beyerdynamic DT-880 Pro Black Edition

I don’t use headphones much for mixing any more, but as a necessary studio accessory I had to get a replacement for my ATH-M50s, which broke at the swivel/fold joint.

Straightaway these were obviously more durable, heavier - and effectively not quite as comfortable as the audio technicas. They get hotter over time around the ears and are more of a clamp. But nothing too serious, and the headband is less irritating over time.

I’d split hairs over the ohms and thought I’d hit the right load but these do not work well with my interface (a Steinberg/Yamaha model): the volume has to be more or less full for a strong signal. My MPC X drives them easily so I’d suggest pairing with a good headphone amp.

Most important: sound. Subjectively these seem heavier sonically as well as physically than the M50s, my previous reference. Slightly soft low ended, possibly over-represented; and slightly dull high-end.

They are absolutely useable for my needs and they are wearable for long periods. I feel their reputation is an bit overstated but, as I said at the start, I’m not a heavy user. The carrying case supplied is as durable as the cans and has been useful for travel. There are no doubt better headphones out there… but these will do!

Previously been using the Superlux HD 681B headphones for mixing and general listening to music via an Audient ID4 interface and upgraded to these expecting a huge improvement. I gave them several overnight sessions on 'pink noise' via You Tube to burn them in before properly evaluating them. Yes, they sound pretty good and are obviously a bit quieter due to the higher impedance vs the Superlux (2x32 ohms) but I found them a little muddy if I'm honest, even listening to albums known for being well mixed/mastered. They are helpful for setting levels I would say but maybe they would sound better with an interface with a more powerful headphone amp. I haven't tried with a separate headphone amp yet as it seems the ID4 should be enough but I might upgrade the interface at some point to see if it sounds any different. I'd recommend pairing them with Tonebuster's Morphit to get the most neutral sound if you are using them for mixing or just like to listen to music with a more neutral sound balance.

For anyone out there mixing and recording in less than ideal mixing/recording circumstances: if you need to get a reliable audio-image of your recordings for mixing your tracks, this headphone is fantastic. The sound is sublime and made me hear things I never even imagined were present in my music: the bass tends to be a bit low to my opinion because I was used to other (worse) headphones, but I think this headphone's bass is a correct rendering of the bass frequencies though, I just need to get used to this better headphone. A slight comment on comfort is that it is kind of tight around the head after working for some hours, but this is only a minor problem: the sound quality of this headphone is unbelievable and I will never use another anymore: highly recommended!