Beyerdynamic. A company that really "Invents" and "Innovates" unlike the other crap you see today that people here go mad for.
I won't take any names because you see, people here are sensitive. Anyway, to the point.
The DT990 is one of the oldest Dynamics still in production. The Legend had to retire.
If we know our history, which many here don't know.
Beyerdynamic didn't believe in Electrostatic Headphones. They did make a ET1000 due to demand but that was a very brief run. From 1937 Eugen Beyer was very keen on making Dynamics sound the best, of course there were no E-Stats in 1937 but the aim continued and I hope will be continued for years to come.
I think DT Beyers are probably the best Dynamics, technically speaking. Compared to the offering from the Japanese, Summit-Fi stuff, these DT Beyerdynamics blow all of them in terms of fidelity.
I'll give a brief comparison - DT990 VS HD800 VS T1.
Anyway, I'll talk about my ordeal first.
The first day I got my Edition 600Ohms, there was a very obvious rattling in both cups, It didn't sound like a "HAIR" in the driver. It sounded like improper gluing due to which it was hitting excursion at Low SPL, earlier than usual. Anyway, I opened up the driver to get answers. And, Indeed. I was right.
There was no hair, something might have gone wrong that day because this the Classic improper gluing mistake which is so common with Handmade Dynamics, except the DT48 due to the design.
Since it was hitting in the capsule, the vibration were transferred to the baffle hence it was all over the place.
Interestingly enough, pressure at specific points could solve that. It was quite a task but in the end it couldn't be fixed practically.
Since I had opened the housing, I thought it would be a good idea to go Mini-XLR baby!
So I did, this was my first revision. I had revised it thrice. Minuscule things.
The below one was the final.
I would talk about the mod here but I've done a video on it -
Perfect, life was perfect until....I'll save that for later.
Sonically, how is the 600Ohm DT990?
Excellent, the treble is the best I've heard and I've heard HE-60 treble. The 600Ohm has a extremely extended and grain-free treble. I would say the treble is better than the HD800 (In terms of grain) which is again due to the the stupid PET the HD800 uses.
I'll go over the technicalities for my inference about the superiority of the DT990 over the HD800 later.
The Mid-Range is distant, they lack the body. There's enough resolution to avoid missing out detail but again, in a distant presentation.
Presence region is marvellous on the 600Ohm, although uneven. There is no harshness or grain to the timbre. Its buttery and almost too good to be true. There is some missing information up top. It extends better than the DT880 600Ohm but not as extended as the HD800 or the T1.
The bass is pretty interesting, I found the bass to be completely opposite to what idiots have been stating, Boomy? Accentuated?
What? That's not what's going on here, audibly it rolls off after 75Hz. There is a lot of energy at 100-120Hz. The Mid-Bass is very similar to the 6XX. The 600Ohm bass is very tight and textured but again my pair had excursion issues. Which ARE NOT apparent on good drivers. Those extend even better and hit very late.
Very good presentation in my book.
The imaging is pretty good, it may seem a bit wider than the DT800 because of the response. Fundamentally they are the same.
I don't think it has a 3D T1 type imaging due to the flat drivers.
Now, to my "I'll save that for later"
Since I was sure I had a defective driver, it died due to over-excursion exposure. The Voice Coil wires snapped from the contacts due to fast and elevated movement (Over-Excursion). To fix that I needed to go to Germany.
Anyway, my 30 days something old DT990 became nothing but...you know.
Being a Beyerdynamic fan, I always wanted to know about the origin of the design which I will find out soon, An opportunity for me visiting the factory came up and I took it, I'll be visiting the Factory in April.
Anyway, since one of the driver died I took it apart completely to study the design.
A very wide 600Ohm Voice Coil, less windings. Low Mass to compensate diaphragm weight.
Purely resistive.
Due to Technology limitation, Beyer couldn't use Ultra-Thin diaphragms. They instead wanted to cut the weight elsewhere. Hence we have the 600Ohm VC.
Original concept dates back to the Legend, the DT48 with the 200Ohm VC.
Best Dynamic Diaphragm, dating back to the development in 1965.
This Diaphragm was specially invented, maybe Semi-Synthetic from a Plant secretion mixed with something. Not really sure if its SS or Natural.
I will find that out in April.
No High Frequency break-up at High SPL due to the tensile strength superiority over PET. The HD800 due to the ring radiator type gets away with most of the centre dome break-up transmission but it can't touch Beyerdynamics.
In fact, your R10. BioCellulose is 1965 Beyerdynamic Membrane Technology wannabe, same concept applied 20 years later.
Normal Neo here, nothing special like the DT48 or T1.
As you can see they wanted to eliminate the fat as much as possible without loosing structural integrity. That's the reasons for the holes.
After my 600Ohm died, I bought the PRO next day.
The 600Ohms are just higher fidelity in general. My PROs have no rattling issues. Resolution and overall fidelity is much better on the 600Ohm.
The PRO is much rougher and crude in a way. Not bad, to be honest.
So, where's my Edition?
Well, its still with me, I transplanted DTX710 Drivers to it.
The DT Beyers are some of the best Dynamics in the world, not understood by many but so be it.
Next time, when you are listening to your cans. Just thank Beyerdynamic, if it wasn't for the development of the DT48 in 1936. None of this would be happening.
Eugen Beyer is and will always be the "Father Of Headphones".
My Video Review -
The MT220 is not available in my country. There's a person on this very site who has a DT150 and MT220, you can find him on the DT150 Bloody Brilliant thread, he goes by Lor or lordspeaker. If you see someone with a profile picture of a Asian girl, its him