[gimmeheadroom]

Good start would be to get rid of rounded cups that most likely cause reflections.

That's easily solved by either painting the inside of the cups with paint that deflects cosmic rays or just using a disposable surgical mask. The ribs in the mask offer the perfect level of wave disruption to make the sound surgically clean while not sounding too sterile.

 

[Cevisi]

I think most beyers have this kind of absorber in the cups

 

[ftlaudHP]

New owner. Just got them yesterday. Got a pair to try off Amazon. Read and watched a ton of reviews on YT. Have to say that I was attracted to them for thr looks. Love the outside grill. Some reviewers love while others hate them. Had to hear them for myself. Still evaluating them and have them burning in as I type. Here are my finds so far with only the balanced pads. Haven't tried analytical pads yet.

1. Build - very good no complaints
2. Comfort - has some clamp force, but doesn't hurt. My HD58X annoy me right away.
3. Sound - Everything is very clean. Bass seems acceptable. Tight and not over done. Minimal sub bass, but it's there. Mids sound good and not recessed. Vocals are forward, but not too close. Treble - the elephant in the room. It's definitely emphasized. Bright and clean. First Beyer and seems to be a sound signature per reviews. Definitely makes them not as enjoyable for long listening sessions. I need more time for brain burn in. They are just on the verge of being too bright.
4. Soundstage - not wide, but not narrow.
5. Detail/Resolution - I am hearing things I have never heard before or more likely never noticed. I literally heard foot steps in the recording studio. Artists making noise in the studio clearing their throat or pushing buttons/pedals. I actually heard a computer fan come on a few times during a recording. Thought it might have been mine and kept rewinding and nope it was in the recording. Ridiculously good or bad depending on your view. This is coming from experiencing detail HP's or so I thought.
6. Imaging - very good no complaints
7. Timbre - sounds clean and realistic. Drums sound great. Guitar sounds real to me.
8. Summary - very accurate headphones that are clean. Treble is over emphasized IMHO. I know they are studio headphones and reviews are accurate. I am going to continue to use them and see if I want to keep them. Still love the look, but if I am not going to use them I would rather have the money. TBD and going to give them a fair trial before commiting one way or the other.

 

[Cevisi]

New owner. Just got them yesterday. Got a pair to try off Amazon. Read and watched a ton of reviews on YT. Have to say that I was attracted to them for thr looks. Love the outside grill. Some reviewers love while others hate them. Had to hear them for myself. Still evaluating them and have them burning in as I type. Here are my finds so far with only the balanced pads. Haven't tried analytical pads yet.

1. Build - very good no complaints
2. Comfort - has some clamp force, but doesn't hurt. My HD58X annoy me right away.
3. Sound - Everything is very clean. Bass seems acceptable. Tight and not over done. Minimal sub bass, but it's there. Mids sound good and not recessed. Vocals are forward, but not too close. Terrible - the elephant in the room. It's definitely emphasized. Bright and clean. First Beyer and seems to be a sound signature per reviews. Definitely makes them not as enjoyable for long listening sessions. I need more time for brain burn in. They are just on the verge of being too bright.
4. Soundstage - not wide, but not narrow.
5. Detail/Resolution - I am hearing things I have never heard before or more likely never noticed. I literally heard foot steps in the recording studio. Artists making noise in the studio clearing their throat or pushing buttons/pedals. I actually heard a computer fan come on a few times during a recording. Thought it might have been mine and kept rewinding and nope it was in the recording. Ridiculously good or bad depending on your view. This is coming from experiencing detail HP's or so I thought.
6. Imaging - very good no complaints
7. Timbre - sounds clean and realistic. Drums sound great. Guitar sounds real to me.
8. Summary - very accurate headphones that are clean. Treble is over emphasized IMHO. I know they are studio headphones and reviews are accurate. I am going to continue to use them and see if I want to keep them. Still love the look, but if I am not going to use them I would rather have the money. TBD and going to give them a fair trial before commiting one way or the other.

