beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO Open Studio Reference Headphones

Product Information

However, this is not as accentuated as the BP, so it has a *hint* of warmth, but still fairly linear overall. I will then go over the sound quality and technicalities, as well as whether I would recommend this or not and which crowd may like this or not. For the most part, instruments like electric guitars and acoustic, as well as piano tones in this region sound tonally correct. The beyerdynamic DT-1990 Pro 250 Ohm is a pair of premium-quality, open-back circumaural studio headphones. I feel it lags only by a hair when compared to my other planar headphones, but this point isn't very noticeable and better represented by an impulse response graph comparison.

Firstly, the 1990 has a 102 decibel-per-miliwatt sensitivity, so it is surprisingly easy to drive loud. I can also wear them all day long with 0 fatigue but there are times where the highs get just a little too much like this track, but nothing where I gotta take them off. The second set of pads are the “analytical” pads, and this is designated by the number of perforations on the pad’s reverse side.Whereas other headphones (such as the Sundara or the HD6XX) are similar to listening through a nice set of HiFi speakers, the DT1990 Pro is like listening through a set of very revealing studio monitors in a well treated space.

It’s not often a headphone reveals details about a song that we haven’t heard before but that’s exactly what the DT 1990 Pro did for us.It doesn't make sense how this treble tuning is conceived as "exposing flaws" when the tuning they set here is a flaw in itself. Like its predecessor, the DT 1990 Pro is a dynamic, open-back headphone that is designed for studio reference, mixing, and mastering. The phone did a decent job powering the headphones, but the headphones lose their magic without proper amping. Given there's two pads with variations in the sonic signature, I will be distinguishing the Analytical pads (AP) to the Balanced pads (BP). These headphones share some similarities with their predecessors, but for the most part, the DT 1990 PRO are better in every meaningful way.

Mids still come through clearly, and vocals in the song Wait by the River by Lord Huron are easy to hear. Featuring an open-back design, alongside Beyerdynamic’s innovative Tesla drivers, the impressive DT 1990 Pro headphones are perfect for all applications, listening, mixing and even mastering. The headband is now made from stitched protein leather, and the ear pads are velour with memory foam padding. The impedance of 250 ohms requires a headphone amplifier that provides sufficient voltage to operate the DT-1990 Pro at normal volume levels and to exploit its high resolution. Looking at graphs, there is a dip around 4kHz - 6kHz region, which lends it better to my ears and I don't find the treble as overly sharp and fatiguing.I welcome such people to try using a Parametric EQ software like Equalizer APO on your current headphone, apply a Peak filter at 7734 Hz and crank it up to something like 9 dB - you'll get the same effect. Additionally, all the moving parts on the headphone’s chassis feel smooth, and they do not feel like they will begin to rattle or loosen up any time soon. It will still sound like a Beye, but it will just be that 10 procent better and really make it shine.

When I first tried the DT1990 they sounded harsh on one instrument in one track and I thought 'oh this is what people talk about', but since then they've sounded smooth as silk. In terms of build quality it's also clearly improved to the other ones, but for comfort I have to note that they are quite heavy (a lot heavier than the 990s, because these are metal as opposed to plastic from the others). Two types of velour earpads are provided offering a choice between well-balanced sound or analytical depending on your requirements.The weight of the headphones is 370 grams, which is quite substantial, and likely due to the rugged design.