The bass performance is absolutely great for a dynamic driver. Beyerdynamic’s implementation of its Tesla design also shows technical prowess. The DT1990 PRO kick fast, woo with speed and attack and top it off with great separation and fine details.

The Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro is made for professionals, and remains a great choice for audio enthusiasts. Thsoe with cash to burn will get plenty of mileage out of this set of open-back cans.

For $600, the DT 1990 Pro headphones don't disappoint, but it's worth doing research before plunking down the big bucks, as there are some worthy competitors that still offer a very accurate sound signature for engineers and musicians. From a purely sonic enjoyment standpoint, we prefer the Beyerdynamic Amiron Home, but those headphones are more for home listening, where the frequency response can be tinkered with slightly here and there. In the pro department, we're also fans of the less expensive Sennheiser HD6 Mix, the Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro, and the in-ear Etymotic ER4 XR—all solid options that bring unique strengths to the table.

However, getting it to the point where I find it enjoyable and close to my personal target curve requires a lot of EQ. Still, I think that even after EQ, it does not really perform as well as other headphones in the $500 price range. Furthermore, at its MSRP of $600 it gets dangerously close in price to the Focal Elex and price-dropped HiFiMan Ananda; both headphones that handily outperform it in nearly every category. Now, you have to keep in mind that this is from the perspective of someone who is only listening to them with music-listening in mind. The DT 1990 Pro’s are aimed more for studio use, which I am unfamiliar with–they might be amazing for that application. Nonetheless, if you can find the DT 1990 Pro at $450 or under, I think it might still be worth considering. After all, it greatly improves with EQ, has incredible build quality, and it does provides good technical performance.

The DT 1990 have a well-balanced reproduction of instruments and vocals in the mid-range, a deep and extended bass and a decent but slightly sharp treble. They will sound good with almost any tracks and music genre although the treble peak in the higher frequencies may be a bit bothersome on already bright tracks. On the upside, they have a comfortable design (that's a little tight on the head at first ) and a decently spacious soundstage. They're a good choice for casual and neutral listeners alike although more casual listeners may prefer the similar sounding DT 990 PRO at a cheaper price point.

If you’re looking for a premium level swap for your existing hardware, give these silky sounding studio headphones a try and take your listening enjoyment to a whole new level.

The Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro feature stunning resolution, soundstage and build quality. Its sparkling highs, tight bass and detail retrieval make it great value for money for those looking for audiophile headphones that sound great with all types of music.