[razor5cl]

Just curious, what amp do you guys pair your DT 990 with?

I use it with the Bravo Audio V2, my Creative XFi USB DAC and amp or sometimes my Fiio E11.

 

[jdpark]

To be perfectly honest, I've only had these phones for a month, but I've been experimenting with them a lot, and I've found that they're actually not that hard to drive with an inexpensive headphone amp, or receiver.  
 
However, and this is a big, and very important point, the source is extremely important.  These phones are designed to reveal flaws in bad recordings and sound great with great recordings, and so the biggest change I've found is going from a mediocre source to a really good one, and also again, going from either low bit-rate, or just poorly recorded CDs to newer, better recorded ones.  
 
Loudness wars in pop music also create problems for these headphones, and there is very little that the amp can do to help this.  On the other hand, many CDs recorded in the 1980s are almost too thin sounding with these phones, and you really notice the recessed mids and sibilant highs in such recordings. 
 
Ideally, of course, an amp will have a very low noise floor, low distortion, and good tone and speed, but I've found that even my Schiit Magni can sound very good with these phones, if you use the right DAC.  
 
I do not think a very good amp will compensate for a bad source--at least not with these phones.  

 

[Bassman999]

  To be perfectly honest, I've only had these phones for a month, but I've been experimenting with them a lot, and I've found that they're actually not that hard to drive with an inexpensive headphone amp, or receiver.  
 
However, and this is a big, and very important point, the source is extremely important.  These phones are designed to reveal flaws in bad recordings and sound great with great recordings, and so the biggest change I've found is going from a mediocre source to a really good one, and also again, going from either low bit-rate, or just poorly recorded CDs to newer, better recorded ones.  
 
Loudness wars in pop music also create problems for these headphones, and there is very little that the amp can do to help this.  On the other hand, many CDs recorded in the 1980s are almost too thin sounding with these phones, and you really notice the recessed mids and sibilant highs in such recordings. 
 
Ideally, of course, an amp will have a very low noise floor, low distortion, and good tone and speed, but I've found that even my Schiit Magni can sound very good with these phones, if you use the right DAC.  
 
I do not think a very good amp will compensate for a bad source--at least not with these phones.  

I am noticing the same thing.
If the original has too bright a recording so will the playback and the inverse is true.
But I have found as many say with hp's or new speakers, that I hear new things in my songs, and partly because I am listening to higher quality now in part. I suspect.
I am really enjoying them.
Now if I use my cMoy with my LG F3, I dont like the result nearly as much, and I max out the volume.
The cMoy does fine coming from my DIY PC though, as I havent gone past 12:00 on dial often.
I am listening to Spotify Premium for the most part.

 

[Bassman999]

I more thing I forgot to mention is that I LOVE the drums on these.
I mean they go low and have the perfect Timbre IMO.
Snares and toms and floor etc.
I didnt realize how much detail I was missing!

 

[jdpark]

I think I should clarify, that I think a good amp will do great things for these phones, but in order to get the 100% out of them, you have to make sure you don't under-source them.  
 
I just traded in my HRT Music Streamer II for an HD, and it's really amazing what can be done to the soundstage, rhythm and tone across the board.  Highs are much less of a problem with this DAC, especially when I play high rez music.  

 

[Folex]

I turned my 990's into a gaming headset by casper. The ONLY issue I had with the 990's and it might have just been mine is the off-cable driver sounded a little faint. After the mogami dual sided mod both sides sound perfectly equal. 
 

 

[Bassman999]

I know I dont have the best equipment.
I also dont know if I could tell the difference with better stuff, with the hearing damage I have from SPL comps...

 

[Bassman999]

I tried to listen to the same songs as I was last night and this morning on the 990s, and found that my car has terrible mids and mid-bass.
 
EDIT well the tweeters sound bad as well....Just everything above the sub-woofer is bad!
 
I turned off the music and went to a different genre out of disgust.
Ill have to upgrade the dash and doors in my car, I was going to anyway...kust its a higher priority now.

 

[TsukiNick]

  I turned my 990's into a gaming headset by casper. The ONLY issue I had with the 990's and it might have just been mine is the off-cable driver sounded a little faint. After the mogami dual sided mod both sides sound perfectly equal.
 

 
Nice, looks better than attaching a modmic.
 
The issue with one driver being faint is weird.  Luckily I haven't had problems except when I accidentally ruined a driver and had to replace it 
Damn I should of gone for a dual entry on mine I just stuck a fat purple Canare cable in there, didn't feel like going through more trouble.

 

[XIX47]

After trying out the a different pair of higher-end headphones, I decided to order a pair of these on Amazon (the last ones available for a very low price) along with a video card w/amplifier. I am not an expert but I Love the sound from these headphones (it does have high treble but I will adjust to it). It seems more lively than the other pair I had and the ear pads are VERY soft and comfortable. I wish the cord was not corded as it is just barely long enough to reach my head from the back of the computer. Would a cord extender be useful or would it degrade the sound quality?
 
I am definitely thinking about buying an dedicated amplifier for these headphones in the future.

 

[Folex]

  After trying out the a different pair of higher-end headphones, I decided to order a pair of these on Amazon (the last ones available for a very low price) along with a video card w/amplifier. I am not an expert but I Love the sound from these headphones (it does have high treble but I will adjust to it). It seems more lively than the other pair I had and the ear pads are VERY soft and comfortable. I wish the cord was not corded as it is just barely long enough to reach my head from the back of the computer. Would a cord extender be useful or would it degrade the sound quality?
 
I am definitely thinking about buying an dedicated amplifier for these headphones in the future.

If the cable is really bothering you contact cCasper TFG he can make you up a completely new cable. Any length, any AWG, single sided, dual sided, detachable etc. His work is top notch and very fast.  

 

[retskrad]

I just put a pair of dt770 velour pads in my dt990 and what the hell, the sound became absolute ****, is there a difference in the material between the dt770 and dt990 velour pads?

 

[Folex]

oem 770s or genuine ?

 

[XIX47]

  If the cable is really bothering you contact cCasper TFG he can make you up a completely new cable. Any length, any AWG, single sided, dual sided, detachable etc. His work is top notch and very fast.  

 
Eh, would that void the warranty on the headphones though? And just how much would I expect to pay for such a modification? Is there any other way to extend the cable without degrading the sound or replacing the cable?
 
Thanks for your response.

 

[razor5cl]

Eh, would that void the warranty on the headphones though? And just how much would I expect to pay for such a modification? Is there any other way to extend the cable without degrading the sound or replacing the cable?

Thanks for your response.

Using an extension cable won't degrade the sound in any way, so that's probs your best bet. You can get some dirt cheap cables off Amazon.