Beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO MKII review

The world of high-end headphones is as contentious as it is expensive, but there are a few mainstay companies that keep in the conversation even decades after entering it. Adding to its company’s line of high-end headphones, the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO MKII looks to improve upon its previous version’s successes, and dampen some of its shortcomings. But is it worth the money? Let’s take a look.

What’s it like to use the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO MKII?

The Beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO MKII is a tank of a product, with padded metal band, metal chassis, and large, deep ear cups. The steel chassis should be able to withstand casual abuse, and the headphones themselves are respectably maintainable. Because the design uses specifications that are met by most other Beyerdynamic headphones, replacement pads should be easy to come by. If you buy these, they should last.

Inside the hardshell case are two cable options, one coiled cable, and one straight cable. Each plugs into the headphones on the left side via a miniXLR connection. To connect to source devices, both cables have a TRS termination, and a threaded 6.3mm adapter that can affix to the termination over the default 3.5mm TRS plug. Well familiar to fans of Beyerdynamic headphones past, the newest version of the DT 1990 PRO is an open-backed affair, with Beyerdynamic’s latest Tesla drivers (not to be confused with operators of cars sold by the company with the same name).

These headphones are primarily meant for content creation such as mixing tracks and editing video, so if you’re looking at these to primarily listen to music: there’s a few adjustments necessary. Though headphones aren’t a replacement for well-calibrated speakers, those of you looking to make YouTube content or cutting your teeth on a music career will appreciate what these headphones can provide you, just be aware that you should keep their foibles in mind before hitting “export.” Just remember that pad wear is a thing, and over time those soft, pillowy pads around the ear may relax enough to change the sound a bit — but not terribly so.

If you’re going to be wearing headphones for a long time, the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO MKII is an excellent choice, as the pads are very plush, and easy on your head without moving around too much when you look around. Those of you with glasses will appreciate the velour enclosing the pads, as this is very forgiving to glasses arms. Side bonus: the give in the pads mean that the headphones won’t bury your glasses arms into your skull.

Finally, Beyerdynamic headphones like the ones reviewed here are fairly easy to maintain, as the design has a few features that allow part swapping fairly readily. You can also remove and replace padding pretty easily by putting the inner ring of the pads into the notch on the side of the ear cup, then twisting the pad so that the inner ring slides into the slot all the way around the ear cup. It’s a clever design, even if it’s a little time-consuming.

How well does the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO MKII block out noise?

Given that the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO MKII has two different sets of pads, naturally, they also require two different sets of isolation measurements. The main issue here will always be the open-back nature of the headphones, so there really isn’t a big difference between the two pad types.

For starters, the Production pads offer minimal isolation. It’s to be expected from a set of open-back headphones, so it’s not too surprising that you’re going to hear just about everything around you. Similarly, those around you should be able to hear most of what you’re listening to, but it’ll sound only slightly muffled.

And the Mixing pads offer… about the same isolation. This was pretty obvious going in, but there it is.

How do the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO MKII sound?

The Beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO MKII is a capable headphone, but you have to understand a few things about it first. It can sound pretty good, but unless you’re using these for their intended purpose: you’ll need to get comfortable with an equalizer.

Reviewer’s notes

Editor’s note: this review uses a hover-enabled glossary to describe sound quality based on a consensus vocabulary. You can read about it here.

Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Scores (MDAQS)

The chart below shows how the sound of the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO MKII was assessed by the Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Score (MDAQS) algorithm from HEAD acoustics.

Right off the bat, I’ll say that MDAQS is generally pretty unforgiving to headphones that don’t have a lot of bass, and that reflects my experience as well. Partially because most untrained listeners are used to a more bassy sound, but also because it’s just not everyone’s preferred sound. Using the Producing pads will be more of a bridge to that type of listener, as the low mids and bass will be a bit more emphasized than with the Mixing pads and, consequently, will likely be enjoyed by more people.

