Amp/DAC recommendation for D2000 & DT990

[K3cT]

I honestly cannot imagine any normal person tolerating the very ear-piercing sibilance of those DT990. As far as I remember, the only decent thing I found from DT770, DT880 and DT990 series was the 600 ohm version of DT880.

The D7000 is pretty decent too if you like bass but definitely not worth the full MSRP. However, the bass is borderline excessive and it's not very resolving nor fast.

[mypasswordis]

I am tempted to get the D7000 again...

Nah.

But do return the cable and get a decent pair of headphones (hint: planar). The even cheaper solution for me would be to also sell the HD650 and replace it with an HD600. Might as well sell the DT990 too, since it's got too much bass, then buy something good like an HE5.

Really? Then don'tNo one should ever try the DT770. Ever. Never.

FTFY

[Dusty Chalk]

I cherish my DT770's (I have two, will probably get a third).

[mypasswordis]

That's a lot of them. I like 'em okay after I plug the bass ports a bit, but IMO there's better to be had for the price.

Edit: And this only applied to the 80 ohm version. If you have the newer consumer edition disregard what I said.

[morphsci]

I cherish my DT770's (I have two, will probably get a third).

Nah, you should get a pair of Manufaktur 880-600s instead, especially if they are as black as you can get them.

[rpaul]

I don't dislike the DT990. In fact I really like it directly out of my MacBook. Didn't mean to give the impression that I find them too bassy in general - rather I just don't think they're a good match with my HR Desktop rig, which I now realize aren't ideal for a headphone that has a boomy low frequency response.

I'm guessing the DT880 would be a better headphone for this amp, especially if its low and high frequencies aren't as exaggerated as they are with the DT990.

Although I haven't tried the DT880 yet, I hope the upcoming T1 sounds more like it (ie neutral) than the DT770/DT990. There's some speculation that it doesn't, based on a couple early impressions, but I'm still anxiously waiting for it to be released.

Especially after the upgrade to the Equinox cable I'm very happy with my HD650 (gonna keep the cable) but I'm still on the prowl for a more balanced alternative to the DT990 for the music that the HD650 doesn't do so well with, which IMHO is rock/metal that has lots of distortion-driven guitar action.

I've shied away from Grados thus far, mainly due to reported comfort issues thoughout the range. But might have to try the RS1i/RS2i. Once the Roland RH-300 is back in stock at Guitar Center I'll give those a shot as well. There's also the new Shure lineup, so lots to try in the next month or 2.

If nothing else, I can always go back to the D7000.

[mypasswordis]

You don't think the DT990 is too bassy in general when you prefer it out of a rolled off crappy Macbook's output than a good sounding well-respected dedicated headphone amp?

You think paying $200 for a cable for more treble on your HD650 is justified when you can upgrade to a HD600 that has more treble already for less money than the HD650 alone?

I give up.

[morphsci]

You don't think the DT990 is too bassy in general when you prefer it out of a rolled off crappy Macbook's output than a good sounding well-respected dedicated headphone amp?

You think paying $200 for a cable for more treble on your HD650 is justified when you can upgrade to a HD600 that has more treble already for less money than the HD650 alone?

I give up.

[rpaul]

You don't think the DT990 is too bassy in general when you prefer it out of a rolled off crappy Macbook's output than a good sounding well-respected dedicated headphone amp?

You think paying $200 for a cable for more treble on your HD650 is justified when you can upgrade to a HD600 that has more treble already for less money than the HD650 alone?

I give up.

Have you heard it driven by both sources I mentioned? It's not too much different and the "rolled off" aspect of the MBP line-out gives the DT990 a better overall balance compared to the HR Desktop. We're talking about the slightest bit less bass quantity but practically the same level of impact. Enjoyable enough for me. I think this headphone needs a tube amp to really shine - the Desktop just isn't a good match, that's not an indictment against the amp.

Anyway, I said I'm looking for an alternative to it that is better suited to (can scale up with) the Desktop amp.

As for the HD650 vs HD600, I like the Hd650's bass performance especially with acoustic music. With that genre it's not bloated low end but sounds very natural. The Equinox adds some richness to the top end. I would still like it with the stock cable (did a lot of swapping back and forth last night). Doesn't the HD600 have less bass? Might be worth an audition later on, but I'm sticking with the HD650 + Equinox for now.

Besides, I got the cable new for the same price I saw it listed used on HF by several people. And looks like it generally sells pretty quickly at that price (around $200), so shouldn't be a problem selling it without much if any loss if need be.

[rpaul]

Should mention I'm using the old DT990 Pro and not one of the more recent variations.

