[GUIDE] Sonic Differences Between DT770-DT990 Models & More

[Zombie_X]

The DT990 Premium 250Ohm and Pro 250 Ohm sound nearly the same. The only difference is that the Pro clamp more and that makes the headphones sound smoother and also increases the bass quantity.
 
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there is a big difference between my pro 80 and premium 32 770's
the premiums still have great sub bass but just not as much quantity, and treble closer to that of my 990/600.
 
i wonder if the difference between the premium 990 and the pro 990 is as big as it is with the 770/80 and the premuims.

 

 

[tdockweiler]

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Zombie should really add the DT860 to this.  I just received mine...It is my fav out of all the Beyers that I've owned.  My DT990 32's have just been sitting there, pullin' dust.

Does the DT-860 have more forward mids than the DT-880 or DT-990? The mids on the DT-990 and DT-770 Pro 80 just didn't do it for me. It seems that most of the Beyerdynamic headphones under $200 don't get much attention. Just like the DJ1-X and DT-235.
 

 

[Zombie_X]

I'd love to add the to the list. You wouldn't be willing to send them to me would you?
 
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Zombie should really add the DT860 to this.  I just received mine...It is my fav out of all the Beyers that I've owned.  My DT990 32's have just been sitting there, pullin' dust.

 

 

[GN3RAL KARL]

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Does the DT-860 have more forward mids than the DT-880 or DT-990? The mids on the DT-990 and DT-770 Pro 80 just didn't do it for me. It seems that most of the Beyerdynamic headphones under $200 don't get much attention. Just like the DJ1-X and DT-235.
 

Yes it does!  It was apparent right out the box, the mids were so in my face I didn't even touch the EQ at all!  With my long-gone DT880 600ohm, and of course my current DT990 32ohm, I always brought up the 4K and 8K ranges up a few decibels.  Not on the DT860, the mids are right there with the vocals - loud and clear.  The bass is right between the DT880 and 990.  It has more impact than the 880 but it's not as tight.  However it's not as loose as the DT990.  The highs are extremely similar to the DT880 32ohm, not as smooth as the 880 600ohm but still brilliant.  Still, it is now my favorite headphone of all time - DT860.
 

 

[GN3RAL KARL]

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I'd love to add the to the list. You wouldn't be willing to send them to me would you? 
 

Man, I would love to, perhaps in the future.  I will let you know - it's just that I'm so attached right now to these.  Let me think some more about it for if it can be sooner - I had just got them 2 days ago and I'm still speechless.  They sound fantastic, and they get much louder in volume (and due to the more forward mids) than the DT880 and DT990.
 
Believe me, I want to lend, just so enamored right now...

 

 

[tdockweiler]

Ended up selling off the DT-770 Pro 80 and DT-990 Pro. Both just didn't do it for me when it came to their mids. I did prefer the mids overall on the DT-770 Pro, but they really vary from song to song. Even not during bass heavy songs, the mids often sounded distant.
 
I just scored a DT-770 600 ohm through Amazon Warehouse Deals for $117 listed as Very Good. Not too bad. Knowing them it will probably be the Pro 80 or something! Fingers crossed that it's NOT the bass heavy version. If it is, it's going back. Probably not at that price. Unless it's as bassy as the Pro 80. The 600 ohm version based on frequency charts seem to have less bass than the other versions. I hope so. The mids are the most important thing. Can't use the DT-880 so this is the other option.
 
I'm hoping it's a return from a customer that got it and felt it didn't have enough bass

 

 

[Zombie_X]

The 600Ohms in comparison has less bass than the 80Ohm version. I would say about 1/4 of the total bass of the 80Ohm version. So quite light in comparison.
 
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Ended up selling off the DT-770 Pro 80 and DT-990 Pro. Both just didn't do it for me when it came to their mids. I did prefer the mids overall on the DT-770 Pro, but they really vary from song to song. Even not during bass heavy songs, the mids often sounded distant.
 
I just scored a DT-770 600 ohm through Amazon Warehouse Deals for $117 listed as Very Good. Not too bad. Knowing them it will probably be the Pro 80 or something! Fingers crossed that it's NOT the bass heavy version. If it is, it's going back. Probably not at that price. Unless it's as bassy as the Pro 80. The 600 ohm version based on frequency charts seem to have less bass than the other versions. I hope so. The mids are the most important thing. Can't use the DT-880 so this is the other option.
 
