Mr Platinum

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
4.33 of 5, 6.00 votes

Price Paid:  $315.00 from 'PRO' model purchase

Summary:
Ok lets get one thing straight, these are one of the few headphones that have a realistic and unaccented bass/sub response- something that really gets on my nerves with cheaper models. The pro version is open aired, meaning they arent great for recording musicians, but excellent for editing and pre mixing. I also highly recommend them for any other listening purpose. When I tested this pair of headphones I spent a good hour comparing them with the top end sanheisers, sony's and AKG's as well as a handfull of other high end consumer brands. whilst doing this i was in a studio environment A/B'ing with a pair of dynaudio bm6a's. As far as imaging and general response the Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO phones were in a league of their own. I find them perfect for a home studio environment or professional editing workstations. They're quite comfortable and easy to adjust and I could use them for hours on end.

Strengths:
Very intimate, accurate and comfortable Not bass heavy Good imaging Light weight in comparison to similar rivals An overall pleasent listening experience, even over long periods

Weaknesses:
open- meaning there will be spill (pro model only) They seem to be slightly bright between 8kHz-16Khz BIG and 'old skool' in appearance

Price Paid:  $99.00 from turnkey

Summary:
When I first used these headphones they were very bright and the bass was heavily layered almost enough to be described as woolen. But as with all Hi-Fi products they need to burn in, they can’t perform properly until you have about 72 hours of audio burn. I’ve used these for about 20+ hours and they are getting better and better. I own a pair of HD-590's and these are coming close. I sure there’s a few more days left till I hear their maximum threshold of audio reproduction. As for fatigue I my self fatigue at high volumes when listening for about two hours - these phones, I feel "do not" fatigue. Some said the cord was too short, I found the cord to be just right but that’s because I sit less than half a meter from my Marrentz Ki PM6010 OSE amp (the cord does stretch to about 3m-ish). I’ve listened to all my favorite audio categories- R&B, classical, light/heavy rock, dance, little pop and industrial. So in conclusion these headphones are slightly bright and a little improvised, but that’s the way I like it. I still appreciate the 590's for being very neutral. But the real reason why I got these phones is that they are tough and require little maintenance and above all sound good (I would say very good but I do not have a wide enough point of reference).

Strengths:
Tough, comfortable, no-fatigue, punch, strength, drive, gripping, improvisation (it has exceeded my expectations) Yey! Thick Springy cord!

Weaknesses:
Aesthetics - They should be called DT 1980's! Urgh! The cord - I wish it could be unplugged.

Similar Products Used:
HD 590, HD 495, HD 490, SONY HDR-G52 and bunch of other low end Sony's.

Price Paid:  $170.00 from Hamburg

Summary:
Hey Guys! I bought the BEYERDYNAMIC DT 990 PRO Version in December 2002 in Germany/Hamburg for about 170$. I must say that I'm not really happy with it. The sound is sometimes a bit cold, and the cord/cable is tooooo short!!!!! This headphone is maybe good for DJs but not for privite music sessions, because you have to take it off after an hour because your ears will hurt! So I have to look for a GRADO soon and will sell my BEYERDYNAMIC soon.

Strengths:
Price

Weaknesses:
cold, short cable, not for long music sessions!!!

Similar Products Used:
Sennheiser HD 590, 600

Price Paid:  $189.00 from Van Ingen, Purmerend

Summary:
My previous review (Dairybeat), was on the DT 990; this is on the DT 990 PRO. I had sold the DT 990's and have been very restless since then. From the Philips ...890, to the Sony MDR-CD480, to the Sennheiser HD600, to the Grado RS1 and now back again to the Beyerdynamic DT 990, but now the PRO version. I think I've found my peace again. All phones had their pros and cons for me, which is always very personal. So far with the DT 990 PRO it's just 'pros'. Full tight gripping bass, with a calm detailed open sound (like the Grado's RS1, but they lack a little in bass). The DT 990 PRO, are very much like my main speakers the Klipsch RF-7, I only can't feel the bass, but apart from that, the bass and everything else is there for me with these phones, they're absolutely great and compared to the price of the Grado's a real bargain!

Strengths:
Bass, with an open detailed and calm sound and very comfortably.

Weaknesses:
None!

Similar Products Used:
Beyerdynamic DT 990 Philips ...890 Sony MDR-CD480 Sennheiser HD600 Grado RS1

Price Paid:  $120.00 from Raf Hifi, Amsterdam,

Summary:
I used them fot many years and still do, but they have to take 2nd place now to my latest addition: Sennheiser HD-600. The Beyer is less dynamic, less open, with a darker sound and the bass a little more undefined. Apart from that, still a good pair of cans, and very comfortable.

Strengths:
You can listen to them for hours without fatigue.

Weaknesses:
It's lacking a bit in dynamics, bass is a little woollen.

Similar Products Used:
Sennheiser HD-600.