beyerdynamic DT 900 PRO X
Professional-Standard 48Ω Open-Back Headphones
MADE IN GERMANY
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
Specifications Performance Compared
beyerdynamic DT 900 PRO X (48 Ω, two straight cords (6'/2m and 10'/3m) included, each with a 3.5mm plug and screw-on ¼″ adapter, 12.1 oz./344 g, an absolute steal at $249). bigger. I'd get mine at Amazon, who usually offer a 30-day 100% cash-back return if you don't LOVE them after enjoying them with your own music. You also can get them at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
This 100% all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to my personally approved sources I've used myself for way over 100 combined years when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. I've used many of these sources since the 1970s because I can try it in my own hands and return it if I don't love it, and because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new headphones before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I've used myself for decades for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.
October 2022 beyerdynamic Reviews Headphone Reviews Tube Amp Reviews Audio Reviews All Reviews
Introduction top
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
Specifications Performance Compared
I buy only from these approved sources. I can't vouch for ads below. |
The DT 900 PRO X are superbly-made, all-day comfortable professional headphones with clean, clear, open and detailed sound (and great bass) at a giveaway price. I'm sadly amused when people pay more for garbage made-in-China headphones when you can get these fully professional German-made Meisterstück for less!
These sound great and are ultra-comfortable all day and all night, whether working on a music or video project, enjoying music while working on other things all day, and of course for closing your eyes and losing yourself in your favorite music for hours and hours at a time.
The DT 900 PRO X are an interesting combination of pro workhorse (plain what-you-hear-is-what-you-got sound) and Hi-Fi (sweeter sound trying to make everything sound great). While I find the DT 1990 even more plain-sounding (a tougher grader) and therefore better for mastering and mixing than these, these DT 900 PRO X have just enough sweetness (more deep bass and high treble) to make music very enjoyable as well as being good for producing music. The DT 900 PRO X are unique in being pretty good for both, possibly the only headphones a pro needs, and also a great choice for durable, comfortable headphones for enjoying a lifetime of music at home.
These DT 900 PRO X have just the right amount of everything in their sound to let you hear it all as you're working on it, and also sound great when you're done working and just want to relax and enjoy music. These DT 900 PRO X seem to add just the right amount of midrange between about 1 kHz and 2 kHz to what's usually missing in Hi-Fi headphones to let us get the job done, and still make music sound great. The DT 900 PRO X have wonderful bass; you don't have to play them loud to hear it as with more mastering-oriented headphones.
Not only am I impressed at the deep, tight and articulate bass and practical toughness, I'm also impressed at how the DT 900 PRO X get the stereo image outside of my head a little better than most headphones.
Pro headphones are designed to make you have to work hard to get the music you're creating to sound great. Something like the unforgiving DT 1990 are what you want when creating music since once it sounds good on the DT 1990 it's going to sound great everywhere, but not what you want for enjoying music as pro headphones are also designed to make bad recordings sound bad, as they should.
Hi-Fi (consumer) headphones usually add a little more at the top and bottom and go easy on the midrange and lower treble to make all our music sound warm, smooth and detailed. Hi-Fi headphones like the STAX electrostatics make everything sound wonderful, which is bad news if you mix on them and then your mix sounds crummy everywhere else. Pro headphones are a must-have as you're creating music, but not what you want when kicking back and trying to enjoy music. These DT 900 Pro X are a unique blend of both; bravo!
The DT 900 PRO X sound great, feel great, and are super-durable, with construction designed to survive daily professional use. These aren't your kid's disposable headphones; these have replaceable parts, and even without replaceable parts my DT 990 I bought in 1988 are still working fine 34 years later.
Everyone who's worked in radio or recording knows beyerdynamic microphones and headphones. I've been using them since the 1980s, and they've been around since the 1920s. The vocals on Billy Joel's classic album 52nd street were recorded with a beyerdynamic 250 microphone. For all you know, maybe your favorite recording was made with a beyerdynamic microphone, too!
beyerdynamic was founded in 1924 and has been the top maker of the world's best professional headphones since 1937. AKG and Sennheiser weren't even founded until the 1940s. I've always preferred the warmer sound of beyerdynamic to the usually brighter sound of AKG and Sennheiser.
This beyerdynamic DT 900 PRO X is the newest incarnation of the classic beyerdynamic DT 990 which has been among the world's most popular open-back dynamic headphones used by professional recording engineers at least since I first came across the DT 990 back in the 1980s.
These DT 900 PRO X are the open version of the closed DT 700 PRO X. For music enjoyment, I prefer these DT 990 PRO X.
