Beyerdynamic DT990 Premium 250 Ohm

When I first unpacked the DT990s I plugged them into a rather good Ruark radio playing on my desk. The result was an absolutely awful, screechy performance. Having recovered from the shock I remembered that I had boosted the treble on the Ruark to make speech clearer. Several reviewers say the DT990s are screechy but that really is a source problem. They do have a slight treble lift and reveal the source exceptionally well, so if the source is bright, they will let you know! 
 
Plugged into my best sources, a Benchmark DAC2 and a Beresford Caiman 2, they are absolutely fabulous. I listen mainly to classical and jazz and these allow an effortless insight to the performance with nothing masked or recessed. The soundstage is as good as I have ever heard from headphones and you can 'see' every instrument effortlessly. They are very slightly bright but that is not a problem to me and they don't cause listener fatigue. They do not make good sources screechy and they don't create exaggerated sibilance. What they do do, is remind those of us with older ears what we used to be able to hear more clearly (I can still hear up to 17 kHz but probably at a reduced level). If you have teenage ears, maybe they will sound too bright?
 
For comparison, to my ears, my Shure SE535 IEMs are the most accurate, neutral 'phones I have ever heard. The DT990's slight treble lift makes them more enjoyable and more revealing for me.
 
They are certainly not intended for portable use but.....
My AK Jr will drive them but you need the volume up to 90% and the AK Jr completely loses the subtlety that it usually delivers. Certainly not a recommended combination.
My FiiO X5's volume also needs to be around 90%. It sounds like an effort but it retains some of the quality audible with easier headphones. Again, not a recommended combination.
My FiiO X1 virtually gives up, and I don't blame it, it was silly to have tried it.
 
Good though the AK Jr and the FiiO X5 are, they are not remotely as good as the Benchmark DAC2 (nor the Caiman) and I would not dream of using a portable device at home with these headphones. If you don't have a good home headphone amp you really should try one. The difference with these excellent DT990 headphones between the FiiO X5 and the Benchmark DAC2 is enormous. You can hear the music with either portable player but with the DAC2 you can hear the performance. It is the difference between, "that's nice" and "WOW!"
 
Back to the DT990s - the comfort is pretty good. I can wear them for an hour at a time without worry but I can't say that I ever become unaware of them. Unlike closed back 'phones, lifting them slightly away from your ears makes no difference to the sound quality so a bit of careful stretching of the head-band may be all it takes to make them more comfortable. The weight is barely noticeable but I would prefer a bit of extra padding on the top of my head. I do find myself fiddling with them every few minutes.
 
Design-wise, they are functional. They don't look fashionable, they look functional. The manufacturing cost went into function rather than fashion - thank goodness.
 
Value for money - I only paid £102 and they are easily worth that.

Overall, these headphones are great. They have a very unique sound and their upper range is really fun in songs with bright upper ranges, like triangles.

As a disclaimer, this pair of DT990 was a review unit from Beyerdynamic.
 
Arrived in a rather large box, beside a high definition picture of the headphones and a detailed technical spec, I always appreciate how Beyer guys honestly describe the sound signature and talk about the comfort without any hype or exaggeration. A lot of other companies write a flashy phrases to artificially boost their product, but with every Beyerdynamic product I reviewed in the last few months - the description was always spot on. Inside of the box you'll find a pleather case with a foam form fitting interior for storage and carrying of DT990. The only other accessory is screw-on 1/4" adapter. Out of the case, the first thing that jumped out and grabbed my attention was the velor earpads. These earpads could be considered as a luxury upgrade to bring the comfort level of these full size over-ear headphones to the best I have tested in a very long time. One of the biggest complains with over-/on-ear headphones is typically about earpads and how hot and sweaty they get after an extended listening period. Here, the breathable soft microfibre material wraps your ears in a comfort of two plush pillows. As a result of a perfect clamping force and a soft padding of spring steel headband, you get a super comfortable fitment that also feels very lightweight. The headband itself is adjustable, and has a soft click action with dots indicating the length of the extension. The earcup is attached to a headband through a brushed aluminum Y-fork construction which is typical for most of the Beyer headphone designs. This construction allows a decent angle of tilt to adjust the angle as well as a limited rotation of earcup to fit any shape/size head and ears. The earcup itself is made out of aluminum and hard plastic material which compliments design very nicely.
 
