If you can afford Signature Dj's, its my opinion that these are the absolute best "basshead" can out there. Nothing is muddled, nothing creaks or cracks, they are made of the finest materials, come in a leather hardcase, have detatchable cable, everything. THe sound is not "enigmatic" or anything people claim about certain cans, but i tried it against those certain cans (and every other can i could think of at the time) and to my ears it kept winning and swinging. Isolation and leakage were as good if not better than the 167 which i consider to have the among the best isolation on the market now.
2nd option, the DT770LE 32ohm. I tried this agains the entire closed (and some open) Beyer range, and against the Sigs's (only can that came remotely close), senn range, 167, grados, the lot.
THey stood out big time, and are not much like the other DT770. The sound signature was similar, but no boomy bass- just as big, bigger than the 167, but tighter still, neater, more seperate than any of them. The mids are there, warm and present, and articulate. The highs- heres where i put my amp up one notch on treble BUT for the dt770pro 250 ohm i had this boost up all the way (4-5 notches), and for the pro900 i had it minus 4!!! I believe all the EQ stuff also has to do with your source and its settings more than the amp too, as when i bought them home and ran them off the macpro through the same amp i had to reduce the treble to 0 and has equal treble to my 167, only clearer and more "3d" if that makes sense. Paning with these things is scary good, best ive heard period. As corny as it sounds they honestly give you goosebumps (this coming from a 31 year old man). They are a definite upgrade to the 167.
THe bad:
They, like all beyers in this range have a metal headband (with a nice cushy cover with snap buttons so you can easily remove/replace/add foam), and it can make a creak 2/10 times when stretching them out to go on your head. Now this could just be cause mine are 3 days old? in any case theres no such noises once they clamp, and it wouldnt bother 99% of people. I just mention it based on your comment above.
The cord is not curly or detachable. THese are meant to be "retro" reproductions. But im getting my cord changed which by the sounds of your post above you dont mind doing either. TO me a cord is no big deal compared to a good sound, comfort.
They dont fold up into the band and flatten like 167. THey stay on your head or neck or in a case/bag. Again no big deal to me once considering the sound.
Back to good:
Isolation is very good, the "softskin" pads contribute to this. Another great feature of these cans is that you can buy 3 other different sets of pads that just pull on or pull off to tweak sound or isolation or feel to suit just about anyone.
NOW before anyone tells me they are just a 32ohm 770pro, these are both copy and pasted quotes from the beyerdynamic website. The first is found in the feature list of the Limted Edition, but not in any other DT770 feature list. I think they mean shell or inner shell material. I found these lighter than any other Beyer by a LONGSHOT. They are very sturdy with metal parts etc, all interchangable, but light- which i love!
- 32 Ohm drivers for mobile applications
- Special aluminum "limited edition" label
- All black design
- 1.6 m (5.2 ft.) OFC single-sided cable with screwable 6.35 mm (1/4") adapter
- Innovative bass-reflex-system for excellent bass reproduction
- Headbow with eco-friendly electrophoretic coating for optimal wearing comfort
- Exchangeable, easy to clean comfortable "Softskin" head band and ear pads
- Glassball reinforced ear cups
- Closed, diffuse-field studio headphone
- Robust, easy serviceable construction as all parts are replaceable"
Again the sound was vastly improved from the DT770pro 250ohm, i didnt understand how this was the same can with different pads, cord, and a lighter feel but sounded so much more mature and advanced but still had that striking bass (much cleaner and detailed though). I asked all the stores i could find who stocked them, no one new- they all said it was the same. Then i was searching the Beyer site and found this in the DT770LE 32ohm page, found under studio headphones:
"beyerdynamic celebrates its 88th anniversary with a refined edition of the DT 770 PRO headphone – the professional audio industry standard for more than 20 years.
Its newly developed 32 Ohms drivers are based on our world-renowned 80 Ohms and 250 Ohms drivers.. "
Newly developed, based on... So they dont have the same running gear. Game, Sett, Match - My ears... (80's style fist pump and jump).
Other than these cans, i would just get the K167, sure their plastic but they dont feel that cheap. They sound very nice and analytical. You just dont get the bass clarity or mid bass you get on the LE. That being said you dont get it on any of the other cans i tried other than the Signature DJ.
