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Disappointed with my DT770 Pro for competitive gaming, what should I try next?

Mr. Monday

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I ordered the DT770 Pro 250 ohm because it was recommended a lot along with the other Beyers for competitive gaming. I need closed-back with good isolation for LAN party use.

I’ve been really disappointed with the imaging on the DT770. I’m using Oratory1990’s EQ settings and it’s really difficult to pinpoint enemy locations with these. The only other closed-back I have experience with is my T40rp mk3 and they have significantly better imaging. As expected, my Ananda’s put all the closed backs I have to shame for competitive gaming.

So I’m back to the drawing board for a closed-back competitive gaming headphone. I would just use my T40rp mk3 but I’m having them turned into Argons, and I think the Argon mod will make them worse for gaming and will also open them up a bit. I’ve been eyeing the Takstar Pro 82, Shure SRH1540, Senn HD598 cs, and Denon AHD7200 with pad swap.

I will mainly play Valorant, CSGO, R6S, and Overwatch with these headphones.

I use an Asgard 3 for amplification.

Are there any other options I should consider?
 
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jshelbyj

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I have a question. When you say LAN party, do you mean tournaments? My understanding is that esports uses noise cancelling headhpones from the sponsors over earbuds. This gives as much protection from the crowd noises as is reasonably possible.

Or do you mean at a lan party at a friends house?

I prefer open back so I can hear what's going on in my home. I like the senny game one in open back, but they make them in closed back as well. I really enjoy the mic boom acting as a physical mute switch and the mic is one of the best on a gaming headset. I believe the game ones are the same as drivers as the HD558?
 

Tks

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This rabit hole. Sorry to say, this is probably within a realm of discernment that can only be verified by the individual due to ear shape. If you can tell imaging apart to this degree, there's probably very little advice one could give to you personally in terms of what headphone to get.

Simply put, you just need to try them all, or find a list by someone who you can verify is also able to tell them apart and approve in the same linear fashion you were able to with the ones' you've listened to already.
 

Doodski

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I’ve been eyeing the Takstar Pro 82, Shure SRH1540, Senn HD598 cs, and Denon AHD7200 with pad swap.
I've been using the HD 598SR for about 2.75 years and they have no issues. I've used the 3m cable and am presently using the Sennheiser 1m cel tel cable with my ASUS motherboard for VoIP stuff. It took a extra extender cable and a 4 pole adapter to 2-3 pole but it works good for voice communications. The headphones themselves are lightweight, clamp the head well, are very comfortable, run dry warm, comfy and not sweaty. Mine show no signs of wear and tear and are in fantastic condition considering I used them everyday. I bought mine on good sound reviews and a great comfort rating and I agree they sound fantastic and are very comfortable. They are constructed well. The supplied cables are quiet and not microphonic.
 

LightninBoy

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This may be a case where the headphone amp is actually to blame. This is from the Asgard review ...

asgard.PNG


If headphone imaging is that important for competitive gaming - "OK" channel balance would not cut it for me. Nor would the idea that it might be worse than OK due to analog variances. If I were you I'd ditch the Asgard for something with a digital volume control.
 

Yasuo

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Try to mod them maybe? Bigger ear pads ideally hybrid=textile interior with (p)leather for exterior since you need the isolation. Make sure they are deep, it will increase the soundstage but cost you some low frequency.

You can also cover the 2 small round holes from each ercup which will tame the mid bass a bit.

Because they are easy to open you can fill the earcups with some cotton/foam/sponge. Also, play with the inner ring -> https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/brands-a-i/dt770-pro-250ω/

If you improve them, add a comfort strap -> https://www.head-fi.org/threads/quick-easy-beyerdynamic-dt770-comfort-strap.945094/

Results will vary a lot. I'm using the drivers from a broken 770 250 ohms for a DIY open headphone (still WIP) and they are very pleasant sometimes. Inconsistency is the thing I'm most frustrated about DT700.
 

aldarrin

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Short version: I recommend you try out a pair of Sundaras or Audeze Penrose.

I play Overwatch competitively (not well, but I try).

