cmk

Thanks guys. I was curious about the price and I think Wilson mentioned below $300, can't remember exactly, but it should be cheaper than both the DT880 and DT990. Wait till I write one on the MS Pros...I'm saving the best for later.

About closed cans My people buy headphones simply because they want to listen to music/watch a program at nite without disturbing the family members who maybe sleeping. Here is where isolation is of primarily importance, both of external noises intruding, and of your music escaping. What's on offer The new DT770 comes in the handsome leather case with the 3m straight cord and 1/4" 1/8" adaptor standard, quite an improvement over the previous and competitor's offerings. No need to look for that box to contain this work of art. BTW, the leather case is standard with the DT880 and DT990 as well. Methodology Listening was performed through my main rig through the Diva. Then compared with the DT990 (another bass can!) and the AT W100 (my other low impedence, closed can). This gets interesting the more I think about it. Since this model is the 32ohm version, I thought it would be good to listen to it in a portable setup, driven by the PA2V2. On to the music Zuill Bailey - Debut recording Track #6,7 DT770 - very nice full bodied cello sound, no overhang in the bass, though there is some bass reverb. Small details are clearly audible, this can retrieves details very easily, and this is enhanced by the fact that as a closed can, most extraneous noises are blocked off, making you focus on the performance. Micro dynamics is also well presented. DT990 - gives more focus to the upper registers of the cello, as he draws the bow across the strings, there is more presence. Bass goes as low, and does not have a mid-bass hump in the 80-100hz region which the DT770 has. W100 - who turned up the vol? Appears to be louder even at the same vol setting as the DT770. Also has more focus on the upper registers of the cello, though with less detail of the DT990. Does not extend as low as both the Beyers, bass is there, but not as pronounced. DT770 isolates better. Linda Ronstadt - For sentimental reasons Track #1,2 DT770 - Wow! very intimate vocals, Linda's voice just seduces. Good centre image with a wide soundstage from the orchestra support. Full range sound at low levels and the instruments are reproduced with good body. Slight echo/reverb intrusive during solo vocal part - like she is singing in a small "live" hall. W100 - More intimate as there is more focus on the female vocal. Very smooth orchestra support. It presents the music and the main melody with more prominence, which makes you focus on the music making rather than the details. DT990 - This has a slightly more laid back relaxed sound, nothing is "forced" upon you. Details are all there, has better focus than both DT770 and W100. The highs have a very pristine quality, giving better detail retrieval. This is really good. Leaks sounds both ways. Take Dake - Asian Roots Track #7 DT990 - started with this one instead. Strong bass lines of the kodo drums are reproduced with lots of punch, though this does not blur out the other instruments, flute and percussion are clearly separated from the mix. Does it swing? Heck yes! W100 - has a lively, foot-tapping presentation, focus is on the flute (mids), with all the other instruments clearly separated. Less bass reverb than DT990. Makes you want to focus on the music. Bigger swing factor! Has a slight echo/reverb in the treble. DT770 - very quite background(excellent isolation), clean and tight bass lines with good treble detail. Separation is also very good. Soundstage does not appear to be as wide as both DT990 and W100. Bass is tighter and with more punch than the DT990. Has less swing factor than both cans. In the portable context DT770 - the PA2V2 was able to drive it quite comfortably with the vol control about 70%. Bass was somewhat lose, though not unbearably so. Background quiet is very good with battery power supply. This will sound slower than a Grado/Alessandro, as it gives more weight to the bass. Maybe a bit unfair since I'm comparing it with the MS Pro, nevertheless, it is not embarassed when compared to such high end cans. Summary To put things into perspective, both the DT990 and the W100(now discontinued) cost more than the DT770, so comparing them like this was not going to be a fair fight. However, the DT770 does not disappoint, it makes music and sounds enjoyable with most genres. It covers all frequency ranges, with a slight emphasis on the mid bass, which creates a strong punch. Its forte is its ability to isolate, so if you don't want to be disturbed, or to disturb others, this is the can for you.

TT, suggest you raise the vol on the source to midway, and have the PA2V2 running around mid way too, this should be fine. For the Grado SR80, try repositioning the headphone on your head. Sometimes due to the slight misalinement of the driver, one side can appear louder than the other. I found this with the MS Pro, and now this problem is solved for me.

Re: rechargeable AA/AAA batteries, the Sanyo ones are the best. They retain the charge the longest. GP batteries are okay. Sony's didn't last long. All this in relation to digicam useage which is more demanding. For the PA2V2, I've yet to run it down to zero charge. I charge it intermittently. So far, it has never shown any signs of a weak charge. And this is even after turning up the vol quite a bit, IMO very ideal for a portable amp. TT, you can try lowering the output from the source, so that you can use more of the PA2v2's vol pot.

Is your one sided loudness on 1 hp only or other hp as well?

