beyerdynamic DT 990 Premium Headphones

Other products by beyerdynamic

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4 x 8.5 inches ; 1.8 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000F2BLTW
• Item model number: DT 990
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 28, 2004

Product Description

Product Description

Beyerdynamic once again sets the standard for reference headphones with the DT 990, an open headphone that captures the dynamism and excitement of an audio signal like no other. The 250 ohm DT 990 makes high frequencies sound analytical, clear, and distinctive, while reproducing deep frequencies with a powerful resonance. As a result, everything from classical music to hip-hop to big-budget movie soundtracks sound rich and immersive, with three-dimensional acoustics that overwhelm even the most discerning audiophile. The phones also offer an eye-catching aesthetic, with lamella optics that are sure to appeal to fans of sophisticated design. And thanks to the padded headband and soft removable ear pads, listeners can wear the headphones in all-day comfort. Other features include a modular construction that makes it easy to replace all serviceable parts, a gold-vaporized 1/8-inch mini stereo jack plug, a 1/4-inch adapter, and a high-quality carrying case. The DT 990 headphones, which weigh 10.22 ounces, carry a two-year warranty on parts and labor.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely stunning sound is right, May 13, 2007

By	Travis Dockweiler "tdockweiler" (kalamazoo, mi USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

29 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good and Durable Audiophile Quality Headphone, March 9, 2006

By	Alan Seals (Midland, Texas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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).

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Alternative to Sennheiser or AKG, April 21, 2007

By	J. D. Meyer (San Francisco, CA, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.