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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style
    2. Comfort
    3. Controls
    4. Breathability
    5. Portability
    6. Case
    7. Build Quality
    8. Stability
    9. Headshots 1
    10. Headshots 2
    11. Top
    12. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Sound Profile
    2. Frequency Response Consistency
    3. Raw Frequency Response
    4. Bass Profile: Target Compliance
    5. Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
    6. Treble Profile: Target Compliance
    7. Peaks/Dips
    8. Imaging
    9. Passive Soundstage
    10. Virtual Soundstage
    11. Weighted Harmonic Distortion
    12. Test Settings
  6. Isolation
    1. Noise Isolation - Full Range
    2. Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
    3. Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
    4. ANC Wind Handling
    5. Leakage
  7. Microphone
    1. Microphone Style
    2. Recording Quality
    3. Noise Handling
  8. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. App Support
  9. Connectivity
    1. Wired Connection
    2. Bluetooth Connection
    3. Wireless Connection (Dongle)
    4. PC Compatibility
    5. PlayStation Compatibility
    6. Xbox Compatibility
    7. Base/Dock
  10. Comments

Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO vs Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO
Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X

Tested using Methodology v1.8

Updated Jan 18, 2025 12:01 AM

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Tested using Methodology v1.8

Updated Apr 07, 2025 07:47 PM

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Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO Picture
Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X Picture
  1. Recommended in 1 article:
  2. Studio

Variants

  • DT 990 PRO (Black)
  • DT 990 PRO (Grey)
  • + Sennheiser PC38X (Black)
  • + EPOS PC38X (Black)
  • + Sennheiser PC38X (Black/Yellow)
  • + EPOS PC38X (Black/Yellow)

Our Verdict

Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO

Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X

While the Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO and the Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X are both great choices for neutral sound, the Drop are a better choice for wired gaming. The Drop have a boom mic to record your voice clearly, even in moderately noisy environments. They're also more comfortable and have a mic as well as volume controls. However, the Beyerdynamic are better built. 

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Black
DT 990 PRO
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Black
+ Sennheiser PC38X
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Black
+ EPOS PC38X
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Black/Yellow
+ Sennheiser PC38X
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Black/Yellow
+ EPOS PC38X
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Main Differences for
Neutral Sound

Threshold 

0.10

Neutral Sound 

8.2
8.0

Bass Profile: Target Compliance 
 

8.6
7.4

Treble Profile: Target Compliance 
 

7.9
6.6

Peaks/Dips 
 

7.5
8.6

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO Design Picture 2
Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X Design Picture 2

Type  

Over-ear
Over-ear

Enclosure  

Open-Back
Open-Back

Wireless  

No
No

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic
Show Text 

Comfort 
 

7.5
8.0

Comfort Picture  

Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO Comfort Picture
Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.6 lbs
0.55 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

1.4 lbs
1.4 lbs
Show Text 

Controls 
 

0.0
5.6

Controls Picture  

Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO Controls Picture
Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

No Controls
Not OS specific

Ease Of Use  

No Controls
Good

Feedback  

No Controls
Decent

Call/Music Control  

No
No

Volume Control  

No
Yes

Microphone Control  

No
Mute/Unmute

Channel Mixing 
 

No
No

Noise Cancelling Control  

No
No

Talk-Through 
 

No
No

Additional Controls  

No
No
Show Text 

Breathability 
 

7.4
6.4

Breathability After Picture  

Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO Breathability After Picture
Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

3.3 °C
6 °C
Show Text 

Portability 
 

5.8
5.5

Portability Picture  

Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO Portability Picture
Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X Portability Picture

 

7.6" (19.3 cm)
7.4" (18.9 cm)

 

5.5" (14.0 cm)
6.7" (17.1 cm)

 

3.3" (8.4 cm)
3.6" (9.2 cm)

Volume  

137.00 in³ (2,245.02 cm³)
181.42 in³ (2,973.00 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

