[acsantos]

Hi all,

Nice to meet you all!

I have a DT990 Pro 600ohm from the nineties (maybe 96-98). They costed about 200EUR back then and they really need new pads. They are (the pads) mostly flat and they have a kind of golden brown colour (I cant remember the original color anymore).
Where can I buy a set of new pads in Europe? (none available on ebay)

another thing:
These are the only decent HF I ever had and I use them to listen music straight from my PC and iPod, which must be with almost full volume to get any decent sound out of both.
Now, I was thinking of buying a Corda Move, which beeing a DAC and Amp, could be used on both sources.
Will the Move be able to power the HF with ease? How much of an improvement in SQ can I expect? To me, they sound good now but after reading dozens of posts here I wonder of how much sonic bliss I could enjoy with a proper amp.

I've never done any burn in of these HF and I'm not sure If I listened to them for over 300h over the years. Do you think they could still benefit from 2 or 3 days of continuous play?

Thanks in advance
Anibal

 

[nickchen]

I am familiar with that old 90's model, quite a different creature than the actual DT990 series. You can get new pads at the Beyerdynamic website, if you are situated in Germany. Don't know about other places in the EU. Where are you from?

Using these high ohm monsters directly out of an iPod is a somewhat ridiculous idea, as you already found out. An amp would be consequently a good idea.

If you want to go on using them, go that route. But consider that sound quality of headphone increased largly in the recent years, so *maybe* a standard 60€ fon (such as AKG K530 or alike) will provide much better overall performance than your dinosaur. You should test that out before investing high amounts into pads and amp.

It's a question of quality and also of taste & liking - I compared mine with actual models and came to the decision to disassemble it in favour of actual DT880 parts.

 

[acsantos]

I'm from Portugal. I saw the pads for sale on the Beyer UK site but they dont ship here.

I'd like to continue using them cos they already sound better than anything I have ever heard (which is mostly cheap ear buds and a sony dj HF - v700?), so I dont know how really good they sound...to me they sound great from the PC...

Also, I've never heard HF with a good amp, so I dont know how much of an inprovement I'd be getting and thats intriguing me...

Its only the earpads that are worn out (bit flat and uneven), everything else is almost new, since they were never heavily used, and thats why I'm considering an amp.

 

[nickchen]

The Sony MDR V700 (It's a Sony...

) or earbuds are no real contenders. Even my wife's kitchen aid sounds better...

 

[ericj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nickchen /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am familiar with that old 90's model, quite a different creature than the actual DT990 series. You can get new pads at the Beyerdynamic website, if you are situated in Germany. Don't know about other places in the EU. Where are you from?

What the heck do you mean by "actual DT990 series"?

Beyerdynamic made them with the black plastic earcups for 18 years before they started trying to make them look pretty.

Quote:

If you want to go on using them, go that route. But consider that sound quality of headphone increased largly in the recent years, so *maybe* a standard 60€ fon (such as AKG K530 or alike) will provide much better overall performance than your dinosaur.

Nonsense. The K530 is disposable trash.

Quote:

It's a question of quality and also of taste & liking - I compared mine with actual models and came to the decision to disassemble it in favour of actual DT880 parts.

Again with this "actual" statement. Perhaps you mean "recent"?

 

[roastpuff]

The 600-Ohm models are actually quite rare - and they're realllllyyy smooth, due to the high ohm rating, and go very well with OTL tube set-ups that love high ohms.

I actually think my Darths (DT770, late 80's, according to previous owner) sound really good.

 

[nickchen]

Quote:

What the heck do you mean by "actual DT990 series"?

Actual and 2nd last series that must have started roundabout ~2000.
Quote:

Nonsense. The K530 is disposable trash.

Discussable. I'm not a too big fan myself (bit nasal), but it has legions of followers - not exactly at headfi...but there's (believe it or not) a world existing outside headfi.

 

[acsantos]

Quote:

Originally Posted by roastpuff /img/forum/go_quote.gif The 600-Ohm models are actually quite rare - and they're realllllyyy smooth, due to the high ohm rating, and go very well with OTL tube set-ups that love high ohms.

Only with tube amps? I'm really thinking about a Corda Move. I read that they're good with Beyer's, plus I dont really have money for anything else right now

 

[acsantos]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nickchen /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Sony MDR V700 (It's a Sony... ) or earbuds are no real contenders. Even my wife's kitchen aid sounds better...

So I have no real base to compare. But I'll say it again: They already sound "pleasent" to me I guess they could still inprove further

 

[acsantos]

Another question: Will new earpads have a significant effect on sound. The ones in it now look kind of "smashed".
Maybe I'll post some pictures...

 

[ericj]

yes, new earpads will have a significant effect on the sound - they should flatten out the perceived frequency response by moving the driver further away from your ear.

nickchen seems to be using the less-preferred definition of "actual" meaning "current" rather than the more preferred "genuine" definition.

 

[nickchen]

Come on, Eric, I'm not a native speaker.