Beyerdynamic DT770 for all round usage

[crazy8s]

Can anyone comment on how well the DT770's are for all round usage - mainly for console gaming and watching movies?

I've seen these be compared to the Audio Technica ATH-A900's, and since these can be had for ~£120 whereas the A900's are ~£200, they do seem the better buy.

I'm after a set of closed headphones which can provide good positioning for gaming which can also perform well for watching movies. I won't be using them for music as much.

By the way I am on about the 80 ohm version and not the 250 ohm version. They will eventually be powered by the Astro A40 mixamp.

[Drubbing]

Originally Posted by crazy8s

Can anyone comment on how well the DT770's are for all round usage - mainly for console gaming and watching movies?

I've seen these be compared to the Audio Technica ATH-A900's, and since these can be had for ~£120 whereas the A900's are ~£200, they do seem the better buy.

I'm after a set of closed headphones which can provide good positioning for gaming which can also perform well for watching movies. I won't be using them for music as much.

By the way I am on about the 80 ohm version and not the 250 ohm version. They will eventually be powered by the Astro A40 mixamp.

You're already compromising positioning in games by going with a closed headphone.

Not sure what sort of amp is required for the 80ohm, but the 250 needs a decent, powerful one. Either way, that sort of money is getting into the overkill zone for your usage.

If you like the look of AT's, the open AD700 is a very good phone for gaming, and should be around 100 quid. But 200quid for the A900 is pretty steep, in which case maybe the DT770 is the go, if you can get them that cheap.

[crazy8s]

Originally Posted by Drubbing

You're already compromising positioning in games by going with a closed headphone.

Not sure what sort of amp is required for the 80ohm, but the 250 needs a decent, powerful one. Either way, that sort of money is getting into the overkill zone for your usage.

If you like the look of AT's, the open AD700 is a very good phone for gaming, and should be around 100 quid. But 200quid for the A900 is pretty steep, in which case maybe the DT770 is the go, if you can get them that cheap.

I know

I don't think I would like open headphones because I don't want to hear anything else when I play games or movies (PS3 fan goes on full blast after about 10 mins) and I'm sure with open headphones everyone around me and probably in other rooms will hear me. Otherwise the AD700's would have been my first choice since I've heard nothing but praise for them, with the minor niggle being their lack of bass.

I've also heard the ATH-M50's are good and can be had for £105 from studiospares, but I haven't seen any threads on them regarding gaming,.

[LFC_SL]

Yeah, when you are in the heat of a gun battle you do not want to hear a bit of creaking outside your door and mistaken it for in game sound The DT770 and A700/900 are often recommended for gaming so you have done your research I can tell

I'm not sure how much stock you should put into lack of bass? My HD600 are supposedly a contender for all rounder and some are steered the direction of the darker HD650, but I have no complaints with the bass

What sound card/DAC are you going to be using as a source to be feeding into that amp? You don't want to neglect that aspect. I know this is gaming and you are not seeking perfect stereo bliss, but a wide and spacious, detailed and balanced sounding source does not hurt

[Drubbing]

In addition to the above, don't seek, or expect, sub woof style bass with headphones; the good ones just don't bias bass that way, and the cheap ones will overdo it, and smother the other sounds and subtleties that open phones let you hear.

[crazy8s]

Originally Posted by LFC_SL

Yeah, when you are in the heat of a gun battle you do not want to hear a bit of creaking outside your door and mistaken it for in game sound The DT770 and A700/900 are often recommended for gaming so you have done your research I can tell

I'm not sure how much stock you should put into lack of bass? My HD600 are supposedly a contender for all rounder and some are steered the direction of the darker HD650, but I have no complaints with the bass

What sound card/DAC are you going to be using as a source to be feeding into that amp? You don't want to neglect that aspect. I know this is gaming and you are not seeking perfect stereo bliss, but a wide and spacious, detailed and balanced sounding source does not hurt

For watching movies (from the PC) it'll be connected to my X-Fi soundcard, I've read the 80ohm version of the DT770 doesn't really need an amp to get a good sound from it.

For gaming it will be connected to my consoles via the red/white cables with an adapter or into my TV, but I plan on getting the Astro A40 mixamp soon so then I can use the toslink to the mixamp and connect the headphones through that. I may invest in a FiiO E3/E5 while I wait for the A40.

