Beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO // DT 1990 PRO MK II -- Impressions Thread

[John Culter]

I am a new DT1990 Pro owner for 1 day. I thought I was sold on Planars until the first 5 minutes with these. I also own M1060 original and Aeon Closed. The DT 1990s are very musical and dynamic.

Can you share some brief comparison with Aeon Closed? Very curious ! Thanks

 

[kelly200269]

Anyone compared them to the 1770 pro? I have the 1770s,and wondering if its worth getting the 1990s as an suppliment to the 1770s? The price is good on the 1990s now.

The 1770 and 1990 share a similar sonic signature but being open-backed, the 1990's sound a bit more spacious, with a wider soundstage.
Personally, I find the 1770's perfect for mobile use, and for use in buses/trains, because they isolate the surrounding environment very effectively.
The 1990's aren't really suitable for mobile use IMO, being open-backed, as they 'leak' a lot and surrounding noise can be quite intrusive. However, at home, I much prefer the 1990's as the wider soundstage makes them more engaging and less 'closed in' than the 1770's.

 

[ciccarel]

Can you share some brief comparison with Aeon Closed? Very curious ! Thanks

The Aeon Closed has much less detail and Sparkle. The base is similar with the A pads on the DT 1990. The sound stage on the Aeon is smaller. This may all be because of the Closed design.

 

[chimney189]

Would anyone take some time to compare the HD 800S to the DT 1990?

More specifically, I'd like to know how they compare in terms of bass and treble. The HD 800S borders on being almost too hot in the treble for me, however the bass has a great punch and texture.

One other aspect that bothers me about the HD 800S is it being a tad too cold. How does the DT 1990 compare?

 

[ciccarel]

The Aeon Closed has much less detail and Sparkle. The base is similar with the A pads on the DT 1990. The sound stage on the Aeon is smaller. This may all be because of the Closed design.

I also wanted to mention that the DT 1990 playes quite well with a good cell phone. I have a Galaxy S8+.

 

[Jesse0403]

Would anyone take some time to compare the HD 800S to the DT 1990?

I own a DT1990 for three months and I owned a HD800S for two weeks before returning them.
I would say that the 1990 has more of a V-shape compared to the 800S, meaning that it has deeper bass and more highs, even more than the HD800.

If the HD800S´ highs are almost too much for you, you will probably find the 1990 too fatiguing.

I couldn´t tell you anything more detailed from memory.

 

[chimney189]

I own a DT1990 for three months and I owned a HD800S for two weeks before returning them.
I would say that the 1990 has more of a V-shape compared to the 800S, meaning that it has deeper bass and more highs, even more than the HD800.

If the HD800S´ highs are almost too much for you, you will probably find the 1990 too fatiguing.

I couldn´t tell you anything more detailed from memory.

Thanks for the information.
If the DT 1990 has sharper highs then I'm definitely not purchasing it.

 

[kelly200269]

Thanks for the information.
If the DT 1990 has sharper highs then I'm definitely not purchasing it.

I own/use the HD800 (NOT the HD800s), and I wouldn’t say that the 1990’s treble is ‘hotter’ than the HD800’s. They just have very different sound signatures.
In my set-up, the 1990’s are actually more ‘balanced’, with a more listenable character, especially over longer listening sessions. The bass and the sub-bass are better with the 1990’s IMO, although has already been stated, the mids are a little more recessed with the Beyers.
I actually use the two together in my set-up. The HD800’s are my first choice for classical. But for everything else, the 1990’s are my first port-of-call. Except maybe jazz? Then the Beyer T1.2 reign supreme!

 

[FND_UA]

If the DT 1990 has sharper highs then I'm definitely not purchasing it.

Highly depends on your amp also. Would be nice to listen to them in your system to know for sure.

 

[Sekka]

Highly depends on your amp also. Would be nice to listen to them in your system to know for sure.

What is a cheap amp that might help with sibilance? Guessing the DT1990 might pair well with tubes. There's more sibilance than I would like with my Magni/Modi combo

The real problem is probably inherent in the specific recordings, but if there is something that can smooth it over without hurting the perceived detail it would definitely be worth looking at.

 

[WildStyle-R11]

What is a cheap amp that might help with sibilance? Guessing the DT1990 might pair well with tubes. There's more sibilance than I would like with my Magni/Modi combo

The real problem is probably inherent in the specific recordings, but if there is something that can smooth it over without hurting the perceived detail it would definitely be worth looking at.

