Customer Reviews

Beyerdynamic DT 770-PRO Headphones

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a radio professional, I demand headphones that are going to give faithful sound reproduction with solid construction. You're putting them on and taking them off every four minutes, and have a cord to walk around and try not to trip over for your other tasks. No matter how religious I've always been about being gentle with them, until I tried Beyer-Dymanics, every single pair I've ever owned has let me down within ten months. Either the wiring cuts out on an ear, and/or a studio mishap sends parts flying.

I've owned my DT770s for over five years. Best investment I've ever made, as headphones go.

I just purchased a pair of these headphones in the 80 ohm version as opposed to the 250 ohm model listed under this header. The two are similar products used for different applications but like any audio product you have to hear them for yourself.

Despite the subjectivity disclaimer, I will say these cans have a seemingly more flat response compared to the Sennheiser HD280 and the Sony MDR7506 I auditioned side-by-side in the store. The mid-range response of the dt770's was the best quality- because you can actually pick out the mids. The high frequency response was articlate without being pushy, a big factor for me. In contrast, the Sony phones seem to feature an aggressive and unrefined response in the high frequency. Otherwise the Sonys are fine for $100. The Sennheisers (also $100) seem to isolate better than both the Beyers and the Sonys, but I found the Beyers the most comfortable of the three. I don't have big ears, but the Sonys seem to have little chiclet ear cups and isolated the least of the three. The Senns are definitely worth the $100, but I can't figure out why the Sonys are audio industry standard headphones with that almost prickly high pitch response.

I picked the Beyers even though they cost twice as much as the other two because of the exceptionally even response I got from them. When I took them home I tried them out on every little lo-fi device I could find, and they continually made me shiver with their fidelity and overall tempered sound. Do you want to 'hear' your headphones influencing the music? I don't.

The Beyer's base response was hearty, maybe due to lightweight transducers that reproduce sound more efficiently than most cans. But for me it was hearing the mids, a range that humans don't pick up as easily as bass or high pitch sounds, that made these worthwhile. If you want super high quality phones, pick these up.

i've always been a major proponent of flat-response studiophile headphones for use in music production as opposed to near-field monitors for primary monitoring during equalization and mixdown, and to do that wisely it is a must that you make a sound purchasing decision - ignore advice from peers, especially dj's (headphones for dj'ing is a whole other sack of beans) and sink your teeth into the specifications... you want the widest frequency response you can afford, large load impedence ('tougher', the drivers won't wear out after a year or two), very low total harmonic distortion, etc. etc. previously i'd leaned heavily on my sennheiser eh2200's, which are no longer made. after a few years the drivers have begun to drop out some low end and highs so it was time to upgrade. i went with the dt 770 pro's, which i'd looked at a while ago as a future purchase. I AM SO GLAD I DID. these are wonderfully 'true' headphones. nothing added, no colouring of the sound, just a good wide soundstage that gets me really, really 'close' to my mix.

I just bought a pair of these today and felt compelled to write a review. From Badly Drawn Boy to Al Green to Bartok's quartets (I can actually hear the players clothes ruffle now as they shift around), everything is incredibly articulate. The sound leaked out and in is very minimal, and I don't get the discomfort I usually get after putting on those noise-cancelling headphones. I know nothing about the technical aspects of these headphones (they're supposed to be good, technically), but from an outside perspective, they're amazing. I'm using them on my iPod, so the DRAWBACKS are immediately apparent: they're huge, and the chord is ridiculously long (3m?). Oh and another thing, with deep bass, sometimes my head feels like it's throbbing (this might be the only real drawback for me). I probably won't use them while walking around in public, but I suspect they'll be awesome/impressive to use at a cafe or anywhere I'll be sitting for an extended period of time. These headphones made my day. The best comparison I can come up with is to a Leica camera. In my estimation, both have minimal distortion (in different respects); as Leica optics are incredibly faithful to what you see (what you see is what you get), with these headphones, what I hear seems to be what was there in the studio with no frills--so if you're listening to a bad singer, these babies will let you know.

For me headphones are a very personal sort of thing, so it's hard to rate or recommend it to other people. For me I wanted something with a decent sound stage, good bass, and a comfortable fit. These headphones have that.

