Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 Ohm Headphone Review: The Widest, Fastest Closed-Back Headphone I’ve Heard
I’ve been curious about Beyerdynamic’s $150 DT770 Pro 80 Ohm for a long time. It has a legacy of several decades in the audio world. It’s trusted by many producers and studio pros. Music fans across the internet rave about them.
What stopped me? Two things:
- The cable is ten feet long and non-detachable. The 250 Ohm model has a coiled cable. But still. This always bugs me.
- I already owned the HyperX Cloud/Takstar Pro 80, a very good clone of the DT770 Pro 80, measurements-wise.
I shouldn’t have waited. These are great! Are they for everyone?
Hahaha NO!
But I love them for what they do well. And you might too, depending on your needs.
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Sound
The first two things that jumped out for me with these are the soundstage and the speed.
The DT770 Pro 80 has the widest soundstage I’ve ever heard in a closed headphone. I’d seen this mentioned in several reviews, and was skeptical, but they were totally right. The senses of width and depth are both fantastic. Does it match an open headphone like the Sennheiser HD 598? No. But it gets maybe, I don’t know, 75 percent of the way there.
Which is ridiculous.
The other great thing is the speed of the drivers. Speed in headphones essentially measures how quickly the little speaker can play a sound and reset to neutral position after vibrating, and then whether those frequencies keep bouncing around in the cup or not. The DT770 is as fast as headphones that cost several times the price, which is backed up both by listening and measurements you can find online. It has a very fast attack, quick decay for all the frequencies, and incredible rendering of detail. Sounds don’t linger in the cups for very long at all, and everything is produced with a tight, quick, punchiness.
Why is this important? For picking out little minute details in the sound. You can hear every nuance of guitar strings, and every weird little sound that a person makes with their mouth while preparing to sing. It’s also great for picking out distortion in recordings. I’ve heard flaws in music with the DT770 that I didn’t notice before with other headphones. This makes them great for studio/critical work…but not the best choice for average pop music listening, as that material isn’t always well-recorded or compressed.
Let’s talk sound. Frequency response is a little all over the place, and won’t be to everyone’s liking. Bass is punchy and precise, and well-extended, but much more relaxed than the average consumer headphone. These have a reputation for being bass-heavy amongst audiophiles and producers, but I found them a touch bass-light at first listen. This is because the bass response is focused more on sub-bass than mid-bass frequencies. It’s more accurate than the average headphone, which uses a mid-bass hump to make the bass seem more impressive.
Mids are well-rendered with a natural, neutral tone and timbre…but ever-so-slightly withdrawn. I wouldn’t go as far as to call this a v-shaped headphone, but the mids are definitely a touch reduced. Impressively, unlike the Takstar Pro 80/HyperX Cloud, the mids don’t have any “cupped hands” quality to them. They’re nice and accurate, they’re just not the loudest thing in the mix.
The treble response is a little all over the place, with some strident peaks that lend a sparkle to the sound, but no grain or harshness. I find the treble quite pleasant to listen to, actually. It’s bright and detailed, and more forward than the mids.
All of this combines for a sound signature that’s more-or-less a studio-style, neutral sound…but executed in a much different way than stalwarts like the Audio-Technica M50X and the Sony MDR-7506. The 7506 focuses entirely on the upper mids/highs, where hiss lives, and the bass is not as highlighted. The M50X provides a bit of a v-shaped, punchy sound, with a withdrawn close soundstage that places the sound right by your ears. The DT770’s have deep natural bass, a wide sound stage, and fast, detailed highs.
Of the three signatures, it’s tough to say which one is best. But on soundstage and speed, it’s not even a competition. I love the 770.
Design/Build/Comfort
The DT770 Pro 80 Ohm is built like a strong beefy thing that was designed in the 80’s. Because that’s kind of what it is. The headband is solid metal, covered by a replaceable pad attached with snaps. The ear cups are made of a hard composite textured plastic, akin to a musical instrument case. The ear cups are huge, and covered with giant soft velour pads that provide lots of isolation and long-wearing comfort.
The cable is ten feet long, straight, and non-detachable. Twitch. It’s terminated in a 3.5mm plug with a 6.3mm adapter included in the box. The cable is made from a nice, pliable material, and it’s pretty easy to work with actually. I’ve had no issue using this headphone at a coffee shop by just coiling the cable a bit. But you wouldn’t want to walk around with these unless you’re going to dedicate a pocket to the cable.
I purchased the black “Limited Edition,” which is clad in an all-black finish with black pads. I think it was originally an Amazon Prime Day exclusive? The normal version has lighter accents and gray pads. I think they both look subtle, for studio headphones. There’s no crazy plastic bits sticking out, and the headband hugs closely to the top of your head.
Features/Extras
Beyerdynamic includes the most hilarious headphone bag I’ve ever seen. It’s a weird vinyl/poncho material, and there’s a luggage tag on the outside where you can write your name and address, if you want. It seems about 1000 times less durable than the headphones are. You probably won’t ever need to use it, but I am, just for kicks.
Amplification
This headphone responds extremely well to a dedicated amp. I’ve powered it with my phone, as well as my MacBook Pro, and my SoundblasterX G5 amp. The amp sounds a bit better and has the most volume headroom. If you run these out of a phone you’ll have to crank up the volume higher than you’re used to. It still sounds pretty good, to the point where I wouldn’t necessarily say that an amp is required. But this is one of the few headphone models I’ve reviewed where you’ll notice a difference.
Now, Beyerdynamic also sells a 250 Ohm version of this headphone. You’ll absolutely need an amp for that one. The Ohm rating is a measurement of how much resistance the driver exerts on your source. Higher-Ohm headphones tend to need a better amp.
There’s also a 32 Ohm version of the DT770. It comes with leatherette pads and a short cord. I have no idea if it’s good. It’s probably a little more closed-in due to the pad design. I’m guessing here.
Final Thoughts
Beyerdynamic’s DT770 Pro 80 Ohm is a great closed-back headphone with a wide soundstage, ample speed, good bass and treble performance, and long-wearing comfort. Is it the best value headphone? No. Is it the most consumer-friendly headphone? No.
You might still love it.
Also, it’s better than the Takstar Pro 80. The Takstar is a great clone…but it’s about 80 percent as good. It’s also cheaper. Hmm. I’ll be doing a full Headphone Showdown of these two very soon!
This is a tough one. The DT770 does several things exceptionally well, and I think it’s well-priced. But I’d feel wrong recommending it to you over the cheaper recent 598Cs, for instance. The 598Cs is more portable friendly, has decent soundstage and excellent audio detail, and a fit that’s just as comfy.
Still, in a vacuum, I’d be more than happy with the DT770 as my only pair of headphones, and it does soundstage and speed better than anything close to its price. I’m just not sure those positives make it worth recommending to every consumer. If you can deal with the cable, the old-school design, and the more studio-tilted sound, you’ll probably love these.
I can tell why these have been around for so long, and I love them personally. I just don’t think they have quite the universal appeal of other more ubiquitously recommended models. That says more about the market than it does about the quality of the DT770. Buy without hesitation if you find them appealing and want massive soundstage and speed in a closed-back.
