Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro Review (headphone)

[Dackel]

I think there are some serious points made. The review made here pushes the dt990s beyond what it was designed to do. I think that is a point worth noting. It may be slightly confrontational but 94db is the level of sound a loud lawn mower makes which is way above what you should be listening at. 124dbs is 20x louder than that. For me that is a measurement however I am not really sure what the point is behind it.

Also many people say that dt990s are bright. But many many more dont. So a lot depends on the listener. Then I also find it quite dubious to use a target curve to use a benchmark. Who is the authority who says this is the correct curve? Or are we just meant to believe Also the dt990s sound signature definetly changes over time becoming warmer sounding. And I dont think that it is only to do with the pads. The reason being is that I actually have an older pair and a brand new pair and they do sound slightly different to one another.

 

[solderdude]

I think there are some serious points made. The review made here pushes the dt990s beyond what it was designed to do. I think that is a point worth noting. It may be slightly confrontational but 94db is the level of sound a loud lawn mower makes which is way above what you should be listening at. 124dbs is 20x louder than that. For me that is a measurement however I am not really sure what the point is behind it.

94dBA noise levels are something very, very, very different from 94dB SPL peaks in music, most certainly at low frequencies (where most of the amplitude/power is at)

This is a common misconception and people keep mixing up noise levels with peak SPL.

Amir tests to the limits. Testing 30Hz at 114dB SPL is not a stupid thing. 114dB SPL at 1kHz nobody will listen to.

Also the dt990s sound signature definetly changes over time becoming warmer sounding. And I dont think that it is only to do with the pads.

Well it is the pads. Slap some new ones on a very old DT990 and there it is again. Best thing is it is easily proven as well.

he reason being is that I actually have an older pair and a brand new pair and they do sound slightly different to one another.

I do too... and measured both. With fresh and old pads. The drivers are NOT the same and is why they sound different.

Very easy to draw incorrect conclusions based on personal findings.

The review made here pushes the dt990s beyond what it was designed to do.

Also incorrect. It was pushed right to its limit, not beyond (100mW)

Everyone who has ever boosted the subbass on a DT990 and played it really loud knows what happens to Beyer drivers... they break up.
Do this with a decent ortho and it sounds clean even to higher levels. What's wrong with testing limits ?

I mean cars can go far beyond the legal speed limits but usually are not used this way. Does this mean that someone reviewing that car should not test it above that speed limit or check independently if they are not lying about the specs. ?

 

[solderdude]

this is a very nice review of the dt 900 pro x:

DT 900 PRO X

back to Beyerdynamicback to measurementshome published: Nov-1-2021, updated: Apr-16-2022 NO SMOOTHING is applied to the shown plots. Most measurement sites have some smoothing applied which ‘irons …

diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com

I think we need more time to see whether these headphones sounds so good or not, but this looks promising.

I returned it because I have the DT1990 (filtered) which is much more expensive but better.
HD560S and HE400SE are cheaper and also good headphones but the DT900 is also pretty good out of the box.

 

[Deleted member 23424]

Given the ubiquitous presence of these headphones as a comparison model in reviews I've always planned to give them a shot, if for no other reason than a reference point.

Now that I've got a DX3Pro+ on its way it seems like the ideal time.

Before I pull the trigger does anyone foresee any issues with said amp driving the 600 ohm version?

 

[HRTF_Enthusiast]

What's wrong with the video? I can imagine if he understood it wrongly or use irrelevant datasheets to solidfy his knowledge but all in all, you should help us pinpoint his faults in the video.

He essentially created his own target curve which is based on GRAS 45 BC diffuse field compensation. This would be fine if he understood how diffuse field compensation relates to in-room speaker measurements. However, his target curve is nowhere close to an in-room professional studio monitor measurement. It has very boomy bass, a high mid scoop, and boosted treble.

His claim that you can't find good audio through research papers lacks credibility since he has never read an audio research paper.

 

[Sombreuil]

IIRC Oratory said that this guy has some mental issues or something like that and asked people to avoid answering him.

 

[nyxnyxnyx]

He essentially created his own target curve which is based on GRAS 45 BC diffuse field compensation. This would be fine if he understood how diffuse field compensation relates to in-room speaker measurements. However, his target curve is nowhere close to an in-room professional studio monitor measurement. It has very boomy bass, a high mid scoop, and boosted treble.

His claim that you can't find good audio through research papers lacks credibility since he has never read an audio research paper.

Fair points, thank you for telling us. I would agree with him if he said something like "there's no objective target for everyone" or something like that, but if he quoted and used a certain target, especially when that target is related to studies and research, at the very least he needs to be well-versed in that area in order to sound convincing.

 

[gdgegregdrg]

Fair points, thank you for telling us. I would agree with him if he said something like "there's no objective target for everyone" or something like that, but if he quoted and used a certain target, especially when that target is related to studies and research, at the very least he needs to be well-versed in that area in order to sound convincing.

You have to keep in mind that HRTF_Enthusiast is also Sharur who is obsessed with reading science articles to back up his belligerent claims of what the best audio gear is and that the video he quoted was directed at him. This is HRTF_Enthusiast YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/Sharur1

HRTF_Enthusiast is a college student with not much experience in audio although he is aspiring to be a audio expert worshipping etymotic and harman target research.

He also has a subscription to some proxy service cause he went hog wild when it comes to ban evasion using 1,000 proxies.

