beyerdynamic DT-880 Pro Black Edition

I bought these to replace my Superlux HD-330's that I had for almost 5 years before they broke down on me. At first I was a bit hesitant to buy these after a couple of reviews pointed out that the Black Edition has a different sound to the regular silver DT-880 Pro. I still decided to go ahead as the regular DT-880's were not in stock at the time when I was looking for new headphones. The fears of this being inferior to the regular DT-880's were quickly washed away.

The lows are definitely not dominant. I would describe the bass as tight and contained, so if you're looking for a loose low-end that dominantly fills the cup with every beat this headphone might not be for you. However, I find the lows to have almost perfect balance, leaving room for higher frequencies. The definition is good and won't be muffled by higher frequencies either.

The mids are quite bland. I can't say a lot about them, they just are. They definitely aren't bad, but not exceptionally great either. I could do with more clarity and crispness, however for this price I can't really complain. If something is a weakness in the sound stage, it is the mids.

I personally find these headphones to be more balanced towards the high end. Treble definition is very crisp and tends to push through the mids a bit, but I do not find this to be a major problem. This headphone definitely comes to life with higher frequencies. I would say this has the best high ends I've heard in any headphone I've tried out, but that just comes down to a matter of taste.

I would recommend to have an amplifier to accompany this pair of Beyerdynamics to get the most out of them.

Then to the comfort. I have a big head, but still I find these headphones to be very comfortable, even though the Pro version has a higher clamping force than the regular DT-880's. I can use these for hours straight even with glasses, so the clamping force is not a problem for me. A small downside is that I would wish the headphone could be adjusted just 0.5-1cm lower. The edge of the cushion barely rests on the lower part of my ear which does not bother me, but something I noticed did not happen with the previous pair of my headphones. It's not uncomfortable but a bit annoying, so I will have to deduct a star from comfort.

The looks. I've personally always liked how Beyerdynamics look. These are no exception, I prefer the black version over the regular silver one. It does not scream the brand name, so that's a big plus. Headphones are for listening, not for showing off.

All in all, this headphone is great for its price. I want to claim that you'll struggle to find as good a pair as this for this price. It's a great all-rounder: for music, for gaming, for entertainment...

I wholeheartedly recommend these headphones.

I absolutely love these since switching from a typical gaming headset worth around 100~eu.

The build quality is sturdy, german quality, so it is definitely built to last you a lifetime - although some parts are still plastic, the base of the headphone is metal. Surprisingly, these are very light headphones as well.

Of course, the PRO version does come with a curled cable and has a bit of a higher clamp force on your head, so you should keep this in mind too.

Regarding the sound... these headphones definitely have their own fingerprint, and you can hear this very well if you use software like Sonarworks reference. It is by no means a bad sound, but keep this in mind, as you can even clearly see the tone of the headphones via their frequency spectrum. It has a bit of a bass cut and there are a few spikes in the mid-high region.

Other than that, this is to be expected at such a price range and you will definitely be able to differentiate many new sound details in songs and mixes when using these, compared to non-studio type headphones. I was surprised at how much I started to notice.

All in all, these will be a great and relatively cheap upgrade if you are using non-studio or non professional audio headphones. I use these for pretty much everything - gaming, watching movies, mixing, playing guitar, simply listening to music - it does it all much better than your typical gaming headphones which, to be fair, cost around the same as these.

And all this runs on my scarlett 2i4. If anyone is wondering if you need a pre-amp when running an interface - that is definitely not a must. You would need to crank the volume a bit higher, and in the long run I may just opt to try for it if that would give me more headroom in the volume control, but I can say with confidence it is not a must to enjoy these headphones.

I recommend them if you are looking for a cheap pro-audio headphone with great clarity and awesome soundstage. Cheers!

​Hallo zusammen,

Anbei mein Feedback zum DT880 Pro Black Edition.
Da ich ebenfalls die DT770 Pro besitze habe ich diese Referenz genommen.

Vorweg: Ich betreibe beide Kopfhoerer mit einem USB-Audiointerface (Yamaha Steinberg UR-12) , da beide Versionen 250 ohms sind.

Achtung zum Thema von Ohms:

Höhere "Ohm-Werte" (der Fachbegriff ist "Impedanz") bedeuten im Allgemeinen keine Audioqualität. Nur in Kombination mit anderen Faktoren ist es relevant:

Dünnere Drähte der Schwingspule haben einen höheren Widerstand (= höhere Impedanz), was zu einer geringeren Masse der Membran und damit möglicherweise zu einer höheren Empfindlichkeit des Treibers führt ("Lauter pro elektrischer Leistung").

