1000 dollar headphone amp/dac budget help

[Mouseman21]

I tried to do as much research before posting as I could. I will if I may go into a brief history to put things into perspective.

I have always loved music and gaming as they are my two hobbies now. About a year ago I decided that I was sick and tired of gamer headsets and bought a pair of 598sr's after reading reviews and asking around. When I first tried them on they were amazing. I loved the sound stage and how you can hear the space and distance between instruments. I listen to all genres and for me they seem to do well with 80's pop, 70's rock and some new rap and death metal. After about six months of adjusting I noticed that they sounded muddy or flat. The bass was soft and not detailed though I am not a bass enthusiast. It really started to bug me and was keeping me from enjoying them. So I decided that I would keep them and get another pair. I tried on a pair of old crappy gamer head sets and noticed I am missing some treble. I also currently have a fiio k3. So what I am looking at.

DT 1990- Looks like more treble and better definition I hope is the word in the bass.

Beyerdynamic T1- Looks like a step up form the DT 1990and a good all around headphone for all types of music and gaming.

Audeze LCD-2 - Looks expensive buy has a warmer sound and not as neutral as the other two.

Sennheiser - 600 or 660 - I see these all over the place on the forums however I am a little worried about the flat nature of my last pair.



DAC/AMP

A JDS Atom and a Khadas Tone board. This was the combo suggested in another thread.

Mayflower Electronics Desktop Objective2 ODAC Rev B.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Crane]

This is probably one of the most asked questions and it's not easy to answer because of the different preferences. Ofcourse it's always preferable to go try different headphones on in person with your own music and portable dac/amp. Now if you are like me and cant do this where you live, then the next best thing is if you know what you are looking for in headphones is watch reviewers and look at frequency response graphs to ensure it is what you want (more bass, treble, or mids).

I started from the Sennheiser 598 then moved on and have tried the following:

• DT 990 pro
• Takstar HF580
• HD 58x Jubilee
• AKG 7xx (Daily Use)
• Sendy Aiva (Semi Daily)

Currently, my favourites are the Sendy Aiva and AKG 7xx where I prefer the Aiva in details and clarity but it wont have the same performance in bass as the AKG or DT. I just recently saw a review which showed a new headphone Thieaudio Phantom which compared it to the Aiva, stating similar performance and if that's true for 350$ its worth the try.

As for the DAC/AMP, the JDS atom is definitely the top choice amp you will not regret it. In the case of the Khadas it is amazing you just need to make sure you are ok with barebone chip or get it a case for it. I have it sitting barebones on top of the box is came in for about a year now.

 

[Mouseman21]

This is probably one of the most asked questions and it's not easy to answer because of the different preferences. Ofcourse it's always preferable to go try different headphones on in person with your own music and portable dac/amp. Now if you are like me and cant do this where you live, then the next best thing is if you know what you are looking for in headphones is watch reviewers and look at frequency response graphs to ensure it is what you want (more bass, treble, or mids).

I started from the Sennheiser 598 then moved on nd have tried the following:

• DT 990 pro
• Takstar HF580
• HD 58x Jubilee
• AKG 7xx

Okay makes a lot of sense. I know I want more treble and some more detailed bass. I guess that is pretty vague though.

 

[Crane]

Okay makes a lot of sense. I know I want more treble and some more detailed bass. I guess that is pretty vague though.

if the DT 1990 is similar to the 990s (which it should be) it sounds like it's what you would be looking for in a headphone. Sadly, I never got to try them with the jds atoms/khadas before I gave them to a friend. Although I loved the sound of the dt990, I hated their undetachable cable and slightly heavier clamping force than the AKG.

 

[Mouseman21]

if the DT 1990 is similar to the 990s (which it should be) it sounds like it's what you would be looking for in a headphone. Sadly, I never got to try them with the jds atoms/khadas before I gave them to a friend. Although I loved the sound of the dt990, I hated their undetachable cable and slightly heavier clamping force than the AKG.

That is the way I am leaning. The T1's look nice but the return on investment might not be worth it.

 

[Mouseman21]

I always thought the Senn 59x and 55x series were a big disappointment.

If you want something really similar to the T1s you can try the Beyer DT880s, for a fraction of the price, and you even get to choose from makes of this headphone with three different impedences. One could make a reasonable argument that the T1s are just the DT880s but overdone. In fact someone has. https://www.sonarworks.com/blog/gear-reviews/headphone-review-beyerdynamic-t1-2nd-generation/

I recommended the Superlux 681s for $30 in another thread so I won’t beat that dead horse. Low detailed bass for sure and nice kids and ample highs too. I’ll give you two links.
https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/brand-superlux/hd681/
https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/superlux/hd-681
Seriously, pick a pair of those up for $30 and it’ll give you a give reference point on where you want to go with something more expensive. It’s a heap way to get a handle on your preferences and work from there (assuming that spending more money is absolutely imperative to you). @solderdude in his link (the first one) above gives a mod that he feels makes them even better.

