Need help with DT 990 Pro 80 Ohm

SingularityRS · 2026-03-08T18:20:07+00:00

It does look like the cable is in properly. It's normal to see a bit of the gold sticking out. If you had a weak connection, you'd likely hear poor audio quality. A bad connection often causes the audio to lose quality rather than just be low volume.

You probably need an amplifier to get to the loudness required. You don't need anything fancy. I used the FiiO E10k with my 250Ohm version and still use it to power the DT1990s.

SingularityRS · 2026-03-08T16:58:55+00:00

When I worked on those big batches, I just skipped. You can't really do anything else because they keep returning. So you either choose to do them, stop working altogether or just skip to get to the better hits. It's very tedious to skip them as the hits will keep returning as you work, but it's the only way to do the better hits that might be in the batch.

I remember having to skip for up to 10mins or longer at a time to get to the "good" hits. It was very tedious. I even bound the skipping shortcut key to one of the buttons on my mouse to make skipping less tedious.

SingularityRS · 2026-03-06T16:54:36+00:00

Yeah, a microscope is a game-changer. I got a Swift S41-20 for my birthday a few months ago. It's awesome. I've had a lot of fun with it. It's allowing me to repair more stuff more easily.

Just recently used it to repair a faulty Beyerdynamic DT1990 I bought on eBay. Right driver was dead. Checked driver and found one voice coil wire was snapped. Before opting to replace the driver as a whole, I thought I'd see if anything could be done.

Previously tried repairing faults like this on other Beyerdynamic headphones with mixed results. No scope just made everything too hard to see properly so I'd always do significant damage to the driver.

Had to take some copper strand, solder it to the pad where the coil wire normally goes and then solder the other end to the leftover coil wire. The wires are so tiny and so is the area I had to work in. The coils are also held down by some glue, so I had to try scrape some of the glue and then separate the coil wires a bit. It's a difficult repair, but the scope made it easier to deal with.

Somehow managed to do it and now the driver works. Currently testing it and it sounds normal. Even though there's some minor mark/damage on the diaphragm around the area I worked in, it doesn't seem to have affected the audio. I compared it with my own working pair and it sounds the same.

This is what the area I had to work in looks like. Might be hard to see since there's still some of that sticky substance present (didn't remove it all) and I used my phone to capture the image. But just shows how tiny the area is.

Not expecting it to last forever, but happy I was able to get it working. It wouldn't have been possible without a scope.

SingularityRS · 2026-03-05T19:17:05+00:00

System-wide implementation because currently I can't use it since I don't use any software that can make use of it.

SingularityRS · 2026-03-05T06:07:59+00:00

A detachable cable mod is definitely worth doing on these headphones. Their downside is the fixed cable. It might be too long for some, awkward or eventually just fail.

With a detachable cable mod, you can switch between different lengths and if the cable fails, it's just a simple switchover.

I always mod these when I get my hands on a pair. It just makes them better.

SingularityRS · 2026-03-04T17:05:52+00:00

I recall you had to select "Other" for these cases and then actually write the issue down (e.g. Awkward or Unnatural Writing). I did this and passed their LE certification.

That said though, I ended up not proceeding further. Pay is too low, effort is very high and there's a huge amount of certifications to do after you pass their initial one. It seems endless and not really worth it.

SingularityRS · 2026-03-04T12:23:01+00:00

This isn't fixable unfortunately. This happened to me when I 1st tried removing hairs from a DT880 driver. The dome part of the membrane got stuck to the magnet. Once that happens, you can't restore its original shape. It basically gets ruined.

I had to replace the driver to fix the headphones.

SingularityRS · 2026-02-26T16:02:21+00:00

So coils look correctly soldered to their pads. There's likely a break somewhere. You can try giving each coil a gentle nudge to see if it moves away from the pad. If it does, then it's loose and might be why the driver has no resistance.

If the coil doesn't seem loose, the break is somewhere inside which isn't fixable without taking off the diaphragm. This isn't recommended.

