Ikon
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Nov 21, 2004
- Posts
- 269
- Likes
- 11
Introduction
I'm using the Philips HP890 for quite some time now, and I'm not really unhappy with them. But I really felt like listening to something new, something differerent. But as I'm cheap, I don't want to spend more than say 100 Euros for a new pair of phones (right now). The Beyerdynamic DTX900 are said to be verrry decent headphones for the money, so I couldn't resist trying them. Both phones cost around 60 Euros here in Germany, so they should be somewhat worthy competitors.
Source
I use my headphones solely at the Computer with a Creative Soundblaster Live! 24bit External, which is a half-decent USB-DAC with dedicated headphone-jack (which you better not use with headphones - since it is wired up to a very ugly DAC - damn you, Creative. No separate amp is used, which is no real problem since both headphones sport an impedance of (only) 32 ohm. Both cans could be easily driven by a portable, but then again - who would want to walk around with a pair of HP890 on your head? People would run screaming away from you, thinking that you're an alien
Burn-In
HP890: I own those since about 6 months and use them several hours a day, so they are well burned in. Sonically they was a (positive) change in the first weeks, but don't ask me about the details, it's too far in the past.
DTX900: I tested them for 30 minutes right out of the box for a first impression. Then a I hooked them up with my half-decent portable panasonic cd-player and let it play mixed classical music with a very high dynamic range at "normal" hearing volume. About 48 hours later (and after numberous battery-changes), I conducted the real testing. The Beyers didn't change much, though their highs cleared up slightly.
Comfort
HP890: The Philips have some of the biggest cups one can find on a pair of headphones, definately circum-aural - even for people with big ears. The pads are velvet-like and sooo smooth, I would like a cushion made of that stuff. Ah yes, and the headband is self-adujsting. These cans are hard to beat in terms of comfyness.
DTX900: The Beyers' cups are more supra-aural than circum-aural, and their pads are covered with a similar velvet-like material, although a bit harder than the Philips' pads. Their headband is made of plain plastic with a cheap cushion on the inside (that is NOT comfortable, because this "cushion" is made of - much to hard - plastic). They also squeeze my head a bit too much, but after a few weeks either your head or the Beyers should have adapted
. Note that these headphones are much smaller than they look in most pictures on the internet.
Build-Quality
HP890: Quite heavy and relatively sturdy. Biggest weakness ist the self-adjusting headband: While in use for an extended period of time, the phones can start to sag, so they rest some of their weight on your ears. I can live with that. At least that did not get worse over the last 6 months, for which I own them.
DTX900: The Beyers are as light as a feather and their look and feel can be described with two words: cheapest plastic ... I mean it. You get similarly bad build quality usually only with sub 20 EUR phones. I expect at least a little more of Beyer.
Isolation / Leakage
HP890: The Philips let only very little outside noise in, they isolate quite much for an open headphone. Leakage is there, but negligible.
DTX900: The Beyers - being more supra-aural than circum-aural - let quite much outside noise in, you wouldn't like that if your PC is on the louder side. They also leak a bit more, but still not disturbingly much unless you're using them only centimeters away from a sleeping person.
Soundstage
HP890: The HP890 are at least known for their soundstage, it's quite large and detailed. It's a kind of enveloping feel in conjuntion with those smooth pads.
DTX900: The DTX900's soundstage is smaller und more straight forward, nothing great, but ... acceptable.
Frequency Range
Highs
HP890: The Philips have quite crispy highs - very delightful, but sometimes a little harsh.
DTX900: The Beyers' highs are much more recessed and also a bit "plasticy" ... something is just missing in contrast to the Philips. Or am I just too much used to the Philips-Sound?
Upper Midrange
HP890: The Philips' upper midrange gets somewhat swallowed up by its strong highs, it's clearly recessed, but there.
DTX900: The Beyers are incredibly detailed here, really amazing.
Lower Midrange
HP890: The Philips muddle a bit here, there can be more detail as the Beryers show.
DTX900: More pronounced, and also more detailed than the HP890.
Bass
HP890: The Philips' bass is dark, detailed and tight with those large 50mm drivers. It's one of their greatest strengths.
DTX900: The Beyers' bass is definitely more pronounced, but not es tight or detailed as the Philips'. Still not boomy and also quite acceptable, just not as impressive.
