beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO Open Studio Reference Headphones

Product Information

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. Taking a step back, you can fully appreciate the overall build even further thanks to the padded leather headband and removable cable on the bottom of the left ear cup. You can sit in them for long hours without any sort of pain or headache and that’s all because of huge amount of foam in headband as well as very big velour pads. As they’re open-back, the DT 1990 Pro are meant to be used at home or in the studio for serious analytical listening.

The timbre of the midrange was also very good; it was very natural, and a great improvement over the DT 990 Pro’s slightly metallic timbre. For frequency response reference, you can see the RAW measurements for both Analytical and Balanced pads from autoeq graphs.The main reason was to add a reference listening device to my home studio setup, and I must say I'm definitely amazed by the overall quality of the product. They are slightly more resolving in this region of the frequency response than the LCD-1 and Sundara, although they are not quite as resolving as the HD 660S in the midrange. There’s so much detail that many of my tracks just sounded like recorded sessions of some people and instruments instead of a wholesome musical experience that combination of those specific parts can provide. Furthermore it allows for lighter components for improved comfort, ideal for long listening sessions. 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.

sets of cables, one coiled and one straight, both 3m long, ended with Mini-XLR and additional set of pads. You exactly hear where specific instrument is in the track, you hear if their microphone they recorded it with was properly set, you hear if mastering of the track simply sucks or not. The phone did a decent job powering the headphones, but the headphones lose their magic without proper amping. What you mentioned about the Balanced pads exaggerating the sibilant seems to mirror Resolve's experience - and I can kind of understand why.In comparison to other Beyerdynamic headphones, it is not as bad on the DT1990 Pro as other Beyer offerings. Until I moved to the DT1990, I was using the AT-M40X for mixing at home, and because I had used them so much, I knew how they translated on to other systems. When using the balanced pads, the overall bass level was raised by one or two decibels, but at the cost of some definition.

Additionally, the dynamics in the bass are very good for the DT 1990 Pro; they have a very good punch and slam quality.Listening to things like piano keystrokes, guitar string plucks or xylophone strikes, they all have a good sense of pressure and tension behind. The only trouble is that the drivers sit flat and parallel to your head, and are not angled like the Beyerdynamic T1 or the Sennheiser HD800.