DT990
The DT990 is a fully open headphone with very impressive bass. Though the treble is more pronounced in the whole line up of headphones. I classify this headphone as their fun and bassy one. One thing to note that the DT990 has the most recessed midrange of all three lines.
- 32Ohm
The 32Ohm model for this headphone follows like the previous two lines. It sounds very much like the 600Ohm models, but has a far less refined tone to it. The bass in this model also seems a little sloppy compared to its other two incarnation and is slower sounding as well. The soundstage is still smaller like the other two lines, but bigger than the 32Ohm DT880. The midrange is fuller than the 250Ohm model, but is a lot more hollow sounding than the 32Ohm DT880. The soundstage is also wider than the 32Ohm DT880 with better imaging.
- 250Ohm
The treble us a bit far too pronounced and covers the midrange, though it has better detail and extension over the other DT770 and DT880 models. It’s somewhat strident and can cause ear fatigue quite quickly for those who are sensitive to treble. The midrange, as stated above, is very shallow to almost nonexistent. Maybe that’s overstating it, but it’s very shallow sounding, but what can be heard is very detailed and transparent. The 250Ohm DT880 has a much fuller midrange, but the DT990’s has more detail and transparency to it. The bass is very prominent and takes over the sound. It makes the headphone sound darker. The impact on the bass is very impressive for an open headphone and it has more extension than the 250Ohm DT880, but lacks it’s texturing and layering. The soundstage easily beats the 250Ohm DT880 as this ohm rating of the DT990 is much wider and deeper sounding.
- 250Ohm (PRO)
The pro version follows the trend of the other two lines pro variants with a smaller soundstage, more bass, and more clamp. The treble seems smoother also because of the increased clamping force and aids the mids in coming forward. Bass seems to have gained impact but now there’s slightly more bass. Even more bass than the 600Ohm model, but not as controlled. The treble is smoother now from the added bass as it gets masked a tiny bit. The mids gain some body and the lower mids are more audible.
- 600Ohm
The 600Ohm model is the definitive version of the DT990 and has the smoothest treble of the DT990 line. It’s also the most detailed treble of all three lines and offers the most extension. The midrange of this model is close to the 250Ohm DT880 and is rather shallow, but far more improved over the 250Ohm DT990. The DT990 600Ohm’s mids are a little bit more transparent and detailed over its 250Ohm counterpart, but not nearly as full sounding as the 600Ohm DT880. The DT990 still has a slightly more detailed midrange over the 600Ohm DT880. Bass on this model is just insane. It has so much impact and is so tight and controlled sounding it makes you question that’s it’s an open headphone. Also the bass is very snappy and fast, far faster sounding than the other DT990 variants. Really just the most impactfull and controlled bass I’ve heard from an open headphone. The soundstage also beats all the DT770 and DT880 models and is pretty wide and deep. The imaging though is just a bit better than the 600Ohm DT880, but not by much.
