[arthnox]

Hello everyone,
 
so last week I decided to purchase my first pieces of audiophile equipment. 
 
I bought a Schiit stack (Magni + Modi) and a pair of Beyerdynamic DT990 premium 600ohm. I got a heck of a deal on the headphones and I had to act fast so I pulled the trigger but the more I read about the headphones now, the more I am having second thoughts.
 
Budget (headphones only): 350-400 maximum (in Canada)
Uses: Gaming (80%) and music (20%). 
          Gaming: MMORPG (FF14), instrumental musical score and spell effects
                        The occasional FPS but this not a big factor in my decision
          Music: Many genres (some of my favorite artists: Coldplay, Nightwish and Muse but also listen to harder genres like dubstep)
 
I pulled the trigger on the DT990s because of the promised bass and treble clarity but I am growing worried of the headphones ability to reproduce the mids accurately (they are said to have very recessed mids).
 
I hesitated alot between the DT990s and the AKG Q701. The deal I found made me order them but now...I dont know.
 
If it's any help, I tried both the AKG K551 and the Sennheiser HD598 at a friend's and much preferred the AKG551...everything seemed so much clearer...I guess this is partly what I am after, clarity, precision. 
 
All in all I am asking, did I make the right call? Would the Q701 be a lot better for my needs or perhaps totally different headphones I have not considered?
 
The DT990s will get here tomorrow but I wont receive my stack until the end of the week. I will therefore refrain myself from opening and trying out the DT990s until I am certain I want to keep them so that I may potentially return them if I need to.
 
Thanks for your help, it is appreciated.

 

[Hailin]

I say take a deep breath and relax. The first big purchase is always the scariest. Try out the DT's and Schitt Stack first before you go freaking out looking for a replacement.
 
I love my DT990 600ohm. 
 
For what you are using them for they are perfect. That bass watching movies is almost movie theatre quality. The soundstage is nice and big for gaming and movies.You won't be able to use the modi with Dolby Headphone if that part is important to you. USB dacs bypass your computers sound card so filters such as Dolby will not work with it. Just something to think about. 

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

I bought a Schiit stack (Magni + Modi) and a pair of Beyerdynamic DT990 premium 600ohm
 
I pulled the trigger on the DT990s because of the promised bass and treble clarity but I am growing worried of the headphones ability to reproduce the mids accurately (they are said to have very recessed mids).

I have the DT990 Premium 600-Ohm headphones and I do like their sound, use them for Blu-ray movies and cable TV watching. I have them plugged into with my Yamaha RX-V671 receiver.
The full bass & full treble do overshadow (a little) the mids, but the mids are clear.
 
Using a USB DAC bypasses the on-board audio hardware, but as long as your OK with Stereo gaming and stereo movies, you should like the Magni/Modi/DT990 sound quality.
 
I use Cyberlinks PowerDVD 11 ($30 on eBay) for playing Blu-ray movies on my PC.
I think it comes with a Headphone Surround Sound output setting?
(but I'm not near my own computer right now to double check)

 

[White Lotus]

Quote:

I say take a deep breath and relax. The first big purchase is always the scariest. 

 
^ This. Give it some more time to get used to the sound and feel.

 

[arthnox]

Wouldn`t more neutral headphones be a better first buy though? I do enjoy bass but most of the music genres I listen to aren't THAT bass heavy. MMORPGs do not benefit from bass all that much, the musical score stays in the mids and I very rarely listent to movies on my computer.
 
That's why I was hesitating with the Q701s. These headphones are supposed to be crytal clear, still offer a strong base line and have beautiful mids.
 
As for algorithms like Dolby Headphones...I once thought they were essential to game but really, a quality pair of headphones with a good soundstage should be more than enough for my needs.

 

[Canadian411]

I had DT990 600ohm Premium and it was just miserable, good headphone for the value at that time ($300 included tax/duties from Amazon dot com) import to Canada.

I generally don't really like the beyerdynamic headphones, I also had T1 never liked the trebles.

Mids are very recessed compare to mid king LCD2, HE6 etc.


But as for your entry level headphone you shouldn't feel bad.

 

[arthnox]

But thats exactly my problem. I want the right headphones and I have the opportunity to return mine for a refund before I open them.

The more I read about them, the more I feel like they might not be the best for for me as a first and only pair of headphones.

