beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro 250 ohm Over-Ear Studio Headphones for Mixing, Mastering, and Editing

If you're like me, then you probably spend hours and hours researching different products, comparing the prices and the pros and cons of many products. Headphones included. For me, I have had a set of AD900x headphones for a few years, and the cable gave out, so I opted to try a new set of headphones. It was down to 3 choices within the same price range, all open back. The Sennheiser HD599, The Beyerdynamic DT990, or just settling for another pair of AD900x's. (Sadly couldn't really consider anything AKG because every model I saw in the same price range required an amp.) I don't know whether to call myself an audiophile or not, but I would like to say that I pay very close attention to sound, and its very important to me. Perhaps the most crucial part of a headphone for obvious reasons. I'm not a professional, just an average guy that loves/has good sound equipment. I would like to offer some clarification, at least that my ears have heard, as I have had the opportunity to own all 3 sets due to some circumstances that Ill discuss later. Here's a comparison with the 3 different headphones I was in the market for. Sennheiser HD599: Pleasant. These headphones to my ears are designed to sound pleasant, not necessarily accurate. At first I was worried about that, especially hearing about the signature "Sennheiser Veil" That everyone talks about. I'm pleased to say that despite my worries, they did an amazing job with what they were marketed for. They do have a small "Veil" That some people may or may not like, but the veil is essentially to my ears a cut in the high mid frequencies. These are the frequencies that are very harsh, and the high highs are still perfectly sparkly and sounded very nice. I found myself going to these headphones for relaxation and for pure enjoyment. You could definitely fall asleep wearing them as many have said. I recommend these headphones for ones that want to relax or have a "milder" sound with their setup. To my ears they seem to have the most bass out of the 3 as well. Again, I was afraid I would not like them because I was afraid that I would not like the sound signature of them, but I was very pleased. Unfortunately, I had to return them due to a defect which made the balance shift to the right side that made it louder. They were a used set, which is something to keep in mind. AD900x: Natural. The best selling point of these headphones in my opinion are their soundstage. Its the best soundstage I've heard out of the 3. And they also to my ears have the most neutral tuning out of the 3 headphones. They are also incredibly comfortable, despite their "gimmicky" Headband design, I actually quite liked them a lot. As much as 4 years worth to be exact. This design made them very light, so many times I would forget that they were on my head. I find myself using these headphones if I want to feel like I am in the room with whatever I'm listening to. They had enough treble to get the job done which I enjoyed. The bass is also there, although a little light. I feel that with the amazing soundstage, some detail had to be sacrificed, including the bass. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I recommend these headphones for ones that want the most neutral sound out of the 3, and who want superior soundstage, who don't mind a small loss of detail. Like feeling like you are actually walking through that forest, or that you're actually there listening to the orchestra. DT990: Detailed. It seems that these headphones are designed mainly for studio production. And if that's the case, I wholeheartedly recommend these headphones, which is what I'm currently using now. The ones that I got were the 80 ohm edition if that matters. I have it plugged straight into my motherboard. These headphones offer the most details out of the 3, which I really like. Due to the defect in the Sennheisers mentioned above, I decided to try these. I was very worried about the treble response that everyone keeps complaining about, but decided to bite the bullet, as I could easily EQ it out. I'm pleased to say that for my ears, that is not an issue. In fact, if people hadn't been complaining about it, I probably wouldn't have noticed it. Yes, they are nice and bright, but I like them. Its like a speaker with tweeters vs without. COULD it be harsh? I suppose perhaps, but its not so much making the treble overwhelming, more so reproducing it much more effectively. Again to MY ears. If I want to hear exactly where my opponent is coming from, or exactly how loud I should have a certain track in my mixes, or even just listening for things I haven't heard before in songs I like a lot, I find myself using these headphones. I also find these headphones to have a better bass response then the AD900x's. I recommend these headphones for anyone that wants to hear every little detail of whatever they're listening to, especially useful for producing or mixing audio. Conclusion: My personal favorites are the DT990s for their excellent detail in their sound. They are also extremely comfortable due to their amazing ear pads. But you cannot go wrong with any of the above mentioned sets. They are all excellent sets, and do what they are made for, and do it well. If you have a preference having one feature over another, then I recommend going with the headphone that suits your need the best. But i will say the DT990s have a build quality and sound quality to my ears that is hard to match. Nutshell: Sennheiser HD599: Comfort Audio Technica AD900X's : Soundstage Beyerdynamic DT990s: Details Hope this was able to help everyone who reads this. I had many questions and hopefully this can help others who have similar questions. Cheers!

