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Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro Review (headphone)

pavuol

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dt990 is simply the "hd800s killer" or "headphone industry destroyer",if you like. Period.

Messrs forum officials you can now kindly close the thread :p
 

Robbo99999

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The saga continues.
"
"
Who needs asr when you can have broscience?
Ha, that's excellent, I can't dislike the guy, just very funny! I mean I don't believe it (in more than one way!), but I can't dislike someone that makes me laugh that much!
 

Aerith Gainsborough

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That link you provided doesn't bring much to the table.
The whole point of you the link was that even manufacturers do not see hundreds of hours of burn in as necessary for their own gear.
That goes against many a recommendation you will find in audiophile forums who laugh at you if you assess you gear in under 100hrs.

I mostly posted it because I was annoyed by this statement of yours:
Like what in fact burns-in, how come it stops after a few hours, how come some other people like yourself claim it's a process that needs few hundred hours?
Since I never stated such a ridiculous thing.

That's like asking Sennheiser not to make the HD600 because everyone might not like how it sounds.

We are talking about reviews and their recommendation based on one select target curve, not about manufacturers motivations.
IIRC Amir does not recommend or not recommend a can for it's adherence to Target but rather for general driver behavior, engineering flaws, shortcuts taken etc.

Manufacturers know that not all people like the same target curve or all cans would sound the same.

They accept that their target audience may be different. So your statement is nonsensical.
 
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pavuol

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Ha, that's excellent, I can't dislike the guy, just very funny! I mean I don't believe it (in more than one way!), but I can't dislike someone that makes me laugh that much!

You just have to be patient, wait a few months and than bang, you are rewarded..:cool:
marshmallow_bird.jpg

PS: this is how I imagine Amir accelerating his headphone burn-in process with some powerful HP amp he got :p
 

617

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I am curious you don't know what he stated. It is "common" knowledge. :) Adaptation is part of being human. This is why you forget the hum from your computer fan after a bit. Your brain starts to filter that because it is a constant. It is a survival instinct to being able to hear what is important (e.g. an animal coming to eat you), from the background noise (wind).


"Your measurements?" I asked but you didn't answer. Did you measure them and if so, how? If you didn't measure them, then you don't really know what was measured.
Imagine having that bed but also a B&K mannequin lol
 

Zensō

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The saga continues.
"
"
Who needs asr when you can have broscience?
He must be trolling. It’s either that or there’s some serious emotional issues at play. I can’t watch enough of it to figure it out.
 

ishouldbeking

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He's uploading 10 videos a day talking about his headphones and bashing reviews that don't follow his thoughts, there's no way he's being sarcastic, right?
Without being derogatory or casting aspersions, it seems just as likely that there's something else driving the constant posts. He's posted literally hundreds of videos attacking Sennheiser, including dozens (posted within a couple days) about the HD560S--based off of early reviews and measurements by others, without having heard it himself. Folks have discussed further over at reddit but it feels more obsessive / compulsive than anything. For the sake of all parties, best not to engage, repost, or mock, regardless how off base the content may be.
 

amicusterrae

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I've had these DT 990 Pros - 250 ohms - for many years and have enjoyed them. They are comfortable and very durable, having survived many falls off my desk. Sonically, I like my k712 pros better, but it's not a massive gap. And, I've definitely not heard any resonances.

This review and the NAD Visos, which I also own, have pushed me to think about why I like what I like. I don't use EQ with any of my 'cans. The NADs are my least fav, and I only keep them for the occasional need to isolate from outside noise. I don't consider the DT 990 Pros to be overly bright, BUT I do have 10+ dBs of hearing loss in my left ear from 4k to 8k Hz that surely makes me an unreliable evaluator. Yes, they are lean on low bass (like the AKGs). The extra bass/mid response above that is welcome as I listen at low volume levels. I also think I overvalue a headphone's spatial qualities. In my main system, I now listen to music in up-mixed multichannel surround exclusively. Some of that is just personal preference, but I think it has to do with my asymmetrical hearing loss, as I find that I can't reliably perceive the phantom stereo image anymore.

Measurements don't lie, and it's amazing how much our brains adapt to what we hear.
 

ishouldbeking

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One last comment on Beyerdynamics just to give some context for those who may not be all that familiar: these are really quite different than typical consumer grade headphones in that they offer quite a few versions of each model, and that folks have found noticeable (and sometimes measurable) differences between them.

For example, the DT990 comes in both Pro and "Edition" versions (the latter are sometimes erroneously called Premium editions, but the actual name is, weirdly, DT990 Edition). The Pro version is what was tested here and has a slightly different enclosure design and a different headband; the Edition is supposed to be more premium feeling, has a nicer quality headband pad (less industrial looking), much prettier enclosure design, significantly less clamping force, and as a result, slight sonic differences.