 

[Makiah S]

Quote:

Wouldn`t more neutral headphones be a better first buy though? I do enjoy bass but most of the music genres I listen to aren't THAT bass heavy. MMORPGs do not benefit from bass all that much, the musical score stays in the mids and I very rarely listent to movies on my computer.
 
That's why I was hesitating with the Q701s. These headphones are supposed to be crytal clear, still offer a strong base line and have beautiful mids.
 
As for algorithms like Dolby Headphones...I once thought they were essential to game but really, a quality pair of headphones with a good soundstage should be more than enough for my needs.

The dt 990 mids are very real as some people have called them I own the dt 990 pro 250 ohm.
 
Hoesntly I'd maybe return your Schit Magni amp and try a Hybrid Tube amp, the tube amp will add a rich warm mid bass presance into the Dt 990, I use a Millet Hybrid my sefl with Clear Top tubes, but I also have a set of Mullards that really add a wonderful lushness to the Dt 990s

 

[pp312]

Quote:

Originally Posted by arthnox /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
The DT990s will get here tomorrow but I wont receive my stack until the end of the week. I will therefore refrain myself from opening and trying out the DT990s until I am certain I want to keep them so that I may potentially return them if I need to.
 
 

 
 
Are you saying you're going to sit and look at your headphones in the box and hope that Head-Fi posters can tell you what they sound like? I can tell you, I've spent many hours reading reviews here and in the pages of hi-fi mags trying to imagine what various components sound like and never got close; the realization has rarely if ever matched the expectation based on someone else's opinion. You will never know what the 990s sound like until you gather courage and open the box, burn them in and give yourself a chance to get used to them. If after a week you hate them, as is entirely possible (that's life), take advantage of the great price you got them for and re-sell them on Head-Fi or Ebay and move on. 

 

[pr0ggy]

Quote:

The dt 990 mids are very real as some people have called them I own the dt 990 pro 250 ohm.
 
Hoesntly I'd maybe return your Schit Magni amp and try a Hybrid Tube amp, the tube amp will add a rich warm mid bass presance into the Dt 990, I use a Millet Hybrid my sefl with Clear Top tubes, but I also have a set of Mullards that really add a wonderful lushness to the Dt 990s

I'd have to agree with this 100%.  I had the 990/600s and while the mids were a bit recessed, I still found them quite enjoyable.  While I haven't heard the Magni, from what I've read it sounds like it may tilt toward the bright end of the spectrum which may not be the best pairing with the 990.  I say give them some time first and see if the sound signature grows on you.  If it doesn't within a few days, then I agree that returning the Magni and picking up a tube hybrid may be the way to go.  Just my two cents.

 

[arthnox]

Thing is I wont be able to try them yet, my amp has not arrived and I have nothing else to drive them properly. I either open the box to contemplate them and perhaps go over a friend to try em out or I wait for the amp with a closed box, thinking about sending them back.
 
As for changing amp, I don't know...To me it would make more sense to buy a different set of headphones rather than changing amps to compliment the headphones. A tube amp would run a lot more expansive as well.

 

[Canadian411]

But thats exactly my problem. I want the right headphones and I have the opportunity to return mine for a refund before I open them.

The more I read about them, the more I feel like they might not be the best for for me as a first and only pair of headphones.

 


I prefer beyer over AKG but if you are really looking for a good headphone for the value I say Burson Soloist + HE500 (maybe DAC later). I know it's lot more but this combo will last you long long time.

And you need to stop at some point, it's very tempting for me to go into STAX but it's another $10k which I don't think worth it for me.

Don't spend too much time on listening go out and enjoy the sun

 

[vid]

Quote:

Mids are very recessed compare to mid king LCD2, HE6 etc.

 
This sort of thing is trivially easy to adjust with EQ, as long as there are no major peaks or dips in the response, which the DT 990 seemingly don't.

 

[arthnox]

I actually thought about equing them but people told me it was pointless, I am unsure as to the difference this could make in the end

 

[arthnox]

Quote:

 
I prefer beyer over AKG but if you are really looking for a good headphone for the value I say Burson Soloist + HE500 (maybe DAC later). I know it's lot more but this combo will last you long long time.And you need to stop at some point, it's very tempting for me to go into STAX but it's another $10k which I don't think worth it for me.Don't spend too much time on listening go out and enjoy the sun

 
Unfortunately that`s way out of my price range 500 dollar is about the top of my budget right now and this includes the stack I already bought...
 
I guess I will just have to try them out and see, no way around it