ALC1220 VS Schiit Hel for DT 770 Pro 250 Ohms

[Koocec]

Hello. Hi. I'm not an audio guy.
My MB is X399 with ALC1220. I'm looking to buy an all in one compact solution which can power my DT 770 Pro 250 olms as I don't have much desk-space. The best DAC/AMP combo in my price range I could find was the Hel Schiit.

Why am I trying to buy a DAC/AMP?
My original headset used to be the Audio Technica M40X. They broke and I then ordered DT 770 because everyone was recommending them. I bought the 250 Ohms because they were cheaper than the 80s on amazon.
Since my upgrade I've noticed. That the treble is sharp and painful. Especially at the 3000-4000 and 11500 frequency range compared to my m40X. My volume is also at 93% and the headphones are jacked in the front audio jack of the case. The back ones do provide more volume, but I can't notice any clarity. (At-least I didn't for the 10 minutes I tested it) Why am I not using the back ones?
The DT 770 250s come with a coiled cable and my PC is pretty far back. Because of this I use the front ones.
I was wondering whether or not buying an external DAC/AMP such as the Schiit Hel would make the treble more pleasant along with improving sound stage for games like Hunt: Showdown. And in general is it worth the upgrade, would the audio be a lot clearer?

 

[Trell]

No, you’ll have to use EQ, physical changes or an inline cable filter (like @solderdude makes) to fix the treble of the 770 Pro. A different DAC/amp will not help unless the DAC has DSP capabilities.

Many use PC software to EQ headphones to great effect. I use the EQ available on my RME ADI-2 DAC to pull down the treble centered at 8 kHz on my DT-1770 and DT-1990.

There are many well measured DAC/amp devices on ASR to choose among that sounds the same, so choose based upon features, connectivity, build quality, support, price etc. Almost none of them have any EQ, though, and on top of my head I can only recall the RME ADI-2 DAC/Pro have that.

Below is a review including measurements by @solderdude of the 770, including an inline filter and other modifications.

DT770 Pro (250Ω)

back to Beyerdynamic back to measurements home published: Feb-28-2015, updated: Aug-1-2021 NO SMOOTHING is applied to the shown plots. Most measurement sites have some smoothing applied which &#821…

diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com

 

[Dunring]

I'd first try cutting a 2 ply square of toilet paper into a circle and put them in the ear cups to test if that takes the treble down. Removing the pad, ring and foam the can be put over the driver if you like the change.
A simple combo would be the Sound blaster G6 which sounds pretty good in low gain direct mode and it's very compact. The treble peak in those is pretty noticable when it hits. If you search for "taming the treble" you'll see the diyaudioheaven article about it. It works like a comb filter, but it's a really fast and free way to take that peak down.

 

[Adahn]

Take a look at the creative g6. It has a built in dsp that can do 10 band graphic eq and is a very capable dac and amp combo for a modest price tag. Could be ideal for your situation.

 

[DatBoomerGuy]

Hello...old guy here, first post.

Sorry to bump a fairly old thread, my my headphones are similar, so it made as much sense as starting a new one.
I have beyerdynamic DT 800 250 ohm headphones. My POS OEM ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming 4 motherboard (Realtek ALC 892 chipset) will drive them, but not with much volume.
I'm old, retired, and on a tight fixed income, so I have to watch my pennies on this stuff. (also with the kind of hearing loss that comes from operating heavy equipment for 30+ years...after about 8500 Hz, things just go silent)

I picked up a Mii Lavaudio DS400 DAC/amp to drive the beyers. It works...kind of, but still not great volume. (was $149.99 with $50 coupon, so $99.99 + tax from Amazon)

On my short list I was considering were the following:

Fosi K5 Gaming DAC/amp
FX-Audio DAC-X6
Used FiiO K5 pro (older model, NOT the current ESS version)

i had considered one of the Creative products...internal sound card or X6 external, but my motherboard is crappy...and don't want to use USB for power, just input. (so any solution needs a separate wall-wart type of power input)

Input? Recommendations? Reviews of the products listed above?

Thanks.