These DT 900 PRO X are the tougher, more plastic version of the fancier DT 1990. For music enjoyment, I very much prefer these DT 900 PRO X over the very demanding DT 1990. The DT 1990's bass response is designed to sound best at live concert levels, not home listening levels.
These are the genuine MADE IN GERMANY article from the world's oldest and best maker of professional headphones for almost 100 years; these aren't rubbish from China. For the price, I can't see why anyone wouldn't love a set of these. You can spend so much more and get so much less.
These sound and feel awesome, and are made in Germany, home of Beethoven, Bach, Brahms, Kraftwerk und Rammstein. Not bad for for $259 headphones!
I'd get mine at Amazon, who usually offer a 30-day 100% cash-back return if you don't LOVE them after enjoying them with your own music. You also can get them at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
New compared to DT 990 intro top
Comes in one universal 48 Ω impedance rather than the bewildering array of 32 Ω, 80 Ω, 250 Ω and 600 Ω versions of the DT 990.
New "STELLAR.45" drivers.
Comes with two field-replaceable straight cords, 6' (1.8m) and 10' (3m). (The DT 990 has a captive cord.)
Replaceable headband pad.
Good intro top
Clean, clear, open and detailed sound with great bass.
Great out-of-head sound.
Trivially easy to drive at 48 Ω. Work just as well plugged into an iPhone (no external amps needed) as they do with a dedicated amplifier like my Benchmark DAC1 HDR.
Extremely comfortable for all-day and all-night use.
Superb GERMAN construction quality and durability.
Replaceable cords, earpads and headband pad.
Lightweight.
Tough.
Stay on your head as you move or walk around.
Plastic nubs protect your desk, recording console, or delicate furniture when you set them down.
Ready to plug-and-play as soon as you get them.
Give-away price for genuinely professional MADE IN GERMANY headphones that will last a lifetime. These are passive transducers that don't go obsolete, break or wear out. They're not like a TV or computer or bluetooth headphones that will be thrown away in few years. These DT 900 PRO X can last for a lifetime of music production and enjoyment; they're a one-time investment and not simply one of many cameras, cars, phones or TVs you'll buy in a lifetime, making the price essentially a give-away.
MADE IN GERMANY.
Bad intro top
Nothing. Only bad thing is how stupid these make people look who pay two and three times as much for Chinese-made throwaway consumer "audiophile" headphones! These may very well be the headphones used recording your favorite music in the first place.
Missing intro top
They don't fold for storage and travel; these are big-boy headphones.
No case included, just a drawstring bag.
Thank goodness no expense was wasted on a fancy box, as is typical for overpriced consumer products. Consumers are impressed by fancy boxes with magnetic clasps, silk linings or especially the 5,000-year-old Gyojiwood used to make the vessel in which the STAX OMEGA SR-009 ships, but those fancy boxes mean that money which could have gone into making a better product — didn't. Bless manufacturers of serious products like beyerdynamic and Grado who use plain boxes because pros know the quality belongs on the inside, not in flashy packaging.
No Bluetooth; just regular wired headphones for serious use.
No iPhone/iPad/iPod remote, but you conceivably could build a cord with one.
No mic for phone calls. No worries, if I get a call on my iPhone the audio comes through the DT 900 PRO X and the iPhone's mic picks up my voice — you just can't talk with your iPhone in your pocket.
No GPS.
No Wi-Fi.
No batteries to charge, replace or change.
No electronics whatsoever; completely passive transducers.
Nothing to go obsolete.
No problems!
beyerdynamic DT 900 PRO X. bigger.
Specifications top
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
Specifications Performance Compared
I'd get mine at Amazon, who usually offer a 30-day 100% cash-back return if you don't LOVE them after enjoying them with your own music. You also can get them at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Type specifications top
Passive dynamic, around-the-ear, open-back headphones.
Transducers specifications top
"STELLAR.45."
Neodymium ring magnets.
Lightweight copper-clad "high tech" (assumedly aluminum-core) coil wire.
Three-layer diaphragms.
Developed in Heilbronn, Germany.
Earpads specifications top
Soft gray velour fuzz over what feels like soft foam.
Perfect!
Earpiece Pressure specifications top
5.3 Newtons (19.1 ounces), which is on the firm side and works great with their soft earpads.
Spring steel headband.
Cords specifications top
Included cables and screw-on ¼″ adapters. bigger.
Two straight cables, one 6' (1.8m) and the other 10" (3m) long.
3.5mm plug with screw-in ¼″ adapter on each.
