[emericanchaos]

grabbed my first serious pair of phones. for anyone that, for whatever reason, recognizes me; i went with the beyer DT990.

overall i'm pleased. i'm not getting blown away in any regard though. my setup is certainly lack luster and i fault it for not being able to maximize these phones.

i'm running computer as source (lame onboard realtek) to logitech z340's. using the out on those for the phones.

honestly i'm not getting much from these that i didn't get from my Koss TD-65's. luckily i did like those phones.

the upgraditis is itching for a stronger source (m-audio audiophile firewire) and some sort of amplification. right now i like this little behringer piece my neighbor ordered from b&h. very clean, enough power to get some added volume and adds a little bit more clarity/seperation versus where i'm at now.

open to suggestions on amps.

i won't be reviewing these in any way as i don't feel i have the proper means to do so.

 

[nightfire]

Quote:

Originally Posted by emericanchaos /img/forum/go_quote.gif grabbed my first serious pair of phones. for anyone that, for whatever reason, recognizes me; i went with the beyer DT990. overall i'm pleased. i'm not getting blown away in any regard though. my setup is certainly lack luster and i fault it for not being able to maximize these phones. i'm running computer as source (lame onboard realtek) to logitech z340's. using the out on those for the phones. honestly i'm not getting much from these that i didn't get from my Koss TD-65's. luckily i did like those phones. the upgraditis is itching for a stronger source (m-audio audiophile firewire) and some sort of amplification. right now i like this little behringer piece my neighbor ordered from b&h. very clean, enough power to get some added volume and adds a little bit more clarity/seperation versus where i'm at now. open to suggestions on amps. i won't be reviewing these in any way as i don't feel i have the proper means to do so.

Congrats. Let me be the first to offer the traditional: sorry about your wallet.

I would definitely recommend the audiophile. I'm absolutely satisfied with mine, and though the headphone amp is so-so (though vastly superior to any onboard chip), its digital out is superb.

So there's little risk of a wasted investment. You can use it to drive an external DAC in the future, such as the Zhaolu (which with the discrete amp option is totally decent).

I'm not sure if it would match well with the DT990 (never heard them), but I'm very happy with my Gilmore Lite. But there are so many great options out there...

I think it's a better value starting with a DAC/amp combo, and adding a dedicated amp afterwards, as DACs contribute the most to the fatigue factor.

 

[emericanchaos]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nightfire /img/forum/go_quote.gif Congrats. Let me be the first to offer the traditional: sorry about your wallet. I would definitely recommend the audiophile. I'm absolutely satisfied with mine, and though the headphone amp is so-so (though vastly superior to any onboard chip), its digital out is superb. So there's little risk of a wasted investment. You can use it to drive an external DAC in the future, such as the Zhaolu (which with the discrete amp option is totally decent). I'm not sure if it would match well with the DT990 (never heard them), but I'm very happy with my Gilmore Lite. But there are so many great options out there... I think it's a better value starting with a DAC/amp combo, and adding a dedicated amp afterwards, as DACs contribute the most to the fatigue factor.

thanks for the welcome.

what do you mean fatigue factor?

 

[Hi-Finthen]

Hi,
Yea, the 990s scale up very nicely with proper amplification choice, of a good choice source. They have a HUGE sound stage when driven with power, however I have trouble recommending them for others without tube amplification to tame their revealing peaky HFs which is in the material played through brighter components downstream. But I do love them in my system and so will you.
Look for warmer components amongst those you place it with. Hopefully the behringer is on the warmer side of neutral, and not harsh in its HFs presentation?

What is your budget for an amp and of course, what is your preferance in music.

 

[nightfire]

Quote:

Originally Posted by emericanchaos /img/forum/go_quote.gif thanks for the welcome. what do you mean fatigue factor?

Well basically it's the sharpness that shouldn't be there. It sounds like detail at first, but it's mainly just high frequency noise and distortion.

When/if you get a nice high quality DAC, listen to a song with lots of energy in the highs (cymbals, clicky sounds from a guitar pick, fingers on strings, etc) using your cheapest sound output device. Actually listen to it relatively loud (say 85-90dB), for 15 minutes.

Then switch over to your DAC and set it to the same volume. Listen again.

There's a more relaxed or effortless presentation, I find. Less hash, better focus, less noise at the top end creating an edgyness.

This was the very first thing I noticed going from my Turtle Beach Audio Advantage Micro to my Lavry DA10.

