How clear and accurate are DT 990 Pro's?

[muchichi]

Been looking for some open can (never had any very excited) headphones to mix on and listen to music. I knew open cans were the most bass-E type so I have settled on the DT 990s.  Originally was going for the HD 598's (I love the look of senn's) but kept seeing that there wasnt much bass at all. The V-Shape sound of the 990's should give me enough bass to be satisfied. My only concern when mixing is I am unsure how accurate the sound will be. That was the main point of getting some cans. I realized I could not compromise on the bass since I make mostly Hip-Hop/R&B music. Are the DT 990's still accurate?

 

[Dulalala]

I wouldn't call them accurate nor would I assume it's a good idea to mix with them since they have a very V-Shaped sound signature. They do sound quite clear though. I think if you want to use them for monitoring it's better to get a flatter sounding headphone.

 

[muchichi]

so the HD 598's would be a better bet?

 

[Dulalala]

I have never heard the HD598 so I don't know how they sound but I would imagine they are somewhat neutral. If you are looking into closed backs also the SRH440/840 are really good for monitoring.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Been looking for some open can (never had any very excited) headphones to mix on and listen to music. I knew open cans were the most bass-E type so I have settled on the DT 990s.  Originally was going for the HD 598's (I love the look of senn's) but kept seeing that there wasn't much bass at all. The V-Shape sound of the 990's should give me enough bass to be satisfied. My only concern when mixing is I am unsure how accurate the sound will be. That was the main point of getting some cans. I realized I could not compromise on the bass since I make mostly Hip-Hop/R&B music. Are the DT 990's still accurate?

 
I think the DT990 strong bass/treble, makes them not really a great choice for audio editing/creation/mixing.
Neutral/boring headphone would be better.
Check out the Sony MDR-V6 or MDR-7506, for working with audio.

 

[atarione]

The V6's really are nice for this type of work.. a classic that has been made since the 1980's
 
The DT880's are also a option maybe much more neutral than the 990's ... some people say these are boring also..meh.. the internet seems to show me at least that pretty much some percent of people hate every single product out there...
 
I'm actually listening to DT880 250Ohms right now with a DarkVoice 336SE tube headphone amp right now ..listening to led Zeppelin atm... quite enjoying it...   however these headphones will (as will the 990's) let you know if your source is badly recorded..   You would need proper amplification for the DT880's the Sony's on the other hand are no problem to drive with a cell phone or whatever.

 

[muchichi]

Going to be driving them with my audio interface. I was heavily considering the DT 880's but I do not want the experience to be boring. 

 

[cskippy]

DT880 are hardly boring.  They were my first "expensive" headphone and they really are great for mixing.  I've since gravitated toward a flatter but warmer sound and HD600 comes closest.  DT880 has an elevated treble between 6-8kHz, otherwise they are extremely flat.  HD600 is pretty damn neutral with a slight broader emphasis around 5kHz.  HD598 is supposed to be pretty similar.  It won't WOW you like some headphones do initially but it also won't annoy you after you've had them for a while and learned how they color music.  Just my 2 cents.  

 

[Me x3]

If you'll make Hip Hop and R&B, best you can do is get a headphone that sounds relatively similar to the headphones/speakers that people will use for that kind of music.
DT880 is a very neutral headphone, but very little people use DT880 for Hip-Hop, then you might be able to make something that sounds great through DT880 and that will be pretty accurate in objective terms, but it won't translate well into the listeners set-ups. In that sense, DT990 is not that bad of an option since it has slightly raised bass but it's still not massive. Treble on DT990 is very forward, clear and extended so it's great to find flaws on the recordings, the only thing you should keep in mind is that DT990 is bright, so don't aim for dark sound when making music with DT990, because it will sound too dark elsewhere. You should aim to borderline too bright, then it will translate very well into your listeners headphones/speakers.

 

[cskippy]

As long as you have songs that you can reference, you can learn to mix on almost anything.  What @Me x3 said is true about Dance,EDM,R&B etc.  You might want a headphone that has good bass extension to check your low end.  I would always check on my Studio Monitors with Sub to really know what the bass was like.  HD600 and DT880 don't have Beats levels of bass but they are balanced and extend quite well. 

 

[muchichi]

ooh okay I did not know that. I thought the flatter the sound the better for any genre. What cans would you recommend for hip-hop production?

 

[cskippy]

I still recommend the DT880 or HD600.  They are closest to flat in their price point.  Can you tell me what your sound preferences are?  Any headphones that you've heard and can comment on?  Just to get a better understanding of your preferences.  

 

[muchichi]

the only somewhat decent pair of headphones I have had were the logitech UE6000's had these for a few years. Back then I just wanted good bass. Now that I make music I still want the bass but accuracy as well. 

 

[muchichi]

Also I would love a pair of HD 600's but my price point stops at $200

 

[cskippy]

You should be able to get a used pair in the Head-Fi classifieds.  Found these two quickly:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/748694/sennhheiser-hd-600
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/825607/headphones-sale
 
Otherwise a DT880 Pro 250 Ohm is currently $165 on Amazon.