DT990, being a full open back, has a unique design where back of earcups has a shutter-like opening for a wider soundstage at an expense of more sound leakage. Makes me wonder if maybe one of these days they could follow a route of Custom One Pro and make this shutter adjustable to completely close the back - now that would be a fun sound tweaking! Another thing that worth mentioning is single side cable used on the left side which makes it convenient to unclutter cable management as well as helping to identify L/R when in the dark. Cable itself has a heavy duty shielding, but it's still flexible enough. Unfortunately, cable itself it not removable, but hopefully future updates will take care of that. Other design detail is an aluminum tab on each side of the headband which I found to have no functionality other than a cool look. One final thought, both earpads and headband padding are removable and replaceable, which is great when you have to take care of wear'n'tear in the future.
 
DT990 ended up sounding more revealing, brighter, and airy with a stronger bass representation (in comparison to DT880 I just reviewed as well). By stronger bass, I don't mean to say a dominating basshead type of delivery down to a rumbling sub-bass. This is still very intelligent bass delivery with a great control and tight isolation from the rest of the spectrum, but with more impact and a slightly higher quantity. With mids, those were detailed and clear but a little more upfront and a bit harsher toward upper mids. They actually reminded me of some of the analytical IEMs I heard in the past, and with a few of my sibilance test tracks it was getting a bit too close to a comfort level. Of course, everything could be corrected with EQ, but I do have to point it out as part of a default sound signature. Treble had a great sparkle to it and was detailed enough. With open back design, the soundstage expanded wider and deeper, and the sound became more airy and 3D. But at the same time, more outside noise was being let in and more sound was leaking out. These are definitely not suited for private listening.  Low impedance of 32 ohm rating in this case was also not favorable to be driven directly by my Note 2 without using A200p external DAC. Pairing it up with A200p added an amazing level of details, even edging out the performance driven directly from X5. Another interesting phenomenon, while comparing 32 ohm versus 250 ohm pricing on Amazon, 32 ohm version was $100 cheaper - another example of how you can shop around to save money since impedance rating might no longer be a deciding factor driving these cans from your phone.
 
Here are the pictures.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm in a situation where I generally can't try out headphones before making a purchase so I really have to do my research; and I did a ton before deciding on these.
 
I wanted a an "open" over the ear headphone with a large soundstage lots of detail and good bass extension. I wouldn't call myself a "basshead" but I know that I also don't care for cans that don't have any bass punch. My initial "wants" brought the 990's right into the picture.
 
I tend to listen to mostly Rock-N-Roll, some pop and a lot of alternative and electronic from the 60's-80's. Modern is mostly hard rock with some pop (Yes I pretty much skipped most of the 90's crap). Also toss in some Classical. I'm open to most forms of music except..........country!
 
I also watch a LOT of movies. My Go-To's are my Pioneer DIR 1000 IR wireless Dolby Headphones.....they are still kicking it after 11 years of regular use. The 990's however add a whole another level of bass the equation while only giving up a smidge of soundstage (always seems to be the case).
 
Mostly I wear them while working from my home office. I just ripped my entire CD collection into FLAC (after getting the 990's).
 
A lot of people mention recessed mid's but to me the mids are there just fine. They just tend to be slightly overshadowed by the nice bass and crystal treble. I did end up paring these with the Bravo Audio Ocean tube amp and I must say they are an excellent compliment to the 990's. Softens the treble just enough and adds a touch of warmth to a very detailed headphone.......perfect! 
 
These do need amplification.....you won't be happy with them until you do. I tried them straight out of my PC when I got them and I started to wonder if I had made a mistake. But a DAC and amp took away any qualms I might have had......instantly.
 
Next on my hit list is a nice over the ear "closed" set........and right now I'm eyeing the NAD Visio HP50's.

