beyerdynamic DT 860 Premium Headphones

by beyerdynamic

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4 x 8.5 inches ; 1.8 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000Y0IPF8
• Item model number: DT 860
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 7, 2006

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The DT 860 is an open-back headphone delivering a true and powerful sound. Due to an extremely strong neodymium magnet system the DT 860 features a detailed reproduction with smooth highs, balanced mids, and a powerful bass response. No matter if you are into pop, classical, jazz, soul, or anything else, the DT 860 offers an audiophile experience backed by quality German engineering. The 90° swiveling ear-cups and softer yet sturdy materials for the headband and the ear pads ensure outstanding levels of comfort. The fold-away design makes it easy to store and transport.

Featuring an open back design for rich audio performance for critical listening

Open, On-Ear Design with Swiveling Earcups

The DT 860 features an open-back circumaural (over-the-ear) design for rich audio performance that's designed for critical listening. The open design of the headphones allows increased fidelity to the original recording and a more natural sound stage. The driver design of the DT 860 gives your music full reign, with natural response and crisp linearity. You'll hear every note, every beat, and every detail just as the artist originally intended.

Convenient folding earcup design lets the DT 860 take up less space while on the move

The ultra-soft earcups are ideal for extended periods of wear, so you can enjoy an entire concert (or two) in complete comfort. An adjustable headband lets you achieve the perfect fit, and the earcups swivel a full 90 degrees for listening and positioning convenience.

Dynamic Transducer for Increased Fidelity and Performance

Without exception, beyerdynamic manufactures the dynamic transducer systems that go into their headphones in-house. From the magnet and diaphragm to the careful wiring and circuitry, beyerdynamic controls quality at all levels of manufacturing, ensuring superior engineering in their headphones down to the smallest detail.

An extremely strong neodymium magnet system offers the DT 860 highly detailed sound reproduction quality, is mechanically very robust, and needs only a small amount of operating voltage which increases efficiency. This increased efficiency also leaves the DT 860 with greater power reserves for dynamic, undistorted sound that especially compensates well for low-spec mobile devices such as portable media players that often can't perform at the same level as dedicated home equipment. The extremely lightweight 32 Ohm voice coil provides transparency and increased impulse fidelity.

Fold-Away Design

The convenient folding earcup design of the DT 860 helps it take up less space while on the move, easily folding into a compact form to carry in your backpack, suitcase, or bag.

	DT 990			DT 880			DT 770			DT 860	DT 660	DT 440
	32	250	600	32	250	600	32	250	600
Application	MP3 and PC	Home Hi-Fi	High End	MP3 and PC	Home Hi-Fi	High End	MP3 and PC	Home Hi-Fi	High End	32 Ohm for MP3 and PC
Sound Characteristics	Strong Bass & Treble			Neutral & Linear			Strong Bass & Treble			Crystal Clear	Powerful	Balanced
Construction	Open			Semi-Open			Closed			Open	Closed	Open
Headband	Spring Steel Headband									Plastic Headband (foldable)

What's in the Box

• The beyerdynamic DT 860 Headphones
• Screwable 6.35 mm / 1/4" adaptor
• Leatherette Carrying Bag

Technical Specifications

• Transmission Type: Wired
• Impedance: 32 ohms
• Frequency Response: 5 Hz - 35,000 Hz
• Sound Pressure Level: 97 dB
• Construction: Circumaural (over-the-ear)
• Cable & Plug: Straight connecting cable with mini-jack plug (3.5 mm) & 1/4" adapter (6.35 mm)
• Net Weight: 340 g

Product Description

An open-back headphone that delivers a powerful, lifelike sound, the Beyerdynamic DT 860s are ideal for listening to music at home or on the road. The DT 860s boast high-efficiency transducers and an extremely strong neodymium magnet system, which combine to reproduce audio with smooth highs, balanced mids, and a powerful bass response. As a result, listeners can enjoy the sensation of actually being at the jazz concert or listening in on a classical recording session. The headphones also offer computer-calculated 90-degree swiveling ear cups for precision sound, and a soft yet sturdy headband with padded ear pads for superior comfort. And as a bonus, the headphones fold up into a compact footprint, making them easy to store and transport. Other details include a single-sided 3-meter connecting cable, a gold-plated 1/8-inch stereo jack plug, a 1/4-inch adapter, and a black carrying case. The DT 860s, which weigh 12 ounces, carry a two-year warranty on parts and labor.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't treat it like a step-child, November 5, 2011

By 

Karlton D. Lynch ""RTiKOLD" - TH3 GN3... (Colorado Springs) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: beyerdynamic DT 860 Premium Headphones (Electronics)

I've owned almost all the DT770-990 series, and some of them in different impedances. The "old-skool" DT860's takes the cake. I was immediately hooked on the forward mids (yup, they are more forward than the DT880, regardless of impedance), deep, punchy bass (but not as loose as the DT990), and the deliciously shimmery highs. What got me interested to try these was that Headphoneinfo dot com tested these with machines that, apparently, I don't own. One test was the maximum loudness test.

