Beyerdynamic T90 Discussion and Support Thread

[AzraelDarkangel]

I should try the 1540 pads on the T90 and see if they fit better than the Audeze. The Audeze pads are so loose, they fall off easily.

 

[caenlenfromOCN]

I should try the 1540 pads on the T90 and see if they fit better than the Audeze. The Audeze pads are so loose, they fall off easily.

I have Scotch brand Permanent Double Sided Tape (its not really permanent just really strong) I tear off about 1 inch of it and use it on some of my earpad replacements just to help.

 

[terry parr]

Usually, whenever I google-search "pad swapping" the only results that come up are either discussions about the different pads' comfort...or it's someone wanting to "tame the treble" and/or bring out the bass in a headphone.

What I'd like to see is someone discussing a possible pad swap for the T90 which helps to bring-out the midrange presentation of this headphone. It's a good headphone in some important areas. Sub-bass (where you hear the thump of the kick drum) is good. The high-frequency extension (without one hint of distortion) is impressive. The T90 extends high and "clean". I like these qualities. But, a large part of the midrange is simply missing! Clouded-over and just not there.

The pads that ship with these headphones are both high-quality and attractive. I'm sure these "micro fiber" earpads were developed as part of the audio tuning process. (And, yes they are comfortable, although I'd sacrifice a % of comfort in a New York minute in order to gain a more foreward midrange).

In thinking how different pads could be used to slightly tweak the overall sound of the T90's more to my taste, there doesn't seem to be a lot of options out there. With these headphones having a glaring "U-Shaped" (bordering on a "V-Shaped") sound signature, (a sound quality that in my opinion, if it were downplayed would contribute to a much more refined-sounding headphone). I can't be the only one who thinks that the overall sound of these headphones would be improved if only, if only the mids could somehow be brought foreward by a noticeable margin.

I've thought of thicker velours, (in order to slightly distance your ears from the drivers). This would lessen the sense of bass response, but it's a trade-off that I would be willing to make. (And, as far as potentially ruining the aesthetic look of the headphone, I don't want to do that. Perhaps a matte-black velour wouldn't look too bad, although not as classy as the perforated oem pads that ship from the factory). There have to be others who feel as I do about this.

If this has been discussed previously (either on this site, or elsewhere), then I've missed it. I just can't believe that I'm the only one on this particular T90 discussion thread who would like to somehow tweak this headphone into improving the midrange performance.

This is a question for the beyerdynamic engineers. Is there anyone here who can translate this message into German? Seriously...my frustration with this headphone is that they came just this close to getting a truly superior-sounding headphone, at a fairly reasonable price-point (relatively speaking, these days) and then "marketing" took precedence over audio engineering. The potential was there.

It's a triple, when it could've been a home run. (Well, let's say it's between a double and a triple. That's how I feel about them, most days. I'm feeling a bit more generous, today, I guess).

 

[adydula]

Lately I have been totally enamored with my Schitt Vahalla 2 combined with a Bifrost MB DAC with USB Gen5.

Both with T1's and T90's.

I have a slightly modified Bottlehead Crack that has been sitting here gathering dust, tonight I resurrected it, warmed up the tubes and am
using the Bifrost MB feeding it with Jriver and Foobar 2000.

The listening experience here with the T90's is nothing short of stunning.....clean, clear and very articulate...crisp.
The soundstage is luscious and to die for...

Its amazing how well the BH Crack drives the T90s's...more than enough power and drive for high impedance cans.

You can hear inside the recordings, and great recordings make you just smile and smile.

There now that's off my chest!!

LOL
Alex

 

[caenlenfromOCN]

Lately I have been totally enamored with my Schitt Vahalla 2 combined with a Bifrost MB DAC with USB Gen5.

Both with T1's and T90's.

I have a slightly modified Bottlehead Crack that has been sitting here gathering dust, tonight I resurrected it, warmed up the tubes and am
using the Bifrost MB feeding it with Jriver and Fobar 2000.

