hd 555 v dt990pro

[m1 grant]

like the tittle says, i ve narrowed my choices down to these 2 headphones, I'm still thinking maybe I should get the 595 but it is so much more expensive for supposedly small increases.
I'm going to be listening to a lot of music with these things, mostly rock tecno, jazz, so the upper lows and mids are highly important, Bass and soundstage are also important, since I will be gaming and watching movies with these thinfs as well. Keep these things in mind when commenting. Thank You

 

[strid3r]

What's the rest of your rig like?

 

[Mister X]

Go with the HD595s
They don't suffer from the bloated mid bass that HD555's do and they have a more airy presentation.

 

[m1 grant]

my rig... well now its just a crappy ass onboard card, i plan on upgrading the source though, havent' really decided on that yet, so help ni that areaa would be good too

and what about the 990's?

 

[Mert]

i don't know about beyerdynamic phones but i do know that the senns blow for rock music.

 

[towert7]

I have some older DT990pro (studio version), and they were better then the HD590.
They have a lot of bass, that's for sure.

Build quality is good. They are easy to wear and soft (their velour is sooooo soft).

for 170$ (or sometimes lower), they are good. They create a much more involing experience then the HD590's ever did, but with no fatigue.
Note: Like others have said, they have a lot of bass, so when using music with artificial bass (like techno), it might be too much for your tastes. This is something you will have to find out for yourself. But it makes instraments like big drums sound just like they do in real life ^_^.

Personally, If I was going to get another headphone for around 200$, I would look into the DT880. It looks like they smothed out the bass quite a bit.

As always though, YOU should strive to find a local audio shop that sells these headphones, bring a CD your familer with, and just listen to them for a while. This will be your best source of information.

But, as far as comfort goes, your in the right direction, eaither sennheiser or beyerdynamic will satisfy the comfort issue.

PS: I find the DT990pro to be very good with first person shooter games. You can hear the whole 360º area very clearly.

~Hope this helps

 

[strid3r]

my rig... well now its just a crappy ass onboard card, i plan on upgrading the source though, havent' really decided on that yet, so help ni that areaa would be good too

and what about the 990's?

Too much bass IMO with slighty piercing highs from what I remember when I heard it. I'd go with the HD595s.

 

[m1 grant]

y do the 595 suck with rock? , and if I were to go out and demo these things, where would i do it?

 

[towert7]

y do the 595 suck with rock? , and if I were to go out and demo these things, where would i do it?

Mert might be saying they "suck at rock" because they are more laid back. That's what I was getting at, the HD590 V3 was more laid back then the DT990pro, and hence the DT990pro sound more "lively".

As for finding places that sell them, check your local phone book yellow pages for professiaonl audio shops, sometimes listed under speakers if im not mistaken.
Some people will say go look at musician shops like guitar shops, but they sometimes offer diffrent versions of the headphones.

Again, your on the right path, and you already narrowed your choices down to some good ones. Now you just have to listen to them in person and see how they feel and whatnot.

~Good luck, and hope this helps

 

[strid3r]

y do the 595 suck with rock? , and if I were to go out and demo these things, where would i do it?

I'd have to ask what kind of rock do you listen to? I've listened to some alternative and acoustic on the 595s and they do quite dandy.

 

[Mert]

Yea they are great for acoustic music but if they are anything like the 555s they just don't have the "timing" for hard rock music. Way too neutral as well. If your music is primarily rock or pop music look into getting grados.

Have you considered the audio technica A900s? Supposedly a great closed phone for the money that don't need an amp.

 

[towert7]

...but if they are anything like the 555s...

Oh, so your saying you don't have the HD595's?

 

[m1 grant]

I listen to mostly classic rock like Zeppelin, Floyd, Free, Van Halen,Clash etc..
I also listen to alternaive rock/pop like the chilli peppers, coldplay (not really rock, but more high pitched music I listen to), Franz Ferdinand, etc.
Then theres the mixed bag of Jazz and Techno.
So there's a lot I listen to actively.
So I suppose the major qualities to judge off of are detailed mids, soundstage, and punchy bass, if this helps?


I'm not so sure I want the a900 b/c from what I hear their bass is muddy, and that their mids are almost inexistant. I heard one guy compare the sound to a car stereo's 12" sub to a senn's or beyer's punchier detailed 6". Also I'm not thrilled about the closed headphone, I had a pair and I found it almost as uncomfertable as a pair of Grado's (in its own way).

 

[strid3r]

Personally, If I was going to get another headphone for around 200$, I would look into the DT880. It looks like they smothed out the bass quite a bit.