This test interests me greatly because I like my music loud. Really loud. These can achieve almost 115db SPL at the ear. With no distortion of the bass notes - which is usually the first thing that appears with all headphones when it's cranked (for comparison, the DT770 hits a measly 103db and both the DT880 and 990, regardless of impedance, punches a bit more at 107db [Still not enough for me]. In addition, the T70P hits 112db. I hope if Beyer does release a Tesla version of the DT880 [T80] or DT990 [T90], *speculation*, that they can achieve at least 116db). Considering that the can gets loud, and it's from Beyer (my fave), I figured nothing could go wrong. Man I was right. I just sold my DT990 32ohm recently - and don't miss it not one bit.

The DT860 have solid construction, they are certainly heavier and more durable than the 770-990 series, so you can let your child play with them. If he breaks the phones, your son will grow up to be the Hulk. Stop feeding him prime-cut. The black velours on these are not quite as cushy as the grey/silver ones on the DT990. The cups are shallower as well on the DT860 and they clamp almost as tight as the DT770 pro's. Nothing that a good ole stretching of the headband, plus cutting out the middle of the plastic ring on a cylinder of Pringles and inserting them underneath the lip of the pads inside the cup can't fix. They are moderately comfortable out the box, with a little modding, as was just mentioned, they become very comfortable. Just a smidge below the 770-990 series. Stupendous. EDIT 11/24/11 - I nixed the ghetto "Pringles" mod and just put soft foam pieces underneath the lip of the cushions on the inside of the cup to add more depth - this increased comfort and actually improved the sound a touch.

The imaging is great, the bass is tight and surprisingly thick, but the DT880 600ohm (my previous favorite) is a touch more controlled in the low-end. However the DT880 600ohm doesn't have the quantity - I prefer the DT860 any day. Soundstaging is incredibly wide and deep, a complete 3D sense-of-space that the DT990 and DT770 also share. I believe that the soundstage actually feels a little wider and more focused than the DT990 - probably due to the upfront mids. Speaking on the mids, voices and singers come through like a freight train, and shows no signs of slowing down either. This is the first Beyer phone that I've heard yet that I didn't need to EQ the mids or the highs at all (I always add bass to everything...I'm just greedy like that). This phone is VERY non-EQ friendly if your source lacks it. I certainly don't need it period with the DT860. The mids are excellent, I see no need to elaborate. The high-hats do have a bell-like ping to them. They are sharp, but non-fatiguing and are full of detail. They lack the slight ultra-crisp edge that the DT990 32ohm has, but they don't skimp on definition. The DT860's are full from top to bottom, these are some excellent sounding phones.

Also leakage is virtually the same compared to the DT990, which means others can hear your tunes even at a moderate volume. However, neither are like the Audio Technica AD700's, which are so "open", that the music is virtually the same volume - whether you're wearing them or not. The AD700's are the loudest open-air headphones when it comes to leakage. To illustrate from most of the phones that I've owned when it comes to leakage here's a comparo - from most leakage to least leakage : Audio Technica AD700 > Beyer DT880 > Beyer DT770 (non-pro editions, believe it) > AKG K702 > Beyer *DT860 ~ DT990 > Denon AHD2000 ~ VModa Crossfade LP > Audio Technica ATH-M50 > Beyer DT770 pro 80ohm > Audio Technica ATH-PRO700MK2 > Etymotic ER4P (this one was just for kicks :).

It is amazing how the Beyer T1-T5P's are top (have not heard these...yet), DT770-DT990 series are considered middle ground, and the DT660-DT860's are the lower-line. Trust me, these are not lower-line at all. These are my favorites, no questions asked. They get loud, sound fantastic (especially when amped - I use the Fiio E9) on everything - including games and movies. They even best the DT990 and 770 when it comes to games and movies, due to the forward mids (gunshots are something to be heard on this phone), and the near perfect bass-response giving incredible weight to any audio piece that comes out your source. These phones are virtually flawless to me, and none of the previous phones that I've owned have done so many things excellent in many ways. Unabashed 5-Stars from RTiKOLD (artic-cold).

Beyerdynamic DT860 = A diamond in the rough.

1 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice., March 8, 2010

By 

L. C. Hang - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: beyerdynamic DT 860 Premium Headphones (Electronics)

Clear and crispy on the highs while deep and solid on the lows. The headphone is a bit too big and its a open air design, so u have to use this in a room at night.