Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro Review (headphone)

[ZööZ]

Which track in particular? I think I hear it on my HD 25s in some of them... if a certain EQ or frequency target (Harmon) is masking noise then I would suggest it's not good for use for studio work (which these headphones are meant to be used for), since it would be good to hear the noise and eliminate it, not hear a smoothed over version when mixing/mastering before release.

I'd say on the opening track Außen it is very clear without the EQ but it is present throughout the album.

EDIT I don't know if the Eq is masking. if I'd have to guess I'd say that the beyer treble response is boosting it considerably.

 

[Aerith Gainsborough]

Apparantly science is just an opinion these days

When it comes to the preference target and tuning of a speaker/headphone: yes.
When it comes to general driver behavior, distortion etc: no.

@amirm please 'burn' the DT990s in and re-measure! blast some pink noise through them for a week straight and show the (lack of) difference for the frequency response - sure the pad makes sense but why doesn't Beyer just sell soft pads so the murder treble is gone from the start

In order to do pad burn in, I think it would be more useful for him to sit on them for a few days than blast pink noise through the drivers.

 

[stalepie2]

I'd say on the opening track Außen it is very clear without the EQ but it is present throughout the album.

EDIT I don't know if the Eq is masking. if I'd have to guess I'd say that the beyer treble response is boosting it considerably.

Yeah I think I hear it. Interesting music, it is probably intentional sound texture... You ought to post it in the electronica thread
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/electronica-dance-techno-et-cetera.220/

 

[amirm]

Holyyy cow there's a lot of static hiss or white noise to be heard with dt990 on an album called False from Lambert, that amir's EQ practically eliminates altogether...

Yes, I noticed that as well. It hugely amplifies such hiss if it exists. Heck, it almost manufactures it even if it is not there!

 

[ZööZ]

Interesting music, it is probably intentional sound texture...

Probably

 

[ZööZ]

Yes, I noticed that as well. It hugely amplifies such hiss if it exists. Heck, it almost manufactures it even if it is not there!

Now that I have been switching between different equalizations I think yours dampens the hiss a bit more vs Oratory1990(old pads), and there is a slight difference in other things also but those differences are more subtle and I could easily miss them if not switching on the fly (a bit more of that 105hz hump present on yours for example, not sure which one is closer to the truth though)

I'm not listening on the exact model you measured but on the 600ohm (premium) edition, no clue how much of a difference it really makes but I remember people around the web saying that this has the bass better under control thanks to the lighter voice coil.

 

[amirm]

this guy says a week i would agree with that as well but they get good over time not on first listen which is what people have to point out i would go as far as to say t hat dt990 are the only headphones that change so dramatically and in a good way altho a lot of beyers change in sound dt990 improves the most:

At the start of the video he says "after several hours" they improve. I actually tested the headphones for that long. I did the measurements and two attempts at EQ on one day. Then the next day I developed the more precise EQ starting with new measurements. I showed that in my EQ section of the review:

As you see in blue, the huge lift in highs are there after a few hours of use.

I think what he is noticing is adaptation, not the headphone changing. He is getting used to the headphone and his brain is compensating some for the extra highs. Or else his ears are plugged the next day with allergies and such (mine do that).

The best way to confirm if such effects are there is go to another headphone and let your ears acclimate to that and then switch this one.

Anyway, if the theory is that a few hours helps, I am here to say it doesn't.

 

[Spocko]

Oratory1990 has measured both the 1770 and the 177X with their different pads. The treble is indeed smoother and reduced although the broad dip in the upper midrange remains. The rest of the midrange is also smoother.

DT1770 leatherette pad
View attachment 109884

DT1770 velours pad
View attachment 109880

DT177X leather pads
View attachment 109882
DT177X velours pads
View attachment 109883

I knew there was something better about those leather pads!

