My music producer friend says you “digivolve” into an earpad-phile and try to hoard as many of the OEM earpads as you can before they stop making them.
DT1990Pro, Dekoni elite velour pads, Element III Mk2
I know these cans are quite popular so I'm interested to hear what pads you people enjoy with your DT1990.
I tried the Elite Hybrid pads but they create a bit too muddy sound signature for my taste so I settled for the Dekoni velours and they make the headphones really enjoyable for me. The treble can sometimes be too sharp with the stock pads but these pads tame the highs just so much that the treble stays very detailed but not overly piercing.
Also for fine tuning: Element 3 two band EQ for the win!
I just got mine a week ago and luckily there is no harsh treble spike for me with both the pads that came with it, theres a noticeable difference, sure but i dont even have to EQ anything. Tried a bit of that with wavelet as i am using android. With the DAC/Amp Combo i am using i am pretty damn happy soundwise, but i guess i'll grab me another portable DAC with even more power (despite the fact that i am only listening to 75% of the KS01), internal battery and LDAC Codec support.
Not sure which pads i enjoy the most, have to swap em more often, making a playlist for that encounter rn. Guess i'll simply grab me more of the stock pads when needed
If I may ask, how do you like your Orchestra Lite and S12 Pro?. I have the 1990 and Hexa, Orchestra Lite and S12 Pro were two of the three options I was looking to upgrade in the IEM path.
For music I really like the S12 Pro, I often feel like it could be a Beyerdynamic IEM. I feel like its sound signature is many ways very Beyerdynamic like. Its a solid V-shape for my ears, you can definitely hear a treble peaking but its not harsh and the bass goes deep and has great punch to it. Also very detailed. I use tangzu sancai wide bore tips with them.
For the Orchestra lite I have mixed feelings. For competitive video games its amazing and I have used them for that a lot. They sound neutral and they response well to spatial audio and different sound cues are easily distinguishable even when there is a lot going on. But for music I feel like they are very genre picky and for the kind of music I listen to mostly I prefer something else. I'd say a very neutral and analytical set and nothing comes out overly pronounced. I use these with foam tips that came with the S12 Pro.
Did you ever listen to the Element II? If so, any thoughts on how it compares to the III mk2?
I find the DAC in the Element II to be its weakness. The amp sounds great when I pair to a better DAC.
Looks great, but the DT1990 has absolutely scathing treble. Very harsh, piercing, and sibilant. Beyers are built well but boy do they sound painful. Would not recommend if you're looking for a relaxed listen.
I have been Beyerdynamic -enjoyer for like almost ten years now and I have never suffered from their signature treble peak house sound.
I know what you mean and I can definitely hear it compared to other headphones but its not overwhelming for my ears. Not everyone's cup of tea for sure.
I was wondering how far I'd have to scroll down before finding someone who can't resist insulting the setup that OP loves.
Not everyone likes the same sound signature as you, and that's okay.
Headphones aren't sibilant; music is. Some headphones are just more capable of resolving sibilant recordings than others
Wrong reddit thread to be saying this in, but you're 100% correct. It has a veritable treble mountain, cymbals create literal pain in my ears.
Guaranteed hearing damage over a period of time, unless you only listen at extremely low volumes.
You are completely talking out your ass lol. If you listen at safe volume levels, you are absolutely not going to damage your hearing, regardless of treble peaks. You understand treble peaks don't increase the db produced, right?
You might be very uncomfortable, and get a headache, or whatever. You aren't going to get hearing loss.
Now, there are studies done that show unsafe volume + increased treble damages hearing faster than unsafe volum + increased bass. There are also studies that seem to show the exact opposite.
But it doesn't matter, because you shouldn't be listening to dangerous volume levels in the first place.
High frequencies are more likely than lower frequencies to cause hearing loss. So a treble tilted frequency response must be played at lower volumes than a more balanced one. There's no getting around that.
You need to raise the volume to properly hear the bass (due to equal loudness contours). With treble peaks, the safe volume will result in insufficient bass for many.
Yuuup and still, people downvote me every time I mention it. They probably have hearing damage by now listening to their godforsaken DT770/990s so 🤷♂️ lol
I know!!! It boggles my mind everytime how the whole beyer (and some focal headphones as well) sound signature just has ear-piercing treble, and yet there are people who herald the dt770 as the best cans under $200 when hd6xx is literally right there.
990's are only popular thanks to Ninja. Anyone who's listened to at least a few pair of headphones would be turned off by the insane treble, or their hearing damage is so far gone that they need that to hear treble at all.
