[Thommohawk]

Stuck between these two, I like bass....I hate it when bass is under represented to my ear but I don't want bass to necessarily dominate (my Koss Porta Pro totally slams in bass but seems to ease off a lot with rock music but is still slightly audible over guitars etc - i like this!) so yeah I hear the DT 770 Pro is a basshead's headphone - good! But I hear the DT 990 Pro is no slouch either and more refined but with much more treble - hmmm, bit more of a gamble but it is open backed. Another good thing. Definitely going the Beyer route as the build quality and apparent comfort are 2 things I covet. And Over ear headphones and a coiled cable. Lol.
 
Can't decide between the two. DT 770 Pro or DT 990 Pro ? Both around same price. Open back preferred but not really bothered. I'm mostly into classic rock and grunge, I'm also into some electronica and drum & bass (Michael Jackson and Prodigy)  - - - - any suggestions between these two ? At the moment I'm at the flip of a coin stage! 

 

[NapalmK]

I found the bass on the DT770/80s to be way too overpowered and boomy with an excellent recessed midrange and elevated highs. Most of the symphonic metal and rock I listened to on them sounded like the bass was ruining the midrange and the guitars sounded distant and unexciting. The DT990s on the otherhand had a great amount of bass (close to D2000 level) that was pretty well controlled. It also didn't seem to have as recessed a midrange. The only problem I had with the DT990 was the treble spike which gave me a headache after a while. Between those two I'd personally go with the DT990s. Of course just my opinion YMMV.
 
Are you going to be using an amp with them?

 

[Thommohawk]

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I found the bass on the DT770/80s to be way too overpowered and boomy with an excellent recessed midrange and elevated highs. Most of the symphonic metal and rock I listened to on them sounded like the bass was ruining the midrange and the guitars sounded distant and unexciting. The DT990s on the otherhand had a great amount of bass (close to D2000 level) that was pretty well controlled. It also didn't seem to have as recessed a midrange. The only problem I had with the DT990 was the treble spike which gave me a headache after a while. Between those two I'd personally go with the DT990s. Of course just my opinion YMMV.
 
Are you going to be using an amp with them?

First of all thank you very much for your input, it's much appreciated.

 
Secondly, yes I will be using an amp but maybe not immediately, definitely within a few weeks though I'll have a brand new dac/amp combi unit.
 
To be honest I'm leaning more towards the DT 990 Pro rather than the DT 770 but for me it's which ones have the best bass and suited best to the music I actually listen to, plus the fact they'll be used extensively for immersive gaming and immersive movie watching. So high energy is a must. As is bass. And good mids. The only thing I'm not sure of is the treble of the DT 990 Pro but on the other hand I don't know if that's being overstated compared to how harsh it actually is, I've only got the Koss Porta Pro to compare with but I for what it's worth I remember recently doing an A/B test with the Koss Porta Pro and my even older headphones the Sennheiser HD 215 which for me were very bass light and quite a bit brighter the conclusion of which was I didn't like the immediate brightness of those having gone back to them and the much warmer Koss was immediately much more comforting to me in terms of sound sig. Bass was much more impactful and present with it's up front sonic presentation, the highs were nowhere near as prominent either but I could only tell a distinct difference there in the hi hats to be honest. Much preferred the Koss Porta Pro sound sig though it's interpretation of the music I listen to is much more agreeable to me.
 
Looking for something very similar in an over the ear headphone ideally with slight improvements here and there. Physically the Beyer's are exactly what I'm looking for, build quality (steel sections) and comfy. Sound sig I can only hope it's as good if not better than the Koss Porta Pro. Depending on which model I go for.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

As someone who owned the DT770 Pros and DT990/600, I can say the DT990s are a lot better than the 770 Pros if you want to enjoy the sound as a whole compared to JUST the bass. I know the 990 Pros have more bass than the Premium 600ohms, but I'd still believe that it'd be better than the overpowering bass on the 770 Pros. As for the treble spike, it's definitely there, but I'm a fan of accentuated highs, and it doesn't bother me in the least...

