DT990 Pro

Discussion in 'Headphones' started by Donald North, Jul 3, 2018.

  1. Josh83

    Josh83 Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Mar 1, 2017
    Likes Received:
    1,375
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Charlottesville
    This is my experience with several of the same pairs. Some of the most comfortable sounding headphones ever...with treble that’s so gawdawful that they could be used as a torture device if I’m ever interrogated as a criminal suspect.
     
  2. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    89,778
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    Still ... my measurements and impressions on the DT990 600ohms from the CS days sure seemed promising (considering how CS used to crap on everything), a revisit to the DT990 600ohm might be warranted. Not everyone wants neutral and many audiophile do like V-shaped as a guilty pleasure. The price is right too.
     
  3. Craigo

    Craigo MOT: Mage Audio

    Joined:
    May 3, 2017
    Likes Received:
    153
    Trophy Points:
    33
    Location:
    Raleigh, NC
    I had pair of DT770s I bought two years ago measured and channel matching was damn near perfect. Presumably their quality control for this line hasn't fallen off.
     
  4. Scubadude

    Scubadude Almost "Made"

    Joined:
    Jan 23, 2016
    Likes Received:
    332
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Location:
    Pretoria, South Africa
    I had a 600 ohm DT990 and enjoyed it a lot. More through rosey SET lenses than not. And I recall it responded beautifully to Sonarworks correction. Trying to buy it back to revisit.
     
  5. crazychile

    crazychile Eastern Iowa's Spiciest Pepper

    Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Jan 19, 2016
    Likes Received:
    2,512
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Eastern Iowa
    I'd be interested if there was a loaner tour with 2-3 pairs of the most promising Beyers. I never have heard a pair. Maybe the treble spike won't be so much of an issue for me as my hearing is starting to roll off in the 12-14k range. But if it's a big spike in the 3-8k range it could be a problem. I was able to listen to unmodded HD800s for about an hour and didn't have any issues with the spike, but maybe it becomes more irritating with longer listening times.
     
  6. kman1211

    kman1211 New

    Joined:
    Feb 6, 2017
    Likes Received:
    14
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Location:
    USA
    Ah the DT 990 Pro, what I consider the first serious headphone I've owned. I still have a bit of a love-hate relationship with them, but honestly need to revisit them with my current system. Beyer is the only company I've never had a bad sounding headphone from in terms of fidelity, I can mod any Beyer to sound good. Some of the tuning choices they make are questionable though.

    I currently have a DT 880 Black which I have no issues with treble wise, same with an Amiron Home, no issues despite it having an obvious peak, it just doesn't bother me. Had a T1.2 but had to let it go due to the treble and me preferring the presentation of the Amiron Home, I use the Amiron Home alongside the HD 650 as my primary headphones. Had a DT 150 which I wish I never let go of, at least I sent it to Tyll to get measured. Have a modded DT 831 which honestly sounds fantastic to me, but it's still a work in progress.
     
  7. Donald North

    Donald North Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 4, 2015
    Likes Received:
    932
    Trophy Points:
    93
    I have a set of DT831 and they’ve never sounded good to me - my DT931 smoke them. Any tips how to get the 831 to sound better?
     
  8. kman1211

    kman1211 New

    Joined:
    Feb 6, 2017
    Likes Received:
    14
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Location:
    USA
    Well I removed the black plastic cover on the back of the driver, made it too lean and bright but does control the sound so I had to tame things a bit, the bass can get out of control fast. I kept the felt ring around the driver capsule, put some fabric over the rubber piece in the earcup(which can be removed to make the headphone an open-back if you want), and a couple sorbothane dots on back side of the baffle. I was able to make it sound really good as an open-back, but the goal is to keep it a closed-back. While it has improved a lot over stock I still hear some issues that need sorting out as I don't feel the sound is fully controlled yet and it's still slightly rough around the edges. Biggest thing I'm working on is trying to smooth out some rough edges to the sound without hurting the really positive aspects it has currently has such as it's clarity, imaging, midrange, musicality, and microdetail. I don't have the means to measure the headphone so I have to play it by ear and use the HD 650 as a tuning reference. I need to tinker more with interior dampening and front dampening, maybe pads as well. I'm not fully confident about my mod yet, but I do feel I'm going in the right direction. It's not the nightmare to mod like my DT 480 is at least.

    They definitely have different drivers than the DT 880/990 250 Ohm, seems to have much stronger magnet as it's far more efficient than my 250 Ohm DT 880. Completely different magnet structure. It's close to my Amiron Home in efficiency.
     
    Last edited: Jul 8, 2018
  9. DrForBin

    DrForBin Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2015
    Likes Received:
    710
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    The Great NorthWet
    hello,

    a loaner program/general advice thread on some of the lesser regarded makers would be very welcome. i would hate to think that everything SBAF approves of is either Sennheiser or boutique.

    mayhaps, a guide to all makers, best bang for buck or best representation of "house" sound. in case, you know, you just want one of each for bragging rights.;)

    (avoiding makers that only exist to make the ears bleed...Grado, anyone?)
     
  10. ultrabike

    ultrabike Measurbator - Admin

    Staff Member Pyrate MZR
    Joined:
    Sep 25, 2015
    Likes Received:
    8,960
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Irvine CA
    It is all about making people aware of of what to expect clearly and concisely.

