Beyerdynamic DT900 Pro X Review: Mixing Meets Musicality

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Stuart Charles here, HomeStudioBasics.com helping YOU make sound decisions, so…

Beyerdynamic’s DT900 Pro X sits in an interesting middle ground between the previously reviewed DT770 Pro X and DT990 Pro X.

It’s not as distant sounding as either, instead opting for a more intimate, and arguably more engaging presentation that’s well suited for both casual and critical listening.

In this review, we’ll take a closer look to determine who it’s for, how it sounds on a deeper level, and whether or not you should purchase it based on your own unique situation.

Verdict

• Sound: 9.2
• Build: 9.5
• Comfort: 9.9
• Value: 9.4

Pros

• Intimate, engaging sound
• Excellent resolution
• Good for mixing/EQ
• Bass lines easy to follow
• Great genre versatility
• Great technicality

Cons

• Doesn’t have the bass rumble of the 770
• Doesn’t quite have the airy spaciousness of the 990

Best For

• Mixing/EQ
• Casual/Intimate listening
• Critical listening
• Music Production
• Studio Use
• Long Listening Sessions

Avoid If

• You need isolation for tracking/recording
• You want the strongest bass rumble
• You prefer a wider, airier presentation
• You want a closed-back headphone

Quick Sound Summary

Beyer’s DT900 Pro X, to me, is one of those “safe bet” types of headphones. It’s great with all types of genres, has excellent resolution, and doesn’t really have any glaring weaknesses.

You can use it to mix and EQ your beats, or you can kick back and analyze bass lines in great detail; one of the things that jumped out at me immediately.

No, you won’t get that rumble as you will with a 770, but it’s more predictable, and the overall sound works well with an array of genres.

I think overall resolution is a tad better than the 770 and 990, but it’s pretty close. Whether it’s in my head or not, I think part of the reason I feel this way is because of the intimacy we touched on in the open. Sounds, voices, guitars, and the like all feel closer to you. You feel more emotionally invested in the music than you do with the others, but again, it can be somewhat subtle at times. Other times, it’s much more obvious.

If I could only recommend one out of the 3, I’d probably choose this one. It strikes a nice balance between techincality, musicality, and versatility, making it a sort of jack of all trades piece that can function well in almost any setting.

Build & Comfort

As you may have guessed, the 900 picks up where the others left off, feeling fantastic in your hands and built incredibly well.

Made in Germany (!!), this headphone is rather sturdy nerdy, comprising glass fiber-reinforced plastic ear cups, powder-coated metal yokes, a spring steel headband with replaceable button sleeve that wraps around, Beyer’s signature velour pads, and 2 detachable mini-XLR cables.

They don’t fold up or rotate much, but the cups move in and out + up and down slightly, enough to get a good fit on your melon. Again, these are studio headphones so it’s to be expected.

Everything feels exceptionally well put together, and there’s little I would question in terms of long-term durability.

Comfort is equally as insane, and yes, until something better comes along, Beyer takes the top spot as far as the most comfortable headphones of all time.

Clamp force on the sides of your head is just right, the headband doesn’t dig into your skull, and the headphones themselves aren’t overly bulky or heavy.

Weighing in at 345g (12.2 oz) without the cable, it’s light and feathery enough for on-the-go duty, and the cables (one 3m, the other 1.8m) come with a locking 3-pin mini-XLR connector, 3.5mm (1/8″) plug, and a 6.35mm (1/4″) screw-on adapter.

I love that they included 2 cables, as I can game in my living room with the longer one and use the shorter one in the studio.

Sound

• Playlist(s): Stay Sane, Hip-Hop 101, My Belle, Crack Cocaine, Love Is Calling, Love Is Calling Pt. 2, The New Beach Playlist For Guys Still Named Brian 2026 Edition
• My Music: Here!
• Source(s): FLAC, Lossless
• Amps/DACs Used: FiiO K7

Like the 770 Pro X, the 900 isn’t hard to drive at the same 48Ω Impedance and 2 ticks higher 100dB Sensitivity (SPL @ 1mW). The 770 sat at 98.

Right now I’m using a FiiO K7 at high gain, but I’m only at around 11-12 ‘o clock for a comfortably loud level. DON’T OVERTHINK IT!

And don’t be like those insufferable audiophiles who whine and cry that their PRECIOUS flavor-of-the-week DAC doesn’t have 800 watts of power while also bitching that 798 isn’t loud enough LOL.

Bass

Instead of a shelf from 0 Hz to around 100 or whatever, Beyer opts for a remarkably linear response, with no obvious emphasis in any particular region.

This is preciely what makes it so effective, allowing you to clearly hear every bass note and how it bobs and weaves throughout the piece.

Instead of quantity time like Big Bob Pataki, we’re getting quality and accuracy. This allows the bass to occupy its own space naturally within the mix, helping to give the response as a whole more room to breathe and flex.

As long as the song is mixed and mastered properly, individual notes are incredibly well-defined, making it simple to distinguish pitch, rhythm, and texture without the low end ever becoming overbearing.

My very own “From A Thin Thread (Matthew 7:13)” through the 900 X is exactly how I wanted it and envisioned it to sound through headphones. I mixed the bassline and kick in such a way as to not overpower the mix (slashing the mud region) while still providing that sweet, sweet slam that we’ve come to know and love, and the 900 reproduces that balance beautifully.

Mid-Range

The lack of additional warmth or emphasis also means the mid-range isn’t pushed back, recessed, or lost, resulting in a good balance between the frequencies.

No, you won’t get that 770 rumble (not a bad thing in and of itself), but for mixing and EQ, the 900 works much better in my opinion.