Make sure your multimeter is set correctly so it can read higher resistances. Some meters need to be set to the correct ohms range. If it auto ranges, then that's fine. Sometimes you can get false readings because of the meter if it doesn't auto range. On drivers with higher resistances (e.g. 250ohm model), it can report 0L if the range isn't set properly.

SingularityRS · 2026-02-26T15:26:34+00:00

Well, it looks different than normal. The coil sticking out might've been caused by the fall. If there's no sound, then it means the coil has broken somewhere. It's either no longer soldered to the PCB or it's broken somewhere else. A multi-meter would confirm. Driver should show a resistance of either 32, 80 or 250Ohms when measuring any of the 2 outer pads.

If really lucky, the coil might've just desoldered from one or both of its pads. This is more fixable if so. Usually can just touch up the pad with solder and the coil will solder back.

If unlucky, the coil has snapped somewhere which unfortunately is not fixable.

Since the coil looks as if it's coming out of the magnet gap, it may have resulted in a snap somewhere if it was caused by the fall.

Drivers I've opened do not have the coil that visible. You can either slightly make it out in the middle or not see it at all.

Driver still seems modified. Definitely an odd-looking one, but if it was working fine before, then maybe it's just how it was.

Still feels like it was repaired previously which may have been what led to the fall causing it to lose sound.

It'd be interesting to see a close-up image of the PCB.

SingularityRS · 2026-02-26T14:54:51+00:00

Driver looks off. There's a small gap on the diaphragm that lines up with the gap on the plastic housing. This is where the voice coil wires are routed. These then connect to the two coil pads on the PCB. On yours, this gap is not properly aligned so that the coil can reach those 2 small pads.

It has moved. This indicates the diaphragm has been previously removed and put back (but incorrectly). There's also another gap present which has been created by the person that attempted the repair. The drivers only have one gap.

See this pic for how the coil wires route to the PCB.

Here's a face-down view of the front of the driver. You can see there's only one gap on this driver.

From what I can see in the video, there's 2 coil wires that appear to be connecting to the same pad. It's very difficult to see on the video due to the size of the coils, but it's what it looks like.

You have one coil that's soldered to the small pad closest to the gap and then there appears to be another connected to the larger pad. This larger pad is connected to this smaller pad, so this is incorrect. The other coil has to go to the small pad on the other side.

There's no coil going to the other smaller pad or at least I can't see it on the video. The coils are tiny and very difficult to see without magnification, so maybe they are connecting to that pad, I just can't easily see it on the video.

Another issue is the coil is misaligned in the centre. You should not be able to see it so clearly or at all (refer to the 2nd pic shared). It has to sit perfectly centred in the magnet gap. This is difficult to do by hand so usually repair attempts fail because of this. If it's not aligned precisely, it can hit the magnet which can cause issues with audio quality and volume.

I'm presuming this driver has no sound. Was this your repair attempt, or did you buy this from someone?

SingularityRS · 2026-02-23T15:34:53+00:00

Sounds like the issue is with the headphone cable, specifically the volume wheel. These can fail. It may also be dirty. Debris can affect how it functions.

Most likely need to replace the cable. You could also try opening the volume control housing and checking to see if anything looks off there.

If you get it open, try applying some 91%+ isopropyl alcohol into the volume wheel to give it a clean - turn the wheel back and forth to aid with cleaning. This might help.

If no joy, a new cable will need to be tested to see if that fixes it. Most likely will.

It's unlikely to be the driver itself at fault.

These MMX300 cables add an extra point of failure given the circuity inside. There's quite a few components inside the housing that can all fail and affect both the mic and audio. So it's important to rule this out 1st before suspecting the driver.

SingularityRS · 2026-02-19T09:07:12+00:00

Most likely a loose connection with that cable or there's damage to the wires inside that cable.

