The long lost Beyerdynamic DT 990 600ohm Fan Club
Dec 3, 2011 at 7:07 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 10

Gwarmi

Headphoneus Supremus
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 Did my best to try and dig up an 'Owners Club' or 'Fan Club' for this much ignored headphone from
 Beyerdynamic - mine are barely 24 hours old or so, still burning them in, although they sound great
 just out of the box.
 
 I feel that these represent stunning value if you fancy a slightly U-shaped sounding headphone
 with bass and treble tipped at both ends. Clarity is excellent and gives nothing away to any other
 headphone I've heard under $600. 
 
 They're a nightmare to amplify properly and I still have not figured out why this is the case,
 SPL Phonitor (9 ohm output impedance) and Sugden Masterclass (1 ohm output impedance)
 were an awful match - thin, muddled, congested - enough to make you want to sell them straight
 away. However, they love Violectrics (10 ohm output impedance) and even the humble Fiio E9.
 
 Go figure! 
wink.gif

 
 Anyone else still love theirs?
 
 
 
 
 
Dec 3, 2011 at 8:38 PM Post #2 of 10
Gwarmi purely out of interest I'm wondering if you've ever heard Beyers A1 headamp?
 
These have been around for a while now but there seems to be marginal feedback through various forums.
 
Maybe their initial pricing may have scared buyers off but can now be had for $706 from Amazon, any thoughts about them?
 
Specs
  1. Maximum Amplification: 18 dB
  2. Frequency Response: 1 Hz - 100 Khz (-1 dB)
  3. T.H.D.: 0.001% At 170 mW / 250 Ohms
  4. Channel Separation: > 89 dB
  5. Output Power: 100 mW / 600 Ohms; 170 mW / 250 Ohms; 150 mW / 30 Ohms
  6. Unweighted Signal-To-Noise Ratio: > 100 dB
  7. Output Impedances: Line Out, 100 Ohms headphone output
  8. Power Consumption: < 15 W via internal, controlled power pack
  9. Supply Voltage: 110 - 120 V AC
  10. Audio Connections: Headphone socket, 1 Line Output, 2 Audio Inputs (gold-plated RCA sockets)
  11. Dimensions: 250 X 225 X 50 mm
  12. Weight: 2.3 kg
http://www.amazon.com/Beyer-Dynamic-A1-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B0024NK32Q
 
 
Dec 3, 2011 at 8:43 PM Post #3 of 10


Quote:
Gwarmi purely out of interest I'm wondering if you've ever heard Beyers A1 headamp?
 
These have been around for a while now but there seems to be marginal feedback through various forums.
 
Maybe their initial pricing may have scared buyers off but can now be had for $706 from Amazon, any thoughts about them?
 
Specs
  1. Maximum Amplification: 18 dB
  2. Frequency Response: 1 Hz - 100 Khz (-1 dB)
  3. T.H.D.: 0.001% At 170 mW / 250 Ohms
  4. Channel Separation: > 89 dB
  5. Output Power: 100 mW / 600 Ohms; 170 mW / 250 Ohms; 150 mW / 30 Ohms
  6. Unweighted Signal-To-Noise Ratio: > 100 dB
  7. Output Impedances: Line Out, 100 Ohms headphone output
  8. Power Consumption: < 15 W via internal, controlled power pack
  9. Supply Voltage: 110 - 120 V AC
  10. Audio Connections: Headphone socket, 1 Line Output, 2 Audio Inputs (gold-plated RCA sockets)
  11. Dimensions: 250 X 225 X 50 mm
  12. Weight: 2.3 kg
http://www.amazon.com/Beyer-Dynamic-A1-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B0024NK32Q
 


 
Ahh very good point, have heard of the A1, unfortunately it has not crossed my path and I have not auditioned it as yet
~ you'd imagine it's perfect fit though for the 600 ohm DT880/990 range - perfect 100mW which suits the 100mW
maximum power handling.
 
Wow ~ 100ohm output impedance, ok so this is starting to make sense with these 600's ~ they don't like
like output impedances under 10ohms it seems.
 
Could be a real candidate for a vintage amp receiver.
 
 
Dec 3, 2011 at 8:46 PM Post #4 of 10
 
Best bet for the Beyerdynamic A1 would be to arm yourself with 'Google translate' and hit the European forums
~ German, French, Italian, Swedish ~ the answer lies over there somewhere I reckon.
 
Dec 3, 2011 at 10:34 PM Post #6 of 10
I have used A1 in some french retailer, but unfortunately not DT990,lol.
 
A1 is a very good amp, but i prefer Auditor/phonitor. A1 is more warm (less than H1MPA), but auditor is more dynamic. If you can buy it for 700$ its a very, very good price, even in europe its actually much more expensive.
 
Dec 3, 2011 at 10:58 PM Post #7 of 10


Quote:
I have used A1 in some french retailer, but unfortunately not DT990,lol.
 
A1 is a very good amp, but i prefer Auditor/phonitor. A1 is more warm (less than H1MPA), but auditor is more dynamic. If you can buy it for 700$ its a very, very good price, even in europe its actually much more expensive.



You can never be certain with individual units of either the Phonitor and DT990-600ohm ~ but my impressions were not positive at all, at first
I thought the congestion and thin sound was merely lack of burn-in. 2 minutes the Violectric V181 showed that was not the case at all.
 
I'd very wary of recommending those two as combination for someone who will not be able to audition beforehand.
 
Phonitor is $2000 AUD over here. Gulp.
 
Dec 9, 2011 at 7:50 AM Post #9 of 10
Not looking for a full blown review but could any DT990 owners give me an idea of the sound characteristics of these cans?
 
Dec 9, 2011 at 8:12 AM Post #10 of 10


Quote:
Not looking for a full blown review but could any DT990 owners give me an idea of the sound characteristics of these cans?




 

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