Customer Reviews

beyerdynamic DT 990 Premium 250 Ohm Headphone (Black/Silver)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I previously had the AKG 701 headphones as my main headphones. The problem with those is that after several hours they would really hurt my head. They did sound very, very good though. I never realized how much they lacked in the bass department until I put on some old Sennheiser HD-555's.

I "upgraded" to these expecting them to sound about the same or slightly better than my AKG 701s. The difference is HUGE. These sound much, much better. The first week i've been listening to music much more often because these make it sound so much better.

These are by far the most comfortable headphones there is. Easily. No pain and I wear them for up to 5 hours at times when i'm at the computer.

They also work well with my 15gb ipod video, but a headphone amp is suggested. The volume isn't too low on the ipod with these and I actually need to decrease the volume. I wasn't expecting the ipod to be able to power these. Thanks to these, i'm now avoiding mp3 format and have been going with FLAC and Apple Lossless formats.

I'd imagine though that these will not work well with the ipod shuffle or smaller devices. I haven't tested this yet.

I own 6 different pairs of headphones and these are the best. Better than the AKG 701's, Sennheiser HD-555's and Grado SR-80's.

The price on these is very good. I think it's a deal considering my former headphones were much more expensive.

I have had the 990's for almost 15 years now and they have held up very well. The only change in design I can see is the ones I bought all those years ago had black cushions instead of the current grey. I listen to these straight from the headphone jack of a Revox B-226 Signature CD player, which at $1600 probably has an above average quality headphone jack for a home CD player.......but it drives them fine. I have not tried them on a portable.

They have held up very well though the head-cushion padding is falling apart. Still.......they have held up well and still sound great. About a year after I bought them, I upgraded to the Grado HP-2 headphone for $495. At first I did not like the Grado's as well, but after I gave them time to burn in, I felt the more expensive Grado's had better overall and accurate sound.
But for as little as $160 now, these BeyerDynamics are a great buy. I would also advise people (who live in an area large enough to have electronic store that carry high end headphones) to audition the competition from Grado and Sennheiser for similar prices.

One warning...if these are out of your price range be careful about buying some of the cheaper Beyers. I have heard some of these and they DON'T measure up to the 990's or the competition under $100. If you have under $100 to spend, I recommend the Grado SR-60's ($69) or the Grado SR-80's ($95).

I tried out a friend's pair of these after listening to Sennheiser HD600s and AKG 701s in a store, and then bought this pair. While I know headphones need to play in and everyone hears differently, I can't imagine anyone being disappointed with these. Actually I can't imagine anyone being disappointed with the Senns or the AKGs, but these have to my hearing a better, fuller low end. They are much more comfortable than my old Koss Pro 4AAs, and the presence of the sound is exceptional. Any headphone in this range is going to point out the shortcomings of your source, but these are very smooth. I connected them to my iPod Nano and they sounded great, no problem driving them. I've got them hooked now to my PC for [...] and it's very sweet.
I've played them with vinyl and CDs. I suppose the AKGs are incrementally more accurate and the Sennheisers kinder to the source, but these are fine.

Had them all - Grado's, Sennheiser's, Koss., etc. Nothing comes close for the money. These have great imaging and a terrific non-fatiguing sound that can be listened to for hours. Unlike the Sennheiser's they actually have bass. Unlike the Grado's they have a soundstage. Unlike Koss they're comfortable to wear.

This model has been around for a long time - why mess with perfection?

They also come with an adapter that permits their use with ipod-like devices too.

I picked a pair of the BeyerDynamic DT990s about a month and a half ago. I love them. They could quite possible be the best "fun" headphones for the price.

If you're looking for something well balanced, these aren't gonna be them(Try the AKG K701s or Senn HD650s instead). If you want something that's just a blast to listen to, don't look any further.

Awesome bass. Deep, powerful, tight enough for metal. What else do you need? There's lots of nice clean bass...but not too much where it overpowers the mids.

Sparkling highs...these headphones are on the bright side. There's no denying that. It's my thing and many others love it while others hate it. As with all audio, everyone likes their a different sound. The way guitars and cymbals sound through these headphones is simply beautiful.

The clarity of the DT990s is superb. You hear everything, whether you want to or not. You definitely need a quality source otherwise you will hear ever part of the bad recording. They're not forgiving what so ever.

Listening to songs through these headphones has made some songs sound completely different...I hear things I've never heard before! Quite amazing and my previous pair of headphones are pretty decent(Grado SR-80).

Also, these headphones need an amp. If you try to power them off an mp3 player or a sound card you may be disappointed.

These headphones are perfect for rock and electronica. While everything sounds great through them, they excel at the mentioned two.

If you like rock, give these headphones a shot. Do make sure to let them burn in as they sound totally different after about 100 hours.