The other ends have a mini-XLR.
Nice, wiggly cable with firm rubber strain reliefs. While this is fine for pro gear with ¼″ jacks, the strain reliefs are long and firm enough that I'd worry about bending the 3.5mm connector if pulling on a cable.
I'd prefer a coiled cord, like the one included with the DT 1990 (Artikelnummer 728.489), but that's just me. If I really cared I'm sure I could get one from the DT1990 and use it with the DT 900 PRO X.
Impedance specifications top
Rated 48 Ω.
Sensitivity specifications top
100 dB at 1 mW at 500 Hz. (1 mW into 48 Ω is 219.1 mV or -13.19 dBV.)
114 dB at 1 V at 500 Hz.
Distortion at 1 mW specifications top
0.8% at 100 Hz.
0.05% at 500 Hz.
0.04% at 1 kHz.
Power Handling specifications top
100 mW short term (about 2.19 V into 48Ω).
30 mW continuous (about 1.2 V into 48Ω).
Maximum SPL specifications top
100 mW short term computes to 120 dB SPL.
30 mW continuous computes to 110 dB SPL.
Frequency Response specifications top
Rated "5 ~ 40,000 Hz," no decibel tolerance listed.
Serial Number specifications top
Laser-engraved on the right inside of the harp:
Laser Engraved Serial Number. bigger.
Weight specifications top
12.145 oz. (344.0 g) actual measured weight, without cord.
Rated 12.2 oz. (345 g), sans cable.
Quality specifications top
Designed and MADE IN GERMANY.
Carry Sack specifications top
Included semipadded drawstring sack. bigger.
Model Numbers specifications top
EAN: 4010118729904.
Art. Nr.: 729.906.
Included specifications top
Headphones.
Two straight cords with two 3.5mm to screw-on ¼″ adapters.
Drawstring semi-padded carry sack.
Open Box. bigger.
Price, U. S. A. specifications top
October 2022
$249.
August 2022
$259.
Corrugated Cardboard Box. bigger.
Performance top
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
Specifications Performance Compared
Overall Sound Image & Soundstage Bass
Sensitivity Isolation Leakage Ergonomics
I'd get mine at Amazon, who usually offer a 30-day 100% cash-back return if you don't LOVE them after enjoying them with your own music. You also can get them at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Overall performance top
The DT 900 PRO X are superbly-made and marvelously comfortable headphones with clean, clear, open and detailed sound (and solid, deep, taut bass) at a giveaway price.
These have a very accurate and open sound from top to bottom for professional mixing and mastering, and are also reasonably sweet for Hi-Fi enjoyment. These are the first headphones I can recall which ensure the music you create sounds great when it sounds great on these, and also make most other recordings sound great so you can enjoy them.
You can pay more for different kinds of headphones, but you can't get better. Which is best depends on you and what you're trying to do.
Sound performance top
The sound is an unusual combination of open, neutral sound with great bass and shimmering smooth highs. Bravo!
The DT 900 PRO X have a natural, out of head sound.
The low end is much better than expected.
These are the first headphones on which I've ever noticed any tape hiss on The Wall, which was made with a 40-track 2" Stephens recorder. I think it's more of a coincidence than anything particularly revealing about these headphones.
They have a little more output (maybe a dB) between 1 kHz and 2 kHz than most Hi-Fi headphones, which adds clarity for pro work.
Image & Soundstage performance top
The sound gets out of my head a little bit more than with most headphones, which is great!
The left-right balance is perfect.
Bass performance top
These are as good as conventional headphones get. We can hear the deepest bass because it's not covered-up by boosted mid-bass, in fact its bass sounds almost as good as from planar magnetic headphones.
It seems like the perfect bass balance for quieter listening levels.
The DT 900 PRO X have great bass. It's as deep and tight as dynamic headphones go.
It's accurate and not boosted; just what you need for monitoring and enjoying music.
Sensitivity performance top
At 48 Ω these work great with anything, be it pro gear like my Benchmark DAC1 HDR or my old 2015 iPad Air 2, my 2017 13" MacBook Pro or a new Apple USB-C to 3.5mm Adapter. It's all good; I can go deaf from any of these sources.
With iOS I have the volume set to one-half to three-quarters with just about any music or movie; just perfect.
Isolation performance top
These DT 900 PRO X have no isolation; they're open.
Leakage performance top
They're open and leak sound.
People near you will probably hear them.
Ergonomics performance top
Soft and cozy! These feel sooo good all day and night long!