Yes treble can be too much. But the 1990 react very nice to eq.

And you can pad the front of the drivers a bit more. Brain adapt is also a thing.

 

[Chastity]

New owner. Just got them yesterday. Got a pair to try off Amazon. Read and watched a ton of reviews on YT. Have to say that I was attracted to them for thr looks. Love the outside grill. Some reviewers love while others hate them. Had to hear them for myself. Still evaluating them and have them burning in as I type. Here are my finds so far with only the balanced pads. Haven't tried analytical pads yet.

1. Build - very good no complaints
2. Comfort - has some clamp force, but doesn't hurt. My HD58X annoy me right away.
3. Sound - Everything is very clean. Bass seems acceptable. Tight and not over done. Minimal sub bass, but it's there. Mids sound good and not recessed. Vocals are forward, but not too close. Terrible - the elephant in the room. It's definitely emphasized. Bright and clean. First Beyer and seems to be a sound signature per reviews. Definitely makes them not as enjoyable for long listening sessions. I need more time for brain burn in. They are just on the verge of being too bright.
4. Soundstage - not wide, but not narrow.
5. Detail/Resolution - I am hearing things I have never heard before or more likely never noticed. I literally heard foot steps in the recording studio. Artists making noise in the studio clearing their throat or pushing buttons/pedals. I actually heard a computer fan come on a few times during a recording. Thought it might have been mine and kept rewinding and nope it was in the recording. Ridiculously good or bad depending on your view. This is coming from experiencing detail HP's or so I thought.
6. Imaging - very good no complaints
7. Timbre - sounds clean and realistic. Drums sound great. Guitar sounds real to me.
8. Summary - very accurate headphones that are clean. Treble is over emphasized IMHO. I know they are studio headphones and reviews are accurate. I am going to continue to use them and see if I want to keep them. Still love the look, but if I am not going to use them I would rather have the money. TBD and going to give them a fair trial before commiting one way or the other.

And don't forget to try the A pads. The B pads come preinstalled.

 

[Tademeus]

New owner. Just got them yesterday. Got a pair to try off Amazon. Read and watched a ton of reviews on YT. Have to say that I was attracted to them for thr looks. Love the outside grill. Some reviewers love while others hate them. Had to hear them for myself. Still evaluating them and have them burning in as I type. Here are my finds so far with only the balanced pads. Haven't tried analytical pads yet.

1. Build - very good no complaints
2. Comfort - has some clamp force, but doesn't hurt. My HD58X annoy me right away.
3. Sound - Everything is very clean. Bass seems acceptable. Tight and not over done. Minimal sub bass, but it's there. Mids sound good and not recessed. Vocals are forward, but not too close. Terrible - the elephant in the room. It's definitely emphasized. Bright and clean. First Beyer and seems to be a sound signature per reviews. Definitely makes them not as enjoyable for long listening sessions. I need more time for brain burn in. They are just on the verge of being too bright.
4. Soundstage - not wide, but not narrow.
5. Detail/Resolution - I am hearing things I have never heard before or more likely never noticed. I literally heard foot steps in the recording studio. Artists making noise in the studio clearing their throat or pushing buttons/pedals. I actually heard a computer fan come on a few times during a recording. Thought it might have been mine and kept rewinding and nope it was in the recording. Ridiculously good or bad depending on your view. This is coming from experiencing detail HP's or so I thought.
6. Imaging - very good no complaints
7. Timbre - sounds clean and realistic. Drums sound great. Guitar sounds real to me.
8. Summary - very accurate headphones that are clean. Treble is over emphasized IMHO. I know they are studio headphones and reviews are accurate. I am going to continue to use them and see if I want to keep them. Still love the look, but if I am not going to use them I would rather have the money. TBD and going to give them a fair trial before commiting one way or the other.