I finally decided to take the plunge into a really nice set of headphones - my nicest set previously was a set of $60 Sennheiser HD 429's . While those were decent, they didn't come anywhere close to some of the high end cans that I had tried and I got tired of being disappointed every time I listened to music or watched a movie with them. After months of shopping around online and reading reviews I decided to visit a music store to try some out. After all my due diligence I had settled on the Audio-Technica ATH-M50S but I didn't buy them at the store since I knew I could get them online for cheaper. Well, when I went to buy them here on Amazon I read through a few reviews and saw Beyerdynamics mentioned over and over again, and after reading a lot about them I decided that I wanted to spend a few more bucks and try out the DT-990 Pro 250 Ohm. It was a bit of a risk since I hadn't tried them in person but knew I could return them if not happy with them. Well, they showed up today - in fact I'm listening to them right now - and let me just say that as soon as I finish this review I'm going to buy another pair for my wife. Bottom line: WOW! The sound that these headphones produce is the most open, deep, detailed, crystal clear sound that I have ever heard. I was a bit concerned about the 250ohm rating at first because I didn't know if my gear would be able to drive them without an amp, but both my PC and Oknyo receiver can power them with no problem. I do have to crank it to about 80% of max volume on my PC to get the sound level that I want, so I'll still probably invest in an amp to be able to drive them at a lower level for cleaner sound. I also want to be able to use them with my wife in the theater room after the kids have gone to bed and I'll need a multi-channel amp to do that. But holy cow these things have low hitting bass, the midrange is tight and crystal clear, and the highs are powerful but not overpowering. They are very well balanced. So far I've listened to some rap/hip-hop, metal, emo, classical, and even opera, and these things shine with any genre! I am so excited to watch a movie them. I really like the open back and I think that'll be nice when watching a movie with the wife so we can still talk to each other without having to completely remove the headphones. These are worth every penny if you're in the market for a nice high-end set of headphones. The only drawback is that you can clearly hear everything that you're listening to on the outside due to the open back, and I imagine they won't block outside noise very well, but I just plan to use them at home in a quiet environment like my office or theater room where it won't matter if they leak a little sound and there won't be any ambient noise to worry about. P.S. Forgot to talk about comfort, which is OFF THE CHARTS! They a have nice furry covers which are extremely comfortable, the clamping pressure isn't too tight, and I FINALLY found a set of cans that has openings big enough to fit my huge ears! With the M50S that I was going to buy my ears hurt after demoing them for about 20 minutes, and the clamping pressure was pretty tight but I read you can stretch them out to improve that. But I've been wearing these straight out of the box for nearly 2 hours now and just took them off and I don't even feel like I've been wearing anything. That is so much better than the normal 5-10 minutes of aching ears after taking off pretty much any other set of headphones that I have ever used. So if you have large ears or a big head these are perfect for you!

I am what you might call a "budget audiophile." I care deeply about sound quality, but I simply can't afford the kind of system I would want. Instead, I own a few pairs of high quality headphones, store my music in the Apple Lossless (ALAC) format, and play everything through a quality external DAC and headphone amp, the (unfortunately discontinued) Nuforce Icon HD . I was hoping that the DT-990-Pro would combine the best features of the Sennheiser HD 598 and the Audio-Technica ATH-M50 , and that's more or less exactly what it does. Let me explain. About 50-60% of my music library is hard rock and heavy metal (everything from Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and Guns N' Roses to Metallica and Pantera to extreme death and black metal like Suffocation, Nile, Immortal, etc.). Before I bought the DT-990-Pro, I owned two pairs of headphones, the HD 598 and the ATH-M50. The HD 598 dominates the M50 in almost every respect that audiophiles care about: significantly more clarity and detail, a wider and deeper soundstage, much better instrument separation, etc. Moreover, the 598 is known for its "laid back" presentation: the lower frequencies are recessed relative to the M50, and the higher frequencies sound "rounded out," so you don't get any booming bass or sharp (and possibly fatiguing) sibilance. Because of this, the HD 598 is ideal for recreational listening of jazz, classical, and lighter music that emphasizes clean vocals (I'm a big Fiona Apple fan, for example, and the HD 598 remains my go-to for that kind of music). However, with such a laid back presentation, it is suboptimal for hard rock and metal. With the 598, you don't get heavy and pronounced bass tones, the sharp "THWAP!" of the kick drum, and guitar solos that really soar above the music; in general it's just too smooth and wimpy for that kind of music. For this reason, I found myself reaching for the M50 whenever I wanted to listen to rock and metal, but I hated making the sacrifice in sound quality. Enter the DT-990-Pro. Some reviewers have complained about its relatively pronounced lows and highs, but in my opinion, that is precisely what makes it excellent for harder rock (as well as hip hop and electronic music). With the DT-990-Pro, you get a clarity and soundstage comparable to the HD 598--the DT-990-Pro is arguably slightly more accurate than the HD 598, especially at higher frequencies, but the HD 598 has more soundstage--combined with the "kick" of the M50. I no longer have to make any kind of tradeoff when I listen to Slayer and Testament. Now, these headphones are at the same time very versatile, and suit a wide variety of music. I am impressed by how good they sound no matter what I throw at them: Brahms, Dvorak, John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Ornette Coleman, Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Depeche Mode, Aimee Mann, Radiohead, the Wu-Tang Clan. So do not get the impression that these are "specialty" headphones suitable only for rock and metal. Far from it. As other reviewers have already noted, the DT-990-Pro is very, very comfortable--indeed the most comfortable headphones I have ever worn. A word of advice: at 250 Ohms of impedance, it does require a headphone amp to be driven properly and produce sufficient volume. If you plan on listening directly through a laptop or portable music device, I recommend the 32 Ohm "Premium" model . Given its excellent sound and versatility, the DT-990-Pro may be the best headphone in its price range.

