[tigerdx619]

 first of all i am not an audiophile , but i found myself not enjoying any headphone much and that i want something more , i think a better soundstage would impress me .
 
so i decided to buy the creative Zx as my new sound card since a lot people said that there's no big difference between it and the higher ones (ZxR , Essence)

for the headphone i came down to two choices that have awesome sale price now and both satisfy my needs ( as i think )
Senn HD598 187$
BD DT990pro 250 145$


so which one do you recommend , i will try to describe my sound listening profile
soundstage : most important thing but if it is artifial i would hate )
Bass          : tight, precise not overhelming ( i am not a BASShead but i don't like flat sound signature )
Treble         : Not to sparkly
 
some stuff  i listen to 

NIghtwish , Pinkfloyd , Bon Jovi , Yanni 

i would like to hear your recommendations , and if cours if anyone tried one of these please tell me your experience
if anyone tried both it would be great to describe the difference 


Thanks in advance

 

[Me x3]

Hi,
 
DT990 is a great headphone, but not suitable for your tastes. This are definitely bright, sparkly and high resolution headphones that sound great with the best audiophile recoordings (Mostly classical, acoustic and jazz) but tend to sound thin and sibilant with most modern (over-bright/compressed) music. Any flaw in the recording will be highlighted, and you'll find yourself hating your new headphones or your favourite recordings.
 
HD598 on the other side are pretty forgiving headphones and smooth in comparison, the treble on these match your requeriments pretty well. The only problem with these headphones is that they have pretty neutral bass. They seem to be a very good pick, and your hearing would simply get used to their bass quantity after some hours of listening (probably around 20), but if you are really looking for punchy bass, then this aren't probably your cup of tea.
 
In that case you should consider Yamaha HPH-200, this are very good for rock, Nightwish sound amazing trough this headphones (Warm but explosive and detailed). Soundstage is also pretty good, I wouldn't call it smaller, because it can be quite big and airy with some tracks but it's more in your face sometimes, it also has to do with the lively sound signature. Treble is a bit sparkly, but not unforgiving and sibilant like DT990's treble. It is also important to mention that you gain portability but loose a bit of confort in comparison. I like my HPH-200 very much for the artists you've listed.
 
Best Luck!

 

[tigerdx619]

  Hi,
 
DT990 is a great headphone, but not suitable for your tastes. This are definitely bright, sparkly and high resolution headphones that sound great with the best audiophile recoordings (Mostly classical, acoustic and jazz) but tend to sound thin and sibilant with most modern (over-bright/compressed) music. Any flaw in the recording will be highlighted, and you'll find yourself hating your new headphones or your favourite recordings.
 
HD598 on the other side are pretty forgiving headphones and smooth in comparison, the treble on these match your requeriments pretty well. The only problem with these headphones is that they have pretty neutral bass. They seem to be a very good pick, and your hearing would simply get used to their bass quantity after some hours of listening (probably around 20), but if you are really looking for punchy bass, then this aren't probably your cup of tea.
 
In that case you should consider Yamaha HPH-200, this are very good for rock, Nightwish sound amazing trough this headphones (Warm but explosive and detailed). Soundstage is also pretty good, I wouldn't call it smaller, because it can be quite big and airy with some tracks but it's more in your face sometimes, it also has to do with the lively sound signature. Treble is a bit sparkly, but not unforgiving and sibilant like DT990's treble. It is also important to mention that you gain portability but loose a bit of confort in comparison. I like my HPH-200 very much for the artists you've listed.
 
Best Luck!

You helped a lot but i would be glad if i could ask some specific questions

For DT990 
1- is the treble that sparkly ?
2- you said that they [ tend to sound thin and sibilant with most modern (over-bright/compressed) music ] , but i would listen to the band in 24bit quality , or did you mean something else

For HD598
i listened to them in a store , i listened to them on my xperia mobile , they had a very OK bass 
would they sound much better with my choice DAC/Amp (Creative Zx)

For Yamaha
would they be uncomfortable like portable closed phone (making me sweet and burning my ears)

thanks again
 

 

[Me x3]

  You helped a lot but i would be glad if i could ask some specific questions

For DT990 
1- is the treble that sparkly ?
2- you said that they [ tend to sound thin and sibilant with most modern (over-bright/compressed) music ] , but i would listen to the band in 24bit quality , or did you mean something else

For HD598
i listened to them in a store , i listened to them on my xperia mobile , they had a very OK bass 
would they sound much better with my choice DAC/Amp (Creative Zx)

For Yamaha
would they be uncomfortable like portable closed phone (making me sweet and burning my ears)

thanks again
 

 
DT990
1- Yes. This are really bright headphones. DT880 sound smooth and neutral in comparison (And DT880s are also quite bright headphones)
2- File quality has nothing to do with recording quality. File quality is not that important as far as you use (Good transcodes) at least 16bits/44Khz lossy files.
 
http://www.whatinterviewprep.com/prepare-for-the-interview/transcodes/
 
Recording quality is maybe as important as headphones/speakers quality. Most audiophile recordings shine with this headphones. As a reference:
 
Vivaldi - The Four Seasons - Seiji Ozawa - Boston Symphony Orchestra (TELARC)
Tsuyoshi Yamamoto - Autumn In Seattle (XRCD)
Anne Akiko Meyers - AIR - The Bach Album - English Chamber Orchestra
Zhao Cong - Dance in the Moon
Diana Krall -  When I Look in Your Eyes (Verve)
Mstislav Rostropovich - Bach Cello Suites
Most recordings by Chesky Records and Harmonia Mundi
 
Dynamic Range is often an interesting parameter. Here you have a good database:
http://www.dr.loudness-war.info/
 
Most modern recordings are compressed and don't have good dynamic range. Some headphones are tuned to give their best with modern (non audiophile) genres/music. Definitely not the case of DT990.
 
 
HD598
They will sound better with good quality DAC and Amp, but differences in my experience are not that big in terms of frequency response. Purity, soundstage and detail are often the most clear improvements.
 
 
Yamaha HPH-200
Confort and fit is a pretty personal thing, being fully open cans with velour-like earpads they don't feel like most closed back on ears which are designed to provide good isolation. Despite this are not as confortable as HD598 and DT990 they aren't incomfortable to me, but again this is a pretty personal thing, maybe someone with big head and sensible ears could hate this kind of headphones.

 

[r010159]

I find the DT990s to be a bit too emphasized with the bass for my taste. And the treble is too bright. i get the best bass presentation with my DT880pPremium, particularly by hooking it up to a good amp. A good DAC/ amp can make a noticeable difference, particularly if you are coming from a iPhone or iPad setup.

Bob Graham