Ah, headamp can have 2 meanings: 1) headphone amp 2) pre-preamp or phono amp - this term was used in the 70s when phono was popular

The outputs of your portable device is generally a very basic circuit which is not high fidelity in the true sense of the word. Hence a portable amp is needed to give your hp a proper amplified signal. Preamp= the device which goes before the power amp, serves 2 purposes of input selection(if you have multiple inputs) and amplification/attenuation (volume control). Phone amp= never heard of it Phono amp = this is like the DAC of LP playback. It basically equalises the LP according to RIAA standard, and amplifies the signal before the preamp input. Sometimes referred to the pre-preamp. Headphone amp= is just that, for headphones Portable amp = self explanatory There are many portable amps, and a good place to start is the PA2V2, up to one of those Ray Samuels amps. Of course there are the other DIY amps too, you can check out the DIY section for these.

The Cayin 300B amp is pretty good.

That is soooo cool!

Amp is needed if : 1) the cans need to be amped to sound good 2) the feed from the source sucks 3) high fidelity is desired and I can tell the difference between MP3 and the real stuff.

I think the GS1000 still has mixed reviews, though mostly positive. Just waiting for the dust to settle.

Ummm...radio station quoting a mag, now we all know how reliable those can be, and its 2nd hand info BTW. I'm not going to chase this one or lose any sleep over it, if you can find that article which quotes her making such a statement, then we can take it up in another thread, okay? Meanwhile, kindly go

Good idea, sent him a mail to see what he says.

I still have this nagging feeling that the image is slightly tilted to the right. While the music making is undeniable, its slightly off centre. Any suggestions on how to "cure" this problem? Is it the vol pot?

Well, I've not heard anything of the sort, and I don't believe everything I hear unless it comes from the horse's mouth. FYI, she has performed in Singapore, so if she hates Asians, why come here?

Thanks for the other alternatives to buy. But I think I will wait and see how much is the shipping will cost from cablepro. And after that I will compare the price difference and see where to buy from. I think Todd's shipping and service is fast and reasonable. cmk, how much is your kimber? Where can i get them? I'm still quite amazed that the PA2V2 has a place in your system. afbug, I got the Kimber from tbln, who has posted the link already. You will have to mail order it. The PA2V2 is a crazy budget outperformer. I use it with my iRiver IMP400 using CD as the source. With high-resolution cans like the MS Pros/W100, it enhances the bass and gives a bigger soundstage, more spacious sound. The stock cable is nice, but its just 2D sound and lacks refinement, practically any other cable is an upgrade. The question is to find the matching cable with your existing cans which provides the most musical enjoyment. The ideal combination should enhance your musical involvement, ie you will stop analyzing (because its all there) and just enjoy the music.

hi tbln Nice of you to drop in. BTW, I'm very happy with the silver wire mini-mini cable, ultra-fidelity when paired with the MS Pros/AT W100s. The Kimber matches very well with the DT990. Very happy with the sound.

I don't think there's a big difference in the sonic signature of both Canare Starquad and Cardas, both provide a warm presentation and should suit both your cans. If you are familar with Cardas sound, it has a certain sonic signature which is still present even with the HPI, which is a bit of a smooth warm sound focusing on the mids. I bought the Canare 2nd hand, so I'm not the right person to ask, but it should not be too ex.

Frankly getting the "right" cable can make a whole lot of difference. Don't underestimate the PA2V2, this little baby has loads of detail and gets the all important music presentation right, as in the music sounds coherent. So far the PA2V2 has responded well to cable swapping. a) Canare Starquad with F12 plugs = sound is quite nice, leaning to the warm side, good detail, fairly big soundstage. V good value. Kimber black with Switchcraft plugs = sound is good, leaning towards detail retrieval, good focus and soundstage, high dynamic impact, suitable for laid back cans. c) Custom silver wires with Japan miniplugs = still testing, liquid sounding, amazing detail, good flow and dynamics. I shouldn't say too much.

Those of you who have sensitive cans, or which are already hi-resolution, might want to consider having alternative mini-mini cables. The reason for this is as I discovered, some music can be recorded either too bright (rock, pop), or too dark (percussion/drums) or with hi-dynamic range. Since every recording is different, some cables can help to reduce the glare, harshness, percussion impact, if this is too much for your ears. I found that if it is tilted too much in one direction, I got tired and went to sleep. Also take note that some cables may sound different if the direction is changed. I'm currently trying out a few to see which suits each genre of music/recording.

In Between Dreams Jack Johnson Nice relaxing music.

sorry, double post...