The listening experience here with the T90's is nothing short of stunning.....clean, clear and very articulate...crisp.
The soundstage is luscious and to die for...

Its amazing how well the BH Crack drives the T90s's...more than enough power and drive for high impedance cans.

You can hear inside the recordings, and great recordings make you just smile and smile.

There now that's off my chest!!

LOL
Alex

I had a chance to buy a pair of T90's for $239 free ship no tax brand new once. I regret it so much not jumping on it. Especially since I run a nice warm tube amp to help balance its harshness.

 

[adydula]

I really believe that these higher impedance cans like an amp designed for them like the Bottlehead Crack, BH Mainline or Schitt Vahalla 2....
I have 9 + amps and these cans just shine with the two OTL amps I have...honestly I dont have a mid issue or anything else.
Its that good to me...

On my three receivers its mediocre, the O2, ODA, O2 with Booster board its really good but these OTL tube amps make thse sound so open and realistic...
I stop thinking about whats wrong and just listen to how each song "sounds" , you can hear how well or "how" the piece was mic'd and recorded.
This to me is half the fun...

I spend one week with the T1's then the next week with the T90's.....and sometimes with the DT-1350...another Beyer wonder IMO.

Life is good...
Alex

 

[ColinMacLaren]

I do own a pair of Beyer T90s. I love them. Comfort, details, soundstage are all top notch. I am looking for a decent DAC/Amp Upgrade, though.

I do not own any High Res Audio and a Deezer Hifi (16-Bit losless flac) subscription is the hightest quality my source material will be. This may change in the future, if higher quality streaming services drop into the 15 EUR/month price range. I will do a lot of gaming with it, though.

Currently I am using a Sennheiser GSX-1000. Its great for its HRTF-simulation but with Dolby Headphone in Windows that's kinda obsolete now. It's only mediocre as a DAC. I am also using an O2.

I want to tame the harsh highs of the T90 a bit.

Options I am considering:

- Schiit Valhalla 2 + a cheap ES9018 based DAC, later upgrading to something better
- Modi Multibit + Vali 2
- Chord Mojo

Cheap Route:

- Soundblaster E5

Aesthetics do matter, so Little Dots and the like are out.

 

[AzraelDarkangel]

Even my Little Dot 1+ (with upgraded tubes and op-amps) helps the T90. The thicker pads help and I removed the front felt and put it behind the driver. Serious sound absorbing mods like they do with the Fostex would probably help too. There is nothing seriously wrong with the sound and its amazingly detailed. But there is still just a slight edge to the highs and I wouldn't mind a tad more warmth. The tonal balance is a touch off.

 

[adydula]

The Schitt Vahalla 2 is an excellent choice...had mine for almost a year and its superlative...most power at 600 ohms than most any other amp.
The Bottlehead Crack is also a good choice, but its a DIY amp.

A Schitt multibit dac is also the way to go IMO.
Alex

Note the schitt vali2 and modi mb is a good choice as well...270 mw at 300ohms compared to the Vahalla 2 with 800mw at 300 ohms.

 

[kingdbox]