They also feel great walking around. They are light and have reasonably strong headband pressure so they stay stuck on my head. These would make great wireless headphones, but they're not.
The earpieces are so soft and pliable that they feel prefect with the moderately firm headband pressure.
Be careful: the straight cord has no play, and the mini-XLR connector locks into the earpiece, so if you stand up while the cord is caught on something, you may pull them off your head or break something.
By comparison, some cords are coiled or use non-locking connectors that unplug themselves if you do the same thing. Be careful with these.
These stay on my head - but I'd avoid the straight cord walking around.
Each earpiece extends in clicks for size adjustment. The clicks are perfect: light enough to adjust easily and tight enough to stay put. beyerdynamic has been doing this for nearly a hundred years so they get this right.
They don't fold for travel.
The long mini-XLR connector on the left earpiece can poke your left shoulder depending on your shape and how you are sitting or relaxing.
There are plastic nubs at each earpiece so you won't damage a console or fine furniture when you put them down.
Compared top
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
Specifications Performance Compared
I'd get mine at Amazon, who usually offer a 30-day 100% cash-back return if you don't LOVE them after enjoying them with your own music. You also can get them at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
For music enjoyment with the four newest offerings from beyerdymanic: the DT 700 PRO X, these DT 900 PRO X, DT 1990 PRO and the DT 1770 PRO, I prefer these DT 900 PRO X. Remember, as pro headphones, these are all designed to make you work harder to make the music you're creating sound its best.
Versus the DT 1990 PRO
beyerdynamic DT 1990 PRO.
The DT 1990 PRO have more fancy metal on the earpiece covers than these tough, basic DT 900 PRO X. While the metal looks fancier, I'll bet that the plastic holds up better.
The DT 900 PRO X have plastic side bumpers to protect furniture and consoles, absent on the DT 1990 PRO. Both are comfy, while the DT 900 PRO X are much easier and tougher for throwing around a production environment.
The DT 1990 PRO also includes two cords, one of which is coiled.
Rather than a sack, the DT 1990 PRO includes a hard case and a second set of earpads that gives even less bass.
I prefer the bass of the DT 900 PRO X, the DT 1990 PRO has less bass, optimized for being played much louder where our ears are much more sensitive to bass.
While the DT 1990 PRO is more revealing and makes you work even harder to get things to sound good through it (better for music production), the DT 900 PRO X is smoother and sweeter with better bass at home listening levels then the DT 1990 PRO.
If you're a music lover rather than a music pro, skip the DT 1990 because they are very dry and bright and lack the sweet Hi-Fi sound we want as music lovers. The DT 1990s are built to make you work hard to get the recording you're making to sound good through them so your professional recording will sound great through anything else.
Versus the DT 700 PRO X
beyerdynamic DT 700 PRO X.
The DT 700 PRO X is the closed version of the DT 900 PRO X.
While these look and cost and are specified almost identically, these are totally different headphones with different sounds for different purposes. One's open, one's closed, which is huge.
If you're a music lover; the DT 900 PRO X are much better, with deeper bass (I'm a bass player) and less brightness and more sweetness (Hi-Fi sound) than the DT 700 PRO X, but to be honest, I don't have them both here for direct comparison. I'm going on my written DT 700 PRO X review vs. the DT 900 PRO X which are sitting here on my head as I write this!
Versus DT 880 (2012 version)
beyerdynamic DT880.
The DT880 has slightly weaker bass but a slightly sweeter and more Hi-Fi sound.
I have the 600Ω version, which of course has much less voltage sensitivity than these 48 Ω DT 900 PRO X.
Versus my 34-year old DT 990 from 1988
Yes, my 34-year old headphones work great. The DT990 were the world's best pro and Hi-Fi headphones back when I paid a pretty penny for mine in 1988 (short of electrostatics, to which beyerdynamic compared the DT990's sound), and they still work great.
My 1986 DT990 are sweeter, with more Hi-Fi sound and similar bass to the DT 900 PRO X.
The new DT 900 PRO X have more midrange; a more professional sound.
My 1988 DT990 are 600Ω (as were the finest headphones back before just a few years ago), and as such these new DT 900 PRO X have much more voltage sensitivity.
The current DT990 are brighter and with boomier bass (and much tougher) than my 1988 version; I didn't compare them to the DT 900 PRO X, and feel free to read my comparisons between the 1988 and 2012 versions at my current DT990 review.
Versus the Audeze LCD-1
Audeze LCD-1.
The Audeze LCD-1 are planar-magnetic headphones with a completely different sound.
The LCD-1 are much smoother and warmer than the DT 900 PRO X.
