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

[crazywipe]

I also want to upgrade from a DT990 to 1990 specifically for metal. I'm looking for even more separation, clarity in the cymbals, fast double kick pedal, guitar strings vibration......

Metal is a tricky genre. The headphone must do a lot of things good. Some metal is also pretty fast tempo, 180 bpm or more, so the PRaT (Pace, Rythm and Timing) must be there to get a good sense of fastness. To get impact on the kick drum the bass must extend deep and maybe slightly boosted. Usually metal tracks are mastered with a lot of midrange presence. Suggested EQ for rock and metal are a sort of V-shape profile.

On paper, the Dt1990 can be killer for metal. It has a somewhat V-shape profile with the very resolving tesla drivers.

Just got some new metal albums from 2019 (Cult of Luna, Car Bomb, Shadow of Intent)

I'll let you know

 

[Tsukuyomi]

Nice!

Which pads are better for metal, analitycal or balanced?

I enjoy the Analytical pads more, because it sounds cleaner and more taught. certain rifts have more of a bite to the crispness of the chords.
Balanced is nice too, gives more meat to the sound.

 

[EZAndante]

(I'm a long-time lurker and 7 month DT 1990 owner. Read the whole thread back before buying.)

I only hope that the treble is not problematic. Online there are mixed review, half of them complain about the piercing highs, the other half is fine. Hope I am in the good half

Neither I nor anyone else who's listened to my DT 1990 has been bothered by the treble spike. But that's just a matter of luck. My theory is that it's at least partly a function of a person's ear canal length and shape. Apparently, each of us has at least one resonance point in the treble, but the exact frequency is a matter of the person's particular ear canal dimensions. If your resonance falls in the 7 to 10 kHz area in which the 1990 is boosted, then you're one of the unlucky minority.

But if so, try a few ply of toilet paper inside the ear pads. If that works you can hide the toilet paper behind the ear pads. Or buy the foam inserts that Josh Valour recommends: https://www.fullcompass.com/prod/544759-akg-2260z09010-foam-earpad-disk-for-k240.

 

[saman65]

Does anyone know where or how can I get original replacement pads? only through contacting beyer?
I use A pads exclusively and recently the foam on one side is touching my ears which is annoying. I assume the pad has been pressed too much with my mishandling of it or just by using it a lot!

 

[Tsukuyomi]

Does anyone know where or how can I get original replacement pads? only through contacting beyer?
I use A pads exclusively and recently the foam on one side is touching my ears which is annoying. I assume the pad has been pressed too much with my mishandling of it or just by using it a lot!

Contact Beyer directly or visit dekoni audio for almost oem pads.

 

[crazywipe]

DT1990 in the house!

I got some time to make some pics of the new baby:

It was a used like new (4 month old) so burned-in already.

First Impressions:

The bundle is is awesome: 2 cables, carrying case. All screams premium.

Build quality is stellar
All metal and leather (maybe protein leather?)
Love the black-stealth hi-tech kinda look.

They are a very comfy headphone. Clamping force and weight are just above the dt770, but not by much.

More easy to drive than the 770-80.
Very strong magnet. My Lg V30 has no problem.

On the sound...

Take my impressions with a grain of salt because are based on a 2 hour listening, also there is the new toy syndrome on the corner...

Anyway...

I AM BLOWN AWAY

What a great headphone!

First thing, I hear no sibilance or harshness in the treble.
This was my biggest fear pre-buy.
Driver is very detailed and so fast. Sound is snappy, dynamic and clear.
You can play some complex and intricate math rock tune, the 1990 does not miss a beat.
It has a very well executed monitor like presentation.

... full review will follow!

