So my girlfriend has been looking for a new pair of headphones for quite a while now and I figured Christmas would be a good time to fulfill that.
She currently has Siberia V2 pretty sure it's these - http://amzn.com/B008LT5MFA
I've been looking for some time now and I believe the DT-990 Pro 250 Ohm headphones would make a solid choice and now as of recent the prices have seemed to drop a lot. Currently on Amazon for $187 - http://amzn.com/B0011UB9CQ
On top of that I plan on picking up an O2 Amp, as I doubt the standard onboard audio will suffice.
Totaling around $300 for both the headset and amp sounds like a steal for this, but I'm not quite in the know.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I am not too fond of the DT990, in theory. The frequency response has too many dips for me. Plenty of people like them though. Does she really need open/semi-open? IT only really offers a benefit when trying to "competitive footstep listen" in fps and complex genres like orchestral music and techdeath. Other than that, there really isn't much to benefit from them over a decent set of closed. I am constantly having to repeat this because Logan has put it into everyone's head that only fools would go for closed. That simply isn't the case whatsoever.
In that price range, I would suggest the HP100, or the HP200 (if you want open as well as a general V-shaped sound signature). These don't need an amp, but if you want to get one, I would suggest getting a dac as well. Something like the E07k would add some nice warmth to the otherwise slightly analytical HP100 (neutral overall, but people tend to like warmth, so that is an option). Besides that, the E07k is a great little piece of technology. Portable, dac, amp, solid construction, decent SQ, etc.
If you give some music preferences and the games she plays, I can give better recommendations, but the HP100 is a GREAT all-arounder.
By no means do they have to be open, I'd probably prefer them to be closed actually so it doesn't interfere with myself too much, our desks are in the same, somewhat smaller office.
Really I'm looking for about $300 range for everything, whether or not that be a pair of headphones and an amp or just headphones that don't need one, although at that range I doubt there are too many if any of those.
I did recently see that the HD650's were $314 at Adorama: http://www.adorama.com/SEHD650.html?emailprice=t Which now I see Amazon has matched them: http://amzn.com/B00018MSNI
Those do seem to be quite highly regarded but then a lot of people say they're not worth it.
She also generally listens to Metal and some electronic. As far as games, nothing crazy, she likes the Civilization series, The Sims, and a few random games from time to time.
I love the HP100 for electronic, and they do metal really well (I prefer them for pretty much everything other than techdeath and the like). I think that they are the choice to make in this price range, honestly. Very neutral overall, but the bass kicks like a mule without ever being too much. There are a lot of reviews around about them if you want to do some research.
Ok, those are the ones I'll go with. Worst that can happen is she hates them and I blame you.
Would that amp/DAC be worth getting for these? She will extremely rarely use them on anything on than her computer, when she does, it'd probably be her phone. Originally I was actually considering getting the O2 Kit and making it myself, then possibly adding the DAC for it later. But as these won't need as much as what I was originally thinking I guess I won't be doing that.
I just remembered something. The HP100 has a shortish coiled cable (the HP150 comes with a longer straight cable and has basically the same sound). IF you are going to use them with a computer, you would do well to have an extension of some kind. If that be an interconnect to the amp, and an extension cord, you should likely get something. I personally have the O2 kit and am planning on putting it together myself soon, so obviously, I think that is a wise choice generally speaking. Also, Amazon has a nice return policy, so don't worry too much about it. You can return them without issue (plenty of people order two headphones when they can't decide and just return the ones they like less).
Ok, I'll go with the HP100 and E07k then. She can have the amp/DAC set on her desk and the headphones plugged into that so length shouldn't be an issue. That'll be a good starter I guess, can't jump up too high off the start.
Thanks for your help.
I run a DT 990 Pro with the O2/ODAC combo. Only issue with either is that the headphones clamp a little too hard for extremely long sessions, but I have a very large head so nothing is really comfortable in the first place.
The O2/ODAC combo is a very solid bang-for-your-buck system in my opinion. If you make one yourself you can even play with the parts a little to adjust the sound some :) I haven't checked in a while, but Mouser at least used to stock the less noisy versions of the standard O2 op amps for the same price as the normal ones.