I looked into those already, they were sold out. Pretty much EVERYTHING that provides powerful low end is sold out. Except the Fostex TH909.
DMS replied to one of my comments on one of his videos, where I had mentioned how poorly my DT 1900 Pro perform. He said that it was most likely because of my AMP, which is causing them to clip.
Turns out the SMSL SP200 THX AAA 888 amp is actually HALF the power of the THX 789! I had no idea. 
I just assumed being a new amp, higher number, that it was a better iteration of the same THX technology, just more efficient.
But it also seems that the Fostex TH909 (32 ohm) supposedly sound better with weaker amps. So maybe my SMSL SP200 will work for it.
On the other hand, I’m really curious now what my DT 1900 Pro can do with a stronger amp, (probably Schiit Mjolnir 2) if what DMS suggested is true. Because if it can still provide the same bass response at higher volume, I’ll be content.
What to do… 
It doesn’t seem to be that “power hungry” if it’s a 32 ohm headphone, so my thinking is that it shouldn’t matter whether you use a super power amp lol, but make sure not to destroy the headphone with your SMSL SP200, it can still happen. I’m just assuming at the moment from the knowledge I acquired this past year learning about audio.
DMS is a champ lol! Listen to him, if you’ve got the money, do it haha. Or go somewhere where you can try it out!
You know what to do! xD
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After watching Joshua Valour’s review of the DT 1990 Pro with Dekoni pads, I ordered some. It should improve the bass response, but I’m still really being held back by the amp. I guess ~500W @250 ohm is not very good.
EDIT: I downloaded the specs of the DT 1990 Pros and it says they have a nominal (RMS) power rating of only 200 mw. They’re getting more than twice that with the SMSL SP200 so, … Confused. 
Nowhere in the specs does it say peak power handling though, but I would assume it’s twice the nominal power rating.
I’m in Zeos’s patreon, he’s also giving me some advice. I’m definitely returning the SMSL THX 888 amp. It’s got to be defective. The fact it had so much noise was a huge warning sign since it’s lauded for having zero noise lol.
Right now it’s just a question of going with the THX 789 or Topping A90. I plan to upgrade to Fostex TH909 (25 ohm, 100dB sensitivity) but they can sound different on different amps. According to Z they sound great on the 789’s but I don’t know what they sound like on the Topping A90 (which is a weaker amp).
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On low gain it should not have any more noise than the competition.
Without any signal, there should be zero noise also.
Was just wondering on everything mentioned. Could the source signal / signal level / or just the source device be causing trouble?
But if the HD8 work just fine. Maybe not.
I was using a mini stereo RCA single ended input into my PC, with dual stereo RCA jacks hooked up to the SMSL amp. If I disconnected the mini plug and touched it, the noise returned. This made me think it was some kind of grounding loop issue, so I put everything on the same outlet, still had the same problem…
Plugging in my Schiit Magni 3 had zero noise regardless of the outlet used.
(I’m still waiting on some quality RCA cables to test the Schiit Magni 3 to see if I get the same distortion/clipping at loud volume that I get with the SMSL. I only have balanced cables right now to connect the DAC to the amp, and the Schiit doesn’t have balanced inputs.)
I’m going to try the Topping A90 amp as it’s getting great reviews, essentially the same as H4A Benchmark amp but with a little less crosstalk so it provides better soundstage.
I also ordered some Meze 99 Classics. I think I might like those, but they are extremely sensitive to wattage, with peak power rating of 50mW. Which scares me. Since most amps put out 40 TIMES MORE wattage than that. I have no idea what 50mW translates to on the volume dial so… I don’t believe these will last long lol.
They’re also not aggressive, which I’m not sure what that means exactly. Hopefully it doesn’t mean “loses dynamic range” or “sounds compressed.”
All amps are different and all headphones are different. On every class-A amp, turning it on might push you past that.
It will be fine. If these headphones were failing all over the place, you would have heared about it.