The DT 900 PRO X have more voltage sensitivity, and have a much higher (48Ω vs 15Ω) impedance, making the DT 900 PRO X far more power sensitive.
The DT 900 PRO X are much brighter and have a much more open and out-of-head sound.
These are both extraordinary headphones. I find myself swapping between them depending on the recording: for older, brighter recordings I prefer the LCD-1, and for newer, smoother and more lush and warmer recordings I use the DT 900 PRO X to open-up the sound.
User's Guide top
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
Specifications Performance Compared
I'd get mine at Amazon, who usually offer a 30-day 100% cash-back return if you don't LOVE them after enjoying them with your own music. You also can get them at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
Amplification
Go right ahead and use a dedicated headphone amplifier if you insist (I love my Benchmark DAC1 HDR), but honestly, they also sound fantastic plugged right into an iPad, iPhone, iPod or with Apple's Lightning to 3.5mm adapter or Apple's USB-C to 3.5mm Adapter.
The DT 900 PRO X plugged into a portable device sounds so much better than dinkier "portable" headphones plugged into a portable. When you own these DT 900 PRO X, use them.
While Apple's devices and their Lightning adapters and USB-C to 3.5mm adapters have excellent low-source-impedance headphone outputs and sound great with these, I can't vouch for off-brands like Android, Samsung, HTC or other iPhone copies.
Levels
Probably because the DT 900 PRO X have such smooth and clean sound as well as practically unlimited output levels, it's tempting to play them way too loud. They sound awesome played at full concert level all day long.
It's easy to damage your hearing. If your ears start ringing or buzzing, even long after you've been listening, cool it for a while.
Cables
The DT 900 PRO X comes with two swell cables.
I wouldn't waste money on any different cables, other than preferring a coiled cord. Accessory cables are a big money-maker for people selling them, but don't give any better sound than what's already included. You're much better off saving your money to buy more music, or a serious American-made headphone amplifier, than wasting it on snake oil or cables.
If two cables sound different, then at least one of them is defective.
Phone Calls
It has no mic, but your iPhone's mic will pick up your voice as it usually does with its own mic and route the received sound to your DT 900 PRO X.
It works fine for phone calls so long as you keep your iPhone close. Don't put your phone in your pocket, because the other side will no longer hear you.
Recommendations top
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
Specifications Performance Compared
I'd get mine at Amazon, who usually offer a 30-day 100% cash-back return if you don't LOVE them after enjoying them with your own music. You also can get them at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
The DT 900 PRO X feel great and sound great with every kind of audio equipment from pro recording and broadcast gear to iOS devices.
Get thee and you've just treated yourself to a lifetime of smooth, open wide-range sound. Bravo, beyerdynamic! THese are among the best dynamic headphones I've heard; which is best depends on you and what you're doing.
These are easy headphones to love; just throw then around and they sound great on everything.
For music enjoyment with the four newest offerings from beyerdymanic: the DT 700 PRO X, these DT 900 PRO X, DT 1990 PRO and the DT 1770 PRO, I prefer these DT 900 PRO X. Remember, as pro headphones, these are all designed to make you work harder to make the music you're creating sound its best.
These are very inexpensive for professional MADE IN GERMANY corded headphones from the people who invented headphones. These can't go obsolete and should last a lifetime. I still have expensive headphones I bought in the 1970s and 1980s that work just as well today as when they were new! The DT-990 I bought in 1988 are still working great!
These have nothing to go obsolete: no internal batteries to try to replace, no electronics (these are completely passive) and no Bluetooth that might not be compatible with new versions in a few years. These are simple passive headphones that should last you for decades and decades of pleasure, just like a pair of passive loudspeakers. Heck, my 1979 sealed-box B&W 801F and 1984 electrostatic Quad ESL-63 are still my favorite loudspeakers today and I've owned them for many, many decades and never needed service on either. In the scope of how long you'll be loving these DT 900 PRO X, the price is nothing, and if you don't love them, send them back within 30 days for a full refund.
I'd get mine at Amazon, who usually offer a 30-day 100% cash-back return if you don't LOVE them after enjoying them with your own music. You also can get them at eBay if you know How to Win at eBay.
This 100% all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to my personally approved sources I've used myself for way over 100 combined years when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. I've used many of these sources since the 1970s because I can try it in my own hands and return it if I don't love it, and because they ship from secure remote warehouses where no one gets to touch your new headphones before you do. Buy only from the approved sources I've used myself for decades for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.
Thanks for helping me help you!
Ken Rockwell.
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