The DT990 is my first HiFi headphone after the AKG K181DJ and also my ticket into the world of Head-Fi. First off, I have to say that my impressions are pretty consistent with what seems to be the mean impression out here on the web; I tried out al sorts of headphones that were comparable in price before deciding on the DT990. And I know now what it was that made me do it: the amount of detail and air between the different instruments. I tried the higher Sennheisers (HD6X0's, 5X8's) before I tried the Beyers and thought they were nice, smooth, definitely more refined and clear than my K181's. But when I put on the DT990 for the first time I was vortexed into another plane; I heard things in the music that I never heard before, even on my HiFi setup and even in songs that I (thought I) knew back to front. I was looking for a different sensation when listening to my music and there and then I found it. There was just so much air between the instruments, such darkness in the background and so much detail! These cans simply break the music down and make it possible to analyze every single part of it. 
In the recent years, though, it became clear to me that the things I love most about music are smooth, dynamic bass- and midsections. However, while the bass is very dynamic in it's stock form, it's not always smooth, Jamiroquai is one of my all time fav bands and a great deal of their repertoire fell prey to the DT990's overpowering and boomy bass. The mids, which indeed are a bit recessed compared to the rest, weren't as smooth either. When I became aware of this flaw I decided to see whether I could find a pair of phones I'd like better in this regard. But the Senn's were much to slow and 'veiled' they felt too congested overall; the Grado's practically threw me on stage (talk a bout a shortage in subtlety), didn't wow me in any way and the AKG's I found lacking too much in Bass and mid's altogether. I decided to take a different approach to the whole DT990 issue and started looking at the dac's and amplifiers available nearby. After many hours auditioning I came up with this setup: MacBook > HRT Microstreamer > QED > Musical Fidelity X-Can V8P > Beyerdynamic DT990 250Ω. First the V8P it smoothens out the mid and high frequencies while defining the bass a bit better and creating a bit of warmer ambiance. Soundstage is deeper and a bit wider as well. The HRT completely tames the bass and high treble, which decreases fatigue to a minimum, and actually boosts a good chunk of the mid's while defining everything just a bit tighter. Now this is NOT to say that the bass and high's are muted or something like that, they are just refined by the Microstreamer. Neither does it detract any of the ambiance created by the V8P. 
Noticed how all the "cons" i wrote down are practically nullified in my review? Out of the box these sound pretty good, albeit a bit fatiguing... get the right setup though and watch them truly live up to their potential!

It's been a long time coming this headphone, and I've finally pulled the trigger on this pair.
 
I'm in Australia - where the retail prices of these cans were ludacris (AUD$347) - and they were on 'sale' for AUD$249 when I got them. Still daylight robbery, but I thought for the comfort and convenience of local warranty...
 
Having previously owned a number of headphones / in ears (mostly for mixing as opposed to pure music / movie enjoyment), I thought I'd pamper myself with one for the aurals.
 
This is fresh out of the box - probably an hour + of listening, and I'm sure it'll get better once it's burned in.

The reviews are in comparison to an ATH-m50, Shure SRH840 and were done through either Apple lossless, FLAC, or ACC files through my FIIO desktop combo (E09K + E07K).
 
Songs :
So What (Miles Davis)
Blue in Green (Miles Davis)
Blue Train (Coltrane)
Time (Pink Floyd)

In Due Time (KSE)
Forgotten One (Times of Grace)
Welcome to the Jungle (GnR)
Make a Move (icon for hire)
 
 
Nothing too fancy, and this is from a newbie to anything audiophile...
 
Sound
 
Like most of the reviews - the soundstage. It's nothing that I've heard from a headphone before, just the depth and width of the soundstage is staggering. There's a general feel of elegance to these cans that I can't really find words to describe.

Good bass that doesn't overpower, and mid-bass grooves comes through quite brilliantly. These are not flat-frequency headphones though, as the bass is boosted a tad bit.
 
Mids - low mids are just sultry. It's 'scooped' a tad bit, and this works in the rock / heavier music settings. The trumpet parts in 'So What' were brilliant on these cans I must say.

Trebles - as with most of the other reviewers - it's quite treble-heavy. I'm very sensitive to the higher frequencies (due to hearing damage suffered through hours of heavy metal jamming as a teenager), and with some songs the treble does stand out a lot (i.e. Ariel's vocals in some of the Icon for Hire songs, as well as old school Axl).

