Beyerdynamic T90 Discussion and Support Thread
Jul 27, 2015 at 8:08 PM Post #3,106 of 4,487
  It is very hard to tell. It highly depends on what amp you use to power your headphones. T90 is quite hard to drive. 

I would have to respectfully disagree with that statement sir. For 250 ohms they are quite sensitive and I can easily drive them to loud volumes. I currently use a Schiit Magni 2 Uber that I had before I even got my T90s and they drive them really easily. By hard to drive you probably mean that they are picky with source material, but using a solid state amp like the Magni 2 Uber should at least give an accurate representation of the sound signature of these. So I don't think my source is actually the problem here sir because even using the same source the Ultrasone still manages to have the clearer sound making The T90s sound a bit subdued and muddier in return. The only thing I can give the T90s in reference to sound at this stage is a slightly better soundstage & imaging, but my pair seems to fall short in the actual sound it's supposed to give out. especially from the midrange to highs. 
 
Jul 27, 2015 at 11:05 PM Post #3,107 of 4,487
Driving them correctly is not about making them loud its about making them get enough power to sound the way they should. I can plug my HE-500 into my receiver and I can get them loud but that means nothing when they sound awful when using the receiver headphone output in compare to my Gustard H10 or Asgard 2 I had.
 
Applies to the T90 as well it just doesn't take as much to get them driven but they still need something supplying them with enough power so they can shine. plugging them into something that get them super loud means nothing if the device doesn't let them shine but instead have them perform horrible do to them not being driven or a good match with the amp.Unless your are trying to use them as Desktop speakers, then it would make more sense using them on a amp that can do them justice not on something that throw loud mess at you.
 
Jul 28, 2015 at 12:01 AM Post #3,108 of 4,487
Are the Magni 2 Uber not adequate enough to let me at least get a proper feel for the T90s particular sound ? I know they aren't the highest of high end by any means but still good for what they are. I see your theory but the problem I have with hifi is the fact that they charge so much for a said headphone and require you to get a specific amp to "bring out the proper sound" according to the headphone manufacturers themselves, in other words amps screwed up enough to fix the faults in their headphones. Everyone has different preferences but given the price they charge you shouldn't have to buy a "special" amp to get that "proper sound". In the ideal world higher end headphones should  perform well using a neutral solid performing solid state amp, and from there you can choose if you want to alter that sound yourself with another amp. The fact that a tube amp is usually (not always) recommended for the T90 is a clear indication that there is a flaw with the headphones. What's even sadder is that with it they still have the nerve to price it at over 600 on Amazon. I'm well aware of the fact that Beyer aren't the only ones to do it but somethings in hifi need to change. I don't mean to sound rude just calling it like I see it. Please feel free to enlighten me on any improper information I may have.
 
Jul 28, 2015 at 2:06 AM Post #3,109 of 4,487
I didn't realize that you had a Magni 2 til now than that's another story as the Magni 2 uber is a good amp for the price and should be more then enough for the T90's. Now if it was the Beyerdynamic Dt880 premium 600 then you might have a problem key word might as I seen people using the M2 Uber with their DT880 premium600s and are perfectly happy unless they feel that they are missing something which how I was when i switched from the NFB15.32 hp amp output to the little dot MK2 tube amp and later the bifrost uber with the tube amp.
 
Are you not finding the T90 sounding the way that you wanted with your schiit stack or was it something else. Because people tend to use a amp or a tube amp to tone down the T90 if they find it too bright and if i recall to improve the sound imaging of the T90 or something else , i just don't remember as I haven't gone thru tube amp threads for the T90 in long time. 
 
If there not too bright to you and you enjoy them then there no reason to be alarm when another person finds them to be too bright. Because people ears are different. But some times having a dac and amp combination can cause the T90 brightness to be way too much then the norm, Which I have experienced when I tried the T90 with the bifrost uber and asgard 2 I used for the HE-500. As the T90 are bright headphones, For me I liked them more when i toned the brightness down but I was better off just switching headphones after that vaccum tube rolling madness I went thru, my wallet thanks me.
 
The reason why there are people suggesting specific dac amp pairings is because of they found that the headphone worked very good for them in this pairing. While that same pairing that they used, another user might not like it all. Unwanted results can come from a dac amp pairing that doesn't sit too well with the headphones but mainly do to the sound signature of the dac, amp and the headphone with the final results, one device that isn't a good match will cause very poor results. Such as Using a Bifrost uber, A asgard 2 with a T90 which will cause ear shattering brightness like I mentioned,while that same exact pairing will make a HE-500 pleasing.
 
 
Edit: zeke you could switch headphones because you might not like them because all it matters is if your happy or not, i would suggest you try some HE-500s as you might like those. I switched from the T90's my self to the HE-500 due to getting tired of the T90 brightness, even tho i loved the headphones. My left ear didnt agree with the brightness do to HF tinnitus.
 
