Customer Reviews

beyerdynamic DT 440 Premium Headphones

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First of all, let me tell you that I have been through over 15 different headphones before finding these. Let me also state that I have never paid over 100 dollars for any pair. So yes, these are not the same as something costing 600 dollars, but, of all I have tried these are the absolute best.
As to these headphones, The sonic abilities are incredible. I have listened to several songs in the past on the headphones I have owned before and none have come close to the sonic abilities of these units. From the depths of the lows to the hight of the highs, I have not heard any distortion (exept where forced by the artist for effect). They are not the most comfy at first, but lets face it, the sound is the key and here is where these units shine. By the way, this was the first circumaural headphones to actually fit over my ears! I do have big ears and was suprised that they completely covered them without even touching the edges. I mainly use them for an ipod so the sound is a bit hard to get going. But this the first time I have been able to use the bass boost without making every song sound like it was stressed. The spectrum of reproduction is the best I have heard so I can honestly say this is the final pair I will be owning for some time. Especially when it comes to the high end, I found that music I thought was distorted by design was merely distorted by the headphones. I was truly inspired by the fact that many songs I didnt love because I thought the distortion was deliberate, I now find was just the limits of previous headphones. The build of these units is very sturdy with metal outer casing and quality components. Dont love the folding design, but it does make it easier to store. The bass is awesome, I found that they are amazing at true reproduction without sounding over-done or under-driven. I have found that only when listening to these cans can I hear the true development of the artist intentions. I have been amazed and continue to be as I listen to more and more with these units.

Here is a list of those whom did not make the cut against these cans.

Sennheiser HD 515, good quality, great sound, but suffered at the high end with a touch of distortion. Very comfortable and modern finish.

Stanton DJ Pro 1000 MKIIS, OK, these were near the bottom. I was quite dejected by how bad these were. No sonic resonance, just a lot of distortion and a very narrow range. I was suprised as my mother used to work for them and they did, at one time, make a great full range headphone.

AKG K240. OK, these are great headphones, but- not for ipods. With high impedance I was never able to truly test them out. Very comfortable and great sound, but the ipod maxed out at about 50 % of the sound level I am used too. I know, Im going to go deaf one day but I cant help but crank up mudvayne. It just doesnt sound right at low volume.

Sennheiser HD 260. Very comfortable and probably a close second to the HD 515, but just not the isolation and sonic relavance I was looking for.

Sennheiser HD 435. These are superaural which means they sit flush with the ear. Decent sound for the cost, but couldnt get used to them just being against the ear. And of course zero isolation. I live near a busy road so even at night sound bugs me.

Sennheiser HD 202. Good isolation, decent sound and a good overall reproduction quality. A bit flimsy on construction. Im old school and like them not heavy but a sturdy feel and design is key.

In summary, I can tell you that I have spent way too much time, and money, working through many many pairs of headphones but now see that it was all worth it. Although I can honestly say I had never heard of them before, I will never forget the name now. They completely cover my ears, not sound isolation complete but a good balance of sound isolation nad sonic resonance, fairly comfortable (takes some getting used to), and the sound, the sound, the sound. I can honestly say they have been such a pleasure to listen to that I actually look forward to the opportunity to put them on the loose myself in another world as I emerse myself the a sonic dream....

These are the best sub-$250 headphones I have ever heard, and a total steal for what they sell for. They fit a little strangely at first, but you quickly get used to them. As for the sound, it is crystal clear in the highs, nice strong lows without being overpowering, and rich mids. The soundstage is phenomenal as well. In other words, I have no complaints about these at all, other than the initially strange fit. I use them from my ipod too, and they sound better than any other headphone I have ever plugged into it. Ie, they do not require amplification in the slightest. They do have a long, thick cord though, so they are not exactly built for that purpose, but I coil the cord up and use them anyway, because nothing has ever sounded so good out of my nano. I also use them amplified on my home system, and they respond very well to that as well. I love them.

I have owned these headphones for almost a week and have been working on breaking them in, or burning them in as a lot of people say, and the sound has improved over the course of the last 4 days. I have used them for probably 40 hours now and the sound went from being overly bright to a more natural sound. It took a while for the base to break in to sound more natural.

Pros:

The sound quality for the price you pay for these headphones is excellent. I prefer the sound of the DT440 over the Sennheizer's HD595 for several reasons. Sennheizer headphones have a darker sound which is not bad at all. Note that the Sennheizer HD595 has higher impedance than the DT440's therefore one would expect them to sound differently. These headphones require no amp to drive them; an ipod can drive these headphones. These are a neutral headphone when it comes to the sound in the highs and lows. They have no exaggerated base, and there not too bright after burning them in for a few days.

Note: If you prefer a darker sound and more base in your music, get the HD555 or HD595. Sennheizer makes an excellent product as well.

Cons:

Some people have reported cracking with the headphone bands, however I have not experience this problem and will definitely add a comment about that if and when that happens. These headphones may feel uncomfortable for the first few days of wearing them, however the elastic part of the headphones does begin to loosen up as you break them in by wearing them more. Also, the padding is small, so your ear will touch the padding on the inside of the headphone. If this is an issue it is an easy fix, you can buy different padding from the company that will fit these. I believe the nice velour ear pads that fit the DT770/880/ and 990 series fit the DT440's as well.