TLDR; Amazing pinpoint accurate gaming headphones that are also good for music and movies. Comfortable as well. Only downside is the non detachable cable. Full review: Having owned countless gaming headsets, I was never satisfied with how they sounded. Then I decided to take a deeper step into the audio world. I spent a week straight doing research about headphones and audio gear, as well as watching & reading comparisons between certain headphones by quite a few people to get a general idea of what stuff really sounded like. I had originally settled on the Philips X2HR because of the comfort and the detachable cable, but the sound just didn’t give me the clarity that I was looking for. I then purchased the Sennheiser HD 560s, and while they did sound great, they were extremely uncomfortable on my head (I have short hair and the top padding dug into my head). I then decided to get the DT990 Pro, but was a bit hesitant because of the non detachable cable. Upon seeing that they can easily be modded to have one, I wasn’t worried about it anymore. After receiving them, I was a bit skeptical, as the “DT990 Pro” text on the outer ears was different than all the other pictures I’ve seen of this headphone. The font was different. I also wasn’t hearing any of that “beyer peak” in the treble that I was reading about. I’m still not sure if they are legit, as I've never owned a pair before. However, upon messaging the seller, they confirmed that they are legit and that the 80 Ohm variant has a different sound signature than the 250 ohm. I’ll just have to take their word for it I guess. Regardless, these headphones are a MAJOR UPGRADE in sound compared to various turtle beach, astro, hyperx, etc, headsets that I've owned. I can hear everything separately in the games I play (COD, Apex, Fortnite, and Various Single Player Games). Footsteps aren’t drowned out by other sounds, and I can very easily pinpoint where they’re coming from. The DT990 Pro, as well as a decent amount of other “audiophile” grade headphones will “lack bass” vs your usual gaming headset, but once you get used to the sound, you’ll understand why that extreme bass was a hindrance in competitive multiplayer games. You *might* need a headphone amp even with the 80 Ohm (definitely need one with the 250 Ohm), as my onboard pc audio was too low for me and I had to buy one to get the volume that I wanted them at. Now in terms of build quality (minus the non detachable cable), these things seem virtually indestructible. The entire headband (under the comfortable padding) is made of metal, and the ear-cups are made of a thick durable plastic. I did hear about the ear pads wearing out fast, but you can always buy replacement ones. Overall this is an excellent headphone for gaming, movies, and music in my opinion, although some male vocals can seem a bit lacking. This is the perfect all rounder headphone with an especially great sound for gaming.

TL;DR: Really solid sounding headphones for that 1-3 hundred price range. Can’t complain so far. Fit, quality, and sound immersion are above my expectations for the price. Would highly recommend for everyday listeners who want dedicated headphones! Great for glasses wearers too, though they are quite large (see image). —General Impressions I have been using these headphones for my main PC setup for about a week now, and I am super happy with them. I am not an audiophile, nor a “big producer,” but I do enjoy very high quality sound. They have a very clear and clean sound, and when paired with a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), they are very tunable for your liking. Without tuning they do lack that punchy bass if you are used to that, but they can push some out for sure once tuned. More than you would need unless you are a big bass-head. Others have complained about the highs being too harsh, but I haven’t noticed anything like that as an average listener. They sound really good in my opinion. If you are looking for “fun” or “expressive” headphones, these probably aren’t for you (unless you want to EQ them), but they are perfect for an everyday desktop pair. Solid for gaming, music, streaming, etc. They connect instantly with a normal 3.5mm jack, and it does come with a larger standard audio jack to plug into a real musicians equipment or audio interface (way above my skillset). Super simple and easy to use for basically any application. —Fit: I have quite a round head, and they fit me very comfortably. These work well with my glasses, and don’t create uncomfortable pressure points on my head. They have a looser clamping force, but they don’t feel like they are going to slide off either. The ear pads are very comfortable in my opinion, and I have had absolutely zero issues wearing them for hours at a time. There has been moments when I even forget they are on because of how immersive they are combined with how comfortable they feel. I also have relatively large ears apparently (my ears touched the driver on the sennheiser 560s), and my ear fits very comfortably inside these without any rubbing or pressure. —Dislikes/Cons: I do wish these had a removable cable on the headphones themselves, but that isn’t a big problem for my application where they are not being transported often. The sound quality is good on their own, but you can’t really get the true potential of the headphones without a DAC+preamp or a really good sound card. This does make the true cost a bit higher if you want the best sound, but still sub $300. These are open back, so little-to-no noise canceling, which doesn’t bother me for my application, but still something to consider.

