Beyerdynamic DT 900 PRO X

Broadly agreed: neutral and flat for a Beyerdynamic, with a slightly bright top. Sound On Sound calls it free of quirks, Sonarworks the most neutral of Beyer's 990/1990/900 trio, and Geoff Manchester far more neutral than the DT 990 PRO. A minority hears the coloration differently. askdrtk says everything is rounded and softened, some owners find it lifeless, and one Amazon buyer who expected a flat mixing tool says it is 'not flat at all'.

“They are both fine headphones that produce the kind of naturally balanced, open sound, free of quirks and colorations, that’s vital if they’re to be used for serious audio production work.”

Phil Ward, Sound On Sound

“The sound of the DT 900 PRO X is almost flat but slightly bright.”

Cuckoo Studio (Anzol), via Audio Science Review

Agreed on the facts, split only on taste. Sub-bass extension is excellent for an open-back and reaches 20 Hz at a flat, unboosted level. Most reviewers hear tight, deep, textured bass, and Headfonia, Ken Rockwell and several owners call it the highlight. What Hi-Fi, SoundGuys and RTINGS note that anyone used to consumer or Harman-style bass will find it slightly understated. One Amazon reviewer calls it 'non-existent' without EQ, the only outright negative.

“Subbass is reaching very deep.”

Frans (solderdude), DIY-Audio-Heaven

“If anything their bass is a little understated; it prioritises agility, texture and control over outright power.”

What Hi-Fi?

Sources split over one narrow feature. Most hear clear, natural, centred vocals: DIY-Audio-Heaven, Sound On Sound, Headfonia, Mobile Audiophile, and Resolve, who scores the mids well above the rest. RTINGS, askdrtk, Sonarworks and some owners hear vocals and speech as slightly veiled, rounded or lacking crispness, and one Reddit owner returned it within minutes over 'extremely recessed' mids. All of them are describing the same 4 kHz notch. The disagreement is whether you can hear it.

Sources split three ways. Everyone agrees Beyerdynamic tamed the DT 990 spike. The largest camp (DIY-Audio-Heaven, Mobile Audiophile, MusicRadar, Sound On Sound, Headfonia, most owners) hears smooth, detailed treble without harshness. A close second (Resolve, Sonarworks, SoundGuys, a Head-Fi owner, several ASR and Reddit voices) says it is still slightly shrill or sibilant on bright or badly mastered recordings. A small third camp (askdrtk, a Reddit OP, a Reddit comparison) hears the opposite: dull, airless, 'blunted'. The divide follows how sensitive the listener is to 6–7 kHz and which octave they are listening to.

Mostly praised as wide and open for the price. Headfonia calls it 'baffling wide', and MusicRadar, Mobile Audiophile, Ken Rockwell and several owners call it natural and spacious. The dissent is about depth and out-of-head placement, not width. RTINGS says it struggles to feel out-of-head, and askdrtk hears the image 'inside my head between the ear cups', more like a closed-back. A Reddit owner comparing it with the HD 400 PRO calls the field strictly hard left-right. Ken Rockwell reports the opposite.

“Add to that a baffling wide soundstage, and you have the perfect magnifier, for better and worse.”

NanoTechnos, Headfonia

“in this case it's projected inside my head between the ear cups”

Todd (askdrtk), YouTube

A consistent strength, and the main reason it is a gaming favourite. Owners describe footsteps they can pinpoint ('a wall hack for your ears'), Mobile Audiophile calls the imaging surgical, and Sonarworks and Cuckoo Studio measure excellent channel matching. The dissent: askdrtk calls it merely reasonable, and solderdude recommends the HD 560S over it for gaming.

“Imaging is precise. Surgical, even, but never sterile.”

Mobile Audiophile

“Channels are matched beautifully!”

Sonarworks

Good for the price. What Hi-Fi, Headfonia, MusicRadar and Cuckoo Studio praise its insight and clean, unsmeared transients. The ceiling is lower than that praise suggests. Solderdude rates a treble-tamed DT 1990 above it for the discerning listener, askdrtk hears less transient detail than a DT 990, and a Thomann buyer found it not detailed enough.

“They dig up a lot of information and organise it in a cohesive and musical way.”

What Hi-Fi?

“It should be noted that the DT1990 (with treble reduced) is superior sounding to the DT900X by the discerning listener.”

Frans (solderdude), DIY-Audio-Heaven

Lively and uncompressed. What Hi-Fi, Headfonia, DIY-Audio-Heaven and a Head-Fi owner all describe punch and verve. The only dissent comes from the listeners in the soft-treble camp, who hear it as rounded or lifeless.

“these headphones render the sound with verve, punching out crescendos with confidence.”

What Hi-Fi?

“ADSR is phenomenal and rarely have I ever heard transients this fast on a headphone, be it planar, dynamic, or even electrostatic.”

NanoTechnos, Headfonia

Sources split, and the split tracks head size and time. Reviewers love the plush velour pads, and SOS, What Hi-Fi, MusicRadar, SoundGuys and Headfonia call it an all-day headphone. The clamp is firm out of the box, though. DIY-Audio-Heaven measures 5.3 N and got a headache after an hour, 22 of 23 Amazon owners who mention clamping force are negative, and a Reddit owner describes two weeks of pain before it eased. Most owners say it loosens in one to two weeks, or bend the band to fix it. At 345 g it is heavier than the Sennheisers it competes with.

Press and owners disagree sharply here. Every review calls it tank-like, metal-framed, made in Germany and fully repairable, often the best-built headphone in its class. Owners who have had it for a year or more describe a pattern: the glued faux-leather headband pad peels within months, and on some units the plastic cap where the right yoke meets the headband cracks after a year or two. Amazon's durability mentions run 35 negative to 23 positive, RedditRecs flags headband durability as its top con, and Thomann, Head-Fi and Reddit owners describe the same parts. Beyerdynamic reportedly revised the pad, and pads and headband cushions are cheap to replace, but reports continue into 2026.

Open-back by design: it leaks in both directions and isolates next to nothing. That makes it a desk or studio headphone, not a commuting one. Some owners note it is slightly less open than a DT 990, because many of the grille slots are blind.

“It is an open headphone so outside noised are not attenuated much and people around you will clearly hear what you are listening to.”

Frans (solderdude), DIY-Audio-Heaven

Mostly a strong buy. What Hi-Fi says to put it at the top of your list, Headfonia calls it a true bargain, Sonarworks and Cuckoo Studio rank it first among direct rivals, and at a street price around $220–250 (against $319.99 list) that holds up. The minority view comes from owners whose headband or yoke failed after a year or two. For them a $300 headphone that needs parts that soon is not good value, and Amazon's value mentions run 31 positive to 18 negative.