Final thoughts:

If you have a $150 budget, then these headphones will deliver excellent sound quality. If you're willing to spend more money and have an amp, then get the DT880's they are better than these headphones. If you're willing to spend more money and do not have an amp, then the DT860/DT770 80 ohm versions are available and are higher quality than these phones. Note: there is a DT770 250 and DT770 80, unless you have an amp the DT770 250 will not sound good. The DT770 80 will work without an amp.

If you want Ultra high quality headphones that are well balanced like Beyerdynamic headphones and have no price limit then shoot for the DENON AH-D5000 or DENON AH-D2000. This is probably the most balanced headphone as far as highs and lows are concerned in frequency response.

I'll start off by saying I am not an audiophile, and dont usually write reviews, but I do have an ear for quality music reproduction. I have owned these for about a month, and am totally pleased. They sound excellent...... best headphone I have ever put on, and I have auditioned several pairs over the years. I would like to let you prospective buyers know that the "open design" is great if you want to hear whats going on around you and still get quality music. They will not cancel out any noise. In fact they allow sounds in as if wearing no headphones at all (at low volumes). But turn them up and they will soak your ears with quality sounds. I like this as it allows me to listen to music that sounds great and still communicate with those around me. The headphones were very comfortable to me the second I put them on. In fact sometimes I forget I am still wearing them. The only complaint I have is that they look kind of cheap....although some might call it simple. They sound waaaaay better than they look.

Pros: Sound, comfort, open design, price, did I say sound yet!
Cons: Could look a little better, long cord is kind of cumbersome.

I purchased these to plug into my denon dht-fs3 soundbar which uses Dolby headphone processing & they sound way better than any gaming headphones I ever used especially the Turtle Beach x41! I was surprised with the surround sound that is provided by either watching a movie or playing games. U can actually tell the quality of the sound in the game for instance Battlefield 3 has far superior sound over the COD series especially MW3. I could hear every detail of the sound effects & know where my enemies are coming from even if they use ninja. Gun shots sound realistic and could hear each individual gun & where it shooting from & from how far away they are. Music sounds great too but when I put up the volume the bass gets distorted & I don't know if that's cause it needs an amp or if these just don't handle the bass. Don't get me wrong it has good bass response & it's very tight & crisp. I just lose the quality of sound when it's about to bust my ear drums.

I did look around before getting these and overall, I am very pleased. I did find that they are a little on the heavy side though. Combine the weight with the thin head piece and it can be uncomfortable after a couple of hours. I also found that the spring was a little too tight. Looking around on the internet I discovered that you can bend the metal strap on the inside to make it "less" tight. I might not buy these again due to the comfort issue - I like the sound quality extremely well though. I would probably look at another beyerdynamic model - maybe something a little lighter. I rate these high because they have very good sound quality and I knew what I was getting into having read similar posts. I think if you have a lot of hair ( I don't... thanks to male pattern baldness) the weight would not be an issue and these would not get uncomfortable.

Great headphones, too large for most portable users, but excellent sound even from my Zune.

I have owned these cans for a full year now and they sound incredible. The extended range they offer lend to a fuller sound-stage than most cans I've had. It is easy to discern where the vocals are center-stage while instruments spread throughout. These are also adept at gaming, it is easy to spin your head around looking for what is behind you - freaked me out the first few times it happened, in a good way. All I could do was think how cool that was. These have a fuller, more complete sound than my Grado 325s, they also outperform my Seins 595s. On the grados, I can only wear them for short periods because of the on ear design, they get uncomfortable for me after an hour or so.

The only drawbacks for me is the open design. While it helps give a bigger, fuller sound-stage, it also becomes irritating for others in the same room if you listen at a medium or louder volume level. They are also big and weigh a bit, that will take getting used to for the ear bud fans. I would not consider these cans portable - to big for that imho.

Be careful with these cans, if your source is decent it is very easy to listen to these cans too loud, they are that good at this price point. They lead to a great listening experience.

I have $20 Sennheiser HD 202 II Professional Headphones (Black) and upgraded to this one. Love the specs. Comfort and audio quality is awesome.

For most of the sources of audio that I listen to, the fidelity is absent at the source itself so the headphone cannot play something that it does not get. If you are listening to youtube and <256bit mp3's, it may not be worth the money. I may get blown away by shop floor demos but I will get that rich sound at home unless the input is as awesome.

This is not a concern to me but, these are huge and come without any carrying case. Just a note for people planning to take these on travelings. The size also make it more comfortable.

For $120, it is the best value for money that one can get. Prices at Amazon occasionally go up to $180, I waited and per-ordered at $120 since I was in no hurry. At $120 it is cheaper that store displays that are sold on ebay without warranty.

It's really good at high & low frequency, with good resolution performance, which makes the sounds of different instruments stand out, other than mixed together and turbid. Also, with the low resistance, it can be used for almost any kinds of player

The only weakpoint it has is that it is not so good when performance female voice, and sometimes may have dental sound.

Anyway, I still gonna acclaim it to be one of the best Hi-fi Entry-level headphone.