If you are reading this then you need to stop scrolling. I did a ton of research and these headphones are very impressive. We use them for headphone mixing on documentary audio. Super comfortable and for me the biggest selling point is that you can repair them. They are modular so if something breaks then fix them. Worth the investment.

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, and somewhat unfocused/cloudy). As of this writing I have 30-35hrs on it and for sound quality I'd break things out like this: Bass Extension: 6/10 Bass Impact: 7/10 Bass Texture: 7/10 (solid) Mids Quality: 7.5/10 Highs Extension: 8.5/10 Highs Quality: 8/10 (vivid) Highs Texture: 7.5/10 (soft) Detail/Transparency: 8/10 (clear) Dynamics: 8.5/10 (natural) Soundstage: 8/10 Imaging: 7/10 Other: Isolation: 2/10 (open design) Comfort: 9/10 Design/Aesthetics: 9/10 (classic Beyerdynamic design) Build quality: 9/10 Portability: 5/10 (fairly large size) Improvement w/ Amplification: 8.5/10 (Note: Amping is recommended!) Value at MSRP: (9/10) [I gave it a 9/10 here only because, by comparison, the $30 Superlux HD681 is still a better bang for the buck!] To conclude, the Beyerdynamic DT990-Pro are near reference headphones which sacrifice some neutrality for the sake of a more natural sounding, or rather, a more fleshed-out acoustic presentation. As far as I'm concerned, it suffices to say that the DT990-Pro is the only headphone I have here that I can listen to (with any kind of music) without EQ and not feel that I might be missing something (and that, I think, says a lot). All in all, a remarkable offering from Beyerdynamic, highly recommended!

This is now one of my all time favorite headphones and i've been on the search for the perfect headphone for years. You can read reviews of this headphone on dozens of sites, but it sounds nothing like what people describe IMO. To my ears it's a balanced sounding headphone. It doesn't have too much treble or too much bass. You can refer to graphs, but I don't hear this at all. It doesn't change my music into something it's not and doesn't add anything. The mids are not recessed to me. Sometimes when things sound too distant it's often the recordings fault. The mids are not thick or thin unless they are like that in the recording. This headphone doesn't add weight/fullness to specific sounds. This headphone was once described as dry, brittle, cold, metallic. Definitely don't think this headphone is anything like that these days. The headphone is very chameleon like and seems to change it's sound at random based on what music i'm listening too. Not as much as the DT-880 though. Sometimes I feel like this headphone is only as good as the recording i'm listening to. I still don't think this headphone could be described as analytical though. It's like a slightly more fun version of a DT-880. It's not quite a tool you could probably use to pick apart all your gear changes easily. I find this headphone to be a good "All-rounder". I use it at my desktop with my amp/dac and also on my TV when I watch movies or play video games. It's also extremely comfortable and I can use it for hours without any pain. I can't say that about the premium versions and especially not the DT-880 premium. I also find this to have the most balanced low bass out of any dynamic OPEN headphone i've heard yet. It seems to be flatter in the low bass areas than most other open headphones. It doesn't seem to drop off in the low bass as much as my Q701 and HD-650. There are some downsides to the extra low bass perhaps. You don't get that wide open and spacious soundstage (from the recordings) you get on the Q701, but that's fine. It's still pretty good. Then there is the coiled cable. I'm not a fan! 11-30-19 UPDATE: I use this headphone all the time and it's the one I use the most. I still have my bass modded AKG Q701 and Sennheiser HD-650, but rarely use those anymore. This one seems to get everything right for me. When I switch between them they are not dramatically different. All my music mostly still sounds the same. Of course on the Q701 and HD-650 there is perhaps some missing low bass. The DT-990 Pro is nowhere near bass heavy to me. I still don't find it's mid recessed sounding at all, but ONLY when compared to the Q701. It's also not fatiguing for me or too trebly at all ever. If it is, it's probably due to a bad track that's poorly recorded (too harsh). I should also point out that I ALWAYS use a standalone amp and DAC with these. I probably haven't listened to them for 10 minutes without an external amp. I use the Headroom Micro Stack (Amp+Dac). It's probably comparable in sound quality to the Matrix M-Stage. and Ifi Ican.