fante7
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2005
- Posts
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I've listened to the DT990 for several hours now. I bought it used and it is probably well broken in. Fortunately it does fit my large head, with the headband on full extension. Most of the comparison will be with the DT880 as reference. I first tried it with the 12AE6A tubes in my Millett, but then I swapped to the 12FK6 which helps to bring out the mids a little more. When I bought this headphone, I was looking for something bassy and warm to complement the DT880 and give a little bit of a different perspective.
System used: Marantz CD6000 OSE (CD player) > Millett Hybrid > DT990 (and DT880 for reference)
Music tried so far (mostly key excerpts):
Rage Against the Machine - Evil Empire, Rush - Power Windows, Mahavishnu Orchestra - The Inner Mounting Flame, Ozric Tentacles - Waterfall Cities, ELP - Tarkus, Jethro Tull - Songs From The Wood, Symphony X - V, Megadeth - Rust In Peace, Porcupine Tree - Warszawa, Mahler Symphony 5 (Zander, Telarc).
First thoughts:
Well, the sound is kind of muffled(perhaps veiled?). The bass is enormous and on the boomy side, with very good extension comparable to that of the DT880. It hits pretty hard and can be head-shaking. The mids are definitely recessed, giving a sort of dark sound. The bass and mids do not integrate very well, and the bass gets in the way of the mids. The highs are very nice, not harsh at all but still present. It is not as refined or detailed as the DT880 in general. For some reason, with the DT990 on my head with no music playing, outside noise is more muffled than with the DT880. This seems counter-intuitive, since the DT990 is open and the DT880 is semi-open. Any explanation for that or agreement/disagreement?
The most annoying thing though, is a general "hollow" sound. It sounds almost like some kind of resonance. The "hollowness" goes away if I cover the earcups with my hands, which actually improves the sound. I am not sure what causes this, it could be something about the mids in combination with the uncontrolled bass. I hate to say it, but this is similar to the "hollow" sound I felt with the Triports. Not to say, of course, that they are comparable to the Triports. Anyway, these are definitely not neutral. Out of the headphones I've listened to, the DT880 is closest to neutral IMO.
Unsurprisingly, the comfort is excellent, just like the DT880. The soundstage is large, but the imaging is a little blurred because of the boomy bass. Also, they are only slightly less difficult to drive than the DT880.
The music that it seems to work the best with so far is the Rage Against the Machine, and the Ozric Tentacles. I guess that is not too surprising. The Rush material worked out pretty well too. As for the rest so far, I greatly prefer the DT880, especially on the Mahler.
I really really like the DT880. Can you tell?
Anyway, all thoughts/responses are welcome!
System used: Marantz CD6000 OSE (CD player) > Millett Hybrid > DT990 (and DT880 for reference)
Music tried so far (mostly key excerpts):
Rage Against the Machine - Evil Empire, Rush - Power Windows, Mahavishnu Orchestra - The Inner Mounting Flame, Ozric Tentacles - Waterfall Cities, ELP - Tarkus, Jethro Tull - Songs From The Wood, Symphony X - V, Megadeth - Rust In Peace, Porcupine Tree - Warszawa, Mahler Symphony 5 (Zander, Telarc).
First thoughts:
Well, the sound is kind of muffled(perhaps veiled?). The bass is enormous and on the boomy side, with very good extension comparable to that of the DT880. It hits pretty hard and can be head-shaking. The mids are definitely recessed, giving a sort of dark sound. The bass and mids do not integrate very well, and the bass gets in the way of the mids. The highs are very nice, not harsh at all but still present. It is not as refined or detailed as the DT880 in general. For some reason, with the DT990 on my head with no music playing, outside noise is more muffled than with the DT880. This seems counter-intuitive, since the DT990 is open and the DT880 is semi-open. Any explanation for that or agreement/disagreement?
The most annoying thing though, is a general "hollow" sound. It sounds almost like some kind of resonance. The "hollowness" goes away if I cover the earcups with my hands, which actually improves the sound. I am not sure what causes this, it could be something about the mids in combination with the uncontrolled bass. I hate to say it, but this is similar to the "hollow" sound I felt with the Triports. Not to say, of course, that they are comparable to the Triports. Anyway, these are definitely not neutral. Out of the headphones I've listened to, the DT880 is closest to neutral IMO.
Unsurprisingly, the comfort is excellent, just like the DT880. The soundstage is large, but the imaging is a little blurred because of the boomy bass. Also, they are only slightly less difficult to drive than the DT880.
The music that it seems to work the best with so far is the Rage Against the Machine, and the Ozric Tentacles. I guess that is not too surprising. The Rush material worked out pretty well too. As for the rest so far, I greatly prefer the DT880, especially on the Mahler.
I really really like the DT880. Can you tell?
Anyway, all thoughts/responses are welcome!
