Headphone Choice and what to Look for

[DAwn]

I am looking at a couple of headphones, I am not sure what I should be looking at. My budget is $400 USD. I like the Beyerdynamic DT 990.

I listen to a variety of music and I was thinking how can I tell while shopping online for a pair which would be good for what genre of music? How can I tell the frequency of headphones, and for what genre of music? Which headphones can produce good bass? Which headphones have a perfect reproduction of natural instruments or in-game sounds for gaming, etc... What should I be looking at?

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

If you don't mind open-back headphones, then besides DT990, you should check out my favs phones - Sennheiser HD600.

Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO Review

The Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO are sturdy audiophile headphones. They're well-suited to professional applications, but their open-back design isn't ideal for everyd...

www.rtings.com

Sennheiser HD 600 Review

The Sennheiser HD 600 are open-back, over-ear headphones for audiophiles or those who need an analytical listening tool. Originally released in 1997, they underw...

www.rtings.com

I got mine closer to $250 price.

 

[DAwn]

I was considering the Sennheiser HD 600, wow you got them for $250, good stuff. I have a Schitt Magni 3+ and Modi 3E. Not sure if going the expensive route for headphones would be too much for the AMP/DAC stack.

 

[Eppie]

I was considering the Sennheiser HD 600, wow you got them for $250, good stuff. I have a Schitt Magni 3+ and Modi 3E. Not sure if going the expensive route for headphones would be too much for the AMP/DAC stack.

There are others with more expertise in this area, but when you start getting into higher end headphones you need to consider the headphone impedance and the voltage needed to drive them to full volume. There are some high impedance headphones that need higher voltages for proper output which requires an appropriate headphone amp to match. I don't think that the two above would be an issue with the Schitt gear but you should keep this in mind if you are looking at some other high end models. Most video reviews and guides will mention whether a higher output amp is required.

Rtings.com has some graphs for various models but it's more difficult than measuring speakers. You could check out this article and video for an introduction on what to look for. I would choose based on music reproduction first. Any headphone that does well with various genres of music should do ok for gaming.

 

[Trell]

A very nice review site is https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com that have measurements of the headphones, and for those using glasses, even the frequency response of using thin as well as thick arm (temple) glasses. For most headphone reviews he also test them with various pads.

Below is a review of the DT 1990 Pro (only 250 Ohm available), and in the review is there is a comparison with the DT 990 (I've never tried them). I've the DT 1990 myself and like them much better than the DT 880 Edition 250 Ohm that I've had for a decade. I also have the DT 1770 Pro (only 250 Ohm available), closed back, that I also like, but I use them mostly for mic duties or to have some sound isolation. Those headphones might be over your budget, though, but local prices varies quite a bit.

The DT 1990 and DT 1770 are fairly sensitive so easy to drive, noticeable more than my DT 880 Edition, and the DT 990 is similar going by specs.

DT 1990 Pro

back to Beyerdynamic back to measurements home published: Jul-16-2017, updated: Oct-03-2021 NO SMOOTHING is applied to the shown plots. Most measurement sites have some smoothing applied which ‘iro…

diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com

DT 1770 Pro

back to Beyerdynamic back to measurements home published: Jul-16-2017, updated: Feb-24-2020 NO SMOOTHING is applied to the shown plots. Most measurement sites have some smoothing applied which ‘iro…

diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com

DT990 Pro (250Ω)

back to Beyerdynamic back to measurements home published: Feb-28-2015, updated: Apr-17-2022 NO SMOOTHING is applied to the shown plots. Most measurement sites have some smoothing applied which &#82…

diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com

 

[tyhjaarpa]

With your budget I would look for the Beyerdynamics DT990 if you prefer slightly more bass or if you like more neutral sound then Sennheiser HD600. If you like hevier bass and can find a good deal then possibly Denon AH-D5200 could fit in budget as well.