I find a DAC makes the biggest difference to this (though headphones can be very fatigueing in their own right if they overrepresent the 6-8khz region (sibilance), or distort in the highs). I think in the DAC's case, it has to due with subpar filters.

Does this make any sense at all?

 

[emericanchaos]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hi-Finthen /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi, Yea, the 990s scale up very nicely with proper amplification choice, of a good choice source. They have a HUGE sound stage when driven with power, however I have trouble recommending them for others without tube amplification to tame their revealing peaky HFs which is in the material played through brighter components downstream. But I do love them in my system and so will you. Look for warmer components amongst those you place it with. Hopefully the behringer is on the warmer side of neutral, and not harsh in its HFs presentation? What is your budget for an amp and of course, what is your preferance in music.

i listen to lots of metal. from bass riddled death metal to fast paced light bass peaky power metal. i love classical. mostly string instruments. i love guitar. i dabble with jazz, sort of a new frontier for me. and i mix it up with some funk/soul every now and again. occassional phish track as well.

i went with the 990's because i figured they'd be a good balanced phone for an entry level setup. i was leaning towards the 880's but i figured i wouldn't have the gear to set them up properly and would be displeased.

overall the goal is balance. i never witnessed an amp that was terribley peaky with high frequencies so i opted for a phone that would bring that to the table. i agree with the idea of tubes. the lunchbox and the LDII++ were on my mind but i don't like the exposed tubes.

budget is $250ish for now.

 

[nightfire]

Quote:

Originally Posted by emericanchaos /img/forum/go_quote.gif i listen to lots of metal. from bass riddled death metal to fast paced light bass peaky power metal. i love classical. mostly string instruments. i love guitar. i dabble with jazz, sort of a new frontier for me. and i mix it up with some funk/soul every now and again. occassional phish track as well.

Lol... same taste. I'm listening to Opeth - Ghost Reveries right now.

Find a copy of Lang Lang playing Rachmaninov's Concerto no. 3 (Temirkanov) if you don't already have it. Best classical recording I've heard yet.

Quote:

i went with the 990's because i figured they'd be a good balanced phone for an entry level setup. i was leaning towards the 880's but i figured i wouldn't have the gear to set them up properly and would be displeased. overall the goal is balance. i never witnessed an amp that was terribley peaky with high frequencies so i opted for a phone that would bring that to the table. i agree with the idea of tubes. the lunchbox and the LDII++ were on my mind but i don't like the exposed tubes. budget is $250ish for now.

Exposed tubes are beautiful!

 

[emericanchaos]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nightfire /img/forum/go_quote.gif Lol... same taste. I'm listening to Opeth - Ghost Reveries right now. Find a copy of Lang Lang playing Rachmaninov's Concerto no. 3 (Temirkanov) if you don't already have it. Best classical recording I've heard yet. Exposed tubes are beautiful!

i'll have to do some digging. see if i can find that recording. opeth are crazy. i still can't figure how they blend two extremes so wonderfully.

safety concern. are they dangerous if you knock them over? are they terribley bright?

 

[nightfire]

Quote:

Originally Posted by emericanchaos /img/forum/go_quote.gif i'll have to do some digging. see if i can find that recording. opeth are crazy. i still can't figure how they blend two extremes so wonderfully.

Talent. Raw talent.

Quote:

safety concern. are they dangerous if you knock them over? are they terribley bright?

Not dangerous except for the broken glass (no toxic fumes - it's a vacuum). They're not bright... quite dim usually, and pretty to look at.

However they do tend to get quite hot, which could be a safety issue.

 

[Hi-Finthen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by emericanchaos /img/forum/go_quote.gif i listen to lots of metal. from bass riddled death metal to fast paced light bass peaky power metal. i love classical. mostly string instruments. i love guitar. i dabble with jazz, sort of a new frontier for me. and i mix it up with some funk/soul every now and again. occassional phish track as well. i went with the 990's because i figured they'd be a good balanced phone for an entry level setup. i was leaning towards the 880's but i figured i wouldn't have the gear to set them up properly and would be displeased. overall the goal is balance. i never witnessed an amp that was terribley peaky with high frequencies so i opted for a phone that would bring that to the table. i agree with the idea of tubes. the lunchbox and the LDII++ were on my mind but i don't like the exposed tubes. budget is $250ish for now.

Yes, you did choose the right phone for your choice of music!!!