Testing with different music genres
Coldplay - Don't Panic [Pop/e-guitars/male vocals/very deep electronic bass]
HP890: Nice, the bass comes as tight as it should and vocals sound natural. The guitars on the other hand are clearly muddled. Acceptable performance, but not great.
DTX900: I like what the Beyers did with it. At first, I missed the Philips' crispy highs, but in this particular song, the Beyers' great midrange makes my day. The vocals are more pronounced and the guitars more detailed. The bass takes a backseat, but is there and not muddled.
Poets of the Fall - Late Goodbye [Pop/guitars/violins/male vocals]
HP890: Very natural vocals, but the guitars are too muddled for my taste, though the good soundstage makes somewhat up for that. There is not much bass here.
DTX900: The guitars are less muddled, but still not satisfying. The vocals are not as cut-off as I expected, quite acceptable actually. Unfortanetly, as soon as the violins are added, the Beyers' midrange gets almost as muddled as the Philips'. And while here was not much bass with the HP890, I don't hear any with the DTX900
Dido - Thank you [Pop/guitars/flute/extensive percussion including bongos/female vocals]
HP890: Great, enveloping soundstage. Dido's voice sounds very detailed and natural. The guitars take a backseat (as they should here), but are detailed enough. The bass is sooooo clear and detailed, I couldn't imagine it any better. Dido at her best.
DTX900: Again, inferior soundstage versus the Philips, more crowded. Both Dido's voice and the guitars are quite blurred, that hurts the song deeply, of course. Bass is also just present enough. In this song, the winner is clearer than ever: the HP890.
Hermes House Band - Those were the Days (alternative mix, with real - not electronic - bass) [Pop/guitars/bass/female vocals]
HP890: Very crisp highs. I'm also blown away by the instrument separation. The female singer's voice is incredible detailed. Bass is dark and natural and not boomy, as it should be. The HP890 like this song
DTX900: The Beyers' highs are less recessed this time, but sadly also even more plasticy than usual. The singer's voice bleeds into the guitars, which is especially pityful here, as the guitars themselves are a tad more detailed than with the Philips. The bass sounds like it's pulled up in the lower midrange.
Bedřich Smetana - Vltava (The Moldau) [Classical]
HP890: Nice, very lively. The soundstage is again impressive, instument separation is good. The midrange leaves to wish for more, but I can live with that.
DTX900: Instrument separation is even better, the soundstage is not as enveloping - but not necessarily inferior. Again, an impressively detailed midrange. The highs sound strangely harsh this time. All in all, it's a more refined but less balanced performance than with the Philips. No clear winner here.
Johannes Brahms - Ungarischer Tanz Nr. 5 in G-Moll [Classical]
HP890: Hard to describe. The Soundstage is great, although the intrument separation could be better. All instruments are somewhat bleeding into each other, but it's a uniform muddlig (which helps to disguise it as a whole). The lively character of Brahms comes through to some extent.
DTX900: There is more detail in it, and instrument separation is much better. The Soundstage is as good as the Philips'. But then again, the recessed highs are very disturbing. I prefer the slight muddling of the Philips as it sounds more balanced (and also more lively).
TOTO - Hold the Line [Rock/e-guitars/e-bass/extensive percussion/male vocals]
HP890: Although the vocals are male, they profit from the Philips' crispy highs. The guitars strike me as a tiny bit muddled. Bass is deeeeep and tight with the Philips, as always. All in all a pleasant performance.
DTX900: Ouch. The vocals and strangely even the guitars are much too recessed. The bass is also too weak, the Philips' just rock more. The Beyers make this sound like "sissy rock".
Lenny Kravitz - American Woman [Rock/e-guitars/e-bass/male vocals]
HP890: Deep and detailed bass, as it should be. In front of all this, Lenny's voice is very detailed and natural sounding. Intrument separation and soundstage are superior, the position of every element is clearly detectable and nothing bleeds into each other. Although I'm not that much of a rock fan, the HP890 make this song VERY enjoyable.
DTX900: Intrument separation is almost equally good as the Philips, but the soundstage is just not comparable, everything is tighter together and single instruments are hard to locate. Lenny's voice is a tad less detailed and saldy also less lively. The Beyers make me miss the deep bass of the Philips, the DTX900's is detailed - but not as deep as necessary. Lenny rocks a lot less with the DTX900.
