[kman1211]

Agree on the tubes....I pair it with the Feliks Elise at times and it really kicks. Doesn't mush the sound at all. One thing the 1990 can never be called is boring. It comes to the party and drinks everyone under the table.

Yeah, I do want to get a better tube amp, but I have enough tubes to experiment to allow me to put that off a bit, I'm done with headphones for a while, now I just want to get systems that maximize my headphones, I quite like my DAC, but I am looking for something on the tube/hybrid amp side. The Feliks Elise seems interesting. I never found any of the Tesla's to sound boring but some reason the DT 1990 is the most musical of the bunch to me, sometimes I do enjoy the Amiron more though. The DT 1770 is also very musical, it led me to the DT 1990. Depending on my mood is which I find more musical. But honestly all of the Tesla 2.0 Beyers are oddly musical and euphonic. Mix in alcohol with the music listening and you are in for a heck of a listening experience, lol.

 

[LaCuffia]

I didn't know much about the Elise before I got it in a trade with somebody last year. What I like is the versatility- the sound characteristics really change with different tubes and I had been skeptical about "tube rolling." I don't collect tubes though and what I have now (Ken Rad brand drivers and Tung -Sol power tubes) is more than satisfying. Very detailed and punchy. I wouldn't call it warm like many people think tubes sound. I am getting the MrSpeakers Aeon for closed, portable use and that's it for me for a while.

 

[kman1211]

I didn't know much about the Elise before I got it in a trade with somebody last year. What I like is the versatility- the sound characteristics really change with different tubes and I had been skeptical about "tube rolling." I don't collect tubes though and what I have now (Ken Rad brand drivers and Tung -Sol power tubes) is more than satisfying. Very detailed and punchy. I wouldn't call it warm like many people think tubes sound. I am getting the MrSpeakers Aeon for closed, portable use and that's it for me for a while.

Makes sense. Tubes definitely make a difference, some tubes are wet, some dry, and dull, some dynamic, etc. Tubes are all over the place, my warm system is my SS amp actually, that Sony I have is a bit dark and quite hefty sounding as an amp(neutral as a DAC though, best DAC I've owned) giving my DT 1990 some serious backbone to it's sound. The tubes seems to round the edges off a bit and add a bit more dimension to the sound while pushing the mids a bit more forward, but that also depends on the tube.

 

[Dsnuts]

I am having a hard time trying to understand how anything could sound better than what I am hearing right now. Mind blowing if these scale even more with higher end stuff. There will always be better but for me right now. What I am hearing is just crazy. My NFB5 just took top spot for me in synergy with my sources.

Bass on the NFB5 is to die for but beyond that the depth the layering, smoothness, the stage, It sounds so good. I can't get my cans off my head.

@Kman I can understand why you got the Amion Homes as well.

 

[kman1211]

I am having a hard time trying to understand how anything could sound better than what I am hearing right now. Mind blowing if these scale even more with higher end stuff. There will always be better but for me right now. What I am hearing is just crazy. My NFB5 just took top spot for me in synergy with my sources.

Bass on the NFB5 is to die for but beyond that the depth the layering, smoothness, the stage, It sounds so good. I can't get my cans off my head.

It gets better, but it comes at a cost, and to be honest at this level it's really the gear and system that matters the most and these headphones are where it gets to the point, you really have to ask yourself if you want to spend more as these are easily end-game headphones for many, it's just not as expensive as some others. Also I do think the DT 1990 and Amiron Home are essentially a summit-fi headphone having heard many of the summit-fi gear myself, they do give the whole picture very well and have this charm and rightness to them that some of the flagships don't have. The headphones I actually like more cost way too much for me currently or are too rare.

 

[Dsnuts]

Yeah, I do want to get a better tube amp, but I have enough tubes to experiment to allow me to put that off a bit, I'm done with headphones for a while, now I just want to get systems that maximize my headphones, I quite like my DAC, but I am looking for something on the tube/hybrid amp side. The Feliks Elise seems interesting. I never found any of the Tesla's to sound boring but some reason the DT 1990 is the most musical of the bunch to me, sometimes I do enjoy the Amiron more though. The DT 1770 is also very musical, it led me to the DT 1990. Depending on my mood is which I find more musical. But honestly all of the Tesla 2.0 Beyers are oddly musical and euphonic. Mix in alcohol with the music listening and you are in for a heck of a listening experience, lol.

I live in Colorado. Lets just say we have more options here.