UK pricing on the headphones is incredibly weird...

The Beyers cost ~£120
The A700 ~ £140
The A900 ~ £200
The ATH-M50 ~ £105

While I've never seen the DT770 be compared to the A700, they have been compared to the A900 which is £80 more

Originally Posted by Drubbing

In addition to the above, don't seek, or expect, sub woof style bass with headphones; the good ones just don't bias bass that way, and the cheap ones will overdo it, and smother the other sounds and subtleties that open phones let you hear.

I'm not after heavy bass headphones as I suspect they will overpower the other sounds when gaming like my Turtle Beach X1's do. I want enough bass for the gaming experience to be immersive, but not so much as to annoy me

[LFC_SL]

What kind of headphones have you owned/been able to try on your system?

[crazy8s]

Originally Posted by LFC_SL

What kind of headphones have you owned/been able to try on your system?

To be honest I've only ever played my games through my TV speakers and my Logitech Z-2300 speakers.

The only headphones (well headset) I've used for gaming is the Turtle Beach X1's. For movies I just use the speakers; so pretty much any good stereo headphone will improve the listening experience greatly but I don't want to spend too much.

I keep hearing the Beyers are great all rounders so I'm going to be buying them, else if I had the option to choose open headphones I would have bought the AD700's due to their high praise and recommendations.

[LFC_SL]

May I ask where you read opinion that it is a great all rounder? Consensus is that is has bass presence and non fatiguing highs, but all rounder it is not because of the low end

[crazy8s]

Originally Posted by LFC_SL

May I ask where you read opinion that it is a great all rounder? Consensus is that is has bass presence and non fatiguing highs, but all rounder it is not because of the low end

Several threads on head-fi forums but keeping in mind my budget (the Beyers are available for £120) and also my requirement for closed cans

[LFC_SL]

Hmm I would not be so sure about that as consensus has gone the way I described but then again you always get diverging reports. On that forum a lot of people have a hard time forgetting to add the disclaimer that they are repeating what they have read. I've not heard the DT770 but any headphone that has earned that elusive commentary of adding extra bass where the song does not need it or have it (one that I myself can bracket the Senn IE8 in) cannot justifiably be described as a candidate for an all rounder

[Drubbing]

Originally Posted by crazy8s

Several threads on head-fi forums but keeping in mind my budget (the Beyers are available for £120) and also my requirement for closed cans

I've also heard it said that the 770 is about the bassiest good quality headphone you can get; probably oft repeated on head fi too.

If it is true, they can't seriously be considered an all rounder. But if it's down to price, it's a toss up between these and the A700 - either way you could choose a lot lot worse.

[crazy8s]

Originally Posted by Drubbing

I've also heard it said that the 770 is about the bassiest good quality headphone you can get; probably oft repeated on head fi too.

If it is true, they can't seriously be considered an all rounder. But if it's down to price, it's a toss up between these and the A700 - either way you could choose a lot lot worse.

The cheapest I've found the A700 is £140 from iHeadphones but I don't want to order from there after reading a thread on AVF about them

The Beyers can be bought from Amazon, if I find them too bassy I can return them and carry on the search

I do like bass but I just don't want it to be too overpowering, but then again what someone else may consider to be too much may be just right for me

[BigTone]

I bought my DT770/80 from Dolphin Music for £108, might want to check them out. The 770's are great cans, and i'd say great all-rounders; super comfy, no fatigue, wear-all-day cans. For games/movies - buy them. For serious audiophile music listening - you might want to look up-market, but then you'd need expensive source, amp etc. Go get 'em! Also, they are tough as old boots!

[crazy8s]

Originally Posted by BigTone

I bought my DT770/80 from Dolphin Music for £108, might want to check them out. The 770's are great cans, and i'd say great all-rounders; super comfy, no fatigue, wear-all-day cans. For games/movies - buy them. For serious audiophile music listening - you might want to look up-market, but then you'd need expensive source, amp etc. Go get 'em! Also, they are tough as old boots!

I'm just holding out to see if the price drops a bit or if a voucher pops up, theyre currently around £120