Preface
I've seen in different forums mixed reactions of the Beyerdynamic DT1990 Pro. Ones who own them praise them (obviously), while others seem to resent them because of the infamous "Beyer treble" banner hanging over a good number of models they have (particularly the DT series). So this made me curious and got a pair.
You might be curious why I rated it as 3-star above? For a quick summary, it's because its stock tonality and timbre (two qualities I put significant weight on when considering headphones) I find are terrible in stock analytical pads, and only decent when using stock balanced pads.
Does this mean I hate them? In stock tuning - yes I find them terrible. But if you go to the EQ section, you'll see something different (also on the pros section above).
I will go over quick points about the build, design, comfort and accessories. 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.
===============================================
Build and Design
- Build is excellent in my books. There is no creaking, squeaking with the metal holding the cups as well as the slide adjustment. Better than the M50 and M70X build given those two are almost entirely plastic.
- Great use of plastic (I think it's plastic) on the cups with the sort of matte finish. I love this feel as it's less to retain fingerprint marks or sweat.
- Design looks like a premium studio monitor. Better than the Audio Technica M50 and M70X. I love the mesh grills shown on the plastic cup slits - makes it look elegant in a way.
- Only issue is the wires coming out of the headphone slider. This is the only thing for me that is a knock off the overall premium design. I suppose this had to be done given it's only using a single side connection to the mini-XLR cable.
Comfort
Note: For reference, I have average sized ears and likely average sized head
- Headband has good padding. No hotspots on my head after 2 - 3 hours of listening
- Weight is 370 grams, so depending on which headphone you're coming from, this can take some getting used to (i.e. Sennheiser HD650, Audio Technica M50/X). For me, the weight is a non-issue compared to other headphones I currently own.
- There's moderate clamp force out of the box, meaning it will be noticeable even after an hour or two of listening.
- Ear pads are velour and I believe are memory foam for both Analytical and Balanced pads. I find both pads reasonably comfortable, despite being somewhat stiff. The amount of cushion takes off some of the moderate clamp force, but only time will tell before the foam loses cushioning. There are sonic differences between the pads and we'll get to that later.
Accessories
Packaging is great. It comes with the following:
- 2 cables (1 x straight 3m, 1 x coiled 5m) - both mini-XLR to 3.5mm with a 6.3mm adapter for each cable
- Large hard case that can carry all the accessories
- Analytical and Balanced pads
Personally, I like the cable quality. It is similar to the XLR cables used for A/V equipment, albeit a bit thinner. It doesn't kink or bend easily and feels durable. Overall, packaging and accessories get a great rating from me.
===============================================
Sound
I will get right off the bat with this, the only other Beyerdynamic I've demoed (very briefly), is the DT 770 - and that was many monsoons ago. So I have no recollection nor ideas of how the Beyer house sound would be. That being said, there are people throwing shade at this particular model because of the 8kHz peak (seen in measurements), alongside with others trying them firsthand and finding them "sibilant".
To clear some context, I looked up the
definitionof "sibilant" and found that it meant creating a "hissing" sound like that of (ss) or (sh). From what I've gathered in audio forums, sibilance usually connotes a sound characteristic that triggers our ear sensitivities (person dependent) - similar to some people who can't tolerate high pitched glass tones or metal clunks. But others have said that sibilance refers to the frequency response region of 5khz to 8kHz (sometimes even higher) that deviates higher than a particular target curve.
With these in mind, I don't have a definitive meaning to refer to for sibilance. So for the remainder of this write-up, I will go with frequency response reference. Whether I find it triggers my treble sensitivities or not (or yours for that matter), is something I'll indicate moving forward.
Tested on: JDS Element, iFi Micro BL
Average volume listening: ~60 - 75 dB
For frequency response reference, you can see the RAW measurements for both
Analytical and
Balanced pads from autoeq graphs.