Allow me to step in and answer as I owned both the HD 700 and T90 and—coincidentally—I am looking into possibly owning the T90 again. Of the two, the T90 is easily the more detailed and the more engaging or Grado-like and the HD 700 is warm and reserved. The only reason the HD 700 may initially give the false impression of increased detail is its heavily scooped upper midrange and peaky mid-treble. Since the upper midrange—the region human ears are most sensitive to—is subdued, it gives the impression that there is more detail than is actually there. In addition, there is a bit of distortion that clouds detail compared to the T90, most certainly the HD 800, and—surprisingly—even the darker HD 600 and HD 650. To my ears, the HD 700 sounds like a retuned HD 5xx series headphone, together with the graininess in the treble and lack of uppermost treble extension of that series, with a fancy paint job to exude elegance. In contrast, the T90 is quite a bit brighter, but it also quite a bit more refined and detailed. It sounds far closer to the HD 800 in micro and macro detail, bass and treble extension, and overall refinement than the HD 700 ever did to my ears. Unlike the HD 700’s jagged, wiggly treble, the T90’s treble slopes upward smoothly and predictably. Out of the two, the T90 is brighter, but less grainy, as well as more detailed, the best of the two by a clear margin. Dagogo describes it best: “Yet, the T90 fared better against the Sennheiser HD700, was more transparent and had a better sound stage with better detail and was not as dark sounding as the Sennheiser HD700. (...) T90 is a very special headphone. It is both accurate and balanced. It is not inexpensive but its performance is well worth the retail price of $679. The T90 performed admirably against headphones costing much more and even outclassed some of them. Beyerdynamic has introduced a headphone that performs close to the level of the T1. The T1 had better focus and more bass slam, yet the two were similar in their voicing. The T90 has the refinement and accuracy that most audiophiles demand in a reference product.” After reviewing the T1, audioFi.net concluded, “I found the cheaper T90 to possess a charm of its own, nudging me towards it’s musicality and exuberance, like that excited puppy at the pet shop window saying ‘choose me, choose me!’” If you want an exciting, yet refined headphone, the T90 is an excellent pick. As for myself, I am just not certain if I want to get the T90 or HD 800. The fact that this is a difficult question is strong evidence that the T90 is a very capable headphone. I am just now debating over whether I want to have a fun yet detailed headphone or a detailed and analytical headphone.

Thank you so much for your detailed post. I feel like I'm bothering ppl when I write too much so I figured thats why I never got a resppnse from the person I quoted lol

I appreciate your response

 

[ColinMacLaren]

The Schitt Vahalla 2 is an excellent choice...had mine for almost a year and its superlative...most power at 600 ohms than most any other amp.
The Bottlehead Crack is also a good choice, but its a DIY amp.

A Schitt multibit dac is also the way to go IMO.
Alex

Note the schitt vali2 and modi mb is a good choice as well...270 mw at 300ohms compared to the Vahalla 2 with 800mw at 300 ohms.

After watching ZReviews Reviews of the Vali 2 and the Bimby
I tend to decide against these Schiit devices.

Vali 2 basically sounds like a solid state and the Multibit technology is indiscernible from a run-of-the-mill Delta-Sigma DAC. I am probably better of ditching the T90s for a pair of cans with less aggressive trebles like the Amiron home.

This will likely result in a larger improvement over keeping the T90s and investing in a better dac.

 

[terry parr]

The thicker pads help and I removed the front felt and put it behind the driver.

Would you be willing to take a minute and describe the way that you gained access to the inside of your T90's? (To remove the felt?)

And you said "the thicker pads help..." Did you switch-out the pads? (If so, could you give some instructions on how you removed the stock pads without damaging anything to these headphones?)

 

[adydula]

Terry,

I found this for the T70's...it may be similar to the T90's for a basic "here's how I took them apart?"..



Alex

 

[terry parr]

Terry,

I found this for the T70's...it may be similar to the T90's for a basic "here's how I took them apart?"..



Alex

Thank-You, Alex! Appreciate that, my friend. I won't have a chance to look into this until later, as my work schedule will have me busy for the next couple of days, but thanks for dropping this in! I was looking at some pads for the Focal Clear headphones (which appear to be thicker, and are perforated, but not sure of the diameter of them and whether they'd fit a T90). I've definitely got my eye out for some possible pad swapping. But, I need to do a fair amount of research, too.

At first glance, looking at the video still image, the housing surrounding the T70 looks identical to the T90. People who try stuff like this without knowing if they're about to damage something are brave souls. (Or, maybe they're more intuitive than I am, when it comes to having a better idea than me of how a headphone of this type should logically fit and be taken apart).

Cheers, Alex!

 

[caenlenfromOCN]

I'd get that Valhalla 2 personally if I could afford it. I Paid $120ish for my starving student tube amp, it sounds pretty nice, beats Vali 2 easily. Probably don't match valhalla 2 though.