[devhen]

Hnmm. Just noticed that I'm listening at a lower volume than I typically do with the DT880. That could be a big part of it. I find myself cranking it up pretty high to get the bass & highs to the levels I want them to be on the DT880. With the DT990 I'm not having to do that. At the same volume level its true, they're a lot more V-shaped.

 

[Hifihedgehog]

The DT 990 Pro is far inferior to the DT 990 Premium 600's. They have more upper bass and a sharper, less broad mid treble peak and muted upper mids with the net result of a muffled sound with a treble tish. I honestly couldn't stand the Pro's. I loved the Premium's, though. I like them just a bit less than the Denon AH-D5000, which, in turn, I rate a tad less than the DT 880 Premium 600's.

 

[devhen]

They have more upper bass and a sharper, less broad mid treble peak and muted upper mids with the net result of a muffled sound with a treble tish.

 
I agree with that rough description but I'm quite enjoying them and I don't think they're all that different from the DT880. Maybe because all of the other characteristics besides sound signature are essentially the same. Only time will tell what my final judgement will be. But I'm 99.9% sure I'll end up going back to the DT880. It happens every time hahaha.

 

[devhen]

Wow, I really thought the sub-bass on these DT990 Pro LE would be lacking compared to my DT880 with super warn-in pads but James Blake's Limit To Your Love is as huuuuuge and powerful as I've heard it be. There's probably a fair amount of mid-bass helping the cause but most headphones don't do justice to this song this well. Quite impressed.
 
https://open.spotify.com/track/33BnSMHgX0AsbKSIbkuMwh
 
These things aint neutral but they do sound good.

 

[Hifihedgehog]

Sorry if I seemed a bit harsh of your pair and I apologize for that. They are definitely great headphones compared to anything consumer-wise. I prefer the DT 990 Pro's vastly over the HD 5xx line which sound confused and veiled. I also like the DT 990 Pro's more than all the Grados I have tried, including the PS 1000. They are definitely a good deal at their sub-$150 new, sub-$75 used price in light of their performance-per-dollar compared to everything out there. It is probably the best bang for your buck you can get as far as full-sized headphones are concerned.

 

[devhen]

Sorry if I seemed a bit harsh of your pair and I apologize for that. They are definitely great headphones compared to anything consumer-wise. I prefer the DT 990 Pro's vastly over the HD 5xx line which sound confused and veiled. I also like the DT 990 Pro's more than all the Grados I have tried, including the PS 1000. They are definitely a good deal at their sub-$150 new, sub-$75 used price in light of their performance-per-dollar compared to everything out there. It is probably the best bang for your buck you can get as far as full-sized headphones are concerned.

 
Hey man, no apology needed whatsoever. I really appreciate your thoughts. It was interesting to get your perspective. Its funny, the more I listen to these the more the v-shape becomes noticeable, and the way the mid bass hump kind of overwhelms things sometimes.
 
But yeah, I agree, when it comes to cans in this price range this is one of the best ones. Of course, when the DT880 dips down to $150 on Amazon, *that* is the best deal in headphones IMO, by a long shot. But the fact that the DT990 is regularly around <$150 makes it a great deal. And I agree on the HD 5xx. I was watching  a review of the DT990 just before these arrived and he mentioned how they are a mid-range audiophile headphone that are equivalent to the HD 5xx in technical ability. Nonsense. These DT990s may not be as neutral or clean as the DT770 or DT880 because of the big mid bass but they are still a significant step up from the HD 5xx IMO. And I don't mind the HD600 at all in fact I really like it despite its dark, less detailed character. But the HD 5xx are a step down. They sound grainy to me, like a so-so consumer headphone. The DT770/DT880/DT990 all wipe the floor with them if you ask me.

 

[devhen]

Dang, look at that impedance vs. frequency graph:
 

Maybe that's why some people claim the 100 ohm output Beyer amps "fix" the Beyer's weaknesses. That hump is right at the same spot as the midbass hump in the sound signature. I can't wait to try these out with the A20. It should be here by Monday or Tuesday, or Sunday if I'm lucky. If they make my Beyers even better I'm going to be a happy camper indeed.

 
 
EDIT: Anyone else have the A1, A2, or A20 amplifiers? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

 

[Hifihedgehog]

 Dang, look at that impedance vs. frequency graph:
 

Maybe that's why some people claim the 100 ohm output Beyer amps "fix" the Beyer's weaknesses. That hump is right at the same spot as the midbass hump in the sound signature. I can't wait to try these out with the A20. It should be here by Monday or Tuesday, or Sunday if I'm lucky. If they make my Beyers even better I'm going to be a happy camper indeed.

 
 
EDIT: Anyone else have the A1, A2, or A20 amplifiers? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

The best way to get rid of the midbass hump besides a powerful amplifier would be an amplifier with a low impedance output. Also known as a low-z output, a low impedance output would provide a low damping factor so no internal energy builds up. When you have a high-Z output, you create an RL circuit that builds up voltage as the amplifier's resistance and the headphone's inductance react. With this greater voltage, you get greater volume in the blips of the headphone's impedance curve and that results in the bass boost you hear. The Objective2/ODAC did a great job of keeping my DT 990's overexuberant midbass in check. I just got a LH Labs Geek Out V2 and it drives with cleaner, more dynamic sound than the Objective2/ODAC combo.

