[GlowWorm]

Great 1st post E.B.M.Head. For whatever reason the DT990 Pro's aren't very popular around here, but from your description they seem pretty good. I might have to pick up a pair to compare them to my K501's and DT880's (my current favs). If the DT990's have more 3-D then the DT880's they must be something special.

 

[Nak Man]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GlowWorm Great 1st post E.B.M.Head. For whatever reason the DT990 Pro's aren't very popular around here, but from your description they seem pretty good.

Agreed, his post sounds like coming from a very experienced headfier.

I'm curious how dt990's treble compares to 880 or 860 as some find those dt8x0 to be on a bright side. The 'sound around your head' comment made 990 a very tempting phones.

 

[E.B.M.Head]

Thanks for the nice wellcome. I've been reading here a while, so it wasn't too hard to find the right words

I've picked the 990 (open) because the other two big beyers get much praise here and I don't like closed cans (like the 770). The 880 is semiopen, so I thought the 990 would fit better to me. I think appart from that there isn't much difference between them from a technical point of view. Only the "Pro" Line has the Diffusefield Equalization and the 3D Sound. The standard line should have the typical headphone sound instead.
The burn in also inproves the three dimensional appearance. I've got a nice CD from "Tekton Motor Corporation" called "Human Race Ignition". It's electronic music with samples of Williams F1 Cars driving around - a very nice CD to tests speakers and to annoy your neighbors

. With the K 501 the F1 Cars just boringly drive from the right ear to the left ear through your head. With the 990 Pro right out of the box the cars come from front left, drive to your right ear, then drive in 2cm distance around your head, and when they reach the left ear they disappear in the front left. This really impressed me, but after the burn in it gets even better. Now the cars come from front left, rush in 50 cm - 1m distance from the head to right behind you and then disappear in the distance. You now can even hear how they follow the track and drive to the front left again. To me there is not much difference to a good set of stereo speakers anymore.
Somehow I'm curious if the 770 Pro is also so realistic or if the 990 Pro benefits from the extra air it gets. I'm even more curious about the K 240 DF. It should have this 3D Soundstage and the lovely warm AKG coloration, but the damn thing has an impedance of 600 ?. So I need a decent amplifier first.
Oh well, I guess that's what they call the head-fi virus...

 

[1UP]

Hi, just sharing the DT990 (non-pro) love.

Major contrasts with the DT880 - more forgiving of digital sources, richer and warmer sound all round, more diffuse midband, less "etched" presentation of details (but still highly detailed). More "centred" image, less wide left/right separation.

DT880 is like going on a date with a very refined lady, who can turn into an ice-queen and give you a hard time if you don't treat her right! DT990 is like an easy-going mate who you just love being with all the time!

 

[dano1122]

i know this is an old thread but i just have to say that EBM just hit the nail on the head with the k501/990 pro. i own both cans and that is a stellar comparison.

 

[Ferbose]

DT880 is at least as good in terms of detail and clarity, and has slightly more bass. ATH-W1000 is even more transparent sounding and has about the same amount of bass than DT880. SA5000 has lots of details but seem to be too bright. The voicing of DTT880 to my ears are not so different from K501 but W10000 and SA5000 have very different voicing.

 

[gpalmer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blessingx Although no bass monsters, the Etys even have more bass presence (and greater detail) than the K501.

 

[VR6ofpain]

Quote:

Originally Posted by E.B.M.Head The DT-990 Pro has an even more accurate sound, which lets you discover even more details in the music than the K 501. The frequency range is bigger and it has a very strong bass bottom. What I like the most about them is the Diffuse Field Equalization: While the K 501 and most other cans the sound plays in your head, with the beyers the sound is around your head. It sounds just like a set of good speakers with a little subwoofer instead of the typical headphone sound. What I like more about the AKGs is the warm sound and the incredible short attack and decay over the whole soundrange. The K 501 has lots of bass, but it is very short and accurate and not that bloated as the the sound of speakers we are all used to. I use the Beyer for discovering new things in songs. I like the great frequency coverage, the high detail and the 3d sound. The bass is even a bit too strong for me, songs from cypress hill or portishead can build up a lot of pressure and even hurt me in the ear. The K 501 is my can for enjoying music. I'm addicted to the warm sound and the lovely accurate bass. Listening to classical music, jazz, electronic music and 80's goth rock is so much fun with this headphone.

I agree with what others said about this post (some edited out), very good words. This was one of those posts that I actually got an "answer" to what I was looking for. I was searching for a good comparison between the K501 and the DT990. Looks like I found it!

 

[jerryg]

how about the K1000

!

 

[discord]

Maybe wait for K601 and 701 to come out?

 

[rsaavedra]

Quote:

Originally Posted by E.B.M.Head The K 501 has lots of bass, but it is very short and accurate and not that bloated as the the sound of speakers we are all used to.

Something I strongly disagree with. And don't get me wrong, I think the AKG K501's are beautiful sounding headphones. But they don't have "lots" of bass imho.

Quote:

Originally Posted by blessingx Although no bass monsters, the Etys even have more bass presence (and greater detail) than the K501.

Precisely, which adds to my point. The Etys are no bass monsters for sure. For many their main weakness is the lack of bass authority. And if the Etys have even more bass than the 501's...

Number1 I'd recommend do a search on 501 and bass to find out some more impressions on the 501's bass.