 

[Jimbob54]

You have to keep in mind that HRTF_Enthusiast is also Sharur who is obsessed with reading science articles to back up his belligerent claims of what the best audio gear is and that the video he quoted was directed at him. This is HRTF_Enthusiast YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/Sharur1

HRTF_Enthusiast is a college student with not much experience in audio although he is aspiring to be a audio expert worshipping etymotic and harman target research.

He also has a subscription to some proxy service cause he went hog wild when it comes to ban evasion using 1,000 proxies.

Oh lordy, does that make you a sock puppet for his arch nemesis, Nouvraught?

Cant beat a bit of head fi drama!

@AdamG247 @BDWoody i smell many rats here.

 

[gdgegregdrg]

Oh lordy, does that make you a sock puppet for his arch nemesis, Nouvraught?

Cant beat a bit of head fi drama!

@AdamG247 @BDWoody i smell many rats here.

Yeah pretty sad. My audio VS his.
.

 

[AdamG]

Oh lordy, does that make you a sock puppet for his arch nemesis, Nouvraught?

Cant beat a bit of head fi drama!

@AdamG247 @BDWoody i smell many rats here.

Thanks Jim. Reincarnation member removed and deleted all posts that contained that video. Somewhat cleaned up now. This guy just keeps coming back.

 

[Jimbob54]

Thanks Jim. Reincarnation member removed and deleted all posts that contained that video. Somewhat cleaned up now. This guy just keeps coming back.

I wont comment on the Sharur/ HRTF Enthusiast accusation. I'm sure that will clear itself up too. The forum seems to have a touch of something at the minute- lots of loco in the vicinity.

 

[AdamG]

I wont comment on the Sharur/ HRTF Enthusiast accusation. I'm sure that will clear itself up too. The forum seems to have a touch of something at the minute- lots of loco in the vicinity.

The claim was true. HRTF is now gone too. Thanks to @gdgegregdrg for calling our attention to this.

 

[qsl]

It originally released in 1988. Perhaps v-shaped headphones helped expose the extreme ends of the frequency response on analog tape decks back then. It is also said to make for better soundstage (reducing the treble worsens this). It turned out to be a popular choice in competitive gaming, like the streamer Ninja who uses them, and led to Beyer introducing the TYGR to cater to that market -> https://www.focuscamera.com/wavelength/beyerdynamic-history-best-headphones-now/).

Haven't read through the entire thread, but being a purchaser when they were first released, I recall Beyer advertisements at the time touting that the drivers were tuned to compensate for natural sensitivities in human hearing as well as having the ear so close to the driver in what might be one of the first commercial applications of psychoacoustics. Clever marketing covering for a poor driver or were they on to something?

I do recall complaining that my local audio shop that they didn't carry them, so I had to go to the next town over to audition. Upon hearing them, most people in the shop bought a pair. Can all the people saying they prefer them really have cotton in their ears?

They are still my "reference" headphone (although I don't know about the newer models).

 

[solderdude]

Can all the people saying they prefer them really have cotton in their ears?

No, they just prefer lifted mid bass and treble. I listened and enjoyed a stock DT990 for years until I knew better.
The elevated treble gives some body without it sounding muddy. The elevated treble gives the impression of being hyper detailed.
With some EQ a very nice headphone for a good price.

 

[qsl]

I listened and enjoyed a stock DT990 for years until I knew better.

This is kind of akin to the Great Unwashed Masses, whose ranks also include a fair amount of mix engineers and others who listen professionally. You'd think in the 30 or so years they have been in production in some form, the scales would have fallen from their eyes and the truth would have been revealed.

Nevermind the 30 or so headphones I auditioned that year (or the people working at the audio store who also bought and had even greater access) prior to settling on these, and the occasional dalliances with the new hotness (some better in some respects, but overall, still reference), and in all that time never having the experience of emerging from Plato's Cave.

Nope, that kind of discrepancy doesn't point to anything interesting going on with measured response vs. perceived response worth investigating. Just don't know any better.

"People have a tendency to overestimate their hearing capabilities.
Use your ears to listen to music not as an analyzer.'

Quaint.

 

[Killingbeans]

Nothing pinches nerves like headphone discussions

 

[TheBatsEar]

Nothing pinches nerves like headphone discussions

MQA enters the chat.

 

[Xii-Nyth]

well I trust these measurements with my life, it seems very inconsitant wil other ones I've seen. Perhaps having few models for many years and internationally they used different stuff from one to another? either that or qc is bad but no one noticed bc the build quality is good. Certainly dont remember hearing any distortion on my tygr 300r but I also couldnt drive them too loud back when I had them

 

[Judda]

I have just taken delivery of a pair of (used) DT990 250 Ohm Pro's.
Just done some comparisons with my Lawton modified Denon D2000's, let me say that the Denon's don't embarrass the DT 990's.
Yes the Denon's are better, certainly not a day and night difference. To my hearing only marginally better.
Yet another example of diminishing returns, the Denon's are worth several times what I paid for the DT990's, but are not several times better performance wise.
Bang for buck? No contest, the DT 990's win hands down. Now don't misunderstand me, i'm not saying the DT 990's are the best in their price range, but you don't need to spend a fortune to get reasonable sound quality.
A bit like the old Sennheiser HD 540's that leave a lot of today's cans wanting, and that can still be picked up fairly cheaply, but prices have risen sharply over the past couple of years.
So either my hearing is totally screwed or the snake oil salesmen are lying again........
For the record, measurement charts mean NOTHING to me, I solely rely on what I hear.