[geoffalter11]

Thanks Geoff, so are my physical CD's not as good ?  Ive got a LOT of CDs and it would cost the earth to go to online streaming

Physical CDs are fine. There are a lot of free places to stream and some with nominal fees. Nothing crazy. But, the best quality will definitely come from lossless files where all bits of information have been extracted. Let's discuss offline

 

[kman1211]

  That is interesting... seems we have similar taste.  I do love my Elears, I just can't listen to them for hours and hours and loud volumes.  If I get the volume right they are great.  I can see why you would keep both the 1990 and Amiron.  Both great in their way.  

It seems we do. I have noticed, for me I had to find just right volume for the Elears otherwise they caused this weird fatigue.  The interesting thing I don't find them more dynamic than the DT 1990, more about the same, but I did find the presentation of the Elear quite unique, I especially liked it's imaging ability, some reason on the Sony UDA-1 the DT 1990 is very dynamic and the bass hits like a sledgehammer on some songs but never looses control or sounds bloated and has plenty of bass detail/speed nor does the insane bass impact bother me. If I try to capture the bass on a mic, the mic distorts. The Amiron has a bit more bass than the DT 1990 but it's softer and more expansive sounding. They are both great in their own way. 

 

[geoffalter11]

  It seems we do. I have noticed, for me I had to find just right volume for the Elears otherwise they caused this weird fatigue.  The interesting thing I don't find them more dynamic than the DT 1990, more about the same, but I did find the presentation of the Elear quite unique, I especially liked it's imaging ability, some reason on the Sony UDA-1 the DT 1990 is very dynamic and the bass hits like a sledgehammer on some songs but never looses control or sounds bloated and has plenty of bass detail/speed nor does the insane bass impact bother me. If I try to capture the bass on a mic, the mic distorts. The Amiron has a bit more bass than the DT 1990 but it's softer and more expansive sounding. They are both great in their own way. 

I agree.  the fatigue isn't from sibilance, but from the power of their sound.  The do image beautifully.  Yes, The Amiron have a very expansive and soft bass.  The whole frequency range feels expansive and soft.  Makes me feel like I am standing in front of the soundboard in a small theatre like The Fillmore in San Francisco.  The 1990 is incredibly detailed and resolving from what I could tell in the small amount of time I spent with them.  I preferred the Amiron's softer nature, but really appreciated what the 1990 was doing.  Having the Elears, I didn't feel like I needed the 1990 as well.  Honestly, my EnigmAcoustic Dharma D1000's are my favorite.  With the ZMF Omni's coming in right behind.  Although, after a long listening session with the Amiron or Elear I feel they are my favorite.  I have a hard time making up my mind.  Just bought a pair of Alpha Primes to complicate matters even more.  

 

[ostewart]

Currently listening to James Bay - Chaos and the Calm Live (record day special), the Amiron Home has a way of portraying vocals very realistically, with excellent timbre and tone.
 
I have seen James Bay live twice now, and was also part of the crowd in his video for If You Ever Want To Be In Love (got my standard vinyl copy of Chaos and the Calm signed).
 
He's an excellent musician, singer and down to earth guy. Chaos and the Calm Live really does sound like the real thing with the Amiron Home, maybe the bass is slightly fuller but his vocals are spot on. 

 

[shadowgroin]

any chance that some have tested or used with Amiron Home with the gustard h10 amp? I found a good deal on it I just want to make sure if it's worth it. tia

 

[kman1211]

  I agree.  the fatigue isn't from sibilance, but from the power of their sound.  The do image beautifully.  Yes, The Amiron have a very expansive and soft bass.  The whole frequency range feels expansive and soft.  Makes me feel like I am standing in front of the soundboard in a small theatre like The Fillmore in San Francisco.  The 1990 is incredibly detailed and resolving from what I could tell in the small amount of time I spent with them.  I preferred the Amiron's softer nature, but really appreciated what the 1990 was doing.  Having the Elears, I didn't feel like I needed the 1990 as well.  Honestly, my EnigmAcoustic Dharma D1000's are my favorite.  With the ZMF Omni's coming in right behind.  Although, after a long listening session with the Amiron or Elear I feel they are my favorite.  I have a hard time making up my mind.  Just bought a pair of Alpha Primes to complicate matters even more.  