No
No
Show Text 

Case 
 

6.5
5.5

Case Picture  

Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO Case Picture
Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X Case Picture

Type  

Pouch
Pouch

 

N/A
N/A

 

N/A
N/A

 

N/A
N/A

Volume  

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

8.0
7.5

Build Quality Picture  

Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO Build Quality Picture
Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X Build Quality Picture
Show Text 

Stability 
 

7.0
6.5

Stability Picture  

Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO Stability Picture
Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X Stability Picture
Show Text 

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO Angled Picture
Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X Angled Picture

Side Picture  

Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO Side Picture
Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO Front Picture
Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X Front Picture

Rear Picture  

Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO Rear Picture
Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO Top Picture
Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO In The Box Picture
Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X In The Box Picture
Show Text 
Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Sound Profile  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Normalization Frequency 
 

450 Hz
400 Hz

Bass Amount 
 

-1.1 dB
-4.2 dB

Treble Amount 
 

0.2 dB
-2.8 dB
Show Text 

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

7.2
7.6

Consistency L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Consistency R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

0.57 dB
0.48 dB
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Raw FR R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Bass Profile: Target Compliance 
 

8.6
7.4

Bass Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

3.4 dB
5.5 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

25.75 Hz
29.76 Hz

Low Bass 
 

-4.3 dB
-7.59 dB

Mid Bass 
 

0.41 dB
-2.91 dB

High Bass 
 

2.35 dB
-0.47 dB
Show Text 

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance 
 

9.4
9.5

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

0.85 dB
0.74 dB

Low Mid 
 

0.66 dB
-0.64 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

-0.72 dB
-0.9 dB

High Mid 
 

-0.75 dB
0.34 dB
Show Text 

Treble Profile: Target Compliance 
 

7.9
6.6

Treble Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

2.54 dB
3.63 dB

Low Treble 
 

-1.26 dB
-1.13 dB

Mid Treble 
 

2.22 dB
-4.92 dB

High Treble 
 

-1.19 dB
-8.32 dB
Show Text 

Peaks/Dips 
 

7.5
8.6

Peaks/Dips Graph 
 

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

1.27 dB
0.82 dB

Dips 
 

2.26 dB
1.28 dB
Show Text 

Imaging 
 

8.7
8.8

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Phase Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.17
0.17

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

1.95
2.83

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

0.79
0.93

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

1.86
1.43
Show Text 

Passive Soundstage 
 

6.9
7.1

PRTF  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

2.35 dB
2.84 dB

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

1.4 dB
2.22 dB

PRTF Distance 
 

8.49 dB
8.7 dB

Openness 
 

9.0
9.4

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

8.1
7.8
Show Text 

Virtual Soundstage 
 

0.0
0.0

Virtual Soundstage  

Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO Virtual Soundstage
Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

No
No

Speaker Modeling 
 

No
No

Room Ambience 
 

No
No

Head Tracking 
 

No
No

Virtual Surround 
 

No App
No App

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

8.4
7.6

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.070
0.359

WHD @ 100 
 

0.153
0.134
Show Text 

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

No Firmware
No Firmware

Power 
 

Passive
Passive

Connection 
 

USB
Wired

Codec 
 

PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz

Test Instrument  

THX AAA 789
Audio Precision APx517B

EQ 
 

No EQ
No EQ

ANC 
 

No ANC
No ANC

Tip/Pad 
 

Default
Default

Microphone 
 

No Microphone
Boom
Show Text 
Isolation

Noise Isolation - Full Range 
 

2.1
1.5

Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Noise Cancelling  

No
No

Overall Attenuation 
 

-4.66 dB
-3.45 dB

Bass 
 

0.09 dB
0.21 dB

Mid 
 

0.19 dB
1.00 dB

Treble 
 

-15.74 dB
-12.79 dB
Show Text 

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios 
 

2.3
1.5

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Airplane Noise Attenuation 
 

-3.72 dB
-2.44 dB

Airplane Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Office Noise Attenuation 
 

