[Sanotter]

Hey, I've already kind of been through this myself, so this is my advice.
 
So I own/owned dt990s, k702s, oppo pm3s and have tried dt770s.
 
I would talk about the Sures/Denons, however, I have no experience with them. 
 
I personally use my k702's for everyday computer stuff, just because they are so ridiculously comfortable you don't really realise they're on your head. This is the same as the dt990s, which I'd assume are very similar to the 1990s? For what you're talking about the dt990's/1990s sound like a really good fit. 
 
Although, I should say that as a 'one headphone for all situations' headphone the pm3's are amazing. They handle all the music I can throw at them, super comfy, crazy good sound and you can wear them outside. The pm3's are a joy to listen to but I only really put them on when listening to music, just because the k702 are so comfy, lol.
 
But yeah, I'd probably lean towards the dt1990, although I love my pm3's so it would be a tough call. I'd probably get the dt1990 and use that as an everyday comfy wear for long periods of time headphone, and think about an ortho or whatever later down the line.
 
Just my 0.02, hope it helps.

 

[sunToxx]

The Nightowl is definitely interesting. The build quality worries me though. Judging from the pics I do not see this headphone in heavy use for many years.
 
I excluded the Amiron now due to its treble peak being around 7khz, which I don't like. The other 2 Beyers got it at 9khz+ which is a less aggressive range for me. The Shure 1540 is really tempting, but it seems less well suited to EDM and Electronica, which I do listen to most. And with a good amp and some equalizing the Beyers should be suited for any type of music. Plus I really enjoy their looks.
 
So it seems the decision will be in between closed or open can, i.e. DT1770 or DT1990. Probably closed again, as that's what I am used to.
 
@Sanotter yes, I think I will go for one of the 2 Beyers. Coming from a very aggressive headphone like the HFI780, I think it will be quite enjoyable and not to harsh for me. So you enjoy the PM3s a lot? They seem to strongly polarize listeners. Some really love them and other hate them as it seems. I might set up a pricealarm at some point and see if I can get them cheap with enough patience. I still am a bit curious.

 

[Sanotter]

@Sanotter yes, I think I will go for one of the 2 Beyers. Coming from a very aggressive headphone like the HFI780, I think it will be quite enjoyable and not to harsh for me. So you enjoy the PM3s a lot? They seem to strongly polarize listeners. Some really love them and other hate them as it seems. I might set up a pricealarm at some point and see if I can get them cheap with enough patience. I still am a bit curious.

 
Personally, I'd go for the open dt1990, since that will be better for pretty much everything unless you need to block out a ton of external noise.
 
But yeah, I love these PM3s, although I got to try them out on loan from my local hi-fi shop for a month so it was a no-brainer really. What most people talk about is the lack of treble, and while a little rolled off (especially compared to my k702/dt990) I really do enjoy the way they sound.

 

[sunToxx]

The dt1990 have a raised mid range though which is too prominent. Need to use the other ear pads to soften that up a little. I would really like to compare them to each other. I might prefer the dt1990s with the balanced earpads over the dt1770s i think, but my girlfriend is not too happy when I choose open cans. And I got the PC sitting on my desk with about 7 140mm case fans, 1 140mm cpu fan, plus gpu and power supply fans. The case is well isolated (DB900 pro), but due to the gpu it could still be heard in an open phone when playing something at low volume. Probably wouldn't bother me much. But overall the dt1770s are probably the wiser choice for me

 

[Sanotter]

  The dt1990 have a raised mid range though which is too prominent. Need to use the other ear pads to soften that up a little. I would really like to compare them to each other. I might prefer the dt1990s with the balanced earpads over the dt1770s i think, but my girlfriend is not too happy when I choose open cans. And I got the PC sitting on my desk with about 7 140mm case fans, 1 140mm cpu fan, plus gpu and power supply fans. The case is well isolated (DB900 pro), but due to the gpu it could still be heard in an open phone when playing something at low volume. Probably wouldn't bother me much. But overall the dt1770s are probably the wiser choice for me

Yeah, makes sense, although I would highly advise you to try before you buy, and I wouldn't even think about changing things like earpads until you've heard them. Don't start changing stuff before you've used them for a while, gotta get past the point where placebo can take effect.

 

[sunToxx]

Generally that's right. The dt1990s come with 2 types of earpads though. An "analytical" set and a "balanced" set. The later raises the bass a bit and makes it overall more balanced.

 

[sunToxx]

Mostly Classic rock, folk, acoustic, and instrumental, but I listen to everything. They're great for movies, too.

Did you ever try the LCD-2? How do they compare to the Denon D7200?

 

[endgame]

Did you ever try the LCD-2? How do they compare to the Denon D7200?

I've never heard any Audeze headphones so I can't comment on them. But I read earlier that you heard the 1540's aren't good for EDM? Of all the choices you've listed, they're the MOST suited for that type of music. The 1540's have elevated bass and especially sub bass without any of the treble peaks that Beyers are known for. You need to get someone to post a frequency graph for you. I would recommend you watch and listen to more reviews and reconsider them. Some people have actually called them, "Beats for audiophiles" because of the bass that they are capable of. I wouldn't go that far, but they're not lacking in that department by any means.

