DT880 vs DT990 for rock/metal? - Page 2

I do think that the 880s sound thin sometimes compared to my other headphones (especially for soundtracks) and I did hate their sound for quite a while before getting used to them, therefore, they are quite a hard recommendation for me (maybe it has to do with burn-in). The 990s on the other hand are an easier recommendation, but are arguable less.... "audiophile", if that even means anything.

 

But then again, at higher levels the 880s really are excellent for metal (love the speed and aggressiveness). The best is if you could audition both. You should also consider what amping you'll be providing them with, especially with the 250 and 600ohm models. They can sound quite bad when not properly amped.

 

Good luck with your decision!

Edited by Averruncus - 12/16/12 at 9:03pm

I agree with you. Makes it delicate. I used to headbang listening to it now i just lay back with a huge freakin smile and melt, probably looking like a complete idiot :D

 Personally, I love metallica on my 990's, the 880's just don't quite do it for me, a little to boring, I like them for their nutrality, but, they just don't do it for some types of music... They are both great cans, it really is a hard choice. When it comes to what you will be more happy with in the long run, it really depends on you.

 

I am going to stick with my recommendation of the 990, just because It does so much right for genres such as rock/metal, dubstep (plus other electronic), and strangely I like it for acoustic guitar solos....

 

The 990 also has a bigger sound stage which I really enjoy.....

 

One other thing... When and if you buy one of these cans, be VIGILANT about not getting hair in the drivers, it makes horrible rattling when things are played that have lots of sub bass. Then if hairs get stuck in the driver, you have to either carefully pluck out hairs, and if that does not fix it (there is a hair physically stuck IN the driver) you have to send it into beyerdynamic to be repaired....... This only happened to me once, my 990 was still under warranty, and driver was replaced, free!

I concur, and it's not because I'm selling a DT990 either...

Seriously, the DT880 is (IMO of course) not a great rock headphone. If that was the genre I listened to mostly and I had to choose between these two cans I would pick the DT990 without hesitation.

Just a few days ago, I actually directly compared the DT880, DT990 and the HE500 using metal genre tracks, with 2 of my co-workers. It was a 3 way split...

 

I choose the DT880 because I liked the speed and excitement it provided, and I felt the DT990 bass was not controlled enough for and was causing a bit of masking in the mids. My co-worker chose DT990 for the authority and impact it provided, he disliked the lightness of the DT880 and didn't like the HE500 either as it seemed less cohesive. My last co-worker chose the HE500, for the detail, soundstage and clarity, provided for a more enveloping and resolving sound.

 

All 3 are excellent choices for different reasons, and so (as unhelpful as this will sound) is very hard to recommend one over the other. I felt the DT990 performed similarly to the HE500, just perhaps a bit more forgiving and more thump in the bass. My personal favorite pair is the HE500, as it's great with classical and soundtrack music (which I love) and better then the other 2 at most other genres. But I'm probably biased since it's the most expensive headphone I own.

 

I think the safest bet would be the DT990, as it has a nice fun sound signature, but it gets a bit boring for me after a while. The DT880 is more risky, as quite a few people have disliked it after buying it, but it kind of grows on you after a while (at least it did for me), and imo is a better general use headphone in the long run. The HE500 is heavy and can be uncomfortable, but it's performance scales higher then any of the DTs I've heard so far and with the right setup, it has the potential of becoming an end-all level headphone (unless you're looking at 2k+ stuff). However, unless you can get used to the weight and feel of the HE500, I won't recommend it as a workhorse headphone (I use it only when I just enjoy music, not while surfing the net/playing games), but maybe my neck is just weak or something.

 

Also consider your budget, are you really willing to pay almost double for a small bump in performance? Money that could be used to get a nice DAC or amp to power your new headphone.

 

Hope that helps, good luck!

another vote for the dt 990, the extra bass weight will be nice.