https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/brands-a-i/dt990-pro-250ω/
https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/akg/k371/

 

I've been using them for a couple of years; I can get about 90% of a mix done with them before I switch to various monitors. It takes a while to learn how they translate, but once you've got it, then they're a breeze to use. Great value for money option.

 

I use DT770s which are closed back and I don't get a headache from using mine for hours on end, but I guess everyone is different. Maybe the tightness of the headband matters as some headphones definitely 'clamp' more strongly to your head than others. I've had my DT770s quite a few years now (maybe 8?) so they're also well worn but never had any headache type issues at all with them.

 

I use the 770s/880s/990s and 1990s. I have been using the 880s and 770s since the 1980s (I still have my original pairs). Recently there has been a lot of emphasis on headphones needing to be flat or neutral. This is subjective, but I personally don't go for flat/neutral headphones or speakers. Nobody uses the NS10s or Auratones because they are flat, they are purposely hyped in certain frequencies and no headphones or monitors are completely flat or neutral even with software. That said, the 990s are a great pair of opens and I use them daily, sometimes for up to 12 hours at a time (alongside my other cans) as references when I mix. I find the 990s and 1990s great for checking the top end because they are quite bright (770s for bass and 880s for mid range). They are super comfortable, hard-wearing, great price and sound great straight out of the box. The most important thing, as has been said on here already, is learning how they translate to other systems and what is right for you. They may not be for you and no amount of opinions on here is going to change that. You need to demo them yourself really.

 

I'd go for a used pair of 1770's or 1990's. They can be had for around $320-350 if you are patient + send out multiple offers to sellers. Beyerdynamic Cans are probably the most Sturdy & reliable Cans you can get IMHO, especially once you figure out how they translate across mediums.

 

if you're looking for flat response, no matter which headphones you pick.... you NEED to send them to sonarworks so that they can analyze their frequency response and give you an appropriate calibration for their reference software. 150 euros the cost, but it's worth it. every single headphone is different from the graph you get of the model online. you won't find a single pair which matches perfectly the graph. The differences between single models are huge, even between left and right ear.

alternatively, you can buy a pair of headphones directly from sonarworks website, which comes with their calibration included in the package

https://store.sonarworks.com/collections/individually-calibrated-studio-headphones

for instance, a perfectly calibrated dt770 pro sells for 284 euros. this looks like a much cheaper solution.

 

They're pretty comfy, no different than the 'cheap' pair of AKG 240s I have laying around. I wear them for hours on end, and the only reason I do get pain after awhile is because Im old and my eyes are shit so any pair of headphones starts to make my glasses dig in to my head after awhile. The only real gripe I can think of is the cable isn't replaceable, you have to jump all the way up to the 1770s I think before you get that (my $70 AKGs have one though?).

I dont know if they're all like this but the headband on mine is tight as fuck too. I had to really pull on the headphones to adjust them to fit my head. At first I thought they weren't adjustable, it almost seemed like I was going to break them, but eventually it gave and started moving, they're just so tight they're very hard to adjust the actual headband here.

 

your krk has an impedance of 36 ohms - you can connect to any signal source.
990 pro needs a suitable signal source (e.g. headphones amplifier) or they just won't sound the way they should.

 

Well, I probably do not have your golden ears. But I do honestly not hear a difference If I connect my 990s 250Ohm to my mobile phone or my interface/headphone amp. Only in volume. And for me, the 250 Ohm version is still loud enough to get tinnitus and kill my hearing on consumer products like my mobile phone or the cheapo computer headphone out.

This could be interesting for you ...

 

Last edited: Nov 11, 2020

1. the fact is that YOU DO NOT hear the difference in sound. EXACTLY YOU have enough of this volume.
2. why connect them to the phone? to listen to music? i think the theme author is going to buy them for other tasks.

no, I'm not interested.
if you do not understand the meaning, then I just pointed out the feature.
I did not give advice and did not say that it is necessary.

