Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO Review

06/29/202007/15/2020 turntable01 0 Comments

Sound engineers and producers rely on listening devices with incorruptible and detailed reproduction. In the Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO review here, we take a close look at these headphones in and we will see whether they meet the high demands placed on a device from professionals.

The Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO are an open design headphones that were developed for the control and monitoring of mixes in recording studios. The earpads that completely surround your ears are also padded and covered with velour. You can pull out the headband joints to adjust the headphones to your head size. The cable feed is on one side – the three-meter long spiral cable is attached on one side to the left ear cup. The nominal impedance of the DT 990 PRO is 250 ohms. A gold-plated jack adapter is included for connecting the headphones to large jack sockets with a diameter of 6.35 millimeters.

Design & Comfort

The padded headband made of elastic spring steel adapts to the head size. You can also remove the cushion and fasten it again. Thanks to the velour covering of the earpads, the DT 990 PRO feels wonderfully cozy. In addition, you do not sweat like with leather earpads, whereby the better air circulation is also noticeable in contrast to closed headphones. Very nice. The one-sided wiring makes it easier to put on and take off the headphones.

The DT 990 PRO alone weighs 250 grams – relatively light for headphones of this type. However, the spiral cord noticeably pulls the left earpad because it is quite stiff. Musicians of delicate stature could feel slight signs of fatigue after long sessions. You can pull out the fork joints for almost 4 cm. So the headphones can be adapted to all head sizes. Anatomical differences in the shape of the ears are compensated by the ear cups, which can be tilted slightly forwards and backward.

Sound

Since the DT 990 PRO are open headphones, the advantages typical for this design also come into play here. The DT 990 PRO offers a slightly better spatial representation – the 770 PRO was already convincing in this respect, but what the 990 does is a little bit better. All instruments in a piece of the music stand out clearly in the apparent space. I found the interplay of the individual sounds to be natural and convincing and in no way artificially separated. Really excellent.

The Frequency Response

The bass is calm and smooth and leaves you with a comfortably warm feeling without sounding dull or mushy. The overemphasis on the medium and high bass, which bothered me a bit in the DT 770 PRO, is less pronounced in the 990 – a good thing, because it makes the sound more honest, which is conducive to a more precise assessment of your productions. The mids neither play themselves in the foreground nor are they pushed back behind the high and low frequencies of the spectrum. I have not noticed any distortion, clinking, or screeching in the middle area, as is often the case with other headphones. There is also nothing to complain about at the treble – they are airy, calm, clear, and, above all, extremely detailed. The most piquant details of jazz singers come to light, the squeaking of guitar strings brings life to the booth, and the slight creaking of the double bass strings, shortly after they have been plucked, inspire me. All this without sounding artificially brightened – the sound always appears balanced.

6,115 Reviews

Beyerdynamic 459038 DT 990 PRO open Studio Headphone

Open over-ear headphones, ideal for professional mixing, mastering and...
Perfect for studio applications thanks to their transparent, spacious,...
The soft, circumaural and replaceable velour ear pads ensure high wearing...
Hard-wearing, durable and robust workmanship - Made in Germany
Practical single-sided cable (3.0m coiled cable)

What are Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO Suitable for?

Open headphones are not suitable for recording, because the tones of the instrumental accompaniment of a singer emanating from the headphones are recorded via the vocal microphone. And while listening to music you will get more annoyed looks than you would like in environments where discretion is required. Another feature of the open design is that outside noise is hardly damped. The DT 990 PRO is badly suited for listening to music on the bus, train, car, or in general, in public places with a lot of activity – it just gets too much inside. To avoid misunderstandings: This is of course a conscious decision of the manufacturers because open headphones are primarily intended for listening to your mixes in the silence of your (home) studio. In conclusion, I would like to state that the Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO has completely convinced me in almost all points. The sound is highly detailed and balanced. A slight criticism is a slight overemphasis on the upper bass range. On the other hand, it provides a little more warmth and thus moves a bit away from an all-too-sober sound that suits producers who want their interception to be humorless in the best sense.

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Verdict

Beyerdynamic hit the bullseye with the DT 990 PRO and designed headphones that, due to its open design, are not suitable for recording vocals, but is excellent for control and monitoring purposes. In quiet places where the design-related sound permeability of the earpads does not matter, the simple listening to music is also a lot of fun. There is little to complain about in terms of processing. All parts are precisely and firmly connected. The velour earpads feel incredibly cozy on your ears and the open design means that you don’t sweat as much as you do with leather. During long sessions, the sagging spiral cable could interfere at most. Above all, the attention to detail and the spatial representation of the music make you listen more. Mids and trebles are reproduced perfectly, while the basses are calm and warm, but are slightly overemphasized in the higher registers. Almost perfect prerequisites for use as a listening device in the studio. With the Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO, transparent mixings and control listening with high precision are possible – all in all, highly recommended headphones with many advantages and hardly any weaknesses worth mentioning.

The user manual is here: Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO User Manual