Eric Clapton - Layla [Jazz/guitars/piano/bass/mostly male vocals]
HP890: As this recording was made of a live performance, the Philips' great soundstage pays off. Intrument separation and positioning is extremely good - I never before noticed that there is a female voice on the left side, singing the refrain with Clapton. There isn't much bass in this song, but everything else is just excellent.
DTX900: More straight-forward, Instrument separation is clearly inferior, everything sounds closer together. The lady on the left is still there, but she must have wrapped a sock around her microphone. Everything is just too muffled on the upper end with the Beyers, the additional detail in the mids is nice, but simply doesn't make up for the highs.
Dr. John - Blue Skies [Jazz/piano/bass/male vocals]
HP890: A very dark and detailed bass. As expected, the vocals leave nothing to wish. But the piano in the midrange could be clearer and less muddled.
DTX900: The piano tries to be more detailed, but becomes strangely harsh. The vocals are more detailed than I expected, but they are still DTX900-like cut-off at a certain point. Bass is sufficiently detailed, but doesn't reach as deep down as the Philips'.
Movies
HP890: The combination of their crisp highs, large/detailed soundstage and great comfort make them just perfect for viewing movies. The slightly muddled midrange really isn't an issue, here.
DTX900: Not a good idea. Bad isolation, a not so great soundstage and recessed highs (which swallow up many of those neat surround effects) make the DTX900 a bad pair of cans for watching movies.
Conclusion
So, let's wrap it all up:
HP890
+ crisp, detailed highs
+ dark, detailed, especially deep bass
+ large, detailed soundstage
+ very comfy
+ acceptable build-quality
- slightly muddled midrange
- loose headband
DTX900
+ impressively detailed midrange
+ solid, detailed bass (most of the time)
+ usable but not great soundstage
- much too recessed highs
- more supra-aural than circum-aural
- not really comfortable
- let too much outside noise in
- bad build-quality
Although the Beyers had a hard stand here, as my ears are used to the Philips, they just seem inferior to the Philips in many aspects. Unless you are a total midrange freak, who doesn't care about much else, I really can't recommend them.
Well, this was my first review/comparison at Head-Fi, I hope you liked it
[EDIT - Author's Note: As you can percieve, these impressions were described by somebody, who had at that time not listened to anything better than the HP890. I completely stand by the conclusions of this comparison, but I really urge you to see them only in contrast between those two headphones, and not in an absolute way.]
I'm using the Philips HP890 for quite some time now, and I'm not really unhappy with them. But I really felt like listening to something new, something differerent. But as I'm cheap, I don't want to spend more than say 100 Euros for a new pair of phones (right now). The Beyerdynamic DTX900 are said to be verrry decent headphones for the money, so I couldn't resist trying them. Both phones cost around 60 Euros here in Germany, so they should be somewhat worthy competitors.
Source
I use my headphones solely at the Computer with a Creative Soundblaster Live! 24bit External, which is a half-decent USB-DAC with dedicated headphone-jack (which you better not use with headphones - since it is wired up to a very ugly DAC - damn you, Creative. No separate amp is used, which is no real problem since both headphones sport an impedance of (only) 32 ohm. Both cans could be easily driven by a portable, but then again - who would want to walk around with a pair of HP890 on your head? People would run screaming away from you, thinking that you're an alien
Burn-In
HP890: I own those since about 6 months and use them several hours a day, so they are well burned in. Sonically they was a (positive) change in the first weeks, but don't ask me about the details, it's too far in the past.
DTX900: I tested them for 30 minutes right out of the box for a first impression. Then a I hooked them up with my half-decent portable panasonic cd-player and let it play mixed classical music with a very high dynamic range at "normal" hearing volume. About 48 hours later (and after numberous battery-changes), I conducted the real testing. The Beyers didn't change much, though their highs cleared up slightly.
Comfort
HP890: The Philips have some of the biggest cups one can find on a pair of headphones, definately circum-aural - even for people with big ears. The pads are velvet-like and sooo smooth, I would like a cushion made of that stuff. Ah yes, and the headband is self-adujsting. These cans are hard to beat in terms of comfyness.
DTX900: The Beyers' cups are more supra-aural than circum-aural, and their pads are covered with a similar velvet-like material, although a bit harder than the Philips' pads. Their headband is made of plain plastic with a cheap cushion on the inside (that is NOT comfortable, because this "cushion" is made of - much to hard - plastic). They also squeeze my head a bit too much, but after a few weeks either your head or the Beyers should have adapted
Build-Quality
HP890: Quite heavy and relatively sturdy. Biggest weakness ist the self-adjusting headband: While in use for an extended period of time, the phones can start to sag, so they rest some of their weight on your ears. I can live with that. At least that did not get worse over the last 6 months, for which I own them.