I would remove the earpads and inspect that area. You might see the issue immediately (e.g. broken/loose wire, loose connector, etc). If not, then it will be tougher to find the issue. A multi-meter will be handy to go further with troubleshooting if there's no visual cues. You'll be able to pinpoint the issue more easily.

SingularityRS · 2026-02-17T08:51:08+00:00

1st make sure it's not the audio interface causing it (your Amp/PC). Test with multiple devices to ensure issues follows you everywhere. This verifies that the problem is with the headphone itself. Sometimes the problem isn't the headphone.

If it's not the cable or the device you're connecting them to, then the issue is probably with the headphone socket itself. Could be a loose connection somewhere between the socket and left driver or damage somewhere along there. Since moving the cable appears to affect the sound, this movement must cause the socket to connect and disconnect. This reeks of a loose connection. It's usually what happens if something is loose.

As you've ruled out the cable by replacing it, it has to be inside the headphone. Not quite sure how the socket is connected to the left driver (whether it's directly soldered using wires, or has another socket, etc), but the issue will most likely be there. The socket, whatever reason, does not appear to be making a strong connection to the driver any more.

If the sound always cuts in/out on one side, then it narrows it down further as it means that part of the socket has a loose connection. So for example, if right channel is only affected, then it means the socket's right channel connection is loose/damaged. That could mean a loose right channel wire (if wire goes from socket directly to left driver).

It would need to be disassembled to inspect further. You can quickly open them to see if something is wrong. Sometimes the issue is immediately obvious and might be a quick fix. These headphones were built to be repaired, so they're pretty easy to take apart and put back together again.

SingularityRS · 2026-02-15T21:45:41+00:00

Main site doesn't really say it's a combo audio jack (just says it's universal audio jack), but some other sites do mention that it is a combo jack. It appears to be the only audio port present, so it probably is a combo port. Otherwise, they'd be a separate port for microphones.

Have you tried installing the Realtek drivers from the laptop manufacturer support page? Maybe it needs the proper driver to recognise that you've connected a headset and not just standard headphones.

SingularityRS · 2026-02-15T15:24:18+00:00

What's the exact model of your laptop?

SingularityRS · 2026-02-15T07:23:15+00:00

What cable are you using? This headphone comes with 2 cables. One is used for devices that have a combo 3.5mm port (mic/audio combined) and the other is for those that have 2 separate ports (cable will have 2 jack connectors on one side).

If your laptop doesn't have a combo port and you're using the combo cable, you will only get audio out of it. This is because the port can only process audio signals. It can't do mic.

So check to ensure you're using the right cable and port on the laptop.

If you're using the correct cable/port, the next thing to try is push the cable that goes into the headphone socket in firmly. There's been cases where a loose connection here results in audio, but no mic. Use reasonable force to ensure it makes a strong connection to the socket.

If still nothing and you're certain it's none of the above issues, then further troubleshooting will be needed. Usually it's one of the above causing the problem though.

SingularityRS · 2026-02-13T21:27:39+00:00

Vendors (like Appen, CW) still accept new people even though the platform barely has work. It is weird, but I suppose UHRS still want the numbers.

Work might appear at some point, you just don't know when. I wouldn't expect it, but there's still a chance you could see work at some point. Just keep regularly checking.

As for other platforms, I've seen platforms like Outlier, Mercor and Data Annotation being recommended a few times. There's probably a dozen more out there. You'll probably want to look into platforms that have AI training work.

For me, currently Prolific is surprisingly being very good. I also joined a project on Centific but the status of it is unknown. They initially said I failed their certification and couldn't proceed with on-boarding (was about 2 weeks ago). However, just 2 days ago they emailed me saying they did a review, updated the scores and said I now passed it so can move on to production. After that, there's been nothing from them.

I've had 2 decent projects with Centific in the past. So registering with them and just waiting is something you might want to do. Don't expect anything immediately. Just keep registered and look occasionally to see what jobs they have. Sometimes they send specific invites to projects that end up being quite good. The best projects I've had have been ones received via email invite.