As promised, I know I'm threading on difficult ground, these 2 cans from Beyer are their latest stab at the headphone King of the Hill for dynamic cans. Some history Their previous offerings of these very same ranges offered an interesting alternative to the Senn range, and possibly, due to its being less well known, were priced somewhat lower than their brethren. Nevertheless due to their intense competition, which was not helped by neighbours AKG, prices for these cans have been quite good value. Soundwise, the previous 880 suffered from a somewhat lean balance which while sounding detailed, was tiring to listen to for extended periods of time. On the other hand, the 990 suffered from an overly full and powerful bass and a less detailed midrange which ruled it out of the race for a truely high end can. Fast forward to the present Acknowledging the shortcomings of the previous models, Beyer has come up with revisions to these cans, which address all these issues, or do they? Read on... For the previous top model, the DT880, which I reviewed here, they have come up with a really world class headphone. Having obtained the golden opportunity to test out the other new top model, the DT990, I just couldn't pass this up. So here I am again at it, and this time I hope to do an A/B comparison which will determine who is the new King of the Hill. For the basic look and specs for these cans, look at the Beyer Premium line site for more details. DT990 As I owned the previous 990, I initially had my doubts about how much could they improve the sound of this can. My initial fears were realised when I listened to them straight out of the box - overwhelming bass, recessed mids, and a bright treble, how much worse could it get than that. If you've been playing with cans, you should know never to judge it before it has fully run-in. Hence I reserved judgement on them until the cans had sufficient time to develop its fully potential. I plugged them into my home digital rig, powered by the Diva amp - after changing the tubes to something I had in my stash. It is amazing how the balance of the cans can completely change the way it sounds and how it presents the music. The overwhelming bass was replaced with deep and accurate bass. The treble hash all but vanished and the mids sounded fuller and more fleshed out. The music making and what beautiful sounds it makes, is so wholesome and complete, no spectrum of the music is left out. Playing Beethoven's Kreutzer Violin Sonata, Perlman/Argerich Live, this pieces brings out the benefits of having a full range headphone. The details of the violin are shown very clearly, much like the 880, but where the 880 just hints at the piano playing in the background, the 990 presents the grand piano for what it is, a full live sized grand with the impact and power and grandeur it should possess. The impact of Argerich banging on the bass notes provides an extraordinary accompaniment to Pearlman's Strad singing the higher notes. Those of you who have played a piano before will know, the sound a full grand makes is simply wonderful, it is unmistakeable in its power, fullness, and rich tone. Revisiting Zuill Bailey's debut recording, the cello's body is fully fleshed out, perhaps a tad too well, the bass here reverberates, its as if you were sitting next to the instruement with your ear next to the strings - this is especially on the Bach Cello suites. If you like bass, this is a boon to you, I do, so well...Moving on to the sole Beethoven piece on this CD, again the impact of a full grand piano is important to the piece, in providing the impact and tempo. The 880 gives an interesting presentation as well, very enjoyable too. The higher harmonics of the piano are better served by the 880 in this instance, while the 990 gives the music better flow. I've probably heard Holly Cole's "Don't Smoke in Bed" over a hundred times before. The bass line in the first track is especially strong, and here the 990 does not over do it, the bass is kept in check. There is also a sense of space with the strings providing support. Track 10 is one of my favourites, it has pace with the double bass and piano providing the simple beat, while Holly sings "You can cry if you want to". You can hear it melody and loudness building up as she sings each line until the end. The 880 emphasizes Holly's voice, giving more focus to the song. The detail retrieval from the mids is really something to specially listen for. On the first track, unfortunately the highlight on the vocals means that the sibilance at the beginning of this song is also more obvious. Avril Lagne CD is a tough CD to reproduce due to the load of dual electric guitars and drums, but its a load of fun if its done right. As with all rock, it has to be listened at the "appropriate" volume level, or it loses its IMPACT. I've always believed that if you want to listen to rock, it has to be loud, else forgetaboutit. Here the 880 has a bit of a hot treble, the instrument separation is very good, overall still quite enjoyable. The 990 has a completed different presentation, it bass line is much more evident, while the soundstage appears to be larger, the treble is less strident as the bass takes more prominence. Summary 990 Pros = even tonal balance, bass, detail retrieval, pace, impact, bigger soundstage. Cons = treble sibilance on some music. 880 Pros = midrange detail, fleshed out mids, extraordinary detail separation. Cons = treble sibilance, bass not fully developed. The 880 gives a more up front presentation, while the 990 gives a slightly more laid back presentation. This is not a criticism of either can, just the way they present the music. I gave another listen to my old 990pro (modded), and while it shares many of the characteristics of the current 990, it just doesn't have the refinement of the new model, so it looks like I have to get the new 990.

If you want high end sound at a low budget, stretch a bit to $250 and get the AKG K501. Then save up till you have enough to get the MS Pro, and you'll be happy for another long period.

No, go straight up the Grado RS-1 or MS-Pro skip the rest hehehe Agreed, go straight for the MS Pro/RS 1.