 

[HereYaGo]

At the start of the video he says "after several hours" they improve. I actually tested the headphones for that long. I did the measurements and two attempts at EQ on one day. Then the next day I developed the more precise EQ starting with new measurements. I showed that in my EQ section of the review:

As you see in blue, the huge lift in highs are there after a few hours of use.

I think what he is noticing is adaptation, not the headphone changing. He is getting used to the headphone and his brain is compensating some for the extra highs. Or else his ears are plugged the next day with allergies and such (mine do that).

The best way to confirm if such effects are there is go to another headphone and let your ears acclimate to that and then switch this one.

Anyway, if the theory is that a few hours helps, I am here to say it doesn't.

good to know. took mine like 3 months when i first got them. there was a song that was extremely harsh and its not harsh anymore at all. the used pads measurements should give you motivation to keep chugging with them for longer. cause you have to admit that measurement is different.

 

[Atratusnex]

I'll just point a couple of issues with this review as a longtime fan of these cans.

First off, the harman target curve is being treated as an objective standard and deviations from it are measured and shown as deviations from a flat response. The harman target is not representative of a flat response. Furthermore, when the beyer trio got in production there was no such thing as a harman target to aim for obviously.

Nevertheless, you can easily eq these headphones to match the harman target. Same way you can eq any other headphone to match the harman target if that's your preference. Stock frequency response has stopped being of any interest these days for most applications. EQ is easy and free. Whatever your own preference curve might be, nobody's stopping you from adjusting any headphone to it.

Regarding power requirements. These headphones, as specified by beyer can handle a max of 100mW. The measured sensitivity of 704mv = 97db/V means these headphones are good up to a max of 111dB at 5Vrms for the 250ohm regions. Pushing past 5Vrms to do the 114dB tests is out of specs and distortion will obviously be extreme. The power requirement of 100mW@250R is rather steep for your average smartphone, but nothing any modern headphone amp would worry about.

The impedance hump up to +100ohms in the bass region is fairly common among headphones. A quick look at the venerable hd650's review by amir shows the nominal 300ohm impedance rising up to 483ohms in the bass region. Just the way it is.

THD at 94/104 is harder to justify. It's definitely not as bad as it looks on paper. To me it's either inaudible or simply doesn't bother me in the mix, considering it affects mainly the sub 100hz region. Others might be more sensitive. Julian Krause posted a THD test a while back that can give you an idea of your real tolerances. Again, looking at the results the hd650 got in the same test, while clearly better, it's nowhere near great either. Something to keep in mind (plus that they cost 2-3x as much).

Bottom line here is that their shortcomings are well known. The FR is what it is and if you don't like it, you can simply eq it. And you absolutely need an amp to drive them, especially if you want to eq them. New knowledge out of this review is the bass THD. Subjectively it's a non issue and pretty much every headphone suffers from it in some degree.

Bearing in mind the price (around 120e in Europe) there's still not much competition for these cans, as far as over head open backs go. The build quality is unmatched even by headphones costing 5x as much and the comfort is top notch. I've had some sets for almost 2 decades and they still look and sound pristine. Seen people with sets that go back over 30 years and are also in supreme condition. This is a headphone build to last.

Considering that after eq they all sound more or less the same and real world performance does not seem to suffer in the slightest by the arguably poor bass THD, the value is still there. Until somebody comes up with a quality build that measures better and costs about as much, these ain't going anywhere.

Dt 880 or k702? Both should measure better, are well build and cost as much here in Germany

 

[killdozzer]

You never used 'em so it's cool bruh. Just some fans passing through who actually own them and use them.

??
Where did you get that info? Do I know you?

 

[Atratusnex]

I predict an headless one if amirm ever reviews the nighthawks

 

[modes]

good to know. took mine like 3 months when i first got them. there was a song that was extremely harsh and its not harsh anymore at all. the used pads measurements should give you motivation to keep chugging with them for longer. cause you have to admit that measurement is different.

