What Tube Amp & Dac to get for my DT 990 Pro Headphones?

Hi Everyone

I am looking for a warm & fuzzy amp / DAC for my new DT 990 PRO 250 ohm Headphones. The amp will be for my PC. I’m looking to spend around £130 ($190) I listen to music and play games. I am new to higher end audio.

The DT 990 Pros are great for producing crisp, sharp trebble; they are very articulate and analytical. They also do a good job of producing punchy bass that does not sound muddy but I find them a little sterile. The DT 990 pros I understand are not as analytical compared to reference grade cans like the AKG Q701 but I feel the 990 Pros could be more ‘fun’ for my ear holes.

The 990 pros are great for hard rock like Judas Priest, very crisp vocals and guitar with punch drums.

However I prefer a warmer sound that takes the edge off the sharp analytical treble, even for listening to bands like Judas Priest. To be honest the 990 Pros are not relaxing for evening use from when you come back from work. (and that’s not due to the rock I listen too) I have experimented with the EQ on my Asus mobo to boost the bass slightly to get a less crisp but warmer tone. It works but I feel it could be better. (EQ settings pic below)

I would like to achieve that smooth crackly warm tone you hear from hip hop artists from the 90’s. The sound that was inspired by jazz and soul from the 50’s & 60’s. Here’s an example of what I’m describing from Handsome Boy Modelling School: https://youtu.be/EheSOZHjHb8

Obviously that particular warm tone you might get from Hip Hop will not match Metal but I would still like to apply a slightly warmer and bassier tone to my rock / metal music.

I have set my sights on this Nobosound Hybrid Tube Amp:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nobsound-MS-10D-Stereo-Amplifier-Headphone/dp/B015XST60S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451837401&sr=8-1&keywords=Nobsound+MS-10D+Hifi+2.0CH+Stereo+Hybrid+Power+Amplifier+Tube+Headphone+AMP+DIY

The Nobosound has bass & treble knobs. I’m interested in being able to adjust the treble and bass accordingly when jumping between different genres like hip hop, rock, metal and drum & bass.

This amp also looks similar to this Jaycar amp: http://members.iinet.net.au/~cool386/jaycar/jaycar.html which was reviewed by the very bearded man from Tek Hardware: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CT4val_doI4
The version in the video review looks well built and enjoyable to look at.

Do you guys think the Nobosound tube amp from Amazon is worth getting for my very subjective and particular needs? Or if there is something better out there?

Thanks! =)

Just get a real Amp/Dac Combo the FiiO E10k's are fine for your needs, then if you want a warm fuzzy sound just turn on your oven to 432 Fahrenheit ( Yea bitch I know your a brit) and toss your DT 990's in to the microwave and turn on high cook for 5 minutes. Trust me, this is the way to go and its cheaper than buying a tube amp, and sounds much better as well.

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Why buy a full speaker amplifier for headphones?
Also if you're buying a tube amp make sure the output stage is tubes and not transistor, otherwise a lot of the point of tube amplifiers is missed.

Most headphone tube amplifiers only use tubes for gain, and low power triodes have crazy low distortion when set up like that, you wont hear any difference between them and normal transistor stuff.

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