I used to think that was the case, but I find my DT 480 just as powerful if not more powerful(let's just say the headphone can be disorienting when it gets going and the only headphone I've owned that actually unnerves from the amount of body it creates when it gets going) in the sound and I don't really get fatigued from it, I also found the fatigue system related of course too. The imaging was quite unique, honestly probably the most unique new headphone along with the Utopia I've heard in a while. I could tell they had metal drivers as they reminded me a bit of the DT 48/480 in some of their sound characteristics. My favorite headphone I own is actually my DT 480 which I prefer to the Elears despite being fully sealed, but they crave power and need a little modding, but it's midrange, body, speed, dynamics/power, and vocal reproduction is unmatched by the vast majority of headphones. I am putting headphones off for a while, only thing I'm getting anytime soon is a new amp.

 

[LaCuffia]

What's a fair price for a DT 480? There's one on eBay for $99 but looks in a bit of rough shape. I saw one on another site and they look in really good condition with original box but at $300 that seems a bit too much.

 

[kman1211]

What's a fair price for a DT 480? There's one on eBay for $99 but looks in a bit of rough shape. I saw one on another site and they look in really good condition with original box but at $300 that seems a bit too much.

Well $100 for a fair condition one is good and honestly a $100 for these may be the best price for performance ratio you will ever come across in headphone. I personally find they are in different league than my Amiron and DT 1990. That one is in a bit of a rough shape but should sound fine but will likely need new pads and will need some cleaning up, plus it does use the same cable as the DT 150, so you can swap those if you want, vintage headphone cables are hit or miss and can notably impair the sound. Looking at that one closely, it's actually a 25 ohm DT 480, not a 200 ohm. The right side is missing a cap but that's really just an appearance thing and shouldn't affect anything. I was actually going to buy that DT 480 but I found one in a bit better condition at a similar price. Also expect to be a bit baffled and unsure of their sound at first, they are weird sounding compared to modern headphones, especially before any modding. 

 

[geoffalter11]

  I used to think that was the case, but I find my DT 480 just as powerful if not more powerful(let's just say the headphone can be disorienting when it gets going and the only headphone I've owned that actually unnerves from the amount of body it creates when it gets going) in the sound and I don't really get fatigued from it, I also found the fatigue system related of course too. The imaging was quite unique, honestly probably the most unique new headphone along with the Utopia I've heard in a while. I could tell they had metal drivers as they reminded me a bit of the DT 48/480 in some of their sound characteristics. My favorite headphone I own is actually my DT 480 which I prefer to the Elears despite being fully sealed, but they crave power and need a little modding, but it's midrange, body, speed, dynamics/power, and vocal reproduction is unmatched by the vast majority of headphones. I am putting headphones off for a while, only thing I'm getting anytime soon is a new amp.

I am in the same boat.  Primes will be the last headphone I purchase for awhile.  What amp are you looking to get?  I like your description of the 480.  I will check them out. I am unfamiliar.

 

[kman1211]

  I am in the same boat.  Primes will be the last headphone I purchase for awhile.  What amp are you looking to get?  I like your description of the 480.  I will check them out. I am unfamiliar.

Yeah, probably a Lake People/Violectric amp, haven't decided on the model. Not much info is on the DT 480, I'm one of the handful of owners of one here on Head-fi, I modded and pad-rolled mine for comfort and to tune the sound more to my preference, largely to get more bass presence out of them. Some may not agree with me on them, they are a love/hate headphone, they are all about the midrange and they have a very raw sound and not a headphone you can really relax with like with the Amiron, they demand your attention when listening, even moreso than the DT 1990.
 
