[Freddyexpress]

Hey guys,

I got myself some new Beyerdynamic DT1990pro cans with the Schiit Modi 2 Uber + Magni 3 combo for Christmas.

A friend of mine just tried them out and, while doing so, cranked the Magni 3 amp up to almost maximum power, while it was at high gain setting, for maybe 4 seconds (until the music got louder again).

Somehow his ears didn't break while doing so?!

Well now I'm kinda afraid that my dt1990s got overdriven by doing so. The maximum input power of those seems to be at just 200mW and the maximum power output of the Magni 3 is 430mW RMS per channel at 300 ohms.... and my cans have an impedance of just 250 ohms, so the power was probably even higher.

Should I worry about this? Of course I might not hear an immediate difference, but maybe it got damaged long term wise? Or maybe there is a difference now which is barely noticeable (to me), but still there?

Just want to make sure if there is a chance that anything could have changed by this accident.


I would be really thankful, if someone could help me out and clarify those things. Drives me crazy as I am still a student and spent all my savings for those cans... :/

 

[megabigeye]

A friend did something similar to my PM-3... Turned an amp capable of nearly 1W all the way to max. I don't know how her eardrums didn't implode. Lesson no. 1: don't let non-audiophile friends touch your equipment.

My guess is that if you're not hearing anything wrong with them then the headphones are fine. Just because the amp is capable of putting out 430mW doesn't mean that it was. Also, the DT 1990 has a nominal handling capacity of 200mW, which, I believe, is a way of saying an approximate limit over a sustained period. Peak power handling is likely much higher. For instance my PM-3's sustained limit is 500mW, but it's peak input handling is 2W.

Anyway, this is just a guess; don't take my input as a certainty.
If you can post there, you should try asking in the official DT 1990 thread. There are some very knowledgable people there.
If you can't post there, let me know and I'll post a link to your thread.

 

[Freddyexpress]

A friend did something similar to my PM-3... Turned an amp capable of nearly 1W all the way to max. I don't know how her eardrums didn't implode. Lesson no. 1: don't let non-audiophile friends touch your equipment.

My guess is that if you're not hearing anything wrong with them then the headphones are fine. Just because the amp is capable of putting out 430mW doesn't mean that it was. Also, the DT 1990 has a nominal handling capacity of 200mW, which, I believe, is a way of saying an approximate limit over a sustained period. Peak power handling is likely much higher. For instance my PM-3's sustained limit is 500mW, but it's peak input handling is 2W.

Anyway, this is just a guess; don't take my input as a certainty.
If you can post there, you should try asking in the official DT 1990 thread. There are some very knowledgable people there.
If you can't post there, let me know and I'll post a link to your thread.

Thank you! Yeah he says that it probably didn't sound really loud while he turned it up to ~90%.

I just posted a reply into the DT1990 Thread, waiting to be approved by a moderator. thanks for the tip!

 

[Slaphead]

If they sound OK then the chances are 99.999999% that no damage was done. As you say your "friend" only cranked the volume up when the music was quiet, and then it was for only 4 seconds until it got loud. Trust me, the Beyerdynamic Pro series are designed for the studio, and they'll get a lot more abuse there than you'll give them with that Modi/Magni.

 

[castleofargh]

if there is music and it doesn't sound like music is played through a Kazoo, then we can rule out melted coil and blown up membrane. so I'll be tempted to agree with the previous posts and tell you not to worry.
also while you are right to be concerned by the provided specs, remember that we're talking about music. the specs are provided for a tone at fixed amplitude but the overall level of music is going to be much lower. depending on the track, only a few spikes are at full scale. if the signal was even just recorded at -3dB instead of being stuck to clipping levels non stop, you already had the power cut in half.
so, punch your friend(not on the ears, not at the back of the head) so that he never does something that foolish and potentially dangerous for himself again, and enjoy your music.

 

[Tsukuyomi]

Should be fine, as a test you could run some sound test files in different bit formats from RME. (its a free download on their site, http://www.rme-audio.de/en/downloads/driver/others.php)
its called "bit test wav files". check to see if they sound alright with each file played at your usual volume levels.

PS: keep in mind they sound like little spark noises so dont be alarmed lol. its just to see if the drivers are ok, if you notice something funny post a reply and we'll try to work it out. i have a pair of DT1990 Pros myself.

 

[Slaphead]

Should be fine, as a test you could run some sound test files in different bit formats from RME. (its a free download on their site, http://www.rme-audio.de/en/downloads/driver/others.php)
its called "bit test wav files". check to see if they sound alright with each file played at your usual volume levels.

PS: keep in mind they sound like little spark noises so dont be alarmed lol. its just to see if the drivers are ok, if you notice something funny post a reply and we'll try to work it out. i have a pair of DT1990 Pros myself.

Those audio files are only to check if your digital source is actually sending the data bit perfect to the ADI-2. They’re not really going to help in assessing potential transducer issues.

 

[Tsukuyomi]

Those audio files are only to check if your digital source is actually sending the data bit perfect to the ADI-2. They’re not really going to help in assessing potential transducer issues.

ah i was using them to see if the sound at that bitrate worked on my setup lol. >.<

 

[surfgeorge]

In all likelyhood your headphones will be ok, definitely if you friend could stand the volume at that setting.

The power rating of an amp is not a problem, it just says how much power the amp can deliver if the phones demand it. Relax, if your friends ears are ok your headphones are too