 

[Essence STX]

@crazywipe
Congratulation on your choice! You've got one of the best. From memory i prefer the 1990 to T1 1st G that i had few years ago. Actually i even prefered DT880 to T1. 1990 with analytical pads sounds very close to 880 albeit with some obvious improvements, i.e. better transient/speed, detail retrieval, separation, transparency, more meat/body in midrange, less sibilant ...and added some incredible musicality that's indeed addictive. My biggest problem with T1 was the tonality and timbre that to my ears was simply off. It had a very strange sounding midrange that i couldn't stand the unnaturalness of guitars and drums. Regardless of connected amp SS or TUBE it's midrange WAS ALWAYS WARM and liquid and had specific liveliness. It also had metallic element to treble and sibilance was always there. It was nothing like an upgraded DT880 to my ears! Yes DT880 tonally is a bit cold and dry but has no major faults except inducing noticeable distortion at higher volume (dangerous SPL) / a bit thin midrange (lacks body) and some sibilance that can be addressed with tube amp to some degree.
Also all of the beyerdynamics tesla(first generation) had serious problem in midbass region as the impact/slam wasn't there! I still have some DT1350 around for portable use and strangely sounds so much like T1 as it has all of the mentioned traits of T1 but to the worse degree. Though it's sub bass ia awesome!

Back to the DT1990 (Tesla 2.0) i think beyer has solved some of inherent shortcomings of first generation Tesla 1.2. The midrange is NOT always warm and has no excessive liveliness. It's near dead neutral. Depending on the feed it can be warm or cold, thin or thick and has amazing ability of capturing right timbre of instruments(it gets even better after reducing the elevated treble) and vocal tonality without excessive warmness/liveliness/liquidness/smoothness of T1 that was artificial and wasn't in the source material. Someone can say T1 is more detailed/transparent/refined than DT1990 but i don't hear it so. To my ears and my understanding i guess T1 had some kind of added harmonic distortion specifically in midrange and treble that was rensponsible for perceived CLEANNESS/CLARITY/DETAIL. To me 1990 has more transparency/resolution/immediacy as it doesn't add warmth/harmonic distortion nor soften the sound like T1 does. That's absolutely normal as audiophiles priorities musicality/fun/laid backness/non fatiguing sound over accuracy(T1) and professionals seek accuracy and truth(DT1990) and beyer has got it right by putting T1 in hifi series and DT1990 in studio/reference series.

BTW i have zero experience with T1 2nd G and wanna know if there is such a huge difference between the two generation. Does recent batch of T1 2nd use Tesla 2.0 magnet or still uses Tesla 1.2? Can someone elaborate for me please?

 

[kman1211]

@crazywipe
Congratulation on your choice! You've got one of the best. From memory i prefer the 1990 to T1 1st G that i had few years ago. Actually i even prefered DT880 to T1. 1990 with analytical pads sounds very close to 880 albeit with some obvious improvements, i.e. better transient/speed, detail retrieval, separation, transparency, more meat/body in midrange, less sibilant ...and added some incredible musicality that's indeed addictive. My biggest problem with T1 was the tonality and timbre that to my ears was simply off. It had a very strange sounding midrange that i couldn't stand the unnaturalness of guitars and drums. Regardless of connected amp SS or TUBE it's midrange WAS ALWAYS WARM and liquid and had specific liveliness. It also had metallic element to treble and sibilance was always there. It was nothing like an upgraded DT880 to my ears! Yes DT880 tonally is a bit cold and dry but has no major faults except inducing noticeable distortion at higher volume (dangerous SPL) / a bit thin midrange (lacks body) and some sibilance that can be addressed with tube amp to some degree.
Also all of the beyerdynamics tesla(first generation) had serious problem in midbass region as the impact/slam wasn't there! I still have some DT1350 around for portable use and strangely sounds so much like T1 as it has all of the mentioned traits of T1 but to the worse degree. Though it's sub bass ia awesome!

Back to the DT1990 (Tesla 2.0) i think beyer has solved some of inherent shortcomings of first generation Tesla 1.2. The midrange is NOT always warm and has no excessive liveliness. It's near dead neutral. Depending on the feed it can be warm or cold, thin or thick and has amazing ability of capturing right timbre of instruments(it gets even better after reducing the elevated treble) and vocal tonality without excessive warmness/liveliness/liquidness/smoothness of T1 that was artificial and wasn't in the source material. Someone can say T1 is more detailed/transparent/refined than DT1990 but i don't hear it so. To my ears and my understanding i guess T1 had some kind of added harmonic distortion specifically in midrange and treble that was rensponsible for perceived CLEANNESS/CLARITY/DETAIL. To me 1990 has more transparency/resolution/immediacy as it doesn't add warmth/harmonic distortion nor soften the sound like T1 does. That's absolutely normal as audiophiles priorities musicality/fun/laid backness/non fatiguing sound over accuracy(T1) and professionals seek accuracy and truth(DT1990) and beyer has got it right by putting T1 in hifi series and DT1990 in studio/reference series.

