Ear sizzling is the best way I can describe the 1990s. The 770s had a bit of sibilance too but acceptable for me. When I owned the 1990s(about a year and a couple months ago) I wasnt very knowledgeable about EQ yet. If I owned them today, I'd definitely give it a shot because they were great otherwise. They were very heavy too which I didn't think I'd ever care about but was pretty noticable. I just feel like I get 80% of the sound with the 770s and have found signatures I like better at this point.