[dakanao]

Thanks for the info I'm about 30 pages into reading the 1990 thread, it sounds like most people think they are the best all-around beyer. I really like the detail in the highs on my 880's, I assume the 1990 is not too much of a departure from that? Used 1990's seem to be around $350 or so, are there any fakes out there to worry about?

There's also the Beyerdynamic DT 250 - 250 ohm, which I feel is incredible.

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

Hi. My first post in this thread. I'm now on my 3rd pair of DT880s due to several issues with them. My first pair was the 250 ohm version. They soon developed a fault and cut out on one channel. The next pair seemed to clunk very loudly when moving the ear cups. This was due to the metal bar rubbing the metal headband. That sound got so bad over time that sometimes when you moved your head you would head and feel this clunk as the metal rubs. I have since got the 600ohm premium version and they seem better in this area. The issue with these though is that the adjustment seems sooo slack. maybe it is because on the pro version, the metal is powder coated in black paint and it makes it fractionally thicker? I find these slip way too easily. What I have done is put some grey PVC tape around to stop them shrinking back to the minimum size and they hold themselves in the right size for me pretty well now.

Onto other things. I'm impressed with the wound of these. But they are not easy to power. I use a FiiO A3 and on high gain, I can just about get what I want out of them. Though they are not quite loud enough on quiet recordings. I tried the FiiO A5 but that barely was any louder and given the price and power difference over the A5, i was very disappointed and ended up returning it. The majority of the time, they are certainly loud enough though. But the thing is, I find them lacking in bass just a little. And the problem with the a5 bass boost is although the frequency of the bass it boosts is spot on, it distorts rather a lot with bass heavy music when it is close to it's maximum volume. What I found is the best way of changing the sound of my DT880s is changing the ear pads.

Here are some that I tried.

On the right are the original AKG K550 ear pads that I bought as spares for my K550s as i know they don't last that long. Just to see, although I know they are too big, I tested them. They are made of some sort of materiel that traps the bass. It makes the DT880s become bass heavy and rather muddy, but it was worth trying. The pair in the middle are these: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Velour-C...h=item1ee1a1a76f:g:xZgAAOSwRdNbBm-B:rk:2:pf:0

These feel horribly cheap given the price they were. They are very firm and not very comfortable. But the design is the sort I could do with getting. Just a much better quality one. on the underside of these, they are a solid sort of material. but soft on top. This results in the sound being somewhere between the original ear pads and the K550 ear pads. Unlike the originals which seem to absorb a lot of the bass (possibly because of all the holed going through to the foam in the ear pads), these ones don't allow that. They sound tighter, add more punch to the bass and actually partially remove that spike in the treble which can be a bit much at times. What I could do with is new ear pads of this same design. solid material on the underside and soft on top. The K550 pads show that all being solid results in a really muddy sound. Similar results to what someone else posted when trying what looked like pads with similar material.
The problem with the ones that I like the sound of is that they seem so poor in quality just because they are a slightly different size and also have a slightly different feel to them. But they sound great.I did also try adding some PVC tape over all the holes on the original ones. That pretty much did exactly what i wanted, but it was messy and didn't stay on long. But I know it must be possible to get the right sound with the right pads.

I think I could do with some brainwavz pads of some sort but I'm not sure what ones to get. I want there to be a little more bass and possibly a slight reduction to the treble, but not by much. Just to make them sound more flat. I'm in the UK so a suggestion of a product from a uk page on amazon or Ebay would be great.





Also may as well add that I've recently watched one of the best reviews I've seen on headphones.

Comparing the DT880s, AKG K702s (i've had both) and the Sennheiser HD58X. In my view, the way he records the headphones is incredibly accurate compared to the original recording. Now I don't have my K702s anymore, listening to this almost does remind me of them again. Strange. It also explains the problems with these DT880s. That treble. I have the Audio Technica ATH-AD700s and that has a big bump in the treble. But it somehow doesn't sound quite as artificial or boosted as the DT880s. This odd sound is a problem that almost totally goes when i used those cheap ear pads that I mentioned earlier. While also making the bass a bit nicer. About the HD58X, i don't see it available anywhere in the UK at all. And that really really sounded good! Like people said in the video replies. It seems there is very little difference between the original recording and it being played and recorded through the HD58x. While the DT880s sounded good, they clearly have this spike that can understandably ruin the sound a bit for some. But there are solutions for it.

Like I said, if anyone could suggest earpads for me, that would be great.

 

[ricksome]

I have the 250 ohm version. Very satisfied. Not trying to be a smartass but .... If you are having so much trouble, why do you keep buying these?

 

[gefski]

My suggestion for all these cans (in my case HD600 & 650, DT880 600 & 250, K701) is new or near new stock pads, then improve all of them at once with the best upstream components (especially dac) that I can afford. True timbre, texture, transparency, dynamics---these cans all scale way up.

On the other hand, if one is having fun eq-ing with pads, keep buying 'em.

 

[sghound]

(deleted)

 

[sghound]

you're spot on about the adjustment slack on 880 premiums.

terrible beyer QC.

