[Thommohawk]

Thanks guys, just waiting for tomorrow to roll around now so I can pull the trigger on the DT 990 Pro....have you got a link there Napalm about these gel pads ? Might have a read up on those.

 

[NapalmK]

Here's a link for a seller http://www.headphonesolutions.com/begelearsefo.html
You can probably find them cheaper by doing a little bit of perusing on the internets.
 
The link for the changes in sound quality are here, I believe:http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/266192/beyerdynamic-manufaktur-s-gooey-gel-ear-seals-770-880-990

 

[Thommohawk]

I'm starting to sound like a stuck record, lol, but thanks Napalm much appreciated!

 
@ Mad Lust Envy, is the Fiio E5 worth getting then ? It's really cheap here, but I'd only be using it for a few weeks anyhow just wondered if it's better to tied me over for a few weeks until I get a better amp. Does it make a significant difference ?

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Hmm, I hear the 250ohm and 600ohm have almost identical sensitivity, and I know FOR SURE that neither the E5 or E7 alone can power my 600ohm 990s anywhere near good. My e9 is on it's way which I KNOW will power my K701 and 990s based off initial impressions of another head-fier thatbriefly  reviewed the E9 prior to it's release date. I'd get the E9 ($130), or even better the E7 and E9 combo ($200) which is pretty much the new DAC/AMP combo to look out for as a great price/performance setup.

 

[Cal]

i have the 770pro, 880/600, and 990/600. in my order of preference, 880/600, 990/600, 770pro.
 
the 880 is out of the question for you, though. it's a very well balanced and neutral set of phones. i really enjoy the 990 with house music. all else, i prefer the 880. i only use the 770 when i require a closed set (i.e. if i'm in the library or something).
 
driving them through a maverick d1 and woo audio 6. i would hold off on the fiio and just save the money for a better dac and/or amp.

 

[Thommohawk]

And as far as DAC's go I'd be forgiven for thinking that the Xonar Essence ST would be a better DAC than the Fiio E7 is as a DAC based on price ? I'm pretty much sold on the Fiio E9 as an amplifier it's either that or the NECO V2 or whatever it's called....but it's what's the best DAC to get at around the £70 - £150 range be it sound card based or stand alone based. 
 
Not going to lie I'm liking the E7 integration with the E9 and the fact that digital output is an option as is portability from one system to another.

 

[Zangetsu]

which 770pro? the 80ohm or 250ohm?
 
i have the 770 250ohm ones and with an amp they sound awesome. they have good bass but i find that if i listen to the song on my living room speaker setup, my 12 inch sub produces more bass than the beyer's can do naturally. so i wouldn't call it overpowering on the beyers lol. i can hear things in songs too i hadn't heard before so i would not call the bass overpowering either.
 
i've only tried the 770 250ohm ones so i can't comment on the others but i do know i went for the one i did because i use them mainly on plain flights to drown out the noise. i also got the gel pads for them. i recently watched a movie using the beyers and i was totally immersed in the movie despite it only being on my 12 inch laptop screen

. the isolation is not as good as 25dB earmuffs i have for the range but its still far superior with the gel pads versus the stock velour pads.
 
if you get the 250ohm ones of the 990's the following is a good amp for them. i use it to drive my 250ohm DT770's with no issues, and over 100 hours of battery life. i use 2 aa rechargables

.
 
one more thing on the comments about the treble with the 990: i know with my 770's i've fallen asleep on my back a few times listening to music. they are that comfortable and the sound does not fatigue at all. sometimes too much treble is not a good thing at least not for me

 
either way any set of beyers, you can't really go wrong

.
 
here is the link for the amp: $60 is not bad at all!
 
http://www.electric-avenues.com/audio8.html
 
one last thing about the comments on the 990's: i've fallen asleep several times on my back listening to music with the 770 beyers. the sound is not fatiguing and they are just that comfortable. sometimes too much treble is not a good thing, at least not for me

.

 

[Proglover]

I recently bought 770's as my first serious cans.
 
Can't compare with 990 but to be honest, rock, progressive rock/metal is not wat I find to be to best music for 770, I was a bit dissapointed. Some other music styles simply were fantastic on the other hand.
 
My choice of 770 was based on other things also, like closed design and ideal for drumming with an electronic drumkit, but for my rock/metal, buy other cans.
 
Based on what's said in many topic, the 990's would certainly make a better choice between these 2 models.
 
When you have the 990's, please let us know how your experiences are  with that kind of music, I'm very curious as I'm going to buy a pair of cans specially for rock/metal/symphonic in the future.