 

[Me x3]

  Dang, look at that impedance vs. frequency graph:
 

Maybe that's why some people claim the 100 ohm output Beyer amps "fix" the Beyer's weaknesses. That hump is right at the same spot as the midbass hump in the sound signature. I can't wait to try these out with the A20. It should be here by Monday or Tuesday, or Sunday if I'm lucky. If they make my Beyers even better I'm going to be a happy camper indeed.

 
 
EDIT: Anyone else have the A1, A2, or A20 amplifiers? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

High output impedance means more mid-bass boost.
It could be a nice addition for DT880, not so much for DT990 in my experience.
 
Anyway, 100 Ohm output impedance for a 600 Ohm headphone won't change the sound much.

 

[trellus]

LOL, I opened that link (I have Spotify premium also) and I was enjoying the song but had completely forgotten about the deep bass you had cited... and then it hit. :cowboy:

Wow, I really thought the sub-bass on these DT990 Pro LE would be lacking compared to my DT880 with super warn-in pads but James Blake's Limit To Your Love is as huuuuuge and powerful as I've heard it be. There's probably a fair amount of mid-bass helping the cause but most headphones don't do justice to this song this well. Quite impressed.

https://open.spotify.com/track/33BnSMHgX0AsbKSIbkuMwh

These things aint neutral but they do sound good.

 

[i luvmusic 2]

 How do you guys hear a different sound from Pads i have 3 sets one is the original sets which is for me it's softer than the pads from my DT770 and i do have the BLACK Pads they all sound the same for me.

 

[SunTanScanMan]

Just on the 100 ohm output impedance -
 
I use a quarter inch jack with a 100ohm resistor adaptor in it from time to time with my 880. The change in the sound is subtle, with the boost in the lower ranges, not so much in the higher frequencies. I also find there is more detail without the adaptor. I mostly forego the adaptor.
 
I originally purchased the adaptor on ebay to see if it would tame my T1 (which of course it didn't). In the end I sold the T1 because I found the highs too intrusive. Later I got the 880 which don't bother me, and which I prefer also in terms of fit and weight.

 

[NXTk]

Sorry for asking such a common question without reading thread enough, doing that at the moment.
I've ordered DT880 250Ohm and need amp\dac advise, Sound/Price most important.
 
Initially looking for Audinst MX-2 for $228 also considering O2\ODAC for ~$330 but this is a bit expensive for me, Magni 2/Modi 2 for $265 looks good on price.
Is there something in between what will suit DT880 sound signature the best, around ~$260?
Currently i'm listening music(jazz, instrumental, rock) on a Takstar HI2050(also Superlux 668B and Tennmak PRO) + integrated VIA Vinyl chip-set from some premium motherboard, completely inexperienced in hi-fi.

 

[devhen]

  The best way to get rid of the midbass hump besides a powerful amplifier would be an amplifier with a low impedance output. Also known as a low-z output, a low impedance output would provide a low damping factor so no internal energy builds up. When you have a high-Z output, you create an RL circuit that builds up voltage as the amplifier's resistance and the headphone's inductance react. With this greater voltage, you get greater volume in the blips of the headphone's impedance curve and that results in the bass boost you hear. The Objective2/ODAC did a great job of keeping my DT 990's overexuberant midbass in check. I just got a LH Labs Geek Out V2 and it drives with cleaner, more dynamic sound than the Objective2/ODAC combo.

 
You've mislaid all my dreams. hahaha. Because I'm already using an amp with low-z output so I guess the DT990 won't be sounding any better on the A20. The Lake People G109 I'm using now has 0.1 ohm output impedance and gobs of power. It does however very slightly trail off in the lowest registers according to Tyll's measurements so maybe the A20 will have slightly better sub-bass. It should arrive tomorrow. I'm still pretty anxious to hear it with the DT880, HD600, and DT990 as well. We'll see.
 
I did put my silver velours on the DT990, which are are more worn down than the much stiffer blacks it came with, and that calmed down the mid-bass significantly. But I really don't need these DT990s to be all-arounders. The mid-bass is a bit much and can sometimes even remind me of the PRO 900 (yuck. haha) but on some music its about perfect. So I think I'll go back to the original pads.

 

[devhen]

Originally Posted by Argyris /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
I, too, preferred the worn-in pad sound. Unfortunately, the reason I got replacements in the first place was because I ruined my original set by blow drying them--the retaining rings shrunk to the point where they would no longer fit.

 
You were so right. After heating my old silver velours about 3 times to install them on my DT880 & DT990, the rings have shrunken, nearly to the point that they wont fit. They still fit but its close. I think I'll try applying pads without the help of heat from now on. It seems to work most of the time unless they're particularly cold.