They are polar opposites. Dt1990 if you want to be murdered by excess treble
No offence, but I think it is quite ridiculous and misleading to say the gr1 performs at over 90 percent of the Elex. Are you driving the Elex properly?
Iâve used DT 1990 with both included pads and Dekoni Fenestrated Sheepskin pads. To my ear treble was excessive only with the analytical pads(balanced pads are mounted by default on the headphones, analytical ones are in the box). But the 1990s definitely can be too much for treble sensitive people.
Thats a hell of a stretch⊠that statement might be a bit overkill imo though I havenât tried this headphone yet⊠the elex in particular is extremely close to the performance of the Focal Clears which both are extremely good headphonesâŠ
I think this really depends on the listener though⊠I think the treble is fine but it does have some peaks that can be annoying depending on genre or song.
Rather curious about this headphone⊠perhaps I should add this to the list of auditions soon though I have extreme high doubts it will out pace a 1990 let alone the elex in terms of clarity and level of detail
late response but I would say the x2hr is the bassier headphone of the two as technically the mid to upper bass is raised on the x2hr and quite flabby at that bleeding into the mids⊠meanwhile 1990 depending on the pads will depend on its bass response but its naturally a more neutral line⊠so its sub / lower bass will be more in the mix but thats about it(B pads do add significant bass tones)⊠If you pad swap it to a balanced pad yes the 1990 is a bit bassier and it naturally has a tighter slam to it⊠it becomes extremely bassy through a pad swap to a suede or other pad known for bass increases
1990 with the two pads it comes with⊠analytical being the more neutral of the two
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Found a graph on the net. Donât know if itâs accurate. I sure hope the L/R differences arenât common.
Would not be unheard of for the guy taking measurements to not know that he fâed upâŠ
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yes, but those are just tiers of what Iâd call mid-fi. 
that is a strange fr.
Then where is hi-fi supposed to start? $4k? A level allot of people will only be able to look at and never really get to have?
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itâs all hi-fiâŠbut totl starts after $1000. 
Meh, I hate the terms TOTL and Summit-Fi, they get thrown around too much. They are almost always tied to a certain amount of $
A price doesnât dictate a productâs sound performance, period. There is no certain price point at which product magically gain ultimate performance. Itâs all preference.
For example, for me the iBasso SR2 is both Summit-Fi and TOTL, despite itâs $550 MSRP.
Sure, thereâs a lot of fancy words, materials, technology, and a whole lot of marketing present the higher up you go in terms of $, but that doesnât mean that it will or does sound better.
I guess there are some unwritten rules and expectations, but when you have more exceptions like the SR2, you question whether those unwritten rules even have their place.
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TOTL / Summit-Fi are interchangeable in my books. 
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these terms are for fancy pants 
@Marzipan
but seriously, you are both right. its all subjective. one mans trash, is another mans treasure. i have a cheap as shit pair of bluetooth speakers i got on sale at kohlâs i think. the pair(left links to right) was less then 20$. everyone who has heard them, thinks they sound amazing. they are trash. but they are better trash then the normal jbl,sony ect big box brand portable speakers.
audio playback is really objective. and for the masses, 100$ or less is summit fi, totl, w/e clever term you wanna throw on or not. for me, i donât worry about price, just enjoyment. my desktop speakers, i cant ever see me replacing at this point, and they cost about 300$ for the pair. i have tried much more expensive ones, and they donât do it for me. i never jam at my desk as i donât typically jam ever, let alone 2 feet away from my speakers. they offer me the most balanced and detailed sound i have found, for the low listening levels i typically listen at. and this is why its all subjective to the person and circumstance. would i call them end all be all for a room? not even close. will they fill a large room? not remotely. but they fit my needs perfectly.
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I think people use Summit-Fi more often for gears that cost >10k.
TOTL is used for both the over a grand stuff and over 10 grand stuff.
I just listen to my ears, I let them judge if something is TOTL or not. I donât look at the price tag. But I probs wouldnât dare to not call an expensive product TOTL xd
mcintosh made headphones. they are expensive as hell. and shit. price does not equal quality.
edit: i can throw fancy, expensive materials in something. but if i dont know how to design that something, its going to be crap still.
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I may be wrong, but doesnât Top of the Line just mean the highest end product a company offers?
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Thatâs how I also use the term.
more common, is top of the league.
interesting. both would still be interchangeable if referring to a particular brands pinnacle model / product, but I can see how TOTL would better nuance / fit with a particular product vs SFi.
youâve gotta love the nitty gritty, eh? LoL!!!
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Thatâs basically the whole hobby hahahaah
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