Beyerdynamic DT-1770 Pro Around-Ear Stereo Headphone review

[dalethorn]

Another unique and best-of, with these differences: Very near neutral/flat, but not bright or treble-peaky, and bass solid from top to bottom (really). Plus, the best upper-harmonics reproduction I've heard outside of the Sennheiser HD800. Highly, highly recommended. http://www.hifiheadphones.co.uk/community/threads/beyerdynamic-dt-1770-pro-around-ear-stereo-headphone-review.4311/

 

[dalethorn]

Followup: I got a 1.5m replacement cable (Cardas) made for my DT1770 Pro by Charleston Cable Company, who build custom cables from quality name-brand stock. My requirement wasn't to change the sound, but rather to make it more convenient to carry around. Nevertheless, the sound changed slightly as follows: The midrange gained a little in openness and clarity, the highs above 10 khz became more extended without changing the treble balance, and the bass tightened up without losing strength and impact. I listen to a lot of jazz with upright bass playing, and the tonality and realism of those plucked strings is better than anything I've heard in memory, including this year's sessions with the Audeze LCD2 planar headphone.

 

[expat_mike]

The Beyerdynamic DT-1770 Pro will be on offer again at Amazon tomorrow morning, if anyone is interested.

Reading your review again, am i correct in thinking that I would need XLR outputs on my headphone amplifier?

I have just bought a pair of Sennheiser SE598SE, but i suddenly started wondering about buying a pair of these Beyers, whilst they are on offer - however maybe I would then need to factor in a new headphone amp with XLR outputs....... *stop*

 

[MeanandGreen]

The Beyerdynamic DT-1770 Pro will be on offer again at Amazon tomorrow morning, if anyone is interested.

Reading your review again, am i correct in thinking that I would need XLR outputs on my headphone amplifier?

I have just bought a pair of Sennheiser SE598SE, but i suddenly started wondering about buying a pair of these Beyers, whilst they are on offer - however maybe I would then need to factor in a new headphone amp with XLR outputs....... *stop*

Looking at the pics on Amazon they come with a 6.3mm adapter and you get both coiled and straight cables.

I have to admit I am very interested in these, I like the detachable leads and the proper box to keep them in. Reading the reviews they appear to be the perfect headphone, but I love my DT-770. I'm not sure how much the extra £300 on these would go towards being worthwhile. I get the impression the sonic differences will be subtle as the original DT-770 are so good to begin with.

The 770 is the best pair of headphones I've ever heard or owned and I've only had them 12 months. Every other set of headphones I've owned (3 different models of Senhiesser) sound literally quite terrible side by side with my Beyerdynamics.

As much as I'd love to get hold of a pair of the DT-1770, I don't think I could justify forking out £400 when I already have the DT-770.

 

[dalethorn]

The Beyerdynamic DT-1770 Pro will be on offer again at Amazon tomorrow morning, if anyone is interested.

Reading your review again, am i correct in thinking that I would need XLR outputs on my headphone amplifier?

I have just bought a pair of Sennheiser SE598SE, but i suddenly started wondering about buying a pair of these Beyers, whilst they are on offer - however maybe I would then need to factor in a new headphone amp with XLR outputs....... *stop*

3.5 mm standard plug, with 6.35 mm adapter. The XLR is the detachable connector to the earcup.

 

[dalethorn]

The Beyerdynamic DT-1770 Pro will be on offer again at Amazon tomorrow morning, if anyone is interested.

Reading your review again, am i correct in thinking that I would need XLR outputs on my headphone amplifier?

I have just bought a pair of Sennheiser SE598SE, but i suddenly started wondering about buying a pair of these Beyers, whilst they are on offer - however maybe I would then need to factor in a new headphone amp with XLR outputs....... *stop*

Looking at the pics on Amazon they come with a 6.3mm adapter and you get both coiled and straight cables.

I have to admit I am very interested in these, I like the detachable leads and the proper box to keep them in. Reading the reviews they appear to be the perfect headphone, but I love my DT-770. I'm not sure how much the extra £300 on these would go towards being worthwhile. I get the impression the sonic differences will be subtle as the original DT-770 are so good to begin with.

The 770 is the best pair of headphones I've ever heard or owned and I've only had them 12 months. Every other set of headphones I've owned (3 different models of Senhiesser) sound literally quite terrible side by side with my Beyerdynamics.