 

[sunToxx]

I've never heard any Audeze headphones so I can't comment on them. But I read earlier that you heard the 1540's aren't good for EDM? Of all the choices you've listed, they're the MOST suited for that type of music. The 1540's have elevated bass and especially sub bass without any of the treble peaks that Beyers are known for. You need to get someone to post a frequency graph for you. I would recommend you watch and listen to more reviews and reconsider them. Some people have actually called them, "Beats for audiophiles" because of the bass that they are capable of. I wouldn't go that far, but they're not lacking in that department by any means.

And the D7200 is similar to that, one step up in sound and build quality?
 
Btw, i got the DT1770 here for testing purposes. I like them when I EQ the mids down quite a bit. I suppose that ends up quite close to the 1540 then? The 1770s are just too aggressive at full mids. I like a more lush and warm sound I suppose and I don't want to have to EQ them permanently.

 

[sunToxx]

I have also a Marantz HD CAD1 here for testing. It's kind of amazing. It does have a great sound, but it's virtually not possible to tell it apart from my soundblaster Z (I do use a very good powersupply in my PC, not sure if that might have an influence. It's a Dark Power Pro 650). I have spend hours switching back and forth on CD quality music, sometimes going dozens of times over a 20 second piece of complex sounds and i can not tell any difference. Nor could my girlfriend in some blind tests, I could easily trick her alternating the pattern of switching between the 2 devices.
 
So my 70 Euro, 50 grams of soundcard, beat a 750 Euro, almost 5kg headphone amp. So glad I can give the Marantz back, lol. Might try an amp with selectable Bass Boost like the Ifi Ican Micro at some point.

 

[endgame]

And the D7200 is similar to that, one step up in sound and build quality?

Btw, i got the DT1770 here for testing purposes. I like them when I EQ the mids down quite a bit. I suppose that ends up quite close to the 1540 then? The 1770s are just too aggressive at full mids. I like a more lush and warm sound I suppose and I don't want to have to EQ them permanently.

The dt1770 isn't bad but it's still harsher than the 1540 just like you said and it's not as comfortable to wear. I doubt you'd need to EQ the 1540 especially once it's fullly burned in. I prefer the 7200 over the Shure because of the balance but the 7200 has less bass, so you might prefer the 1540. They're both amazing headphones.

 

[sunToxx]

I think i'll give the D7200 a try, in combination with an Ifi Micro Ican SE.

 

[endgame]

I think i'll give the D7200 a try, in combination with an Ifi Micro Ican SE.

Well let us know what you think after you've had some time with them. Make sure you allow them to burn in before judging as biocellulose drivers need time to loosen up.

 

[sunToxx]

Well let us know what you think after you've had some time with them. Make sure you allow them to burn in before judging as biocellulose drivers need time to loosen up.

Ifi arrived today, D7200 due tomorrow. The mids in the DT1770 seem to be a tiny bit less tiring for me with the Ifi Micro Ican SE, but the difference is minimal. The sound is pretty much the same again (hooked it up to the Marantz). The 3D and Bass Boost work nicely, although the "Surround" option in the Soundblaster driver can produce a very similar crossover effect at low levels (3 to 10% setting). To get the exact copy of the bass boost was not quite as easy, it does sound a tad nicer then reproducing it with the soundblaster EQ. Getting quite close though. In all I have to say it is far from being a 300€ upgrade for me. It appears more and more likely I will forego any amplification apart from the Soundblaster. I bought the SB just to serve as an optical out, quite impressive how well it does.
 
Now very curious for tomorrow!!! I might also try an open can before I make my final decision. The Focal Elear and Oppo PM-2 are very interesting. A real pity no shop got the Hifiman HE-500 anymore, they seemed like a perfect match.

 

[sunToxx]

Well let us know what you think after you've had some time with them. Make sure you allow them to burn in before judging as biocellulose drivers need time to loosen up.

 
The D7200 have been burning in for about 24hours. First impression is really nice.
 
They are defenitely easier to the ear than the DT1770. The biggest difference to me seems to be that they don't have that uncomfortable peak around 500hz (according to my EQ testing). With the DT1770 it can be quite unpleasant, for example listening to "Easy - Don't hurt" from Ike Quebec, or "Loie (Rudy van Gelder Edition 2007 Remastered)" (at 02:15 for example). I can lessen that a bit by using the EQ to reduce the 500Hz range by 5dB but it still sounds better on the D7200.
 
On the other hand, the DT1770 has more aggressive dynamics and detail when playing something like Prodigy "Smack my bitch up". Not only that the bass has more impact, if you listen to the part at 01:45 to 02:10 for example, that certain sound there, is being reproduced in a more vibrant and cleaner way, especiall at higher volume.
 
Overall I would say the D7200 wins, because this peak at 500Hz is kind of tiresome to my ears. The only realy gripe I got with the D7200 is the headband. There seems to be some sort of flexible joint in it's middle. When putting on the headphone (need to use maximum extension for my headsize), that joint gets bend a bit which causes the headphones weight to rest on a rather small spot on my head, which feels a tad uncomfortable. Maybe I get used to it, but at the moment it seems a bit unpleasant for longer sessions. I really wonder why they wouldn't make it softer!?!
 
One thing that does worry me on the D7200 is also, how the earpads will do in the long run. I used my HFI780 a lot in summer, and the faux leather became all hard and crumbled in some spots. I suppose same will happen here, or is there a way to prevent that?