[Sekka]

I got my DT 1990s today and have used for a couple songs. Nothing has played out as I expected.

First impression is that these are nowhere near as bright as I feared. Not sibilant one bit either, even songs that just beg to piece your ears LIKE THIS. I don't even find them "sharp" sounding either. I honestly at a loss of words. Everything I've read just panned out. It's the boogeyman that never existed for me in use. I could actually use a treble boost and would be fine with it, no joke. I don't have any hearing loss and have always taken care of my hearing too, so the "brightness" isn't just something I can deal with because brighter headphones fill that in.

I would say that I'm slightly disappointed with the soundstage ATM though. I often feel that with headphones, they are too narrow sounding or they have this effect of being too close to a speaker or them being too loud and things become unintelligible as a result. Maybe I have been jaded more than I really know after using my JBL LSR305's on everything for years (they are known for having a really wide waveguide). Am I really that soundstage whore that puts soundstage above everything else? Didn't like the KRK 8400 (waaaaay too compressed sounding), didn't like the DT 770 (much wider, but synthetic quality to the entire sound that distracts), didn't like the HD6XX (completely misses the soundstage mark e). I'm starting to wonder now. I want huge as hell, every single track isolated. This Hymn For The Weekend remix kind of illustrates the point: it's not a very wide song, but the first couple seconds it uses a lot of reverb and such to appear much larger. That intro sounds wide as **** with my LSR's. Am I insane?

I'm legit looking at HD700 now because they are supposed to be large soundstage headphones with a similar price. The ultimate pain of living in Vermont is there is nowhere to demo anything out. Driving to another state seems a bit ridiculous and would be stressful, but I never know!

If you want a noticeably larger soundstage just save up for a $700 used HD800 and be done with it. I had a similar problem with the soundstage, the HD800 is far superior in that aspect.

 

[cardeli22]

I got my DT 1990s today and have used for a couple songs. Nothing has played out as I expected.

First impression is that these are nowhere near as bright as I feared. Not sibilant one bit either, even songs that just beg to piece your ears LIKE THIS. I don't even find them "sharp" sounding either. I honestly at a loss of words. Everything I've read just panned out. It's the boogeyman that never existed for me in use. I could actually use a treble boost and would be fine with it, no joke. I don't have any hearing loss and have always taken care of my hearing too, so the "brightness" isn't just something I can deal with because brighter headphones fill that in.

I would say that I'm slightly disappointed with the soundstage ATM though. I often feel that with headphones, they are too narrow sounding or they have this effect of being too close to a speaker or them being too loud and things become unintelligible as a result. Maybe I have been jaded more than I really know after using my JBL LSR305's on everything for years (they are known for having a really wide waveguide). Am I really that soundstage whore that puts soundstage above everything else? Didn't like the KRK 8400 (waaaaay too compressed sounding), didn't like the DT 770 (much wider, but synthetic quality to the entire sound that distracts), didn't like the HD6XX (completely misses the soundstage mark e). I'm starting to wonder now. I want huge as hell, every single track isolated. This Hymn For The Weekend remix kind of illustrates the point: it's not a very wide song, but the first couple seconds it uses a lot of reverb and such to appear much larger. That intro sounds wide as **** with my LSR's. Am I insane?

I'm legit looking at HD700 now because they are supposed to be large soundstage headphones with a similar price. The ultimate pain of living in Vermont is there is nowhere to demo anything out. Driving to another state seems a bit ridiculous and would be stressful, but I never know!

The k7xx has a wide soundstage. It was 159$ for Cyber Monday but went back up to 199$.

 

[konstanzzz]

I need amp and dac or amp/dac combo recommendations.

i've had my fiio e10k for a while now and i'm looking to upgrade my gear to better accommodate my dt 1990 pros. currently considering massdrop's thx aaa 789 and grace design sdac, but intl shipping to asia + import fees are making me want to look elsewhere.

budget is around $500.

would appreciate any insights on this.

thanks.

also:

anyone know where to get genuine A pads? beyer store isn't selling any and I want to have a spare pair of stock A pads since these seem to wear out fast.

thanks.