As much as I'd love to get hold of a pair of the DT-1770, I don't think I could justify forking out £400 when I already have the DT-770.

The differences aren't subtle. The peak around 9 khz is similar, but slightly less with the 1770. The big difference is in the lower mids, where the 770 (the 32 ohm version I had with pleather earpads) had a large, cavernous sound - the 1770 is essentially neutral, but has a bass that stays strong all the way down. Better than planars I've had.

BTW, my evaluation is with the pleather pads, not the velour.

 

[MeanandGreen]

The Beyerdynamic DT-1770 Pro will be on offer again at Amazon tomorrow morning, if anyone is interested.

Reading your review again, am i correct in thinking that I would need XLR outputs on my headphone amplifier?

I have just bought a pair of Sennheiser SE598SE, but i suddenly started wondering about buying a pair of these Beyers, whilst they are on offer - however maybe I would then need to factor in a new headphone amp with XLR outputs....... *stop*

Looking at the pics on Amazon they come with a 6.3mm adapter and you get both coiled and straight cables.

I have to admit I am very interested in these, I like the detachable leads and the proper box to keep them in. Reading the reviews they appear to be the perfect headphone, but I love my DT-770. I'm not sure how much the extra £300 on these would go towards being worthwhile. I get the impression the sonic differences will be subtle as the original DT-770 are so good to begin with.

The 770 is the best pair of headphones I've ever heard or owned and I've only had them 12 months. Every other set of headphones I've owned (3 different models of Senhiesser) sound literally quite terrible side by side with my Beyerdynamics.

As much as I'd love to get hold of a pair of the DT-1770, I don't think I could justify forking out £400 when I already have the DT-770.

The differences aren't subtle. The peak around 9 khz is similar, but slightly less with the 1770. The big difference is in the lower mids, where the 770 (the 32 ohm version I had with pleather earpads) had a large, cavernous sound - the 1770 is essentially neutral, but has a bass that stays strong all the way down. Better than planars I've had.

BTW, my evaluation is with the pleather pads, not the velour.

I've never heard the 32 ohm version of the 770, so can't really comment on your description of those. I have the 250 ohm version, which to me sound very well balanced. From what I've read the 250 ohm version are said to sound smoother with less of a peak around the 9/10khz region (although it's still there) which you say is also similar on the 1770 ( I happen to like a crisp treble anyway).

I am intrigued they may well sound a touch smoother or more refined, but do they sound better enough to justify spending £400 and making my 770's redundant? That is what I'm wondering...

 

[dalethorn]

I am intrigued they may well sound a touch smoother or more refined, but do they sound better enough to justify spending £400 and making my 770's redundant? That is what I'm wondering...

Probably not, if you're happy with the 770's mids and bass and treble - i.e., the overall balance - because your DT770 is highly detailed, and in my view all you'd gain is a flatter sound.

 

[MeanandGreen]

I am intrigued they may well sound a touch smoother or more refined, but do they sound better enough to justify spending £400 and making my 770's redundant? That is what I'm wondering...

Probably not, if you're happy with the 770's mids and bass and treble - i.e., the overall balance - because your DT770 is highly detailed, and in my view all you'd gain is a flatter sound.

That answers my question thanks.

Another point I was considering is that the DT- 1770's cost also covers the extras they come with such as 2 sets of cables, ear pads, storage case and such like it means that even less of the money is paying purely for a sound improvement.

When I consider that and what you've said I will be better off saving myself the expenditure. I am happy with what I have, I was just being momentarily swayed by the new and improved version.

They do look very nice!

 

[dalethorn]

...Another point I was considering is that the DT- 1770's cost also covers the extras they come with such as 2 sets of cables, ear pads, storage case and such like it means that even less of the money is paying purely for a sound improvement.

The cables are near-zero cost, the carrycase is not nearly as nice as (for example) the AQ Nighthawk case, and the extra earpads negligible. I'd say one extra cable, earpads, case - total value at retail for non-branded replacements is between $50-$55, and cost to Beyer would probably be about 7-8 percent of the package. The bad news is, I wouldn't ever use the case unless I was moving my household, the velour earpads are useless to me, and I ended up using a 3rd-party cable - a big zero on the accessories for me.

EDIT: But since I spent $200 for the Cardas cable, I've invested $800 now for just the headphone, and still I'm satisfied.

 

[sa2013]

How do 1770's compare to B&O H6 in your opinion?

