NHPD New Head Phones

[KevWind]

Just received delivery of a Pair of Beyerdynamic Pro DT 770, 250 ohm for my new studio tracking HP's and while I still have two pair of Senn HD 280 that served for close to 20 years . I have to say comparatively the sound of the 770 is pretty impressive

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by KevWind

Just received delivery of a Pair of Beyerdynamic Pro DT 770, 250 ohm for my new studio tracking HP's and while I still have two pair of Senn HD 280 that served for close to 20 years . I have to say comparatively the sound of the 770 is pretty impressive

The 770s have a well-deserved reputation. It can certainly be argued that high quality headphones are not absolutely necessary for tracking, and for the person who is budget conscious it's a place where a few bucks can be saved, but there's also something to be said for the inspiration one can get from hearing quality sound in your ears when tracking and the 770s deliver on that front.

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by KevWind

Just received delivery of a Pair of Beyerdynamic Pro DT 770, 250 ohm for my new studio tracking HP's and while I still have two pair of Senn HD 280 that served for close to 20 years . I have to say comparatively the sound of the 770 is pretty impressive

My DT 770 Pros are my desert island phones. I know there are "better" phones out there, but they really hit the sweet spot between being affordable and still getting a headphone that doesn't create listener fatigue due to either heavily flavored tonal response or physical comfort.

The only bad thing for me was my small collection of slightly lower priced phones that are now storage bin fillers.

I would have saved myself a bunch of money if someone would have taken me aside and told my how good they sounded and how well they were constructed. I've had mine for years and have replaced the velour pads only once.

I suppose there might be places where various phones can be auditioned, but no place to do that when I purchased mine.

Anyone wanting a close up view and description of these or the other Beyerdynamic phones can get a good idea of them from watching Beyerdynamic's Video HERE.

Often the confusing aspect of selecting exactly which impedance selection is best for any particular application comes up. Beyerdynamic has a very good video answering that question HERE.

It's worth spending a few minutes watching this video if you've ever had a question about headphone impedance.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by jim1960

The 770s have a well-deserved reputation. It can certainly be argued that high quality headphones are not absolutely necessary for tracking, and for the person who is budget conscious it's a place where a few bucks can be saved, but there's also something to be said for the inspiration one can get from hearing quality sound in your ears when tracking and the 770s deliver on that front.

Yes I agree top tier price HP are not "necessary" for tracking ..I tracked for years with the Senn HD280 which were fairly low priced and currently are about 2/3 the price ($99) of the Beyers But then again $159 for the Beyers is not really high price either .
I did a fair amount of research before buying and felt after reading and looking at a number of reviews that the Beyers represented a really good value in price/performance

So first impression is the Senn 280's are more midrange focused which for tracking is OK if not ideal (and now seem a bit hyped in the mid's comparatively ) the 280's also do not have the dynamic range of the Beyers low to high or the overall balance.

On the other hand the Beyers are just ever so slightly more pronounced in the mids and highs compared to my $300 Senn HD 600 open back mixing HP's ,,,,, but honestly surprisingly close in overall well balanced sound ,,, much closer to the 600's than the 280's
So close in fact the for anyone looking for a reasonably priced one pair to both track and mix I would be very confident recommending the DT 770

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Rudy4

My DT 770 Pros are my desert island phones. I know there are "better" phones out there, but they really hit the sweet spot between being affordable and still getting a headphone that doesn't create listener fatigue due to either heavily flavored tonal response or physical comfort.

The only bad thing for me was my small collection of slightly lower priced phones that are now storage bin fillers.

I would have saved myself a bunch of money if someone would have taken me aside and told my how good they sounded and how well they were constructed. I've had mine for years and have replaced the velour pads only once.

I suppose there might be places where various phones can be auditioned, but no place to do that when I purchased mine.

Anyone wanting a close up view and description of these or the other Beyerdynamic phones can get a good idea of them from watching Beyerdynamic's Video HERE.

Often the confusing aspect of selecting exactly which impedance selection is best for any particular application comes up. Beyerdynamic has a very good video answering that question HERE.

It's worth spending a few minutes watching this video if you've ever had a question about headphone impedance.