BTW i have zero experience with T1 2nd G and wanna know if there is such a huge difference between the two generation. Does recent batch of T1 2nd use Tesla 2.0 magnet or still uses Tesla 1.2? Can someone elaborate for me please?

I have had the T1.2(twice), DT 1990, and Amiron Home. The T1.2 does have some softness, it's still an audiophile focused headphone, but to me it has the best tonality of all the Tesla Beyers and has a 3-dimensionality, solidity, and body to the sound that the DT 1990 and Amiron Home don't have, at least the newer T1.2's. The older T1.2 I had sounded off tonally and I preferred the DT 1990 and Amiron Home over it, some reason the new one fixes the tonality issue I had with the old one and I prefer it over the DT 1990 and Amiron Home now. The DT 1990 has a rather raw sound and is more professionally focused of course, to me my current T1.2 is more of a better Amiron Home. So either my first T1.2 was from a "weird" batch or the newer ones sound a bit different. I don't really have any experience with the T1.1. The T1 is definitely the hardest to bring out of the best of the Tesla headphones as well.

 

[kelly200269]

DT1990 in the house!

I got some time to make some pics of the new baby:




It was a used like new (4 month old) so burned-in already.

First Impressions:

The bundle is is awesome: 2 cables, carrying case. All screams premium.

Build quality is stellar
All metal and leather (maybe protein leather?)
Love the black-stealth hi-tech kinda look.

They are a very comfy headphone. Clamping force and weight are just above the dt770, but not by much.

More easy to drive than the 770-80.
Very strong magnet. My Lg V30 has no problem.

On the sound...

Take my impressions with a grain of salt because are based on a 2 hour listening, also there is the new toy syndrome on the corner...

Anyway...

I AM BLOWN AWAY

What a great headphone!

First thing, I hear no sibilance or harshness in the treble.
This was my biggest fear pre-buy.
Driver is very detailed and so fast. Sound is snappy, dynamic and clear.
You can play some complex and intricate math rock tune, the 1990 does not miss a beat.
It has a very well executed monitor like presentation.

... full review will follow!

I've used LOTS of Beyers, and I maintain that the 1990's are the best of the lot!

 

[crazywipe]

@Essence STX

Thanks for the impressions!

I had hard time with Beyerdynamic too!
I got the T51p and it had an amazing detail for an on ear. Unfortunatelly tonality was off.

The dt770 32 was too sharp with loose bass. Mids too weird and pushed back. In all honesty I was very impressed on first listen... I start notice problems after some days..

The dt150 was interesting, It's a Beyer with a Sennheiser like sound signature. Excellent for vocals.
Pads are uncomfortable, highs a bit lacking. Anyway it was the Beyer I liked the most.

Until I got the dt770-80... that had put to shame my hd58x

Found a good deal on the 1990, quickly sold the 58x.

For 290 eur, this sound quality is unbeliaveble. To be honest my main headphone was the hd600 for a long time, and I struggled to find a good upgrade, the 1990 fits the bill completely. At least fot the moment...

Do you think the 1990 scales a lot with better better anplification?

To me It sounds amazing with LGV30 or Dragonfly Red.If it's worth maybe I can get an external amp.

I found that the hd25 is very close to the 1990 sound signature. I'd say 80% similar. They got somewhat same spirit.

 

[Essence STX]

@Essence STX

Thanks for the impressions!

I had hard time with Beyerdynamic too!
I got the T51p and it had an amazing detail for an on ear. Unfortunatelly tonality was off.

The dt770 32 was too sharp with loose bass. Mids too weird and pushed back. In all honesty I was very impressed on first listen... I start notice problems after some days..

The dt150 was interesting, It's a Beyer with a Sennheiser like sound signature. Excellent for vocals.
Pads are uncomfortable, highs a bit lacking. Anyway it was the Beyer I liked the most.

Until I got the dt770-80... that had put to shame my hd58x

Found a good deal on the 1990, quickly sold the 58x.