Overall verdict: Loving it, apart from the trebles.WIth some treble cut on the Fiio I can live with the shrills. I wonder what it would be like once the cans are properly 'burned in'. Soundstage and the overall response from these headphones are pretty amazing.
 
Standout track for me was Killswitch Engage's In Due Time, where the guitars just sit nicely behind the vocals. Some frequencies aren't reproduced well with the other cans that I've got.
 
Build Quality
I dislike the fact that cables are hardwired into the cans. I think this is "old school" design that should probably be rectified in this day and age.

The cables that run out of the headband to the cans are also quite flimsy, and I fear for them.

Comfort
Definitely the  most comfortable of all the headphones that I've owned.
 
My ears tend to sweat quite easily, even with say the M50. This was a class of its own. The velour cups do help a lot, and they are so light... and has minimal pressure on the ears / head.
 
 
Verdict:
I'm keeping them, and overall I'm quite satisfied. We will see down the track (a month or so) if my feelings have changed once they burn in properly.
 
Cheers

I have only just started using the headphones a few days ago but I really recommend them. The sound quality has been excellent out of the box, as I am still wearing them in, but so far very impressive.
The sound stage is considerably wider and easier to distinguish different instruments or 'layers' to the music. They are also great for gaming, detailing the exact locations of enemies and allowing me to hear echoes and high pitched sounds that i never heard before.

I have two slight issues with the build...One is where the cables come out of each side into the headband. The cable comes out of the speaker and if you rotate the cups to far the metal hooks press into the soft rubber part of the cable where it comes out..if these accidently rotate too far they would snap the rubber cabling...The cable ends could have easily had a small plastic stopper beside them to prevent this issue..I am been very careful as to not snag these cables when removing or placing the phones on my head.
The cable that comes out the bottom is also solid attached, so if this detiorates over time it isnt easy to replace, and it has no quick release if i snag it. Those are my only two concerns about build...the cables should have been better protected and easier to user replace..though they do stress that every part of these headphones is replaceable..that would inevitably mean a 4 week wait and expensive charges IF anything did go wrong.

Comfort wise..these things excel. I wanted something open i could wear for hours gaming and they are not letting me down. The pads are soft and open, and the clamping force is quite low overall. The headband has soft memory foam covered in faux leather and feels very nice.
After several hours wearing I had slight pressure on one side of my jaw but much less than any other headphones I've tried.

Build quality is very good, they do feel "premium". The finish doesn't attract fingerprints which is nice.
 
Comfort is good, you do feel the headband putting a slight pressure the head after a longer session, but it's not bothersome. The velour pads are nice and the ears do not get warm.
 
The sound signature is very V-shaped. They have a lot of bass especially for an open headphone. It's a quite weird experience at first to get this much bass and have the quite large soundstage and bright treble, all at the same time. At first I really liked the sound, but after a longer listening session problems start to become more obvious. The bass does overshadow the quite weak midrange, it's not that apparent with all songs but quite so with others. The treble, while being really crisp and clear, can get quite fatiguing after some time especially if you want to crank the volume up. The sound is also very sibilant, any existing sibilance in the material will be reproduced and probably even a bit amplified. Some like this, others can't stand it.
 
If you don't mind bright treble and sibilance, and want a quite unique and "fun" sound with lots of bass, yet airy and open, then these are a great option. If you want a balanced soundsignature that performs well with everything, you probably want to reconsider. I'd consider them working well with pop, electronics, metal.

I reviewed the 32 ohm version of the DT990 Premium Open headphones and I have to tell you it was a joy.  
I'll touch on the major points here but if you want to see my full video review or read my written review, you can head over to the link below....
 
http://www.headphonereviewhq.com/reviews/beyerdynamic-dt990-premium-review/
 
Briefly, here's what I loved about the DT990 Premiums.  First, they might be the most comfortable set of headphones I've ever put on my head - yes, even better than the T1's or Beyerdynamic's other high end sets! The build quality is incredible and the midrange is probably the best you can get on a set of headphones in the $300's.  The prices seem to be all over the board when you look around on Amazon - the best deals seem to be on the 250 ohm versions and that's probably what I'd go for anyways considering even the 32 ohm version really needs an amp to bring out its full potential.  The bass is detailed and slightly boosted over normal, and really the only weak spot is the treble - it's good, but it doesn't have the ability to reproduce the finest levels of detail that I've grown accustomed to (even in cheaper headphones such as the ATH-M50's).  
 
