Quick review as I just received these this past Saturday. First I will say that I am not an audiophile, though for the past month or two i was researching what headphones i could pick up for gaming, and a first step into high quality music. With that in mind, I had purchased the DT 990 Pro 250ohm off amazon about 3 weeks ago. I am using my onboard audio (realtek1120) in a Gigabyte gaming motherboard. The DT's sound great and I saw a huge leap in sound quality coming from a Playstation "gaming" headset. The whole time i was using the 990's i continued to research whether a dac/amp would improve the experience, but couldnt find anything definitive that would lead me to believe it was worth the investment. After seeing these on massdrop, i did some research and decided i would take the leap and return the 990s. Only thing I can say, is WOW. The AKG's sound so amazing, that the only thing I have had no problem recommending them to my friends, who would be using them as i plan on using them. The sound stage is awesome, and gives sounds in the game (overwatch) a ton of life. Music sounds amazing as well. the treble in the 990's was a little overbearing with certain music (Michael Jackson was one of the artists i noticed it most with), to the point where it would be difficult to listen too loudly or for too long. On the comfort scale, its another no contest in favor of the AKG's. They're light and feel great. While the materials on the 990 do feel of higher quality, i would easily trade that for the sound and comfort of the AKGs. I'm using the AKG's with the onboard audio and they definitely get louder than the 990's..and way louder than i would listen to them at full. At about 60% on the pc volume is what i plan on using them at. Curious now to see what the HD 650's sound like, as the AKGs are hands down the best headphones i've used so far. With that all this in mind, i still do have a question for anyone willing to chime in..Would it be worth getting an external dac/amp (im thinking Schiit Stack)...as in would the audio quality be worth the extra cost?
I don't know what the specs are on the Realtek 1120 but I have yet to come across an integrated audio chip that can properly drive anything but efficient (ie: low-ohm, high sensitivity) headphones. It will DEFINITELY be worth investing in the Schiit Stack for your cans. As an owner of a Magni 2 Uber/Modi 2 Uber combo, I can state that company makes products that punch far above their weight. And if you think the K7XX will benefit from the Schiit Stack, and it will, it will bring tears of joy to your eyes when you listen to the DT 990 / 250 through it. You are not getting even nearly the most from your Beyers out of the Gigabyte audio chip. Cheers!
Thanks Man! I actually ended up getting the O2/Odac and really didn't like it. Made the headphones sound a bit blown out at higher volume and a little too warm for my liking. I'm not sure if I got a defective unit, but the onboard audio definitely sounds better. I ended up returning the O2. I'm still curious to try something else, but not sure its worth it since I'm pretty happy with the sound I'm currently getting out of the onboard. Never need to go over 70% volume and sounds very clear.
I've never experienced the O2, so I can't speak to it specifically. If you're happy with the onboard sound, then stick with it. However, IMO, adding an external DAC will always be superior to the onboard DAC. It can also depend on what you're listening to. If you are listening to classical, jazz, progressive rock, anything that has a lot of nuances, a DAC will really help to bring those details out. I have a nice onboard in my laptop with Dolby Digital Plus to EQ it. It sounds great with low impedance cans (pretty much anything below 50 ohms), but if I plug the same cans into the Fulla 2, they sound that much better.
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