Congratulations on your new DT1990. From my experience I’ve found out that that treble is system-synergie dependant. Was listening to them through A20 for some time, but they sounded too energetic. A20 was just too powerful for them. Tried them on my rHead (connected via balanced cables to Teac UD-301) and the treble was too much. Now I have them through rHead - Atlas Hyper rca cables and they are silk smooth, very addictive and can listen for hours without feeling fatigued. I’m using A-pads, B-pads didn’t sound right to my ears. Good luck finding the right synergie of your system to hit that right spot for them!

 

[XERO1]

3. Sound - Everything is very clean. Bass seems acceptable. Tight and not over done. Minimal sub bass, but it's there. Mids sound good and not recessed. Vocals are forward, but not too close. Terrible - the elephant in the room. It's definitely emphasized. Bright and clean. First Beyer and seems to be a sound signature per reviews. Definitely makes them not as enjoyable for long listening sessions. I need more time for brain burn in. They are just on the verge of being too bright.

I think you meant to spell 'treble' there.

 

[ftlaudHP]

I think you meant to spell 'treble' there.

Thank you - damn auto correct!! Fixed post - that was not meant on purpose. Made me laugh though. I am not a hater. Still listening and evaluating. I just switched to the A pads. Seems more balanced even though they are called analytical. Less bass and everything evens out. Think I like the B pads better honestly, but see why some people prefer the A pads. Will continue listening to A pads for the rest of day and see if I change my mind. Changing pads for first time = PITA!! I was using the notch, but that only works so far and then hard to turn. At least they are removable, but definitely like the pull off with alignment pins system better or even press fit. If I keep them I will definitely be getting a better cable. Been using the coil and hate that it pulls down with the weight of the cable. Straight is too long, but like they give you both options. They definitely get an A+ for accessories. Two pad options is a rarity at any price point. I am slightly nervous that all my other HP's will sound like they have the Sennheiser veil if I get use to these.

 

[yeboyi]

Thank you - damn auto correct!! Fixed post - that was not meant on purpose. Made me laugh though. I am not a hater. Still listening and evaluating. I just switched to the A pads. Seems more balanced even though they are called analytical. Less bass and everything evens out. Think I like the B pads better honestly, but see why some people prefer the A pads. Will continue listening to A pads for the rest of day and see if I change my mind. Changing pads for first time = PITA!! I was using the notch, but that only works so far and then hard to turn. At least they are removable, but definitely like the pull off with alignment pins system better or even press fit. If I keep them I will definitely be getting a better cable. Been using the coil and hate that it pulls down with the weight of the cable. Straight is too long, but like they give you both options. They definitely get an A+ for accessories. Two pad options is a rarity at any price point. I am slightly nervous that all my other HP's will sound like they have the Sennheiser veil if I get use to these.

Treble is really flawed here. No way around it. Most people use it with eq, different pads or tube amps to tame it. DT 1990 have an impressive, fun and exciting sound but it's unsustainable fun.

DT 1990 is great headphone especially in EU but it's expensive in US and US have Elex and Ananda at $700. You get much more if you spend $100 more. $600 is too much for 1990 imo. It should be $450. It can fight with $350 Sundara.

If your listening sessions are short DT 1990 is excellent. If you are bound to your headphone all day... big no. Haven't listen T1.2 but if it has the same dynamics/punch with more relaxed sound/soundstage it should be really good.

 

[Chastity]

I am slightly nervous that all my other HP's will sound like they have the Sennheiser veil if I get use to these.

You say this like it's a bad thing

 

[ftlaudHP]

You say this like it's a bad thing

I would be a bad thing considering my other headphones in the growing collection aren't cheap. Might help in consolidating down to one if I wanted too though. They should be used an antidote for collecting. Unfortunately, I feel I would just buy more Beyerdynamics at that point.

 

[KCXT]

Treble is really flawed here. No way around it. Most people use it with eq, different pads or tube amps to tame it. DT 1990 have an impressive, fun and exciting sound but it's unsustainable fun.