Hi. My first post in this thread. I'm now on my 3rd pair of DT880s due to several issues with them. My first pair was the 250 ohm version. They soon developed a fault and cut out on one channel. The next pair seemed to clunk very loudly when moving the ear cups. This was due to the metal bar rubbing the metal headband. That sound got so bad over time that sometimes when you moved your head you would head and feel this clunk as the metal rubs. I have since got the 600ohm premium version and they seem better in this area. The issue with these though is that the adjustment seems sooo slack. maybe it is because on the pro version, the metal is powder coated in black paint and it makes it fractionally thicker? I find these slip way too easily. What I have done is put some grey PVC tape around to stop them shrinking back to the minimum size and they hold themselves in the right size for me pretty well now.

Onto other things. I'm impressed with the wound of these. But they are not easy to power. I use a FiiO A3 and on high gain, I can just about get what I want out of them. Though they are not quite loud enough on quiet recordings. I tried the FiiO A5 but that barely was any louder and given the price and power difference over the A5, i was very disappointed and ended up returning it. The majority of the time, they are certainly loud enough though. But the thing is, I find them lacking in bass just a little. And the problem with the a5 bass boost is although the frequency of the bass it boosts is spot on, it distorts rather a lot with bass heavy music when it is close to it's maximum volume. What I found is the best way of changing the sound of my DT880s is changing the ear pads.

Here are some that I tried.

On the right are the original AKG K550 ear pads that I bought as spares for my K550s as i know they don't last that long. Just to see, although I know they are too big, I tested them. They are made of some sort of materiel that traps the bass. It makes the DT880s become bass heavy and rather muddy, but it was worth trying. The pair in the middle are these: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Velour-C...h=item1ee1a1a76f:g:xZgAAOSwRdNbBm-B:rk:2:pf:0

These feel horribly cheap given the price they were. They are very firm and not very comfortable. But the design is the sort I could do with getting. Just a much better quality one. on the underside of these, they are a solid sort of material. but soft on top. This results in the sound being somewhere between the original ear pads and the K550 ear pads. Unlike the originals which seem to absorb a lot of the bass (possibly because of all the holed going through to the foam in the ear pads), these ones don't allow that. They sound tighter, add more punch to the bass and actually partially remove that spike in the treble which can be a bit much at times. What I could do with is new ear pads of this same design. solid material on the underside and soft on top. The K550 pads show that all being solid results in a really muddy sound. Similar results to what someone else posted when trying what looked like pads with similar material.
The problem with the ones that I like the sound of is that they seem so poor in quality just because they are a slightly different size and also have a slightly different feel to them. But they sound great.I did also try adding some PVC tape over all the holes on the original ones. That pretty much did exactly what i wanted, but it was messy and didn't stay on long. But I know it must be possible to get the right sound with the right pads.

I think I could do with some brainwavz pads of some sort but I'm not sure what ones to get. I want there to be a little more bass and possibly a slight reduction to the treble, but not by much. Just to make them sound more flat. I'm in the UK so a suggestion of a product from a uk page on amazon or Ebay would be great.





Also may as well add that I've recently watched one of the best reviews I've seen on headphones.

Comparing the DT880s, AKG K702s (i've had both) and the Sennheiser HD58X. In my view, the way he records the headphones is incredibly accurate compared to the original recording. Now I don't have my K702s anymore, listening to this almost does remind me of them again. Strange. It also explains the problems with these DT880s. That treble. I have the Audio Technica ATH-AD700s and that has a big bump in the treble. But it somehow doesn't sound quite as artificial or boosted as the DT880s. This odd sound is a problem that almost totally goes when i used those cheap ear pads that I mentioned earlier. While also making the bass a bit nicer. About the HD58X, i don't see it available anywhere in the UK at all. And that really really sounded good! Like people said in the video replies. It seems there is very little difference between the original recording and it being played and recorded through the HD58x. While the DT880s sounded good, they clearly have this spike that can understandably ruin the sound a bit for some. But there are solutions for it.

Like I said, if anyone could suggest earpads for me, that would be great.

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

I have the 250 ohm version. Very satisfied. Not trying to be a smartass but .... If you are having so much trouble, why do you keep buying these?

Because i really like their sound. And I was getting fed up of trying different models. I returned my K702's twice due to shocking quality control and I just got fed up with them and wanted something that sounded similar. the first pair creaked and popped so badly on one side that you could barely move your head without a loud clunk. The next pair gave up on one channel and when i opened them up, i found that the solder job on them was just shocking. The beyers are far better built but they have one flaw which is how slack the adjustment is. I have fixed that. i didn't exactly keep buying them anyway. I was given a replacement of the 250 ohm. I then gave up on that and tried the 600ohm which does seem a bit better. I just want to try something different with ear pads.

 

[H T T]

PSA: Massdrop has the limited-edition all black 250 ohm Pro unit on drop for $179.