The Beyer 990s are too exaggerated in the highs and lows for me. I personally wouldn’t pay more money for something said to be similar.

I have an old pair of Senn HD580s (about five feet away). I think they’re a lot better sounding than many of Senn’s more recent offerings. They are the precursors to and quite similar to the Senn HD600s, which, given how my Senn 580s have stood the test of time, I would say are worth the money. But they do roll off in the bass earlier than a lot of more modern headphones.

I will be excoriated for this, but give the preferences you have stated, I would say the Bose. QC 35 IIs might be a superb choice. Just so I don’t get stomped on, two references: https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/bose/qc35-ii/
https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/bose/quietcomfort-35-ii-qc35-ii-wireless-2018
Sonically they play it pretty much right down the middle, with very low and detailed bass. And you get wireless and noise cancelling and a lot of other modern amenities.

Hopefully I’ve given you some unique perspective and references.

You know what? I’m going back to the dead horse? Where @

Lol. Thanks I am glad someone else feels the same way about the Senn line. I know the other offerings are far better I just feel like the 598's were hyped beyond belief. Anyway I will look into the superlux and the bose.

 

[Wombat]

I always thought the Senn 59x and 55x series were a big disappointment.

If you want something really similar to the T1s you can try the Beyer DT880s, for a fraction of the price, and you even get to choose from makes of this headphone with three different impedences. One could make a reasonable argument that the T1s are just the DT880s but overdone. In fact someone has. https://www.sonarworks.com/blog/gear-reviews/headphone-review-beyerdynamic-t1-2nd-generation/

I recommended the Superlux 681s for $30 in another thread so I won’t beat that dead horse. Low detailed bass for sure and nice mids and ample highs too. I’ll give you two links.
https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/brand-superlux/hd681/
https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/superlux/hd-681
Seriously, pick a pair of those up for $30 and it’ll give you a give reference point on where you want to go with something more expensive. It’s a cheap way to get a handle on your preferences and work from there (assuming that spending more money is absolutely imperative to you). @solderdude in his link (the first one) above gives a mod that he feels makes them even better.

The Beyer 990s are too exaggerated in the highs and lows for me. I personally wouldn’t pay more money for something said to be similar.

I have an old pair of Senn HD580s (about five feet away). I think they’re a lot better sounding than many of Senn’s more recent offerings. They are the precursors to and quite similar to the Senn HD600s, which, given how my Senn 580s have stood the test of time, I would say are worth the money. But they do roll off in the bass earlier than a lot of more modern headphones.

I will be excoriated for this, but give the preferences you have stated, I would say the Bose. QC 35 IIs might be a superb choice. Just so I don’t get stomped on, two references: https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/bose/qc35-ii/
https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/bose/quietcomfort-35-ii-qc35-ii-wireless-2018
Sonically they play it pretty much right down the middle, with very low and detailed bass. And you get wireless and noise cancelling and a lot of other modern amenities.

Hopefully I’ve given you some unique perspective and references.

You know what? I’m going back to the dead horse! Where’s @amirm ? Hey! Measure the Superlux HD 681s! I want a third opinion!

Where’s @Floyd Toole ? Hey! They need to replace the Harman headphone curve with the “Superlux HD 681 reference curve!” Modeled exactly after the raw response curve of a randomly chosen $30 Superlux HD 681! (Given the price and build quality I would guess they vary a bit.) Based on my six months of subjective sighted listening! And assuming they don’t break while you are measuring the response! (J/k, with utmost respect, etc. )

I am interested in the @solderdude mod but can't find it. Can you post a direct link to it?

 

[StevenEleven]

I am interested in the @solderdude mod but can't find it. Can you post a direct link to it?

Sure thing. Click on the link http://www.mediafire.com/file/w6mbyhb46tmcvyy/Superlux_HD681_revisited.pdf/file

And then click on the green box.

 

[Wombat]

Sure thing. Click on the link http://www.mediafire.com/file/w6mbyhb46tmcvyy/Superlux_HD681_revisited.pdf/file

And the click on the green box.

Thanks. Also thank you to Solderdude.

 

[Wombat]

FWIW. For those who like different bass without resorting to soldering or reconstructing: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/best-version-of-superlux-hd-681.708902/

I can't vouch for the opinions.

 

[solderdude]

DT 1990- Looks like more treble and better definition I hope is the word in the bass.

