Beyerdynamic DT-880 and DT-990 review (pics)

[greggf]

euclid,

I agree with towert7. Reviews will cause criticism. But that's a GOOD thing, not a bad thing.

I appreciate your views, even though I have Beyers on the way! Keep reviewing stuff!

 

[finbad]

euclid,

I agree with towert7. & greggf in that Critical Reviews will cause criticism. But that's a GOOD thing, not a bad thing.

I appreciate your views too.... Keep reviewing stuff least we all sound like , ummm, what's that watered down rag that can see , nor hear , nor say no wrong in audio, whats their name

Take Care~

 

[cotdt]

the DT990 is probably just the DT880 drivers with mass added to load up the bass. to me, they are tonally the same, but obviously the DT990 has more bass emphasis. the k701 and DT880 is very similar, but the K701 is more detailed. notes are more clearly separated with the K701s.

 

[fuzydice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by euclid /img/forum/go_quote.gif ill keep my opinions to myself from now on because comments are becoming insults. nobody has heard a word ive said...

You wrote a very detailed review which laid out an opinion on two very popular headphones that goes against what a lot of people here think, and you didn't expect any kind of fireworks? Honestly, the responses (except for one) are not very insulting, and if it were me posting the review you wrote, I would have expected significantly greater hostility.

Tucking your tail between your legs contradicts posting the review in the first place. You wrote it to do headfi a service, and the service is well appreciated. If you don't want to deal with the criticism, don't; your review stands on its own in my opinion, though I disagree with nearly all of it. Headfi is, *gasp*, not about science in this regard: it's a place where two people can totally disagree on a pair of headphones and both are not only allowed to keep their separate opinions, but it's actually encouraged! Sure there are cat fights every now and then, but those only help prospective buyers see that they probably need to listen and do more homework before they buy.

Don't get mad or upset, this reaction should have been anticipated and braced-for. Your review and opinion are fine (IMO ) and your pictures are outstanding. I like reading reviews that go against the tide, but those who write them need to understand what they're getting into. It's only a forum on the internet

 

[cooperpwc]

Not sure if I'm the one singled out for being rude; I thought that I was being appropriately direct. Okay I'll be especially polite now:

In your implied statement at post #44 above that the DT880 has boomy bass, you were presenting one in a myriad of alternative but equally valid opinions.

Good luck!

 

[denl82]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fuzydice /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sure there are cat fights every now and then, but those only help prospective buyers see that they probably need to listen and do more homework before they buy.

Exactly. This is what head-fi is so great for: you can never say, after doing sufficient research on this forum, that you didn't learn 99% of what was to be learned about a particular headphone(minus actually listening to it), because there are just so many varying opinions and experiences on that said headphone!

 

[mariowar]

I did not take me long to realize that if you are a Sennheiser fan, you probably find the Beyers, either too bright , too bassy, and to colored. On the other hand, if you love the Beyers' sound signature ( I love it !!), you probably find the Sennheisers' signature, too flat, lifeless, and veiled in the top end.
The bottom line is that you have to be careful to match any of these headphones to the right amp and source to make them shine.
I own an Emmelie Xp7 and Nad C542 and my Dt990's are the best headphones I have ever had the pleasure to enjoy at low volume levels with my modest setup. I have tried the top Grados, Sennheiser Hd590, 600 and 650 and tha AKG 501.
The 600 and 650 sounded too veiled in the top end (IMHO). The Grados provided very good mids and highs, but I did not like their bass depth and comfort.
The Beyers DT880's just did not cut it in the bass department.
Some headfiers just pick on headphones that are not totally flat considering them not accurate. However, I think that the term accuracy is often misleading. You either have a lightly colored headphones with a flat source and amp like in my particular case, or have a lightly colored source and amp to make flat headphones shine. Just my 2 cents.

 

[aphex944]

Quote:

Originally Posted by euclid /img/forum/go_quote.gif the GS-X is not bright with the AD-2000 and they are the most revealingly detailed and sensitive headphones i have heard,

See, it's just the opposite on my setup. I got a chance to listen to the AD2000 at the NC meet today, and with the AD2000 everything was muffled, lacking in detail, and the upper midrange was bloated and grainy. The DT 880 in direct comparison was so much livelier, and SO much more resolving. Details that were heard with the DT 880 were completely smeared in the AD2000. I even tried them on several completely different source/amp combinations just to make sure what I was hearing was consistent.

As others have mentioned, you wrote a really good review with some excellent photography. Reviews like yours are great because they show the vast differences people hear in components, and give prospective buyers a warning that they need to both audition first, and make sure their system will match well.

 

[shigzeo]

i like the computer-screen effects! very creative

 

[musicmind]

Thanks for the comparative review, I found it useful to hear your opinion coming from a Sennheiser reference.

