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

[fuzydice]

i think my 580s sound veiled, but they definitely don't sound bad. Far from it. Good point.

 

[bendurrr]

Thanks for the review and great pics.

 

[silverrain]

.

 

[euclid]

its possible, that would mean a whole batch of drivers has to go bad becuase the left driver didnt sound different to the right, but i did not notice the screaching highs in the DT-990 i also couldnt get as much power through them.

i am willing to write it off as a combination of me trying to drive them too hard and loud, having better sounding headphones on hand, and maybe something about my setup neutered them, although the Meridian 500 series is often praised for smoothnees in detail and a warmer/fuller sounding midrange and lowend, ive never heard it described as flat sounding. i will try some different interconnects this weekend and see if that makes any difference with in the top end of the AD2000, i would definitely notice a change in the highs with the AT's but it would be harder to detect with the HD650.

there have been a few people in this thread who seem to agree somewhat with my impressions, maybe not completely, but if there was nobody who heard the same characteristics as i did i would be more anxious to try again. i will make an effort to get another pair of Dt-880 if i decide to buy another tube amp at some point, the Woo6 is tempting.

edit: i also wanted to clarify that while i said the DT-880 were not detailed enough i did not mean they dont have forward crisp and clear highs, they definitely do, what i am trying to say is the actual detail retrieval is not as good as some people claim and the decay is a major weakness. what it does reproduce is done very clearly but there is notch or two above that detail that is lost on the drivers, the same is true with the bass, its deep and i can hear it but there are textures and decay within each sound that are glossed over and lost with the Beyers, thats mainly what gives music character and emotion, otherwise it all sounds the same a cymbol is a cymbol, or a horn is a horn, a thump is a thump.

 

[Towert7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by upstateguy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Whadaya think? USG

I doubt it. The beyer quality control is pretty good from what I've seen, and they are mass produced (relatively speaking). My gut feeling says he just doesn't like them, though they were probably every bit the same as all the rest. ^_^

 

[s.a.b.]

I use the 880 ('03) and the 990 ('05) with the Benchmark DAC1, including its amp.

My experience differs vastly from euclid's, to say the least. One point in particular is that I find the 990s to be a bit brighter than the 880s, which I believe is consistent with the measurements posted on Headroom.

 

[Aptom]

Good review. But I think both DT990 and DT880 are great cans, and they might be the best in that price level.

 

[liamlw]

can't fault my pair of dt880 05' hehe.

very nice and extremely comfortable.

 

[wrecked_porsche]

Let me add my 2 cents worth too...

Nice review, very nicely organized, BUT I found that the DT990 was the one with the sibilance and not the DT880. I tested them side by side and both were the 250ohm 2005 version. I liked the DT880. I hated the DT990. Sibilance was VERY obvious within 3 seconds of putting the DT990s on my head.

Oh well, as we all know, audio is very subjective, so...

 

[d-cee]

At $150 the '03 DT880s were even better value for money =)

 

[SemiAudiophile]

i completely agree with this review. i have both 2005 (or 2002) edition 250 ohms versions. the dt880 is clearly the winner by default just because the trebles on the dt990 are ridiculously awful and the bass is booming but not quality bass. i thought they both sounded pretty good at first but as i upgraded my system, they just didn't compare in refinement such as the HD650s or K701s. i really liked the dt880s, but after listening to the k701s, it just doesn't have the smooth midrange, big soundstage, and detail that the k701s do.

BUT...they do win as the most comfortable headphones i have tried on so far.

i'm still looking to sell them. if anyone wants a pair, PM me. i give you special offer.

 

[CagedTiger]

I recently got tired of my over-a-decade-old Sennheiser HD600 and decided to upgrade. I primarily use headphones whilst watching TV/DVD/BD via a decent Corda headphone amp. Based on the threads here, I got the impression that for a movie headhphone set, Beyerdynamic would be the way to go. I was so anxious to get new headphones, that I did a little less research than usual, and ordered a pair of DT-990 2005's via Internet (haven't arrived yet).

Now, I found this thread and started to think... Did I make a huge mistake? Here people seem to prefer DT-880. I mean these cans are going to be used in movie watching and bass is a good thing (I felt bass was the thing HD 600 was always lacking). However, some of you say that the bass of DT-990 2005 is something almost like those cheap boomboxes offer (not a quality bass, a boomy and cheap-sounding bass). So did I make a mistake?

I certainly wanted to go with Beyer-route as I already own a Corda-amp, and it is my understanding that Sennheisers and Beyers go very well with a Corda. I didn't want to upgrade to HD 650 as they are almost the same as HD 600, and while I have loved my HD 600 with their great comfort and nice sound, I want a change. AKG-headphones have been praised a lot, even as movie cans, but I can't afford 702 and overall I just don't like the design that much (701). Of course there's always the Denons, but I feel they are way overpriced.

So from what I understand DT-990 2005s have bass and are very comfortable, and go together with a Corda amp. However, did I just spend too much when I could have bought a better set of cans in DT-880 2005's for less money? Or did I make the right choice?

EDIT: I also know you can get DT-990 Pro's which are an amazing deal, but I just don't like the look of them. Bare in mind that I'm the type of guy who will buy something and stick with it until it's broken. I wanted to buy the best cans I could (although I cannot affors cans like, say, Denon 5000), and I just felt, bases on opinions in the Net, that DT-990 2005s would be a kind of an ultimate in movie cans.

 

[QQQ]

Quote:

I recently got tired of my over-a-decade-old Sennheiser HD600 and decided to upgrade.

then
Quote:

DT 990

=FAIL
It's downgrade, considerable downgrade.

 

[CagedTiger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by QQQ /img/forum/go_quote.gif then =FAIL It's downgrade, considerable downgrade.

Yeah, but I've never read anywhere that HD 600's would be recommended as movie cans. Moreover, my own experiences with them left me feeling that something is lacking (perhaps it the bass or something).

Anyway, my HD 600's are so old now and I'm tired of replacing the cable every six months... So a new headphone set I want and I just can't afford Denon 5000's or such.

 

[QQQ]

D5000 is not upgrade either.
Nobody recommends hd 600 for movies because they are so great and musical and people think about movie cans like..."something inexpensive and comfy, like hd 555"