beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO Over-Ear Studio Headphones in black. Open construction, wired
2beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO Over-Ear Studio Headphones in black. Open construction, wired
- Open over-ear headphones, ideal for professional mixing, mastering and editing
- Perfect for studio applications thanks to their transparent, spacious, strong bass and treble sound
- The soft, circumaural and replaceable velour ear pads ensure high wearing comfort
- Hard-wearing, durable and robust workmanship – Made in Germany
- Practical single-sided cable (3.0m coiled cable)
The DT 990 PRO (250 ohms) is an open dynamic headphone that is ideal for professional use in studios.
List Price: $ 179.00
Price: $ 146.00
SSD
Beyerdynamic DT-990-Pro: Nearly Reference,
This was, most certainly, not an impulse buy on my part but rather the result of a very long search for a good all-around open-back headphone, light and comfortable, with near reference sound quality (yet not overly analytical) and a reasonable price. Was that too much to ask for? Apparently not, since that search led me here: to the Beyerdynamic DT990-Pro-250. Now, for those who are curious (as I was) about that extra “AMS” label as seen here on this Amazon listing: the AMS stands for “American Music and Sound” – this is the US pro-audio distributor of Beyerdynamic. So the AMS is just an unnecessary marketing label – there is just one type of DT990-Pro, which is this one, regardless whether you buy it in North-America, Europe, Asia, etc.
That aside, let me start off with the build quality: The DT990-Pro is made entirely of ABS plastic, save for the headband and the forks holding the cans, which are made of metal (aluminum, I’d say, from the weight of it). The head-band is covered with a soft black plastic material held in place by four small clasp-buttons. The DT990-Pro is surprisingly light and extremely comfortable (in this it rivals the other “most-comfortable” headphones I have here, the Sennheiser HD-598). Overall I’d rate the build quality as top-notch, save for the somewhat under-designed cable strain relief (located on the left can). The cable is about 3m log, it is coiled and it ends with a 1/8in jack. A screw-on 1/4in jack is also provided. The strain-relief of the cable at the can attachment point seems (to me) a little too small because the coiled cable is very heavy and with use (given sufficient time) I can see it failing and leading to cable/connectivity issues. Also (this is just a minor personal quibble) the silver velour pads may seem dirty depending on how the light hits them (but again, no big deal, especially since black-velour or leather pads for it are available on Amazon or elsewhere).
On to sound quality: Computer/audio gear used during my listening tests:
MacBook-Pro w/ Mac OS X 10.6.8
XMOS USB 2.0 Audio Reference Design Asynchronous DAC (44.1-192kHz/24bit),
HiFiMeDIY Sabre USB DAC (32-96kHz/24bit),
Matrix M-Stage Headphone Amp,
FiiO E12-Mont Blanc Headphone Amp
Beyerdynamic DT990-Pro Open Headphones (250 ohm, 96dB/mW)
Audio-Technica ATH-A900 closed-back headphones (40 ohm, 101dB/mW),
Superlux HD-681 semi-open headphones (32 ohm, 98dB/mW), and
Sennheiser HD-598 open headphones (50 ohm, 100dB/mW).
Playback software: Audacity, iTunes, VLC
Source quality: standard CD 44.1kHz/16bit, and native HD 88.2-96kHz/24bit
Audio cables: 3.5mm to RCA (3ft), and RCA-to-RCA (3ft), AUVIO and Monoprice brands
The Sound (overall conclusion both DACs/HP-Amps): Good dynamics, detail and clarity, well staged and with good imaging. In terms of frequency response these headphones are tuned such as to emphasize/boost the low and high ends. Perhaps the best way to summarize the DT990-Pro sound by comparison with the other three headphones I have here would be this: The DT990-Pro nearly matches the Superlux HD681 in bass impact without sacrificing dynamics, it easily matches the Sennheiser HD598 in mid-range sparkle, staging, and imaging, and gives the Audio-Technica ATH-A900 a good run for the money in terms of highs extension.
The closest of my other headphones in terms of overall SQ would be the Sennheiser HD598. However, despite the slightly more neutral presentation of the Sennheiser’s, I find the DT990-Pro sound far more preferable. The DT990-Pro has a much better low end, and has smoother, more extended highs without that slight veil characteristic to Sennheiser headphones (clearly the Sennheiser HD-598 are decent cans but somehow I could never get too excited about their sound, hence my search for a different pair of open-back headphones). Also, the DT990-Pro manages to present the high end with what I’d call more “precision” than the ATH-A900 without sounding as grainy, and with just as much aplomb as the Superlux without sounding as (excessively) bright. Note: The DT990-Pro are both high impedance (250ohm) and relatively less efficient than the other cans I mentioned here (they only manage 96dB/mW) and thus amping is a must for anyone wishing to get the most out of them. For instance, my iPod Shuffle 1-st Gen (max output: 0.57Vrms) cannot drive them to any reasonable listening level (without severe clipping) and only manages a lifeless, distorted, garbled presentation, while the MacBook-Pro sound card (1.4Vrms) drives them to sufficiently loud levels but with pretty obvious distortions (for an overall harsh, fatiguing presentation.) Based on my experience with such sources I would not recommend these cans for use with portable devices without a proper amp. Also to note: the DT990-Pro do require at least 8-10hr of initial break-in to start sounding right (before that the sound is overly bassy,…
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Minghong Li
Not for Everyone. Please read carefully.,
For cable, it is hard wired to the body itself, so you cannot simply swap 3.5mm cable when the original cable is broken. Second, the highs, it can really cause fatigue in your ear (around 10kHz, there is a Huge peak in relative frequency response) it is Piercing high. Some people may like it because boost at 10kHz gives clear and accurate sounding highs without distorting music too much. But people like me, who is more used to Sennheiser’s famous signature sound, may feel too piercing to ears.
Conclusion: Everything is near-perfect except for hard wired cables and piercing highs (depend on your taste whether it is pro or con) potentially causing ear fatigue relatively fast.
If you want analytical sound, avoid this headphone.
If you want laid back sound, avoid this headphone.
If you want clear, beautifully piercing highs and decent lows, Get this headphone!
Overall, I would rate this 5. Some people may say: I can always EQ stuff out. But for me, I buy different headphones because I want to listen to their original, signature sound. I like it.