[Hifihedgehog]

I just received the DT990 Premium 600 ohm and though my impressions are still in the very early formative stages, they are not like the DT 990 Pro at all and are much more to my liking than the Q701. The midrange is much more defined and present and treble less grainy than the Pros I had and in fact the sound is much more open, dynamic and coherent it is night and day between these sister models. I even feel the soundstage on these is much larger than the Q701 and I already thought the Q701 was the biggest possible. More than anything, the DT990 Premiums do not have the upper octave roll off the Q701 has which has been my biggest pet peeve with them since day one, but seem to reach effortlessly to the uppermost shimmer of cymbals and air of vocals. This isn't official but the DT990 Premium 600 ohm will probably take the throne as my favorite and most used headphone from here on out.

 

[Fuzziekiwi]

  I just received the DT990 Premium 600 ohm and though my impressions are still in the very early formative stages, they are not like the DT 990 Pro at all and are much more to my liking than the Q701. The midrange is much more defined and present and treble less grainy than the Pros I had and in fact the sound is much more open, dynamic and coherent it is night and day between these sister models. I even feel the soundstage on these is much larger than the Q701 and I already thought the Q701 was the biggest possible. More than anything, the DT990 Premiums do not have the upper octave roll off the Q701 has which has been my biggest pet peeve with them since day one, but seem to reach effortlessly to the uppermost shimmer of cymbals and air of vocals. This isn't official but the DT990 Premium 600 ohm will probably take the throne as my favorite and most used headphone from here on out.

By larger you mean depth right? The Q's have more of an elliptical soundstage. 

 

[Hifihedgehog]

Height and depth are worlds larger and the width, to my surprise, is the same to my ears only that it does not have that weird foggy ambiguity that the Q701 has from it cutting off the upper octave (11 KHz and above) by 10 decibels. I think untrained ears may confuse this ambiguity with a sense of heightened soundstage but if EQ is applied, it is easy to hear that the Q701 has basically just as much (or little) soundstage as any other entry level Hi-Fi headphone (i.e. HD600, DT990, DT880).

 

[Fuzziekiwi]

  Height and depth are worlds larger and the width, to my surprise, is the same to my ears only that it does not have that weird foggy ambiguity that the Q701 has from it cutting off the upper octave (11 KHz and above) by 10 decibels. I think untrained ears may confuse this ambiguity with a sense of heightened soundstage but if EQ is applied, it is easy to hear that the Q701 has basically just as much (or little) soundstage as any other entry level Hi-Fi headphone (i.e. HD600, DT990, DT880).

I noticed my 558's sound stage has the same or even more depth then my Q701. Soundstage width, not so much. I am not really disappointed by it since I only got my pair for $123, cheaper than what I bought my 558's for. HD600's will be coming my way though in a few months. I was contemplating on getting the DT990's but many people claim the treble is far too harsh, harsher than the Q701's. The peak looks a little deadly. I feel like my Q's might go as soon as I get my HD600s.

 

[Solrighal]

I noticed my 558's sound stage has the same or even more depth then my Q701. Soundstage width, not so much. I am not really disappointed by it since I only got my pair for $123, cheaper than what I bought my 558's for. HD600's will be coming my way though in a few months. I was contemplating on getting the DT990's but many people claim the treble is far too harsh, harsher than the Q701's. The peak looks a little deadly. I feel like my Q's might go as soon as I get my HD600s.

I know what you mean. As good as the Q is it's not necessarily a comfortable listen. I bought the HD650 with the intention of having a bigger range of headphones but to be honest I can't get enough of the 650. To my mind they sound spectacular most of the time. I cannot emphasize enough just how spacy the 650's idea of a soundstage is. Like a bag of snakes, lol.

 

[Za Warudo]

The HD6X0 isn't known to have a large soundstage though. Plus the rolled off treble and very warm signature doesn't sound like my cup of tea. I love the treble extension and air of the Q.

 

[Solrighal]

The HD6X0 isn't known to have a large soundstage though. Plus the rolled off treble and very warm signature doesn't sound like my cup of tea. I love the treble extension and air of the Q.

Aye, they're both great headphones. We're so lucky that high quality music can be had for so relatively little money in hi-fi terms. I see both headphones offering something unique. This is a good thing...

 

[62ohm]

I find the soundstage of the Q701 to be wider than the DT990, while the DT990 have better imaging IMO.

 

[Fuzziekiwi]

The HD6X0 isn't known to have a large soundstage though. Plus the rolled off treble and very warm signature doesn't sound like my cup of tea. I love the treble extension and air of the Q.

For long listening periods, and by long I mean like 7 hours, I sometimes have a hard time listening to the Q's so I switch to my other headphones. The headband is really annoying too, I have to adjust it every so often. Instrument separation is wonderful, and detail as well, which can't be matched by any of my headphones. 
 
The HD6X0 series just have a different sound sig, I enjoy the Sennheiser sound a lot. 

 

[Fishwater]

Funny discussion actually, I just upgraded from my Fiio E17 to the Pan Am, I'm finding the difference isn't as dramatic as I hoped for honestly. I've rolled the tubes a few times & thinking the Q701 may be the bottleneck in my system. I'm considering another set of cans but had HD598's & returned them because I preferred the 701's, the Senns were to laid back, a little veiled & kind of boring. So now I'm on the hunt for something else, possibly the Hifiman's since I can't afford the LCD2 which is supposed to be the perfect match to the Pan Am.

 

[Solrighal]

The 650's aren't boring.

 

[i luvmusic 2]

I'am really enjoying my Q701 with my new tube adapter and RCA 6SN7 GTB for LD 1 the bass is tight,huge soundstage and a lot of details this is  the first time i heard this HP sounded like  this.

 

[Solrighal]

I'am really enjoying my Q701 with my new tube adapter and RCA 6SN7 GTB for LD 1 the bass is tight,huge soundstage and a lot of details this is  the first time i heard this HP sounded like  this.:atsmile:

This is why it's a keeper. I'm thinking of buying a Lyr and I'd like to hear them with valves. I suspect they could be rather good.

 

[i luvmusic 2]

This is why it's a keeper. I'm thinking of buying a Lyr and I'd like to hear them with valves. I suspect they could be rather good.

Same here i always wonder how the Q701 will sound with one of those Expensive Tube amps compare to my crapy LD 1.

 

[i luvmusic 2]

Always tempted to build a CRACK....