beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro 250 ohm Over-Ear Studio Headphones For Mixing, Mastering, and Editing

*UPDATE*As promised, I wanted to come back and let you all know what I thought of these cans after some burn-in. I didn't use white noise or anything special. I just left my cans connected to my AMP playing music from my computer on random at high volume. When I went to work or sleep, I would leave these playing. So....drumroll: did the burn-in make any difference? YES! A resounding YES! As you read on to my original review, you will know that I love crisp clear highs. But even for me, these headphones were a bit fatiguing initially. There was a bit of a "shattering" effect from the highs. Which I really like, but can tire your ears out very quickly. After about 300 hours of burn-in, these cans have really hit their stride. The highs are still EXCEPTIONALLY clear. I can still hear the squeak when a finger drags over a fret. I can still hear every string during an acoustic strum. The softening of the highs didn't steal anything from the clarity. The burn-in allows me to listen for a couple of hours without aural fatigue.Also, I've had a chance to use these cans using a multitude of amps. They sound fabulous using my Yamaha speaker amp/receiver. They sound great using a good headphone amp. Fiios E17 or E7/9 is probably the minimum I'd recommend. In a nutshell, these things are thirsty for power. And although they sound good without proper amperage, these cans scale beautifully when provided juice. In a nutshell, these cans thirst power, and the more you give it, the more these cans respond. Please consider this when purchasing. If you don't have a dac/amp setup or a speaker receiver with a good headphonen port, then make sure you budget for it...or plan to purchase one down the road. An already 5 star review has now become a 5 star review with an exclamation mark. ENJOY!*ORIGINAL REVIEW*I just received these headphones today, so keep in mind that these cans haven't been burned in yet. Generally a high end headphone requires about 100+ hours to burn in properly. John Grado of Grado headphones says 50 hours is a good burn in time. Others say the AKG 701/702 require about 300 hours to burn in properly. But 100 hours is widely held as the norm. I was going to wait to write the review, but they sounded so good right out of the box that I couldn't wait to write a review. I will update after about 6 months of use, so come back if this review doesn't convince you to "add to cart". I'll see if these headphones have a tonal softening after some burn in.What's in the package: Nothing but the headphones. You get the headphones with the 3.5mm jack and 1/4" screw on adapter. Both ends are gold plated.Okay, now that I've got that over with, I'll get to the meat and bones of the review, the sound--and how glorious they sound. I figured the best way to test the dynamic range and audio quality of the music was to pick a handful of songs that highlight a certain instrument or frequency range. So I'll reflect on my impressions from the various songs I chose to test out the fidelity of these headphones.Billy Jean(Michael Jackson) - Michael Jackson stated that he wanted to write a song with a great bass-line, and into the studio he went with Quincy Jones. The product of this inspiration and the collaboration was Billy Jean. The quintessential MJ song. I chose this song specifically to test the clarity of the lower freqs. WOW. The bass is deep and clear. Each bass note has it's own presence. The notes don't slur/blend into each other. There is a discernible transition from note to note. EXACTLY what I was hoping for.Getting in Tune(The Who) - Subjectively speaking, I think John Entwistle was the greatest bassist of all time. To test the speed of the bass, I chose this song because no one played the bass quite like Mr. Entwistle. Whereas Billy Jean is a slow bass-rift, Getting in Tune is classic John Entwistle and the bass notes fly all over the place rapidly. These cans keep up with the amazing fingers of John Entwistle without breaking a sweat. And as was the case with Billy Jean, each note has its own distinct presence. Open headphones usually aren't the best for exhibiting the lower freqs, but these are amazing.In the Air Tonight(Phil Collins) - I wanted to see how these cans handled drums. And if you want to go to drums, what is better than the opening drum rift in this song? Does it have the anger of a John Bonham or the craziness of Keith Moon? No, but it has the unrivaled coolness. Drums are a dynamic instrument tha covers almost the entire frequency gamut. So Drums are actually one of the best instruments to test a set of cans. Like everything else I've heard through these things, the drums are AMAZING. From the banging of the sticks, to the stomp of the bass drum, and the crash of the hi-hat these cans magically reproduce the energy that Phil Collins brings to this song.Leather and Lace(Stevie Nicks & Don Henley) - I chose this song for two reasons: the vocal mastery of the two singers; and the amazing acoustic guitar play. With a lot of lesser cans, Stevie Nicks young voice comes off squeaky. With these, the multiple layers of her brilliant voice all comes through. The youthful highs and the textured lows of her voice are all on display. Don Henley's raspy highs are depicted with amazing honesty. This song is perfect for highlighting two very distinct singing styles. And when they harmonize? you can