1 Year Later: Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro vs. DT 990 Pro 

My exact situation! Glad you made this -- appreciate the insight!

Such a solid and thorough review. Currently own the DT 990 Pro (80 Ohm) and was looking to take the next leap up to the DT 1990's. This video was much needed. Thanks!

Great, detailed comparison, thank you so much for your work!

ngl I thought I was watching some 100k+ sub youtuber. I have watched both of your videos now. They are really great :)

High quality review, thanks. Your review helped me choose 5wappy.

Do you know if the 900 X have this comfort issue? I found that with the 770 but not the 880.

Hey man, thanks for the review. Really enjoyed watching it. Last week, I stepped up from my Razer gaming headset (which I bought for 20 bucks last year). I ordered 990 pro headphones and oh boy it is a huge improvement in quality. Right now I'm thinking about also ordering 1990s and potentially send back the 990s if the additional invested money is worth it. After using the 990s for a couple of days now, I noticed that my left ear is a bit wider than my right ear, actually touching the inner side of the left ear cup. This is still kind of distracting, and so I wanted to ask you: Are the ear pads on the 1990s by chance any deeper, or are they similar in dimension?

first video i watch from you, and i really enjoyed it! you sound like a great dude, i'll stick around :)

This video was exactly the one I was looking for. I am trying to make the transition to using the GOXLR to power my headset to using an amplifier. I was think about purchasing the amplifier you mentioned in your video, but don’t know how I would connect the two. The back of the schiit amp confuses me with the 2 inputs and 2 outputs. I was wondering if you could explain how you connected your amp to your GOXLR. Thank you!

thanks man, great review

Thanks for the review. Just bought some DT 990's. Can't wait!

Damn did not expect you to make this

Great video! Question... I had to 990s but sent them back bcs I couldnt stand the highs on discord / gaming etc... ear piercing sharp stuff. Do the 1990s do this? Or do you use an EQ. Also, I use an XLRgo as well.... how do you conncect the amp you use to the go XLR? Im a noob ! LOL no idea how to do any of it! Great vid man

Needed This! TY Sir!

I absolutely LOVED this review. So well done. I have been debating on the 990s or the 1990s for a while now. Both videos really helped my decision. Going with the 1990s! Thanks a bunch

Would love to see you pick up the new dt 900 prox and compare them with the 1990s and 990s Either way this review/comparison was extremely helpful

do you need amp for the big go xlr? or just the goxlr mini? because the big one has external power 12v

Great review, I'm glad you're not an advanced audiophile, what you described is true and honest, with no elevated opinion. Thanks!

What do you think about replacement pads for both dt 990 and 1990 for example dekoni velour or seude.

The mention of hat sizes was awesome, haven’t heard any reviewers use that for reference before. I’m also a 7-1/2 or L/XL and found the 990s to be too clampy, I’d recommend the 990 Premium Edition for people with larger heads as it has the least clamp force and lightest frame

Thank you for the review ! I will drive them through a fiio k5 and hopefully it will work nicely. I need them for both gaming and sound mixing

This is super helpful! Thanks!!

HEY, just bought the DT 990 Pro 80 ohms edition. Do I need a amp to run these? Or can I just plug them straight into either my pc or into my elgato wave 3 mic and I’m ready to go ? THANKS !

Can you run the 990 pro directly from goxlr or do you still need an amp to get the best quality of the headset. Also, if an amp is needed, can you recommend a good amp to pair with the headset

I own the DT 990 Pros. They're great headphones if you prefer a brighter V shaped sound, which I do. The 1990s have a much flatter frequency curve, which might explain why the midrange sounds muddier on the 990s in your comparisons. It's competing with boosted bass and treble. In my experience, one of the 990s better applications is in listening to vinyl records. Due to how they were made and how they wear, records tend to have rolled off bass and treble. When you combine that with the V shaped frequency curve of the DT990s, they essentially cancel out and you get a nice neutral sound.

Favorite band, Tool, check, and I just subscribed 👍🏼

Thank you for your review. Clearly dt1990 is better but how many times better interms of sound quality? With 500 usd I can buy Shennheiser hd6xx and dt990. Also how is the bass compared to ath-m50?

Great video. Keep up the good work.