Beyerdynamic T1- Looks like a step up form the DT 1990and a good all around headphone for all types of music and gaming.

Audeze LCD-2 - Looks expensive buy has a warmer sound and not as neutral as the other two.

Sennheiser - 600 or 660 - I see these all over the place on the forums however I am a little worried about the flat nature of my last pair.

The DT990 and DT1990 sound nothing alike. The bass of the DT1990 is much cleaner, tighter and better extended than the DT990 which is more hyped. The treble on both is 'fierce' and exaggerated.
After hearing many headphones you will realize that there is such a thing as actual detail and fake(hyped) detail.
Once you hear the 'sharpness' in the highs you won't like it anymore and like the 'loose' bass on the HD5** series you can't ignore it.
When listening to classical music only, the hyped treble is not much of a problem and even brings more 'details'. Especially when one is over 60 y.o.

Fortunately there is a perfect solution for this and the treble peak can be completely removed without hurting any other of the excellent qualities of the DT1990. You can adjust the bass levels with the 2 sets of pads that come with it.
Build quality of the DT1990 is exceptional. You appear to be loosing the 'hyper details' as they get replaced with the correct amount of details but once you get used to it the treble sounds much 'better' and the 'sharpness' is replaced with accuracy and lovely detail.


The T1 is not a step up, it is a more 'laid back' version which has less clarity/details.
The DT1990 definitely is the more correct sounding one but some may prefer the more laid back T1 more.
A matter of taste I cannot argue about.

Lows and lower mids on the LCD-2 are exceptional. However, the things that put me off are the weight (it is really heavy) the pads that kind of 'suck' to your face and the clarity is below par. The clarity thing can be fixed with EQ.
The weird thing about the LCD-2 is that I heard quite a few pairs and while bass and mids is the same on all of them the treble quality (and quantitiy) varies between them. I heard versions with excellent treble and ones with a bit coarse treble. It's a lottery. You have to be lucky to get a good pair. The LCD3 and 4 all sound better as in more refined and better quality treble but needs a lot more money and the differences may not be appreciated by everyone.

Sennheiser HD600 is one of the kings of neutral and is technically a capable headphone but simply lacks subbas. Some find it has too much clarity, others say it is perfect, none say it lacks clarity.
It takes getting used to the neutral character of it. Many sell it after a short while again because it sounds boring to them.. later on buy it again because of its tonal excellence and then repeat there errors of selling it again or not use it much.
Neutral is an acquired taste.

The HD660S is not the same as HD600. The HD660S has deeper lows and the mids are somewhat 'milder'. Still neutral but less 'shouty' in the mids (there are those that find the HD600 too 'bright' in the mids)
Bass quality on the HD660S is cleaner and tighter. The differences are not huge and obvious but can be appreciated.
Fit and stereo 'width' inside the head, for some reason, are not as wide as those of others. HD660S is just slightly 'better' at this than HD600.

My pick would be DT1990 (with treble filter) or HD660S.

Want cheap and like to modify stuff and get different flavours ?

Modified (and filtered) Beyerdynamic COP+ (closed and variable bass)
modified HD681 (build quality is subpar but is a fun but flawed headphone) fortunately the flaws only reveal themselves on direct comparsion to others. A bit like the Koss PortaPro 'effect'. sounds wonderful (for the price) and generally don't hear much wrong with it until you compare it directly to a 'better' headphone.
Takstar Pro82 (variable amounts of bass but lacks ultimate clarity)
There are more intersting cheap gems by the way but all of them do lack in some aspects.
Of course I can say the exact same of expensive headphones.

 

[Bob-23]

On the cheap side there's also the Superlux HD662EVO with astounding sound qualities for the price (29 Euro/Thomann), talked about them in the recent thread "Upgrade headphone from Sennheiser HD600" by Toshinden, including the link to a simple and reversable (and necessary!) mod by Solderdude.

But I'm not shure if it's available where you live, couldn't find it on amazon.com, e.g.. Just looked on Thomanns': seems to be sold out at the moment...

And consider, that both the 662 and the 681 suffer from cable breakage after a year or so - it's easy to repair with a soldering iron though.

The cables of more expensive headphones may also break more or less easily, my Sennheiser HD600s' cable broke after 3 years (not the best quality, as I could see inspecting it), but, of course, you can replace it without soldering (for the price of a Superlux)...

 

[solderdude]

cable breakage of (prototype) HD687

Yes... the HD662 belongs to the same 'cheapy' list.
All the versions with the 'dongles' will suffer this fate. The HD681 less so as it doesn't bend as sharply (no dongle but fixed cable).
Also a lot of them are plagued with soldered wires breaking off from the rods which results in the right channel cutting out.