 

[CADCAM]

DT880 Premium 600ohm owner here. Can anyone point me to a link describing the differences (if any) between the black and silver DT990 Premium 600ohm on Amazon?
The headband is different but anything else? Thanks in advance

BLACK https://www.amazon.com/BeyerDynamic...462&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=dt990+600+ohm&psc=1
GREY https://www.amazon.com/beyerdynamic...&qid=1547429462&sr=8-3&keywords=dt990+600+ohm

 

[eeagle]

DT880 Premium 600ohm owner here. Can anyone point me to a link describing the differences (if any) between the black and silver DT990 Premium 600ohm on Amazon?
The headband is different but anything else? Thanks in advance

BLACK https://www.amazon.com/BeyerDynamic...462&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=dt990+600+ohm&psc=1
GREY https://www.amazon.com/beyerdynamic...&qid=1547429462&sr=8-3&keywords=dt990+600+ohm

Since you have not received an answer from any 990 owners, I'll venture to guess there will be no sound difference. beyer is famous for releasing limited additions with custom colors and that is what the black version is. You may get a more definitive answer in a DT990 thread. By the way if you are considering a DT990 I would look seriously at the DT1990 they will make you smile

 

[SonyFan121]

I had the DT880 600 Ohm version and whilst I liked it at first, eventually I thought the sound signature was just far too bright for me to get used to. I still rate it highly though, but I do consider the AKG K702 (I have the older Austrian version) to be a much better headphone. I think the K702 will always be my favourite open-back headphone. K702 sound like old fashioned bookshelf speakers to me, they add a unique texture to music that is very addictive, whilst being neutral and detailed at the same time, in my opinion.

 

[CADCAM]

Received a response from Beyer ~

The DT 990 Premium Limited Edition in black is an exclusive for one of our dealers, Projector Supercenter. They are 100% authentic, just sold by only one store.

 

[CADCAM]

Since you have not received an answer from any 990 owners, I'll venture to guess there will be no sound difference. beyer is famous for releasing limited additions with custom colors and that is what the black version is. You may get a more definitive answer in a DT990 thread. By the way if you are considering a DT990 I would look seriously at the DT1990 they will make you smile

My main concern was the headband, looks like a Pro headband and I've read the clamp is greater on the Pro. Thanks for the response.

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

I had the DT880 600 Ohm version and whilst I liked it at first, eventually I thought the sound signature was just far too bright for me to get used to. I still rate it highly though, but I do consider the AKG K702 (I have the older Austrian version) to be a much better headphone. I think the K702 will always be my favourite open-back headphone. K702 sound like old fashioned bookshelf speakers to me, they add a unique texture to music that is very addictive, whilst being neutral and detailed at the same time, in my opinion.

I am almost starting to think the same about the 600ohm DT880s. I somehow think my AT ATH-AD700s manage to boost the treble in a less harsh way even if by a very similar amount. At the moment, I'm trying to find ear pads that relax the treble a bit. Regarding the AKG K702s, which I used to own (the newer model), I personally think they were quite clearly worse than the DT880s. The only think I would complain about the DT880s is that the treble is quantity of the treble. It doesn't exactly ruin the sound or take over anything. But somethign about the K702s sounded strange to me. The video i posted further up the page has an excellent comparison of both these headphones and I'm sure you will notice what i mean. But some people, maybe such as yourself may like their different sound. But I think they sounded odd once i has listen and compared more headphones. If you haven't already, it is well worth checking out that video. Out of what I've seen, i think he is the best person on youtube at getting an accurate sound recording with headphones. Annoyingly, he's made me think that the sennheiser hd58x is quite easily better than both of these!

 

[SonyFan121]

I am almost starting to think the same about the 600ohm DT880s. I somehow think my AT ATH-AD700s manage to boost the treble in a less harsh way even if by a very similar amount. At the moment, I'm trying to find ear pads that relax the treble a bit. Regarding the AKG K702s, which I used to own (the newer model), I personally think they were quite clearly worse than the DT880s. The only think I would complain about the DT880s is that the treble is quantity of the treble. It doesn't exactly ruin the sound or take over anything. But somethign about the K702s sounded strange to me. The video i posted further up the page has an excellent comparison of both these headphones and I'm sure you will notice what i mean. But some people, maybe such as yourself may like their different sound. But I think they sounded odd once i has listen and compared more headphones. If you haven't already, it is well worth checking out that video. Out of what I've seen, i think he is the best person on youtube at getting an accurate sound recording with headphones. Annoyingly, he's made me think that the sennheiser hd58x is quite easily better than both of these!

Yeah I just watched the video. That binaural microphone the guy was using are known to be of exceptional quality, i've been meaning to get one myself to test headphones with. I must say I passionately disagree with what he had to say about the AKG K702 and AKG in general. He doesn't understand something that I already mentioned. AKG headphones are quite obviously designed to sound more like speakers than headphones. I've owned the K612, K702 (the Austrian version and the made in China version), K240 mk2, Q701 and the K712. Although they all have slightly different tuning, the one thing they all have in common is that they are designed to sound like speakers. I have years of experience with all kinds of speakers and can tell you that of all the headphone company's i'm familiar with, the AKG's are the only one's that have the same sound characteristics of speakers. This is something that that guy in the video doesn't understand.