Just got a pair of these on Amazon for $150 ((http://www.amazon.com/beyerdynamic-DT-860-Premium-Headphones/dp/B000Y0IPF8) as a substitute for my T90 that I can leave at work while the T90s stay home, and I have to say, I'm damn impressed. Soundstage is proportional but not enormous, but it's a very dynamic headphone with decent extension on both ends (though this is probably where it falls short of my T90 most clearly), a fairly full midrange for a Beyer (not unlike the T90), a nice quantity of bass that slots in somewhere between my T90 and DT770 LE...honestly I find myself enjoying it almost as much as my friends DT880 Pros. I don't think they're on that par technically, but I would say they make great competition for other headphones in that price range - HD598, for example, has a bigger soundstage, but is technically inferior in all other ways. Of the similarly priced headphones I've heard, I would say the AD900x comes the closest to matching the DT860's total package, and is more detailed with a bigger soundstage, if memory serves, but in my estimation, the DT860 still wins this battle overall due to more realistic bass presentation, which IMO is so key for overall realism; the AD900x has a decent punch to it, but it's pretty darn lean on the whole and doesn't have very realistic timbre IMO; it's awesome for acoustic music and some rock and chamber ensembles, but to my ears, full-on orchestral classical just doesn't sound right without a solid, echoing timpani impact and good body to cello and bass, and most rock music really needs more presence for kick drums and bass guitar to shine IMO. The DT860 shines with classic rock, EDM, and classical, which comprises most of my listening.
So yeah...very happy with these @$150, they are definitely serving as an adequate backup to my T90s. Definitely a purchase I don't regret.
So yeah...very happy with these @$150, they are definitely serving as an adequate backup to my T90s. Definitely a purchase I don't regret.