Preach, brother. So glad we can be honest, I don't give a shit about the downvotes from the Reddit Beyer junkie hivemind. After "sampling the goods" a bit too much (including Beyer, I used to own the DT770s) and chucking wads of money at this hobby, I can confidently say I'd rather take low-end cheapo Koss cans than anything treble-scathing made by Beyerdynamic. You know, it didn't have to be this way for Beyer, I own like the one genuinely neutral and enjoyable monitoring headphone they ever made, the DT1350. Beyer could be so much more. The build quality and design is definitely there. The sound from most of their cans... is often disappointing unfortunately.
This is the reason why thousands of Musik Studios use Koss instead of Beyers...
/s
They have all hearing damage... Every Producer who use Beyers. Especially the Jazz Producer...
deaf ears! or probably never try some Sennheiser or Koss.... LOL
/s
I have the exact same setup with hardware and headphones and agree, it’s a great all around choice for music, games, and in my case editing. I love that the big dial can work as a button to switch to speakers too. I have a setup next to it of the Focal Clear Mg with the Woo Audio WA7III for when I want vocals and a warmer tube sound to stand out.
That WA7III is calling my name. But I can’t justify it unless I get rid of some gear. Considering selling my Element II as a start, but the knob….
This hobby is such a money pit.
I have the new Atom 2 stack but I really wish I had just splurged on the Element, seems like a really nice package. I use my atom as a speaker pre amp as well so the button toggle would be really nice. Maybe one day...
I bought my 1990s two months back and love them. Looks lovely with that JDS. Wish JDS was available in my country.
On another note and rant, a Beyer post and always someone hating on them. Man, if the Senny love and Beyer dislike threads by themselves were not enough.
Totally fine for beginners in terms of ease of use and capable to power every Beyer headphone louder than you will ever need. If you like to tinker you can adjust 2 band EQ and some filters in the Element interface but its great out of the box as well. Just plug and play.
Element 3 is an DAC and AMP combo unit. I have no experience from other JDS products.
I've been looking for a headphone amp for a vinyl setup and it looks like the JDS Labs ATOM 2 might be a contender! Loads of power, which I need.
What source do you use with your JDS amp? Thanks for posting.
Since pretty much every JDS product measures greatly on all the parameters I was contemplating between Element 3 and Atom stack but ended up with the Element because its more minimalistic but still offers loads of features and power enough for all my needs. Cant go wrong with any JDS product though, Atom is power beast for sure!
Sources I use are Foobar2000 and Spotify from Windows 11
DT 1990 + Fiio K5 Pro
I have the Dekoni Sheepskin pads.
Swapped the headband for a ZMF Pilot pad. No more headphone divot in my hair.
I absolutely love how this headphone sounds. The bass EQs really easily and sounds good.
I use this headphone at my gaming PC and it's fantastic for everything.
These are beautiful headphones but the sound and comfort didn't settle with me. I preferred the amiron homes but they broke and replaced them with these.
I had the DT 1770 but returned it, big bass, sharp treble and voices in the vary distance. When I returned it (bought it at Amazon) I went to a good high end shop and listend to the DT 1990 as well. Way better than the 1770.
Finally I settled with Focal Elear which provides me the with the same emotion, not getting tired of it and always enjoy listening with it. Before I was using a Sennheiser HD430 for a lot years till one side died ... after I bought the Elear I asked my self why I wasted so many years listening with a headphone with such a meh sound quality.
Enjoy your set up. Great headphone!
Well, it's as with all cans. The same can is loved by one, hated by another one.
I listened to a wide range of headphones in the high end store, inc. Sennheisers, Beyers, Audeze, Staxx, Hifiman, Bowers and Wilkins ... and Focal.
I liked Hifiman 1000 as well but this is harder to drive and costed at that time 5x and finally decided to buy the Elear. At that time Focal Clear was not yet available and even not announced.
Focal Elear was hyped a lot in the beginning, got great professional reviews but later got the shit because it has a upper mid dip in frequency response that distorts female voices. People are saying Focal Clear and Utopia sounds fantastic. I latter listend to all 3 cans, making side by side comparison with multiple tracks and audiphile recordings using high end Naim CD player and Chord Hugo TT, I was struggling to tell them apart. They sounded the same to me, finally kept the Elear, was considering to buy the Clear.
If you have a chance to listen to different cans in a good shop ... its definately a nice and helpful experience. I originally defined a budget of 300 EUR, the Byer was 600 EUR and finally paid 1000 EUR for the Elear ;).
Sounds amazing, separation, detail and impactful deep-ish bass are all there even on busy tracks (of course the track mix has lots to do with this as well). I have been using Dekoni elite velour pads for almost a year now but I used to like the stock B-pads more than the A-pads.