 

[euclid]

understood, im sorry for losing my temper over a few replies. i reread the enitre thread and its only been a few posts undermining without adding much to the discussion. considering the Beyers do have a strong following here there could definitely be more flaming than there is now and i overreacted.

is it possible that those who are largley impressed with the Beyers dont listen to them as loud as some of us that try to push them harder? not to keep going back on the Senn topic but the more power the Senns are fed the better they sound, and while listenning at low levels they do sound very uninvolving.

the Beyers seem to be the opposite, as i said in the first post at lower levels they do sound decent in my setup but IMHO its too low to enjoy music, when i turn them up to expand the size and depth of the soundstage they do not take the power well. thats when the highs become etched in the DT-880 and the bass is overboosted in the DT-990, with better balance in each model the mids could be raised to a more involving level, in both headphones the mids are recessed in volume but it is because of the opposite sonic limitations for each headphone.

regarding aphex944 post about the AD2000, i noticed while watching a less than stellar movie with the AD2000 that in the dialougue in a particular scene i was picking up some sort of grainy artifact. it was a DVD mastering issue. i switched to the DT-880 which hardly picked it up at all, if i had not just heard it on the AD2000 i would not have noticed it on the Dt-880. that sounds like a good credit to the DT-880 but ultimately they were not as detailed or honest to the source material. in that situation it was beneficial to obscure an artifact but with a well recorded disc that does not have flaws it simply means there is a level of detail that is not resolved by the DT-880. the AD2k are much faster headphones and its possibe your experience is coming from source material or components that the DT-880 handled better by smoothing over.

 

[Skylab]

Quote:

Originally Posted by euclid /img/forum/go_quote.gif is it possible that those who are largley impressed with the Beyers dont listen to them as loud as some of us that try to push them harder? not to keep going back on the Senn topic but the more power the Senns are fed the better they sound, and while listenning at low levels they do sound very uninvolving. the Beyers seem to be the opposite, as i said in the first post at lower levels they do sound decent in my setup but IMHO its too low to enjoy music, when i turn them up to expand the size and depth of the soundstage they do not take the power well. thats when the highs become etched in the DT-880 and the bass is overboosted in the DT-990, with better balance in each model the mids could be raised to a more involving level, in both headphones the mids are recessed in volume but it is because of the opposite sonic limitations for each headphone.

I think that this is VERY possible - I certainly listen at lower levels than a lot of head-fiers, and I do think this is one reason that I really love Beyers - they still sound excellent at lower levels.

 

[Morph201]

Ok, that's making me a little nervous... I assume you're listening at around 9 on the Opera, Skylab, with the DT990? I'm used to listening between 12 and 2, so I assume the HD650s would be the better mate???

 

[finbad]

Well yes, here you have hit upon a variable in our preferances which definatly plays a major role in our at ear experience, where the amp matched also plays a definitive role IME...

Keep in mind, I was using the 990s as my ROCK genere application phone. Insert here also these recordings of mine, although lossless format, may have also contribuited to my experience.

Although, in direct comparison with my other phones (everything downstream remaining the same) the 990s presented as you describe in your review. Also, this finding was consistant with each of my amps, even when I preamped with my Foreplay, with what I consider to be my most rolled off HF tubes. Again, at the volume I prefer Rock to be presented, LOUDLY, but what I consider safe levels !

And perhaps this is why I identified with your assesment in your review with regards to the 990s, and others have a much different experience. Also, I will add at these levels perhaps (although I do not necessarily believe so in my case) amps may be overdriven adding to the problematic presentation of the 990s. we describe, maybe (?)...

At any rate, I stand by your conclusions, verified by my experience, relative to my other gear used, caveat being my "preferances".

Very useful discussion in which I am sure, we will be next pulling out SPL meters and such.
However, mine are real world applications for the fun phone in the Beyer lineup, I wanted to use as my Rock phone in my systems with my music... Totally superceded in every way but comfort perhaps,and even at low listening levels by my RS-2s . Which are not at all uncomfortable for myself, although do cost a considerable amount more of course.

Again, YMMV due to nearly infinite variables... However, maybe not!!!

 

[euclid]

i listen with the volume at 6-7 o'clock (maxxed) in low/unity gain with the DT-990. 3'oclock in med gain with the DT-880, i couldnt get enough volume in unity gain for the DT-880. i listen to the AD2000 at around 2 o'clock in unity gain and the HD650 at 6'clock in unity gain so the DT-880 needed the most power out of the 4 and i still couldnt get the midrange to life. i also listen to my speakers at about 4-5 o'clock in unity gain with alot of headroom.

edit: your comments are very much appreciated Hi-Finthen, or maybe we are both just insane.