Given there's two pads with variations in the sonic signature, I will be distinguishing the Analytical pads (AP) to the Balanced pads (BP). Between the two, I find I like the balanced pads better when stock.
Overall sound signature:
This is an aggressive sounding headphone for sure, not in the least laid back. If you're coming from something like the HD6X0 series, this is on the opposite side of the signature spectrum. This may not be something great for work since it tries to grab your attention with the emphasized treble and bass punch.
- AP: bright-neutral. Bass and midrange are pretty linear. Over-sharpened treble that gives extra shimmer and sizzle in the drums and instruments in the upper-midrange to treble region.
- BP: warm sounding. The mid-bass and upper-bass are a bit accentuated while upper midrage is slightly recessed. There is still a treble sharpness, but it's more subdued compared to the analytical pads.
Bass
BP:
Good extension up to ~40 Hz. More impact than AP. Mid bass to upper bass (around 200Hz large hill) is accentuated, thereby making the midrange warmer sounding. But overall, bass is tight and fast, but I feel the decay may be too quick to my liking.
AP:
Decent extension, but rolls off much faster to my ears at ~50Hz. Fairly linear, but there's a small hill going up 200Hz that sort of makes the midrange warmer than neutral. However, this is not as accentuated as the BP, so it has a *hint* of warmth, but still fairly linear overall.
Midrange
BP:
Pretty linear to my ears. There is enough weight to both male and female vocals. I did not hear any shrill or shoutiness from upper female or falsetto male vocals, but there is a sharpness quality in the consonant range (addressed in the treble region) - so higher pitched vocals tend to have this dryness quality. For the most part, instruments like electric guitars and acoustic, as well as piano tones in this region sound tonally correct. The rawness of electric guitar decay, and the sharp attack from tom toms and snare drums are definitely engaging. Vocal transition of words are smooth and cohesive.
AP:
Fairly linear, as evident on graphs and in-line with the bass region, save for the rise above 1kHz. Male and female vocals (save for higher female pitch) are about equal in level, with good weight for each. Acoustic, piano and stringed tones in the midrange area have good weight, but is overshadowed by the treble peaks. Distorted instruments from synthesizers and snare drums don't lack attack or bite, so there is that rawness quality intact.
Treble:
I will start off by saying that based on FR measurements on the 8kHz peak, these *would* be considered sibilant - regardless if it annoys you or not. This peak doesn't trigger my treble sensitivities. It might for you, and this is something you'll have to discover when trying multiple headphones. Personally, I find the Focal Clear's 6kHz and 9kHz peaks more annoying and triggering my treble sensitivities. The worst offender for me by far is the TH-X00 Mahogany. Although I will say that it only happens for certain modern recordings, not for all.
Despite the DT1990's treble not triggering my ears, I still find the treble overly sharp that renders the consonant range and instruments hitting this region as unnatural - thereby ruining the timbre of vocals whenever this treble region is covered in a track. There is this raspy/sizzle/lispy quality in the treble that can't be completely removed, but the balanced pads lowers this by a good margin - although not entirely fixing it.
With this treble quality, I see some owners describe the DT1990 as being very "revealing", "detailed" and "transparent" of a recordings' flaws. I would disagree with this notion. This type of over-sharpened treble does not extrude "flaws", but in fact masks detail because of this 8kHz peak. 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. This is not real detail, it gives a false sense of detail. If you compare it to something like the Focal Clear, it should be obvious that the Clear does not need such a peak to have excellent detail retrieval, resolution and clarity. The best analogy for this is that an over sharpened image does not exactly mean the camera captured the finer details of a captured shot. What it does is giving an illusion of capturing the micro-details in a photo.
Over-sharpened treble does not indicate great detail retrieval and clarity. The inverse of this statement I find is also true, great detail retrieval and clarity does not indicate over-sharpened treble.