Hi , I have a SM Pro Audio M-Patch2 passive monitor controlling unit . I curreently run both the reference monitors and my headphones through it. My sound card is RME HDSP 9632 which is an internal model and this is why I use this unit. I just wonder whether the sound card and the controlling unit will be enough the run the headphones 250 ohm and over ( my plan is to purchase DT990 pro for mix and mastering) . And whether the frequency response spec of SM limit the headphone ? This is what I see in SM’s spec sheet ; output Frequency response • 20Hz - 20Hz +/- 0.5dB Maximum output level • 320mW into 32Ω

Quick question, with both the DT990 and DT1990 have you noticed the plastic side parts that cover the slider mechanism breaking / chipping? my dt990 plastic side parts keep chipping and breaking and ive had to send them away twice to get repaired. i want the dt1990 but for that price and it looks like its made of the same type of plastic. im not sure.

Amazing video, thank you for the info.

Great review! It helps me decide between the two. I might go with 1990 pro! One question, is your DT 990 Pro 250ohm?

Hi. Great review thanks. Would you recommend to upgrade from the DT 880 Pro to the DT 1990 Pro? The reason would be that i miss out on the bass a littlebit with the 880 Pro`s i feel....

Would you recommend the IFI Zen Dac V2 for the 1990-990's?

Yo man , good video overall, can you do a dit 1990 pro vs the 900 pro x please ? Cuz i wanna upgrade from my dt 990 pro but I hesitate between the 1990pro or the 900 pro x

What is a good amp/dac to plug the 990s and a shure mv7 into without breaking the bank for streaming while gaming?

can you use the 250 Ohm version without having a soundboard or amplifier ? i heard many mainboards can do it but i'm not sure if the quality would suffer to much. I can use the 80 Ohm version but i would like to have better sound for music, because i play more RPG's and listen to a lot of music and audiobooks.

Just ordered the DT 1990 Pros , will be using them for gaming

I’ve just sent my Hifiman Edition XS back because I got headaches. Before I had DT 770 Pro which are essentially the same as 990 Pro, but being a closed-back. 770 Pro are pure comfort, I can have them on for hours, I was hopping 1990 Pro would give me the same comfort, but I might have headaches as I did with Edition XS. Thank you for the warning and the review!

Quick question for you dude.. regarding one more headphone. If you were to throw in the dt 900 pro x which of the 3 would you recommend for gaming?

Exactly what I was looking for. Currently searching a pair of Hifi headphones for my PC as upgrade from my sony wh-1000xm3. 🙂Thx.

Curious of if the SoundBlaster K3+ that is running my microphone will also be able to run either of these without issues/Loss in "quality"?

Wow, that's really good quality videos, both of them. Thank you. I'm not a professional e-sport player however I'm competitive and I'd like to improve better every day. I had Hyperx Revolver S for a long time and it was its time to get replaced. I bought the hyped headset at that time, SteelSeries Arctis 7. It was wireless without any loss in MS and felt great to be free from wires but I was so amazed by how bad the quality of sound it was producing for the price I paid. Life happened, I couldn't send it back. After using it for some time, I just got fed up, threw it away and switched to my good old iPhone earbuds, the ones that come with the phone. I switched to playing TFT and League and It was also summer so it means no more ear sweat. They get the job done and I didn't buy anything, everything was ok. I recently started playing FPS again. They just can't keep up. The sound is just so flat, I can't separate gun sounds and footsteps easily. And I started researching. A couple of my favourite streamers are using 990 and 1990. Yes, I prefer to go with 1990 but the budget is important for me and if they don't give a reasonable gap between the two, then there's no point in buying the expensive one for myself. What kind of equipment/sound card/amplifier do I need to buy in order to power those 990? Is it better to go with lower (80) ohm or higher (250) ohm? I'll also use Shure SM58 XLR microphone, don't know if it matters. I do not have any sound knowledge so please do not spare any detail. Thank you.

I just ordered my 1990 PRO and am switching from Sennheiser GSP 550. I'm curious about the differences. I will connect the headphones to the SoundBlaster Ae-5 sound card in my PC, I hope it will be enough for gaming. Because games will mainly be played on these headphones.

Great review, how do they sound with classical music

Amazing review ❤

My head is big enough that extra large helmets don't fit me, should I order DT 1990s or it a no go? Already have a DT 990s and looking to upgrade, The 990s are a bit tight but not too bad.

good review, getting the 1990's myself from 770's!

What camera do u use I rlly like it 😁

I'm looking for headphones that will sound well with TOOL songs, so I'm very pleased you specifically mentioned them.

Very good review 👏 have you ever owned a 280 pro seinhesier? I was thinking of getting the 990 but iam not sure it's better than the 280

What mixer do you use for your Sm7b?

