beyerdynamic DT-990 Pro

The first time I used them to work on a track, it was late at night and I had no option to mix on the monitors, so I figured I'd do what I could with the arrangement and then fix the shortcomings in the mix on the monitors the next day.

The next day, there **were** no shortcomings in the mix and I wasted a lot of time muting and soloi-ng sounds to try and track down where I'd got the balance wrong the previous evening, because they were so well mixed that I couldn't tell if the reason I couldn't pick them out from the others was because they were perfectly balanced or because one of them was too quiet/loud (they all just blended so seamlessly that certain sounds were only what they were because the whole was greater than the sum of the parts)..

I use Yamaha HS8 monitors so, if there's anything wrong with a mix, I'm **going** to hear it: I got them precisely **because** they're so unforgiving (if you can make your mix sound good on them, it won't simply sound good on anything but **everything** else).. So that gives you some idea of the performance of the DT 990 Pros!

The only negative concerns comfort: after a couple of hours, they definitely feel a bit tight below the ear and no amount of repositioning (or even loosening) changes that. After a couple of hours it's more than time to give your ears a rest anyway, but the DT 990 Pros aren't any more comfortable when you put them back on an hour later - something about the grip just has a lasting impact, it seems. They're not painful to wear for long periods and the discomfort is only a minor irritation, but you might notice some nevertheless.

For the price, therefore, some minor discomfort after prolonged use aside, the DT 990 Pro headphones are astounding; I expected them to be okay, workmanlike and 'good enough', but nowhere near as good as they are - not only would but will buy again.

Let me preface by saying that I'm mostly and IEM guy due to the detail they can provide. However, my best IEM has been the Xiaomi Hybrid Pro HD. Despite not being a bass head I do think that bass is the base in music and usually provides the "body" of a song and is what adds energy to a song. I love being able to hear every single detail in a song as well. A tall order for 115 euro headphones I'm sure. I usually listen to (pop) punk, hardcore, hiphop and jazz and I also bought these for gaming. I tried on a ton of other headphones before trying these so I'll give you an overview of those quickly:

Sony MDR 7506: Not sure what the hype is about, these sounded so bad for me. Analytical but it hurt my ears listening to songs and didn't make for an enjoyable experience
Shure SRH 840: Ok but a bit muddy, also didn't like it that much, sounded worse than my Logitech G430 in my opinion.
AKG K245: These didn't sound too bad. Good bass and mids, highs sounded a bit harsh to me but so did most headsets. Probably the closest to the DT 990 Pro
AKG K275: Absolute trash. Don't even try it. I've seen some good reviews but wow this thing hurt my ears and was not fun to listen to at all.
AKG K361: Not bad but I didn't like the sound signature. Focused more towards vocals. I'd say between the K245 and K361 I'd go for the K245 which has a somewhat warmer sound
Audio Technica ATH-M40X: The sound was good, I preferred it over the M50X which sounded a bit more muddy to me. Build quality is really meh and comfort wise also not the best
Audio Technica ATH-M50X: Marginally better built than the M40x but didn't like the sound as much. Definitely warmer than the M40x, closer to the AKG K245 I'd say.
Audio Technica ATH-M60X: Really good sound for closed backs but the earpads were a bit on the small side. My ears barely fit inside and I can imagine these to be more like on-ears for some people.
Beyer Dynamics DT-770 Pro: Oh wow what a mess. I tried all the different versions and they all sounded like complete crap. Highs were piercing and the bass felt like it was all over the place and recessed. Definitely not a good experience. Would rate these like the AKG K275, terrible and I don't really see what the hype is about.
Beyer Dynamics DT-880 Pro: Overall good sounding headphones, pretty neutral but with a good tone. These sound similar to the DT-990 Pro but a bit warmer.
Sony Fidelio X2HR: Comfortable for my head but they sounded pretty muffled to me. I'd compare them to my cheap 5 euro pair of Xiaomi Piston which has a V-shape. The bass on these is a bit clearer but it's not something I'd listen to analytically. Good for hiphop but ultimately expensive for what they offer.

Beyer Dynamics DT-990 Pro/Edition: Wow, the only pair of headphones I tried on today which I wanted to take home with me. Sound wise nothing came close. Sound stage is wide (though I've heard wider) and imaging is good, it felt like I was at the performance. Bass is really good and detailed with some deep extension, but it's not loud. I don't know how to explain it properly but . Highs were crisp and detailed, not fatiguing at all. Mids were definitely recessed but nothing an EQ couldn't handle. I didn't find the highs piercing at all compared to most other headphones I tried but high hats kinda sound fatiguing. These headphones are good enough to pick up badly mastered songs.

Another user here described the sound as "but in absolute terms the sound is at best muffled -- thin, lacking in clarity, transient response and bass" and I do kind of agree with the headphones sounding a bit thin and veiled. In the first week I thought "wow yeah I can hear mostly every detail, even in the bass, but I'm not really having fun listening to my songs. It was lacking body/power in the bass. Yesterday I messed around with my PEACE EQ, added around 7dB to 39hz and 4dB to 78hz (with -3dB on the pre-amp), slightly lowered the highs and added a tiny bit of mids and WOW do these things come alive. The bass feels like a proper closed back now and I had so much fun listening to my songs that I stayed up until 05:00 in the morning just listening to my favorite songs. It's amazing for the genres I listen to and really shines with Jazz and hiphop now. After these EQ changes it also meant that I could listen at lower volumes because I wasn't chasing the bass and in turn made the sound less fatiguing. These can be driven by an iPhone 6S but it's not as good as using a dedicated dac/amp. I drive these with a Scarlett 2i2 2nd Gen.

Build quility wise the only thing that worries me about the Beyer Dynamics are the plastic sliders for head adjustment and no removable cable. Every Beyerdynamic in the store had cracked sliders. They're cheap to replace but still not the best design obviously. Comfort wise the Fidelio X2HR and the DT880 and DT990 Edition were better but these are a close 2nd. Clamping force is somewhat high but the pads are super comfortable (though my ears do touch the driver side). The coiled cable is heavy but feels sturdy enough.

Conclusion: Good headphones but need some EQ work to reach their full potential. If you need something for home use in the €50-€200 range I wouldn't hesitate to go for these over any of the other options, otherwise I'd recommend the Audio Technica ATH-M60X.