Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro Review (headphone)

[KTN46]

Making an account, calling people meanies and histerically announcing your profile deletion request. Same behavior every time, like from some handbook. I hope you are not a grown man at least.

Also same inability to respond to very clear and written prompting from other forum members, instead moving goalposts and deflecting to other points. Straight out of a fallacy playbook.

 

[BDWoody]

looking for a way to delete my profile? How do I do that?

I took care of that for you.
So nice you could stop by.

 

[killdozzer]

Just a friendly reminder that the people who like DT990 are far from a uniform group. People are putting toilet paper over the driver, but hang onto the headphones. This was done way before this review. Maybe their actions reflect what has been said here, no? If you simply like their particular sound, it may prevent you in giving credit to any criticism.

 

[samwell7]

Just a friendly reminder that the people who like DT990 are far from a uniform group. People are putting toilet paper over the driver, but hang onto the headphones. This was done way before this review. Maybe their actions reflect what has been said here, no? If you simply like their particular sound, it may prevent you in giving credit to any criticism.

I think it's more of a statistical thing, the DT990s are a popular headphone that has been around for a long time thus should have plenty of owners which are active on the internet.
Assuming that a certain percentage of any group of people enjoy 'stirring the pot' it makes sense that there would be negative responses in relation to one person's subjective opinion that doesn't line up with their own.

I don't think it's any specific headphone owner group, I'm sure a similar thing will happen with the K702s when they get reviewed.

 

[solderdude]

I like your sense of humor. 114dB Come on! According to experts in this field (Manowar) everything below 120dB is not really loud...

Never heard of equal loudness contours and looked at the spectrum of recorderd music I imagine ?

114dB SPL at 1kHz is VERY loud. 114dB SPL at 30Hz is not nearly as loud.
It makes sense to test low frequencies at these levels. For higher frequencies not so much but it does show some soar points.

 

[killdozzer]

I think it's more of a statistical thing, the DT990s are a popular headphone that has been around for a long time thus should have plenty of owners which are active on the internet.
Assuming that a certain percentage of any group of people enjoy 'stirring the pot' it makes sense that there would be negative responses in relation to one person's subjective opinion that doesn't line up with their own.

I don't think it's any specific headphone owner group, I'm sure a similar thing will happen with the K702s when they get reviewed.

That's as well as maybe. My point being, it's not Amir against the world which sheds important light on those complaining about this review. Personal preference doesn't explain all the differences in opinion although they often get treated exactly as they do explain them. For example, like the model or not, no one ever said that entry level Grado has deep low end and that they are not "bright". It's sometimes more unifomr than people want to admit to themselves. People have a strong urge to accentuate their individuality (my 2c is bc they feel it threaten in a 7.7 billion world and they are in fact aware that there's nothing special or different about them - sadest exhibition of this being when they try to demonstrate their uniqueness by "shopping elswhere" not in the least bit bothered by the fact that everyone shops somewhere and that that makes them exactly the same, like everyone having a smartphone but with a "different" pic of their kids). In the end, everyone thinks Grados are on the bright side. You just have those who like it, those who are not bothered by it and those who don't notice it at all.

 

[Aerith Gainsborough]

Just a friendly reminder that the people who like DT990 are far from a uniform group. People are putting toilet paper over the driver, but hang onto the headphones. This was done way before this review. Maybe their actions reflect what has been said here, no? If you simply like their particular sound, it may prevent you in giving credit to any criticism.

Aye, I have seen these "mods". They exist for the DT-880 too.

Personally I could never fathom why people bothered with that. Why spend 300€ (back then the cans were more expensive) for a can whose sonic signature is not to your taste.
Even more so, why not use proper, controllable EQ?

Well many of these posts came from purists, who usually think that DSP is the spawn of the devil but apart from that point 1 still remains.
I've even seen people do it to the Clear. Can you imagine that?

 

[maverickronin]

Personally I could never fathom why people bothered with that. Why spend 300€ (back then the cans were more expensive) for a can whose sonic signature is not to your taste.
Even more so, why not use proper, controllable EQ?