 

[Thommohawk]

Thank you Mad Lust Envy, much appreciated.

 
I think what I'm going to do is to buy the DT 990 Pro...and then a bit later on get my dac and amp as well as a hardware EQ figuring I can tame the highs if they're too much if nothing else. Also the fact that they're open backed vs closed backed is a more permanent choice. Plus I understand it's a lot more advisable to equalize a certain frequency for de-emphasis rather than accentuation so I think the DT 990 Pro might be the smarter option. Ironically it was my first choice as well I'll have officially gone full circle lol. Maybe I should trust my instincts. 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Is there a reason you're going with the Pros instead of Premiums? I was a basshead, and I can say that the bass of the Premium is still very present and refined... and the soundstage is larger due to less clamp...

 

[Thommohawk]

Yes I'm going with the Pro's because they're in the sweet spot price wise of what I'd be willing to spend - ideally I'd like to get the DT 990 05 but here they cost twice as much as the Pro version....so Pro it is lol. As I say it's between the 770 Pro or the 990 Pro....thinking the 990 Pro. I just hope the bass holds up how I'd like it to, maybe a silly question but is the bass on the DT 990 impactful and up front on bass heavy genres like electronica and drum & bass ? also is it possible to still hear bass guitar faintly on rock music ? That's one element I love about my Koss Porta Pro headphones is on bass heavy stuff the bass is heavy yet it seems to ease off a lot under different conditions for example rock music in full flow I can still hear the bass guitar doing it's thing but it's not front and centre anymore until a d&b genre is played. I'm hoping either of these Beyer's have that quality.

 

[NapalmK]

Quote:

maybe a silly question but is the bass on the DT 990 impactful and up front on bass heavy genres like electronica and drum & bass? also is it possible to still hear bass guitar faintly on rock music ? That's one element I love about my Koss Porta Pro headphones is on bass heavy stuff the bass is heavy yet it seems to ease off a lot under different conditions for example rock music in full flow I can still hear the bass guitar doing it's thing but it's not front and centre anymore until a d&b genre is played. I'm hoping either of these Beyer's have that quality.

 
The DT990s do very well with electronic music. I don't think I have the write up I did when I compared them on my computers here so I'll have to go from memory. The bass has plenty of speed, impact, and slam while maintaining good quality. They are definitely a fun listen. As for guitar I can't quite remember, I think the mids were a little more recessed than my stock D2000s but not nearly as recessed as the DT770. They definitely aren't suited for rock imo but can get by in a pinch. Oh and I probably should have mentioned it earlier along with my impressions I seem to be pretty sensitive to treble in the 9kHz range so that probably explains that. Also with an amp the highs seemed to be reigned in a bit though still induced a headache.

 

[Thommohawk]

Quote:

Quote:
 
The DT990s do very well with electronic music. I don't think I have the write up I did when I compared them on my computers here so I'll have to go from memory. The bass has plenty of speed, impact, and slam while maintaining good quality. They are definitely a fun listen. As for guitar I can't quite remember, I think the mids were a little more recessed than my stock D2000s but not nearly as recessed as the DT770. They definitely aren't suited for rock imo but can get by in a pinch. Oh and I probably should have mentioned it earlier along with my impressions I seem to be pretty sensitive to treble in the 9kHz range so that probably explains that. Also with an amp the highs seemed to be reigned in a bit though still induced a headache.

Thanks Napalm. 
 
Just to get a reference point here would you folks on head-fi say the Koss Porta Pro is a mid fi bass monster ? It's just the bass on that to my ears, which aren't fantastic to begin with, seems to be pretty well balanced for the most part to me even though I know the amount is a slight tad thick which obviously doesn't bother me. Going from experience I'd rather have a tiny little too much bass than too little. Also how would people on head-fi describe the mids on the Porta Pro ? 
 