If you reduce that peak, the initial reaction would be "oh it's losing what makes the DT1990 brilliant". Well, this is a flaw and if you compare it to something that has a better tonal balance and more natural rendition of vocals and instruments like the HE-500, HD600, Focal Clear, or even a HE-400i, you'll notice the difference and understand which has a more realistic audio reproduction. This peak ruins the tonal balance of the DT1990. It's a matter of perspective.
With that all said, I suppose you have an idea how I find the treble for these, so more details below.
BP:
Not as airy (nor bright) as the AP, but it does not sound congested. The treble is not as overly sharpened as the Analytical pads either. 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 find this treble better and gives a more accurate treble tonal balance than the AP. However, the 'SSS' region, or 8.5kHz is unaffected. With the dip at this region, this would likely become more prominent to a listener that is affected by this peak - which Resolve from the headphone show seems to be an example of. Further, there is still some of the sizzle quality in the consonant range and for cymbals and hi hats, but better than the AP in this regard.
AP:
Has a more airy feeling than the BP. However, there is a rise at 5kHz - 6kHz as shown in the measurements (which seems to align with my hearing), lending to the giant peak at 8kHz that gives the treble an over-sharpened quality which makes instruments and vocals hitting this region as being shimmery/raspy/lispy/sizzling in quality. I can't tell whether it's solely because of the frequency response that gives this quality, or it is also because the pads fail to dampen resonances in this region given there's only 4 holes on the AP. Regardless, the AP adds that sharpened treble quality that negatively affects the timbre of vocals and instruments in the midrange.
=====
Technicalities =====
Detail Retrieval:
Good for the price. About on par with the HD650 from recollection. This technicality is also about the same on both pads. One point though, I find there is less masking effect with the 6kHz dip, so I can sort of determine micro-details slightly better on the BP than the AP. The AP's treble region to my ears masks the details in the midrange on a complex passage. But this is nitpicking and it may not ring true for someone else. I would say these have average detail retrieval and resolution for its price.
Speed and Dynamics:
Speed is good for a dynamic driver. About on par with the Focal Clear when I do a quick A/B test. 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. Dynamics on the other hand, is good. There is a good range between the softest and loudest point, but mainly noticeable at higher listening volumes. I feel it beats out the HD650 here (can't do a A/B test now because I've since sold it), but I feel it lags just slightly behind the Focal Clear.
Imaging and Head Stage:
I will admit, these are not technical aspects I pay a lot of attention to. My main test track for this is Hotel California MTV Live performance given I've listened to that song hundreds of times, so I'm familiar with it's positioning and layering. So for imaging this gets a pass. Nothing exceptional, and no shortcoming that's noteworthy. It's not a 3 blob space, but fairly even distribution of tracks/instrument pieces across the left-center-right pan. Head stage width is about average to slightly above average - meaning stage width reaches my shoulders and can move past it a bit.
One thing I noticed is that the center image is closer to my face using BP. When compared the BP DT1990 to the Clear, the Clear has it's center image further away, making instruments and vocals seem more distant. So in a sense, the DT1990 has a more intimate stage with the BP. The AP has a further center image so it has a more even spacing of pieces in a track.
Timbre:
Good timbre from bass to midrange on both pads. Upper-midrange to treble region is where it gets skewed. To my ears, the BP gives a more accurate timbre despite the 'SSS' region still being sharp. The AP has it's treble cranked up too much, bleeding into in the midrange that voices become a bit lispy or raspy. Hi hats and cymbals shimmer more prominently that it tends to mask other instruments in busy tracks.
EQ and my profile:
The DT1990 appears to take EQ well. You can look up oratory's EQ to match the Harman curve if that's what you find pleasing.
Now, there are those who say EQing the treble peak at 8kHz ruins the sound signature or other technical aspects of the DT1990 such as sound stage, resolution, etc. To my ears, dropping that 8kHz peak does make the signature slightly darker and losing the airy feel, but NOT at the expense of losing resolution nor making the head stage smaller. At the same time, vocal and instrument timbre becomes a lot more correct and realistic to my ears - beating out the HD600 and Focal Clear.