Jul 28, 2015 at 11:06 AM Post #3,110 of 4,487
Tube OTL amps are usually recommended for high impedance headphones. Nothing to do with taming the brightness.
 
@Zeke, you already got some really good advice and insight here:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/287325/minneapolis-meet/270#post_11665989
http://www.head-fi.org/t/607079/beyerdynamic-t90-d/2985#post_11645627
It is very hard to troubleshoot your issue because of so many factors.
 
If you ask me i think you should sell T90 because it seems you are struggling with it since May.
 
Jul 28, 2015 at 2:22 PM Post #3,111 of 4,487
Just finished a Crack OTL with Speedball and T90's are a 10 out of a 10.
 
Absolute stunning....not even bass light or over trebly......they are as close to perfect as I have ever heard....
 
Alex
 
Jul 28, 2015 at 5:46 PM Post #3,113 of 4,487
I didn't realize that you had a Magni 2 til now than that's another story as the Magni 2 uber is a good amp for the price and should be more then enough for the T90's. Now if it was the Beyerdynamic Dt880 premium 600 then you might have a problem key word might as I seen people using the M2 Uber with their DT880 premium600s and are perfectly happy unless they feel that they are missing something which how I was when i switched from the NFB15.32 hp amp output to the little dot MK2 tube amp and later the bifrost uber with the tube amp.

Are you not finding the T90 sounding the way that you wanted with your schiit stack or was it something else. Because people tend to use a amp or a tube amp to tone down the T90 if they find it too bright and if i recall to improve the sound imaging of the T90 or something else , i just don't remember as I haven't gone thru tube amp threads for the T90 in long time. 

If there not too bright to you and you enjoy them then there no reason to be alarm when another person finds them to be too bright. Because people ears are different. But some times having a dac and amp combination can cause the T90 brightness to be way too much then the norm, Which I have experienced when I tried the T90 with the bifrost uber and asgard 2 I used for the HE-500. As the T90 are bright headphones, For me I liked them more when i toned the brightness down but I was better off just switching headphones after that vaccum tube rolling madness I went thru, my wallet thanks me.

The reason why there are people suggesting specific dac amp pairings is because of they found that the headphone worked very good for them in this pairing. While that same pairing that they used, another user might not like it all. Unwanted results can come from a dac amp pairing that doesn't sit too well with the headphones but mainly do to the sound signature of the dac, amp and the headphone with the final results, one device that isn't a good match will cause very poor results. Such as Using a Bifrost uber, A asgard 2 with a T90 which will cause ear shattering brightness like I mentioned,while that same exact pairing will make a HE-500 pleasing.


Edit: zeke you could switch headphones because you might not like them because all it matters is if your happy or not, i would suggest you try some HE-500s as you might like those. I switched from the T90's my self to the HE-500 due to getting tired of the T90 brightness, even tho i loved the headphones. My left ear didnt agree with the brightness do to HF tinnitus.


Thanks for the thorough and detailed explanation sir. I'm definitely looking into other headphones but wanted to give the T90s as much of a chance as I could.

There was a variety of headphones up to the Stax Sr009, & He-1000 last time ( a bit out of my price range, haha) but a great opportunity to get a feel for what I may enjoy. I'm looking to be blown away. Hopefully I'll be able to find a bottlehead crack there as well!

On another note, any other headphones at the level of the T90s or higher that has really wowed anyone in this thread?
 
Jul 28, 2015 at 6:18 PM Post #3,114 of 4,487
For me it was the Hifiman HE-500 that I have right now for a long while now. They will work just fine with your Magni 2 uber. They might be a bit heavy but their weight doesn't bother me but I do have a snap on headband pad on them to even out the weight.  I was much more happier with the HE-500 then I was with the T90 and I have compared both and wished I Picked the HE-500 over the T90 the first time.
 
Jul 28, 2015 at 10:11 PM Post #3,117 of 4,487
102 dB SPL at 500 Hz at 1 mW.
1 mW is 500 mV at 250 Ω, thus 1V is 4 mW or +6 dBm into 250 Ω, so 1V gives 108 dB SPL.
 
The crack: Maximum output is about 10V rms (28V pk-pk) before clipping into a 300 ohm load.
 
Earsplitting levels with this amp as well as the O2 and ODA no issue whatsoever....
 
Alex
 
Jul 29, 2015 at 5:20 AM Post #3,119 of 4,487
I have 2 O2/ODACS and they dp very well with the normal gains...never have to use the 6+ gain. I mostly use the unity gain setting and it sounds great.
 
The new element has great specs and should play them very well also.
 
Alex
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top