The Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro is a high-quality reference studio headphone, designed and made for professionals who require high accuracy and impeccable precision for their mixing and mastering work. DT 1990 Pro uses the latest Tesla driver technology to provide its users with a high-resolution sonic presentation of their audio mixes and it would be wise to drive them with matching headphone amps.
There are plenty of headphone amps to choose from, to pick one which complements the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro and matches your preference will require us to learn more about this pair of studio headphones’ sonic characteristics. We will also be sharing with you a list of the potential headphone amplifiers which you can choose to go for and partner them up with your Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro. And so, kindly continue to read on.
Table of Contents
Sonic Characteristics and Strengths of Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro Studio Reference Headphone
Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro has a solid build and is well padded. It is comfortable to wear and even though is rather heavy for a studio headphone, the weight is well distributed and you shouldn’t be feeling it much. There is a nice level of tightness, comfy enough to hold on to our heads for casual listening sessions without the DT 1900 Pro sliding off. Big movements might cause the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro to fall off though so you might want to be just a little cautious when doing your work. Overall, we find the DT 1990 Pro is pretty sturdy and should last, the leather-coated headband gives it a premium touch.
It has an impressive frequency response of 5Hz to 40kHz and a decent nominal SPL of 102dB. The nominal impedance of the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro is 250 Ohms and low-powered headphone amps wouldn’t be able to efficiently drive them. We do have a wide range of amps to choose from and we can further filter them down based on their compatibility and complementary effects with the DT 1990 Pro. This is an open-back design and so you can expect high sound leakage and poor noise isolation. It is wise to have a well-isolated studio room so as to prevent outside noises from interrupting your work and music-listening sessions.
More Details at Amazon – Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro
There are 2 sets of interchangeable ear pads and each of them will give you slightly different sonic characteristics. For listeners who prefer more bass, you can go for the well-balanced velour ear pads. It will provide a more impactful and pronounced bass response. There is more depth as well and the higher bass energy may be more enjoyable to listen to. This is ideal for casual listeners who just want to enjoy listening to their music without the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro sounding analytical. The overall bass performance is still accurate and detailed but the upper registers are not as prominent when compared to using the other provided velour earpad.
The other earpad is deliberately analytical and will be great for professionals as well as analytical audio enthusiasts. Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro bass performance may be less pronounced but is still quite prominent and has a bit more details to share with us. The upper registers are now more revealing and produce a massive amount of details with astonishing clarity. It can be rather bright and so we should try not to excite the treble by too much. The high-resolution music delivery is accompanied by impressive stereo imaging which helps to project a holographic music performance on an open soundstage.
The DT 1990 Pro soundstage is not the widest or the deepest in its price range, it is still pretty wide though. The interchangeable ear pads do give us a lot of flexibility in changing the sonic characteristics of the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro and it is a really cool feature. Changing the sound signatures of the headphone can be quite refreshing when listening to music but for mixing and mastering it is best to stick to one earpad. At times, the midrange reproduction can be a bit recessed. Check out the list of the best headphone amps below, these are well-matched with the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro and are quite closely priced too.
Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro Specifications
- Type: Open-back headphones
- Driver size: 45mm Dynamic Tesla Neodymium driver
- Frequency response: 5Hz-40kHz
- Impedance: 250 Ohms
- Nominal SPL: 102dB
- Weight: 370g (0.82lbs)
Best Headphone Amps to match with Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro
Topping L50 is a remarkable headphone amp to match with your Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro. It has a modest price tag and will be powerful enough to efficiently drive the DT 1990 Pro. If you are also looking for a DAC, you might want to pair the L50 with the matching Topping E50. One of the main strengths of the Topping L50 headphone amplifier will be its neutrality, allowing the DT 1990 Pro to fully shine and this is really ideal since you can interchange the 2 sets of unique earpads without worrying about the L50 might color the overall sound reproduction. The L50 amp does its job well and at this price point, we got nothing to complain about.
More Details at Amazon – Topping L50 NFCA Headphone Amplifier (Red)
Chord Mojo is one of the best headphone amps to pair with the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro. It is very portable and you can keep it when you are done using them. This award-winning amp/DAC has exceptional sonic performance and the power to drive the DT 1990 Pro efficiently. The sweet and pleasing sound quality helps to ease the brightness of the headphone, allowing us to listen to them for longer time periods without feeling fatigued. The Chord Mojo is also capable of bringing out the energy of the music and providing its users with an engaging music listening experience with plenty of details to boot.
More Information at Amazon – Chord Mojo Black Headphone Amp
Schiit Audio Jotunheim 2 is an outstanding and powerful headphone amplifier that can easily drive the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro studio headphones and make them sing. This is a fast and agile amplifier, giving you more engagement and snappy attacks. The Jotunheim 2 has a wide dynamic range and can deliver a high level of music details. For listeners who are planning to get a D/A converter, you might want to add the matching True multibit DAC module instead. The bold presentation of the Schiit Audio Jotunheim 2 will complement the bass performance of the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro.
More Details at Amazon – Schiit Jotunheim with Multibit DAC Module
The SMSL SP200 is another excellent amp choice for the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro. It has enough muscles to drive the DT 1990 Pro reference headphones without any issue. Furthermore, the SP200 powers the headphone without adding its own character into the music presentation. The neutral overall sound reproduction of the SMSL SP200 will fit in nicely and provide you with an honest presentation of the music. Without the amp overshadowing the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro, it will be easier to work on your mixes as what you hear is what you get. The sound quality of the SMSL SP200 is really clean and clear.
More Details at Amazon – S.M.S.L SP200 THX AAA 888 Headphone Amplifier
Schiit Audio Magni 3+ is an amazing headphone amp for listeners who have a tight budget. This is an affordably priced headphone amplifier and is still powerful enough to drive the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro effectively. It is a musical-sounding amp that adds weight to the overall sound reproduction and gives its listeners a more impactful bass performance. The Schiit Audio Magni 3+ can help to bring out the midrange reproduction a little and make the music sound more involving. It is a bang for your buck and the Magni 3+ will match well with your Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro. This is a fantastic headphone amp choice for casual listeners.
More Details at Amazon – Schiit Magni 3+ Headphone Amp
The FiiO Q1 Mark II is a portable headphone amp with an integrated DAC which supports 32-bit/384kHz PCM and up to DSD256. This is a highly rated amplifier and provides plenty of sonic value to its users. It is compact in size and takes up very little space but is still strong enough to drive the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro studio headphones. The overall bass performance of the Q1 Mark II is light and tight which will soften the low-end reproduction of the DT 1990 Pro. The amp lighter bass response helps to produce a clearer midrange reproduction and a more prominent treble but can be overly bright sounding to some listeners.
More Details at Amazon – FiiO Q1 Mark II Native DSD DAC Amplifier
To Sum It Up
Before making the final decision, you might want to take some time to audition potential headphone amps first. Bring along your favorite music and Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro headphone for the amps auditioning. From there, you can start using your own pair of ears to see if the sound quality and sonic improvements are to your likings. You might want to make a list of sonic improvements such as wider soundstage, deeper bass extension, and others which you would like to have and use as a checklist during the headphone amplifier auditions.