In addition, each model is offered in multiple impedances, including less common "special editions" that go all the way down to 16 ohms and up to 600 ohms. For 990's, the 250 ohm model seems to be most common; the 600 ohm model supposedly sounds the best due to the larger voice coil (or so the internet likes to say) and may or may not have a bit less treble; you can also find an 80 ohm model, 32 ohm, and occasionally a 16 ohm. I know for the 770 (closed back version from the same overall DT family), the 80 ohm version (which I own) supposedly has different internal damping and has less treble and more forward sub-bass. (The 80 ohm 770 even comes in a second version, called the 770M, which has the bass ports sealed in order to offer maximum isolation for monitoring live tracking of drums; these sound notably horrible for music reproduction and you'll often see people buying these at crazy discounts without realizing what they are and then rightly hating them.)

There are also limited edition versions in black, which have different pads and have been shown to measure differently than the silver versions. They're also available in custom colors and configurations via the Beyerdynamic site in the EU.

On top of all that, it has been demonstrated that the construction has changed a bit over the past several years; for example, the cable termination has multiple variations; the pads apparently changed manufacturer at some point and went from "plush feeling foam" to "scrunchy feeling, like filled with paper", with sonic differences apparently, and it seems that they may have gone back to certain older construction methods after users complained.

Finally, if you put any stock in the experience of SBAF users, they've long suggested that unit to unit variance has a major effect on Beyerdynamic drivers, and they talk about there being "unicorn" drivers out there that don't have the murder treble to the same degree as other units. Who knows if that's true.

ALL THIS TO SAY: not all 990s are the same. There a million versions of these things floating around, and since they've been in constant production since the 80s, there are literally millions of these units in circulation, of varying ages, some with pretty significant differences. One person's experience described online might be perfectly accurate, and you might have a very different experience when you encounter one in the wild. Still guessing these won't measure well no matter how you shake it, but there are at least quite a few variations to factor in.
 

Svperstar

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I've been on the fence about getting a pair of Beyerdynamic headphones for almost 20 years. Some people swear their 600 ohm versions sound by far better then the lower ohm versions. I wonder how the same model but different ohm versions would compare?
 

ishouldbeking

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I've been on the fence about getting a pair of Beyerdynamic headphones for almost 20 years. Some people swear their 600 ohm versions sound by far better then the lower ohm versions. I wonder how the same model but different ohm versions would compare?

There seems to be some real differences across different impedances, although worth noting Beyerdynamic likes to use different components across different versions. Lower impedance models often have shorter cables (for portability, which won't impact the sound) and pleather pads rather than the stock velour, which definitely impacts the frequency response.
 

Aerith Gainsborough

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You still haven't provided a solution to what you claim is a problem.
え?!

Sorry but at this point I am convinced that there is some kind of communication problem/language barrier at work here.
I'm not aware of having any problem with the review itself. Oo
 

solderdude

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The saga continues.
"
"
Who needs asr when you can have broscience?

The best part is... his pads do not seem to be compressed so it is very obvious he got used to the treble peak and it will still be there in full glory.
Worn pads look very different. The cups, at that point are almost against the skull.

He just needed a few months of 'burning away' his treble haircells.
have measured 30 year old DT990's ... they still have peaky treble.
 
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killdozzer

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The whole point of you the link was that even manufacturers do not see hundreds of hours of burn in as necessary for their own gear.
That goes against many a recommendation you will find in audiophile forums who laugh at you if you assess you gear in under 100hrs.

I mostly posted it because I was annoyed by this statement of yours:

Since I never stated such a ridiculous thing.



We are talking about reviews and their recommendation based on one select target curve, not about manufacturers motivations.
IIRC Amir does not recommend or not recommend a can for it's adherence to Target but rather for general driver behavior, engineering flaws, shortcuts taken etc.

Manufacturers know that not all people like the same target curve or all cans would sound the same.

They accept that their target audience may be different. So your statement is nonsensical.
Why would you take the time to write this post is beyond me.
 

ZööZ

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The best part is... his pads do not seem to be compressed so it is very obvious he got used to the treble peak and it will still be there in full glory.
Worn pads look very different. The cups, at that point are almost against the skull.

.
oh? To my ear amir's eq and oratory1990(old pads) eq sounds quite similar on my few years old dt990 and my cups are a good inch or so from my head so I guess my pads aren't compressed to the point requiring the old pads eq? (not the pro version so the clamping force might play a huge role here)
I'll have to try oratory's eq for the new pads right away to hear if there is a difference.
 

Aerith Gainsborough

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The best part is... his pads do not seem to be compressed so it is very obvious he got used to the treble peak and it will still be there in full glory.
Judging by the shiny, silvery color, these are relatively new pads. They lose their shine quickly and they look like wet dogs after you wash them. :D
 
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