The reason why I'm asking is because I've got H6 and love the sound but they aren't comfortable for me, the pads are too small. Unfortunately I cannot demo 1770 where I live.

Thanks in advance.

 

[keeper of the quays]

Blimey dale..theres a few on this forum who think cables are oil of the snake hokum! Lol...not me..(my interconnects twixt pre amp and power amp cost more than both amps! Sssshhh...im whispering now..those basso profundos may hear and start hectoring!) great review..like the old days on mundo audio! Im will stick with my akg 550..for the time being..only just bought them!

 

[dalethorn]

How do 1770's compare to B&O H6 in your opinion?

The reason why I'm asking is because I've got H6 and love the sound but they aren't comfortable for me, the pads are too small. Unfortunately I cannot demo 1770 where I live.

Thanks in advance.

The 1770 will win on technicalities, i.e. you will hear more detail at each frequency or tonal range, but overall it's a very flat sound in both senses - a smooth non-peaky response, but more-or-less analytical (but dark).

The H6 is less even in response, but will probably be more satisfactory the way that B&O has sculpted the sound. I've had 4 of the H6's, and still have 2 of them, plus the 1770 and others, and the H6 gets more sound out of those small earcups than they should get by all rights.

If you're using the headphone strictly at home, and you'd be willing to use the tone controls to tweak the 1770 sound a little, it could be a winner. But throw in portability, or ability to use the headphone for a variety of things (streaming, movies, CDs and downloads, etc.), and I'd go for the H6.

 

[dalethorn]

Blimey dale..theres a few on this forum who think cables are oil of the snake hokum! Lol...not me..(my interconnects twixt pre amp and power amp cost more than both amps! Sssshhh...im whispering now..those basso profundos may hear and start hectoring!) great review..like the old days on mundo audio! Im will stick with my akg 550..for the time being..only just bought them!

It is an interesting subject, but I think the cable debunkers (and I don't trust debunkers by and large) are misrepresenting the arguments sometimes. There are indeed differences between cables many times, but it isn't always clear which is better, between 2 of anything in a comparison.

I get a newsletter from DrAIX, who debunks cable 'sound', and he says some interesting things at times. In the last letter/email, he uses terms like "nearly always" or "almost never" to hedge his bets, before he concludes that premium cables make no difference at all.

So while I can't state any rules at all, except to buy a quality cable, I will say that there are some nasty possibilities in those exceptions between "nearly always" and "almost never" that can snag and frustrate users who try to go too cheap.

 

[sa2013]

How do 1770's compare to B&O H6 in your opinion?

The reason why I'm asking is because I've got H6 and love the sound but they aren't comfortable for me, the pads are too small. Unfortunately I cannot demo 1770 where I live.

Thanks in advance.

The 1770 will win on technicalities, i.e. you will hear more detail at each frequency or tonal range, but overall it's a very flat sound in both senses - a smooth non-peaky response, but more-or-less analytical (but dark).

The H6 is less even in response, but will probably be more satisfactory the way that B&O has sculpted the sound. I've had 4 of the H6's, and still have 2 of them, plus the 1770 and others, and the H6 gets more sound out of those small earcups than they should get by all rights.

If you're using the headphone strictly at home, and you'd be willing to use the tone controls to tweak the 1770 sound a little, it could be a winner. But throw in portability, or ability to use the headphone for a variety of things (streaming, movies, CDs and downloads, etc.), and I'd go for the H6.

Thank you. This doesn't make my choice any easier. I was tempted to just buy 1770 without demo but don't really want to take the risk. Unfortunatelly I can't wear H6 for more than 20 minutes, my ears start hearting. Wish I could buy bigger ear pads for them.

 

[dalethorn]

How do 1770's compare to B&O H6 in your opinion?

The reason why I'm asking is because I've got H6 and love the sound but they aren't comfortable for me, the pads are too small. Unfortunately I cannot demo 1770 where I live.

Thanks in advance.

The 1770 will win on technicalities, i.e. you will hear more detail at each frequency or tonal range, but overall it's a very flat sound in both senses - a smooth non-peaky response, but more-or-less analytical (but dark).

The H6 is less even in response, but will probably be more satisfactory the way that B&O has sculpted the sound. I've had 4 of the H6's, and still have 2 of them, plus the 1770 and others, and the H6 gets more sound out of those small earcups than they should get by all rights.