Pretty much everything needs some kind of EQ anyway and a relative absence of good hardware EQ solutions makes a strong case for mods in a lot of situations.

 

[Human Bass]

I never enjoyed teu Beyer sound signature, always too harsh, good to see that on graphs.

 

[Vini darko]

Why mod headphones? Because standard is a crime

 

[amicusterrae]

That's as well as maybe. My point being, it's not Amir against the world which sheds important light on those complaining about this review. Personal preference doesn't explain all the differences in opinion although they often get treated exactly as they do explain them. For example, like the model or not, no one ever said that entry level Grado has deep low end and that they are not "bright". It's sometimes more unifomr than people want to admit to themselves. People have a strong urge to accentuate their individuality (my 2c is bc they feel it threaten in a 7.7 billion world and they are in fact aware that there's nothing special or different about them - sadest exhibition of this being when they try to demonstrate their uniqueness by "shopping elswhere" not in the least bit bothered by the fact that everyone shops somewhere and that that makes them exactly the same, like everyone having a smartphone but with a "different" pic of their kids). In the end, everyone thinks Grados are on the bright side. You just have those who like it, those who are not bothered by it and those who don't notice it at all.

I think you hit the nail on the head. Remember the Far Side cartoon with the penguin, surrounded by lots of other penguins, who shouts out, "I just got to be me!"? Toole, Olive et al.'s research, being applied at Harman and elsewhere, is threatening to those who don't fit within the majority sound balance preference. I think it also threatens the essence of what some people love about audio--the ongoing "search" for that perfect upgrade that equals audio nirvana. I remember Richard Greiner's letters to the editor in the Audio Critic, stating he hadn't felt the need to upgrade his stereo system in decades. That doesn't sell gear Some of us long for the day when every speaker/headphone measures reasonably the same, but there are many enthusiasts who think that will be the end times. Measurements like what Amir got with the DT 990s really push these buttons, hard.

 

[ishouldbeking]

Aye, I have seen these "mods". They exist for the DT-880 too.

Personally I could never fathom why people bothered with that. Why spend 300€ (back then the cans were more expensive) for a can whose sonic signature is not to your taste.
Even more so, why not use proper, controllable EQ?

Well many of these posts came from purists, who usually think that DSP is the spawn of the devil but apart from that point 1 still remains.
I've even seen people do it to the Clear. Can you imagine that?

As a proud owner of an 80 ohm DT 770 with a layer of paper towel over the driver, I can offer my justification.

(1) They were the best reasonably priced closed-back I could find at the time. The K371 didn't exist yet; I already own an ATH-M50 and find it uncomfortable and unpleasant to listen to; other options were less appealing for one reason or another. EDIT: the price is also quite low; they can be had for $140 pretty easily in the US, sometimes as little as $125 if you find a sale. (amazon.co.uk usually has them even cheaper if you're comfortable with the shipping times)

(2) The basic design of the Beyerdynamic DT 770/880/990 Pro line is fantastically comfortable, durably built, and every component is user replaceable should the need arise. That function-first design ethos paired with a quirky retro recording studio aesthetic is appealing at the end of the day, even if there are "nicer" options available at a higher price.

(3) As for the paper-towel solution, system-wide EQ wasn't an option for me at the time. My primary listening sources are an iPhone and a work computer where I can't install software beyond Spotify and iTunes. I've since solved that with a Qudelix 5K, which has built-in PEQ. The paper towel is surprisingly effective at taming the treble; the bass and mids come to the fore and the treble is still quite present, but it transforms them into something much more usable and fun (the sub-bass is quite satisfying).

 

[Aerith Gainsborough]

Some of us long for the day when every speaker/headphone measures reasonably the same .

I seriously doubt that will ever be the case (pre DSP) because product designers want their products to stand out. You can't do that when every can sounds the same and visuals only go so far in terms of convincing folks to upgrade to your shiny new model.

It is already close post DSP (if the hardware itself is competent and free of design flaws) though.

