Razer Kraken Pro V2 vs Dt990 pro. Not impressed?!?!?!

M

ManosMax13

Audiophyte
So here's the situation.I have been using the razer kraken pro v2 for 2 years now.Very comfortable and I like the sound of it.Unfortunately, the earcups of the Razer Kraken pro were torn from the usage and the sponge is out and I also cant find replacement earcups so i had to buy a new pair of cans.After looking around I was going to buy either the sennheiser hd600,the akg k712pro or the dt990.When I went to a store to try them out I was only allowed to test them with my phone so there was almost no difference and the volume was VERY low.I was not able to try the akg at all.The sennheiser was too quiet for me to understand anything and the dt990 pro seemed neutral.Then I tried the Meze Audio 99 Neo,and it was very loud using the phone as it is only 32 ohms and I enjoyed the "fun" aspect in the sound of it.Now I am using not for long as an amp/dac a blue yeti mic that offeres better quality audio than the built-in mobo chip.But the dt990 pro in 100% volume are half as loud as the kraken at 50% volume. My father does not know anything about sound advised to get the 990pro and an amp just because if something breaks down the road I dont have to replace the whole thing(I can buy new amp/dac or headphones if one of em breaks).However I have noticed that i DONT really like the music of the dt990 pro,that might be because of the lack of an amp/dac like the fiio e10k that I was planning to buy.Should I spend more money buy an amp and then I will see the big difference that I was expecting or should I return the headphones and buy the 32ohm Meze Audio 99 Neo and use it without an amp.

Dt990 pro + 100 amp/dac combo=230euros.
Meze Audio 99 Neo without amp=250 euros (I dont mind spending 20 more euros to enjoy a better sound


Thanks for reading this big thread,
Manos
 
BoredSysAdmin

BoredSysAdmin

Audioholic Slumlord
Spend as little as possible on the amp, or preferably nothing at all if low impedance and higher efficiency allows so. Do invest more in the headphones themselves to get the best possible sound.
I am not familiar personally with either of these, but what I could tell you is I yet to dislike any of my 5-6 Sennheiser headphones sound quality, from HD-201 to HD-600 and PCX-550. Over here in the US, one could buy HD-599 for $130-140
 
slipperybidness

slipperybidness

Audioholic Warlord
Spend as little as possible on the amp, or preferably nothing at all if low impedance and higher efficiency allows so. Do invest more in the headphones themselves to get the best possible sound.
I am not familiar personally with either of these, but what I could tell you is I yet to dislike any of my 5-6 Sennheiser headphones sound quality, from HD-201 to HD-600 and PCX-550. Over here in the US, one could buy HD-599 for $130-140
Yup, can't really go wrong with the Senns. I'm also very pleased with AKG.

I've heard nothing but good things about the DT990, but never heard one from that brand.
 
tyhjaarpa

tyhjaarpa

Audioholic Field Marshall
Never heard of Meze Audio so I would skip them. Yes, amp will get you louder sound from higher impedance headphones. Will it make you like the DT990 is different thing, it really depends on what kind of sound you prefer. DT990 is not the most neutral sounding headphone, tho I personally like them. You could get cheaper lower impedance headphones like Sennheiser HD598 or HD599 that have neutral sound and call it a day.
 
MalVeauX

MalVeauX

Senior Audioholic
Heya,

Plugging headphones like these into a cellphone as a source is going to give you the experience you had. These headphones were designed with the intention of them being plugged into an amplifier beyond a cellphone. Not gobs of power like a speaker amplifier, but more than what an ultra low power cellphone generally is capable of (they're not designed to power these kinds of audio devices, more designed to simply give something to extremely sensitive IEMS mostly).

It also matters substantially the quality of the source material you play back. Sending some low resolution compressed media through them will reveal flaws in the source material. So be mindful of what you listen to in order to evaluate them.

The DT990PRO's are generally 250ohm but fairly sensitive. The AKG712's are supposed to be sensitive and are around 62ohm but they're notoriously not easy to drive from a low power source and they are really flat with no exaggerated mid-bass bloom so they are generally not a headphone for someone looking to walk around with a cellphone and listen, etc, unless you're in a quiet place and want a very flat response experience. The Fiio E10k will handle the Beyers fine. The Beyers have hot treble & exaggerated mid-bass. But ultimately if you don't like a "V" frequency response headphone, like many Beyers tend to be at the entry point (DT990, DT770),then it may be best to try something else. Depends if you want a more netural presentation or something "bassy." The Senn HD600 for example would be more neutral. A neutral Beyer is the DT880 and they are excellent. There are tons of headphones in the $200~300 range that are all excellent but have their own signatures. Lots of them do need a tiny amplifier, more than what a cellphone typically would provide, but it doesn't have to be expensive (an E10K like you pointed out will handle most of them just fine).

I've had all of these headphones, so if you're interested in anything, let me know, I can at least describe their signatures from experience.

Very best,
 
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