The thx is not perfect, is analitical, vocals lack body and weight compared to other amps. The thx treble + t1.2nd peak is not an issue for me, but is there and can sound glaring. The sound stage perception can be affected by forward bass and treble.The thx789 might lack depht. The bass in the thx789 is on the tight side, with the treble boost it sounds flat sometimes. Compared to other warm amps, The asgard 3 is little more rounded but lose a little impact or tightness. My favorite song to test the 3d bass effect is with the song āHotel californiaā by Eagles, min 3:50 3 drum hits coming left, center and right and then some random drum hits. I have not tried the Emotiva BasX PT-100, and i dont think i will in the near future.
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What website do you guys buy from?
I usually buy new from amazon and used from ebay.
thx789 from drop.com (not in stock right now)
sdac B from drop.com (not in stock right now)
Modius from schiit.com
Asgard from schiit.com (delayed shipping)
T1.2nd from amazon (Focus camera seller)
Everything youāve said about your modius + 789 pairing sounds like what I want, except for the potential lack of depth. I love that song, too. Especially on my MartinLoganās. Another song I like for testing the resolution of the imaging of my system is āFly Like An Eagleā by the Steve Miller Band. It has a cool panning sound starting around the 3 min mark.
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Question for this group. What would make this headphone better then the DT880 600ohm? Are they basically the same thing or vastly different?
Iāve not heard the T1 or T1.2 myself yet. But my understanding from reading reviewers and talking to people like @M0N is that the T1 first gen has the brighter signature like the DT880, just more detailed yet. The T1.2 (or T1 second gen) was tuned for a warmer signature - less treble forward, more bass. I Imagine the T1.2 is more detailed that the DT880 but probably a bit less forward about that detail. I like warmer, bassier signatures for rock and metal, and I also like what tubes can do. @M0N recommended I try the T1.2 someday for those reasons. Itās really up to your own ears if any of that means ābetter.ā
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I would typically compare the T1.2 to the DT 990s more than I would 880 due to the obvious V signature. Havent heard the original T1 though. If anything I see the T1.2 be directly compared against the HD800 since they have a very identical signature apparently
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I had both at some point. The t1.2nd is an upgrade that is hard to recommend. It is more on the musical. The vocals are fuller and warmer. Are somewhat recessed from the mix by they are still placed forward in the soundstage. Bass is tight and have more rumble. The dt880 bass is more like a slap. The t1.2nd is my current favorite headphone. The sound presentation is what I like the most. Imaging is good on both but with the t1 the things are more clear, side by side both are good but the t1 takes a little edge here.
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yea and if you want that low end to really blow up you put it to a tube amp or liquid platinum lmfao.
I describe it like a fart in the wind in comparison between the two basses but thats my opinion. Pretty drastic change in the low end between those two
Donāt forget that the T1.2 easily out paces that dt 880 in terms of soundstage especially on width due to its curved drivers.
Great headphone but man is it a hard recommend due to that signature and presentation it has.
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I can see it now ill buy the t1.2 and have to keep them both lol they obviously have 2 different objectives
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Iām going to tag @SpeleoFool here because I know he has rather recently collected the Beyer set. He said he would do a comparison of DT880 to DT1990 for me and I havenāt seen it yet. Maybe he can help here too.
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Yes, I do owe a better write-up. I have had too rapid an influx of too many shiny new things, and I feel like I am still at the āfirst impressionsā stage with at least half of my Beyers. In any case, I assume Iām summoned here for this:
Iāll just post some free-form thoughts and impressions on my various Beyers as I got themā¦
My very first were 177x GO from Drop. I got them, listened to them, thought there were decent and in line with their ask price, but they didnāt do much to excite me. They sounded clean, and they were easy to drive. Being my first Beyers, I was wary of death-by-treble, but didnāt find that to be a problem at all. I chalked that up to probably something Drop did with the tuning.
My next set were the 1990s, which I picked up because of a sale price and because of the hype around various Beyers being good for gaming. I was expecting good stage and maybe clarity like my GOs. However, I was bowled over by what these do: warm, detailed, treble-forward, both musical and analytical in that I find them engaging and also very easy to pick out individual elements in a track. Thereās a kind of magic to the spatial separation that immediately drew me in. I had my wife listen and aftyer 2-3 songs she wanted a pair. Alas, the stupid sale price of $409 evaporated before I could grab another, or I surely would have.
The 1990s were not only excellent for an ~$500 headphone, theyāre a favorite in my whole collection for their very forward, aggressive presentation. I simply donāt own another headphone I like better for loud angry rock, metal, etc. Theyāre the reason I went back for a deeper dive into Beyers. My next two purchases were the 1770 Pros and the T1.2s.
Since the focus here is the T1ās, Iāll gloss over the Pros for now, except to say that I much prefer a pad swap to the leather pads; with those theyāre bass monsters with fairly dialed-back treble, but a more even voicing than the stock velour pads. Also, the pad change process sucks, lol.