For 290 eur, this sound quality is unbeliaveble. To be honest my main headphone was the hd600 for a long time, and I struggled to find a good upgrade, the 1990 fits the bill completely. At least fot the moment...

Do you think the 1990 scales a lot with better better anplification?

To me It sounds amazing with LGV30 or Dragonfly Red.If it's worth maybe I can get an external amp.

I found that the hd25 is very close to the 1990 sound signature. I'd say 80% similar. They got somewhat same spirit.

You're welcome! I'm glad you like it as much as i do. Honestly DT 1990 has very efficient tesla drivers and while it deserve better amplification i didn't notice a night and day difference in swapping between different portable or desktop amp. But obviously something so portable like the Dragonfly red without enough voltage swing is not sufficient to bring out the maximum capability(dynamic, visceral impact, soundstage) I would say it's worth to upgrade to a better amp. I think the amp section of the ifi micro idsd BL is able to drive this headphone by 90%. I have plan to go with either idsd+THX789 or straight to the dac/amp RME ADI-2 PRO alone as it is future proof and is able to drive any headphones out there. I'm not interested in euphony/euphoric/coloration so tube amp is a no-go for me.

 

[megabigeye]

For 290 eur, this sound quality is unbeliaveble. To be honest my main headphone was the hd600 for a long time, and I struggled to find a good upgrade, the 1990 fits the bill completely. At least fot the moment...

Do you think the 1990 scales a lot with better better anplification?

To me It sounds amazing with LGV30 or Dragonfly Red.If it's worth maybe I can get an external amp.

Wow! Great price! To me the DT 1990 are worth retail, but half of that is amazing!

I definitely find that they scale some with additional power/voltage, but, honestly, don't expect miracles compared to what the DFR can provide. The DT 1990 really don't need all that much to drive them– using the FiiO E12A to me sounds about the same as using my PeachTree nova65SE, which provides significantly more power, but both sound a bit better than using the DFR. I do find that tubes add a bit of flavor, though.

My advice? Don't worry about how good your cans might theoretically sound. Worry about how much you currently enjoy them. If you like 'em with your phone and DFR, that's awesome! Stick with it! Keep enjoying your setup until you don't anymore, and only upgrade when there's something specific that you want to improve.

 

[crazywipe]

Wow! Great price! To me the DT 1990 are worth retail, but half of that is amazing!

I definitely find that they scale some with additional power/voltage, but, honestly, don't expect miracles compared to what the DFR can provide. The DT 1990 really don't need all that much to drive them– using the FiiO E12A to me sounds about the same as using my PeachTree nova65SE, which provides significantly more power, but both sound a bit better than using the DFR. I do find that tubes add a bit of flavor, though.

My advice? Don't worry about how good your cans might theoretically sound. Worry about how much you currently enjoy them. If you like 'em with your phone and DFR, that's awesome! Stick with it! Keep enjoying your setup until you don't anymore, and only upgrade when there's something specific that you want to improve.

Thanks for the comment!

I Use them mostly with my v30 (basically same output of dragonfly red)
I got also a dragonfly red at home, I was wondering if was good to invest in some kind of amp to pair with the dfr. Something like the magni3, jds atom, liquid spark. (I like good things on budget!)
Or maybe a little dot mk2.

Really enjoy them on the v30 and dfr.

 

[megabigeye]

Thanks for the comment!

I Use them mostly with my v30 (basically same output of dragonfly red)
I got also a dragonfly red at home, I was wondering if was good to invest in some kind of amp to pair with the dfr. Something like the magni3, jds atom, liquid spark. (I like good things on budget!)
Or maybe a little dot mk2.

Really enjoy them on the v30 and dfr.

No problem!

Like I said, there's some benefit in using a more powerful amp, but whether or not that's worth the extra money is entirely up to you. I think if all I knew was the DT 1990 with the DFR, I'd be perfectly happy.

Another way to put it is, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

[crazywipe]

Funny thing: I thought all the time the balanced pads were on.
After, I discovered that all my listening impressions were with the analytical pads (what the previous owner was using prior to ship the headphone)

So, I tried the balanced pads.
In all honesty I did not like the sound. Mids were pushed back, bass was too strong.
Funny thing the analytical pads sounda more balaced than balanced pads lol

I'll keep the analytical pads on, no doubt!