When it comes to what I put in my ears, sonically, I’m pretty picky. With that, I’ve used a large pile of ear/headphones over the course of the past 30+ years. These ranged from the $4.99 foam-padded piezo earphones of the ‘80s to the $149 Beyerdynamic DT990Pro headphones. I read a lot of reviews and user comments about products both before and after I purchase them, so I’m not going to make this like the more technical, audiophile reviews. This is my experience and are my opinions.
One kibitz – whomever in the tech writing department decided that manuals and warranty info and such should be impossible for humans to read without electron microscopes should be soundly beaten about the head and shoulders with a fish.
Technically, they’re pretty solid with a 5 Hz – 35 kHz range with 250ohm impedance, 96dB SPL, and <0.02% THD. The semi-open back adds an airiness and allows for a bit more detailed sound stage reproduction.
So, enough of that. Time for the hands-on review. I have two albums I go to for headphone / subwoofer testing right away. The first is Enya’s “The Celts,” and the second is Amon Amarth’s “Surtur Rising” album. These may be seemingly disparate, but what they both offer is a fairly demanding handling of dynamic range as well very specific bass requirements. The songs I hit first are “Fairytale” by Enya and then “Destroyer of the Universe” by Amon Amarth. Why these two, you ask?
“Fairytale” is perfect for auditioning the range of any speaker you’re wanting to test. It leads in with sparkly treble-y stuff and then with only moderate warning gives you three bass notes, continued throughout, that will tell you what you need to know. For me, it’s the third note that gives you either rich, clean bass or seems to suck back the sound and swallow that note completely. The first response tells you it’s not going to get shy on you when listening to dynamic and full pieces with substantial bass. The second tells you, “Move on. Nothing to hear, here.” The track “Triad: St. Patrick, Cu Chulainn, Oisin” will give you reassurance as it rides the spectrum from crisp treble to thick, sumptuous bass. The DT990s handled these, and all the songs on that album, really, flawlessly.
“Destroyer of the Universe” is a different kettle of fish altogether. It’s in no way soothing, but no less demanding of the drivers in a set of speakers or pair of headphones. It brings the real litmus test for newer headphones that seem to be geared towards just throwing bass at you – I’m looking at you, Beats… So, with “Destroyer of the Universe,” you get unrelenting double-kick mayhem that, on subpar headphones – even really expensive ones – sounds like someone beating on pudding with a hammer. So, how did the DT990s handle it? They handled it like a champ. Every kick thud came through individually, as did the associated kick-click (Thanks, Lars), without overwhelming the rest of the percussion nuances like the high hat sounding exactly like it’s being hit behind you about 45 degrees and a few feet out. So, yes, the DT990s handled the “Destroyer of the Universe” challenge without flinching or sounding like mud. It’s not the only track on the “Surtur Rising” album that will give the headphones a workout, but it is the track that exposed several very expensive headphones as not being able to handle the bass barrage gracefully.
So, these headphones have passed the “Fairytale” “Destroyer of the Universe” challenge. Additionally, they handled the title track from my upcoming album like they were born for it. The kick sounded thick and tight. The bass growled through, as expected. The guitars had their full range. Basically, they did exactly what I required them to.
Now, there are down-sides, too. I’m not a fan of the connected cord. I’ve been spoiled with both the Status and AKG headphones I also use. They also tend to humidify my ears after several hours of listening. That’s my complaint with just about all headphones, though, so it’s in no way a unique irritation. They may be a smidge on the heavy side, but not by much.
One complaint I’ve heard is that the DT990s are too detailed and are very “crispy” sounding. While that may be a fair point, in some cases, what I’m noticing is that the detail is perfect, even to the point of exposing when the guitars are mixed/produced just a bit above clipping, something I’ve noticed with good headphones. As a mixer/producer, that’s what I want in a headphone. Now, my thoughts are this: if the detail/treble-ness are irritating to you…use the equalizer. I don’t know if it’s just less common, now, because kids are used to just listening to the music as it plays rather than adjusting for headphone or speaker characteristics, but my first thought when I hear something that’s too sharp or boomy is to tweak the EQ rather than put that onus on the headphones, completely. There are also software packages out there that offer headphone profiles to give you the best sound with very little fuss.
Honestly, I’ve been very pleased with the DT990s, so far. They’ve handled everything I’ve thrown at them with aplomb and maybe a smidge of swagger. I enjoy the clarity and look forward to using them a lot while finishing the production of my aforementioned release. A lot of it comes down to expectation management. I don’t expect these to be the be-all/end-all headphones, nor do I expect them to minimize sibilance without EQing. I expect them to play the music with faithful reproduction of the recording. So far, these do. Are there better headphones, especially at this price point? Probably…but I don’t have them, I have these and I can recommend them without reservation.
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