Beyerdynamic - DT 1990 PRO MKI

Thing about the v1 1990 pros is that they are 120ohms impedance, so you kinda need a DAC/amp. Apparently, with the v2s being a lot less, you can get away with skipping the DAC, however, you'll always get better quality with one.

I have dt1990 pro mk1 and they simply don't work for gaming, i cannot connect with the game, i get no environment awareness, can't tell my own position in the game, but for music they're outstanding, it sounds very vibrant, any sound has a vibration, like feeling individual sounds touching my eardrum. Sometimes they can be bright AF, it takes time to get used to them, you may not like them instantly. I prefer them over my HD 800 any day. Also tried hifiman ananda nano for 2 days, the treble quality is insane but I dislike the bass, lower mids and mids on them, it sounds too thin/tiny, sounds don't have any weight, it doesn't sound dynamic. Worse than dt1990 pro for gaming, it sounds "screechy" wihout any warm/rumble and the imaging is awful for gaming, it's like playing with IEMs. Keep those Hyperx for gaming.

Oh boy, most people saying these headphones need EQ for gaming are not right. If you want to get an advantage you want to have bright headphones with a large soundstage. DT 990 Pro are already bright headphones with a large soundstage for its price. You might want to apply EQ to 990s to make these even brighter, basically turn bright into dry. However it wouldn’t make sound any better in games, but you would hear your opponents even better. So my take as an owner of two 990 Pro, 1990 Mk I is not to use EQ since headphones are already too bright. If you are looking for an all around headphones it’s better to search for something else that would fit your taste profile. Makes no sense forbme to buy headphones to EQ them right away. But other than that 990 are wonderful for gaming without EQ if you are into treble.

The design is a matter of taste. I prefer the old one to the old one, such as the DT 900 Pro X, which looks cheaper to me. The STELLAR.45 driver provides better sound. I would prefer this to the normal version. There is also the DT 990 Edition, which also looks different if you want a certain look. A beauty is otherwise the DT 1990 Mark 1 250 Ohm, which I own, but which costs around 400 euros.

I've had the DT 1990 Pro (original) paired with a Babyface Pro FS for nearly five years now. The BF tames some of that treble that can be fatiguing, while still letting through the detail you need for hearing footsteps. From a gaming standpoint, nothing else I've tried comes close. Just wanted to chime in for anyone who stumbles across this in the future. This is a super solid top tier setup.

First, "finally after almost two years" isn't as long a time as you think it is. My second hand DT 770 and 880 are still going strong after 12 and 10 years. Next, the "Pro" in Beyer's DT series stands for professional, as in for professional use. What this means in Beyers' context is: lots of detail and clarity for imaging but also deliberately overemphasize certain frequencies (treble and bass) to make it sound 'bad' so that the end result of your mix when you get it to sound nice on the Beyers is that it sounds even nicer on other headphones and speakers. That's why Beyers are very polarizing on headphone subs and communities. Because people use them recreationally when that's not their intended use case. If you want durability that can last you more than 20 years rather than almost 2 years, Beyers are built like tanks. Can't go wrong with them. If you're not into music production and want something good to listen to recreationally, there should be other models with durability better than Razer and sound better than Beyers. I own the DT1990, 880 and 770. I'm a sworn Beyer head and I wouldn't recommend using them for enjoyment. Unfortunately I'm not versed in the price range you're looking for anymore so I don't have alternatives for you, but the DT Pro range is not really for your use case.

Depends how loud your keyboard is tbh. Closed backs for gaming are a lot better on PC. I had 1770 Pros for gaming/mixing before but there was a huge discount on 1990 Pros and the 1770 Pros had way too much bass for mastering I so went for those and gave the 1770 pros to my wife. I had to buy new keyboard because I had MX blues and gaming was horrible on open backs and loud switches. I still kinda prefer the 1770 for gaming tbh as they isolate better. For mixing and mastering the 1990 pros are perfect and for gaming as well after getting silent switches. But for budget I would go with DT 770 Pro 250Ohm and pair them with ifi zen dac v2. I made testing with 1770 Pros and 770 Pros on ifi zen dac V2 and the difference wasnt that huge I was expecting (the 770 were decade old lol). https://youtu.be/5nQ4Za2Qd6U?si=xCDnnywE-Gdw9lgS When it comes to gaming they are really good. I used to play a lot of competitive fps before (OW1, Cod, CS) and all games I played I reached top 1% so no complaining.

There is no best, it's subjective. Though I would generally prefer open-backs over closed backs, especially when you're just using them in your chair and not a noisy environment. "Audiophile grade" is also not a clearly defined term. There are a lot of good options available for under 1000$, I would recommend ordering a few different pairs and comparing them. Like, as far as open-backs are concerned, get a Hifiman Arya, Sennheiser HD 6XX and maybe a Beyerdynamic DT1990 (note that there's two versions, you can get some great deals on the older MK1 but it has a very spicy treble). If you really need/want something closed, your options will be more limited, you could try a Senny HD620 and Beyer DT1770. Personally, I think the AKG K702 (open) for 180 USD is an incredible deal, but some don't like the mid-heavy sound. And there's no doubt there are better headphones to be had for three or four times the price, but they won't really sound three of four times better, and whether it's worth it spending so much is up to you.

1990 pros have been serving me well for the past 5 years

Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro They have steel housing. Built very well and very comfortable to wear This would be for a desk setup

Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro and a Fiio K7 if you want a solid desktop setup You’ll need a wired setup for the best sound Maybe AirPods Max with a wired setup (USB-C) to easily switch to wireless