[kman1211]

  I've seen a lot of people saying tube amps make the 990's sound good. I really feel it takes the heart of the 990's away. They are fatiguing at first and hurt. But if you can endure this for 2-3 days you'll be rewarded with an amazing sound and detail. The detail and soundstage is amazing! And you can't forget about the bass. 

I don't find that the case personally, I've owned the DT 990 Pro twice and heard it on numerous systems. Have you heard the DT 990 on a tube amp? Tubes aren't required to make them sound good, a properly paired SS amp makes the DT 990 sound great as well. I personally found a good tube amp brings out more from them.

 

[WhiskeyJacks]

  I've seen a lot of people saying tube amps make the 990's sound good. I really feel it takes the heart of the 990's away. They are fatiguing at first and hurt. But if you can endure this for 2-3 days you'll be rewarded with an amazing sound and detail. The detail and soundstage is amazing! And you can't forget about the bass. 

No I do not think they need a tube amp to sound good, in fact I think they sound best with my Fournier though it is a hybrid it is a very solid state sounding hybrid with a bit more warmth than neutral but keeping details. I do not like sacrificing for details. The DT990s is fantastic with the portable Bluebird amp I had that was solid state and just extended the soundstage and brought out the best in the DT990s imo. Very surprising how good some budget gear can sound. I was just saying that I think some tube amps give the DT990s a nice sound not that they are needed to "fix" 990s

 

[James35]

I like my sound to look like a V.  Lot's a bass and clean treble so it's not muffled sounding. The sound is alive.  Even with the Aune T1 tube amp, the treble is definitely still present, trust me. Even to the point where my EQ is flat on the right side. No treble boost needed.  The Magni, on the other hand, simply increases the DT990 treble to the point where is no longer comfortable. Piercing/fatiguing.  With the Magni/Modi, I had to turn the EQ treble down quite a bit. I found it difficult to find the happy medium. And the loss of bass with the Magni/Modi was really a deal breaker for me.  I gotta have my bass
 
This hobby is hard to explain sound, plus everyone's ears are slightly different.  But to me, the Aune T1 Mk2 is the best sounding. I haven't even fine tuned it with tube rolling yet.  Seems efficient to have the DAC and amp in the same unit too.  It eliminates the need for quality RCA interconnects.  Only downfall I see with the Aune is the fact that it gets warm. In my Las Vegas home office, one more piece of warm electronics is something I don't need.  But it just sounds so good, that I'm willing to pay for the air conditioner to run a smidge longer. 

 

[Folex]

990's w/ xda 2
 

 

[WhiskeyJacks]

  990's w/ xda 2
 

That is a fantastic photo man, I love this headphone truly you cannot do any better at the price you can purchase one for. I remember when I first received mine, I was like I do not know if I like this because it sounded so much wider and engaging than anything I had at the time...i believe I was overwhelmed...but I knew I had to give time for my ears to adjust, and then 2 days later and some break in I had to listen to ever track of flac I had on my pc at the time(which is about 50gbs I want to say) anyways what source and amp do you use with yours? I was using mine with the Vali then received the Fournier Hyrid which sounds more solid state than the Vali imo, and it gfves the DT990s such a lifelike presentation and allows for the detail to really show unlike some amps.

 

[WhiskeyJacks]

  I like my sound to look like a V.  Lot's a bass and clean treble so it's not muffled sounding. The sound is alive.  Even with the Aune T1 tube amp, the treble is definitely still present, trust me. Even to the point where my EQ is flat on the right side. No treble boost needed.  The Magni, on the other hand, simply increases the DT990 treble to the point where is no longer comfortable. Piercing/fatiguing.  With the Magni/Modi, I had to turn the EQ treble down quite a bit. I found it difficult to find the happy medium. And the loss of bass with the Magni/Modi was really a deal breaker for me.  I gotta have my bass
 
This hobby is hard to explain sound, plus everyone's ears are slightly different.  But to me, the Aune T1 Mk2 is the best sounding. I haven't even fine tuned it with tube rolling yet.  Seems efficient to have the DAC and amp in the same unit too.  It eliminates the need for quality RCA interconnects.  Only downfall I see with the Aune is the fact that it gets warm. In my Las Vegas home office, one more piece of warm electronics is something I don't need.  But it just sounds so good, that I'm willing to pay for the air conditioner to run a smidge longer. 

I was wondering about the Aune T1 MK2, they have the first version of this DAC/amp for like 100$ lightly used sometimes, and I have been sourly tempted but I just have a hard time justifying because the 3 days I have are fantastic each in their own way, the Fostex HP-A3 is great as dac with detail and slightly warm with the Amp section(i prefer the Vali amp paired with it with the 990s though) I have the CDAC+( odac with better psu and isolation) and finally the budget but not to be forgotten UD110 from stoner acoustics(still best DAC under 100$ that I have heard)

 

[Folex]

  That is a fantastic photo man, I love this headphone truly you cannot do any better at the price you can purchase one for. I remember when I first received mine, I was like I do not know if I like this because it sounded so much wider and engaging than anything I had at the time...i believe I was overwhelmed...but I knew I had to give time for my ears to adjust, and then 2 days later and some break in I had to listen to ever track of flac I had on my pc at the time(which is about 50gbs I want to say) anyways what source and amp do you use with yours? I was using mine with the Vali then received the Fournier Hyrid which sounds more solid state than the Vali imo, and it gfves the DT990s such a lifelike presentation and allows for the detail to really show unlike some amps.

 
I use the xda 2 =)   It's the cheapest you can find anywhere for a dac/amp that also has dual XLR out for speakers. Normally I don't buy into the hype of expensive cables or getting the most exotic but XLR fixed thje problem. When you have a high powered graphic card it causes a power surge that the speakers pick up and then magnify. As soon as I plugged both my speakers into the xda2 it worked perfect.   And DO NOT buy the xda2 unless you have monitor speakers and you plan to game. It's been a nightmare trying to get it configured properly and still 2 years laters I've just learned to live with its downfalls. 
 