 

[LaCuffia]

If you want to go true Summit Fi, you can get a Sony R10 for the bargain price of $15,000. I kid you not - look in the classified section. There is one for sale now. I knew the R10 was rare and expensive but $15K! I guess buying the R10 back in the day was the equivalent of buying Amazon stock in 1997. What a return on an investment.

 

[kman1211]

If you want to go true Summit Fi, you can get a Sony R10 for the bargain price of $15,000. I kid you not - look in the classified section. There is one for sale now. I knew the R10 was rare and expensive but $15K! I guess buying the R10 back in the day was the equivalent of buying Amazon stock in 1997. What a return on an investment.

The R10's have gotten insane in price, may be the best thing I've heard to my ears, it's hard to describe how tonally perfect and musical the thing is, but my friend got her bass-heavy for $2k new. Let's just say it has thousands of hours of listening time on it but she's worried it may be a ticking time bomb due to the R10's tendency to driver failure, she's been looking for an upgrade or replacement, but it hasn't come, not with the Utopia, Z1R, STAX's, the original Orpheus, etc. The biggest problem with the R10, there is nothing else that sounds like it, thus no real alternatives. The thing is the R10 isn't worth it anymore, most aren't aging well, many are ticking time bombs, and they are honestly too expensive now.

I live in Colorado. Lets just say we have more options here.

Ah Colorado, I know exactly what you mean. lol.

 

[Xerox]

Greetings once again,

So I got my Schiit stack a couple of days ago (Modi Multibit/Magni 2 Uber) along with my DT 1990, but I asked Schiit not to include the Wyrd since I figured I will be using the optical input anyway. And this sure is the schiit, sound quality is amazing. I can't stop listening to my cans, seriously. Music has never been so entertaining, I'm rediscovering my entire music album right now. Bass, mids, highs, detail, soundstage and imaging are all phenomenal without being fatiguing (see my more detailed review on page 57). I want to add that the bass is actually heavier now (when needed) than when I tried them in the store, but it's not intruding the mids whatsoever, which I love. I can't compare my Schiit stack to anything else since this is my first system, but I sure know good sound when I hear it. And really, this sound is incredible. I believe this Schiit system pairs very well with the 1990. The more I listen, the more I enjoy them. I feel the satisfaction is a exponential curve with time. I'm so happy you can't imagine!

The comfort is also very good, but they do have a tight clamp that can be felt after some hours of listening, as well as the headband pushing the top of my head a little. This isn't so inconvenient that it's making me take them off (NOTHING is making me take them off!!), but it sure can be felt. I'm certain it's because they are new and I'm not 100% used with the fit yet. But don't get me wrong, they pass the comfort test with ease for me. They do weight a little, but even after a couple of hours I'm not finding the weight discomfortable.

I'm using the optical input on my MM through my Asus Maximus VII Hero, but tested the USB input as well. But for some reason the volume gets louder when plugged in via USB. Right now with the optical input, Magni on low gain and Foobar/PC on max I have a low volume between 8-9 o' clock on the amp turn, normal at 10-11 and high at 12-2 (2 really high!). But with the USB input this entire threshold is moved a little more than 1 hour back (low 7-8, normal 9-10, high 11-1). Would you know why that is Kman? Either way, sound quality wise I'm not sure I can recognize a magnificent difference between the USB/optical. Even if not magnificent, and I may be biased, I actually feel the sound is more defined with the optical input. There is no background noice when cranking up the volume, none. Not even if I put the amp on high gain and crank it all the way to the top (without any sound on ofc. xD), I can't hear any disturbance.

I understood the power of my MM when I plugged in my Logitech Z906 to my M2U (yeah, prob. will be upgrading the Z906 soon enough now). Did not expect much improvement on those speakers but damn was I surprised. They have a lot more detail, mids pronunciation and a better punch in bass now. Maybe I did underestimate the potential of my Z906 a little toooo much. Still, compared to the 1990, it's like comparing a Renault with a Ferrari. But I'm very happy that the Z906 is not complete junk now (they have always been great at parties tho, I wonder why... ).

Simply put, just by this damn schiit.

 

[GoreMotel]

Hi GoreMotel, Congrats on your DT 1990!