cleary hear each singer distinct from the other. The acoustic guitar is just unbelievable through these cans. I can hear every string from each strum of the pick. Often times a strum will sound like 1 note, but I can actually hear all 6 strings separately. If you never heard this effect before, you are missing out.Mr. Know It All(Kelly Clarkson) - I picked this song because Kelly Clarkson has one of the best voices going today, and because it is a modern pop/rock song with modern production value. Whereas the other songs kept gaps in the frequency range, this song presents a wall of music effect. By this, I mean that almost the entire frequency range is ALWAYS present. The bass-line isn't as distinctive as was the case with Billy Jean and Getting in Tune, but that is such the way of newer songs. The bass-line is a ever-present steamroller. Now this isn't a bad thing. These cans allow the bass to maintain its ever-presence while still allowing the mid-range and highs to co-exist. Kelly Clarkson's powerful voice doesn't get drowned out. With amazing clarity, every layer, every tone, every break in her voice sound AMAZING.Piano Concerto No. 1(Tchaikovsky - performed by Ivo Pogorelich) - This is my favorite classical piece. This is also my favorite rendition of this piece. Ivo Pogorelich takes a lot of artistic freedom in his interpretations, and this song is no exception. His piano performance is imperfectly perfect. I know that's an oxy-moron, but because he chooses to play it the way he feels, the emotional impact to the listener is that much greater. So you can imagine my disappointment when this version of the song was unbearable with these cans. I am a bit torn when it comes to hi-fidelity and classical music. You almost ALWAYS get static. I don't care whether you have a HD-audio or FLAC copy, it is the nature of the recording methods. The best performances are usually live, and you are going to get static in a live recording environment. So although every instrument is distinct and the sound-stage vast, the static is just too much of a distraction. The better the headphones or speakers, the more static you will get. So I was forced to play a different version of the same piece--the Martha Argerich version which has a lot less static. Her rendition is textbook. She plays it as Tchaikovsky wrote it. She is technically one of the finest pianists EVER. This version has a lot less static, but there still is static nonetheless. This version allowed me to focus a bit more on the instruments. When someone hammers the ivory, often times you will hear the reverberations and echo inside the piano box. And these are the first cans I've listened to that reproduce this effect as realistically. You can hear the horse hairs sliding across the strings. Just an amazing set of cans for classical music, but you have to make sure you have the best recordings or else the static will ruin your listening experience. This is no gig on the cans, it is a gig on the recording methods. So you may not be able to enjoy your favorite pieces unless you find a flawless version of it. I would say about 90% of my classical collection is adversely effected by the poor recordings and are thus rendered unlistenable with these cans ability to reveal every flaw.Hate it or Love it (50 Cent - G UNIT version) - I love this song. And you can't do a current headphone review without including a hip-hop song. So why not pick my favorite? A good set of hip-hop cans will get your head bobbing and your fingers snapping. You won't even realize you are doing this. It's why hip-hop is such a good genre of music for clubs. These headphones are almost too precise for hip-hop. I am so amazed by how great they sound, I find myself listening to the intricacies of every note that I don't find myself bobbing and weaving. If headphones can be too good for hip-hop, these are them. The precision distracts from the vibe that is so important to hip-hop. The same thing happened when I tried a few other hip-hop songs like Hot Revolver by Lil' Wayne, The Way I Are by Timbaland, and Diamonds from Sierra Leone by Kanye West. Maybe over time I will get used to the precision and won't get distracted, but presently, I'm not sure I'd choose these headphones for hip-hop. Stereo Hearts by Gym Class Heroes and Without You by David Guetta don't suffer the same fate. These songs don't rely on bass as much as the other songs. And as such, they are fantastic for listening to with these cans. But these two songs aren't so much as hip-hop. They are more dance-pop songs.There are so many other songs I'd like to cover like Sweet Child o' Mine, Crazy Train, any live Clapton, anything David Bowie, Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Marley's Redemption Song, Journey, Annie Lennox, Foo Fighters, Collective Soul, Linkin Park and so many more. But I think I'll let you discover that for yourselves. I have never listened to a set of headphones that rival these. I've always leaned towards precision from my Hi-Fi equipment. Maybe it's because I grew up playing instruments growing up, but I love hearing the instruments and voices in all their flawed glory. I love hearing a break in a voice, the strum of an acoustic, and the clatter of a hi-hat. These cans are truly for the sound-purist. What an amazing bargain at ~$200. Imagine what they will sound after 300 hours? I know...I can't wait to find out. If you want to find out more about these headphones, post a comment and I'll be sure to reply.

