[cirodts]

yes in fact, the image on the dt 1990 is stupendous all the instruments are precisely in their place and then it has that sense of fullness of sound combined with a precision and cleanliness that I cannot find in the MG

 

[jamesjames]

To venture further into the area of personal preference, I would add that the Clear (old and new) to my mind shares the Focal family trait of polite top-end and slightly claustrophobic character. I know there are many who will disagree - I think Focal has correctly identified its target audience. But I'm inclined to think that if (like me) you prefer a free-field or diffuse-field reference Focal phones are unlikely to appeal. Even the Utopia is problematic from my point of view.

 

[trickyRoadsDummyTOOL]

I'm quite familiar with both and agree with your assessment. I think we're into the realm of the personal preference, as both are nicely executed designs. But, to my ear, the Beyers are superior - also imaging better I think.

It's better to ask this people who use and like the same HP I do use and like, are they listenable with enjoyment and relaxation _without_ any EQ? I mean, I do EQ sometimes. What I can't imagine is I would be buying a HP unusable without EQ. BTW, I asked/said (Clear without EQ) already something similar in the Clear thread.

 

[wantan]

What I can't imagine is I would be buying a HP unusable without EQ.

I've worked a lot with EQ over the recent years and so far I've not found a headphone that doesn't improve with EQ. The RME ADI2 DAC became the heart of my audiosystem since. I find it more important to get a headphone that provides a good basis for EQ and Beyer is usually very good here. They have a great midrange/lower treble which is important because getting EQ right.

 

[trickyRoadsDummyTOOL]

I've worked a lot with EQ over the recent years and so far I've not found a headphone that doesn't improve with EQ. The RME ADI2 DAC became the heart of my audiosystem since. I find it more important to get a headphone that provides a good basis for EQ and Beyer is usually very good here. They have a great midrange/lower treble which is important because getting EQ right.

In the last six months I only used Mojo2 EQ. So this is the only EQ I can basically talk about. But I never had the impression, 1990s needs EQ. I learned from what you say, that you are talking about more than I basically this 7K/8K(not sure which one is definitely a problem on the 1990s for some people). I never heard any annoying peak, maybe again a question of age of the listener.
I did envision the clear at first, but there were too many EQ bands/Frequencies to tweak. So I did
choose another headphone as a companion for the 1990s.

 

[trickyRoadsDummyTOOL]

1990s might profit a tiny bit from EQ, but does it need EQ? a poll would be interesting, but all in all possibly a question of personal preference, as stated above.

 

[jamesjames]

It's better to ask this people who use and like the same HP I do use and like, are they listenable with enjoyment and relaxation _without_ any EQ? I mean, I do EQ sometimes. What I can't imagine is I would be buying a HP unusable without EQ. BTW, I asked/said (Clear without EQ) already something similar in the Clear thread.

I've sometimes used EQ with poor phones, and sometimes in noisy environments (eg, live monitoring). But I find it counterproductive with the best phones. The engineering compromises and balances with the best designs are I think quite delicate, and in my experience are damaged by EQ. It's certainly possible to alter the sound of phones with EQ but, in the case of the best phones, generally at the expense of the quality which makes them special. I find the Beyer is excellent without EQ; the Focal can't be rescued with it. I agree it's worth trying other phones if the balance of a particular model is not to your taste - there are many variations out there.

 

[393699]

The Focal Clear and Clear MG have noticeable differences in their frequency response. This is the EQ that I use on my Clear. This headphone requires very little EQ to make it sound completely correct. However, even without EQ, it already offers a far more balanced sound right out of the box when compared to the DT 1990.

Pre-Amp = -4

1.25kHz = -1.5 Q 2
4.5kHz = +1 Q 3
6kHz = -1.5 Q 4.5
11.5kHz = -1.5 Q 2

 

[jamesjames]

The Focal Clear and Clear MG have noticeable differences in their frequency response. This is the EQ that I use on my Clear. This headphone requires very little EQ to make it sound completely correct. However, even without EQ, it already offers a far more balanced sound right out of the box when compared to the DT 1990.

Pre-Amp = -4

1.25kHz = -1.5 Q 2
4.5kHz = +1 Q 3
6kHz = -1.5 Q 4.5
11.5kHz = -1.5 Q 2

The Beyer is, I think, quite an accurate monitor; and the Focal is not (all Focals are rolled-off at the top). If you like the Focal sound, then you might also like these EQ tweaks. But, if you're after an accurate sound (and I would say natural sound with acoustic instruments), I think you should go with the Beyer. The Beyer isn't to all tastes, but it doesn't require EQ to sound natural.

 

[393699]

A spike of around +8 at 8kHz is not natural sounding. The Focal Clear out of the box is fairly close to the Harman Response Curve.

 

[jamesjames]

There's nothing necessarily natural or unnatural about an 8kHz spike. Frequency response measurements are, on their own, notoriously unhelpful when it comes to understanding how transducers sound. The presence band is good with the Beyer, as it is with most diffuse-field and free-field tunings. The Harman Curve simply reflects surveys of impressions of more or less popular emphasis across the frequency spectrum - hardly a benchmark for accuracy.

 

[393699]

You can make all the excuses you want. The DT1990 is just way too bright in the mid treble region. There is no way of denying it. If you like piercing brightness, well then that is fine. You were the one who claimed the DT1990 is a natural sounding headphone without EQ. That is just not reality.

 

[jamesjames]

You can make all the excuses you want. The DT1990 is just way too bright in the mid treble region. There is no way of denying it. If you like piercing brightness, well then that is fine. You were the one who claimed the DT1990 is a natural sounding headphone without EQ. That is just not reality.

I don't know where to begin with this - I'm certainly not going to take it further.

 

[FritzS]

With some pieces of music, the 8kHz peak can be disruptive.
If that - DT1990 sounds nearly perfect with this simple filter:
Freq 8000Hz
Gain -6dB
Q=2,83
Made on Mac with Apples AUParametricEQ - that works in Foobar2000, Fidelia, Audirvana Studio.

Or with this peace of hardware from Solderdude DT 1990 Pro

 

[FritzS]

Live recorded & DT1990 - with best feeling!
Playing from M1 MacMini with Fidelia player.
The drum solo from the piece of music "Kren & Speck" CD2 track 5 is the finest "cream" (lasts several minutes) - one of the best drum solos I find on my albums.
AUParametricEQ is “off“