Lastly, these headphones are a bit bright so pairing them with a nice warm amp will make them sound their best

The Beyer DT990 Pro is a 5-Star performer, but I "downrated" it on account of the skimpy headband padding (the only deficiency in this otherwise superb set of "cans"). The DT990 is "open air", but isolation from the surrounding environment is greater than with some others (thinking here of the Sennheiser open-backed phones). I found the sonic balance unique at first -- but, the sonic character "improves" with the first, few auditions. Other reviewers have described this phenomenon as "burn-in", but I think it has more to do with the ear-brain reaction to the overall sonic character of the headphones. At any rate, I now depend totally on the DT990. Anyone seeking a top-line headphone will not be disappointed (headband notwithstanding). I titled this review, "absolutely stunning sound". By that, what I mean is clean, responsive, and clear -- everthing an audiophile-class headphone should be.

Very good value considering the competitive pricing. (Note to sticklers: The velour earpads, while comfortable, are a very odd color -- silver, or grey -- that contrasts starkly with the rest of the headphone assembly.)

The DT-990 Pro is an excellent headphone. Sound is fairly aggressive and forward, which to me equals involving and fun. THe highs are crisp and clear, but not fatiguing as some have found with phones such as the Grado line. The Grados are often mentioned as THE phones for rock, but the DT-990s are also excellent for rock music with the fatigue as well as being much more comfortable. The 990s have large ear cups with cushy velour pads, And the headband seems quite comfortable to me. Do note that it is a difficult phone to drive, requiring a source with a powerful headphone out or the addition of a headphone amp. Not something you would just hook up to your iPod. All and all a great headphone.

I have had my DT990 250ohm headphones for over a month now, and they have roughly 100-150 hours on them. I listen to my headphones all day long, as I am an online student. I bought them to replace my Sony MDR-7506's which I am still very happy with. When I first plugged them into my uDAC-2 and listened to them, I was massively disappointed. I mean DEVASTATED. I HATED them. They sounded muffled, distant and completely lacking any dynamics. I went back to my Sony's to compare, and I immediately wished I could turn back time. The Sony's sounded far better, clearer and more engaging. Figuring I was going to need to sell them, I let the DT990's burn-in for the rest of the day to make sure. In the next few hours I started noticing that everything sounded pretty decent. I wondered if it was more my ears getting used to the sound, so I popped my Sony's on again to compare. I actually preferred the 990's now. Over the next few days it only got better, and now there is simply no comparison at all. The Beyerdynamics are far superior, and sound great.

I am very confused with the terms people are using to describe these headphones, like 'bright.' I cannot for the life of me understand what these people are talking about. These are not too bright, or harsh in any way. Perhaps some people have very sensitive ears, I don't really know. The bass is incredibly deep and powerful, and the mids are pretty good. Admittedly, the mids are a tad recessed, a product of the scoop shaped EQ that these headphones come with. For me though, the way that they engage you in the music with their clarity and bass makes up for it. You will really enjoy listening to these. The uDAC-2 was more than enough to power these, but my PC alone could not do it. They were much too quiet without an amplifier. The ability to hear outside noises is better than a noise-canceling type headphone, but with the volume up is still quite encapsulating. The sound coming out from them at high levels is definitely audible, but not obnoxious. At mid-low volume they are almost silent. The comfort is insane, they go completely over your ear and you forget you're wearing them. I thought my Sony's were comfortable, but now the way that they are 'on' my ear is annoying. The Beyer's are just so comfortable, even after hours and hours of listening. I never experienced any fatigue at all from these, despite listening to them at very high levels for extended periods of time. They sound great with games, movies, TV, music, anything you throw at them. Overall, I just can find anything wrong with these headphones. They sound great, look great and feel great. If you can get an amp for them, I would say they are a no-brainer. Just a blast to listen to.

After my Razor Barracuda headphones started to fall apart, with some of the pieces holding it together starting to fall apart and with unacceptable rattle, I decided to get a pair of higher quality, serious headphones. I initially chose these because the Razor Barracuda headphones had a ton of bass (though there were serious problems with it - read my review on those for details,) and other reviews for these headphones suggested that these had more bass than other higher-end headphones. However, when I got these, the most pronounced feature of these were the brilliant (and loud) highs. Properly recorded cymbals and hihats have a stronger metallic sound to them, making them sound very close to a live cymbal or hihat playing. These headphones can make all the prominent sounds clear as day, while successfully bringing in tiny nuances that I had never heard before.

I listen to a lot of techno at high volumes, so it was disappointing but not unsurprising (I had ruined many before) when these headphones developed rattle in the left earphone. Warranty service was absolutely excellent in fixing these headphones. I just filled out the form in PDF format on their website, printed out and attached my Amazon invoice to show that they were under warranty, and shipped it through UPS Ground. As soon as they received them, they fixed them and shipped them right out, with a total turnaround time of 1 week (UPS ground both ways.)

The Good:

Nice, punchy low end with smooth high end. Good imaging. Sounds very good for everything from Rock to Classical. Good mechanical design that is comfortable to wear.

The Not-So-Good:
Poor isolation from the environment. If you are trying to listen in a noisy environment, you won't like these earphones. Similarly, others nearby may be disturbed by the level of sound coming from your earphones.

Because these are high impedance earphones (250 ohm), you could have a problem with the volume being lower than desired, depending on the source you connect them to.

Please note that the two Not-So-Good points should not be surprises to the buyer, since they are disclosed in the manufacturer's description. I'm just pointing them out to potential buyers that may have overlooked them.