 

[George Taylor]

I need amp and dac or amp/dac combo recommendations.

i've had my fiio e10k for a while now and i'm looking to upgrade my gear to better accommodate my dt 1990 pros. currently considering massdrop's thx aaa 789 and grace design sdac, but intl shipping to asia + import fees are making me want to look elsewhere.

budget is around $500.

would appreciate any insights on this.

thanks.

also:

For a suggestion, see my signature. Additionally, I can tell you I've had several different amps over the last couple of years. I had the classic low end Schiit stack with Loki, had a Valhalla II, even had a Aune stack that probably would have been much better in my eyes if I were doing balanced cables on my cans. After all those I can say I still love my little ifi Black Label. I love it for the tiny amount of desk space it uses, and for it's versatility. But mainly for the sound. I won't tell you that you can't do better, but I will say you can do a lot worse.

 

[megabigeye]

I need amp and dac or amp/dac combo recommendations.

i've had my fiio e10k for a while now and i'm looking to upgrade my gear to better accommodate my dt 1990 pros. currently considering massdrop's thx aaa 789 and grace design sdac, but intl shipping to asia + import fees are making me want to look elsewhere.

budget is around $500.

would appreciate any insights on this.

thanks.

also:

I use the DragonFly Red (as DAC) + Bottlehead Quickie + Quicksand. Sounds pretty great, unfortunately the Quicksand has been discontinued.
I've not heard them, but others like the Bottlehead Crack (if you're into DIY, although I believe it can be assembled for a fee) or the DarkVoice 336se. The Audio-gd NFB 11.28 is a DAC/amp combo and is also popular on Head-Fi, but again I've not heard it. Both DarkVoice and Audio-gd are Chinese companies, so they may be more easily acquired in Asia.
A benefit of the DFR is that you can also use it as a standalone headphone amp with PC or phone. It's a pretty great amp and DAC, though not quite powerful enough for the DT 1990. It'll get the job done, just not as well as a more powerful amp.

 

[Scutey]

I got my DT 1990s today and have used for a couple songs. Nothing has played out as I expected.

First impression is that these are nowhere near as bright as I feared. Not sibilant one bit either, even songs that just beg to piece your ears LIKE THIS. I don't even find them "sharp" sounding either. I honestly at a loss of words. Everything I've read just panned out. It's the boogeyman that never existed for me in use. I could actually use a treble boost and would be fine with it, no joke. I don't have any hearing loss and have always taken care of my hearing too, so the "brightness" isn't just something I can deal with because brighter headphones fill that in.

I would say that I'm slightly disappointed with the soundstage ATM though. I often feel that with headphones, they are too narrow sounding or they have this effect of being too close to a speaker or them being too loud and things become unintelligible as a result. Maybe I have been jaded more than I really know after using my JBL LSR305's on everything for years (they are known for having a really wide waveguide). Am I really that soundstage whore that puts soundstage above everything else? Didn't like the KRK 8400 (waaaaay too compressed sounding), didn't like the DT 770 (much wider, but synthetic quality to the entire sound that distracts), didn't like the HD6XX (completely misses the soundstage mark e). I'm starting to wonder now. I want huge as hell, every single track isolated. This Hymn For The Weekend remix kind of illustrates the point: it's not a very wide song, but the first couple seconds it uses a lot of reverb and such to appear much larger. That intro sounds wide as **** with my LSR's. Am I insane?

I'm legit looking at HD700 now because they are supposed to be large soundstage headphones with a similar price. The ultimate pain of living in Vermont is there is nowhere to demo anything out. Driving to another state seems a bit ridiculous and would be stressful, but I never know!

The DT 1990 is not the widest sounding hp, but you didn't say which pads you're using, if you've been using the B pads then you will find them narrow, the A pads have a much wider sound, although still not the widest, if you have tried both pads and they're still not wide enough I think you should think about getting either the HD 700 or 800, or a cheaper option would be the Beyer 990.

 

[Earbones]

Argh, so since this place has devolved into a site where the action takes place only on thousand-page threads (I warned the mods about this future years ago when they started merging everything they possible could), I guess I will be the obnoxious guy who asks a question which I’m sure has been discussed at great lengths throughout this thread, but is unfortunately not so easy to search... Forgive me.