 

[Solrighal]

I've been following this thread from the start and Cal just beat me to it - why has the DT880/600Ohm model been ruled out? The OP says he likes to be able to follow the bass guitar in rock music and according to Zombie-X's comparison of the Beyers he points out that the 880's have almost as much bass as the 990's but that it's easier to pick out different elements in the bass. I think he says there's more texture with the DT880's.
 
I only ask because I'm in much the same boat as the OP, although I think our musical tastes are a bit different (although I'm not averse to the odd Rammstein tune now & again, lol).

 

[loganirado]

I'll follow this thread to see how things end... I'm interested in most Beyer discussions since I may buy some DT's in the close future

 

[Thommohawk]

Thanks guys, I should tell you that I ordered the Beyer DT 990 Pro yesterday and they should be with me any minute now.....I do not have an amp for them yet (unless you consider a Creative sound card a form of amp lol) so I'll be pretty much hearing them unamped for a week or two. So what I'll do is I'll update this thread with my immediate first impressions impressions, and then in a few weeks I'll make a new thread with a full review of confirmation once I have my new equipment. I'm not expecting miracles though, even with a new DAC/AMP unit being fed to them. In any case you'll hear my initial thoughts in a few hours hopefully if you're interested.

 

[Proglover]

Congrats, have a nice time with them

 
Keep us informed, I would be interested in your experiences with a couple of specific cd's in the rock/metal genre 

 

[loganirado]

Congratulations on your purchase! I'm also looking forward to your impressions.

 

[Thommohawk]

Okay here we go, been stress testing these for the last 4 hours across my entire setup - bare in mind I don't have a headphone amp yet nor a particularly fantastic DAC which in fact is a cheap/outdaded rebraned Creative Audigy masking as a budget X Fi (which of course it's not the real mccoy) and beyond this I've simply been using the headphones unamped and from the bare bones basic 3.5mm ports on my televisions lol. And as stated they're up to 4 hours use at the time of posting this. 
 
I have to be honest, these are great. Coming from the Koss Porta Pro the sound is very similar particularly in the bass department. The major differences are the mids are pretty cold and I can hear the drums especially hi hats clearly. Let's just say I'm finding out just how nuanced the drums can be! Basically I was hoping for similar sound to the Koss PP but with similar up front bass at the same time a little less impact, a bit more clarity overall, and ideally a relaxed center stage that sounds as if coming from in front instead of up front - I guess the stars have aligned because that's exactly what these Beyer's provide. Build quality was better than expected where the plastic and feel of it is concerned. It's not toy department plastic that's for sure! And the steel arms are fantastic, love those. What I like the best though is the flaky soft ear pads. Throw in the coiled cable and these things are built like a little bulldog and have similar bark n bite - they're sexy too - talking about the Beyers.

 
 
Now I'm pleased to say the highs aren't as harsh as I was thinking they'd be. Remember this is my unamped basic impressions. So far if I'm honest there's not much in it at this point between the Beyer and my Koss Porta Pro....but that's speaking more highly of the Porta Pro and I'm still happy because the build quality on the Beyer is epic so I don't mind having paid extra - and I figure with much more burn in and throw in a quality dac and headphone amp in a few weeks and I think the sound will open up considerable on the headphones and allow the Beyer to really breathe. I'm hoping so at least. 
 
So far I only have a couple of negatives....nothing major but I suspect they may be amp related (or lack of) firstly the cable is a bit finicky in that slight movements can garble the sound. At least out of my television jack. I hope it's just a lose connection on that jack and not a bad cable. Also I think I can see why people say these need an amp....I've got the volume and quality now but at first from fresh and straight in the basic tv port it was distorting and scratching like crazy on certain material when I cranked the volume to max in order to compensate for the ohms resistance. I've since found happy mediums on all my equipment with these phones where it no longer scratches or distorts and I still get the volume. I still think a warmer dac/amp unit is in order though because the highs are rather noticeable and some songs do need less of that and a bit more warmth to my ear. Either that or I could be still used to the Porta Pro. In any case I'm happy with these headphones and the price I paid. My setup for these headphones at the minute is as basic as it gets and I'm more than satisfied compared to what I had. And I'm happy knowing that between lots more burn in and the later addition of a quality dac and headphone amp that ultimately things can only improve from here. 
 
One final note - I know these are open backed but they are a lot more open that my Koss Porta Pro's! The Beyer's are almost as loud off my head as they are on it. Off my head and placed on the corner lip of my PC table unit they sound like a loudspeaker on the lowest volume setting.
 
So yeah I'm happy so far, only thing I still say is that they could do with more warmth overall. But that's a nitpick.  

 

[NapalmK]

Glad you like them. I felt the same about my first pair of 'hi-fi' cans. Enjoy!