[Tsukuyomi]

Just a word of caution if you decide to grab the K712 new. Mine was harsh sounding in the highs, atleast it was until I was about 20-30 hours in and the headphone finally settled down. Been one of my favorite ever since.

That said, I had a chance to sample a couple of headphones recently and had I not gotten myself a dap, I definitely would have added the DT1990 to my collection. Can't say which is better at this point but both are good just in different ways.

Agreed, they're both good, and ive tested both at the same time on the same songs from the same source, and i personally just prefer the DT1990 pros, so i gave back the K712Pro to my friend who lent them to me. he has since sold them and got himself a pair of LCD-X audeze, saying he prefers that headphones sound over the K712Pro. again, completely subjective choice and result. people should get what they find pleasing to the ear, theres no perfect default headphone for everyone

 

[rizzotti91]

Agreed, they're both good, and ive tested both at the same time on the same songs from the same source, and i personally just prefer the DT1990 pros, so i gave back the K712Pro to my friend who lent them to me. he has since sold them and got himself a pair of LCD-X audeze, saying he prefers that headphones sound over the K712Pro. again, completely subjective choice and result. people should get what they find pleasing to the ear, theres no perfect default headphone for everyone

Of course everyone should pick the best headphone for their ears, but I think that there is or that there should be an objective superiority of a headset compared to another, based on materials used, transducers, price range, etc.

 

[Tsukuyomi]

Of course everyone should pick the best headphone for their ears, but I think that there is or that there should be an objective superiority of a headset compared to another, based on materials used, transducers, price range, etc.

I would agree but its hard to attain.
now a days people (not everyone) tend to look at the headphones price tag and assume it sounds great based on the cost of the device and its hard to make them think otherwise once they see the price or know of the brand and its marketing reputation for high end equipment.
I wish everyone could walk into a shop blind folded, and try on like 5 pairs of headphones for 30min each and then decide which they liked and to hear them longer to really get a feel for them without looking at any price tag.
If i owned an audio shop, nothing in my store would have a price tag, i would only tell the person the price after they've decided to purchase the equipment.

 

[rizzotti91]

I would agree but its hard to attain.
now a days people (not everyone) tend to look at the headphones price tag and assume it sounds great based on the cost of the device and its hard to make them think otherwise once they see the price or know of the brand and its marketing reputation for high end equipment.
I wish everyone could walk into a shop blind folded, and try on like 5 pairs of headphones for 30min each and then decide which they liked and to hear them longer to really get a feel for them without looking at any price tag.
If i owned an audio shop, nothing in my store would have a price tag, i would only tell the person the price after they've decided to purchase the equipment.

I agree with you, but personally when I listen to these two headphones, I'm never thinking about price, maybe because I bought them at almost the same price (one new and one used).
I also think that we are talking about two well-established brands that sell high quality products and the DT1990 PRO should be just one step above the AKG because they are more high-end headphone. In other words, I don't think thay the 200 € of difference between AKG and Beyerdynamic are just only because the latter is selling your "his brand", but because of built quality and, I wish, a superior transducers.

In almost every review I read is said that DT are just superior in almost every way to the AKG 712, 7XX, or 702, except for wideness of soundstage.
I just would like to understand why I can't notice that superiority, on the contrary they seem to me inferior in some ways.

 

[megabigeye]

200 € of difference between AKG and Beyerdynamic are just only because the latter is selling your "his brand"

At least in the States, the difference in MSRP is only $100. The K712 retails for $499, the DT 1990 retails for $599, which is only 20% difference and, in my opinion, within spitting distance of one another. So I really don't think the prices you're talking about ("street price") are because of "brand" or quality, but probably because the AKG are less popular and possibly that AKG is less strict about retailers selling them at a discount. To some degree, that also explains why these headphones sell at such wildly discrepant prices but seem to go toe-to-toe in performance, build, etc.

I love my DT 1990, but now you've got me kind of curious about the K712, too. I have to say, I love the way they look.

Something like a rant aimed at nobody in particular:
It's almost too bad the AKGs are selling for so little. It makes people believe almost intuitively that they aren't competitive with similar headphones, so they won't be cross-shopped as much as they would be otherwise. It also makes people view the Beyers as being overpriced.
I know I'm in the very, very small minority here, but I honestly wish discounts weren't so prevalent. To me it just seems like a race to the bottom, diluting brand image, diluting perceived value, forcing corners to be cut, and allowing only the companies with the deepest pockets to be really competitive. I know it's "how capitalism works," but that doesn't make it any more sustainable in the long run.