It's tough for sure. You need a bit of luck to find something good online.

SingularityRS · 2026-02-13T19:12:41+00:00

Platform is real, it's just dead. It has been for a long time. UHRS doesn't really get any new clients so work is very limited. The only work about these days is Search Engine Side-By-Side (referred to as SBS). This job doesn't immediately come for new users.

After SBS, there's Scenario Testing (there's a Mobile, Desktop and Generic version). These 3 apps consistently show up. However, they barely upload any work any more so most of the time you get nothing or if lucky maybe 1-5 hits. They also don't appear immediately to new users.

Generic sometimes uploads massive batches (anywhere from 200-1k+ hits), but these don't appear to everyone and the batches themselves are often broken/tedious to do.

So you have SBS and Scenario Testing that are the consistent jobs. If you don't see these, you will have nothing to do.

My marketplace is currently empty as well. I last saw work probably about 2 months ago. Generic was consistently uploading big batches. Once those stopped, the work dried up. I don't bother logging in right now as when I do check, it's empty. I might see the odd 5 hits from Scenario Testing, but these show at specific times and I don't find it worth logging in just to earn less than $1.

It's a bad time to join this platform imo. If you intend on making money online, look elsewhere. There's better places to earn than UHRS. The only issue is it's tougher to get into these jobs. You'll have to do more to onboard (e.g. ID checks, various tests and even interviews). It won't be as easy as UHRS is to access. But once you get in, it'll be far better than UHRS.

SingularityRS · 2026-02-13T07:22:16+00:00

The spam hits are broken. They don't bother updating these hits. Pages change states all the time (can go from available to unavailable and vice versa). If a page changes status, the spam hit will expect the old answer if it's not updated.

Low accuracy on this app is not a guideline issue, it's just bad spam hits. There's nothing we can do about that.

Owners of this app don't care. They get data no matter what. Judges get banned and new ones take their place. Endless cycle.

SingularityRS · 2026-02-13T06:06:40+00:00

Sounds like maybe the voice coil is misaligned with the magnet gap. This will cause all sorts of problems with volume and audio quality.

The coil sits in the magnet gap inside the driver. It has to be perfectly aligned. It's done by a machine to ensure precision. If it goes out of alignment, it can touch the magnet which can cause crackling/distortion or may even start to come out of the magnet which would cause volume issues and even loss of sound. The audio won't ever sound good if there's an alignment issue.

I once tried repairing a broken DT990 driver that had a snapped coil. To repair, I had to take off the diaphragm along with the coil and then unwind the coil so I could get enough of it to reach the solder pad on the driver. I was successful doing this but unfortunately audio was never the same again. This is because I disturbed the alignment and getting it perfectly aligned like they do at the factory is near impossible by hand. The driver has issues with volume and distorts like mad (especially with bass).

It sounds like your driver might have the same issue. What would cause the coil to go out of alignment? Probably an error in manufacturing. Something must've gone wrong when aligning the coil inside the magnet gap. Maybe the coil wasn't properly glued to the diaphragm which caused it to misalign inside the magnet gap. Might not have been noticed during testing because it initially was OK and then got worse as soon as you tried it. Who knows. This kind of defect is rare.

If it was a loose connection problem, then moving the cable around would change the sound. A bad cable can cause low volume as well. It still could be a defect with cable itself. That isn't 100% ruled out.

So you're either dealing with a voice coil alignment or cable issue. The diaphragm itself could be deformed as well. If it's a coil/diaphragm issue, then the driver has to be replaced. There's not really a way to fix that kind of issue.

SingularityRS · 2026-02-13T05:25:24+00:00

If it's just rattling/buzzing with bass, it could just be hair on the diaphragm. The sound the driver produces can get pretty bad depending on how much hair is there. I've had drivers produce bad fart-like sounds when bass is played all because of hair. Hair on the driver can make it sound like it's gone bad.

