Actually, I was always a friend AKG. Pre-listening, I have always appreciated the neutral little intrusive nature of these headphones. Nevertheless, my partner groused about the bass poor sound of K-701. FIG. "That's part as" have always maintained hitherto the 3.5mm plug from K-701 is canceled. Now it was time for something new! What is the DT 990 brings here on bass and dynamics really an entirely different league. Whoever hears long with bookshelf speakers will probably not perceive so fast that the K-701 the bass simply times omits prophylactically. Even in the height of the DT 990 is clear it but also in doubt intrusive. In direct comparison of the K-701 sounds center-weighted and almost a bit tinny for DT 990. In older pop music from the 60s / 70s, the two headphones do little. Since this already rather center-weighted music sounds the DT 990 here not too spicy and the K-701 not to bassarm. For digitally produced music or good live recordings of the DT 990 is undergoing deep clean bass such fun that it is difficult for the objective appearance to were. With ambient music with spheres like character (Harold Budd, Robert Rich, etc) of the K-701 is even completely unsuitable. The downside of the DT 990 is that all the fun also comes at a price. Music can be exhausting over time ... who hears a lot about the K-701 headphones will probably perceive as something pleasant. However, one must also not always listening. From the comfort I give the K-701 also has a slight advantage.
By the way: The qualitative leap from the headphone output of the CD player to the headphone output of the amplifier (Onkyo A-9755) falls at DT 990 from a lot bigger and make curious to a headphone amplifier!