The mid-range feels more lively, not necessarily because Beyer pushed it forward, but because the bass is controlled. Additionally, the lower mids are very linear throughout roughly 200-1.5k, and the presentation, as mentioned, is very intimate.

Because of these things, vocals and guitars feel physically closer and more apparent than they do with the 770 and even the 990 to an extent. All of this despite the fact that there’s a modest mouse dip at roughly 2.5-4k.

One example of the nifty closeness is Torus’ “Slow Break,” which samples the Postal Service’s “Such Great Heights.”

The instruments used (the lead synth) sound incredibly close, clear, and resolving, allowing you to immerse yourself in the composition and be taken away for a few minutes.

Treble

The treble is another area handled nicely. Cymbals, hi-hats, strings, and other high-frequency information come through with some zip, detail, crispness, and sparkle, but without the harshness/sibilance that accompanies overly boosted products.

Here we have a fairly smooth lower treble from around 4-6k, some energy around 6-8 for clarity and attack, and a controlled upper area that provides air without becoming exaggerated. This isn’t your classic Beyer treble (which sometimes came across as a bit harsh), but it also isn’t completely lifeless. Essentially, it’s what you want when listening to or evaluating music.

The treble seems to portray detail without making the highs feel detached from the rest of the response, a running theme with the overall sound of the headphones.

In the 770 Pro X article, I mentioned how the treble was tuned to be a bit more exciting, emphasizing hi-hat texture and working extremely well for hip-hop. The 900?

It’s smoother, more balanced, and equally as detailed without drawing attention to itself.

Soundstage & Imaging

While imaging is excellent overall, Soundstage, as you’ve probably already surmised, is in fact pretty head-width for the most part.

Like Lustin Jimber Take, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it is something to know before taking the plunge on these.

I think if you need a wide stage for, say, gaming, don’t buy them. Buy the K702 instead.

But, I’ll also point out that I thoroughly enjoyed playing Uncharted 4 with the 900 due to its great separation and overall imaging. In other words, they won’t spread things out unnaturally, but they do a surprisingly good job of placing sounds correctly and providing an accurate overall portrait.

And, for music, you’ll occasionally feel those nice out-of-your-head moments, like on Theo Bleak’s – “We Will Not Be Lovers.” At around 2:24, there’s a squeak sound that made me pause and determine if it somehow came from outside the headphones.

Timbre & Dynamics

If the NM25 had a somewhat papery, wooden, at times artificial-sounding timbre, the DT900’s is about as accurate as you can realistically expect for its price.

I won’t sit here and claim it has the most amazing timbre ever, but it’s certainly at least slightly above average and decently lifelike for being what it is: a headphone that reproduces music through small drivers.

There’s a nice sense of lushness and an accurate tone to electric guitars, pianos, vocals and strings that says “I’m a perfectly competent headphone and I want you to know about it.”

Does it reach the great heights of, say, a Focal Utopia? No, but that headphone is 3-4 large, and unless you want to be whoring your local street corners for more cheese, just pump the brakes and make sure you can pay your rent for the next 3 months.

Dynamics

Macro dynamics are also good here, as the music feels decently alive, punchy, and explosive without being overdone like your mom’s meatloaf.

In other words, the 900 Pro X, as is a running theme in this article, reproduces them faithfully and honestly. Loud passages have convincing impact, quieter moments retain their nuance, and the transition between the 2 feels smooth and believable.

Rather than trying to knock your sox off, the 900 allows the recording’s dynamics to come through naturally. If the mix is dynamic, you’ll hear it. If it’s compressed or bad, you’ll know.

This is another theme of the headphones. They do an excellent job of getting f**k out of the way and letting the music be whatever it is, and however it was made, for better or worse.

So it’s not a flattering headphone, but it’s also not achingly dull or boring like, say, a 500-series model from Sennheiser.

Final Verdict

Beyerdynamic’s DT900 Pro X reminds me a lot of the Sennheiser HD600 in that it’s a pretty blank stare type of headphone that portrays exactly what’s there while still sounding very enjoyable for a wide array of genres: Rock, Hip-Hop, Jazz, Classical, Ambient, Folk, Indie, Pop will all sound serviceable.

It does most everything extremely well while also remaining a reliable tool for both serious studio work, casual listening, and critical listening if you’re like me and enjoy dissecting tracks for the sheer joy of it.

It’s comfortable, built well, easy to drive, and perhaps most importantly, doesn’t really excel in one area at the expense of another (a common issue with many sub-par headphones and IEMs).

Instead, it blends accuracy and enjoyment, making for a pretty easy recommendation and something that will have me shaking up some of my best of lists in the near future.

If you’re looking for an open back that can handle pretty much anything you throw at it, I like the 900 Pro X as a jack-of-all-trades piece. It’s not flashy or gimmicky, nor does it try to pull your pants down and spank you with lots of bass or piercing treble. It simply reproduces music as honestly as possible, and that’s one of the main reasons why I’m enjoying it so much.

Pricing/Box

Also check Sweetwater! | eBay! | B&H!

DT900 Pro X Headphones

3m (9.8ft) Detachable Cable

1.8m (5.9ft) Detachable Cable

Drawstring Carry Bag

2x 6.35mm (1/4″) screw-on adapters

Well, that’s about it for today my friend! I hope you’ve enjoyed this Beyerdynamic DT900 Pro X Review and came away with some valuable insight.

Questions? Comments? Requests? Did I miss the mark on something? Please leave them down below or Contact me!!

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Does the 900 Pro X fit your workflow? Thoughts on the X lineup? I would love to hear from you. Until next time…

All the best and God bless,

-Stu

[Xtr@Ba$eHitZ] > Now AudioFiles Anonymous

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