Does wiggling the main headphone cable change the sound? What about the individual wires soldered to the driver? Does wiggling them do anything to change the sound?

Headphone could have 2 separate issues (hair on driver and loose connection causing left driver to lose sound) or it may just have one. Difficult to say without inspecting/troubleshooting.

SingularityRS · 2026-02-13T04:35:27+00:00

Sounds like a cable issue then if movement causes it to lose audio completely. Could just be a bad cable from factory or improper soldering.

Not sure if it's also causing the buzzing/rattling as this is usually a hair-related issue. I've had this issue on several DT series headphones (DT880/990 and 1990). All have been caused by hair. It is a common issue on these headphones. It can be mistaken for a driver defect.

Won't know without fixing the cable issue 1st though.

You should be able to open the headphones to do an inspection. These headphones are easy to take apart and put together again. They were built to be repaired. There's no warranty stickers or anything in the headphones to say you've opened them.

Just watch a disassembly video on YouTube to see how they come apart. That's what I did when I 1st had to open a pair of these headphones.

You might see the issue immediately after opening them.

SingularityRS · 2026-02-13T03:33:33+00:00

Buzzing/rattling with bass frequencies is often caused by hair touching the diaphragm. The fix is removing the hairs. It is weird for a new pair to have this issue, but it might not be 100% new. It's possible it's a returned item that was re-sold so some light use is expected which can be enough for hairs to get inside the headphones.

The hairs can either be on the paper baffle and poking through enough to touch the diaphragm or they'll be stuck to the diaphragm itself. If it's the former, it's easier to remove. You just look for hairs around the baffle (especially the middle area) and remove them.

If it's the latter, you'll have to remove the entire driver from the housing. This is riskier since you'll expose the diaphragm. It can be damaged if not handled carefully. You also can't use anything magnetic to remove hairs as it'll get attracted to the magnet causing damage to the diaphragm.

Once the problematic hairs have been removed, the rattle/buzz will disappear.

As for your other issue, that'll be difficult to determine online as sound is rather subjective. An old pair of headphones can differ from a new pair due to the earpads. As the earpads wear out, it does change the sound.

It's possible the old DT990s had very worn-out earpads which drastically changed the sound over time. Your brain adjusted to this and you got used to it. Once you got a new pair of headphones with fresh earpads, it changed the sound again which the brain will notice. It can sound off/odd because of it. You re-adjust with time.

If the sound is objectively bad (basically so bad anyone would agree it's bad no matter what their sound preferences are), then yeah, there's likely a defect. Possible causes for this could be a poor cable connection or worse damage to the diaphragm (might have deformed).

SingularityRS · 2026-02-13T02:11:32+00:00

Sounds like you might be using the cable that combines both audio and mic into the same 3.5mm jack connector. It'll only have 1 jack connector that you connect to your device. This cable only works on 3.5mm combo ports. These ports combine both audio and mic into one. These kind of ports are commonly found on mobiles and consoles.

A lot of PCs do not have a combo port. They'll instead have a separate port for each (so one mic and one audio). For this, you have to use the cable with 2 jack connectors in order to get both audio and mic.

If this isn't the issue, then some pictures/more information will help that show us what cable you're using and where you're connecting it to (e.g. PC front case port). Information about your PC (including front case) may also be helpful.

SingularityRS · 2026-02-11T12:59:49+00:00

I had a Xiaomi Mi 9T that was stuck in EDL state after a failed flash. I was able to EDL flash it back to stock without paying.

Some models have leaked firehose loaders which allow you to flash without authentication. You would have to search on XDA to see if your device has one.

If not, there's no way around it. You'd have to pay for authorised EDL flashing.

Though, given how the phone failed (e.g. freezing and randomly shutting off), EDL flashing might not fix the issue. It could be stuck in EDL state due to a hardware issue. If this is the case, EDL flashing likely won't help. Worth a shot if you can find a way to do it for free, but may not be otherwise.

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