Just bought my first "audiophile" headphones, bit of advice needed

Submitted by libbyidk1 t3_zxm18c in headphones

First post here, but been browsing for days on end whilst searching for a good budget headphone!

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I finally settled on the DT770 pros, (i was going to get open back but realised that just wouldn't be ideal for my living situation). I got the 32Ohm version because I read in multiple places that the 32Ohm and 250Ohm sound very similar, and the 80Ohm is way more bassy/exciting, I wanted something that would kinda take me away from the classic gaming bass excitement headsets i've always owned and I knew my PC wouldn't power the 250 properly, so went for the 32.

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They sound great, very different to what I was expecting but I know it takes time to hit that 'mental break in' of new headphones.

For reference, my motherboard is a ASUS Prime X570-P

My question is, will I benefit from a DAC? I've been looking at the FiiO E10K just because it's cheaper and in my budget. The reason i'm asking is because 1. The cable on the 32Ohm version is way too short, i'm having to sort of hunch over my desk, so perhaps getting something like an amp and having it on the desk instead of a cable extender would be ideal. The other reason is, whilst my computer does power it pretty loud, it doesn't hit that point of like "holy sh*t this sounds unreal" loud, and although i'm not a bass head, it's definitely lacking there too. There's no static or audio interference at all from what i'm aware (i'm a noob so i could be hearing wrong haha). But I can pretty much put the volume at 100% and listen to a song, and that's not my normal listening volume, usually at 100% i'd be very uncomfortable.

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I listen to ALL types of music, and absolutely love listening to soundtracks/gaming soundtracks. I've noticed with these headphones I can hear much finer details in the music, perhaps with the e10k that may improve even more?

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All advice welcome, and thanks in advance :)

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blargh4 t1_j214y5n wrote

Well, who knows? Your motherboard could have a well-engineered headphone out that transparently reproduces sound across human-audible range... or it may not. I doubt anyone has measured its performance, and mystery headphone jacks are a crapshoot. But I'd say if you can turn the volume up to 100% with loudly mastered music and bear to listen to it, you don't have enough headroom. That said, if I'm going to shell out for a standalone unit that lives on my desk, I'd get something a bit more endgame than the E10K (in the $150-200USD new range)

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D00M98 t1_j21zbfv wrote

I believe your headphones do not have removable cables. You can buy extension cable cheaply. That would be my suggestion.

For DT 770 Pro, I would not spend money on dac/amp. Unless you think dac/amp can be used in near future when you upgrade headphones.

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AntOk463 t1_j22www8 wrote

I have a similar experience. I got the 80 ohm DT 770 because everyone said it didn't need an amp, but then I was reaching 100% volume on my phone and laptop and still wanted more volume. I used my amp and it made a surprising difference, the sound quality improved, soundstage and imaging improved, bass sounded much better and wasn't weak anymore. I didn't expect it to make this much of a difference. The Fiio will be good enough to power these.

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Bread-fi t1_j22rzou wrote

The DAC (Digital/Analog Conversion) component isn't going to make any audible difference. The 32 ohm DT770s still aren't super efficient (impedance alone means nothing) and I have found some devices that can not drive them to adequate listening levels. If you find yourself turning all your digital volumes up most of the way for sensible levels, an external amp or DAC/Amp combo might yield benefits. The big win would be the convenience of an analog volume knob and jack on top of your desk.

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hurtyewh t1_j22fx2b wrote

Apple dongle is all you need for an amp, but EQing them makes a world of difference.

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