For those who’ve tried multiple amps, what does the 1990 seem to respond to best, overall... Tubes or solid state?

 

[Scutey]

Argh, so since this place has devolved into a site where the action takes place only on thousand-page threads (I warned the mods about this future years ago when they started merging everything they possible could), I guess I will be the obnoxious guy who asks a question which I’m sure has been discussed at great lengths throughout this thread, but is unfortunately not so easy to search... Forgive me.

For those who’ve tried multiple amps, what does the 1990 seem to respond to best, overall... Tubes or solid state?

Well, I don't think there's a straight answer to your question, there are too many variables, however my experience, of the amps I've used my 1990's with has been that they have sounded better with a tube amp. Some ss amps can make them sound a little dry and clinical, tube amps by comparison, in my experience, tend to smooth out the highs and fill out the mids and if you don't like the way they sound with a particular tube you can always replace them for one that does. If you're not sure what you want ro go for try and work out what sort of sound you prefer and do some research on which best suits your peferences.

 

[megabigeye]

@Earbones
I agree with all of Scutey's points above. My first impression was that tubes really brought the treble down to more neutral territory, but as the tubes burned in it seemed to come back, just maybe not quite to same point as SS.

 

[Earbones]

Thanks, guys.

Exactly how bright are these cans? When I spotted the deal, I quickly re-read some of the early reviews on the 1990, and they kind of uniformly described an airy can with great bass extension and highs that could at times be forward, but were fairly sweet and rounded as well. It was described as kind of a more dynamic HD650 in a lot of reviews... A great can for extended listening sessions, not quite as good as the HD650 in that arena, but the trade-off being better bass and clarity.

Now that I’m waiting on delivery I’ve delved a little farther into reviews, I’m getting the impression that while the above may have been the consensus among the hifi sites who got early review cans, the general public kind of regards them as pretty analytical and bit bright, yet with good bass?.. I really hate bright cans... Wondering if I made a mistake, ha ha. Ah well, it’s Amazon. They’re good for returns if need be.

 

[lugnut]

I really hate bright cans... Wondering if I made a mistake, ha ha. Ah well, it’s Amazon. They’re good for returns if need be.

If these do not work out for you, I would try the Beyer Amiron Home. They are have a warm tilt, without losing detail, a little different than other Beyerdynamic cans.

 

[kelly200269]

Thanks, guys.

Exactly how bright are these cans? When I spotted the deal, I quickly re-read some of the early reviews on the 1990, and they kind of uniformly described an airy can with great bass extension and highs that could at times be forward, but were fairly sweet and rounded as well. It was described as kind of a more dynamic HD650 in a lot of reviews... A great can for extended listening sessions, not quite as good as the HD650 in that arena, but the trade-off being better bass and clarity.

Now that I’m waiting on delivery I’ve delved a little farther into reviews, I’m getting the impression that while the above may have been the consensus among the hifi sites who got early review cans, the general public kind of regards them as pretty analytical and bit bright, yet with good bass?.. I really hate bright cans... Wondering if I made a mistake, ha ha. Ah well, it’s Amazon. They’re good for returns if need be.

They are a bit 'pronounced' in the upper-register. But not extremely so. It just makes for a very detailed, bright (but not excessively so) listen.

 

[megabigeye]

Thanks, guys.

Exactly how bright are these cans? When I spotted the deal, I quickly re-read some of the early reviews on the 1990, and they kind of uniformly described an airy can with great bass extension and highs that could at times be forward, but were fairly sweet and rounded as well. It was described as kind of a more dynamic HD650 in a lot of reviews... A great can for extended listening sessions, not quite as good as the HD650 in that arena, but the trade-off being better bass and clarity.

Now that I’m waiting on delivery I’ve delved a little farther into reviews, I’m getting the impression that while the above may have been the consensus among the hifi sites who got early review cans, the general public kind of regards them as pretty analytical and bit bright, yet with good bass?.. I really hate bright cans... Wondering if I made a mistake, ha ha. Ah well, it’s Amazon. They’re good for returns if need be.

