[kiraaaa]

Quote:

 
And yes, DT990 Pro's are FAR better the 770. They're not even in the same league, and therefore should not even directly compared. DT990's are clearly, in completely different league in terms of sound quality, regardless of anyone's sound signature preference.   They're on a level of HD650's or K701's, while DT770 are not even nearly as good. Basically, I thought the same thing, that 990 and 770 are similar because they cost the same, but when I bought the DT990 Pro's, DT770's 80 Pro's suddenly sound like an obviously lower tier headphone. Difference between them is larger than between my HD650 and HD558.
 
770's are great headphones for their $200-250 price and a for a closed headphone, and they do their job perfectly well,  but 990 pro's would be a steal even at $400, because they take the performance of the 770's, and just improve on every single thing....tightness, speed, texture, detail, extension of the bass is superior, it does not at all interfere with the rest of the spectrum, and don't let anyone tell you 990's are basshead headphones.

Nice, I have a pair of HD558s and the reason I was looking to get a pair of Beyer DTs is because I found that they are not comfortable. At first I thought the 770s would be a good choice since they are the "lowest" of the 3 series and I thought it would be nice to have some bass for a change. So I figured I would have two pairs, one opened and one closed. But now that I see the DT990s are the same price ($165), and you say they are better than the 770s, what are your thoughts between the HD558s and DT990s?
I would have two open pairs, do you think they're similar such that I could possibly end up selling the HD558s and just keep the DT990s? What do you think? Would this be more of an upgrade or a sidegrade?

 

[Zoom25]

Quote:

And yes, DT990 Pro's are FAR better the 770. They're not even in the same league, and therefore should not even directly compared. DT990's are clearly, in completely different league in terms of sound quality, regardless of anyone's sound signature preference.   They're on a level of HD650's or K701's, while DT770 are not even nearly as good. Basically, I thought the same thing, that 990 and 770 are similar because they cost the same, but when I bought the DT990 Pro's, DT770's 80 Pro's suddenly sound like an obviously lower tier headphone. Difference between them is larger than between my HD650 and HD558. They still sound neutral and very realistic, and totally perfect for studio use, but they don't sound as "hi-fi" as the 990's.  There's nowhere near as much detail or soundstage, they have slightly, VERY slightly recessed vocals in comparison, but not as nice sounding as on the 990's, 990's have a very airy, transparent, large soundstage, very good imaging, etc. Basically, they're a top contender for an open back <500$ headphone, and owning pretty much every other headphone in that category, I feel I can say that with a considerable amount of certainty. If you don't NEED closed headphones, buy the 990 pro's and don't ever even look at the 770's.

 
HE-400?

 

[icecap]

Quote:

Nice, I have a pair of HD558s and the reason I was looking to get a pair of Beyer DTs is because I found that they are not comfortable. At first I thought the 770s would be a good choice since they are the "lowest" of the 3 series and I thought it would be nice to have some bass for a change. So I figured I would have two pairs, one opened and one closed. But now that I see the DT990s are the same price ($165), and you say they are better than the 770s, what are your thoughts between the HD558s and DT990s?
I would have two open pairs, do you think they're similar such that I could possibly end up selling the HD558s and just keep the DT990s? What do you think? Would this be more of an upgrade or a sidegrade?

 
I have HD555 myself, and I am not sure how far apart HD558 is from it.. I reckon it's not much far away in quality, especially I have modded the grills of HD555 to make them really bass-responsive and forward-mids.. still, DT990 just trounces it, no way back..
 
it is amazing DT990 can have that bass response despite its openess.. I do agree to derbigpr that DT990 has the bass when you needed it... you can try them on cello pieces, like Bach Cello Suite No 1, or orchestral pieces like Dvorak New World Concerto.. the low ends of this open cans give you the timbre and air of such strings instrument or drums to hearing almost the scene of the performance.. IMO it is this air in demanding lower frequency reproduction gives the bass of DT990 that extra "cream"
 
But I do agree DT900 is definitely not neutral.. I auditioned DT880 before and I immediately knew what is neutral.. it means "dead flat" to me... for those who find DT990 sibliant, tube amp is the probably the solution to that.. just like a polarising shade to the eyes..
 
so, having 2 open pairs is no similar at all IMO..

 

[nicholars]

Quote:

they're a top contender for an open back <500$ headphone, and owning pretty much every other headphone in that category, I feel I can say that with a considerable amount of certainty. If you don't NEED closed headphones, buy the 990 pro's and don't ever even look at the 770's.

 
They are not really though the DT880 600ohm are beyers flagship headphones under £500.

 

[Dark Apparition]

Quote:

 
They are not really though the DT880 600ohm are beyers flagship headphones under £500.

