Looking for over the ear headphones to replace my dt1990 pro

[Alalla]

Hello I have been using the Beyerdynamic dt1990 pro. I do enjoy using them but i would like something that can handle bit more bass. The dt1990 seem to distort quite a bit with loud bass.
So far i have tested the Beyerdynamic 700s, Beyerdynamic 770 limited edition , Denon 5200, Denon 7200, Aune 5000.
Out of all of these i enjoyed the Denon 7200 the most. I would like to try some more options before i make my pick. I hope some of you could give me some recommendations. My budget is around 500 Eur.

I also have my sights on:

Shure SRH1540, HarmonicDyne Athena, HarmonicDyne zeus, Fostex TH900, HiFiMAN Sundara, DENON 2000.​

I have no experience with any of these, and i cant exactly order and return them if i order some of these from ebay.

 

[Alalla]

The Aune5000 sounded good. But it was a little too open for me.

 

[Alalla]

this is how i EQ my headphones

I enjoyed the denon 7200 without any EQ though. i listen mostly to Metal, DnB, Soundtracks. Occasionally 80s Pop

 

[goblino]

this is how i EQ my headphones

I enjoyed the denon 7200 without any EQ though. i listen mostly to Metal, DnB, Sndtracks. Occasionally 80s P

I'm in the same boat as you, I listen to Dnb and I can't seem to get the right amount of bass from open-back headphones...

 

[Curupira]

From your EQ I gather that you want bassier and more laid back headphones, and since the Aunes were too open for you, I'm inclined to not recommend open ear sets.

A few options come to mind: the cheapest one is the fiio FT1, a set I own myself. It's the best closed ear I've owned and reminds me of iems in coherency and isolation. In close tandem with is the AKGs K361 and K371.

Other two sets are the E-mu Teaks and the Drop Fostex TX00, which are comparable to the FiiOs but have a bit more luxurious finish. Personally I don't thinks they win over the fiios in value or comfort though, I've owned the fostex and IMO the fiios are much more comfortable and easy to fit in and get a good seal.

There are also the denons you mentioned, but I personally think they are too overpriced in today's market. The same goes for the Fostex th-900, which has the bass you want but is not laid back in the pinna and treble, actually having huge peaks there.

Finally, more difficult to get in Europe are the DCA Aeon Closed X. Only caveat, aside from availability, is that some people complain that they don't feel as "tactile" as closed ear dynamics. Take that with a grain of salt though.

 

[Alalla]

thank you for the reply. I will try out the Fiio FT1. Why do you think the denons are overpriced? Is it the driver that's behind ? Or are they just on par witht eh Fiio FT1?

 

[Alalla]

I cant seem to find the FT1 in any local stores or amazon. Are they no longer made?

 

[sharock]

I cant seem to find the FT1 in any local stores or amazon. Are they no longer made?

They are quite new so not in stock at many places yet, at least here in the UK. I have a pair on order from AliExpress.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007797585314.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.5.76221802CZbZcN

 

[goblino]

I cant seem to find the FT1 in any local stores or amazon. Are they no longer made?

They are quite new, but are pretty much sold out right now... :/

 

[Alalla]

They are quite new so not in stock at many places yet, at least here in the UK. I have a pair on order from AliExpress.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007797585314.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.5.76221802CZbZcN

How is the warranty and return on aliexpress?

 

[sharock]

How is the warranty and return on aliexpress?

Honestly, I don't know. This is probably the most expensive thing I've ordered from there. Typically, I order cheap tat that I wouldn't care about returning if low quality.

 

[goblino]

From your EQ I gather that you want bassier and more laid back headphones, and since the Aunes were too open for you, I'm inclined to not recommend open ear sets.

A few options come to mind: the cheapest one is the fiio FT1, a set I own myself. It's the best closed ear I've owned and reminds me of iems in coherency and isolation. In close tandem with is the AKGs K361 and K371.

Other two sets are the E-mu Teaks and the Drop Fostex TX00, which are comparable to the FiiOs but have a bit more luxurious finish. Personally I don't thinks they win over the fiios in value or comfort though, I've owned the fostex and IMO the fiios are much more comfortable and easy to fit in and get a good seal.

There are also the denons you mentioned, but I personally think they are too overpriced in today's market. The same goes for the Fostex th-900, which has the bass you want but is not laid back in the pinna and treble, actually having huge peaks there.

Finally, more difficult to get in Europe are the DCA Aeon Closed X. Only caveat, aside from availability, is that some people complain that they don't feel as "tactile" as closed ear dynamics. Take that with a grain of salt though.

View attachment 397799

aren't there any open-back headphones with the same amount of bass as closed-backed ones?

 

[Alalla]

There are people selling the drivers from the denon 7200 on ebay. I was think about buying that and putting it inside my 1990. The dt1990 are just right when it comes to being open. I have tried the denons in the store. So i dont know how much of it is the sealing and how much is the work of the drivers. I can get the Dt1990 sound very good but when listening to soundtracks that vary in volume the dt1990 betray me with its bass distortion. Since part of the soundtrack sounds very good , then it gets louder and the dt1990s start to panic and distort. So i have to have my hand always on the volume knob.

 

[Dazerdoreal]

There are people selling the drivers from the denon 7200 on ebay. I was think about buying that and putting it inside my 1990. The dt1990 are just right when it comes to being open. I have tried the denons in the store.

This will most likely not work the way you intend it. The sound you get on the 7200 does not only come from the drivers, but from the combination of the whole construction (pads, ear cups,..).

 

[Curupira]

There are people selling the drivers from the denon 7200 on ebay. I was think about buying that and putting it inside my 1990. The dt1990 are just right when it comes to being open. I have tried the denons in the store. So i dont know how much of it is the sealing and how much is the work of the drivers. I can get the Dt1990 sound very good but when listening to soundtracks that vary in volume the dt1990 betray me with its bass distortion. Since part of the soundtrack sounds very good , then it gets louder and the dt1990s start to panic and distort. So i have to have my hand always on the volume knob,

That's a big nono unfortunately. As said above, the tuning relies on the whole package. Just putting the driver in another enclosure won't give you the Denons sound, and will probably result in an awful tuning overall.

I think the denons are overpriced because the solutions I mentioned above exist, the FT1 comes close to the E-MU and Fostexes (I actually think they're better than the Fostexes because of tuning coherency), and those already rival the Denons being a bit cheaper.

Regarding Aliexpress, I buy from them every other month and never had major problems, when the package didn't get delivered or got it stolen (happened one time), they refunded me without additional cost. And when buying from there, just make sure you're buying from the fiio store directly. Depending on the ad, they even allow from free returns.

 

[Curupira]

aren't there any open-back headphones with the same amount of bass as closed-backed ones?

There are, but it's not a sought after tuning. People who are into the "hifi" audiophile sound often dislike the Harman bassshelf. And given that it's much harder to achieve with a open design, the manufacturers tend to default to a "flat" extension.

You can always EQ the shelf onto them though, and in most scenarios that wouldn't imply in much distortion.

A cheap open end with a bass shelf hat comes to my mind is the FiiO FT3. It has well behaved pinna with a broad bump on bass. And if the bloat bothers you, it's just one EQ filter away from the Harman knee shelf.

 

[jooe]

If your 1990´s distorts maybe your amp´s to weak? My 1990´s distorted with both the Topping L30 and ifi Zen Can, no problem with Schiit Asgaard 3.

 

[Alalla]

If your 1990´s distorts maybe your amp´s to weak? My 1990´s distorted with both the Topping L30 and ifi Zen Can, no problem with Schiit Asgaard 3.

I am currently using the L30ii amp