-4.32 dB
-2.67 dB

Office Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Street Noise Attenuation 
 

-4.43 dB
-3.04 dB

Street Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Show Text 

Noise Isolation - Voice Handling 
 

Female Voice 1 
 

Male Voice 1 
 

Female Voice 2 
 

Male Voice 2 
 

ANC Wind Handling 
 

ANC Wind Handling Graph  

Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO ANC Wind Handling Graph
Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X ANC Wind Handling Graph

ANC Wind Noise 
 

N/A
N/A

Leakage 
 

2.6
3.1

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

59.71 dB
57.66 dB
Show Text 
Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

No
No

In-Line 
 

No
No

Boom 
 

No
Yes

Detachable Boom 
 

No
No

Mic  

No
Yes

Recording Quality 
 

0.0
8.7

Microphone Frequency Response  

Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO Microphone Frequency Response
See details on graph tool

Recorded Speech 
 

N/A

LFE 
 

N/A
20 Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

N/A
1.6 dB

HFE 
 

N/A
8,010.97 Hz

Weighted THD 
 

N/A
0.176

Gain 
 

N/A
27.08 dB
Show Text 

Noise Handling 
 

0.0
7.5

SpNR  

Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO SpNR
See details on graph tool

SpNR 
 

N/A
35.95 dB

Noise Gate 
 

No
Always On

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

N/A
7.5

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

N/A

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

N/A
7.5

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

N/A
Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

0.0
0.0

Battery Type 
 

No Battery
No Battery

Continuous Battery Life 
 

N/A
N/A

Additional Charges 
 

N/A
N/A

Total Battery Life 
 

N/A
N/A

Charge Time 
 

N/A
N/A

Power-Saving Feature 
 

No
No

Audio While Charging 
 

No
No

Passive Playback 
 

Passive Headphone
Passive Headphone

Charging Port  

None
None

App Support 
 

0.0
0.0

App Picture  

Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO App Picture
Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X App Picture

App Name  

No App
No App

iOS  

No
No

Android  

No
No

macOS  

No
No

Windows  

No
No

Equalizer 
 

No
No

ANC Control 
 

No
No

Mic Control  

No
No

Room Effects 
 

No
No

Playback Control 
 

No
No

Button Mapping  

No
No

Surround Support 
 

No
No
Connectivity

Wired Connection 
 

9.1
9.9

Cable Picture  

Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO Cable Picture
Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable 
 

No
Yes

Length 
 

3.77 ft (1.15 m)
4.23 ft (1.29 m)

Connector 
 

1/8" TRS
1/16" TRRS

Latency - Analog 
 

0.2 ms
0.3 ms

Latency - USB 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Connection  

Analog
Analog
Show Text 

Bluetooth Connection 
 

0.0
0.0

Bluetooth Version 
 

No Bluetooth
No Bluetooth

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
No

Quick Pair (Android) 
 

No
No

Quick Pair (iOS) 
 

No
No

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - SBC 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality) 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency) 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - LDAC 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency Codec  

No Bluetooth Audio
No Bluetooth Audio

AAC Support 
 

No
No

Wireless Connection (Dongle) 
 

0.0
0.0

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - Dongle 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio + Microphone

Wired USB 
 

No
No

Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio + Microphone

PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

PS5 Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio + Microphone

PS5 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio + Microphone

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio + Microphone

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Base/Dock 
 

0.0
0.0

Type 
 

No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock

USB Input 
 

No
No

Line In 
 

No
No

Line Out 
 

No
No

Optical Input 
 

No
No

RCA Input 
 

No
No

Dock Charging 
 

No
No

Power Supply 
 

No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock

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Black
DT 990 PRO
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Black
+ Sennheiser PC38X
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Black
+ EPOS PC38X
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Black/Yellow
+ Sennheiser PC38X
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Black/Yellow
+ EPOS PC38X
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Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO

Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X

Comments

  1. Comparison

Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO vs Drop + Sennheiser/EPOS PC38X: Main Discussion

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