ya i was thinking more for casual non sub bass stuff, perfect, thanks man i really appreciate it
Hello guys. Iām new here and iām glad I found this forum.
I need a little guidance, but letās forget money for a second and talk just headphones 
So I had cloud alpha before I jump straight to dt 1990 pro with balanced pads and got modi3 magni3+ with it.
Iām thinking of returning them because you can laugh but I enjoy the music and movies more on alpha than 1990 lol, like most movies conversations feel muffled and I have to raise the volume more to hear them talk properly.
Of course 1990 has more soundstage (but I only notice it in games like battlefield 5 where alot of things happen in different distances and I love it in that situation, donāt hear it much in movies and songs) and maybe 10-20% better imaging maybe because itās open and less muddy.
Details wise it has more at the end, like if a glass shatters I can hear all the motion on both headphones until maybe at the end when it falls on the ground and stops where 1990 has that final ākrrrā sound to it.
So I feel its not worth 500$ if its just slightly better than my 100$ cloud alpha xD. How is the HD 800s compared to 1990 in let say open games like battlefield 5? I read they have even more soundstage and better detailing but is it much more or just slightly more?
It feels having 2 headphones is more satisfying 1 for movies games (thats why asking if 800s is much better or only slightly yes its overkill for only that but who cares you pay once), another (dark and rich) for music.
I apologize for the wall of text but have to ask to stop wondering 
. What do you think?
Hi! Welcome to HFGF!
The DT1990 and the Schiit stack is all quality stuff. How long have you been using the 1990?
Iām (and Iāll speak for many forum members too) am on board helping you find what youāre looking for with a music headphone. But, I would like to figure out more why you think the DT1990 lacks clarity for vocals. The 1990 is known for its exacting detail and clarity, so Iām thinking there might be something else going on here.
If only I would have stopped at 2 
If youāre willing to work with us on figuring out whatās up with those 1990ās, great! Weāll figure that out AND get you some bassy music headphones if youāre still interested. Or, return the 1990 and let us know what youāre looking for and weāll get on that too.
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Hi mate and thank you so much.
Well the vocals are clear and detailed I have no problem here but in let say Netflix they sound a little hollow and echoy until I raise the volume more but then everything else is louder and attacks your ears 
maybe its a problem with netflix itself? but its not an issue as in songs and games I donāt have this problem.
Now the other thing is sounstage, imaging, and detail. Iāll be very tempted to try 800s (have to buy no testing is available) if its much better than 1990 in that department (I didnāt try A pads yet though because the B pads already feel kinda bright and thin). Would you say the A pads enhance that and bring it closer to 800s? or the 800s still has way more?
Last issue is the music, the B pads bass is almost there for me but I think the brightness overpowers its darkness so it sounds a little thin if that makes sense.
Ah! Are you using the Netflix app by chance? That sounds like a classic problem of an app pushing 5.1 channel audio into a 2.0 channel sound system. Look through your app settings and tell it to downmix 5.1 to 2.0 or do stereo - however the option is worded. You can also look at your computerās OS audio settings and make sure that itās forcing a 2.0 output.
Iāve personally never tried the 800s. Itās reputation is as a soundstage master, but not at all a bass headphone. Truthfully, youāre unlikely to get any significant improvement in gaming audio over the DT1990 until you spend multi-kilobucks.
The analytical pads on the 1990 will bring both the levels of bass and treble down a bit. The analytical pads are designed to flatten the frequency response for monitoring, mixing, and mastering. The balanced pads are meant to be āfun.ā
I get what you mean about the thin sound. If funds allow, I would suggest you keep the 1990 for gaming and look at the following options for music:
- Audioquest Nighthawk Carbon (discontinued, hard to find, but bassy)
- Massdrop - Fostex TR-X00 or TH-X00 Purplehearts (also discontinued and hard to find, very bassy and V-shaped, but fun)
- Audeze LCD-2C - a large, warm, bassy planar
- Massdrop - Hifiman Edition XX - another large, warm, bassy planar
- Beyerdynamic T1.2 (T1 2nd gen) - I havenāt heard these either but they have a rep for being warmer and bassier than other Beyers
If those are out of price range, lemme know and weāll look into other options.
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I use the website not the app, Iāll try the app with the stereo settings then didnāt know they default 5.1.
So by bringing down the bass with the A pads will that increase the imaging and soundstage or no change in that area just sound difference?
And if you tried the dekoni elite velours how they compare to B and A pads? from the graphs it seems they are in between the stock pads.
I guess iāll check lcd2c and edition xx then. Never heard planars but I read they specialize in bass and warmth which iām looking for. Thanks
I donāt have any direct knowledge of the Dekoni pads. But, some on this forum do. Itās around if you use the search function.
Also, be careful assuming that planar = warm & bassy. Thatās not necessarily true. The HiFiMan Sundara and the Sendy Aiva would be examples of planars that have moved more to neutral or bright in their signature. The LCD-2C and Edition XX are warm & bassy holdouts in the āmid-fiā price tier you seemed to be discussing.
If you buy anything new, we have a āWhat did you buy today?ā thread where we all brag and show off our unwise expenditures. And then, we expect a full report on any new purchases in the official thread for whatever thing you bought! 
Welcome to the rabbit holeā¦
lol its a dark hole
You missed my main question to end this topic " So by bringing down the bass with the A pads will that increase the imaging and soundstage or no change in that area just sound difference? " 
My bad. I canāt say with first-hand knowledge. The FR changes are the most talked about changes. But, just swap 'em out and see what you think.
Thanks for your help mate.