Apologies for all the questions it's just at the moment they're my benchmark of quality, sound sig preference and reference.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Hey, the Koss Portapros are fantastic for the money. Hell, I still REALLY love the sound coming off the KSC75, and that's based off their stock performance!
 
I think if you're really sensitive to treble, you may wanna hold off on the DT990s for something a little smoother. I love how sparkly they are, and hate the smooth treble of some warm cans, so it's really what you can deal with. Bass-wise, the 990s are awesome. The mid range isn't lost like a lot of bass heavy headphones either.

 

[Thommohawk]

Quote:

Hey, the Koss Portapros are fantastic for the money. Hell, I still REALLY love the sound coming off the KSC75, and that's based off their stock performance!
 
I think if you're really sensitive to treble, you may wanna hold off on the DT990s for something a little smoother. I love how sparkly they are, and hate the smooth treble of some warm cans, so it's really what you can deal with. Bass-wise, the 990s are awesome. The mid range isn't lost like a lot of bass heavy headphones either.

Hey bud,
 
Yeah I was in shock when I heard the Koss PP and they've only gotten better over time, pretty amazing for the price I paid. As in holy F bomb amazing. As for the treble of the DT 990's it's a tough decision because my other brighter headphones which were double the price of the Koss PP's and nowhere near as good imo sound wise, the treble on those were actually quite nice in certain uses like gaming and movies where you could hear birds tweeting and it's all nice and clear in the highs. The big problem with those headphones though was the complete lack of bass slam for me so now I don't know left from right with regards to what is bass heavy or neutral bass lol. Bit of an overstatement but the Koss PP to me is pretty neutral in bass....present and punchy in spades when it's supposed to be and eased off quite a bit but still nicely audible under a bunch of other instruments layered over the top of it. Very nice.
 
Still I figure nothing is set in stone and nothing is permanent, I can always EQ the highs in time but on the other hand I may not need to do anything. Regardless of anything else though I'd need slamming and impactful bass response, preferably up front, on genres and song passages that are supposed to be bass heavy. 

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Then get the 990 Pros. I think you'll be happy with them. Honestly. The 990s are VERY detailed, and don't leave much missing. I came from the K701, and I don't find a lack of detail particularly anywhere. It's really just emphasized bass and treble but the mids are still very much present, just that the bass and treble are up front.

 

[Thommohawk]

Yeah I'm 80% in favour of the DT 990 Pro at this point over the DT 770 Pro.....I mean really either one should blow me away out of the box I imagine nevermind when my rig comes together properly and after burn in....and if nothing else I can A) EQ out the highs if need be, and B) there's always the DT 770 Pros to fall back on if the DT 990's don't work out as intended. So it's worth a shot for the DT 990 Pro and who knows the bass, mids, treble and detail may just surpass my expectation and hopes coming from the Koss Porta Pro.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

I know that the DT990s are of a higher quality than the 770 Pros. To be honest the 770 Pros are a one trick pony and don't reflect the mid-fi costs. If ALL you want is bass, the 770 Pros do have that, but there are a LOT of cheaper alternatives that do it just as well. The 990's sound is a lot more refined as a whole.
 
Do it!

 

[NapalmK]

Quote:

Yeah I'm 80% in favour of the DT 990 Pro at this point over the DT 770 Pro.....I mean really either one should blow me away out of the box I imagine nevermind when my rig comes together properly and after burn in....and if nothing else I can A) EQ out the highs if need be, and B) there's always the DT 770 Pros to fall back on if the DT 990's don't work out as intended. So it's worth a shot for the DT 990 Pro and who knows the bass, mids, treble and detail may just surpass my expectation and hopes coming from the Koss Porta Pro.

 
With the DT990s you get some nice soundstaging, imaging, and detail to boot. I do agree with Mad Lust, if you want SUPA SIC WICKED BASS!! and nothing more go for the DT770s although I did have issue with their bass quality (ie boomy and undefined) among other aspects. They make for a great subwoofer though.
 
Actually scratch that FWIR you can just get the gel pads for the DT990 and have a lot more bass if you ever get the urge.