DT 990 Pro sound is very muffled

[Lokratus]

Hello everyone! I decided to replace my old DT 990 Pro because they were starting to break and I wanted to keep the same ones, so I ordered them again.

 

After them arriving today and using them for a bit, I've noticed that the sound sounds quite different from my old pair. It's almost like the sound is coming from far away, very quiet and almost muffled. It's hard to describe, but the sound isn't as clear anymore as it was before. Is this a headset issue or could there be something else related?

[NinJake]

How many OHMs were the first pair and how many OHMs is the new pair?

[saintlouisbagels]

Could be a bad pair - but you should probably tell us if you ordered the same Ohm model.

I suppose that question is irrelevant if you're using a headphone amplifier.

[Lokratus]

4 minutes ago, NinJake said:

How many OHMs were the first pair and how many OHMs is the new pair?

They are both 250 OHMs.

1 minute ago, saintlouisbagels said:

Could be a bad pair - but you should probably tell us if you ordered the same Ohm model.

I suppose that question is irrelevant if you're using a headphone amplifier.

Yes, I ordered the same 250 OHM model as before. The model is the same

[NinJake]

If you just purchased them, RMA. Not worth tinkering with a new item if it's defective unless you want to risk voiding the warranty.

[HenrySalayne]

1 hour ago, Lokratus said:

Hello everyone! I decided to replace my old DT 990 Pro because they were starting to break and I wanted to keep the same ones, so I ordered them again.

Beyerdynamic has replacement parts for everything and their headphones are easy to take apart.

[johnt]

What are you listening to and where is it coming from (source)?

[Lokratus]

10 hours ago, HenrySalayne said:

Beyerdynamic has replacement parts for everything and their headphones are easy to take apart.

Do they also offer replacement parts for these? Because this is a part that is currently falling apart and I can barely change the sliders of the height

9 hours ago, johnt said:

What are you listening to and where is it coming from (source)?

I was doing a lot of testing between games such as FPS (Valorant, Overwatch), Music from Spotify, Videos on Youtube. I'm using a normal Computer with these, and those sounds were always so muffled and dull, almost like I was in a hallway. I even checked the Realtek Sound manager but nothing was changed, but the difference between my 2 models were day and night.

[Tigerleon]

46 minutes ago, Lokratus said:

I even checked the Realtek Sound manager but nothing was changed, but the difference between my 2 models were day and night.

There we have the problem. You're not powering these properly. No but all headphones can't sound exactly the same. And you probably got one that is defect.

[Lokratus]

1 hour ago, Tigerleon said:

There we have the problem. You're not powering these properly. No but all headphones can't sound exactly the same. And you probably got one that is defect.

Well sure not all headphones are gonna sound the same, but this one is quite literally the same model, and I'm powering it the same way aswell. I don't see a reason for it sounding different if nothing has changed

[HenrySalayne]

2 hours ago, Lokratus said:

Do they also offer replacement parts for these? Because this is a part that is currently falling apart and I can barely change the sliders of the height

I was doing a lot of testing between games such as FPS (Valorant, Overwatch), Music from Spotify, Videos on Youtube. I'm using a normal Computer with these, and those sounds were always so muffled and dull, almost like I was in a hallway. I even checked the Realtek Sound manager but nothing was changed, but the difference between my 2 models were day and night.

https://global.beyerdynamic.com/slider-repair-kit-1000.html

https://www.beyerdynamic.de/schieber-reparatur-set-schwarz.html

 

You can order it directly from the German store or you need to contact Beyerdynamic for international support.

[Tigerleon]

4 hours ago, Lokratus said:

Well sure not all headphones are gonna sound the same, but this one is quite literally the same model, and I'm powering it the same way aswell

Let me rephrase. All headphones, even all models sound different. Nothing is exactly the same. But they should sound 95-99% the same as each other. I guess your unit is defective. Also when it comes to how you are powering them is a huge difference when using onboard motherboard audio vs a separate DAC/amp or even using an amp connected to your mobo. The difference was night and day when I bought a soundcard for my 990 pros

[Cocococo]

Given Beyerdynamics latest reports on quality control, and how the 990's sound a defective pair is very likely. Power isn't a huge factor (unless you're running off some early 2000's soundcard with 16 bit music files) if you really want to test this theory find a song you know really well, find the highest quality (most kbps file) copy and play through a seperate DAC, USBC Apple dongle is about as good as cheap DAC's get. (better off returning and buying a better headphone imo) 

[HenrySalayne]

1 hour ago, Cocococo said:

Given Beyerdynamics latest reports on quality control, and how the 990's sound a defective pair is very likely.

It actually isn't, if it's not the cable. The chance of both drivers being defective in the very same manner is quite unlikely. It most likely has more to do with ageing and familiarization. If you listen to headphones for extended periods of time, it leaves an imprint which is your base line - independent of it actually sounding good. Also louder is always considered better. 9/10 people would choose louder headphones over the best headphones in the world.

 

[Heats with Nvidia]

One reason for this might be a fault of the ground connection, but then it would sound extrmely different.

To check this, you can try a stereo test file. If its mono, the wiring has a problem.

 

Like Henry said, its very unlikely that both drivers are defective in the same way.

[atarione]

Slider repair kit from beyer $30~ on amazon.   

 

https://www.amazon.com/Slider-Repair-Side-beyerdymanic-Headphones/dp/B01CQWRHIM

 

Some may tell you "blah blah blah" burn in?    my questions would be how old are the other older DT990s and how old are the ear pads on it... as these beyer headphones seem to be very affected by ear pad choice and condition......       I am now curious to hear a brand new set of DT770 Pro 80s to compare with my decade+ old pair?   If you like the old pair the sliders are a easy fix ...sort of annoying to pay $30 for a few pieces of plastic and hex bolts.. but meh..

 

Whatever.. check return policy and then decide if to try to mess with trying to break them in a bit or not....    could just be a dud pair?   I suppose you could experiment swapping the pads from the old pair onto the new set and see if it impacts the sound?

 

I personally strongly suspect it is the ear pads being new and thus holding the drivers out further from your ears that is the source of the sound discrepancy??