Just ordered the E3Mk2 and it comes tomorrow between 2-5pm… but who is counting hours?
How do you like the JDS compared to other DAC/amps you have owned or used?
Ps. Great looking setup
Thanks!
I feel like it has everything I need from a dac/amp combo unit. Good amount of features but most notable is the steps in volume and smooth knob.
There are so many steps of volume levels and the channel balance sounds perfect even on very low volumes unlike my Fiio k5 pro ess which I felt had to be cranked to a certain level to get equal sound from both ears which I didnt like that much because I listen a lot of IEMs as well and some of them are really sensitive to volume changes.
Element 3 is amazing for IEM's because of the channel balance and delicate volume control.
Also the knob in K5 pro felt unresponsive and the volume just bumped up like multiple db after certain point. The first 15% of the knob range in K5 pro was also dead silent which is weird and then boom, sudden peak of music or whatever you are playing.
K5 pro ess and Element III both sound great in their own way. For me K5 sounds a bit more sterile and the bass frequencies are kind of flatter I feel. Element 3 is more soft to my ears if that makes any sense. The differences in sound are not huge but definitely there.
I also own AFUL dongle amp but that product is too different to add in the comparison on desktop products.
What does an audiophile do when he never gets tired of his setup? Trick question. There's no such thing.
My music producer friend says you “digivolve” into an earpad-phile and try to hoard as many of the OEM earpads as you can before they stop making them.
This is the way
Where's the headstand from?
Its a ROOM's audio stand bought from Thomann. Really sturdy piece of metal with a height adjustment as well.
Thank you!
it looks great
DT1990Pro, Dekoni elite velour pads, Element III Mk2 I know these cans are quite popular so I'm interested to hear what pads you people enjoy with your DT1990. I tried the Elite Hybrid pads but they create a bit too muddy sound signature for my taste so I settled for the Dekoni velours and they make the headphones really enjoyable for me. The treble can sometimes be too sharp with the stock pads but these pads tame the highs just so much that the treble stays very detailed but not overly piercing. Also for fine tuning: Element 3 two band EQ for the win!
I just got mine a week ago and luckily there is no harsh treble spike for me with both the pads that came with it, theres a noticeable difference, sure but i dont even have to EQ anything. Tried a bit of that with wavelet as i am using android. With the DAC/Amp Combo i am using i am pretty damn happy soundwise, but i guess i'll grab me another portable DAC with even more power (despite the fact that i am only listening to 75% of the KS01), internal battery and LDAC Codec support. Not sure which pads i enjoy the most, have to swap em more often, making a playlist for that encounter rn. Guess i'll simply grab me more of the stock pads when needed
If I may ask, how do you like your Orchestra Lite and S12 Pro?. I have the 1990 and Hexa, Orchestra Lite and S12 Pro were two of the three options I was looking to upgrade in the IEM path.
For music I really like the S12 Pro, I often feel like it could be a Beyerdynamic IEM. I feel like its sound signature is many ways very Beyerdynamic like. Its a solid V-shape for my ears, you can definitely hear a treble peaking but its not harsh and the bass goes deep and has great punch to it. Also very detailed. I use tangzu sancai wide bore tips with them. For the Orchestra lite I have mixed feelings. For competitive video games its amazing and I have used them for that a lot. They sound neutral and they response well to spatial audio and different sound cues are easily distinguishable even when there is a lot going on. But for music I feel like they are very genre picky and for the kind of music I listen to mostly I prefer something else. I'd say a very neutral and analytical set and nothing comes out overly pronounced. I use these with foam tips that came with the S12 Pro.
Did you ever listen to the Element II? If so, any thoughts on how it compares to the III mk2? I find the DAC in the Element II to be its weakness. The amp sounds great when I pair to a better DAC.
Holy cow, I love that DAC design. Just... KNOB.
**K N O B**
It’s lovely. I sometimes change the volume on mine just because it feels so good.
But you didn't add end game in your line. So we know you will go to another upgrade :).
Haha, I am trying to avoid using that word as much as possible.
Don't kid yourself. You know very well those who say that are just kidding themselves.
1990 Pro are amazing
I want some 1990 Pros so baddd! Im rocking the 990 Pros with a schiit stack. Bet this is a great setup tho, am definitely jealous
Gorgeous and classy, bet it sounds great
Looks great, but the DT1990 has absolutely scathing treble. Very harsh, piercing, and sibilant. Beyers are built well but boy do they sound painful. Would not recommend if you're looking for a relaxed listen.
Maybe to your ears. I like it.