These cans have completely changed they way I listen to music, I find myself listening to more and more classical music because it just sounds flat out amazing with these headphones. Rock, metal, and jazz sound equally impressive but be prepared to delete songs as these phones will bring light to shed upon your puny bitrates.

All in all I have to say these phones earn the following (1-5 scale):

Sound Quality (4.8) There's probably better out there but only if your willing to spend $6000 for a speaker setup or $400 for headphones.

Sound Leakage (5) These headphones leak very little sound and also help block outside sounds (like plane engines) very well.

Comfort (5) With their valor earcups (just like the soft bosom of Zap Brannigan's uniform) these headphones are comfortable enough to wear indefinitely! I also found the headband to be less invasive as on other headphones.

Portability (3) These headphones are a bit bulky and I'm not sure how they sound without an amp, I believe a ipod could give these enough juice to run, but I haven't tried it yet.

Value (5) If you can find these for under $200 used or new, the purchase is a no brainer, these are a must buy if you can afford them!

Overall score: 4.5

These are amazing headphones, if you can find them for under $200 buy them immediately if you can't then save up the extra cash and buy them anyway! Overall I am very impressed with them!

---UPDATE 2010----

After well over a year of use, I have decided to move on to another pair of headphones. Despite all the problems I've had with these DT770s Beyerdynamic left such a positive impression on
me that my next pair will probably be the DT 880s.

The issue with the DT 770s seems to be that the right ear cup will develop a jarring rattling/vibrating sound when any low frequency sounds are played. I cleaned the headphones thoroughly and didn't find any hair near the driver. More recently I discovered this was a common issue with the DT 770s and can often be attributed to the lower quality cabling or something wrong with the driver itself. Because of how common this issue is with the 770 line, I dropped my rating by 1 star (though I would have only dropped it by half if I could).

However I was so pleased by the performance and comfort of the DT 770s, that I have not been able to wear any other headphones, sure I thought the K701s sounded better, but that stupid headband and its painful bumps dug into my brain. I've become so spoiled by the construction, feel, and sound of the DT 770s, that I don't think I can use any other headphones unless they use a similar design and velor earcups. These were the only headphones to ever fully cover my large head and elongated ears. So if anyone knows of any non-Beyerdynamic headphones that fit as well as these, let me know, because I have yet to find any!

I wanted something that would be sweet, tight, detailed, and accurate across the frequency range, something I could use in the studio, but also with an iPod/laptop without extra amplification, and I wanted at least a respectable level of sound isolation (keep outside sound out, my sound in). Some would say that list of demands is impossible, I say those people haven't checked these out.

After testing dozens of nice so called "pro" headphones with my iPod Nano I was starting to think I was just going to have to make some compromises. Then I plugged these in, the clouds parted, a beam of sunlight shone down from above, and angels began singing.

A conga player can hear his drum plus the sound of his fingers on it sometimes when he plays, why shouldn't you when you play it back? If a singer stomps their foot on the stage, they heard it, shouldn't you get to? The answer is hell yes. Just exquisite texture....strings, vocals (oh my god), horns....the puff of a kick drum...plucked deep base notes...

I could go on but but let me just summarize and say that -unamplified- these headphones will make you wet your pants. I'm not kidding. Hard to get better. At this level any arguable upward increment in sound quality is going to cost you considerably and tie you to a chair in front of a shelf mounted amplifier.

I recommend these with no reservation. If you want the very best sound you can possibly get out of an iPod or similar source your search is over. The coolest thing is that these are truly great for everything.

Tip: For those who may not know, I'm talking about the 80ohm version, the 250ohm version of the same model must be plugged into an amp.

I've had a steady progression of audio equipment as the years have gone by, especially in regards to headphones. I work in a social environment with a lot of ambient noise, so my goal was to find a full-sized earphone that I could wear for long periods of time while sealing outside noise away from my music.

My last pair of headphones were the Pioneer HDJ-1000's. They lasted me for almost 2 years, but were uncomfortable and a little lacking in the mids / treble area.

After doing research all over the place (especially at [...]) I decided to try the Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro's. The jump was from around ~$[...] to ~$[...] in price from the Pioneer's to the Beyer's. I was hesitant, but after reading the majority of the comments on this very page I decided to take the jump and purchase them.

The result? I could not be happier.

