The Beyerdynamic Amiron and 1990 PRO – RMAF 2016

The story coming out of RMAF for Germany’s Beyerdynamic is pretty straightfoward this year. Two new headphones, one pricepoint. The 1990 PRO and the Amiron Home both retail for $599, but choose different paths to reach out to consumers.

The DT 1990 in an open back headphone that is replacing the studio-oriented (but hifi adopted) DT 990. The outward facing grill features a simple slotted design and single sided detachable cable (mini XLR). Both the 1990 and the Amiron Home are 250 ohm headphones and no other impedance variations will be offered.

The Amiron Home is slightly different, more consumer-ish take on listening, well… at home. A follow up to the T90, the company touts a “refined Tesla System” for the headphone but wearablity and comfort have been put front and center for the new piece as well. The Amiron features velour on the top and bottom of the headband and the cable here is still detachable, but sees a connection on both sides of the headphone over the 1990’s single side. Representatives from the company hinted that the dual launch of the two headphones was a test of sorts for Beyerdynamic, to see how the public reacts to such a close encounter between the two options. Voicing will have a large impact no doubt, but comfort also makes a big difference for most – especially if certain minimum quality thresholds are met (and will no doubt be easily attained given Beyer’s well-established track record). Furthermore, what is best for the studio doesn’t always equate to the most exciting sound overall from my experience. It will be most interesting to see how this self-administered experiment pans out over time.

All this of course, is in addition to the full lineup of amps and flagship headphones the company has already let loose into the wild. More information and visual representation are available in the video below.

More info: http://north-america.beyerdynamic.com/shop/amiron-home.html

DT 1990 on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009WN5HYU/