For me the DT 480 are the my involved listen for when I really want to critically listen and get absorbed in the music. The DT 1990 is the middle-ground and my electronic, edm, etc. masters, I absolutely adore the DT 1990's with anything energetic with a thumping bass-line but also really like them with everything else and I do like their vocals slightly more than the Amiron, the DT 1990 are a jack-of-all trades and that euphony/musicality they have. The Amirons are my relaxing, video gaming, movie, tv show etc. headphones and actually get the most use. I use all three headphones a lot actually. Amiron's get the most use just because they are so relaxing and easy to listen to and best when I don't want to get absorbed in the music.The DT 1990 gets the second most use and what I usually use when I'm in a pure music listening mood. The DT 480 gets a little less(but not much less) use than the DT 1990 due to their sealed design(they don't breathe at all with the pads I use), but I use them for when I really want to get transported to another world music-wise.
 
The reason the Amiron's get the most use is because they wont suck me into a vortex of endless hours of music listening like the DT 1990 and DT 480 can without realizing it making me lose track of time. I'm not saying the Amirons are boring or anything, they are anything but. But they let me actually focus on other things while listening, like I can read, etc. with them playing music no issues. The DT 1990 and especially DT 480 are like "You're going to have to listen to music if you have me on." 

 

[stenog]

kman1211 You are spot on with your description of the DT1990 and the Amiron. The more i listen to the Amiron the more I realize this. You know your headphones .

The Amiron are very comfortable non fatigue and very pleasant to listen to but they don't stand out. They do most things right without doing anything extremely well. This is not meant negative, i like them and sometimes I even get lost in the music. But most times its "just" a very pleasant listening experience.

If I should put one negative word on them it would be, they are too polite. Sometimes i miss a little kick in the a...

That's probably why we have more than one headphone.

 

[kman1211]

@kman1211 You are spot on with your description of the DT1990 and the Amiron. The more i listen to the Amiron the more I realize this. You know your headphones .

The Amiron are very comfortable non fatigue and very pleasant to listen to but they don't stand out. They do most things right without doing anything extremely well. This is not meant negative, i like them and sometimes I even get lost in the music. But most times its "just" a very pleasant listening experience.

If I should put one negative word on them it would be, they are too polite. Sometimes i miss a little kick in the a...

That's probably why we have more than one headphone.

Thank you. It's taken some time to develop a method of analyzing headphones. The thing I realized when evaluating a headphone or piece of gear is focus on the vocals first, the more natural and organic they sound the better. When first listening I always listen to if the headphone has sweet addicting vocals and midrange or not. Are the vocals grainy, fatiguing, etc. or not. I get a distinct psychosomatic experience when the vocals and midrange are very natural and soulful and both the Amiron and DT 1990 are very good in this aspect to me, almost like I can taste an addictive sweetness in my mouth, it's a weird sensation, the strength and frequency of that sensation is how I determine how euphoric a headphone is. In my experience that's the key to finding headphones and gear you won't grow tired of with long-term use even if it's flawed. Vocals tend to tell me more about gear than anything. Then I start focusing on the headphone as a whole on a variety of genres and uses such as shows, games, etc.
 
I learned to just go by what you feel when listening and never try to justify a headphone you feel mixed about(after you have given it a fair listen and adjusted to it) with logic on how great it is technically is, how great others say it is, how popular it is, it's measurements, etc., that can just lead to confusion about what you really want from this hobby. I have fallen in that trap in the past. 
 
Yes the Amirons are very polite and they do enamor me at times due to their sweet midrange, but they don't suck you in with their energy like the DT 1990. Yes it is why, I personally feel at home with three different sounding headphones depending on my mood. 

 

[CBonUK]

Is anyone able to summarise the differences between the original T90 and the DT1990pro's ?  And how do the headbands compare in terms of clamping force ?  Thanks.  I cant promise this will be the last of my comparison requests, but I think I'm getting close to knowing what I want

 

[siberianmoon]

  Is anyone able to summarise the differences between the original T90 and the DT1990pro's ?  And how do the headbands compare in terms of clamping force ?  Thanks.  I cant promise this will be the last of my comparison requests, but I think I'm getting close to knowing what I want

The consensus seems to be that nobody wants T 90.

 

[CBonUK]

  The consensus seems to be that nobody wants T 90.

That doesn't really help.  There is no information in that comment.  And there are plenty of positive reviews of the T90 as well.  Its comparison that I'm interested in, not condemnation.