Industry Destroyer, so it took you 3 months to ruin your ears. Please stop what you're doing, grab a pair of hd650 and pray some of the damage you've caused to your poor little ears will be reversible.

 

[Adahn]

Dt 880 or k702? Both should measure better, are well build and cost as much here in germany

The k702 is one of the most uncomfortable headphones I ever had the displeasure of using. That headband is a no go. Build quality is alright. Not on par with the beyers imo, but not far behind either. Wouldn't use them if you paid me though. As for sound, they got pretty much no bass whatsoever, so I'd expect even worse results if they were measured.

The 880 is no more than a 990 with some extra cloth in the cup; call it a hardware eq. Typically they go about 50% higher than the 990. If you can find them at the same price, sure why not.

 

[killdozzer]

I'll be honest, I think Ronwan is running a satirical YouTube audio channel. He is a donor here after all.

 

[Yuhasz01]

It's not an attack, it's a criticism about what I perceive to be a common issue on YouTube: low-effort, low-content reviews based on little to no original research, drawing conclusions about others' research, meant primarily to attract views and generate controversy.

Fair enough. I would like to see people criticize his misinterpretation of measurement graphs , not his motives or amateur presentations. Headphone measurements field is a mess currently.. and lack of double blind listening tests just makes it worse.

 

[Atratusnex]

Industry Destroyer, so it took you 3 months to ruin your ears. Please stop what you're doing, grab a pair of hd650 and pray some of the damage you've caused to your poor little ears will be reversible.

Don't be so condescending.

I never liked the hd 600 or 650 personality.... Nor the dt990 but love the k702 ( with are even better with combined oratory + robbo99999 eq) and like the dt 880 (after light eq in treble only)....

It's a matter of taste.... Nobody has to like something just because you like it. Or is wrong about their taste.

 

[modes]

Dont be so condescending.

I never liked the hd 600 or 650 personality.... Nor the dt990 but love the k702 ( with are even better with oratorys eq) and like the dt 880 (after light eq in treble only)....

Its a matter of taste.... Nobody has to like something just because you like it. Or is wrong about there taste.

It's not a taste issue, with mount Beyer it's s a health issue.
The mount will swifly damage your ears if you use any kind of volume and duration. End result you will turn into an Industry Destroyer® to whom everything else will appear "veiled"

 

[Atratusnex]

The k702 is one of the most uncomfortable headphones I ever had the displeasure of using. That headband is a no go. Build quality is alright. Not on par with the beyers imo, but not far behind either. Wouldn't use them if you paid me though. As for sound, they got pretty much no bass whatsoever, so I'd expect even worse results if they were measured.

The 880 is no more than a 990 with some extra cloth in the cup; call it a hardware eq. Typically they go about 50% higher than the 990. If you can find them at the same price, sure why not.

k 702: I get this point. Comfort is important and if you find them uncomfy you shouldn't use them for sure. i find them to be one of my most comfortable headphones I ever owned, but I have a large head and...hair. the k 701 and 702 have most likely huge serial tolerances …some have little bass...some have more it's a lottery. Mine has about as much as my dt 880 ....

i know about the difference between dt 880 and dt 990 ( how little there is in its hardware), but as I said they cost about the same here. the dt 880 has personally the far better tonality. See no reason to buy the dt 990 if the dt 880 can be found for the same.

Last point... eq will make headphones more similar but i never found them to sound the same. The akg 702 612 the koss 95x, hifiman 5xx and the Beyer dt 880 all with harman eq ( oratorys) are level matched obviously different in blind testing for me.

 

[Atratusnex]

It's not a taste issue, with mount Beyer it's s a health issue.
The mount will swifly damage your ears if you use any kind of volume and duration. End result you will turn into an Industry Destroyer® to whom everything else will appear "veiled"

no it doesn't necessarily, hearing damage is depending on the volume level you use. If you like the dt 990 on healthy levels is a matter of taste. ( but that is true for every headphone, the level is just depended on fr )