DTX900: The Beyers are as light as a feather and their look and feel can be described with two words: cheapest plastic ... I mean it. You get similarly bad build quality usually only with sub 20 EUR phones. I expect at least a little more of Beyer.
Isolation / Leakage
HP890: The Philips let only very little outside noise in, they isolate quite much for an open headphone. Leakage is there, but negligible.
DTX900: The Beyers - being more supra-aural than circum-aural - let quite much outside noise in, you wouldn't like that if your PC is on the louder side. They also leak a bit more, but still not disturbingly much unless you're using them only centimeters away from a sleeping person.
Soundstage
HP890: The HP890 are at least known for their soundstage, it's quite large and detailed. It's a kind of enveloping feel in conjuntion with those smooth pads.
DTX900: The DTX900's soundstage is smaller und more straight forward, nothing great, but ... acceptable.
Frequency Range
Highs
HP890: The Philips have quite crispy highs - very delightful, but sometimes a little harsh.
DTX900: The Beyers' highs are much more recessed and also a bit "plasticy" ... something is just missing in contrast to the Philips. Or am I just too much used to the Philips-Sound?
Upper Midrange
HP890: The Philips' upper midrange gets somewhat swallowed up by its strong highs, it's clearly recessed, but there.
DTX900: The Beyers are incredibly detailed here, really amazing.
Lower Midrange
HP890: The Philips muddle a bit here, there can be more detail as the Beryers show.
DTX900: More pronounced, and also more detailed than the HP890.
Bass
HP890: The Philips' bass is dark, detailed and tight with those large 50mm drivers. It's one of their greatest strengths.
DTX900: The Beyers' bass is definitely more pronounced, but not es tight or detailed as the Philips'. Still not boomy and also quite acceptable, just not as impressive.
Testing with different music genres
Coldplay - Don't Panic [Pop/e-guitars/male vocals/very deep electronic bass]
HP890: Nice, the bass comes as tight as it should and vocals sound natural. The guitars on the other hand are clearly muddled. Acceptable performance, but not great.
DTX900: I like what the Beyers did with it. At first, I missed the Philips' crispy highs, but in this particular song, the Beyers' great midrange makes my day. The vocals are more pronounced and the guitars more detailed. The bass takes a backseat, but is there and not muddled.
Poets of the Fall - Late Goodbye [Pop/guitars/violins/male vocals]
HP890: Very natural vocals, but the guitars are too muddled for my taste, though the good soundstage makes somewhat up for that. There is not much bass here.
DTX900: The guitars are less muddled, but still not satisfying. The vocals are not as cut-off as I expected, quite acceptable actually. Unfortanetly, as soon as the violins are added, the Beyers' midrange gets almost as muddled as the Philips'. And while here was not much bass with the HP890, I don't hear any with the DTX900
Dido - Thank you [Pop/guitars/flute/extensive percussion including bongos/female vocals]
HP890: Great, enveloping soundstage. Dido's voice sounds very detailed and natural. The guitars take a backseat (as they should here), but are detailed enough. The bass is sooooo clear and detailed, I couldn't imagine it any better. Dido at her best.
DTX900: Again, inferior soundstage versus the Philips, more crowded. Both Dido's voice and the guitars are quite blurred, that hurts the song deeply, of course. Bass is also just present enough. In this song, the winner is clearer than ever: the HP890.
Hermes House Band - Those were the Days (alternative mix, with real - not electronic - bass) [Pop/guitars/bass/female vocals]
HP890: Very crisp highs. I'm also blown away by the instrument separation. The female singer's voice is incredible detailed. Bass is dark and natural and not boomy, as it should be. The HP890 like this song
DTX900: The Beyers' highs are less recessed this time, but sadly also even more plasticy than usual. The singer's voice bleeds into the guitars, which is especially pityful here, as the guitars themselves are a tad more detailed than with the Philips. The bass sounds like it's pulled up in the lower midrange.
Bedřich Smetana - Vltava (The Moldau) [Classical]
HP890: Nice, very lively. The soundstage is again impressive, instument separation is good. The midrange leaves to wish for more, but I can live with that.