Below are my notes from the various headphones I've tried (and currently own).
The only dynamic drivers that let me clearly hear all of the sound cues in the middle of team fights is the HD800s. They are fine for gaming without EQ (being bass light actually makes it easier to hear footsteps), but sound fantastic with EQ. I use the Dekoni Hybrid pads for them for added comfort (and EQ the changes to FR) from larger contact area and slightly increased clamping force (stock will fly off your head if you move around). If you are looking at headphones for over $1000 for gaming, this is what I'd recommend.

Focal Clear MG sound fine, but I like them better for music. The increased bass over the 800s makes it a bit harder to hear sound cues. Decent alternative to the HD800S (it's sometimes cheaper). But you have to be careful to not boost the bass or you might get clipping and damage the drivers (I returned two Focal Elexes because the drivers failed).

HD6XX, DT800 600 Ohm sound fine until you're in a team fight where the sounds just get smeared together. KPH30i is hot garbage for gaming. Razer Kraken Tournament Edition are fine for gaming, but the 3D effect is garbage, mic is bad, and sound cues get lost. I gave away my X2HR because it also couldn't handle team fights well.

Corsair Virtuosso SE. Good battery life (20 hours IIRC), good wireless range (half my house) good mic, ok drivers, worst tuning I've ever head in a headphone (correctable with EQ in the iCue app). People do use these for the highest level of gaming so they work. But you won't hear footsteps in the middle of a team fight.

Audeze Penrose. Ok battery life (15 hours), bad wireless range (works in the room with my PC and the room next to it, but not further), passable mic (people will understand you, but the sound is compressed & tinny), requires a substandard app to change EQ (and that only allows 1 db adjustments, not .1db, can only tell you battery % / make changes when connected via USB, etc.). Drivers are fantastic and you get excellent imaging. They are about the same price new as open box Sundaras and I think roughly comparable in performance. These are great for queuing for a match and then doing a quick house chore, go to the bathroom, etc. I never tried the Mobius because I haven't found fake surround sound (worse for imaging vs in-game Dolby Atmos) and head tracking headphones (this is cool in VR, but VR headsets have head tracking already) to be useful in competitive gaming. They have their flaws, but they sound great and compared to other sets I've tried are "reasonably priced."

I get almost the same performance out of my Sundara as I do from HD800s (and being $1000 cheaper than HD800s makes them my recommendation to you). Aryas perform even better, but not $1300 better. You can get open box Sundaras from Hifiman's store at a decent discount but WITH the full warranty (how I got mine). I don't use Sundara because I own and use the HD800s. I would recommend the Sundara for gaming (but they aren't as good with imaging as the Penrose).

Argon MK3 are awesome for music, movies, and casual gaming. But they are WAY to bass heavy for competitive gaming. Protein pads are key here, otherwise you won't get good directional sound queues (I tried lambskin pads at first, they sound nice, but I couldn't hear flanking enemies). I recommend these, but not for comp.

Sivga P-II (basically a slightly differently tuned Sendy Aiva) probably would work, but they are more expensive than Sundaras, weigh more, require more EQ, and I don't think the driver is as good as the Sundara. They look really nice, but other than that not a great value.

Koss 95X are pretty great AND pretty terrible. After I got them, I could make shots just from sound cues (before I had to pan to the general area I thought the sound came from and then flick to shoot). Even with everything in game exploding all around me, I could hear flankers foot steps. BUT, mine built up an electrostatic whine that was pretty maddening (I'd have to power it down, disconnect the 95X from the energizer, and discharge each pin with a metal probe multiple times a day). They also sounded a little muddy (not sure why, but the sound while accurate never sounded precise). I replaced the energizer with a Stax 353X and thought it was a little better, but not much (and the whine was still a problem). I think the Audeze Penrose headset is better frankly.

Stax L700 Mk2 on a 353X energerzer provided the clearest sound for comp, but outrageously overkill / not at all cost-effective. I got the L700 because I already had a 353X (95X is a gateway drug) it totally solved the whine and muddy sound. Blue Tac mod (improves seal so there's actually sub bass in the FR) and EQ and this is hands down my favorite headphone, but I would never recommend anyone buy it for gaming (well, to be completely honest, it's not substantively better for music either). It's the most expensive headphone I own, has the worst build quality, and makes me look completely ridiculous. The headphone + energizer will set you back ~$2500.

