The Beyerdynamic DT 990 premium headphones are another incredible sound system treat from the dynamic and innovative Beyerdynamic company. The alaTest Review for the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Premium rates the headphones at 92 out of 100. These are not gaming headphones or the kind of choice you would make for travelling headphones or jogging headphones or the set to wear when you watch o watch TV in the middle of the night. But they are excellent for their designated purpose – listening to music on big equipment.
Let’s take a closer look at the Beyerdynamic DT 990 premium headphones. The first thing you will notice is that they have over-the-ear, open-backed headphones. The open backs refer to the back of the earcups, which are open. This is what keeps this line of Beyerdynamic headphones from shutting out the noise of the world and letting your noise out so that those around you can hear your sounds too. The upside is that the sound appears to come from speakers not your headphones. You would not be popular using these on an airplane but that is not the point of the Beyerdynamic DT 990 premium headphones. If you want to listen to contained sound, there are other options.
The Beyerdynamic DT 990 is in the same cost range, more or less, as the Beyerdynamic DT 770 – retailing at $300 but for sale lower than that. Also like the 770s, they really need a headphone amp for iPod use. A friend of mine has a set of these headphones and once she plugged them into her entertainment unit she was mesmerized by the sounds she could hear. She’s a trained singer and a purist about sound. She does not want all the highs and lows of electronically enhanced sound. She just wants to hear the nuances of what is on the recording. The Beyerdynamic DT 990 headphones gave her that experience.
In a test done on distortion the testing equipment found out the same thing that my friend did. There is no distortion. What you hear is what was recorded. The only purer sound would have been available if you were standing in the recording room with the musicians.
Aside from the sound quality, there is something else that needs to be praised about the Beyerdynamic DT 990 and that is their comfort. They fit snugly and lightly and you can wear them all day without feeling any of the pinch or heaviness take away from your pleasure in listening to your music with these headphones.