Hmm ok. It’s just that with car audio speakers, I’ve put twice the wattage into some speakers and the voice coil burned up after a few minutes. In this case though we’re talking about potentially putting 400 times their max wattage. Like sticking an Emotiva BasX amp on a set of regular headphones.
I guess I will just go by SPL and how they sound (no distortion) to gauge their power limit.
Im still curious what will the end be.
Can you pass the signal from Magni 3 → THX, if the issue continues? Just to test the amp and signal.
That kinda was my go-to as well, few years back.
If the rating was 40wrms/80wmax then it would have/get 80wrms or 800/1.6k then it’s 1.6kwrms.
Push it real good with good signal and save fr-ranges.
Thought did not actually burn any…but 2 center speakers had factory flaws. They did not last even normal listening. my max limit in loudness was not the speakers max. lasting one song usually.
At show’s i played “if the coils burn… they burn!” mentality.
Just to mention that I’m the exact situation (with maybe less money to spend) 
right here… Him following your post:
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Hifiman Edition X V2 via Monolith Liquid Platinum. Whatever dac you want. If you want a headphone to hit like ‘12 inch subs’ without compromise, that’s the only thing under $1500 that’ll really do it.
Great… point me to where I can buy it because it’s not available anywhere lol. 
I had my sights on Fostex TH909, but it will take me about 5 weeks to save up for. In the interim I decided to give the Meze 99 Classics a try.
I finally got some RCA cables so I can use my old Schiit Magni 3 amp. The sound definitely improved at higher volume, without bass distortion. I’m actually really enjoying the DT 177X Go now… better bass. The mids and treble is still there it’s just not as loud as my DT 1990 Pro. Which I guess is what people call a “relaxed” sound.
I also noticed my SMSL SP200 amp was REALLY hot… This amp is supposed to run very COOL or at least not generate heat. So yeah, definitely something seriously wrong with it! I’ve been running my Schiit Magni 3 for 5 hours now with music LOUD, and it’s only slightly warm.
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Gotta buy it used.
Hifiman seem to discontinue their more well-received cans, e.g. HE-500 and HEXv2. It would be awesome if there’s an HE-5XX. Has anyone compared the HEXv2 to the Edition XX?
Ok first test is the Dekoni Audio Elite Hybrid pads on the DT 1990 Pro. I have to say… Wow. The bass sounds great now, 4.5/5.0. But unlike my Sennheiser HD8 DJs, it’s not always there like an elevated bass level to all the music. When songs have a lot of bass I really hear it, but songs without much bass are quiet. With the HD8s I hear bass pretty much in everything at a decent level, and then really strong with bass heavy music.
If I had to keep these as my only headphone I’d be content with them. The only thing I feel is missing is it doesn’t quiet get to the SPL I enjoy. They still start to distort somewhere around 90dB. I might be able to squeeze a little more volume out of them with a stronger amp.
The Meze 99 Classics are louder than my current headphones, maybe another 10dB. Better bass impact around 90 Hz and up. But a HUGE roll off in sub-bass.
EQ’ing didn’t help either. I could hear more bass but I could still recognize the sharp roll off. I’d probably have to add a lot more sliders to the EQ for at least a dozen more bass frequencies to get it to sound more natural. EQ’ing the bass is sort of like holding up a huge plastic bag filled with water, when you push your hands up on one part, it still quickly sags down on either side of your hand. You would need a lot more “hands” to create a proper bass sound.
Ideally I want that “marshmellowy” (as Zeos calls it) sub-bass. Where it booms and has a nice rumble. These just hit like taking drumsticks and hitting drums really hard next to your ear, but then quickly placing your hand on the drum to keep it from resonating. If that makes any sense…
So yeah TL;DR version, as others have said these are not “basshead” headphones.
The only positive thing is they do get louder than my current headphones which makes listening to music more fun (I’m still looking for that “concert sound” in a headphone). But I’ll be returning them since I’d rather get a little less SPL and get much better sound quality with my DT 1990 Pro with the Dekoni Elite pads.
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