Ein höherer Dämpfungsfaktor (höhere Differenz zwischen der niedrigen Ausgangsimpedanz des Verstärkers und der hohen Lastimpedanz des Kopfhörers) führt zu einem kontrollierten Klang.

Außerdem ändert sich der Klang bei verschiedenen Verstärkern nicht so stark, da der relative Unterschied bei kleineren Verstärkern liegt haben eine Obergrenze dafür, wie hoch eine Spannung sein kann, die sie emittieren können.

Denk daran: Leistung = Spannung x Strom. Ein hochohmiger Kopfhörer begrenzt den Stromfluss durch seine Impedanz und "verlangt", dass die gesamte elektrische Leistung in Form einer Spannung vorliegt.

Ein Kopfhörer mit niedriger Impedanz lässt mehr Strom fließen, wodurch die für einen bestimmten Leistungspegel erforderlichen Spannungspegel reduziert werden.
Dies ist im Allgemeinen für den Verstärker einfacher.

Die Impedanz (Ohm) muss mit dem Audio-Interface übereinstimmen, das sie antreibt, damit sie gut ist. Erst dann wird es relevant.

Ohm sagt also aus, wieviel Volt, die für 1 Ampere Strom erforderlich sind benoetigt werden.

Nun zum Review:

DT 770 Pro
Ohms: 250, 80, 32

​Das DT 770 Pro ist von der Form her, closed-back, bedeutet das Geraeusche von Außen so gut wie nicht zu hoeren sind. Die Ohrmuscheln lassen einfach wenig Luft durch. Das ist fuer den Sound ganz gut, allerdings werden die Ohren schnell warm.

Soundtechnisch hat der 770 Pro klare Hoehen und Tiefen und besonders bei Instrumenten oder Musik mit hohem Codec (FLAC mit entsprechender Bitrate) nimmt man dessen klaren Sound gut war. Der Bass bei den DT 770 ist nicht so intensiv wie z.B. bei den DT 880 Pro.

Die Verarbeitung des Kopfhoerers ist gut, lediglich beim Kabel gibt es Abzeuge. Zum einen ist es nicht wechselbar, da es fest verbaut ist. Zum anderen laiert die Halterung an der Ohrmuschel gern etwas aus wenn das Kabel mal etwas Spannung hat.

Tragekomfort ist an sich top, man kann Stunden den Kopfhoerer aufhaben ohne Schmerzen. Lediglich die Thematik das die Kopfhoerer Closed-Back sind und man damit sehr schnell warme Ohren bekommt nervt im Sommer.

Pro:
- Sound
- Verarbeitung (bis auf das Kabel)
- Tragekomfort
- Noice Cancelling

Cons:
- Kabel nicht wechselbar
- Kabel laiert schnell aus. ​​​​
- Bass nicht so stark
- Ohren werden schnell warm.


DT 880 Pro Black Edition
Ohms: 250

Das DT 880 Pro Black Edition ist von der Form her, semi-open (Halb-Offen). Daher laesst es mehr Geraeusche von Außen zu. Es ist daher nicht zu empfehlen wenn du Noise-Cancelling suchst. Die Ohren werden nur marginal warm, das kuehlt aber gut ab, eben weil die Ohrmuscheln luft durchlassen.

Soundtechnisch ist der DT 880 Pro Black Edition vergleichbar mit dem DT 770 Pro, allerdings ist er beim Bass besser aufgestellt und in der Verteilung der Hoehen und Tiefen meiner Meinung nach besser.

Die Verarbeitung des Kopfhoerers ist sehr gut. Das komplette schwarze Design kommt auch gut zur Geltung. Auch das Kabel schein mir besser verarbeitet zu sein und laiert nicht so stark aus. Jedoch auch wie beim DT 770 Pro nicht wechselbar.

Tragekomfort ist hier auch top, da ich die Kopfhoerer nur im Studio oder Zuhause nutze sind die DT 880 Pro Black Edition tatsaechlich die besseren, da sie nicht so warm werden und man kann sie auch stundelang aufhaben.



Pro:
- Sound
- Verarbeitung
- Tragekomfort
- Black Design

Cons:
- Kabel nicht wechselbar
- Noice Cancelling (stoert mich persoenlich weniger)​​

Fazit: Persoenlich sagt mir der DT880 Pro Black Edition mehr zu, Audio als auch Tragemaeßig. Falls die Moeglichkeit besteht hoert beide einmal bei Thomann vor-Ort Probe.