I'm hoping it's a return from a customer that got it and felt it didn't have enough bass

 

 

 

[tdockweiler]

Sounds good to me! I can't wait to get these. Wish I had ordered these on Friday afternoon for Saturday delivery. Now I have to wait until Monday

For $117 it's worth keeping them no matter what. I've bought so many Beyer headphones that I need to just finally keep one of them.
 
Still hope I'm not unlucky and get the bass heavy version.
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The 600Ohms in comparison has less bass than the 80Ohm version. I would say about 1/4 of the total bass of the 80Ohm version. So quite light in comparison. 
 

 

 

[Leiker535]

Zombie which Amp you think its better for the DT880 600Ohm and for future upgrates(HD 650 prob.):

Little Dot MKIV SE or bottlehead crack? I'll be buying a better Dac soon too Im actually using the E7 as a DAC

 

[tim3320070]

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Sounds good to me! I can't wait to get these. Wish I had ordered these on Friday afternoon for Saturday delivery. Now I have to wait until Monday

For $117 it's worth keeping them no matter what. I've bought so many Beyer headphones that I need to just finally keep one of them.
 
Still hope I'm not unlucky and get the bass heavy version.
 

That's an awesome price, I haven't seen them under about $170 used. It seems I have the bass-light version, not sure really but I know that my D7000 has a lot more bass presence. I use pleather pads to increase it and it's about right. The mids on mine are great, more present than on the D7000. This is a headphone I will keep forever (probably).

 

[Zombie_X]

Both are good choices but I would say get the Crack. All the 600Ohm beyers sound incredible from tube amps. Especially the DT770 as the flesh them out even more. 
 
If you're willing to stretch your budget then the SPL Auditor is another choice. Another option is the Woo Audio 3 amp. I like the WA3 more but the Crack is such a nice deal.
 
One final option is the CSP2 tube amp. It's easily on par with the WA2 but a bit cheaper. Such a great amp!
 
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Zombie which Amp you think its better for the DT880 600Ohm and for future upgrates(HD 650 prob.):

Little Dot MKIV SE or bottlehead crack? I'll be buying a better Dac soon too Im actually using the E7 as a DAC

 

 

[rawrster]

That's a great price for the DT770. I would have gotten a pair at $117 too had I known but not like I need more headphones.
 
Zombie_X, I'm a bit curious but have you tried the Beyers with warm SS amps? I don't want to get a tube amp just yet but maybe something like the WA6, CSP, Zana Deux or some amp in the 1k or so range is in my future but not right now. I know most people tell me that Beyers shine with tube amp but frankly different tubes and voltages give me a headache when doing research on them and there is a higher amount of maintenance on tubes than SS so I'm sticking with my V200. However have you liked any SS amps with Beyers?

 

[tim3320070]

The NFB10SE is fairly wonderful with my DT770/600 balanced. I don't know how anyone could be disappointed with this setup with good recordings.

 

[Rawrbington]

could Zombie_X or someone with a greater understanding of damping and voltage/sensitivity/impedance explain why my 32 ohm 770 premiums require a that i turn the nob on my amp up so much farther than i do on my 80 ohm 770s?
 
is it a lack of sensitivity or an impedance missmatch or some sort of damping factor?
and how does that work exactly?

 

[Zombie_X]

Since the DT770 are 32Ohm and are low sensitivity that in turn makes them more demanding of you amp. It's kind of like the K702 impedance/sensitivity issue where low impedance and low sensitivity just make the phone harder to power. In reality they need a bit more juice than their 250Ohm brethren. Many people buy them because they seem easy to power but find out they do not get loud enough.They are a lot more demanding than your average 32Ohm headphone. Heck even my 60Ohm KSC75 and 38Ohm DJ100 get much louder than them at lower volumes.
 
The main thing is that the 32Ohm models need ample current from a solid state amp. My guess is that your amp delivers more voltage than current so that's why your 80Ohm models are louder (they need more voltage). 
 
May I ask what amp you have? 
 
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could Zombie_X or someone with a greater understanding of damping and voltage/sensitivity/impedance explain why my 32 ohm 770 premiums require a that i turn the nob on my amp up so much farther than i do on my 80 ohm 770s?
 
is it a lack of sensitivity or an impedance missmatch or some sort of damping factor?
and how does that work exactly?