Recording - August 2018 - 47

with a very low impedance, more in line
with what you'd expect from the speakers
in a guitar cabinet. It's common for
modern earbuds to have impedances
of 16 ohms or less.
So which impedance should you
choose? Some people prefer higher impedances, for use with the high-powered
amplifiers common in control rooms and
upper-level project studios. Others argue
that the lowest possible impedance is
best, so the same headphone can be
used pretty much anywhere and not suffer from anemic output when hooked up
to a low-power amp. A third approach is
to ask if there's a middle ground where a
headphone will work with any amplifier,
or at least work reasonably well.
beyerdynamic is one of a few
companies that make a point of offering
the same headphone in multiple impedance choices. With the addition of this
newest model, the DT 770 PRO is now
available in your choice of 250 (the
original), 32, or 80 ohm (STUDIO)
impedances. beyerdynamic characterizes
the 250 ohm model as being best for
studio and home hi-fi use but much less
suitable for mobile applications, and
the 32 ohm as being best for mobile
use, still good for home hi-fi, and less
suitable for pro studios. The 80 ohm
model purports to give solid performance
all around, working best in the studio
but still very solidly at home and on
the go.
Like its siblings, this headphone is a
closed-back dynamic design. It's lightweight, and its huge round earcups
and fur-lined foam earpads envelop the
ears and seal tightly but comfortably
for effective isolation (about 18 dBA
reduction, no frequency given in the
specs) and a roomy, luxurious fit. The
3-meter straight cable (a change from
older versions' straight/coiled design)
is permanently attached to the left earcup and ends in a gold-plated minijack
with screw-on 1 / 4 " adaptor. The
adjustable headband is heavily padded
and very soft, allowing for hours of use
without fatigue. There's a reason this
headphone has been a studio classic
for so long.

A happy medium
I took the DT 770 STUDIO out for
a spin for a few weeks, and I made a
point of working with them under lots
of different conditions: deep dives into
mixes and edits in my studio, tracking
on the road, and listening to my
reference library on everything from
my trusty Schiit Audio Magni 3 amplifier
to the built-in headphone jacks on my
iPads and iPhone.
Punchline first: the DT 770 STUDIO
delivered highly consistent results
r e gardless of the amplifier it
was connected to. After adjusting for
matched SPL, the only audible differences
were due to amp design rather than the
cans: a Schiit Magni powered from the
wall will get way louder before distorting
than an iPhone's minijack.
What can you expect from the DT 770
STUDIO in use? The overall soundstage
is huge, with very clear stereo imaging.
It won't get as punishingly loud as some
other headphones, but I don't consider
that a bad thing; if you need to listen at
levels that are louder than what it can
provide, you're damaging your ears.
The low end in these headphones
pretty much defines what it means to
have clear, detailed, tight bass rather
than one-note resonant woof. It's
extended (reportedly down to 5 Hz)
and beautiful while being honest to the
material. Mids are presented in vivid
clarity, perhaps not as forward as some
rockers might like, and the highs are
present, clean, and sit perfectly in that
wonderful place between 'forceful' and
'understated'. I'd frankly forgotten what
a treat these phones can be!
If you're not familiar with the other DT
770 PRO models, the 80 ohm version
would be a great start to a long and
happy studio relationship. If you're a
user of the 250 ohm version and wish
you could take it along with you on the
road, but you're not sure about going
all the way down to 32 ohms, hurry up
and give these a listen!
PRICE:

$199.99

beyerdynamic,
www.beyerdynamic.com
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