beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO Studio Headphones - 80 Ohm

These headphones have almost become a 'gateway drug' into the world of hi-end, audiophile-grade headphones, and it is incredibly easy to see why. First and foremost, the price of (approx) £100 represents exceptional value for money. I'm a headphone guy, and can think of few headphones which offer so much for such relatively little in terms of initial investment. Make no mistake, the DT770 Pro is a HUGE step up from headphones in the £60 - £90 range. Not that there's anything wrong with cheaper headphones, but the Beyer's are in a different league entirely...Second, they are incredibly well built. BeyerDynamic have gone for utilitarian design rather than fashion statement, and this is a good thing. From the sturdy headband to the supremely comfortable ear cups to the thick, high quality cable, these cans will stand up to real world abuse.Finally, and most importantly, the quality of sound is phenomenal. Some listeners have criticised the DT770's as having weak mid range response, but honestly, even though I agree with the criticism, I can honestly say it has not spoiled my listening enjoyment in any way. I listen to an eclectic range of music, from the harshest Norwegian Black Metal, to Dark Wave & Gothic Rock to the bleepiest synthesizer music & chiptunes to the cheesiest 80's pop - these headphones exceed my expectations.There is a price to pay, however, and that is: For headphones in this category, you really do need to provide as hi-fidelity source signal as possible. Don't imagine for one minute that your 128k MP3 files will sound great through these headphones - they will not. The DT770's will show up a poor quality source for what it is. My personal setup consists of a laptop connected to a USB DAC & AMP combo which drives the DT770's. I'm also quite specific about buying digital music in as higher quality as I can. The FLAC vs 320k MP3 can be debated all day, but my own preference is 24-bit or 16-bit FLAC files.Regarding the weak mids, some people prefer to introduce a software or hardware EQ to sort this out. Whilst this may be ok, I'd rather not introduce noise into the chain and enjoy the sounds as rendered by the DT770's unaided. Your mileage may vary, of course...So to summarise, you really can't do much wrong by investing in a pair of DT770's if you want to move up to the next level, but don't want to sink £500 or more on a set of headphones. Also, don't be scared off by the 250 Ohm rating. In my experience, I have yet to find a source which struggles to drive them. My ageing Nexus 4 phone will drive them, albeit with a maxed out volume (so I avoid this generally), my cheap USB audio interface (Lexicon Alpha) drives them superbly and even my laptop (HP Elitebook 8560w) will drive them on full volume, but again - I'd rather just use my USB DAC & Amp (Fiio E7).If you're in the market for a fantastic pair of closed back headphones, I'd have a serious look at the BeyerDynamic DT770's. Recommended without hesitation.

Now let me preface this review by mentioning I am not too knowledgable about the specifics of sound. This review is from the perspective of someone who spends a lot of time using headphones however may not know the industry buzzwords.Simply put, these headphones are fantastic. They have been my daily drivers for the past year, meaning 12+ hours of usage daily. The level of comfort is the first thing I feel I should touch on. I have a large head however they fit without trouble, and are exceptionally comfortable. Unlike many headphones I have had in the past, I never feel a need to take them off to "rest" my head - they almost feel like a part of my body at this point.The sound is incredible, granted some equaliser fiddling (can be easily found online) will make the experience so much better. I use these headphones for everything from music, anime, movies, and games. They just deliver everything very richly and clearly. The bass seems especially solid, so if you're a bit of a bass head like me, these headphones will serve you well.The closed-back nature of the headphones also mean they do a good job at keeping the stuff you're listening to in, and outside noises out. They are not noise cancelling of course, but they certainly work great at drowning out any noises that may be around you.All in all, a wonderful set of headphones. I don't foresee them breaking any time soon due to their exceptional build quality, but if they were to eventually die on me, I would likely pick up another pair as a replacement.

Before anything, I am absolutely not an audiophile, I'm just a bit of a music nerd who loves music and taking some extra care to appreciate it perhaps.That being said, I was completely caught up in trying to research what pair of headphones to buy as my first proper music-listening endeavour. I wanted to get something which would be really worthwhile and long-lasting, and would be reliable to allow me to appreciate all genres of music in my saved library, from recent releases with powerful bass and sharp, punchy tinny highs to music spanning every decade from today across the previous century until the early 1960s (if this matches somewhat your musical preferences, name almost any artist and I'll have listened to them on these headphones).Basically, out of everything I found (thank you Dankpods on YouTube for being the first person to mention these headphones in a video haha!) these headphones seemed like the best option, and that they are! They have the most well-rounded sound profile to encompass all the elements of music, from the deepest bass, to the clearest mids (instruments and vocals), to the most sparkly highs (like the ts ts ts sounds of hi hats/symbols), and also excellent soundstage for closed-back headphones (if those words mean nothing to you basically it means stereo sound sounds very encompassing, like you're enveloped by music all around).To put it more simply, I genuinely believe these headphones are the best way to listen to music of all sorts, as they just sound so perfectly balanced, and crisp, and clear, and detailed, and responsive, I could continue but you get the point.Not a caveat, but more of a technical asterisk: I bought the 250 Ohm model, but honestly unless you are confident a higher impedance/resistance model is something you want (for example for studio work or if you already have an amplifier), I honestly would say just get the 80 Ohm model and you'll be sorted. This is because a higher resistance model (in this case, the 250 Ohm model) requires more voltage in order to produce rich sound at the correct volume, hence in most cases requiring a specific amplifier to increase the voltage. So, for example, without an amplifier, I couldn't plug these headphones into a phone, computer* or an MP3/4 player, as it would be too quiet and wouldn't sound good. To avoid this problem, get the 80 Ohm model which will be compatible with basically everything and sounds tip top!*Unless you are like me, by which I mean you have a either a Mac Pro from 2021 onwards, a MacBook Air or a Mac Studio from 2022 onwards, or an iMac, Mac Mini or a Mac Pro from 2023 onwards. If you are considering these headphones to be used with one of the devices above, then feel free to get the 250 Ohm model, as all of the above Mac models and later have automatic load detection and adaptive voltage output, meaning they automatically detect and work perfectly with headphones from between 150 to 1000 Ohms by automatically adjusting the voltage output to offset the higher impedance/resistance – you just plug in and press play! So, no need for an amp in this case! Of course if you also want to use these headphones across devices then I would still recommend the 80 Ohm version.For being such high-end and quality headphones, the price, I think, is honestly quite a pleasant surprise. Considering I have happily splashed out £250 on AirPods Pro before now and these headphones sound more balanced and detailed, it just goes to show how nothing can really replace a wired headphone connection (sorry Bluetooth 💔)Anyway, hopefully this review has helped you to feel more informed about these headphones. I honestly cannot recommend them enough; it's been such an enjoyable experience to sit down quietly on late night musical explorations of both new and familiar artists and music and to quietly realise "omg, I've never heard that before in this song!", "Omg, what a cool use of this that and the other" etc.Happy shopping!