Meanwhile, Iām not sure I know the story on the T1s, but I think theyāre both supposed to be a higher tier of headphone than the 1xxx models, but also older. And thereās a 1st gen and 2nd gen, of course. Nevertheless, I was hoping for an even better 1990. But thatās not what the T1s are.
Staging is still excellent, but that in-your-face presentation that wowed me with the 1990s is pulled back. Treble energy is dialed back. If the 1990s are rocking out to loudspeakers with the volume 2 steps louder than necessary, then the T1s are like the new volume after a noise complaint. Theyāre not badāthey have just consistently left me wanting more.
The T1 presentation does sound more refined and smoother, but it lacks the bite of the 1990s. I really have nothing to complain about with the staging. With sounds pushed out a little further, thereās maybe a greater sense of space and separation with the T1s, but the 1990s still feel more holographic to me. Like, if you had a 12-piece jazz ensemble, then the T1s would do a better job of spacing out the musicians in a way that the music sounds uncluttered, but if you had a choir or orchestra the 1990s will image every voice distinctly, which I find intoxicating.
The 880s are my most recent Beyer; I went out of my way to get when I like to call the @M0N Edition: 600 ohms, grey pads, and the little metal wings on the headband. I can confirm the grey pads are softer than the black ones on my 177x Gos, etc., which supposedly affects the tuning.
My expectations for the 880s have been tempered by their age and price point, and Iād say my overall impressions of them have been good in that context. They sound like $200 heapdhones to me (or perhaps I should say, on par with something like 6xx in terms of overall value). The technicalities are not up to par with the other Beyers. Sounds are a little more soft-edged, fine details muted, etc. However, they have an excellently coherent voicing and are very easy to listen to.
One thing that has given me pause on doing a write up like this is that the 880s and T1s both somewhat underwhelmed me compared to my probably-too-high expectations, and my unexpected love for the 1990s. Theyāre also both my only two 600-ohm cans. I can drive them loud enough with my 887, RNHP or even the Atom, and they donāt sound like theyāre necessarily distorted or struggling, but Iām concerned about that āsoftnessā to the sound. I have a gut feeling that a more powerful amp may tighten that up and really make these cans sing, but I donāt have anything beefier to try yet. I do have a Violectric V280 on order (currently indefinitely delayed) from Drop, and that should deliver stupid amounts of power at 600 ohms (something like 1.5W).
I havenāt wanted to badmouth either the 880 or T1s without giving them a chance with a better amp. I mean, theyāre still both good cans that I wouldnāt tell anyone to avoid, but neither one has done much to stand out vs other headphones in my collection. For now all I can say is that pairing these with a higher grade of amp to bring out their best remains an untested theory for me, and until I get a chance to try that out I canāt be sure whether Iām doing these cans an injustice or whether their tunings are just less to my taste than, say, Focal Clears.
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Awesome! Thanks for writing that. I look forward to more 880 and T1 thoughts on the new amp.
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T1.2 + liquid platinum balanced and if you want it to really open up the sound like crazy while keeping that tightness pair it to the bifrost 2
Outside of that man, gotta tell you your description between the 1990, T1, and 880 is practically spot on to what I get from them. Though I will most definitely confirm that a better amp and dac for those T1 will drastically alter that sound on them they have a definite progression in their sound based on what they are hooked to.
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@SpeleoFool OK. That was a lot to take in. Took a reading or three but I think I got your point. Iām interested in the 1990s as well. Basically I am interested in Beyers in general. This is an excellant write up and honestly made me even more indecisive on what model I want. LOL Thatās my problem however and I think I know how to solve it. Iām also thinking about what ever pair of Beyer 600ohm I get on paring it with a Lake People G111 and a DAC I can figure out later. Would you pair any of the Beyers above 300ohm with a tube amp? I feel like below that your asking for garbage sound.
Also thanks so much to @WaveTheory for tagging in @SpeleoFool. Man was this ever a great write up. My decision is basically between 1990s, 880s, or T1 Gen 2. I can figure that out I think.
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Beyer dt 880 and T1 to my knowledge do best on tubes. 1990 on tubes? yeah no not the best honestly lol sounds better on a solid state if you ask me same thing for the dt 990 and 770 in my opinion
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This was my hunch honestly. Makes sense.
Yeah, not the biggest fan of the 880s honestly but they have their placeā¦ They are the only beyer I can definitely call more Mid-centric as the vocals and mids sound gorgeous alongside that raised treble it just definitely doesnāt have a very large bass presence to it. I picked up a new dt 880 600 ohm but in black this time around paired it to my liquid platinum which I didnāt have at the time. It definitely helped out the low end as well as the mids in some cases so I will definitely say tubes would be a fantastic pairing for the 880s especially if you want more low end and body to the sound. As for the T1.2 I think itās just remarkably interchangeableā¦ cheaper amps like a liquid spark of course will drive it but it doesnāt give it anywhere near the justice it deserves and is practically a different headphone with a higher tier setup
Tubes on the 990 or 770 just tends to make the headphones a bit off and muddies up the low end or in the case of the 990 it made the bass bleed quite a bit into the mids. Not the best pairing
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