I think it also threatens the essence of what some people love about audio--the ongoing "search" for that perfect upgrade that equals audio nirvana.

Tell me about it!
My audiophile "journey" also came to a rather unspectacular end once I found this place. :X
Unless something breaks, I do not expect to upgrade anything for a ... well.. very long time.

As a proud owner of an 80 ohm DT 770 with a layer of paper towel over the driver, I can offer my justification.

Thanks, always interesting to see what makes other people tick.
Much agreed on Point 2, easily sourced replacement parts and user friendly design (in terms of repairs) is awesome.
Also agreed on the comfort when wearing them.

 

[lordhumungous]

I never enjoyed teu Beyer sound signature, always too harsh, good to see that on graphs.

Go to some Metallica concerts and park in front of the speakers with no ear plugs. You will love the Beyer sound after a few years.

 

[xlen]

Go to some Metallica concerts and park in front of the speakers with no ear plugs. You will love the Beyer sound after a few years.

Umm, that's not how that works, but let me explain to you that not everyone wants a reference open-back headphone, personally, I've got an issue with early roll offs and dry sound that's common on open-back headphones, but hey you can buy whatever you want, just don't tell that what's good for you is good for everyone.

 

[lordhumungous]

Umm, that's not how that works, but let me explain to you that not everyone wants a reference open-back headphone, personally, I've got an issue with early roll offs and dry sound that's common on open-back headphones, but hey you can buy whatever you want, just don't tell that what's good for you is good for everyone.

Did I say that ?

 

[monkeyboy]

There seems to be two groups of people, those who don't find the beyer type response a problem and those who like a warmer tuning. I have DT1990s, T1.2s and PSB M4U1...I don't find any of them particularly bright or lacking base. I've had a pair of HP50s at one point but thought they sounded muffled.

It would be interesting to see if the two groups had common characteristics...

I listen a very low volumes, conversation level or a bit lower in a quiet room, and tend to listen for the details in the music...I'm bothered by load noises, I wear ear plugs at the movies. I don't like crowds as I tend to hear every conversation

 

[KTN46]

There seems to be two groups of people, those who don't find the beyer type response a problem and those who like a warmer tuning. I have DT1990s, T1.2s and PSB M4U1...I don't find any of them particularly bright or lacking base. I've had a pair of HP50s at one point but thought they sounded muffled.

I use the 1990s with the Dekoni Hybrid pads and a tiny bit of a mid-EQ bump. The bass and sub-bass are just so delicious. I wonder if any combination of pads/mods can salvage the 990s. I think it would be cool if Amir tested some hardware mods on some choice headphones.

 

[Fone]

I found the DT990 Pro to be comfortable and enjoyable.

 

[ZööZ]

I wonder if any combination of pads/mods can salvage the 990s.

I actually was testing mine with dekoni pleather pads last night, it really surprised me how much it changed the sound signature (only other headphone I have tested with different pads has been my son's Logitech G Pro X as it comes with velour and pleather ones) but can't really say I was enjoying it.

Tried out few different equalizstions with them, Amir's and both new and worn pads from Oratory990. I know none of them match with the pads FR but wanted to see which one of those goes best with them. Amir's was probably the best of the lot, New pads eq sounded kinda off and muffled the old pads eq sounded more natural and amirs was a bit brighter and more energetic than that. But none of them sounded as good as EQ with the velour pads, the bass almost gave me fatigue but it was definitely with more presence and no doubt you could eq it to be more suitable with the pleather pads. I'll do some more listening today but can't really see myself sticking with the pleather pads.

If you want to try something terrible try the pleather pads raw without EQ But maybe my volume just was too loud for them raw when switching between the equalizations.

They definitely are salvageable with EQ and I actually listened to them for years raw and enjoyed them (at lower volumes than now with eq) but I think there is no going back from EQ'd headphones now which is a shame as I have no means to equalize MQA tracks from Tidal. The only software capable of MQA EQ, as far as I know is Roon which is quite pricey with it's monthly subscribtion (still cheaper than Netflix though) and don't know of a software for my mobile that could do it and would really like to be able.