I've tried some Audio Technica and Sennheiser headphones and I'm happiest now with these headphones.
They are extremely comfortable, which is a must for every producer/engineer who needs long hours mixing/monitoring.
The sound is really clean and spaced, so they might not be best for bass-heavy signature lovers. But they do sound quite similar to the Sennheiser HD600s. They do have some overemphasized treble frequencies that may need some time to adjust to but then they just provide a really reliable sound.
The build quality is pretty good, the design is really slick and they really win over competitors when it comes to comfort.
They are semi-open, so you can monitor recordings of artists in the same room without sound leakage into their mic, and you can hear when someone talks to you while using them, so you're not fully isolated.
They work great with any genre, to check mixes, to listen to music with a very high level of detail and to replace monitors with their relatively open design. Great value for money.

At first I thought I'll be getting what I have paid for (which was already demanding a certain quality).
However, I was pleasantly surprised by the sound quality in comparison to the price and this set can really give other, more expensive sets the run for their money.
In my mind there is no other set which can compete with this one at this price range. The lows are exactly what I was looking for.
Not boomy, not angry - tight and superbly controlled, and the highs have surprised me with the fact that even with extremes you don't experience harshness.
Overall, this product is what I use the most now even when producing once I got used to them which was very quickly. And I have a few sets which are way more expensive.
One note is they can be a bit more tightly gripping than other units, but I got used to that. Getting these is a no brainer. For all my agonising research before I bought these, knowing what I know today - I would get them without thinking twice.

I have been actively using it for two years now and this is what I can say:
- very strong, well-assembled, nothing loose or creaks so far. The materials are high quality and pleasant to the touch.
- the cable is long enough, the adapter is screw-on, which eliminates many problems for me personally
- a little heavy, quite massive, you won’t wear them on the street, but nevertheless, I can sit in them for many hours before I feel tired. All because of the semi-open design and large ear pads that do not put direct pressure on the ears at all.
- designed more for studio work (editing, mixing), listening to music. I have a 250 Ohm version and this needs to be taken into account - you need appropriate amplification. Not suitable for recording since they are not closed, but can I decide for you?)))
- Well, and the sound, of course. They sound a hundred dollars more expensive than they cost. Believe me, I have something to compare with. You will discover many new details in music that you have already listened to many times. They have a fairly neutral, rather analytical sound for my taste, but do not give the impression of being dry and lifeless. The detail is also excellent. As I said, they feel good in the studio, where they work to this day.
Overall an excellent choice for your money. Durable, reliable, comfortable for everyday use. They sound cool. I recommend.

I will not write so long, just my short experience with the DT880 Pro Black Edition.

For the 170 Euro paid, this headset is really very bad, I could not say the same about them if I pay 50 Euros, but for 169 Euros, this is a waste of time and money.

First. Tragekomfort. Really terrible. It is a hard headset, no flexibility built to feel good with it. It presses hard to your head, it does not disturb the ear but the head as a whole. The cable is really terrible. It is fixed with the headset, you can not change it in case it breaks. It is a telephone type of cable, very disturbing if you have hair in your body, it pulls it and it pulls the sound interface if you use it from 2 meters away from the audio interface. The metal that holds the caps or cans are like a knife, too thin made which makes it feel like you are holding a knife by the edges! Well, nothing is positive from my perspective about the confort of these cans. JUST TERRIBLE BAD MADE!

Sound: Come on guys! This is a joke! Many people after paying so much feel forced to write a possitive review about a product that does not worth it! This is one of the worst hedsets I have ever heard. I must say that I am into music production for more than 40 years and I have had many cans in my long experience. These cans are simply a JOKE. They sound muddy, they color the sound, they are dark sounding, very colored sound, very confusing sound image, there is nothing that I can say nice about this can!

If I start listening my mixes with the DT880 Pro and then I chance to my Presonus HD7, I really wish to stop working for the day. It is like day and night. The presonus HD7 for only 39 Euros sounds a lot better and a lot linear than a 170 Euro Headset. How is that possible? How come does this happens?

IMPORTANT. I own an old Fostex 7-h which are not any more found where ever you look. How come this old set of can are much clearer and more defined one with much more clarity?.

But, I was chocked for having compared with my Presonus HD7, these cans for only 39 Euro beats easily this DT880. More clarity and really very linear. It is not possible that I pay a lot of money to get something sounding worse than my Presonus HD7, that must not be able to happen, but, it happened to me. I learned a great lesson this time, dont go with the idea that what costs more is better, you can make the same mistake as myself.

I am sending back these cans to Thomann and will be considering to get the AT40X or the Fostex RP50 Mark3. Maybe the AKG 712Pro .

I am done with Beyerdynamic. WHAT A WASTE !!!!!