Since you have both RS2e and DT 1990, Could you do a little comparison between these two pairs? I have some e-series Grados including RS2e and really enjoy its sound signature, but now I want to try something besides Grado and from what I've read these DT 1990s are really amazing. If you could tell me what exactly makes you enjoy DT 1990 even more than your RS2e, I would be of great help for me to make my decision on my next headphone. (higher-end Grado or DT 1990/ Amiron)

For my RS2e and other Grados, what I like most about them are being transparent and intimate, and I also enjoy the bass being not overwhelming and the treble having that "Grado flare". After being a Grado fan boy for all these years I think it's time to try something more neutral-sounding and less fatiguing (and more comfortable, of course), but not at the cost of making the music sound dull and boring. (I mostly listen to 60s/ 70s Rock, 90s/ 00s Alternative, Jazz and Piano music)

Sorry for taking so long to reply. I like the DT 1990 more because of the better instrument separation. I listen to a lot of metal, and I enjoy hearing every bass note and cymbal strike, and being able to clearly distinguish between the guitars. The Grado's were great for that, but I find this pair of Beyer's even better.

 

[kman1211]

Greetings once again,

So I got my Schiit stack a couple of days ago (Modi Multibit/Magni 2 Uber) along with my DT 1990, but I asked Schiit not to include the Wyrd since I figured I will be using the optical input anyway. And this sure is the schiit, sound quality is amazing. I can't stop listening to my cans, seriously. Music has never been so entertaining, I'm rediscovering my entire music album right now. Bass, mids, highs, detail, soundstage and imaging are all phenomenal without being fatiguing (see my more detailed review on page 57). I want to add that the bass is actually heavier now (when needed) than when I tried them in the store, but it's not intruding the mids whatsoever, which I love. I can't compare my Schiit stack to anything else since this is my first system, but I sure know good sound when I hear it. And really, this sound is incredible. I believe this Schiit system pairs very well with the 1990. The more I listen, the more I enjoy them. I feel the satisfaction is a exponential curve with time. I'm so happy you can't imagine!

The comfort is also very good, but they do have a tight clamp that can be felt after some hours of listening, as well as the headband pushing the top of my head a little. This isn't so inconvenient that it's making me take them off (NOTHING is making me take them off!!), but it sure can be felt. I'm certain it's because they are new and I'm not 100% used with the fit yet. But don't get me wrong, they pass the comfort test with ease for me. They do weight a little, but even after a couple of hours I'm not finding the weight discomfortable.

I'm using the optical input on my MM through my Asus Maximus VII Hero, but tested the USB input as well. But for some reason the volume gets louder when plugged in via USB. Right now with the optical input, Magni on low gain and Foobar/PC on max I have a low volume between 8-9 o' clock on the amp turn, normal at 10-11 and high at 12-2 (2 really high!). But with the USB input this entire threshold is moved a little more than 1 hour back (low 7-8, normal 9-10, high 11-1). Would you know why that is Kman? Either way, sound quality wise I'm not sure I can recognize a magnificent difference between the USB/optical. Even if not magnificent, and I may be biased, I actually feel the sound is more defined with the optical input. There is no background noice when cranking up the volume, none. Not even if I put the amp on high gain and crank it all the way to the top (without any sound on ofc. xD), I can't hear any disturbance.

I understood the power of my MM when I plugged in my Logitech Z906 to my M2U (yeah, prob. will be upgrading the Z906 soon enough now). Did not expect much improvement on those speakers but damn was I surprised. They have a lot more detail, mids pronunciation and a better punch in bass now. Maybe I did underestimate the potential of my Z906 a little toooo much. Still, compared to the 1990, it's like comparing a Renault with a Ferrari. But I'm very happy that the Z906 is not complete junk now (they have always been great at parties tho, I wonder why... ).

Simply put, just by this damn schiit.

Glad you are enjoying the system. I'm not exactly sure why that is but I have noticed USB does tend to get a little louder on my system as well. The difference is subtle, but becomes more noticeable the more time you spend listening in my experience, optical is just a bit cleaner and better defined sounding to my ears. I am alternating between the Amiron and DT 1990 a lot, currently favoring the Amiron as I am in the mood for something more relaxed and warm lately.

 

[psp123]

Using my 1990's with a Dragonfly Red.
Experimenting with Equalizer APO.

What's your prefered EQ with these headphones?

 

[dannyvstheworld]

Sorry for taking so long to reply. I like the DT 1990 more because of the better instrument separation. I listen to a lot of metal, and I enjoy hearing every bass note and cymbal strike, and being able to clearly distinguish between the guitars. The Grado's were great for that, but I find this pair of Beyer's even better.

Thanks man. I finally had a chance to audition both 1990 and Amiron yesterday, and I much prefer 1990 to the latter. I can see why you like 1990 so much, because the cymbals really stand out, and the bass is fast and accurate (balanced pads). I also felt the 1990 have very good extension on both ends.

 

[Ferrosa]

xperia z3 compact>USB Audio Player Pro>HRT microstreamer>JDS C5 Amp (bass boost on)

 

[jmills8]

Onkyo music player has a better EQ.