Can't help you on the amp front. I haven't used the Asgard 3.
 
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DeepFried

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I have the DT770 250ohms as well, I wouldn't say they have great imaging, i'd go with open backs for that, but what the DT770's do well, and why they're recommended for gaming is that their sound signature highlights foot steps and other small movement noises in many games. Do not EQ them for gaming, that removes the point of using them entirely!

I've always found my HD598's to have good imaging, but they're open back so maybe not suitable for you.
 

aldarrin

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Not sure if closed back is a must. The only closed back I own and use for competitive gaming is the Audeze Penrose. I personally prefer open back headphones.
 

Phos

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If you're using any sort of HRTF (Dolby Atmos, for example) I suspect EQ-ing to the harman curve is probably not a great idea as that's already a simple form of HRTF.
 

Dunring

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I ordered the DT770 Pro 250 ohm because it was recommended a lot along with the other Beyers for competitive gaming. I need closed-back with good isolation for LAN party use.

I’ve been really disappointed with the imaging on the DT770. I’m using Oratory1990’s EQ settings and it’s really difficult to pinpoint enemy locations with these. The only other closed-back I have experience with is my T40rp mk3 and they have significantly better imaging. As expected, my Ananda’s put all the closed backs I have to shame for competitive gaming.

So I’m back to the drawing board for a closed-back competitive gaming headphone. I would just use my T40rp mk3 but I’m having them turned into Argons, and I think the Argon mod will make them worse for gaming and will also open them up a bit. I’ve been eyeing the Takstar Pro 82, Shure SRH1540, Senn HD598 cs, and Denon AHD7200 with pad swap.

I will mainly play Valorant, CSGO, R6S, and Overwatch with these headphones.

I use an Asgard 3 for amplification.

Are there any other options I should consider?

The two I have is the Beyerdynamic MMX 300 Gen 1 (which is based on the Signum aviation headset and nothing like the DT770) with the silver pads which smooth it out perfect (too bright with the black stock ones). Also I use the Venture Electronics VE Monk wired earbuds (there's a plus version for $12 with an inline mic) and the sound stage on those is so big and good detail and imaging for gaming. You'll have a hard time finding the Gen1 MMX300 (don't get the gen 2 they ruined the response curve) but the VE Monk is $10 on Amazon with shipping or $12 for the plus so it's hard to go wrong, and they don't need an amp, but they're 64 ohm and sound much better with one. 30 hours of burn in time is a must to smooth out the treble. I use both on the JDS Atom amp/dac stack and it's fun on a bun for gaming in Destiny 2 or music.
 

markanini

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The two I have is the Beyerdynamic MMX 300 Gen 1 (which is based on the Signum aviation headset and nothing like the DT770) with the silver pads which smooth it out perfect (too bright with the black stock ones). Also I use the Venture Electronics VE Monk wired earbuds (there's a plus version for $12 with an inline mic) and the sound stage on those is so big and good detail and imaging for gaming. You'll have a hard time finding the Gen1 MMX300 (don't get the gen 2 they ruined the response curve) but the VE Monk is $10 on Amazon with shipping or $12 for the plus so it's hard to go wrong, and they don't need an amp, but they're 64 ohm and sound much better with one. 30 hours of burn in time is a must to smooth out the treble. I use both on the JDS Atom amp/dac stack and it's fun on a bun for gaming in Destiny 2 or music.
According to Beyerdynamic it uses DT770 32Ohm drivers.
 

Dunring

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According to Beyerdynamic it uses DT770 32Ohm drivers.

I've had both the Gen1 and Gen2 and the DT770 80 ohm. The gen2 is really similar to the 770, but the Gen1 is a flat response curve, faster attack/decay, and 4db treble bump at 13.5khz. They really changed it up on the current version and I've got two Gen1's really happy with them on the Atom amp/dac stack and the other on a Soundblaster AE-7. I test all the amps, dacs, and sound cards that come in, so I really like the versatile flatter profile.
 
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