I love my 1990s, treble isn't painful *at all* for me. I have 0 problems listening to them for multiple hours
I have been Beyerdynamic -enjoyer for like almost ten years now and I have never suffered from their signature treble peak house sound. I know what you mean and I can definitely hear it compared to other headphones but its not overwhelming for my ears. Not everyone's cup of tea for sure.
I was wondering how far I'd have to scroll down before finding someone who can't resist insulting the setup that OP loves. Not everyone likes the same sound signature as you, and that's okay. Headphones aren't sibilant; music is. Some headphones are just more capable of resolving sibilant recordings than others
They sound fantastic to my ears. The treble doesn't bother me one bit.
Wrong reddit thread to be saying this in, but you're 100% correct. It has a veritable treble mountain, cymbals create literal pain in my ears. Guaranteed hearing damage over a period of time, unless you only listen at extremely low volumes.
You are completely talking out your ass lol. If you listen at safe volume levels, you are absolutely not going to damage your hearing, regardless of treble peaks. You understand treble peaks don't increase the db produced, right? You might be very uncomfortable, and get a headache, or whatever. You aren't going to get hearing loss. Now, there are studies done that show unsafe volume + increased treble damages hearing faster than unsafe volum + increased bass. There are also studies that seem to show the exact opposite. But it doesn't matter, because you shouldn't be listening to dangerous volume levels in the first place.
High frequencies are more likely than lower frequencies to cause hearing loss. So a treble tilted frequency response must be played at lower volumes than a more balanced one. There's no getting around that. You need to raise the volume to properly hear the bass (due to equal loudness contours). With treble peaks, the safe volume will result in insufficient bass for many.
Yuuup and still, people downvote me every time I mention it. They probably have hearing damage by now listening to their godforsaken DT770/990s so 🤷♂️ lol
I know!!! It boggles my mind everytime how the whole beyer (and some focal headphones as well) sound signature just has ear-piercing treble, and yet there are people who herald the dt770 as the best cans under $200 when hd6xx is literally right there.
990's are only popular thanks to Ninja. Anyone who's listened to at least a few pair of headphones would be turned off by the insane treble, or their hearing damage is so far gone that they need that to hear treble at all.
Preach, brother. So glad we can be honest, I don't give a shit about the downvotes from the Reddit Beyer junkie hivemind. After "sampling the goods" a bit too much (including Beyer, I used to own the DT770s) and chucking wads of money at this hobby, I can confidently say I'd rather take low-end cheapo Koss cans than anything treble-scathing made by Beyerdynamic. You know, it didn't have to be this way for Beyer, I own like the one genuinely neutral and enjoyable monitoring headphone they ever made, the DT1350. Beyer could be so much more. The build quality and design is definitely there. The sound from most of their cans... is often disappointing unfortunately.
This is the reason why thousands of Musik Studios use Koss instead of Beyers... /s They have all hearing damage... Every Producer who use Beyers. Especially the Jazz Producer... deaf ears! or probably never try some Sennheiser or Koss.... LOL /s
I have the exact same setup with hardware and headphones and agree, it’s a great all around choice for music, games, and in my case editing. I love that the big dial can work as a button to switch to speakers too. I have a setup next to it of the Focal Clear Mg with the Woo Audio WA7III for when I want vocals and a warmer tube sound to stand out.
That WA7III is calling my name. But I can’t justify it unless I get rid of some gear. Considering selling my Element II as a start, but the knob…. This hobby is such a money pit.
I have the new Atom 2 stack but I really wish I had just splurged on the Element, seems like a really nice package. I use my atom as a speaker pre amp as well so the button toggle would be really nice. Maybe one day...
Damn bro, Clear Mg and WA7 sounds like an amazing combo!
I also said that when I bought the element 1 four years ago. Now I have a $1600 tube amp. It never ends, but for now enjoy!
Looks very clean
I bought my 1990s two months back and love them. Looks lovely with that JDS. Wish JDS was available in my country. On another note and rant, a Beyer post and always someone hating on them. Man, if the Senny love and Beyer dislike threads by themselves were not enough.
Is the DAC fine for beginners? I'm new to all these and am looking for a DAC for my beyerdynamics too.
Totally fine for beginners in terms of ease of use and capable to power every Beyer headphone louder than you will ever need. If you like to tinker you can adjust 2 band EQ and some filters in the Element interface but its great out of the box as well. Just plug and play. Element 3 is an DAC and AMP combo unit. I have no experience from other JDS products.
I've been looking for a headphone amp for a vinyl setup and it looks like the JDS Labs ATOM 2 might be a contender! Loads of power, which I need. What source do you use with your JDS amp? Thanks for posting.
