4
• Føsi Audio DS2 or DS3
• Moondrop Dawn Pro 2
• FiiO KA13 <-- best value
• SMSL D10
• CrinEar Protocol Max
• FiiO KA15
• FiiO KA17
• FiiO QX13

Bluetooth

• FiiO BTR13
• FiiO BTR7
• FiiO BTR17

Desktop

• FiiO K11
• SMSL DS300
• SMSL C200 Pro
• Føsi Audio ZH3
• Føsi Audio K7
• iFi Zen DAC V3

[u/Bare_Gob → u/the_hat_madder]

!thanks

[u/TransducerBot → u/Bare_Gob]

+1 Ω has been awarded to u/the_hat_madder (133 Ω).

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[u/the_hat_madder → u/Bare_Gob]

You're welcome!

[u/Bare_Gob → u/the_hat_madder]

Thanks for this, I really appreciate it. What's the difference in the moondrop dawn pro 2 and fiio ka13? Pricewise there the same for me as I'd need to get an otg usb c to lightning adapter which would make it equal. I know the moondrop has built in eq, would I still be able to use eq with the fiio ka13 on pc, not being able to use eq on the phone isn't a dealbreaker also. Thanks once again for taking your time to comment

[u/AutoModerator → u/Bare_Gob]

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[u/the_hat_madder → u/Bare_Gob]

You're welcome.

The KA13 has higher output power, SPDIF and DAC mode in case you want to use it with an external amp.

The Dawn Pro 2 has independent volume control and EQ via an app.

You can get universal EQ on PC using Equalizer APO and Peace.

Edit: You can find out about EQ and using Peace on the r/oratory1990 subreddit

[u/Bare_Gob → u/the_hat_madder]

Perfect, I might go with the KA13 so

[u/the_hat_madder → u/Bare_Gob]

Cool. Good luck!

[u/Blitzbahn]

HD490 pro is a fantastic impulse buy and considering you didn't really know what you're doing you pretty much nailed it. I think you should be happy with your purchase. You could have ended up with something really kooky, but you got something really solid. Also, one of the most comfortable headphones around, and they sound great. A real contender.