Thanks for the video's I will check them out
In my research I did look into impedance and since I primarily will use the 770's plugged into my Carbon interface (with pretty good HP section ) I went with the 250 ohm

[Chipotle]

I've been looking for a replacement for my HD280s because I detest the coiled cord. The DT770 Pros still have one, but the DT770 M has a straight cord (with inline volume control).

Anyone know how the Ms compare to the Pro? Or have another sub-$200 suggestion for tracking headphones that have a straight cable?

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Chipotle

I've been looking for a replacement for my HD280s because I detest the coiled cord. The DT770 Pros still have one, but the DT770 M has a straight cord (with inline volume control).

Anyone know how the Ms compare to the Pro? Or have another sub-$200 suggestion for tracking headphones that have a straight cable?

I looked at the cable situation also... As my Senn 600 have a straight detachable cable But in the long run I decided for me it was 6 of one ,, 1/2 a dozen of the other.. There are logistical pro's and con's to both.

At my mixing desk with the 600's plugged into my interface just to my right, I am constantly getting the straight cable (which droops to the floor) under the rollers of my chair.. I and have to stop and check before getting up because I have pulled the 600's askew before. That does not happen with fairly short coiled cable on the 770 or the 280s

For the biggest con for coiled is that at my recording position (about 6 ft back from my interface) there is too much pull on the coiled cabe and I have to connect an HP extension cable (round woven straight type ) to relieve that pull

[Chipotle]

Originally Posted by KevWind

For the biggest con for coiled is that at my recording position (about 6 ft back from my interface) there is too much pull on the coiled cabe and I have to connect an HP extension cable (round woven straight type ) to relieve that pull

This is the issue. I already have a straight extension, but the coil hangs in the air and the weight pulls the headphones down on one side, or the coil gets in the way of the guitar. I can get around it by fastening some of the coil to the chair I'm on or something else nearby, but that's sub-optimal. Coiled is fine for your regular listening headphones close at hand, but I find it awful for tracking when you're a distance away. I'm looking for closed tracking headphone recommendations with a straight cable.

[AcousticDreams]

I have the Senn HD Pro 380's. Would you say that these Beyer Pro DT 770 are still a cut above?

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Knives&Guitars

I have the Senn HD Pro 380's. Would you say that these Beyer Pro DT 770 are still a cut above?

280s I would say yes.... But I'm not familiar with 380s so I cant say with any accuracy .

[Chipotle]

Originally Posted by Chipotle

the coiled cord. The DT770 Pros still have one

FWIW, further research shows I'm not quite right. Only the 250 Ohm version has a coiled cord. The lower impedance versions all have straight cords. I might order a pair of the 80 ohm.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Chipotle

FWIW, further research shows I'm not quite right. Only the 250 Ohm version has a coiled cord. The lower impedance versions all have straight cords. I might order a pair of the 80 ohm.

That is interesting I wonder why that is ? In any case I think you will be pleased if you do.

[Rudy4]

A lot of the reviews of the straight cord versions are from users that find the short straight cord infuriating to use.

If I'm using my coiled cord version to track with I throw the cord over my back and use a straight extension from the interface or recorder. The entire coiled cord weighs very little and I hardly notice mine. The coiled cord isn't anything like the coiled guitar cord that most might think of. I DO dislike those!

There's pluses and minuses to both cord types; you can't please everybody.

[FrankHudson]

I rather dislike coiled cords on headphones, though I have some because they are so common. Besides the weight dragging on the phones (minor, but sometimes annoying) the thing that really gets me is that any other cord you're using will get caught in the coils like a plant on a trellis. I'm constantly taking off phones, hanging them on hook with other things on my mind and eventually there I am again trying to untangle something from the headphone cord coil.

Maybe I need to work in larger spaces or spend less time thinking of other things while working and more about keeping cord paths discrete.

On my set of HD-280 tracking phones in the studio I put a tight sleeve over most all of the coils which adds weight (minus) but reduces capturing other chords (plus).

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by FrankHudson

I rather dislike coiled cords on headphones...

I'm with you on that. The first studio headphones I ever bought were the 7506 from Sony and they came with a coiled cord. The weight of the cord was manageable but as soon as I added a second set of headphones I knew I'd never buy another set with a coiled cord again. I retired to Sony's to my PC. Now all my studio headphones have straight cords and no more tangles.