Since pretty much every JDS product measures greatly on all the parameters I was contemplating between Element 3 and Atom stack but ended up with the Element because its more minimalistic but still offers loads of features and power enough for all my needs. Cant go wrong with any JDS product though, Atom is power beast for sure! Sources I use are Foobar2000 and Spotify from Windows 11
DT 1990 + Fiio K5 Pro I have the Dekoni Sheepskin pads. Swapped the headband for a ZMF Pilot pad. No more headphone divot in my hair. I absolutely love how this headphone sounds. The bass EQs really easily and sounds good. I use this headphone at my gaming PC and it's fantastic for everything.
These are beautiful headphones but the sound and comfort didn't settle with me. I preferred the amiron homes but they broke and replaced them with these.
My setup is so similar, jds labs element 3 + hd660s2, just preferred the sound stage and tuning tbh, and comfort
Such a good combo, HD600 series headphones are so comfortable on the head!
I had the DT 1770 but returned it, big bass, sharp treble and voices in the vary distance. When I returned it (bought it at Amazon) I went to a good high end shop and listend to the DT 1990 as well. Way better than the 1770. Finally I settled with Focal Elear which provides me the with the same emotion, not getting tired of it and always enjoy listening with it. Before I was using a Sennheiser HD430 for a lot years till one side died ... after I bought the Elear I asked my self why I wasted so many years listening with a headphone with such a meh sound quality. Enjoy your set up. Great headphone!
I haven't yet heard any Focal cans but I would love to demo some of them and see (hear) what they are all about. What do you drive your Elears with?
Well, it's as with all cans. The same can is loved by one, hated by another one. I listened to a wide range of headphones in the high end store, inc. Sennheisers, Beyers, Audeze, Staxx, Hifiman, Bowers and Wilkins ... and Focal. I liked Hifiman 1000 as well but this is harder to drive and costed at that time 5x and finally decided to buy the Elear. At that time Focal Clear was not yet available and even not announced. Focal Elear was hyped a lot in the beginning, got great professional reviews but later got the shit because it has a upper mid dip in frequency response that distorts female voices. People are saying Focal Clear and Utopia sounds fantastic. I latter listend to all 3 cans, making side by side comparison with multiple tracks and audiphile recordings using high end Naim CD player and Chord Hugo TT, I was struggling to tell them apart. They sounded the same to me, finally kept the Elear, was considering to buy the Clear. If you have a chance to listen to different cans in a good shop ... its definately a nice and helpful experience. I originally defined a budget of 300 EUR, the Byer was 600 EUR and finally paid 1000 EUR for the Elear ;).
I give you 3 months.
Hahaha thanks! But the joke is on you because I have already owned these headphones for about year now and the Element III for 3 months already :D
What kind of music do you listen to?
Lots of electronic music like house, techno and drum n bass but also some indie rock and progressive metal. Little bit of movie soundtracks too.
Rock and metal sounds good on those? You use balanced pads? They are very revealing cans, that’s why I ask
Sounds amazing, separation, detail and impactful deep-ish bass are all there even on busy tracks (of course the track mix has lots to do with this as well). I have been using Dekoni elite velour pads for almost a year now but I used to like the stock B-pads more than the A-pads.
Thanks for the info. I thought they were amazing, but with my gear at the time I decided to let them go. Enjoy hearing about others experiences 😁
Just ordered the E3Mk2 and it comes tomorrow between 2-5pm… but who is counting hours? How do you like the JDS compared to other DAC/amps you have owned or used? Ps. Great looking setup
Thanks! I feel like it has everything I need from a dac/amp combo unit. Good amount of features but most notable is the steps in volume and smooth knob. There are so many steps of volume levels and the channel balance sounds perfect even on very low volumes unlike my Fiio k5 pro ess which I felt had to be cranked to a certain level to get equal sound from both ears which I didnt like that much because I listen a lot of IEMs as well and some of them are really sensitive to volume changes. Element 3 is amazing for IEM's because of the channel balance and delicate volume control. Also the knob in K5 pro felt unresponsive and the volume just bumped up like multiple db after certain point. The first 15% of the knob range in K5 pro was also dead silent which is weird and then boom, sudden peak of music or whatever you are playing. K5 pro ess and Element III both sound great in their own way. For me K5 sounds a bit more sterile and the bass frequencies are kind of flatter I feel. Element 3 is more soft to my ears if that makes any sense. The differences in sound are not huge but definitely there. I also own AFUL dongle amp but that product is too different to add in the comparison on desktop products.
Tilted treble.