If you're like me, then you probably spend hours and hours researching different products, comparing the prices and the pros and cons of many products. Headphones included. For me, I have had a set of AD900x headphones for a few years, and the cable gave out, so I opted to try a new set of headphones. It was down to 3 choices within the same price range, all open back. The Sennheiser HD599, The Beyerdynamic DT990, or just settling for another pair of AD900x's. (Sadly couldn't really consider anything AKG because every model I saw in the same price range required an amp.) I don't know whether to call myself an audiophile or not, but I would like to say that I pay very close attention to sound, and its very important to me. Perhaps the most crucial part of a headphone for obvious reasons. I'm not a professional, just an average guy that loves/has good sound equipment. I would like to offer some clarification, at least that my ears have heard, as I have had the opportunity to own all 3 sets due to some circumstances that Ill discuss later. Here's a comparison with the 3 different headphones I was in the market for.Sennheiser HD599: Pleasant.These headphones to my ears are designed to sound pleasant, not necessarily accurate. At first I was worried about that, especially hearing about the signature "Sennheiser Veil" That everyone talks about. I'm pleased to say that despite my worries, they did an amazing job with what they were marketed for. They do have a small "Veil" That some people may or may not like, but the veil is essentially to my ears a cut in the high mid frequencies. These are the frequencies that are very harsh, and the high highs are still perfectly sparkly and sounded very nice. I found myself going to these headphones for relaxation and for pure enjoyment. You could definitely fall asleep wearing them as many have said. I recommend these headphones for ones that want to relax or have a "milder" sound with their setup. To my ears they seem to have the most bass out of the 3 as well. Again, I was afraid I would not like them because I was afraid that I would not like the sound signature of them, but I was very pleased. Unfortunately, I had to return them due to a defect which made the balance shift to the right side that made it louder. They were a used set, which is something to keep in mind.AD900x: Natural.The best selling point of these headphones in my opinion are their soundstage. Its the best soundstage I've heard out of the 3. And they also to my ears have the most neutral tuning out of the 3 headphones. They are also incredibly comfortable, despite their "gimmicky" Headband design, I actually quite liked them a lot. As much as 4 years worth to be exact. This design made them very light, so many times I would forget that they were on my head. I find myself using these headphones if I want to feel like I am in the room with whatever I'm listening to. They had enough treble to get the job done which I enjoyed. The bass is also there, although a little light. I feel that with the amazing soundstage, some detail had to be sacrificed, including the bass. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I recommend these headphones for ones that want the most neutral sound out of the 3, and who want superior soundstage, who don't mind a small loss of detail. Like feeling like you are actually walking through that forest, or that you're actually there listening to the orchestra.DT990: Detailed.It seems that these headphones are designed mainly for studio production. And if that's the case, I wholeheartedly recommend these headphones, which is what I'm currently using now. The ones that I got were the 80 ohm edition if that matters. I have it plugged straight into my motherboard. These headphones offer the most details out of the 3, which I really like. Due to the defect in the Sennheisers mentioned above, I decided to try these. I was very worried about the treble response that everyone keeps complaining about, but decided to bite the bullet, as I could easily EQ it out. I'm pleased to say that for my ears, that is not an issue. In fact, if people hadn't been complaining about it, I probably wouldn't have noticed it. Yes, they are nice and bright, but I like them. Its like a speaker with tweeters vs without. COULD it be harsh? I suppose perhaps, but its not so much making the treble overwhelming, more so reproducing it much more effectively. Again to MY ears. If I want to hear exactly where my opponent is coming from, or exactly how loud I should have a certain track in my mixes, or even just listening for things I haven't heard before in songs I like a lot, I find myself using these headphones. I also find these headphones to have a better bass response then the AD900x's. I recommend these headphones for anyone that wants to hear every little detail of whatever they're listening to, especially useful for producing or mixing audio.Conclusion: My personal favorites are the DT990s for their excellent detail in their sound. They are also extremely comfortable due to their amazing ear pads. But you cannot go wrong with any of the above mentioned sets. They are all excellent sets, and do what they are made for, and do it well. If you have a preference having one feature over another, then I recommend going with the headphone that suits your need the best. But i will say the DT990s have a build quality and sound quality to my ears that is hard to match.Nutshell:Sennheiser HD599: ComfortAudio Technica AD900X's : SoundstageBeyerdynamic DT990s: DetailsHope this was able to help everyone who reads this. I had many questions and hopefully this can help others who have similar questions. Cheers!

I bought these in 2019 for PC gaming. I still use them to this day. The build quality is very sturdy (maybe change the earcups and headband cushion now and then. You know who you are). The sound quality, fantastic. They carry an impeccably clean, analytical sound, but with a pretty decent amount of detailed, punchy bass; not as much low end as, say, the closed-back DT 770, but more than Sennheiser. Of note, vocals are more forward than average. It suits most genres of music so I recommend them if you're a musical omnivore and need one headphone to rule them all.But I got these for a PC setup, and they do the job admirably. Its relatively neutral sound makes these headphones suited for details like sound positioning in FPS games, and pretty much any game that features some kind of spatial audio. Games with good Atmos support, like Cyberpunk 2077, really shine in particular with the DT 990; you can stand in the middle of a busy market or street and listen to the world buzz by you.It has drawbacks. It's bright. Much brighter than the DT 770s. They're almost Grado bright, and I like Grado cans. It doesn't bother me, but I can see how some could find it more fatiguing.I also bought the 250ohm version. Like most Beyer cans, they're deceptively power hungry (with the 250ohm especially so), so make sure you have a good amp.If you find the DT 990 too bright and fatiguing for your ears, I recommend the DT 770. The sound signature is still similar, but with more bass. I find I can pick out the details in songs and in a game much easier with the 990, and I've chosen and stuck with it for years.Just make sure you have a good headphone amp. Seriously.