Help me choose headphones

ATH-AD900x or DT880 premium 600 ohm?


Primarily playing BF4, LoL as far as multiplayer goes. Using onboard audio http://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/MAXIMUS_VI_FORMULA/ which says it as a 600ohm amp, but I also have an astro mixamp thats plugged in via optical cable.

Whoa, that motherboard has ELNA and Wima caps? Color me impressed.

Anyways, I think the headphones depend on what you desire/need.

ATH-AD900X:

  • Will have amazing positional audio and a large sound stage. You'll probably be able to hear exactly where footsteps are coming from in BF4 for example.
  • The response curve is pretty flat. Whether or not you like that is up to you.
  • Will be easier to drive, you could probably run them off a phone or MP3 player just fine.
  • The noise from your environment will leak in and the noise from your headphones will leak out because of how open they are.

DT 880 600 Ohm

  • Sound stage and positional audio will be a little more restricted.
  • A little more bass and a little spike in the treble. Again, your preference.
  • You're probably going to need that amp on your motherboard to drive them to reasonable levels. Even if you can run them without the amp the quality won't be the best.
  • Noise will leak a little less both ways.

I'd personally get the DT 880 if noise from your surroundings bug you or if you want a more "fun" headphone. I'd get the ATH-AD900X if you might be using a portable device or you want a more accurate sound with a larger sound stage.

The AD900x IS NOT FLAT. Not even close. It is practically anemic. The DT880 is bass light as well, but much less so. If the only thing you care about is spacial awareness, then the AD900x is a great choice. If you want immersion, then it isn't. At all. The DT880 is closer to be an all-arounder, but not that great. The Q701 has a more neutral response, better positional audio and is not anemic (though there is some sub-bass roll off, but nothing like the DT880 or AD900x).

I was basing it off the graphs from HeadRoom. Although I just noticed I clicked the AD900, not the AD900X (which they don't list), so that could be why I'm off.

On the graph you just posted, do you not see the disparity in the bass response of the AD900 and the other two? The DT880s seem to have less bass response because of the peakier treble region when compared to the Q701, but nothing like the AD series. They are too open to have decent bass response (that is the general rule anyway; the more open, the less bass).

That's what I said? The DT 880 has more bass than the AD900?