 

Sure technical facts not welcome. Would not have expected anything else.
And if you read carefully you would notice that I told you there is plenty of volume on consumer grate devices with my 990 250 Ohm. Enough to damage my hearing with loudness spikes while listening to music, watching youtube, or gaming. And yet you tell me, the reason i don't hear a difference is there is not enough Volume? Well you are probably right

 

f***n google translator... the translation is not correct.
correct: you only hear the difference in sound level. specifically YOU hear so. this is a subjective perception.
maybe because you are listening to material (music) that was prepared for release? but precision is needed when working on sound, especially when adding background noise or adjusting effects (such as reverb for a single track). in solo mode, the track may be heard at minimum volume, but the sound will change with others.
and again: I'm talking about working with sound. this does not apply to watching videos / listening to music and other entertainment.

 

They sound OK/good compared other ones I've tried in the same price range, other ones does not sound better.

Been using 990 for the last 15 years or so AFAIR.. Sturdy, comfortable.. seriously good quality.

Anyways, they are not flat at all I would say. Impossible to get good mixes with even though I've had them for so many years. They are WAY too bright and the low-end bass frequencies are muddy, lacks definition.

Then again, you can NEVER do a pro final mix with headphones only. Many have tried.. and failed. There's always a final mixing stage where your must have the accousticly treated room + monitor speakers to get the right result. You will never get good results with headphones only, using reference software or not (I dare anyone to prove me wrong!).

Don't want to sound negative, they are good! Esp. good for finding details and problems in the high freq range.

 

@Talula

One more try. Do not want to argue over this. All I say is I have the 990s (Amongst a view other headphones)
I can listen on my Samsung galaxy with 60% Volume before it starts to be unpleasant loud. I just gave this a little test run while writing this.

To make it comparable I can listen on a shitty low budget MSI x470 gaming blubb etc Mainboard headphone out a youtube loudness compensated video (max volume) through sonarworks with the "-6 db Safe headroom" feature activated with max 40/100 in the windows volume slider before it starts to be unpleasant loud and even painful. I cant hear a difference. But again I do not have the best ears. In my experience it is more likely you hear distortion on a low impedance headphone with a good amp.
Yes, you cant drive 600 Ohm well with consumer stuff. But you can drive without noticeable altering the sound and plenty of loudness 250 Ohm headphones if you use reasonable modern consumer stuff.

And again I am talking about both. If you work with reasonable modern interfaces it is even less a problem compared to consumer stuff. Even a low budget (most) interface can drive 250 Ohms without any problems. Do not believe me? Watch the video.

But again probably you are right. My ears are not the best. I might be wrong if I use my 990s 250 Ohms Headphones here with different interfaces and sources.

 

That's a myth - almost all my commercial techno originals and remixes across numerous labels in the last year at least have been mixed on headphones always for the final stage mainly as I was abroad and my main studio was in another country. I currently have iLoud mini monitors for my mobile setup outside the UK (yes those tiny ones) which I got about six weeks ago, along with DT770s which I've had for a decade and you can mix perfectly well on them providing you're careful to use reference tracks to check your final mixdown. So for the previous 9 months and during Covid lockdown I was pushing out tracks mixed PURELY ON HEADPHONES. That equates to about 4 originals and maybe 5 remixes done this way.

It also comes down to experience of mixing in headphones too - I've been doing it for a decade on and off using headphones as much as monitors (I have small kids so it comes down to noise). I know plenty of producers putting out top end work for trance and progressive house labels as well without proper treated rooms and in some cases ZERO acoustic treatment - one has signed to ASOT, Joof and other top labels and he 100% only ever mixes in headphones he has no monitor speakers whatsoever.

The crux of the matter is you can mix in any environment if you're familar with how it sounds and use quality reference tracks to reference your mixdown against. It might be much easier to do that in a nice acoustically treated room but you're talking utter rubbish to say you will never get good results purely in headphones. Perhaps it is you who are unable to do it that way through lack of experience doing so.

People who also blame their shitty mixdowns on a lack of acoustic treatment in their rooms (which I see regularly) should also look at their own ability first.

 

is it trolling, yeah?

that's what I talking about. let's finish.

 

talking about heaphones, dont forget to clean them and take out the hair, just be patient so you dont break the thing, i own dt-770 Pro myself