Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro

I wanted to get another pair of headphones to go with my trusty old Sony MDR 7506 so I can use one pair with the desktop computer in one room and the other with the laptop that’s in the other room. I love the MDRs but wanted to try something different. I narrowed down to few models from Audio-Technica ATH series, some AKGs and few Beyerdynamics. Being made in Germany (and I love German engineering) and costing about the same as in the rest of the world (some brands are way overpriced here in Serbia), I decided to give Beyerdynamic a try.

DT770 Pro series is made in three varieties – 32 ohm, 80 ohm and 250 ohm. Generally, higher impedance headphones are preferred for studio use and will sound better and more neutral, but require a separate headphone amplifier to drive the higher impedance coils. 32 ohm version is made to work with consumer and home-studio devices, such as audio interfaces, sound cards, mobile phones, etc and don’t require a lot of power to get them going. I really wanted to avoid all the hassle that goes with a dedicated headphone amplifier – more cables, power adapters and complications, so I went with the 32 ohm version, fully aware of the compromise. After owning them for over a year and using them daily, I decided to share my experience with them.

Imagine my disappointment when I realized that the pair I got was faulty. There was noticeable buzz coming from the right speaker. Probably a piece of hair or something that got through the protective membrane and was causing the buzz when the speaker was moving. Luckily, the store was decent enough to replace it with another pair and I was ready to rock.

Important specs
  • Impedance: 32 ohm (80 ohm and 250 ohm versions are available)
  • SPL: 96 dB
  • Frequency range: 5 – 35 000 Hz
  • Closed back design
  • Weight: 317 gr
  • Velvet ear pads
  • Straight cable with 3.5 mm stereo plug and a 6.3 mm screw-on adapter
What’s my use-case for them?

Most of the time I just play guitar through the headphones, often accompanied with backtracks. Once every few weeks I get to record something and mix it with the backtracks to be uploaded to YouTube or to my website. I need headphones that primarily make my guitar sound good, that would reveal any minute detail in my sound, but it’s also nice if they can tell me how it will sound at the end. Every now and then I may use them for music listening, but not too often.

What I like about them?
  • First thing that becomes obvious is the build quality. Apart from the flawed pair that I received, they do seem really well built.
  • Velvet ear pads are very comfortable and feel luxurious.
  • They sound really, really good. The sound is detailed and you can clearly hear every nuance and every instrument. They make my guitar sound great and they are great for music in general .
  • Sound isolation is pretty good. There’s barely any sound escaping out of the headphones or getting into the headphones.
  • I was used to the coiled cable, but the straight cable on these is actually a bit less annoying and it’s long enough for my use.
What I don’t like about them?
  • I cannot trust them for making my final mixes like I could with Sony MDR 7506. When I EQ my guitar to sound good on these headphones, it tends to sound a bit too harsh pretty much everywhere else. When I’m done mixing with DT770, I always need to cut a bit off the treble and sometimes add a bit more bass to make it sound good on other headphones and speakers.
Would I buy them again?

Now that’s a million dollar question. Although I love how they sound and many other things about them, I would not have them as my only pair of headphones because I cannot trust them for mixing. Luckily, I can still keep using both DT770 and MDR7605, so I can get best of both worlds, but if I had to use only one pair for everything, it would either be the MDR or I’d go fancy with a 250 ohm version of DT770 or DT990 with a dedicated headphone amplifier. As always, YMMV.

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    The idea behind this site is to share my experience with Do It Yourself approach to guitars, amplifiers and pedals. Whether you want to save a couple of bucks by performing a mod or upgrade yourself instead of paying a tech, or want to build your own piece of gear from scratch, I'm sure you will find something interesting here. Also, this is the home of DIY Layout Creator, a free piece of software for drawing circuit layouts and schematics, written with DIY enthusiasts in mind.