Beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO  Headphones Review

The DT 1990 have a more polished and premium design compared to the other Beyerdynamic models. They look like the DT 990 PRO and DT 770 with slightly open back-plates and a lot of dense metal in their build that makes them feel high-end. The ear cup pads are coated in a soft microfiber fabric, and the matte dark gray color scheme looks great and will be suitable for most listeners. However, since they're not designed for outdoor use, they're a little bulky and cumbersome. However, the headband and ear cups keep a fairly low profile, which is nice.

The Beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO have about the same fit and comfort level as the Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO and the Beyerdynamic DT 900 PRO X. They're a bit heavier, but it's not really noticeable once on your head. They have the same, soft microfiber pads that feel great on the skin, and large ear cups that fit comfortably around most ears. Unfortunately, they're as tight on the head as most of the Beyerdynamic models, which may get a bit fatiguing during long critical listening sessions. The headband also doesn't extend as far as some of the other over-ears we've tested, so they might not fit as well on all head shapes and sizes but on average, they are comfortable enough for most listeners.

These headphones do not have a control scheme.

These headphones have an open back design and breathable ear cup pads that keep your ears fairly cool for an over-ear design. They won't be the most breathable headphones, but they won't warm up your ears to the point of making you sweat when listening for an hour or two. They're not the best option for more demanding activities like sports and working out but should be fine for casual use cases, listening and watching movies.

Like most of the Beyerdynamic lineup, the DT 1990 are not designed to be portable headphones you can easily carry around on your person. They're big and bulky and do not fold into a more compact format or have swiveling ear cups that lay flat to take up less space. They are on the larger side for over-ear headphones and would only fit in a bag.

Update 04/10/2019: We've updated the score of the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO and 1770 PRO's cases to better reflect their durability compared to that of the T1 2nd Generation and other similar hard cases.

These headphones come with a big hard case that will easily protect them from scratches, drops, impacts and water damage. However, the bulky, cumbersome size of the case makes the already fairly large DT 1990 even less portable. You will have a tough time carrying them around in this case unlike some of the other hard cases that we've tested, but on the upside, they have more than enough room to carry all the accessories included in the box.

The Beyerdynamic DT 1990 feel like premium headphones with a sturdy, durable design. The Beyerdynamic lineup has always had some of the best-built headphones we've tested, but these headphones take it a step further with more high-end materials, replaceable audio cables and ear cup pads, as well as a great, leather-coated headband that's flexible yet sturdy enough to handle multiple drops without getting damaged. The ear cups are thicker and denser than most of the other Beyerdynamic models, and the whole design looks very high-end. Overall, they are one of the better-built headphones that we've tested and are easily on par with other high-end critical listening headphones like the HiFiman Sundara and the Sennheiser HD 800 S.

The DT 1990 are sufficiently tight on the head that they won't fall during casual listening sessions. They're too bulky to run with comfortably and the large ear cups will eventually slide off your ears if you wear them while running or working out. However, they fit more securely than the Beyerdynamic Amiron Wireless, even though they're wired.

• Beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO Headphones
• 1/8" to 1/4" Adapter
• Audio cables (x2)
• Manual
• Carrying case
• Additional ear cup pads.

Using the 'Balanced' ear pads, these headphones have an excited sound. They have a bump of extra boom with natural-sounding vocals and instruments. That said, a peak in the mid-treble makes sibilants like cymbals piercing and painful. Some users may still prefer this sound as it can help emphasize imperfections in mixes. If you want to switch out these pads for the analytical pads, you can find instructions on page seven of the user manual or here.

When using the 'Analytical' pads, we noticed that the headphones' treble delivery is highly sensitive to placement and positioning. Each time we removed and replaced the pads, we measured a different frequency response, particularly around 4-6kHz and 7-10kHz. As a result, if you're using these pads at home, your experience may differ from our results in this range. You can see a comparison of the balanced versus analytical pads frequency response here. You can also see the results using the analytical pads for Raw Frequency Response and Sound Profile. Using these pads results in a lot more of an analytical sound. There's less thump and rumble, but the high bass is more neutral and flat. There's also a dip in the low-treble, which veils vocals and instruments, but the peak in the mid-treble remains, making vocals and instruments sound sharp and piercing.

These headphones also have a high impedance and need an amp to drive them. The Beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO MKII are the newer, low-impedance version of these headphones and don't require an amp.

The frequency response consistency is good. There's some bass and treble delivery deviation due to fit, positioning, and seal. You may especially notice a drop in bass if you have thick hair or wear glasses. Also, the 'Analytical' ear pads are more sensitive to placement, and you'll experience more deviation in treble delivery when using them.

The Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro have great bass accuracy. Their low-bass is underemphasized, so mixes lack thump and rumble. However, the mid to high-bass are overemphasized, adding a touch of extra punch and a lot of boom to their sound. This can make vocals and instruments sound a bit muddy.

Using the 'Analytical' pads, these headphones have very good bass accuracy. They deliver a lot less, thump, rumble, and punch. However, their high-bass is much more flat than when using the balanced pads, so mixes have adequate warmth.

These headphones have excellent mid accuracy. There's some overemphasis coming from the bass range into the mids. As a result, vocals and instruments are a bit muddied and cluttered. Luckily, the rest of the range is fairly flat and even. Vocals and instruments are present, although a little weakened in mixes.

Using the 'Analytical' pads, the mid accuracy is outstanding. The range is very flat and neutral. Although a dip in the mid-mid slightly nudges vocals and instruments to the back of the mix, it's minor, and overall, these sounds are present, detailed, and accurate.

They have fair treble accuracy. The low-mid is a little underemphasized, which slightly veils vocals and instruments. However, a peak in the mid-treble makes sibilants like S and T sounds piercing and painful. Some users may prefer this sound, though, as it helps draw attention to imperfections in your mix.

When using the 'Analytical' pads, we encountered a lot of deviation in this range after adjusting the placement of these headphones on our rig. While it's still likely that you'll hear piercing sibilants, our results may not fully reflect your experience, as these pads can affect treble delivery.

The Beyerdynamic DT 1990 have excellent imaging. Weighted group delay is at 0.1, which is great. The GD graph also shows that the group delay response is entirely below the audibility threshold. This results in a tight bass and a transparent treble reproduction. Additionally, the L/R drivers of our test unit were exceptionally well-matched in frequency, amplitude, and phase response, ensuring accurate placement and localization of objects (voices, instruments, video game effects) in the stereo field.

The Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro have a decent soundstage. The PRTF graph shows a good amount of pinna activation with decent accuracy. However, there is not a 10KHz notch present. This suggests a decently large soundstage that may be perceived as inside the listener's head instead of in front. Also, due to the open-back design of these headphones, their soundstage may feel more open and spacious than that of their closed-back counterparts like the DT 770 and the DT 1770.

When using the 'Analytical' pads, the passive soundstage is still very good. The soundstage still feels spacious, open, and wide, although it doesn't feel as out of head as when using the balanced pads. You can also see a comparison between the balanced analytical pads' PRTF graphs here.

The DT 1990 Pro have a poor isolation. These open-back headphones do not isolate well, which is expected of their design. In the bass range, they will let in all the rumble of airplane and bus engines. In the mid-range, important for blocking out speech, the achieve only 1dB of isolation, which is barely noticeable. In the treble range, occupied by sharp sounds like S and Ts, they reduce outside noise by 17dB, which is mediocre.

The leakage performance is poor. The significant portion of their leakage is spread between 200Hz and 20KHz, which is a very broad range. This results in a relatively full-sounding leakage. The overall level of the leakage is quite loud too. With the music at 100dB SPL, the leakage at 1 foot away, averages at 60dB SPL and peaks at 75dB SPL, which is a lot louder than the noise floor of most offices. If you don't really care about leakage and are getting an open headset so you can monitor your environment while listening to music then you might want to check out the Bose SoundWear.

The Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro do not come with a microphone. For a wired headphone with a good in-line microphone, check out the Bose SoundTrue Around-Ear II, the QuietComfort 25 or the Apple EarPods.

These headphones do not have a microphone so the recording quality has not been tested.

The DT 1990 do not have a microphone so the noise handling has not been tested.

These headphones do not have any active components and do not require a battery.

These headphones do not come with an app or software for added customization options.

The DT 1990 are not Bluetooth compatible headphones. If you want a good-sounding wireless headset, then consider the Bose QuietComfort 35 II.

The wired connection of these headphones has negligible latency which is suitable for gaming and home-theater use.

Update 09/16/2021: We incorrectly reported that these headphones had 'N/A' latency in our 'Analog/USB Audio Latency' test. This was a mistake as we always report that analog cable latency is '0 ms'. We have changed our results and updated our text.

The Beyerdynamic DT1990 PRO have a simple 1/8" TRS audio cable. However, it doesn't have an in-line remote/microphone, so the headphones can only receive audio when connected to your PC, PlayStation, or Xbox console.

The Beyerdynamic DT1990 do not have a dock. If you need a headset with a dock that also has a wired connection for gaming or watching movies, then consider the SteelSeries Arctis 7.