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BeyerDynamic DT990 600 Ohm w/ Apt Holman Preamp?

Barteezee

Barteezee

Claude Robichaux
Hey all,

I have a Thorens Jubilee Gold TT (TD 147 w/auto stop) with an Apt Holman Preamp but never used headphones with them.

Ebay has BeyerDynamic DT990 600 Ohm Over-Ear Headphones - Chrome Special Edition 483966BC for $139 which seems like a great deal.

Any thoughts on these phones with this set-up would be helpful.

Thanks,
Christopher.
 
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No clue as to if your preamp can drive the 600ohm DT990s or not but....DT990s are BRIGHT and are best paired with warm tube amps.Painful via SS.YMMV.
FWIW if you have doubts about the 600ohm version there are two other versions that a bit easier to drive.
 
monsterzero said:
No clue as to if your preamp can drive the 600ohm DT990s or not but....DT990s are BRIGHT and are best paired with warm tube amps.Painful via SS.YMMV.
FWIW if you have doubts about the 600ohm version there are two other versions that a bit easier to drive.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Would Sennheiser HD650s at 300ohms be better for this setup?
 
It's basically flat from 200 hertz on up. I am a Sennheiser owner. I would choose those over Beyerdynamic.
 
Barteezee said:
Thanks. Would Sennheiser HD650s at 300ohms be better for this setup?
Click to expand...

Senn HD650=Pros:laidback sound,warm-ish,mid-bass hump gives some body to music,scales quite high with great gear.
Senn HD650=Cons:narrow sound stage,gets muddy/slow when music gets complex/fast,not the last word in detail retrieval,clamping on head.

DT990s=Pros:wide sound stage,detailed,decent sub bass extension,at its best thru an OTL amp,decent speed,very comfortable
DT990s=Cons: bright,sibilant,dry,mids lack texture.

If I had to choose Id take HD650s for music,DT990s for films and/or gaming.
 
monsterzero said:
Senn HD650=Pros:laidback sound,warm-ish,mid-bass hump gives some body to music,scales quite high with great gear.
Senn HD650=Cons:narrow sound stage,gets muddy/slow when music gets complex/fast,not the last word in detail retrieval,clamping on head.

DT990s=Pros:wide sound stage,detailed,decent sub bass extension,at its best thru an OTL amp,decent speed,very comfortable
DT990s=Cons: bright,sibilant,dry,mids lack texture.

If I had to choose Id take HD650s for music,DT990s for films and/or gaming.
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Do you own either of these headphones?
 
I would give any potential headphones buyer this advice. Listen to the headphones if you can. You should be able to do this in the NYC area. To me, comfort is the most important factor. If the headphones hurt your head after a half an hours use, they are worthless.

Every poster hears things differently. Buying from the internet because you found some low price is foolish in my view.
 
Mamrak1 said:
I would give any potential headphones buyer this advice. Listen to the headphones if you can. You should be able to do this in the NYC area. To me, comfort is the most important factor. If the headphones hurt your head after a half an hours use, they are worthless.

Every poster hears things differently. Buying from the internet because you found some low price is foolish in my view.
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I would agree - there is no substitute for hearing what they sound like sitting on YOUR head.
I also was expecting the canned (meaning repeated 100s of times on the internet) description of the 990s. I have the 990s (600 Ohm), the 880s, the Senn 600s and 650s. I've never agreed with the crowd-sourced opinions that the 990s were overly bright or that they were excessively bassy. Driven by a good amp with wide rails, they can sound quite good - but that's just my opinion.
 
WobblySam said:
I also was expecting the canned (meaning repeated 100s of times on the internet) description of the 990s.
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Where there is smoke there is fire.And for the record my comments arent based upon regurgitating 'canned' crap i gathered from reading the internet.I owned it,the DT770,the T1,HD250,HD600 and HD650(and approx 25-30 more headphones).If Beyers are to your liking thats great.OP asked for thoughts and I provided mine.
 
monsterzero said:
Where there is smoke there is fire.And for the record my comments arent based upon regurgitating 'canned' crap i gathered from reading the internet.I owned it,the DT770,the T1,HD250,HD600 and HD650(and approx 25-30 more headphones).If Beyers are to your liking thats great.OP asked for thoughts and I provided mine.
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My apologies if I caused you any consternation - it wasn't my intent. My comments were probably more "tuned" to the repetitive nature over at HeadFi where the same old stuff gets repeated over and over by folks who haven't even listened to the phones they are commenting own. Usually, it's a desperate attempt on their part to sound knowledgeable. Within my small circle of listening friends we have about 40 different brands/types of headphones we've shared and evaluated amongst ourselves and we rarely agree on how a particular set of phones sound. Add in the variables of the headphone amp used and its suitability for the phones and it often provokes a lively discussion. See my post - #521 - in the thread on showing pictures of your headphones. "Lets see your cans"

Merry Christmas (if applicable)
 
Just posted my credentials in the 'Lets See Your Cans' thread.

Yes I agree much of this hobby can be subjective and many aspects of peoples comments need to be taken within context of the given topic.IMO a DT990 is bright,esp. compared to an HD650,but I am sensitive to sibilance and prefer a warm-ish sound signature.

Merry Christmas back at ya.
 
Barteezee said:
Hey all,

I have a Thorens Jubilee Gold TT (TD 147 w/auto stop) with an Apt Holman Preamp but never used headphones with them.

Ebay has BeyerDynamic DT990 600 Ohm Over-Ear Headphones - Chrome Special Edition 483966BC for $139 which seems like a great deal.

Any thoughts on these phones with this set-up would be helpful.

Thanks,
Christopher.
Click to expand...
(1) Can the Apt Holman Preamp drive BeyerDynamic DT990 600 Ohm?
Yes, the Apt Holman Pre-amplifier has an independent circuit for the headphone which makes it a step ahead of most receivers from those day. The headphone amp driver is a dual op-amp IC RC4558CP with a small signal transistor as source follower for each channel. The voltage rail for the source follower is plus, minus 25 volts. It should have enough voltage and current drive capability for the BeyerDynamnic.

(2) Will the Apt Holman Preamp sound good with the BeyerDynamic DT990 600 Ohm?
It is highly questionable. The 4558 is a dual version of the infamous 741 op-amp IC which is less than ideal for audio circuit. You will be short changing the potential of the BeyerDynamic DT990 600 Ohm using the Apt Holman headphone jack. No, the 4558 will not sound good with the BeyerDynamic.

A good quality, AC powered headamp is desirable for any quality headphone such as the BeyerDynamic DT990 600 Ohm. There are many good candidates in the under $300 range. I like the Schiit Asgard 2 Headphone Amp. If money is no objection, the Audio-Technica AT-HA5000 Headphone Amplifier can be considered.

(I am a SS guy and not qualified to offer opinion on tube gears.)
 
Oooooh. This is an Olde Thread... BUT, I'm throwing in my two cents anyway! :) I got a pair of Beyerdynamic DT990 from GW about 8 years ago for $10, and I like them. Didn't know they were way beyond my paygrade, but that's the beauty of GW. The funny/sad part is, my hearing rolls off STEEPLY at about 13500hz* anyway, so I'll never know their brightness. I'm guessing mine must be the 600ohm, because they are fairly low volume when driven from the cell-phone, etc.

*(Verified by one of those test-tone sweeps.)
 
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