Until Beyerdynamic's mighty T1 Tesla arrived on the scene, the DT-990 Premium ($369) was one of the firm's top two audiophile models (the other model sharing on of the top slots was the DT-880 PRO, reviewed in Playback 12).

The Beyer DT 990 is among the world's best open-back dynamic headphones. It has been a favorite among professional recording engineers and music lovers for 25 years for its great sound, moderate price and now solid build quality.

Build quality is very good, they do feel "premium". The finish doesn't attract fingerprints which is nice. Comfort is good, you do feel the headband putting a slight pressure the head after a longer session, but it's not bothersome. The velour pads are nice and the ears do not get warm.

Bass; clarity; soundstage; comfort; build quality

Sibilant; mids

The new and improved Beyerdynamic DT990, complete with shiny metal grilles, tackles the high-end headphone world with a fun sound that is yet relatively less compromised by coloration than the most commonly known "fun/rockin'" headphones, Grados.

Great sound taught me what sound stage is, very quiet for headphones (tried various amps no luck) and by far the most comfortable headphones I've ever worn but due to volume levels and clipping at not even that loud of volumes they weren't right for me.

THE ONLY MAJOR MANUFACTURER I know of that makes the same headphone in different impedances, Beyerdynamic offers the DT-990 in a 32-ohm version for use with portable devices, a 250-ohm version for average home gear, and a 600-ohm version for high-end headphone amps.

Using alongside the Xonar Essence STX, this is my first high-end audio setup. I'm relatively inexperienced with the tech behind sound, being more of a videophile myself, but I do know high quality sound from average sound, and my preferences in sound are a bit more strict than anyone I know.

Phenomenal sound on all levels; absolutely breathe taking. Smooth, amazing sound that completely immerses you in what you're listening too. Extremely comfortable; I wear them for hours every day and I don't feel right sitting at my computer without them on my head

Have had some issues with the drivers handling bass intensity on some things; but this has been worked out for the time being

nice head phones with pretty good sound quality. price is okay.

sound quality

none

I used them fot many years and still do, but they have to take 2nd place now to my latest addition: Sennheiser HD-600. The Beyer is less dynamic, less open, with a darker sound and the bass a little more undefined. Apart from that, still a good pair of cans, and very comfortable.

You can listen to them for hours without fatigue

It's lacking a bit in dynamics; bass is a little woollen

- How long have you use it? 6 months - What is the particular feature you like best and least? The Pros: comfort, sound quality