[dreamwhisper]

In my experience the beyer 880 synergises well with the darkvoice amps,

I would go for the 337 if you're using 650's, neither the 332 or 336se are quite powerful enough imo,

and I haven't heard the 337, but I'm willing to bet it would work well with the 650's,

any of the darkvoice amps will be good enough for the beyer's

that is of course, if you must have a dynamic rig

[rpaul]

Just got hold of the 2005 DT990 (600ohm version because according to the Beyer fans on HF it sounds better than the lower ohmage variants), and was surprised by the difference compared to the DT990 Pro. This newer headphone has tighter bass, resulting in a more present midrange but unfortunately treble that sounds too boosted. Source is still HR Desktop amp.

I can't remember if the Pro, when new, sounded similar in the high frequency and then settled down after 100's of hours of use.

Maybe several more days of burn-in will help tame those highs...

[Dusty Chalk]

It won't.

Go ahead, but it won't.

[The Monkey]

Maybe several more days of burn-in will help tame those highs...

Why?

[luvdunhill]

Maybe several more days of burn-in will help tame those highs...

why do people think that burn-in always "reduces" things? Is it not possible that burn in can "increase" things as well?

[socrates63]

Just got hold of the 2005 DT990 (600ohm version because according to the Beyer fans on HF it sounds better than the lower ohmage variants), and was surprised by the difference compared to the DT990 Pro. This newer headphone has tighter bass, resulting in a more present midrange but unfortunately treble that sounds too boosted. Source is still HR Desktop amp.

Since you like the HD650, I can see why you have issues with the treble on the DT990. I found the HD650 sound to be too dark for my taste and prefer the HD600.

I've never heard the DT990 Pro, so can't say anything about that. I have both the 250 and 600 ohm '05 DT990, and maybe I'm not using the right gear or there's too much wax in my ears but I have difficulty telling them apart if I'm not listening carefully. They sound very similar to my ears. The 600 ohm Manufaktur model offers a slight tweaking of the 250 ohm version's sound, but I don't hear anything that would justify the difference in cost. I need to pick up the 32 ohm variant for completeness sake. I use the DT990 the most (movies, games) as they are the most comfortable for me for extended use.

If you get a chance, try the DT990 with a Meier amp. I have a Corda HA-2 MkII SE, and there's a synergy between the pair.

[Cankin]

Not sure if it's placebo, but the DT880 I had sounded brighter/more high after burn in

[socrates63]

why do people think that burn-in always "reduces" things? Is it not possible that burn in can "increase" things as well?

Makes sense to me. I mean, in general, aren't the effects of burn-in supposed to decrease or minimize the bad stuff (e.g., sibilance) and refine or add to the good (e.g., greater clarity, transparency, increase soundstage, tighten the bass etc.)?

I don't have any feelings about burn-in one way or the other, as I've never done it. I'm too lazy and impatient to burn-in my gear and not smart enough to remember what the stuff sounded like 400 hours ago compared to now to make any meaningful evaluations. To paraphrase Ali, "Burn-in? If that's good, I'm it."

[Dusty Chalk]

No, it can also loosen the bass, for example. Think of it from the perspective of a forced, simple harmonic oscillator -- let's say you want critical damping -- "stretching out" the cone will take the damping to a different value.

So yeah, it could go either way -- it's just that, my experience with the DT990 is that burn-in doesn't make that kind of difference. You're welcome to try it yourself -- you should always try it yourself. It just won't.

[mypasswordis]

why do people think that burn-in always "reduces" things? Is it not possible that burn in can "increase" things as well?

You have not been reading HF enough. Burn-in can also increase things, mainly bass. The only thing burn-in can't do is make things sound worse, and if something sounds bad it's because it's not fully burnt in yet. Just another couple hundred hours... almost there........

[Dusty Chalk]

Sandwiches are much easier to change their damping -- just spritz them with water.

[mypasswordis]

I hear they take a bit longer to burn in after you spritz water on them.

[The Monkey]

baloney.

Well played, sir.

[Dusty Chalk]

Indeed.

[rpaul]

"Taming the highs" - wrong choice of words on my part. More along the lines of perhaps the bass will produce a tad bit more noticeable extension and impact as the driver loosens up a bit, taking some of the audible emphasis off the high frequency.

Or nothing will change and this is the way it will sound.

I have a little while to try these headphones out so they'll get plenty of use over the next few weeks anyway. Still figured it wouldn't hurt to send musical current through them while I'm not listening to them for a couple more days.

Many people claim that the Beyers perform well with the Meier amps. It's probably true, but if in the end I don't like how they sound driven by the HR Desktop, I'll just send them back.

Am still hoping that over the next 3-4 weeks my ears will deem the 2005 DT990 good enough to replace the Pro because it is more comfortable to wear due to it feeling a little lighter and having less clamping force.

And a turkey club sounds pretty good. Who the hell knows what's in a given slice of baloney...