Question for ya, how would you compare the music sound of the 1990's to the Bose H700's?

thanks for update bro

I don't own the 990 Pro ,instead the 990 Pro Editions and they sound wonderful on a KORG 100 DAC ,Nordost USB cable Heimdall 2 (don't pay attention to the latter these are from my high end system ) I did not listen to the 1990 "yet" ,because there is a new kid on the block the DT 900 pro X they look similar to the 1990 but cost half and the reviews are great . I also own Beyer dynamics from the early 90's like the DT931 and 831 and these sometimes can out preform the newer types . Thank you for a great review ,keep up the good work . Regards Kenneth John The Netherlands (PS. I forgot Sonar works will make your headphones sound sooooo much better )

I've watched several reviews on the 1990's and they all mentioned a huge peak at 8.5K (more than 10dB), and it causes a lot of sibilance and gets very painful after an hour or more. You didn't mention this so I'm guessing you didn't notice it or it didn't bother you?

I was planning on getting the DT 1990 pro. However, it gets confusing when it comes to choosing a good Audio interface. I will be mainly producing music on them so I'd much rather have a good audio interface that can drive them to their full potential over a DAC/amp combo. Any suggestions would be highly appreciated

I play a lot and pay attention to the quality of the sounds first and then to their details so that I can hear the most accurate sounds and footsteps. I have a DT 990 Pro. Do you recommend buying the DT 1990 PRO?

Well, this was an awfully convenient video, I've just started thinking about my upgrade path from my DT 880 250 Ohm. I've really liked my 880's and was wondering what Beyerdynamic's had on offer. I had been eyeing the 990 pros and then saw the 1990 pros and wondered if there was much of a difference. I'll certainly be taking your feedback into consideration when I make my choice. But first I need to upgrade my sound card to a decent DAC. Keep up the good work dude!

“Extra large hat.. not a huge head..” bro do you hear yourself 😂. Nice video btw.

Just ordered some DT 990's and DT 770's both 250 ohms. I have some dekoni elite hybrid pads for both. I have a ifi hip dac, I hope it has enough power to push them.

The balanced pads have higher soundstage (thicker pads=ears farther away), more even treble (less peaks, especially after 12khz), more bass (also slightly deeper) I prefer analytical, it's more vibrant and crispy. And I hate to change the pads, it took me 1 hour at some point. And I'm afraid I will break them or wear and make them useless. Actually I thought about changing them to DT990 because I've seen that measurements show a more extended treble than 1990, but now that you say the resolution is inferior to 1990, then i'm no longer looking for a side grade. I prefer 1990 over my HD800 even if DT1990 have less resolution, just because DT1990 have an intense, closer to the ear type of sound. HD800 have way less often that bite I'm looking for so most of the sounds sound quieter and far away than I wanted. For intense sound i have stax L700, but that's just too intense.

I have just purchased DT1990, dt990 is far more comfortable than 1990, heat transfer much more better. dt 1990 is like semi-open. however dt1990 is more sensitive than 990 on consumer products like macbook air headphone jack. Volume level maybe 2x better on dt1990. built quality is awesome. it is piece of art.

I know this review is old, you did a fantastic job by the way... in terms of the sound difference one would be foolish going into a head to head battle review of these two expecting the 1990's to not sound better in more areas than one. There's now at least a $350 (US) price difference. Beyerdynamic would have a serious design and quality to control issue if there were not this difference.

Excellent video

the thing I find difficult to justify is, are the 1990 really almost $400 better in sound or is it just "better enough to notice it"

Which OHM version of these headphones did you use?

I have the 1990s and couldnt be happier. I've spent a fortune on headphones over the years, but found my favourites eventually.😊

I've had the DT990 Pro:s for 3,5 years and starting to think about upgrading them to 1990 Pro:s but I also have a big head and there's really nothing wrong with 990's so this is a hard choice. The 990's have been one of the best buys I've done in the past years. The 990's feel like they're never going to break and the only thing you have to do is replace the pads from time to time. I've done it once this past 3,5 years but probably would be better to do more often.

What dac do you recommend?

I have a big head as well, am not a hardcore audiophile, also have the Schiit Magni 3 (and Schiit Modi DAC). A couple of hours ago (before watching this video), I happened to buy the DT 1990 Pro online, to replace a Hifiman HE400s that is mechanically falling apart (too bad, because it still sounds good). The HE400s was my first headphone over like $100. It was supposed to be a $300ish 1-time expense to get something that lasts forever... but it broke at the swivel hinge (and my hair was slowly destroying the fake suede headband and the ear pads). I managed to tape it back together, but it was definitely time for a new one. I went with the DT 1990 Pro because it's a slight upgrade in the frequency response graphs , while supposedly longer lasting, and not overly expensive. As long as it lasts and doesn't feel like a downgrade in sound quality, I'll be happy.

