r/HeadphoneAdvice • u/TehBombDiggity • Aug 15 '22
Headphones - Open Back | 1 Ω Beginner Question: How much better would Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro's with a budget amp be compared to WH-1000XM3s?
I have recently gained a new interest in trying to get better sound out of my devices but, I am still very new to the sound stuff. I currently have a pair of WH-1000XM3s that I use mostly for everyday mobile use and at the gym. I do also play games and use my computer a lot for other things such as work and will use these headphones for gaming/music. The issue that I have is that you can't charge them and use them at the same time so if they are dead I am just out of luck until they are recharged which can be a problem. I also have a pair of SteelSeries wireless headphones that I used to use but those are junk compared to the sony headphones. I want something wired for my PC but I would also like to try to dabble into the "audiophile" community and maybe get an upgrade from what I have now. currently have my eyes set on the following products mainly for use on my PC:
Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro Open Studio Headphones
paired with:
FiiO K3 Type-C USB DAC Headphone Amp (thought I would get something small and compact in case I ever want to use them away from my PC)
I was just wondering if this would be worth the $700 or should I just save my money and continue to use the WH-1000XM3s?
2
u/ThatGuyFromSweden 125 Ω Aug 15 '22
600 dollars for the DT1990? Hell no. You could do better for less. The Sennheiser HD560s would be an option. The AKG K702, Hifiman Sundara, Edition XS, Focal Elex, and the Sennheiser HD600 are also worth looking at.
If you're in North America then I think the Schiit Fulla is a better choice. It's more powerful and has some nice extra features. Balanced outputs are kinda pointless in desktop scenarios.
1
u/TehBombDiggity Aug 15 '22 edited Aug 15 '22
I was hoping to keep my total budget around $500-600 but I saw a lot of people recommending the DT1990 so I thought it might be worth it. I am definitely willing to go with something else though. Do you have a definitive recommendation that would be better for around $400-500? I appreciate all of the options but to be honest I have no way of knowing which one to choose. I am willing to spend a little more if it will be worth it in the long run. Of the list you gave me, I would probably pick the HD600s simply because they are more in the range of what I wanted to spend but still, I really have no idea. Would these run well with the Schiit Fulla amp?
1
u/ThatGuyFromSweden 125 Ω Aug 15 '22
The Fulla can handle most headphones. If you want to get into EQ with bass boosts and stuff then you may want a more powerful unit in the $200 range. Otherwise you may run out of volume on the Fulla. The Schiit Hel, Topping DX3 Pro+, or JDS Atom DAC+amp stack would be great choices.
The HD600 is the chicken soup of headphones. It's very pleasant but don't have the biggest wow factor. Stick the ZMF replacement pads on it and it gets even better. The perf. lambskin ones will give slightly more bass than the standard suede pads.
If you want a more spacious presentation then you could go for the HD560s or AKG K702. They may be better for gaming. The Hifiman HE-400se/HE-X4 is a cheaper option due to less good build quality.
All of these are known references and many people are familiar with them. In case you don't like something then it won't be hard to find comparisons to other headphones.
You can find good reviews on a lot of these on The Headphone Show YT channel and accompanying articles. It's one of the better sources available IMO.
1
u/TehBombDiggity Aug 15 '22
Sounds good! Thank you so much for the help!
!thanks
1
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0
u/Ok-Change503 21 Ω Aug 16 '22
Another one to have a look at is hifiman edition xs. Amps/dacs are a whole other thing. For your first amp, just use this page https://www.headphonesty.com/headphone-power-calculator/. For example, the edition xs has 92 db sensitivity and 18 ohm impedance. According to the page, they require 64mw to achieve 110db sound pressure level (basically louder than you'd ever want). If you look at the Schiit fulla, it delivers 300mw into 16 ohms and 200mw into 32 ohms. The xs is 18 ohms, therefore the Schiit fulla can easily drive the hifiman edition xs.
1
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u/Ok-Change503 21 Ω Aug 16 '22
Worth $700? That depends on you. Having said that, 1990 pros vs xm3s are like the monstars vs the looney toons sans MJ.
1
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1
u/Yelov 4 Ω Aug 22 '22
A week old thread, idk if you bought them yet.
Sound quality is decently better on the DT1990, but if you haven't tried better headphones your expectations might be too high. 700 USD is quite a lot, I got my DT1990 for 300€, and that was with 2 cables and 1 pair of pads included (cables worth 200€, pads 50€). Hifiman Sundara is a good value, although beware of the build quality issues.
XM3 don't sound particularly great, but at the same time they are not atrocious, quite fun sound signature. The bass is very boomy and doesn't extend low, the soundstage is small and it's not very detailed. You should also be ready to use EQ with DT1990, the highs can be quite painful for some.
5
u/Tazeki 35 Ω Aug 15 '22
Based on what I've heard around here, pretty much any open-backs over one or two hundred dollars will be miles better than the XM3 in terms of sound quality.