If you're using the headphone strictly at home, and you'd be willing to use the tone controls to tweak the 1770 sound a little, it could be a winner. But throw in portability, or ability to use the headphone for a variety of things (streaming, movies, CDs and downloads, etc.), and I'd go for the H6.

Thank you. This doesn't make my choice any easier. I was tempted to just buy 1770 without demo but don't really want to take the risk. Unfortunatelly I can't wear H6 for more than 20 minutes, my ears start hearting. Wish I could buy bigger ear pads for them.

If you could use an open headphone, the AKG K712 is very good (and the Massdrop K7xx is probably about as good), and the earpads are bigger than the DT1770 or H6, for a much greater comfort. The Philips X2 is excellent - better than the 1770, also with large comfy earpads. Of all the other headphones I'm familiar with, the earpads are either too snug around my average-size ears, or they have serious sonic issues.

 

[sa2013]

No, I am after closed back for train / office use. I think I'll try MrSpeakers alpha prime next.

 

[sa2013]

The 1770 will win on technicalities, i.e. you will hear more detail at each frequency or tonal range, but overall it's a very flat sound in both senses - a smooth non-peaky response, but more-or-less analytical (but dark).

The H6 is less even in response, but will probably be more satisfactory the way that B&O has sculpted the sound. I've had 4 of the H6's, and still have 2 of them, plus the 1770 and others, and the H6 gets more sound out of those small earcups than they should get by all rights.

If you're using the headphone strictly at home, and you'd be willing to use the tone controls to tweak the 1770 sound a little, it could be a winner. But throw in portability, or ability to use the headphone for a variety of things (streaming, movies, CDs and downloads, etc.), and I'd go for the H6.

Hi Dale,

Would be curious to hear your opinion on 1770 mids compared to H6. I saw some reports claiming 1770 has slightly recessed mids. Do you share this opinion? Midrange is one of the things I love about H6.

Also, how do you think AKG K545 compare to these two (I have no way of audition AKG's either).

Thank you.

 

[dalethorn]

The 1770 will win on technicalities, i.e. you will hear more detail at each frequency or tonal range, but overall it's a very flat sound in both senses - a smooth non-peaky response, but more-or-less analytical (but dark).

The H6 is less even in response, but will probably be more satisfactory the way that B&O has sculpted the sound. I've had 4 of the H6's, and still have 2 of them, plus the 1770 and others, and the H6 gets more sound out of those small earcups than they should get by all rights.

If you're using the headphone strictly at home, and you'd be willing to use the tone controls to tweak the 1770 sound a little, it could be a winner. But throw in portability, or ability to use the headphone for a variety of things (streaming, movies, CDs and downloads, etc.), and I'd go for the H6.

Hi Dale,

Would be curious to hear your opinion on 1770 mids compared to H6. I saw some reports claiming 1770 has slightly recessed mids. Do you share this opinion? Midrange is one of the things I love about H6.

Also, how do you think AKG K545 compare to these two (I have no way of audition AKG's either).

Thank you.

Yes, the 1770 mids are recessed compared to the H6. But I don't know about that AKG. The best AKG I have heard is the K553, which may actually be better than the other 2. I have graphs of the EQ I did on all 3 on my website under photos and audioforge.

 

[sa2013]

The 1770 will win on technicalities, i.e. you will hear more detail at each frequency or tonal range, but overall it's a very flat sound in both senses - a smooth non-peaky response, but more-or-less analytical (but dark).

The H6 is less even in response, but will probably be more satisfactory the way that B&O has sculpted the sound. I've had 4 of the H6's, and still have 2 of them, plus the 1770 and others, and the H6 gets more sound out of those small earcups than they should get by all rights.

If you're using the headphone strictly at home, and you'd be willing to use the tone controls to tweak the 1770 sound a little, it could be a winner. But throw in portability, or ability to use the headphone for a variety of things (streaming, movies, CDs and downloads, etc.), and I'd go for the H6.

Hi Dale,

Would be curious to hear your opinion on 1770 mids compared to H6. I saw some reports claiming 1770 has slightly recessed mids. Do you share this opinion? Midrange is one of the things I love about H6.

Also, how do you think AKG K545 compare to these two (I have no way of audition AKG's either).

Thank you.

Yes, the 1770 mids are recessed compared to the H6. But I don't know about that AKG. The best AKG I have heard is the K553, which may actually be better than the other 2. I have graphs of the EQ I did on all 3 on my website under photos and audioforge.