DT 1990 is great headphone especially in EU but it's expensive in US and US have Elex and Ananda at $700. You get much more if you spend $100 more. $600 is too much for 1990 imo. It should be $450. It can fight with $350 Sundara.

If your listening sessions are short DT 1990 is excellent. If you are bound to your headphone all day... big no. Haven't listen T1.2 but if it has the same dynamics/punch with more relaxed sound/soundstage it should be really good.

I disagree with much of this, particularly that they are only good for short listening sessions. There are far too many variables involved to make such a generalization and, quite frankly, headphones like the Ananda and Sundara can sound pretty boring (and Hifiman QC...). Doesn't make them or the 1990 bad but simply different flavors offering different value propositions at their respective price points, and with sales going on all the time even those respective price points are tough to pin down.

With that said you were responding to a specific poster so perhaps this will hold true for them but it won't for everyone.

 

[audiobomber]

Treble is really flawed here. No way around it. Most people use it with eq, different pads or tube amps to tame it. DT 1990 have an impressive, fun and exciting sound but it's unsustainable fun.

DT 1990 is great headphone especially in EU but it's expensive in US and US have Elex and Ananda at $700. You get much more if you spend $100 more. $600 is too much for 1990 imo. It should be $450. It can fight with $350 Sundara.

If your listening sessions are short DT 1990 is excellent. If you are bound to your headphone all day... big no. Haven't listen T1.2 but if it has the same dynamics/punch with more relaxed sound/soundstage it should be really good.

Rampant opinions, stated as fact. On average I listen for about three hours daily; Analytical pads, no EQ, solid state amps. Treble level can be a preference thing, and results are heavily influenced by upstream gear. There's nothing I need to change, or want to change with the DT 1990. They are meant to be revealing, if there is any issue upstream, with the mastering or the gear you will hear it. I have no urge to buy more expensive headphones.

 

[ftlaudHP]

Treble is really flawed here. No way around it. Most people use it with eq, different pads or tube amps to tame it. DT 1990 have an impressive, fun and exciting sound but it's unsustainable fun.

DT 1990 is great headphone especially in EU but it's expensive in US and US have Elex and Ananda at $700. You get much more if you spend $100 more. $600 is too much for 1990 imo. It should be $450. It can fight with $350 Sundara.

If your listening sessions are short DT 1990 is excellent. If you are bound to your headphone all day... big no. Haven't listen T1.2 but if it has the same dynamics/punch with more relaxed sound/soundstage it should be really good.

You make valid points. Already have an Elegia so trying not trying to load up on Focal HP's. Even though I love their looks and sound signature. Ananda was and is still a possibility. Hate their QC and silver grills looks cheap to me. I got these at a reduced cost so didn't pay $599. Even at full price I think they are worth it given accessories, availability of spare parts (never see that), and good build quality. Also price is a tough one to gauge since headphones above $500-600 don't usually give you anything more quality wise. Seems like after that price point its all marketing and branding related. You may get some wood cups or a different headband, but definitely not worth 2x 5x or even 10x the cost. The Meze's are one of only a few TOTL cans which look like they should be expensive.

 

[yeboyi]

You make valid points. Already have an Elegia so trying not trying to load up on Focal HP's. Even though I love their looks and sound signature. Ananda was and is still a possibility. Hate their QC and silver grills looks cheap to me. I got these at a reduced cost so didn't pay $599. Even at full price I think they are worth it given accessories, availability of spare parts (never see that), and good build quality. Also price is a tough one to gauge since headphones above $500-600 don't usually give you anything more quality wise. Seems like after that price point its all marketing and branding related. You may get some wood cups or a different headband, but definitely not worth 2x 5x or even 10x the cost. The Meze's are one of only a few TOTL cans which look like they should be expensive.

Dream cans Empyreans

Definitely agree. Overall DT 1990 is great with all of it's accessories and build quality. Headphone for life. I love Beyers. Ordered DT 1770 for a closed back and waiting for it. Still think $600 is too much. These are around 330-360EUR without tax in EU.