DTX900: Instrument separation is even better, the soundstage is not as enveloping - but not necessarily inferior. Again, an impressively detailed midrange. The highs sound strangely harsh this time. All in all, it's a more refined but less balanced performance than with the Philips. No clear winner here.
Johannes Brahms - Ungarischer Tanz Nr. 5 in G-Moll [Classical]
HP890: Hard to describe. The Soundstage is great, although the intrument separation could be better. All instruments are somewhat bleeding into each other, but it's a uniform muddlig (which helps to disguise it as a whole). The lively character of Brahms comes through to some extent.
DTX900: There is more detail in it, and instrument separation is much better. The Soundstage is as good as the Philips'. But then again, the recessed highs are very disturbing. I prefer the slight muddling of the Philips as it sounds more balanced (and also more lively).
TOTO - Hold the Line [Rock/e-guitars/e-bass/extensive percussion/male vocals]
HP890: Although the vocals are male, they profit from the Philips' crispy highs. The guitars strike me as a tiny bit muddled. Bass is deeeeep and tight with the Philips, as always. All in all a pleasant performance.
DTX900: Ouch. The vocals and strangely even the guitars are much too recessed. The bass is also too weak, the Philips' just rock more. The Beyers make this sound like "sissy rock".
Lenny Kravitz - American Woman [Rock/e-guitars/e-bass/male vocals]
HP890: Deep and detailed bass, as it should be. In front of all this, Lenny's voice is very detailed and natural sounding. Intrument separation and soundstage are superior, the position of every element is clearly detectable and nothing bleeds into each other. Although I'm not that much of a rock fan, the HP890 make this song VERY enjoyable.
DTX900: Intrument separation is almost equally good as the Philips, but the soundstage is just not comparable, everything is tighter together and single instruments are hard to locate. Lenny's voice is a tad less detailed and saldy also less lively. The Beyers make me miss the deep bass of the Philips, the DTX900's is detailed - but not as deep as necessary. Lenny rocks a lot less with the DTX900.
Eric Clapton - Layla [Jazz/guitars/piano/bass/mostly male vocals]
HP890: As this recording was made of a live performance, the Philips' great soundstage pays off. Intrument separation and positioning is extremely good - I never before noticed that there is a female voice on the left side, singing the refrain with Clapton. There isn't much bass in this song, but everything else is just excellent.
DTX900: More straight-forward, Instrument separation is clearly inferior, everything sounds closer together. The lady on the left is still there, but she must have wrapped a sock around her microphone. Everything is just too muffled on the upper end with the Beyers, the additional detail in the mids is nice, but simply doesn't make up for the highs.
Dr. John - Blue Skies [Jazz/piano/bass/male vocals]
HP890: A very dark and detailed bass. As expected, the vocals leave nothing to wish. But the piano in the midrange could be clearer and less muddled.
DTX900: The piano tries to be more detailed, but becomes strangely harsh. The vocals are more detailed than I expected, but they are still DTX900-like cut-off at a certain point. Bass is sufficiently detailed, but doesn't reach as deep down as the Philips'.
Movies
HP890: The combination of their crisp highs, large/detailed soundstage and great comfort make them just perfect for viewing movies. The slightly muddled midrange really isn't an issue, here.
DTX900: Not a good idea. Bad isolation, a not so great soundstage and recessed highs (which swallow up many of those neat surround effects) make the DTX900 a bad pair of cans for watching movies.
Conclusion
So, let's wrap it all up:
HP890
+ crisp, detailed highs
+ dark, detailed, especially deep bass
+ large, detailed soundstage
+ very comfy
+ acceptable build-quality
- slightly muddled midrange
- loose headband
DTX900
+ impressively detailed midrange
+ solid, detailed bass (most of the time)
+ usable but not great soundstage
- much too recessed highs
- more supra-aural than circum-aural
- not really comfortable
- let too much outside noise in
- bad build-quality
Although the Beyers had a hard stand here, as my ears are used to the Philips, they just seem inferior to the Philips in many aspects. Unless you are a total midrange freak, who doesn't care about much else, I really can't recommend them.
Well, this was my first review/comparison at Head-Fi, I hope you liked it
[EDIT - Author's Note: As you can percieve, these impressions were described by somebody, who had at that time not listened to anything better than the HP890. I completely stand by the conclusions of this comparison, but I really urge you to see them only in contrast between those two headphones, and not in an absolute way.]