 
I am sure this is marketing BS but it's cool atleast to say my audio quality is this high.
 

 

[Nympho]

Out of the box on a scale of bass of German Maestro 8.35D these are like a 8.5/10 with the 8.35's a 10/10. On a Asus Xonar DX into a Schiit Magni, w/o a DAC as of now. Treble is a bit much but I actually like it. Guess I am used to it from my MTX monitors w/o an amp which have a strong treble also. Ill tell more when they are broken in. The bass seems to be a little tighter then I expected, but alot of review differed on say they having a good amount of bass and some saying they kind of lacked bass. I wish the mids were a little stronger but ofc these are straight out of the box. Btw I have the Beyerdynamic DT-990 pro 250ohm

 

[vogelino]

About to get the dt 990 pros and schiit stack modi/magni. should be in around the 17th. Will be my first amp and dac, and first upgrade on cans since my pioneer hdj 500's, which are considered mini bass monsters. so I should hear a vast improvement in quality of detail and soundstage in comparison to the pioneer hdj 500's, considering the price they are closed. I have had the hdj's for about 3 years, they have served me well. if any one has these I'll give you a comparison. might even make an unboxing/ first impression vid. I am a noob but its something to watch for this combo. I haven't seen any vids of people with this combo, just posts on headfi. also it will be coming from a average listener like me, so I wont pick them apart like a real audiophile. but I also wont just praise them like they aren't flawed wither. I'll be posting it soon in the next week or so.

 

[WhiskeyJacks]

  About to get the dt 990 pros and schiit stack modi/magni. should be in around the 17th. Will be my first amp and dac, and first upgrade on cans since my pioneer hdj 500's, which are considered mini bass monsters. so I should hear a vast improvement in quality of detail and soundstage in comparison to the pioneer hdj 500's, considering the price they are closed. I have had the hdj's for about 3 years, they have served me well. if any one has these I'll give you a comparison. might even make an unboxing/ first impression vid. I am a noob but its something to watch for this combo. I haven't seen any vids of people with this combo, just posts on headfi. also it will be coming from a average listener like me, so I wont pick them apart like a real audiophile. but I also wont just praise them like they aren't flawed wither. I'll be posting it soon in the next week or so.

I personally thought the DT990s sounded a little too bright with modi magni and prefered it with the Vali, but maybe you will enjoy more than I but I do want to say the Vali is a fantastic pairing with the 990s gives them some nice realism and keeps all the things you like about the DT990s.

 

[Folex]

What volume do people listen to their 990 250 ohms at? I'm curious if there is a # that means your amp is driving them properly. My computer volume is between 16-20 out of 100. 

 

[Nympho]

I have my computer volume around 10 and my magni at half.

 

[Mad Max]

Listening to a 600-ohm DT990 Premium, now this I like.  I didn't enjoy DT990pro's big ~700Hz valley coupled with the Mt. Everest at ~5kHz, DT990 Premium is more balanced out in the mids and the mountain at 5kHz more tame, and bass isn't overwhelming although still big and much tighter.
Now this one I like enough to keep, but  I don't know if I'll care for it after "new toy syndrome" wears off as this is basically a lesser T90 tipped towards bass instead of treble.
 
 

  What volume do people listen to their 990 250 ohms at? I'm curious if there is a # that means your amp is driving them properly. My computer volume is between 16-20 out of 100. 

 
"Proper drive" is more about sound quality.  Now DT990 has no business being plugged into whatever one might be using if the device is at max volume and you only get a little whisper of sound coming out of it, lol!
If your $50 headphone sounds clearer, tighter, and more refined, DT990 is probably underpowered.

 

[Thommohawk]

I still have my DT 990 Pro, honestly for the price these are surely among the best headphones you can buy I firmly believe that. Granted a lot comes down to personal preference regarding fit, style and taste obviously - but IMHO these blow away anything anywhere near the price range that I've tried. They are definitely the best headphones I've ever had up to this point. For me they tick every box. 

I've since upgraded my DAC and Amp, I was running them from a Fiio E7+Fiio E9.....sounded great don't get me wrong but I felt like there was more to be had, so I upgraded to the ODAC and Bravo V2 tube amp with an aftermarket tube I bought (Sylnania or something) and my god does the combo work well - kicks a lot harder, mids more forward and a bit warmer. Still largely the same sound sig but more of a warm grounded skew. Sounds amazing!

So ODAC > Bravo V2 tube amp > Beyer DT 990 Pro - total price £300 = audio nirvana!
 
Especially if you like detail and openness but you aren't allergic to bass or treble....
 
Amazing for gaming and movies anyhow truly, this is pretty much the consensus I feel, but for me with this set up they are now truly amazing for music.

I listen to Red Hot Chili Peppers, Linkin Park, Guns n Roses, The Prodigy, Kings of Leon and other bands like Greenday, Sum 41, Blink 182 and Papa Roach every now and then....I never listen to classical music and next to never listen to hip hop any more or rave music. But for rock I can safely say they are very lifelike and sound bloody awesome on this set up! 

I have zero need for another headphone outside of raw curiosity on something like a DT 880 or an HD 650 but yeah I'm very happy with the DT 990 Pro with the V2 tube and ODAC combo. 

 

[shiorisekine]

I still have my DT 990 Pro, honestly for the price these are surely among the best headphones you can buy I firmly believe that.

I can second this, mine have broke sometime ago, bought it used. And I am thinking about rebuying them. These were my first headphones and I think at 150 one of the best buys you can ever get.