I wrote about the newly-released DT 900 Pro X
recently, and was so impressed that I decided to give the DT 1990 a go, despite my misgivings regarding the tonality of the DT 770 (80 ohm and 250 ohm), DT 880 600 ohm, and DT 990 600 ohm (too lean; too treble-forward; metallic / steely timbre) and the decidedly bloated DT 1770 (note that the unit I owned belonged to one of the earliest batches, serial number ~800, and sounded
very different to a newer unit I auditioned side-by-side at the store a while back) and T5p G2. The only Beyer I'd actually loved until then was the DT 150, and perhaps my favourite headphone of all time tonality-wise.
I was an avowed closed-back basshead fiend for most of my return to Head-Fi (my staple for almost two years was the Fostex x Massdrop TH-X00, then the E-MU Teak). Having decided to venture into open-back territory, I've spent the past year searching for a mid-fi open-back, and have owned most of the standards: AKG K7XX, Hifiman Sundara, Sennheiser HD 650, Audio-Technica R70x, Beyerdynamic DT 880 600 ohm. None of them seemed to fit the bill for one reason or another. I was just about ready to spring for a Focal Clear, when I thought, heck, why not give the DT 1990 a shot.
With the TYGR / Amiron Wireless foam discs installed and fitted with A-pads, these pretty much have their tuning and tonality nailed for my tastes. They also do bass like none of the other open-back models I've owned (excluding Beyer's own DT 900 Pro X). With the Dekoni Elite Velour pads installed, the tuning shifts towards a very pleasant mild U-shape, with the added bonus of a significantly larger soundstage, much larger than the already fairly impressive staging of the stock Analytical pads. Great attack, dynamics, slam, and extension at both ends, and zero ear-shearing treble or metallic sheen. They also exceed pretty much all the other open-backs I've owned in terms of clarity, separation, imaging, and detail retrieval. Did I mention they're built like a tank and comfortable as heck?
What else can I say? I'm in love.