Oh, so your saying you don't have the HD595's?

Oh, so your saying you don't have the DT880's? But you recommend them anyhow?

 

[Mister X]

So I suppose the major qualities to judge off of are detailed mids, soundstage, and punchy bass, if this helps?

Yup, the HD595s fit your needs to a T.

 

[Treyshadow]

After listening to the 990 Pro last weekend, I must say that is a nice can.

I own the Senn 580's and the 650's

I like the 990's pads best
I liked the 650 sound best, but the 990's were good also. Much more lively than the 650's. The DT990's did not have the midrange of the 650s.

If it was 580's vs. DT990's, I would say it is a push. They both sound rather similar, but the pads on the 990's are nicer IMO. I did think the 580's were a bit more laid back, and you could listen to the 580's longer.

 

[towert7]

Oh, so your saying you don't have the DT880's? But you recommend them anyhow?

strider, I know you don't like me, but ill answer this question anyways incase it was unclear to others.

i never recommended the DT880's....... ive never heard them.

I just said if "I" was going to look for a headphone in the 200$ range again, I would start with the DT880 after having enjoyed the DT990pro so much.

So I guess you could say i don't recommend them outright, but I would recommend people listen to them. ^_^

i give you a strider for trying to cause trouble.

~Hope this helps

 

[m1 grant]

Thanks for comments guys, If I've got this right

595
+All round sound
+Soundstage
+Great Mids
+Punchy Bass
-Laid Back
-Too Neutral

990
+/-Powerful Bass
+Not as good but still worthy soundstage
+Detailed Lows
+Overall Detail
-Shrill Highs
-Overshadowed Mids

In that case I think I will take the 595's, but won't wip out the VISA till I hear em' both.
Then the next 2 questions are, how are you guys driving the cans through the comp?
I want good 3d gaming, and great music @ the same time, which might be a bit of an oxymoron, but i could use some suggestions on what to do with thier source, which ever i choose
Then I would also like to know what improvements I should expect form building a CMoy? Im pretty good w/ solder, and the schematic didn't seem that complex, so I'll try that 1st. And then maybe give a Pimeta if that doesn't work.

 

[towert7]

at college, i just have them hooked up to my headphone output of my audigy 2 zs plat front panel. ^_^

If you do decide to build a cmoy/pimeta, let us know how it works out.

~Thanks

 

[Mert]

Oh, so your saying you don't have the HD595's?

the 595s are a slightly refined version of the 555, they share the same driver actually.

Another thing is that they offer NO isolation whatsoever so higher end senns really only work with computer that's really quiet.


A900s

 

[strid3r]

strider, I know you don't like me, but ill answer this question anyways incase it was unclear to others.

i never recommended the DT880's....... ive never heard them.

I just said if "I" was going to look for a headphone in the 200$ range again, I would start with the DT880 after having enjoyed the DT990pro so much.

So I guess you could say i don't recommend them outright, but I would recommend people listen to them. ^_^

i give you a strider for trying to cause trouble.

~Hope this helps

Let's see...you don't recommend them, but you recommend them? Ok...

Last time I checked, the thread seems to be about DT990s vs HD595s. It's clear the OP has done his research and even stated he narrowed his choices down. Why would you "suggest" an additional 3rd headphone you have never heard? Considering they are not all that great for rock to begin with IMO. I have listened to the DT880s with cardas cable, and I thought the sound was on the lean side, although the detail was good.

I am not trying to cause trouble at all. You're the one who called Mert out for not owning the HD595s, but yet you are recommending a can that you've never heard either. So you're opinion weighs more than his? Nice...

Any more (ignorant) opinions to add?

 

[strid3r]

Then I would also like to know what improvements I should expect form building a CMoy? Im pretty good w/ solder, and the schematic didn't seem that complex, so I'll try that 1st. And then maybe give a Pimeta if that doesn't work.

I just built a CMoy last week but havn't really gotten a chance to listen to it. If you'd like, I could post some impressions later on against my Pimeta (on some HD600s and DT531s).

 

[towert7]

Let's see...you don't recommend them, but you recommend them? Ok...

Yea, if you try and pick apart my messages piece by piece, your bound to miss the point. Take it in a general sense, and it might be more helpful.

 

[strid3r]

Yea, if you try and pick apart my messages piece by piece, your bound to miss the point. Take it in a general sense, and it might be more helpful.

And what point would that be? You don't recommend them outright, but you recommend that people listen to them. That gets us where? Not anywhere past the usual recommendations of listening to the cans themselves. Right, square one.