That said, a listener who’s new to the Beyerdynamic-style of tuning will have quite a bit to get used to, and that’s reflected here. There are no “bad” scores present even at worst, but the tuning will guarantee that there are strong opinions from a lot of people on either side. But that’s not really something that’s revealed by these scores, is it?

Objective Measurements

I’ve included the measurements for each of the included pads in the above chart, but the differences between them largely lie in the bass. The default (installed) pads are the Producer pads, which look extremely similar to the Mixing/mastering velours in the packaging. Really, the main difference I can find is that the Mixing pads have ruler-flat bass and mids, while the Producer pads have a bit of a lift in the lows. I appreciate the latter, as the very strong highs are quite overpowering if you’re listening at volume.

Highs are somewhat wonky and quite a ways off of both our Headphone Preference curve and Studio Curve. But without having a month or two to see how the pads wearing in will affect things, I’m not quite able to say whether that will change the sound or not. Headphones like the DT 990 PRO and DT 770 PRO are susceptible to this, and some users on Reddit report pad wear affecting the treble positively (you know, inasmuch as it’s less loud).

That spike at 8kHz is really tough to ignore even if it’s relatively narrow — more narrow than it looks on the above chart due to smoothing. I suspect many are going to want to equalize the highs a bit in order to dull the sharpness of that band.

If you’re already practiced in that act, go right ahead, but I’ve also done a little work and made some presets to start you off. Keep in mind that I’m not touching the lows, just the mids and some highs. So if you feel like the balance is a bit off… yeah, you’re probably right.

Can you use the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO MKII for phone calls?

The Beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO MKII does not have an in-line microphone, so it would be a poor fit for phone calls. That said, anyone using the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO MKII would likely already have a dedicated microphone with their computer, and would be able to use that.

Should you buy the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO MKII?

This is a tough one to contextualize because my recommendation for listeners looking for higher-end headphones depends greatly upon whether you’re already familiar with the idiosyncrasies of Beyerdynamic’s sound. If you’ve previously owned or used headphones like the DT 1990 PRO, DT 990 PRO, or DT 770 PRO and you’ve really liked them: the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO MKII would be a notable upgrade in build quality and flexibility. Sure, it’s a hike in cost, and it’s not going to make everyone happy, but there are die-hards out there who would enjoy this set of cans. Just be aware that they probably shouldn’t be your first foray into high-end audio unless you get to try them out first.

What should you get instead of the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO MKII?

So if you are among those who are looking for your first set of high-end headphones, I usually steer people to a few others first. For example, Sennheier makes a lot of the hobby’s entry points, and has for decades. Headphones like the HD 600 ($299 at Amazon), and HD 6XX ($199 at Manufacturer site) are decent models to buy to get used to open-backs and their foibles. However, despite the lack of a relationship between price and quality, for open-back headphones there seems to be a relative lack of less-expensive options that pass muster. You could opt for some Grado SR60x ($99 at Amazon) headphones, though those are not nearly as comfortable, and have interesting issues in the highs. Those looking for a step up from their current headphones are probably going to be better served by poking around reviews with measurements to see what works and what doesn’t on a case-by-case basis, as I wouldn’t deign to recommend one model for everyone.

However, if you are looking for a flexible set of headphones for the studio, specifically, you need to identify what you’re looking for. If you’re looking for open-backed headphones in the same mold as the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO MKII, we like the Sennheiser HD 490 PRO ($399.99 at Amazon)/ However, if you’re looking for tracking cans or something you can quickly get a good reference for what most people will hear, then you want a set of AKG K371 ($176 at Amazon), Sony MDR-7506 ($89 at Amazon), or Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO ($169 at Amazon). Though the Beyerdynamic option here has similar treble emphasis to its other offerings, you can likewise equalize that away via a simple cut if you so desire. However, if you’re looking to avoid overemphasis in cymbals, echo, and other environmental effects, you may want to leave that untouched.

Beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO MKII review: FAQs