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First, welcome to Hifiguides @mjx
So, I wanted to chime in. This really doesnāt sound right to me as someone who also owns both headphones mentioned alphas and 1990s. This could potentially be a faulty headphone if this is the case providing you have enough amp power going into the headphones though if you mean the sound is relatively pushed back then I may be able to explain this further in just a moment.
if your original post above is with the Balanced pads then that is the reasoning behind the vocals. The reasoning here is that the Balanced pads create more of a V signature, meaning the bass and treble are raised but the mids(where the vocals are) is not raised alongside the other two frequencies this is the same way as the dt 990s sound signature(those however are actually recessed). I will go ahead and post a graph showing the 3 different pad frequencies listed.
If we look here at the frequency the balanced pads are there in the blue and have much more bass folllowed by the green for dekoni elite velour which balances it fairly well but keeps bass and treble slightly raised and then the Analytical on the purple there which is more of a neutral bright kind of frequency. Now I seen you bring up the sennheiser hd800 so heres a comparison between those two
blue for analytical dt 1990 and the other being the hd 800 frequency( note this isnāt the S frequency as that has a different tuning). Sennheisers are known for being balanced sounding and more mid centric with lots of detail but the hd 800 is rather different and expensive in terms of soundstage and overall design.
you stand to gain more in the detail and imaging with the analytical pads as thatās what they were essentially designed for hence the name of the pad in order to pick out details in the music however soundstage is relatively the same large staging between the pads.
well it should feel bright as itās a bright headphone with the beyerdynamic house sound to it. As far as thin goes I have read the hd 800 is supposed to sound a bit leaner while the beyer has more body to itās sound or more fullness.
It sounds like you are a bit of a bass lover though, so the dt 1990s may not be the best for you here and you may want to look more into alternatives due to this. However, if you feel you need much more bass you could always equalize it using the PEACE Apo program itās free and responds well to the 1990s.
I personally really like them. It really balances out the sound quite well and they are fairly comfortable after some wear. Not too bassy not too bright and the mids are more apparent due to the overall signature becoming more of a neutral - ish U shaped.
What wavetheory mentioned is true and I would caution you on thisā¦ theres plenty of bassy dynamics as well as planars but planars have a signature āslamā to them and speed. However, headphones like the Sundara or Sendy Aiva really lack a bass presence by a good margin and donāt get near for example an Argon/T50RP
The imaging will become indeed more accurate and overall sounds will become more apparent but it doesnāt technically widen the soundstage only clears it up due to all the bass that is present with the balanced pads
If you do not like the āThinā sound you may not be a fan of brighter headphones. I would suggest considering alternatives. Sennheisers are very balanced in terms of sound but I donāt think you really need an hd800 really less you want one of the top of the linesā¦ you can do just fine with a 660 S or an HD 599/598, 58x Jubilee, or 6xx all sound great and are relatively balanced. If you want a very bassy Planar I would definitely mention the Argons though these take a long time to acquire as they are a T50rp mod, you also have the Dekoni Blues though these are more of a V signature. From beyerdynamic one of the warmest headphones I have tried as well as have a review over in the forum thread here for it is the Tygr 300R itās something I personally use for movies and regular shows so you may enjoy it yourself. I can bring up other recommendations but I feel this may require a seperate post I would rather not bloat up the 1990 thread
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Thanks alot @Falenkor you cleared alot of things. Dekoni velours wonāt affect the detail by bringing down the treble peak this much? seems really nice based on the graph
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@mjx
To my experience, it lowers the treble to the point itās not rather overwhelmingly front and center in the mix so you may notice some loss in the details just because itās not as present and more balanced out not because it straight up is killing the detail of the headphone. Itās a very good set of pads for beyerdynamics just in general, only one that reacted rather bad in my opinion were the Tygrs(really no reason to change these pads at all) and the 770 series(your better off using a choice leather or sheepskin anyway). Good set of pads as they fit quite a few headphones.
Got it thanks.
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Your welcome! Hope that helps if you decide to grab the pads feel free to drop back in let us know your thoughts on it. If you decide on maybe picking up a seperate headphone though feel free to drop a post plenty of people who can help you out to figure out which headphone may best suit you.
Will do that for sure.
Iāll let you know. I just got the 800S and have had the 1990s for a while. FWIW, the 1990s are my current favorite for competitive style gaming because the soundstage and imaging is so excellent. Iām not sure it makes sense to pay even more for bettr headphones since the differences will be minor, and not what Iād personally want from a competitive headphone. In fact, I like that the bass is toned down in the 1990s, because it doesnāt overwhelm the actionāyou can still hear whatās going on around you when things get busy.
The 800S have stupid amounts of soundstage, but I havenāt tried mine gaming yet. Josh Valour called them his favorite headphone for gaming. Iām sure theyāre good, but the 1990s are a better value and probably more of a better all-rounder for music. But Iāll give you more thoughts tomorrow after I run them through a quick gaming test.
Anyway, my recommendation for more bass and a fuller sound would be some second pair of headphones. I converted a pair of Focal Elegias into a gaming headset for just that purpose. Theyāre much more energetic and cinematic sounding than 1990s, but have a narrow stage that would not be as helpful for competitive play. In any case, good bass response and comfort would be key things to look for in whatever budget range you want to spend.
Yup, i concur with that. Iād blame the app; thatās not a weakness the headphones have.
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Ooo thats great @SpeleoFool , ye I asked about 800s and 1990 to know what iām missing from the 800s, how much bigger soundstage and imaging just to compare and know where the 1990 stands, if its not huge Iāll just keep the 1990 for gaming duties because i love it for that you can tell if the enemy on your left is on top of the bridge or under it.
Iāll wait for you to test it in games much appreciated
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definitely too expensive for my blood lol. $1,700 is way outside my budget limitations haha. Nonetheless, I think it will be interesting to hear your impressions of it. First time I hear of a Sennheiser having a massive soundstage.
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How does this headphone respond to tube amps?