And the Lunchbox would be a nice way to warm up the incomming signal, and of course amplify it to fullness, even at the lower gain(loudness) it may have. You see this is what tubes can do, I.e. "fullness" even at low volume IME, and in this form factor and implimentation, inexpensivly for you... I would discourage you from going the Litte Dot route, personally...

Anyone else doing the Lunchbox with 990s?... I do know someone is using the 501s sucessfully with it.

You're on the right track there, iMO!

 

[emericanchaos]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hi-Finthen /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes, you did choose the right phone for your choice of music!!! And the Lunchbox would be a nice way to warm up the incomming signal, and of course amplify it to fullness, even at the lower gain(loudness) it may have. You see this is what tubes can do, I.e. "fullness" even at low volume IME, and in this form factor and implimentation, inexpensivly for you... I would discourage you from going the Litte Dot route, personally... Anyone else doing the Lunchbox with 990s?... I do know someone is using the 501s sucessfully with it. You're on the right track there, iMO!

thanks for the great reply! i guess i learned a thing or two in my short month here.

 

[emericanchaos]

i guess this would be the best place to put this.

on my beyers. if i hold them in front of me, right, and i give them a gentle twist left and right the ear cups will wiggle some. not a whole whole lot but they have a considerable amount of play. is this normal or are mine a little loose?

 

[emericanchaos]

btw, i dunno if it's my ears adjusting or what but these things are starting to sound pretty special. i'm playing Circa Survive's Juturna album and the roll from "wish resign" to "the glorious nose bleed" is just an awesome moment in music.

"this sort of thing gets you out of mind right before impact"

 

[Hi-Finthen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by emericanchaos /img/forum/go_quote.gif i guess this would be the best place to put this. on my beyers. if i hold them in front of me, right, and i give them a gentle twist left and right the ear cups will wiggle some. not a whole whole lot but they have a considerable amount of play. is this normal or are mine a little loose?

Normal amount of swival play to adjust to ya personal noggin size, as best they do... Ingenious engineering really....

/I was going to tell ya the "Nut' under the headband is "loose', but I thought better, ya just couldn't be so new as to fall for that old head-fi humor

lol

So, any conclusions yet, hmmm?

/Yep bit of burn-in and some extra listening and you'll begin to notice alot of little peak musical experiences...Congrats ;-}

 

[emericanchaos]

Quote:

Originally Posted by emericanchaos /img/forum/go_quote.gif thanks for the great reply! i guess i learned a thing or two in my short month here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hi-Finthen /img/forum/go_quote.gif Normal amount of swival play to adjust to ya personal noggin size, as best they do... Ingenious engineering really.... /I was going to tell ya the "Nut' under the headband is "loose', but I thought better, ya just couldn't be so new as to fall for that old head-fi humor lol So, any conclusions yet, hmmm? /Yep bit of burn-in and some extra listening and you'll begin to notice alot of little peak musical experiences...Congrats ;-}

yeah i'm pretty green around here. i'd get all depressed so thanks for that much

as far as conclusions, i just got these in the mail yesterday so i think it would be a little premature. i'm definetly realizing some differences.

snare drums have a nice crack to them instead of the more cymbal like wash they used to have. cymbals seem more clear. what i used to think was a good hi hat crash seems like a fuzzy washed out sonic blur compared to what i'm getting now.

vocals. right now i'm playing circa survive. for those unfamiliar circa's lead singer is named anthony green. he sings very high with a little bit of power. his voice seems to carry the melody alot more which really says something because vocal melodies are a huge strong point for this band. when anthony adds to much power his voice breaks up into a sort of scream remniscent of a high sounding classic rock vocalist. this is displayed extremely well even on my modest setup.

i highly recommend these phones for those that are looking to get into this hobby one piece at a time. especially if these scale out as well as those here tend to say.

i'm having a little bit of a hard time getting an exceptional guitar crunch out of these. mostly likely due to the lack of midrange, this is where grado's excel i'm guessing. i think the proper amp would aleviate this and provide a well rounded experience.

these are just novice impressions on a very basic setup. i mean i'm running onboard sound through headphone outs on my computer speakers.

EDIT: to provide a bit more story, i'm using foobar2000 as my media player with a good bit of EQ'ing. with a flat EQ i get too much sub sonic bass and hissy high frequency noise. i've done my best to EQ that out and think i've found an amiable setting for this album.

my EQ for this album:

i'm running a slight bit of gain on purpose in the vocal range to help bring that out some. on my other rock albums boosting this range seems to help guitars as well as vocals.