 

[Tsukuyomi]

At least in the States, the difference in MSRP is only $100. The K712 retails for $499, the DT 1990 retails for $599, which is only 20% difference and, in my opinion, within spitting distance of one another. So I really don't think the prices you're talking about ("street price") are because of "brand" or quality, but probably because the AKG are less popular and possibly that AKG is less strict about retailers selling them at a discount. To some degree, that also explains why these headphones sell at such wildly discrepant prices but seem to go toe-to-toe in performance, build, etc.

I love my DT 1990, but now you've got me kind of curious about the K712, too. I have to say, I love the way they look.

Something like a rant aimed at nobody in particular:
It's almost too bad the AKGs are selling for so little. It makes people believe almost intuitively that they aren't competitive with similar headphones, so they won't be cross-shopped as much as they would be otherwise. It also makes people view the Beyers as being overpriced.
I know I'm in the very, very small minority here, but I honestly wish discounts weren't so prevalent. To me it just seems like a race to the bottom, diluting brand image, diluting perceived value, forcing corners to be cut, and allowing only the companies with the deepest pockets to be really competitive. I know it's "how capitalism works," but that doesn't make it any more sustainable in the long run.

My friend paid 500$ CND for his AKG K712 Pro and i paid around 800$ for my DT1990 Pro, excluding price we both tried to compare them and see what we liked.
to be honest i couldnt find anyting with the AKG that i liked except for looks, the sound was good but i prefered my DT1990 pros. the headpads imo are better on the beyers than AKG and more comfortable for longer sessions. i dont like the self adjusting headband of the AKG because it feels like its constantly drooping on my head instead of a fixed comfortable fit like the DT1990 Pros. im just a beyer guy i guess lol but i do want to give AKG a chance, i in no way think they are a bad company i just wish they made something i liked or perhaps they do and ive yet to try it.

 

[megabigeye]

My friend paid 500$ CND for his AKG K712 Pro and i paid around 800$ for my DT1990 Pro, excluding price we both tried to compare them and see what we liked.
to be honest i couldnt find anyting with the AKG that i liked except for looks, the sound was good but i prefered my DT1990 pros. the headpads imo are better on the beyers than AKG and more comfortable for longer sessions. i dont like the self adjusting headband of the AKG because it feels like its constantly drooping on my head instead of a fixed comfortable fit like the DT1990 Pros. im just a beyer guy i guess lol but i do want to give AKG a chance, i in no way think they are a bad company i just wish they made something i liked or perhaps they do and ive yet to try it.

What I said was in response to rizzotti91. S/He seemed to be saying that s/he thought a $600 headphone should be better than a $300+ headphone. I was just pointing out that the retail prices of the Beyer and AKG are actually much closer than that, but maybe I was misunderstanding what was being said.

Anyway, I don't know that it's so easy to completely disregard price when comparing. Speaking for myself, I was recently following the Custom Art FIBAE Black teasers and announcement. The actual price was kept secret, but review samples were sent out and based on performance there were all sorts of assumptions that they would cost $900-$1500. I assumed that they would be a similar price and therefor would compete within that market and that any descriptions would be in keeping with what would be normal for an earphone of that price. In other words, something mildly wrong with a $1000 headphone is not the same as something mildly wrong with a $100 headphone. The price ended up being about half of the low estimates! Despite knowing what I already knew, as soon as the price was announced I started rereading the reviews as though they were in reference to a much less expensive earphone than they were originally assumed to be. I knew that they could compete with ToTL earphones, but as soon as I knew the price my brain tricked itself into believing otherwise. Can a $450 earphone really compete with a $1500 one? Logically, sure, why not, but intuitively it's much harder to grasp.
This is one of the reasons that I think that discounts aren't entirely a good thing.

I balked at first when I saw those prices you guys paid, but then I did the conversion and they're actually the same as US prices.

 

[Me x3]

What I said was in response to rizzotti91. S/He seemed to be saying that s/he thought a $600 headphone should be better than a $300+ headphone. I was just pointing out that the retail prices of the Beyer and AKG are actually much closer than that, but maybe I was misunderstanding what was being said.