Lovely. I got the same experience and own them both as well. If people want a closed headset I would recommend the 770 Pro 250Ω. You need a powerful amp tho if you wanna use them as a gaming headset.

900 pro x at 279$ or 1990 pro for 450$ right now on sale? If it helps for someone with an established act but also will game on time to time

My head for caps is 7 1/2- 7 3/4 depending on brand and i bought a maniqine heads with a thick toque on it to help stetch out every pair of headset i buy so the uncomfortableness is normal to me

The 1990 indeed is easier to drive in terms of it's sensitivity and it just clearer soundn and deeper bass I don't know how some people claim there's little difference between them

I have a big head too. I have to bend my DT 770 and DT 880 quite a bit to reshape them, so there's less pressure when wearing them. It's a metal band if it's too much pressure then just reshape it.

DAC BlasterX G6 is good for DT1900 pro ?

Love your Way 👍👍👍

its a shame you can't get a 990 DT pro with that connector, im on my 4th pair now (period of 10 years) because the cable fails at the connection at the earcup

Gonna stick with my 990 pros, blows all my other cans out the water. Even my m50x sound bad in comparison, I'm using a sound blaster sound card with a shit magni amp, sounds great but I do agree they mud out under bass loads, got my beats pro for hip hop however

How bad is the leak in audio. My parents always walk into my room and I don’t want my friends flashing words around and my parents able to hear it.

Man, DT1990 is buy of a year or maybe a century for me, Im super happy I did it. When my friend brought his 990s I was seriously perplexed how bad they sound in compare with 1990, the lack of midrange due to v shape sound feels to me like I have a towel thrown onto soundsystem 😂 I even bought dt1990 and 1770 because mostly I read on the forums and reddit that 1770 are better for electronic/bass music, we did a series of blind tests with my wife and 1990 is a clear winner.

I kinda wanna go with the 1990's but I would have to save for them, whereas I can buy the 990's now. I have an older creative soundcard(Soundblaster Z) and was thinking of getting the AE-7, hoping that, that is enough xD

New sub here :)

For games, dt 990 pro or dt 1990 pro?

Never wore hats but i measured my head at 24 and a half inches in circumference sooo XXL in hat size. I wanted these to

if you ever get chance try the Hifiman sundara

im extremely worried about the flimsy cheap cable on the dt990. so much so that i barely wear the headphones and always put them back in the box when not using them. what were they thinking making such an awful cable on those otherwise perfect headphones?

I always have the problem with my hair getting uncomfortable underneath my headphones, but now I know what to do. I'm going bald tomorrow :D

Huge difference between the different impedances of the 990.......I compared and settled for the 600 ohm version .( way better than the 250 ohm )............I also listen with a 1990........

Small correction: The 1990s are heavier due to a double tesla coil =)

U should compare the 1990 to hd660 s

what i heard from most people is: if you like the way those 140€ dt990s sound, you wont be blown away by the more then twice as expensive dt1990. theyre better yes , but not twice as good because you could say the dt990 have a nice sweetspot when it comes to sound to cost which the dt1990 cant deliver. i know, with audio stuff, theres alot of diminshing returns but after hearing that, iam not really willing to spend more then twice and feeling like: yes, around 20% better to my ears, but not worth the upprice"

Thing is if you’re going for 1990 pro .. sennheiser has cheaper and better sounding options .. I really like the 1990 pro but value for money just isn’t there at 3x the price of 990 pro in some cases ..

Yes 350 euro difference, you'd expect the 500 euro HP should sound better

Man… ily thank u

👍

Why did you put the subtitles in Vietnamese? 😀

i would say the DT1990 comapre more töthe DT880 than the DT990 although the are open back, but imo they sound way closer to the half open DT880. And with the Dekoni velours elite pads and some EQing they ar€pretty much on the Harman target curve, even more so than my DT880. If you are searching for awesome headphones and the DT1990 are to expensive i would recommend the DT880 over the DT990. they are just better.

the 900 pro x sounded pretty much the same to me today as the 1990 DT pro... ... also the 990s are duller than the rest yes,,, the dt 880 were somewhere between them in sound...