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Vintage Beyer appreciation thread

post #1 of 70
7/26/10 at 3:12am
Thread Starter 

To my surprise, there is no general thread about vintage beyer headphones yet! There is the awesome dt48 thread of course, but I think a general thread would not be superfluous and there is none as far as I know. To remedy this most unfortunate situation , let all of us vintage beyer gear owners post our impressions, opinions (foundesd, unfounded and absurd, but let's keep it nice), pictures, brochures (yes, please! I'd love to see a 70s/80s dt990 brochure) and everything that touches upon vintage beyer here. This is after all the company that sticks with a proven model (dt 48 anyone? Only 73 years old...) and let's be honest, even modern beyers (ok, with the exception of the tesla etc) have that distinctly vintagey feel (they've got this 70s/80s german thing going on there).

 

As for vintage beyer, this is what I currently have and enjoy:

 

dt990/600 ohms mid-late 80s: was this the perfect headphone? It just might (have) be(en): lush mids, extended non-sibilant treble, controlled bass that goes way down and did I mention detail? If you need to eavesdrop on someone, this is the can to do it (and enjoy it as well). With the right amplification, it is that good. Without it, it's nothing very special.Synergy is everything with the vintage dt990.

 

dt890/600 ohms mid 80s: very similar to its dt990 sibling, but more emphasis on the treble. It's more airy (bring on those strings), but lacks the dt990's 'Oh my god-oomphness'. Still, it's a wonderful pair of headphones.

 

These power-hungry beasts will only satisfy your ears if you feed them plenty of current. Do that and you'll never let them go (well, I didn't). For me, the dt990 is still a contender among today's higher segment headphones (the dt880 to a somewhat lesser extent).

 

I've also got a (non-vintage) dt48 stuck in customs at the moment, but I am afraid (very afraid) that once that has arrived, I will feel the irrepressible need to delve into vintage dt48-land.

 

So, vintage beyer owners, ROLL CALL!

 

and to wet your appetite (and to show you how happy vintage beyer owners are): a picture...

 

(can't upload images at the moment, will try later, in the meantime, try link below for the picture)

 

 

happy beyer vintage owner looking happy (courtesy towert7's flickr album): http://www.flickr.com/photos/towert7/412243417/


Edited by REB - 7/26/10 at 5:13am
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Gear mentioned in this thread:

Beyer Dynamic DT 150 Compact Closed Headphone (250 Ohms)
post #2 of 70
7/26/10 at 4:50am

Do the DT 150's count as vintage? If so, count me in.

 

I love their no-nonsense old school look, and of course how they sound - pretty much my perfect closed headphone for fast and dry mids that suits how I prefer my music to sound.

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post #3 of 70
7/26/10 at 5:15am
Thread Starter 

Based on looks the dt150 is most certainly vintage. They're up there with the Volkswagen Beetle and bell-bottomed trousers!

 

I don't know when they were first produced, but I am sure someone here will (we need a Beyer version of what Fitz is for AKG...).

 

I used to own a pair (regret selling them now!) and they are definitely outstanding closed headphones.

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post #4 of 70
7/26/10 at 7:03am

I have the Beyer DT480.  They are the can that eventually evolved into the DT100 and DT150.  I'm going to hold off on any serious judgments until my new pads for them come in and I can give them a proper listen without the case pressing into my ears.

 

They sure are detailed, though.

 

Someday, I'd love to get my hands on one of the early 880/990s.

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post #5 of 70
7/26/10 at 10:40am
Thread Starter 

I've never heard them, but if they are the predecessors of the dt150, I'm sure they are detailed! Any pics?

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post #6 of 70
7/26/10 at 11:06am

There are some around as I bought them from another head-fier.

 

I can certainly take some, though.

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post #7 of 70
7/26/10 at 11:46am

I might have to pick up a DT990 from the 80's..

 

I have a Vintage DT880/600 over here.

Strings are very much amazing with it.

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post #8 of 70
7/26/10 at 1:52pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by joelpearce View Post

There are some around as I bought them from another head-fier.

 

I can certainly take some, though.


That would be great!

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post #9 of 70
7/26/10 at 1:53pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by nullstring View Post

I might have to pick up a DT990 from the 80's..

 

I have a Vintage DT880/600 over here.

Strings are very much amazing with it.


You would be pleasantly surprised. A vintage dt990 is suberb.

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post #10 of 70
7/26/10 at 7:58pm

have had a 1980 dt880 600 ohm, a dt 480, dt 100.

currently have a 1990 era dt811 which got treated to new pads and headband

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post #11 of 70
7/27/10 at 12:59am
Thread Starter 

How does the dt811 sound? Never seen one, much less heard it. Are they semi-open (holes in the cups) like the dt831 from the same period?

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post #12 of 70
7/27/10 at 3:01am
Thread Starter 

here are some pics of the dt831 I used to own. I liked its sound and it upscaled reasonably well. It did everything the dt990 did, only to a lesser degree. Comfort was outstanding and it was quite sturdy as well. I actually preferred it over the dt990 until I got an amp that was powerful enough to drive the dt990s properly.

 

 

image002.jpgimage005.jpgimage006.jpg

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post #13 of 70
7/27/10 at 5:22am

I've had the 1990's DT990, the DT531, (DT770'2003, DT880'2003, DT880'2005 and the new DT880'600), and I am familiar with the DT931, the DT911 and the new DT770'600, DT990'250 & T1. Generally, I tend to prefer the newer models soundwize. The 931 was way too shrill, the 911 had work-to-rule SS and a midfi-ish one-tone bass, the DT531 had a great tonality but lacked detailling, and the old 990 was something like the new 880'600, but on much lower quality level.

 

IMO AKG has always built the more "audiophile" HPs (especially the mids section rules), but I've always been a Beyerhead, as they are more musical, sound nicer with the non-classical and non-jazz stuff, and have little to none listening fatigue. Never cared for Senns, a bad combination of AKG's seriousness and Beyer's "rounded edges"...

 

Ignore this post if the praise share is inacceptable... 

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post #14 of 70
7/27/10 at 5:44am
Thread Starter 
Quote:

Originally Posted by nickchen View Post

 

IMO AKG has always built the more "audiophile" HPs (especially the mids section rules), but I've always been a Beyerhead, as they are more musical, sound nicer with the non-classical and non-jazz stuff, and have little to none listening fatigue. Never cared for Senns, a bad combination of AKG's seriousness and Beyer's "rounded edges"...

 

Ignore this post if the praise share is inacceptable... 


I am also very fond of vintage akg, but I appreciate your point. Akg's are so much more serious than beyers . I do prefer the old dt990/600 over the new version though (both pro and regular). Haven't heard a new dt880/600 but if that's essentially a better version of the old dt990/600, I'm gonna go sell our house and buy a pair right now!

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post #15 of 70
7/27/10 at 5:53am
Thread Starter 

I've noticed that I always need to rotate my favorite beyer and akg cans (resp. a dt990/600 and a k500). Rotating them keeps me interested in their respective sound signatures and helps me appreciate the differences between them. I would not like to be forced to choose between them! In that respect I am very curious as to how the dt48 sounds. I may be completely wrong, but I've got this mental picture of the perfect cross between a vintage beyer and a vintage akg... a true hybrid in other words!

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Gear mentioned in this thread:

Beyer Dynamic DT 150 Compact Closed Headphone (250 Ohms)
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