These headphones are PRECISELY what I've been looking for. The sound reproduction is amazing, and gets even better when you add a headphone amp. The treble and mid-range are extremely full, you really do pick up new notes and tones in music that were never there before.

I listen to an eclectic mix of music and these headphones can run the whole gambit of genres. From Chopin to DJ Shadow, Counting Crows to the Gorillaz. It's all great.

The ONLY bad thing I can say about these is how clearly they separate high-quality recordings from lower quality. It makes you just want to listen to the best of the best in audio quality.

To recap, yes these headphones are expensive but if you're ready to make the jump to studio quality sound with some nice bass punch, these are a fantastic buy.

First saw these in a recording booth when doing a voiceover. They sounded great with the human voice, but wanted to see how they sounded with music. I'd just bought a pair of Grado SR80s and thought I was happy with them. Lacked a little bass, but loved the brightness of sound. Put these Beyers on in a Guitar Center, and fell hard for them. The bass is there to support the music I listen to, from Ludacris to Dexter Gordon to Peter Garbriel's Passion. The brightness cannot compare to Grado's sound. The open backs of the Grados make everything sound very live and close. But the Beyers sound very warm--not overly bright--but warm. And the low end is very supported, without getting mushy, if that makes sense. If you tend solely towards accoustic and classical, and with older pre 50's jazz, the Grado's may be more for you. But if you listen to all of that, as well as more contemporary dance, rap, ambient--anything where the bass needs to be a part of the experience without being too boomy, the DT770s are, IMHO , a better all around headphone, able to handle more diverse sounds with ease. I've listened to Grados, Sennheisers, and Beyers. I know there are other brands that are highly regarded, but those are my three favorites, and really these Beyers are the best for the price point at which they sit. The Grado 325s are probably my favorites of all of them, but cost a bit much for me. The Grados also leak so much sound (a huge part of what makes them so wonderfully bright) that I can't really listen to them in a public place. That made the decision easier for me. DT770's are worth the cash, and you will love them. I only dropped the last star because I so want the high end to be more Grado-like, but that's the tradeoff for a closed back phone.

Almost forgot. Tested the Grados and the Beyers using a Headroom Total Bithead amp, running from my MacBook. Both do well without the amp, but I think the Beyers perform just a little better when helped with an amp.

I bought these a year ago(80ohm) while looking for headphones I could use at home and take with me when I traveled. I demoed a few others before settling on this particular can.

I listened to the Grado SR225 since my taste in music is eclectic but I valued detail and a natural and wide soundstage. The grados were good with the detail but did lack some bass when I played some of my R&B or rap music but the highend detail was phenomenal. I also remember trying a pair of ultrasones but I can't remember which model. They are the ones that are all shinny silver...they were not good at all. Very bright, harsh and muddy in the mids. I even ventured to the bose QC1s since I would be using these headphones for travel too. The QC1s were good for detail but their was enough noticeable distortion in the mids and the overall sound while listening to Led Zeppelin's 'stairway to heaven' was muddy. In addition, that noticeable pressure in your ear from the noise-cancellation was annoying.

Overall, these came out the bast just plugging straight into my ipod. The sound is very natural and articulate enough that you can distinguish depth with the music. The bass is great and full. I will echo the other reviewers that this headphone does an impeccable job recreating the recordings accurately. I often have used these headphones while helping me fall asleep with the volume turned low and noticed that the depth and clarity is still prevalent, similliar to good home theater, which I also enjoy. For you home theater people, these headphones sound like mini-versions of my B&W 603s with a rotel amp. Probably not as clear and rich but pretty close. Nonetheless, the sound is similar in approach.

I just wanted to take the time to recommend my personal findings with others who are in the market for a quality pair of headphones. I was in a real dilemma stuck between these Beyerdynamics, the Audiotechnica ATH-M50's, and the Sennheiser HD595's (all superb products I might add), and I finally went with the Beyer DT770 Pro 80ohm version. I can tell anyone reading this that you will not be dissapointed, I'm not taking anything away from Senn or Audiotechnica, but these cans are truly fantastic. The fist song I heard with these gave me immediate goosebumps. The sound is crisp, well insulated, and powerful. I have heard that these get even better with a small headphone amp, but my Soundblaster Fatality Platinum seems to power these just fine. Anyone have any questions about these cans feel free to hit me up on facebook.

Peace,

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