DT990 vs. AKG K-701

[olblueyez]

Ok, how bout we go totally in a new direction. Something that wont need an amp though. AudioCubes.com - Audio-Technica ATH-AD900 Air Headphones - ATH-AD900 -

 

[djevoultion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by olblueyez /img/forum/go_quote.gif Why in the hell would anyone ever consider the 701 when the DT880 is available? The 880 is better in every way.

Hey, hope you don't mind me asking, what makes you say the DT880 is better in every way compared to the K701?

To the OP: I agree with olblueyez recommendation, the AD900 are an excellent all rounder phone and suit almost every genre of music, they are awesome for gaming, movies etc. If you are coming from bass heavy phones you will need some time to adjust to the bass of the Ad900.

 

[Deathwish238]

The DT990s are godly with metal, especially after the break in period and with a good quality source. The bass is great and is NEVER muddy, not even a touch. The highs are smooth and quite nice once they break in properly and you again have a good source. I just got done listening to a couple Psycroptic albums...great stuff.

My biggest problem with these headphones? They're not portable

What metal do you listen to?

Quote:

Originally Posted by donunus /img/forum/go_quote.gif dt990 -sounds slow and dynamic -the most sibilant can I have EVER heard -recessed and boring mids sounds like you are an alien with ears from out of this world or just havent heard other cans because that is the most contradictory post Ive ever read in Headfi History Or are you joking

lol slow? You cannot have "slow" headphones for metal...it would just fail.
Any sibilance I once heard went away when I upgraded my source to an E-MU 0404 USB, not exactly an expensive solution and it did much more than smoothen out the highs...like increased clarity and deeper tighter bass.
The mids are fine...good for metal.

 

[Dat_Dude]

I received my DT990/600 ohm yesterday. I tried them with my Compass setup and I think they sound BETTER for Rock/Metal (listened to a little Opeth, Dream Theater, and Mastodon) than my HD650s. I agree with Deathwish that the bass was much tighter. This was very evident on "Ghost of Perdition", which has some parts of the song with very punchy bass.

 

[djevoultion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dat_Dude /img/forum/go_quote.gif I received my DT990/600 ohm yesterday. I tried them with my Compass setup and I think they sound BETTER for Rock/Metal (listened to a little Opeth, Dream Theater, and Mastodon) than my HD650s. I agree with Deathwish that the bass was much tighter. This was very evident on "Ghost of Perdition", which has some parts of the song with very punchy bass.

How does your hd650 compare overall to your DT990, which would be a better all rounder?

 

[Dat_Dude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by djevoultion /img/forum/go_quote.gif How does your hd650 compare overall to your DT990, which would be a better all rounder?

I haven't had enough time to do some comparisons beyond 3 songs basically as I just received them in the mail yesterday. I suspect the 650s will still be a better all arounder, but I will need some time to do comparisons. Also my 990s are far from being burned in, while the 650s have 200 hours on them.

 

[djevoultion]

Np, let me know once you have compared them

 

[sunneebear]

Bought a 05 DT990/250 two years ago second hand from a studio so it had many hours.

Treble was the worst I have heard of any hi-end can. Tried the resister mods from internet searches. Used various brands and types of resistors. The best combinations made the treble better but still not something I want to listen to.

It is now somewhere in my closet.

 

[Deathwish238]

Here's a great review and comparison of the DT990s

It's possible that the HD650s are better than the DT990s...but they also cost a good 50-75% more. I would not say the HD600s are better than the DT990s however.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunneebear /img/forum/go_quote.gif Bought a 05 DT990/250 two years ago second hand from a studio so it had many hours. Treble was the worst I have heard of any hi-end can. Tried the resister mods from internet searches. Used various brands and types of resistors. The best combinations made the treble better but still not something I want to listen to. It is now somewhere in my closet.

What was your source? The DT990s let you hear every little thing in the signal, if your source isn't great quality the DT990s will let you know.

How long did you listen to them before you threw them into your closet?

The DT990s have accurate smooth transparent highs, it doesn't need any resistor modding.

 

[KCChiefsfan]

I'll jump on the K-701s-are-not-for-metal bandwagon. When I went to a local store to try out headphones, I took two CD's. Dark Side of the Moon, and a CD containing Moonlight Sonata, and various other classical pieces. Listening to Dark Side of the Moon, I wasn't impressed compared to the same songs on my DT-770's (dark side of the moon being mostly more of a darker sounding CD. Not metal by any means, but if DSOTM had shone, it would have probably foreshadowed their capabilities when it comes to metal). When I put in the classical CD though, I was floored by how incredible the K-701's sound. I also got to listen to the DT-880's, and I wasn't as impressed with them, although the sound they were producing was fairly similar.

Having heard the HD-600's, the HD-650's, and a ton of other cans, it is obvious to me that the K-701 detractors are mostly people that weren't classical music fans in the first place (I would say that the K-701's shine with pop as well, and light rock). That is like buying headphones marketed as for hip-hop, and then complaining about the bass being too strong.

I don't have a frame of reference for this, because I simply haven't gone this route yet, but I've heard people say that the K-701's are even more stunning when paired with an amp that will introduce some much needed (according to some) warmth to the sound.

I'm not sure if the store I heard the headphones in had such an amp (In which case I'm a bit worried that the HR Micro won't do much for me... it arrives in a couple of days) but knowing that there is more performance to be had from the headphones I've bought, I'm excited.

Sorry for going off on a tangent. To summarize, don't even think about the K-701's for metal. You will be severely dissappointed.

 

[scytheavatar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dat_Dude /img/forum/go_quote.gif I received my DT990/600 ohm yesterday. I tried them with my Compass setup and I think they sound BETTER for Rock/Metal (listened to a little Opeth, Dream Theater, and Mastodon) than my HD650s.

Duh, anything sounds better than the HD650 for metal. That's not a very big achievement.

 

[CDBacklash]

Can't metal users grab a grado and be done with it?

 

[sunneebear]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deathwish238 /img/forum/go_quote.gif What was your source? The DT990s let you hear every little thing in the signal, if your source isn't great quality the DT990s will let you know. How long did you listen to them before you threw them into your closet? The DT990s have accurate smooth transparent highs, it doesn't need any resistor modding.

It is the DT990 because the high frequency is bad with any source I use. Portable, desk top and home amp or receiver. The most annoying thing was the sibilance in some voices. Even cans notorious for extended high frequency like the SA5000 and CD3000 was smooth and detailed compared to my DT990.

Another issue was the chassis vibrations. Especially that thin aluminum diffuser in front of the driver. I can hear the aluminum ringing. I replaced it with a stainless mesh and it was much better but the sibilance still drove me crazy.

 

[driftingbunnies]

The DT990's are AWFUL. the 250 ohms version. I have the 600 ohms and compared with my hd650, the dt990's are a step up. Better overall performer since the treble is fixed and the mids are not as recessed. Overall, the detail in the dt990 is more noticeable than the hd650. I'm powering both with a compass or ld2+ and no matter which amp, the hd650 is just behind.

Of course it's not like a day and night difference. The hd650 does have it's pros. To me the best way to describe the difference is when I'm listening to john mayer and an acoustic version of neon, the hd650 sounds as though he's laying back on his seat just singing to you. The dt990 makes him sound like he's up closer to the mic and actually trying more to give you a performance as in the guitar isn't as laid back as the hd650.

I hope that helps. Tangent: the DT990's (manufaktur) look a lot better than the hd650's too.

 

[milkweg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunneebear /img/forum/go_quote.gif I can hear the aluminum ringing.