Do you think it could be addressed with eq?

 

[dalethorn]

The 1770 will win on technicalities, i.e. you will hear more detail at each frequency or tonal range, but overall it's a very flat sound in both senses - a smooth non-peaky response, but more-or-less analytical (but dark).

The H6 is less even in response, but will probably be more satisfactory the way that B&O has sculpted the sound. I've had 4 of the H6's, and still have 2 of them, plus the 1770 and others, and the H6 gets more sound out of those small earcups than they should get by all rights.

If you're using the headphone strictly at home, and you'd be willing to use the tone controls to tweak the 1770 sound a little, it could be a winner. But throw in portability, or ability to use the headphone for a variety of things (streaming, movies, CDs and downloads, etc.), and I'd go for the H6.

Hi Dale,

Would be curious to hear your opinion on 1770 mids compared to H6. I saw some reports claiming 1770 has slightly recessed mids. Do you share this opinion? Midrange is one of the things I love about H6.

Also, how do you think AKG K545 compare to these two (I have no way of audition AKG's either).

Thank you.

Yes, the 1770 mids are recessed compared to the H6. But I don't know about that AKG. The best AKG I have heard is the K553, which may actually be better than the other 2. I have graphs of the EQ I did on all 3 on my website under photos and audioforge.

Do you think it could be addressed with eq?

Here's what I did for the H6:

http://dalethorn.com/Photos/Audioforge/B_O_H6.jpg

And here's what I did with the 1770:

http://dalethorn.com/Photos/Audioforge/Beyer_Dt1770.jpg

You can see that both have treble colorations, but the 1770 is a little smoother, with the typical 9 khz (approx.) emphasis and recess around 4.5 khz, and also a smaller recess in the mids. But I still haven't gotten a satisfactory EQ done for the 1770, since it's pretty dark for a Beyer.

 

[keeper of the quays]

Hi dale, thanks for the information regarding cables..as always insightful and considered..i was hoping for some advice re a headphone for my wind up 78 player! As you can imagine there is a bit of surface noise..a scratchy noise isolation headphone would be ideal? Hope you can help dale..thanks.

 

[sa2013]

Here's what I did for the H6:

http://dalethorn.com/Photos/Audioforge/B_O_H6.jpg

And here's what I did with the 1770:

http://dalethorn.com/Photos/Audioforge/Beyer_Dt1770.jpg

You can see that both have treble colorations, but the 1770 is a little smoother, with the typical 9 khz (approx.) emphasis and recess around 4.5 khz, and also a smaller recess in the mids. But I still haven't gotten a satisfactory EQ done for the 1770, since it's pretty dark for a Beyer.

Managed to have a listen to 1770 and didn't like them. They are more detailed than H6 (which I liked) but couldn't stend recessed mids, the bass was too much and it sounded bloated. The bass issue could be due to my DP-X1 not having enough juice to power these but I'm in the market for portable cans.

Do you think AKG K553 sound signature would be closer to H6?

Thank you.

 

[dalethorn]

Here's what I did for the H6:

http://dalethorn.com/Photos/Audioforge/B_O_H6.jpg

And here's what I did with the 1770:

http://dalethorn.com/Photos/Audioforge/Beyer_Dt1770.jpg

You can see that both have treble colorations, but the 1770 is a little smoother, with the typical 9 khz (approx.) emphasis and recess around 4.5 khz, and also a smaller recess in the mids. But I still haven't gotten a satisfactory EQ done for the 1770, since it's pretty dark for a Beyer.

Managed to have a listen to 1770 and didn't like them. They are more detailed than H6 (which I liked) but couldn't stend recessed mids, the bass was too much and it sounded bloated. The bass issue could be due to my DP-X1 not having enough juice to power these but I'm in the market for portable cans.

Do you think AKG K553 sound signature would be closer to H6?

Thank you.

I'd rate the K553 way better than the H6 - it's on a par with the K712.

 

[dalethorn]

Hi dale, thanks for the information regarding cables..as always insightful and considered..i was hoping for some advice re a headphone for my wind up 78 player! As you can imagine there is a bit of surface noise..a scratchy noise isolation headphone would be ideal? Hope you can help dale..thanks.

The best way I've found to listen to the original Caruso etc. 78's is to record them to a microcassette, then play them back on one of the office transcriber micro cassette machines.