I guess I'd agree that these sound like the HD 650 if you gave the 650 more bass extension, more bass slam, took away some of the mid-bass hump, reduced the mids slightly and made them less warm, extended and boosted the treble, give them the ability to play aggressively, added a whole lot of detail, and really improved dynamics. Then, yeah, if you do that they sound just like the HD 650. Oh yeah, they can also play music, which the HD 650 also does.

My impression of them is that they treble is quite forward, but to my ear it's not fatiguing or sibilant or strident. If you go back several pages in this thread, though, you'll see that others disagree. If you dislike or have a sensitivity to treble or if the HD 650 is your perfect tuning for headphones, you might not like the DT 1990.
Otherwise, I find the sound to be very nicely balanced. Keep in mind, though, that these were designed for professional use, specifically made for analyzing, so they're not exactly forgiving. I don't find them suitable for listening to vinyl (pops and clicks are brought too far forward... though some of my very clean vinyl I probably could listen to), but I only have one non-vinyl album that I can't listen to with the DT 1990... But even the HD 650 makes that album only marginally more listenable. 99.9% of the time I find the treble and attention to detail to be exciting. How you'll find them, though, I wouldn't care to guess.

I guess I would say that tubes (at least my setup of BH Quickie + Quicksand) makes the DT 1990 slightly more like the HD 650 with solid state. Reduces treble slightly, slightly boosts and warms mids, but it's not, like, world changing.

Are the cans returnable? If so, I'd suggest giving them a listen and deciding for yourself.
I think my main takeaway from this would be to no longer read those reviewers.

 

[Earbones]

I understand the DT1990 also has the ability to play music either softly or loudly, dependant upon the level one sets the volume on their player device? This is also very similar to the HD650.

Sounds like some of the early reviews of the 1990 were written by geniuses, ha ha...

Thanks for the detailed reply... The cans are shipped and sold via Amazon, so definitely returnable. I’ll give them a listen and hopefully be pleasantly surprised...

 

[audiobomber]

I guess I'd agree that these sound like the HD 650 if you gave the 650 more bass extension, more bass slam, took away some of the mid-bass hump, reduced the mids slightly and made them less warm, extended and boosted the treble, give them the ability to play aggressively, added a whole lot of detail, and really improved dynamics. Then, yeah, if you do that they sound just like the HD 650. Oh yeah, they can also play music, which the HD 650 also does.

My impression of them is that they treble is quite forward, but to my ear it's not fatiguing or sibilant or strident. If you go back several pages in this thread, though, you'll see that others disagree. If you dislike or have a sensitivity to treble or if the HD 650 is your perfect tuning for headphones, you might not like the DT 1990.
Otherwise, I find the sound to be very nicely balanced. Keep in mind, though, that these were designed for professional use, specifically made for analyzing, so they're not exactly forgiving. I don't find them suitable for listening to vinyl (pops and clicks are brought too far forward... though some of my very clean vinyl I probably could listen to), but I only have one non-vinyl album that I can't listen to with the DT 1990... But even the HD 650 makes that album only marginally more listenable. 99.9% of the time I find the treble and attention to detail to be exciting. How you'll find them, though, I wouldn't care to guess.

I guess I would say that tubes (at least my setup of BH Quickie + Quicksand) makes the DT 1990 slightly more like the HD 650 with solid state. Reduces treble slightly, slightly boosts and warms mids, but it's not, like, world changing.

Are the cans returnable? If so, I'd suggest giving them a listen and deciding for yourself.
I think my main takeaway from this would be to no longer read those reviewers.

I agree with most of the above. The HD 650 is not a can I would link to the DT 1990. IMO, the 1990 with Analytical pads sound better in every possible way.

I highly recommend the Asgard II for anyone wanting to avoid the hassle of tubes.

Excessively noisy vinyl is due to poor vinyl or resonances in the table, arm or cartridge. About 1/3 of my music is vinyl, ripped at 24/88. In general, it is more mellow sounding than my CD rips. Even the damaged records are fine after a pass through the VinylStudio click removal software.