I kinda stepped on this as well, when I got them. These headphones are made for studio work, detecting bad parts in recording and such, They are inherently made to pick that up, Regardless of how you try to counter it, it will still be there.

 

[FND_UA]

What is a cheap amp that might help with sibilance?

I don't think that a cheap amp can help here. I've tried some cheap DIY tube amps (up to 200$), and some more expensive (500$+). The Cheap amps cannot produce 1990's true bass (mighty punchy + vibration). And cannot hide sibilance that well. And with less bass you cannot normally listen to some bass demanding genres. Maybe some non-DIY can do this but... Let us take something not DIY and cheap. Yulong Daar Canary for example (which has great reviews btw). It can drive 1990 to respectable sound volume, but with little bass and flat, boring, uninvolving sound.
So, buying these is only the beginning, ideally you need 500$+ amp and 500$+ dac, and 150$+ interconnect cables. Only then you can truly enjoy their sound.

These headphones are made for studio work, detecting bad parts in recording and such, They are inherently made to pick that up, Regardless of how you try to counter it, it will still be there.

Still amp dependent. I've had the chance to listen to them with the DIY tube amp with 4xD3A tubes recently - great bass and almost no sibilance (none that I can remember). Sounded great! Destroyed poor Canary.
Here it is (in its testing enclosure): https://imgur.com/ML45goy (that's the one with 500$+ price (maybe even more expensive when released).
Hope to test them with some more expensive SS amps soon...

 

[393699]

People looking for a strong amp to power their DT1990 should take a look at the Audio-GD C2 2017 Edition, or the NFB1. The C2 is the single ended version, and the NFB1 is the balanced version. The amps have the same power output, which is massive. I own the C2, and run it with my Beyerdynamic Amiron Home. The sound quality, and synergy with the headphone is fantastic. The amps are neutral in presentation, with a slightly holographic nature to the soundstage. There is not even a hint of grain to the treble response. Everything is smooth and refined in its character. Bass is tight, impactful, deep, and defined. On high gain, the amp is loud at 24-28 on the volume on my Amiron Home. On low gain the amp volume goes from 0 to 100. On high gain, 0 to 63. Just be aware that the NFB1 will only offer the full power output when using the balanced output. If you are using the 1/4 inch jack, you will get only half the power output. On the C2, you will receive the full power output when using either the XLR or 1/4 inch jack. For the 500 US dollar level, I don't think you can do better than these amps. One thing to note, is these amps have a good burn in time. They continue to improve for the first 300 hours or so.

25 ohm: 9900MW
40 ohm: 8000MW
100 ohm: 3500MW
300 ohm: 1200MW
600 ohm: 600MW

http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/Headphoneamp/C22015/C22015EN.htm

http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/Headphoneamp/NFB1AMP/NFB1AMPEN.htm

 

[lrsdrn]

Beyerdynamic’s own A20 is a very simple amp that also powers the 1990 quite well. It takes the highs a bit without making the headphone sound dull or veiled. It complements the analytical nature of the 1990 quite nicely. Also, the build quality is superb.

 

[Hyp0xia]

Beyerdynamic’s own A20 is a very simple amp that also powers the 1990 quite well... Also, the build quality is superb.

I agree. The A20 is my first choice for driving the DT 1990 Pro. It can be had for as little as $300 if you get it at a reasonable price (MSRP is $500). I paid $320. I see the A20 as a solid-state amplifier that manages to provide some of the benefits of an OTL tube amplifier with none of the drawbacks. It performs extraordinarily well with all high impedance dynamic headphones, it produces no heat, and its build quality is phenomenal. As has been pointed out by ZMF Zach, it's not a particularly versatile amplifier in that it's not a good choice for lower impedance headphones or planars, but use it with the right headphone and I haven't heard better.

As far as tube amps go, I've used both the Schiit Valhalla 2 and the Feliks Audio Euforia with excellent results. I don't believe it's true at all that you need a $500+ tube amplifier to get excellent performance out of the DT 1990 Pro as someone above suggested. It sounds outstanding driven by the Valhalla 2. One other option and easily the most versatile is the HeadAmp Gilmore Lite Mk2, which is just a great all-rounder for most single-ended loads, including the DT 1990 Pro. The A20, Valhalla 2, and Gilmore Lite Mk2 are my top picks (Euforia is stupidly, senselessly expensive and I regret buying it).