I totally agree with this.  They may cost more, but the 880's are the better headphone.  I find there is far too much sibilance with the 990's.  It's funny because they have such a deep full bass, but then on the opposite end, screaching treble.  I still like them for music that doesn't have vocals or horns.  They are fun to listen to, but If you have to have one, go for the 880's, they are more versatile and well rounded.

 

[Zombie_X]

Hi,
 
Different strokes for different folks. I don't hate the DT770, but rather I like it. I find that it lacks a sense of engagement and life, so lifeless is what I chose to describe them as. The aren't bad phones though, so I hope my statement was not interpreted that way. 
 
I find them balanced, but it varies on gear and source material quite a bit.
 
The DT990, while have a ton of sub-bass, is still thin sounding to me. I still don't hate the headphone though. It's easily one of my favorite headphones.

 

[Atter]

I have the DT 770 pro 250 ohms and there seems to be little information and a lot of misconception in this thread and on these forums in general about this particular model.
 
The 770s have gotten a reputation for being "bass monsters" and having a sucked out mid range. Maybe this is true with the 80 ohm version, which seems to be by far the most recommended, but I do not own them so I won't speculate about their qualities. I have seen a frequency response graph of the 32 ohm LE version which seems to be more inline with those thoughts.
 
However, the sound of the pro 250 ohm variant is vary similar to that of the 250 ohm 880s albeit with a sub-bass focus. (All the 250 ohm DT models share the same driver afaik.)
 
Lets look at the graphs:
 
http://en.goldenears.net/en/files/attach/images/254/535/008/45cb35ead4ff3c089495b3093b24f0d0.png
http://en.goldenears.net/8535
 
http://en.goldenears.net/en/files/attach/images/254/302/011/da9e3fea712b75f9bf96f396fbf7c4d0.png
http://en.goldenears.net/11302
 
To my ears the DT 770 pro 250 ohms are a quite neutral sounding headphone outside the treble spike found in all of the DT lineup. And to my eyes these frequency response graphs confirm my thoughts.

 

[TokenGesture]

I'm looking for a closed phone to complement the T1 I use at home with my Metrum Octave/V200 rig.  I'll use it at home (via the rig) but also at work via ibasso D10, and via iphone/ipod (unamped).
 
I've got the DT770 LE 32 ohms but I'm missing the detail.
 
Should I go for the DT1350 (which Zombie_X has described as a mini T1) or pony up for T5p?  
 
Bear in  mind that I want it to be transportable to and from the office, but also comfortable to wear for extended periods (at my desk).  I used to work im a home office most of the time so have got spoiled with great quality sound on tap, now I'm based in an external office I really want to get to something close to the SQ I have in my home rig.
 
What do you think?

 

[Helltech]

I'm getting the 990 Pro 250Ohm, I was planning on getting a Magni but would a Bravo Audio V2 be a better option? I don't want to spend over 100 on an amp.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

I'm getting the 990 Pro 250Ohm, I was planning on getting a Magni but would a Bravo Audio V2 be a better option? I don't want to spend over 100 on an amp.

I have a few of those bargain priced tube amplifiers, kind of fun to play (tinker) around with.
Fine for use with a 250-Ohm headphones
Not really a good choice for low impedance headphone, if you own any or planning on buying any.
 
Better to get the Schiit Magni, nice simple solid state amplifier.

 

[Helltech]

Quote:

I'm getting the 990 Pro 250Ohm, I was planning on getting a Magni but would a Bravo Audio V2 be a better option? I don't want to spend over 100 on an amp.

The problem is I've heard multiple times that the magni makes the 990s already bad treble sound worse.

 

[HPiper]

I was looking around at various Beyer headphones on Headroom's website and I was comparing the T1, DT880, and DT990. What surprised me wasn't the differences, but how very similar they all were to one another. I expected that from the two DT models but the T1 was very close as well. Looking at all 3 (and I looked at the T90 too) the 880 looked like the best bang for the buck as they say. Very close to the T1 as far as the graphs go.

 

[Armaegis]

Well they're all semi-open with virtually the same construction.

 

[MrTechAgent]

Nice write up !

 

[devhen]

Quote:

I was looking around at various Beyer headphones on Headroom's website and I was comparing the T1, DT880, and DT990. What surprised me wasn't the differences, but how very similar they all were to one another. I expected that from the two DT models but the T1 was very close as well. Looking at all 3 (and I looked at the T90 too) the 880 looked like the best bang for the buck as they say. Very close to the T1 as far as the graphs go.

 
Both the DT880 and DT990 are outstanding "bangs for the buck" in their "Pro" variants. The DT880 Pro can be had for slightly more than $200 while the DT990 Pro can be had for around $175. At those prices they are two of the best buys in headphones.
 
DT880 = Semi-open and more neutral
DT990 = Fully open with more bass and treble