For people curious on my EQ profile for Equalizer APO:
Preamp: -6.6 dB
Filter: ON PK Fc 17 Hz Gain 3.5 dB Q 0.69
Filter: ON PK Fc 43 Hz Gain 1.0 dB Q 0.61
Filter: ON PK Fc 19961 Hz Gain -2.5 dB Q 0.1
Filter: ON PK Fc 911 Hz Gain 1.0 dB Q 1.52
Filter: ON PK Fc 7734 Hz Gain -8.5 dB Q 2.5
Filter: ON PK Fc 10000 Hz Gain 1.5 dB Q 2.01
With this EQ applied, I would rate it at a 4 or even a 4.5 star. Overall timbre is more realistic, the tonality is better tuned, and the technicalities goes toe-to-toe with the Focal Clear in stock form.
=================================
Quick Comparisons:
Audio Technica M70X:
- Why compare it with a closed back studio monitor? Mainly because of similarities in the midrange and treble region. The DT1990 wins on bass hands down. For midrange, the DT1990 is more linear, while the M70X has this extra weight on upper-midrange that gives female vocals more body (once I EQ'd the treble down). Over-sharpened treble is fairly similar - giving vocals and instruments in the upper midrange an unnatural quality, but I would still say the DT1990 has the more sharper 'SSS' sounds than that. Build quality also goes to the DT1990.
Sennheiser HD650/HD6XX:
- The DT1990 is like the opposite of the HD650/HD6XX. One is aggressive and sharp sounding, while the other is laid-back and smooth sounding. If you wanted a compliment to the HD650/HD6XX, this is a contender albeit with asterisks. For build, I give the nod to the DT1990, but the HD650/HD6XX has proven to be durable - this is just my pick if I were to choose based on that factor.
Focal Clear:
- Unfair fight at $1499 MSRP, but I think it's still worth comparing. Clear definitely has the better treble tonal balance in stock form. But to my ears, the 6kHz peak is more annoying than the 8kHz DT1990 peak - YMMV. Bass and midrange are similar. Dynamics and bass impact goes to the Clear. Head stage goes to DT1990, but imaging I might give the nod to Clear by a hair. Detail retrieval is a toss-up between the two; the DT1990 is very competent here. Design I think is also a toss up, do you prefer elegant fashion over elegant studio look? Build quality, I might give the nod to DT1990 by a hair because there's less creaking. Comfort, Clear has a half step lead.
=================================
Conclusion
For around $600 price at MSRP, is this headphone something I can easily recommend personally?
No, this has a lot of check marks before I can recommend them, especially at that price where competition is high. You have the likes of cheaper options like the Sennheiser HD6XX and Hifiman Sundara to contend with.
If you're not ready to EQ, then this is not something I'd easily recommend. If you are, then these are very competent and IMO goes toe-to-toe with the Focal Clear in almost every category from a sound quality perspective. In fact, I sold my Clear when I finally found an EQ profile that I find is better than the Clear - plus overall cost of maintenance is cheaper so it's a no-brainer in my case.
This is not to say that you won't enjoy these in stock form - some owners already indicate liking it stock or mixed with [
name their type/brand of dac/amplifier setup here]. I'll keep it simple, I'm not one to go about using and recommending tube amps despite their popularity in this forum. You can ask the DT1990 thread for that and others who explore that space.
I'd rather stick with a good SS amp and EQ as a more cost-effective option
. So this is something at the top of the list of "Try before you buy".
Who do I think would like these in stock form? Maybe a few potential candidates who meet any of the following:
- Someone coming from V-shaped lower tier headphones
- Someone not sensitive to an 8kHz peak (SSS region)
- Someone that likes a fairly neutral sound signature and is willing to EQ
- Someone coming from the lower DT series like the DT880 or DT990 and looking to upgrade
Of course, this is one random member's opinion. Take it with a huge grain of salt.
[Pictures may come at a later date when I get to it]