Anyway, I don't know that it's so easy to completely disregard price when comparing. Speaking for myself, I was recently following the Custom Art FIBAE Black teasers and announcement. The actual price was kept secret, but review samples were sent out and based on performance there were all sorts of assumptions that they would cost $900-$1500. I assumed that they would be a similar price and therefor would compete within that market and that any descriptions would be in keeping with what would be normal for an earphone of that price. In other words, something mildly wrong with a $1000 headphone is not the same as something mildly wrong with a $100 headphone. The price ended up being about half of the low estimates! Despite knowing what I already knew, as soon as the price was announced I started rereading the reviews as though they were in reference to a much less expensive earphone than they were originally assumed to be. I knew that they could compete with ToTL earphones, but as soon as I knew the price my brain tricked itself into believing otherwise. Can a $450 earphone really compete with a $1500 one? Logically, sure, why not, but intuitively it's much harder to grasp.
This is one of the reasons that I think that discounts aren't entirely a good thing.

I balked at first when I saw those prices you guys paid, but then I did the conversion and they're actually the same as US prices.

The price is what's between you and the desired object, nothing more.

Many people is always talking about pricing: which one is more convenient, which one offers "more" for the money and so on...
And they kind of forget about the most important aspect here which is personal preference.

AKG K712 PRO is great for those who like its type of sound and fit.

 

[Tsukuyomi]

The price is what's between you and the desired object, nothing more.

Many people is always talking about pricing: which one is more convenient, which one offers "more" for the money and so on...
And they kind of forget about the most important aspect here which is personal preference.

AKG K712 PRO is great for those who like its type of sound and fit.

absolutely agree, i bought the DT1990 pro because i love them to bits, love the look, the build, the sound, the fit, the comfort, the case and accessories.
i didnt buy them because they were "expensive" and to brag or show off, these cans rarely ever leave my desk i love them too much.
i've had more "expensive" headphones like the TH900mk2 but sold them because a) didnt find it comfortable on my head or fit. b) enjoyed the sound but idk kinda got bored of it. i think the bad comfort might of affected the sound enjoyment for me.
so i sold them, and my friends call me crazy because of it, hey guess what, i dont care i like what i like and whats enjoyable for me lol.

 

[supervisor]

absolutely agree, i bought the DT1990 pro because i love them to bits, love the look, the build, the sound, the fit, the comfort, the case and accessories.
i didnt buy them because they were "expensive" and to brag or show off, these cans rarely ever leave my desk i love them too much.
i've had more "expensive" headphones like the TH900mk2 but sold them because a) didnt find it comfortable on my head or fit. b) enjoyed the sound but idk kinda got bored of it. i think the bad comfort might of affected the sound enjoyment for me.
so i sold them, and my friends call me crazy because of it, hey guess what, i dont care i like what i like and whats enjoyable for me lol.

honestly, many times i put on the DT1990s i'm more blown away by the presentation than Utopia or the new Ether 2s. price should not dictate anything.

 

[Sustain]

Does the DT1990 make anyone else’s ear(s) hurt?

I’m in love with the sound, and maybe I’m listening to them too loud, but after an hour or so my right ear has a slight pain deep in the ear. Kind of sharp and fades in and out. This never happened with my X2’s or HE400i’s unless I listened to them too loud for hours at a time.

Sucks...because I really love these headphones

 

[kelly200269]

DT1990’s are simply the best!
I own a lot of cans, BUT if I have ONE set of ‘go to’ cans, the 1990’s are IT.
They are TRULY the ‘Swiss Army Knife’ equivalent of headphones.

 

[Scutey]

DT1990’s are simply the best!
I own a lot of cans, BUT if I have ONE set of ‘go to’ cans, the 1990’s are IT.
They are TRULY the ‘Swiss Army Knife’ equivalent of headphones.

Spot on @kelly200269, everything you've said about the 1990's reflects my opinion of them as well.

 

[Me x3]

Does the DT1990 make anyone else’s ear(s) hurt?

I’m in love with the sound, and maybe I’m listening to them too loud, but after an hour or so my right ear has a slight pain deep in the ear. Kind of sharp and fades in and out. This never happened with my X2’s or HE400i’s unless I listened to them too loud for hours at a time.

Sucks...because I really love these headphones

Don't use headphones for some days, then start using them again at lower volume.
Picking quality recordings helps too. Modern music is dynamically compressed and thus it is way louder than properly recorded music.

 

[00birdy]

You've got about 9 hours left after I post this, but on ebay there is a 15% off coupon PICKUPSALE which gives a max $75 off.
Buydig has the 1990 for $500 which gives you the max $75 savings, subtotal $425 for this, plus I had to pay $30 in tax which kind of ruined the big deal, but still way cheaper than new from anywhere else online.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/BeyerDynam...Headphones-710490-w-Stand-Bundle/312190831313

This is a complete blind buy for myself after owning some DT 880's for many years and only reading 30 or so pages of this thread. I hope I find these to be 3x more valuable than the 880's but I guess I can't think of it that way because then I will be disappointed.