Definitely stop by and check out my full review at:
 
http://www.headphonereviewhq.com/reviews/beyerdynamic-dt990-premium-review/
 
And while you're at it, swing by and visit my YouTube channel at:
 
http://www.youtube.com/user/headphonereviewhq/
 
I've started a Facebook page and a Twitter account that I'm considering ramping up on, so if you'd like me to post my initial thoughts on equipment I've bought or am reviewing and you don't want to wait for the full review to come out, swing by and like me on Facebook at:
 
http://www.facebook.com/headphonereviewhq/
 
Or subscribe to my Twitter feed at:
 
http://www.twitter.com/headphonehq/

Last year I bought Beyerdynamics DT990 Premium with 250 Ohm in a custom design:
 

 
I really love their design (Of cause, I also designed them in some way )!
The opportunity to create your own, unique style for these high end cans is pretty cool.
You can do this on beyerdynamic's website, but it's probably a bit more expensive than in other shops.
(besides the cost for your design).


The sound:
I love the not-so-neutral sound, with slightly more highs and bass.
The bass isn't boomy at all, it's very precise.
I wasn't sure about that before my order, but know I'm satisfied.
Normaly I'm listening rock or techno.

These were my first high end cans, so I can't really compare.

If you're considering to buy new hifi headphones, you should definetly keep them in mind!

These are my first audiophile grade headphones so forgive my vocabulary.
 
I use them primarily to listen to Trance.
 
I have no other headphones to compare.
 
They are paired with a Millet Hybrid MiniMax Amp.
 
I will just say that for my listening choice these headphones feel perfect.  The bass is mostly clear and precise and goes as deep as necessary.  They bass isn't too much where it hides the rest of the music.  It feels natural and just a part of the flow.
 
It really makes me ... to listen to my system in my car sometimes because the quality of these headphones make me want more out of car audio.
 
Some people point out about the recessed mids and over the top highs.  I can understand how sometimes the mids may be not as good as they should be.  I can feel that way sometimes, but I am not sure if that is just peoples comments getting into my head.  As far as the highs, I just get used to it.  Also I use the noise sharpener for foobar to correct it as necessary.
 
Overall as my first step into head fi I am very very pleased with the combination I have now.
You can't go wrong with these.

I would make it short.
 
1.This headphone has strong resonance in 80~100Hz, you would need a very strong amp to overcome the emf, or would got a notable unnatural bump in upper-bass.
 
2.About the infamous recessed mid- I guess it's a slight,but critical QC fault:
Inside  leather bag, the humidity is been lower than normal condition by desiccant,makes the damping coating on the diaphragm lose it's function, just need sometime to got proper work.
 
3. Compare DT880, what you can got extra from DT990 : Highs with natural brilliance , richness low-mid and bass. not "flat" as DT880, but makes everything more believable and vivid , a step up transparency,and the most important thing is :a unusual believable holographic field. 
 
 
4.Tone character is close the "Yin" side, upper mid and lower highs has the typical Germany-sound feature,as Burmester,Lindemann and ASR, in short, it's a kind of engry of highs, Sweet, clarity, but need proper tune to avoid overly bright or "hot". Especially the upper mid ,this band is always the Achilles' heel of full-range driver.
 
5.In some best conditions, DT990 would got a unique perspective:It's a head stage no stage, a sound field  really a field in front of, Kind hard to describe, a feeling of realism,not only "disappear", but has a stunned ability of rebuild whole scene, A Stage of The Arts class performance.
 
Some of best headphone can rebuild the scene as well. But really different thing is: The scene  DT990 rebuild  didn't has a notable "Vanishing point". 
 
Headphone's "King of the Bokeh" ? Maybe, really stunned beautiful sound-scape.
 
6.Finally summary : One of the best/underrate headphone under $500.