    SBAF approves Beyerdynamic classics. If one wants lively sound and does not mind a bit of elevated treble then these are a must hear.

    SBAF approves of Grado. Note Grados don't exactly sound the same. Pads are a factor. I like my Koss Porta Pros, and I consider them close to the SR60 Grado sound. It's actually exciting. IMO a bit less than the DT990, but it's somewhere in there. I'm almost positive @Donald North would like those. In fact, he may not remember, but at a meet I plugged my KSC75s to one of his amps. Like the Porta Pros, the KsC75s have a Grado-ish sound. Note I'm not saying they sound the same. At the time I think @Donald North was afraid his amp was going to blow the KSC75s up. I told him they were not as wimpy as they looked at 60 ohms and a lower sensitivity than the cans he was demoing (I believe he was using the Utopias). I loved the pairing. I believed he liked it too.

    No single headphone will ever be universally liked. It's about what works for every individual. To that end, one has to be fairly clear about relative performance among different products.

    I don't like the DT990s, but my opinion is not universal. However, if someone comes from say a HE-400, and wants something with less treble, I don't think recommending a DT990 is a good idea. If one likes the DT880, but feels it may be a bit dull and lacks excitement, maybe a DT990 is worth a listen.
     
    Last edited: Jul 8, 2018
  11. Lyander

    Lyander Official SBAF Equitable Empathizer

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2017
    Likes Received:
    10,961
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Philippines, The
    Beyer DT880 remains a fave, and I'm forwarding it for consideration too, haha. I actually have the pair I sold a while back in my home again, and while it's not quite as technically competent as others I have right now, it remains a generally pleasing listen, and the treble doesn't sound nearly as bad to my ears as that on the DT990, instead coming across as "bright but not stabby".

    Except on Daft Punk's Contact, but that song is torture.

    P.S.
    When the hell will Grado get its poop together and re-release the HP1000?!
     
  12. Zed Bopp

    Zed Bopp Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Jan 15, 2016
    Likes Received:
    537
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Finland
    Home Page:
    Just had some ears on my DT770 80ohm after a long break - it is still a very valid, bassy & closed candidate for under 150 bucks. The highs are fuzzy/distorted and slightly hot, but nothing evil. That big-ish bass is done surprisingly well, it reaches low and doesn't get too boomy in the mid-bass area. At these prices HD598 Cs is a better option if one's looking for more neutral tuning. M50x comes far behind - what is that hype all about?

    The 1st gen T1 I loaned a while back had the same kind of haze in the highs if I remember correctly. None of that to be found with my eq'd HD800 or LCD-2.1.
     
  13. Ptirodaktill

    Ptirodaktill New

    Joined:
    Jul 9, 2017
    Likes Received:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Location:
    Msk
    New dt 990 "edition" are different from old 990 pro. Drivers looks more like dt 250. There is a lot of foam inside the can, and cans are nearly completely closed. Also, no dempfer behind the driver. And no alluminium grill on front side either.
    My pair come with dt880-like pads and i belive that beyer screwed with them, cause they sound horrible on stock - absurd amount of boomy bass and shrill peak at 7 khz.
    I switched pads for my old nearly-flat dt990 pads and it sound like dt 250 but w/o midrange spike and with slegehammer-like bass.
    https://ibb.co/i4snhK
    https://ibb.co/inZTpz
    https://ibb.co/eFT4Uz
    BTW cord died on second day >_> I think beyer quality control is a meme these days?
     
    Last edited: Sep 19, 2018
  14. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

    Staff Member Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2015
    Likes Received:
    89,778
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Padre Island CC TX
    It's been on my mind, a revisit to the Beyer Classics and Grado. I know many of the old-timers have been through these, but something like this might benefit newer people to the hobby. The Grados are quite good (but still colored) with the right pads.
     
  15. Jinxy245

    Jinxy245 Vegan Puss

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Nov 17, 2016
    Likes Received:
    5,731
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Montgomery, New York
    I do have a pair of SR6os and they're not horrible.
    I'd gladly ship them around for a loaner if there's interest
     
  16. Lyander

    Lyander Official SBAF Equitable Empathizer

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2017
    Likes Received:
    10,961
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Philippines, The
    Cannot overstate the importance of matching pads. Grado can do non-fi sound pretty well, but dear Yeshua they suck at designing pads (both from a comfort perspective as well as a sonic one). The old pre-i RS1 is pretty cool with aftermarket pads, but I tried them with stock, albeit broken-in Grado bowls once and wanted to punt them over the counter— bass vanished and the treble, which was at my max to begin with (years of listening to Beyers have made me more tolerant of spikes), became more pronounced.

    I don't believe you have very many (or any?) V2 coupler measurements of the older Beyers/AKGs/Grados? Would be cool to have equivalent measurements, but it seems like a ton of work though.
     
  17. donunus

    donunus Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 18, 2015
    Likes Received:
    138
    Trophy Points:
    43
    Location:
    Philippines
    The DT990 PRO I am really curious about is the 80 ohm version. I have never seen a measurement or subjective review comparison between them and the 250 ohm model.
     

Share This Page