[shurealltheway]

Yeah, just like any headphone ever. People like different sound signatures so there will not be consensus on these different aspects of sound.

Do you own them? If so, could you give some thoughts on a few of my questions please? Thank you.

 

[wordfool]

The reviews for this HP are all over the place. There are those who say the bass gets the spotlight and those who say the bass is anemic. Others say its highs are sibilant while others say this is the smoothest/least sibilant Beyerdynamic to date. Some say it has a small soundstage and others say its soundstage comes close to the HD 800!
So which of you current owners can put all this dichotomy to rest and give an unbiased review of these? My current closed Headphones are Nad Viso HP50 and Shure 1540. With those as a basic baseline, how would you compare the lows, mids, highs, and soundstage? I don't think the Nads or Shures are bass anemic or sibilant at all and they both have a good soundstage with the Shures having one of the best I've heard in a closed can (in my opinion). Thank you!

 
I don't have direct experience with the NAD or Shures, but from my limited experience with other headphones I can summarize the DT-1770 this way -- relatively neutral overall with detailed but smooth treble that has occasional peakiness depending on the recording, good weight in the midrange but not what I'd call a "mid-forward" sound by any means, and neutral bass that extends nicely into the sub-bass but which is highly dependent on recording in my experience. If there's bass heft the recording, the 1770s will certainly give it some weight and good texture. If it's a bass-light mix you'll be well reminded of that fact by the 1770s -- there's no V-shape here to rescue tinny recordings! The couple frequency response graphs I've seen for the 1770s suggest a dip around the 250Hz range, which can sap the low-end "grunt" of some rock recordings. That's my biggest gripe with the bass, but it can easily be EQed out. On electronic music with lots of sub bass, the 1770s sound great and not at all bloated on the low end. 
 
As expected, soundstage is dependent on how they're driven. A relatively powerful amp will open them up nicely and they sound more expansive than normal for a closed can IMO, although I can't compare to your Shures (soundstage is much better than the Shure 840s I had, however). I've only had limited experience withe HD800, but from what I remember there's no way the 1770s can touch the HD800 for the sheer scale of the soundstage. The 1770 is good, but still a closed can. If the HD800 is a concert hall, the DT-1770 is a large living room and something like the Shure 840 or DT-770 is a dorm room. There's a lot of "air" in the upper mids and treble regions, which helps a lot with detail and soundstage. Beyer has managed to tune this well enough to avoid any harshness, although as noted above the occasional bit of sibilance can creep in. 
 
Overall I'd say they're enjoyable to listen to, but don't quite get into the realm of "fun" headphones. They seem to do what they're apparently designed to do very well -- present all aspects of a recording in a clear, detailed and relatively neutral way. Perfect if you're a recording engineer. Slightly less perfect if you want a little more fun and emotion in your music (a very "YMMV" proposition!). When I want to have more foot-tapping fun with rock music, for example, I still reach for my DT-990s and hope no-one's around.  

 

[shurealltheway]

I don't have direct experience with the NAD or Shures, but from my limited experience with other headphones I can summarize the DT-1770 this way -- relatively neutral overall with detailed but smooth treble that has occasional peakiness depending on the recording, good weight in the midrange but not what I'd call a "mid-forward" sound by any means, and neutral bass that extends nicely into the sub-bass but which is highly dependent on recording in my experience. If there's bass heft the recording, the 1770s will certainly give it some weight and good texture. If it's a bass-light mix you'll be well reminded of that fact by the 1770s -- there's no V-shape here to rescue tinny recordings! The couple frequency response graphs I've seen for the 1770s suggest a dip around the 250Hz range, which can sap the low-end "grunt" of some rock recordings. That's my biggest gripe with the bass, but it can easily be EQed out. On electronic music with lots of sub bass, the 1770s sound great and not at all bloated on the low end. 

as expected, soundstage is dependent on how they're driven. A relatively powerful amp will open them up nicely and they sound more expansive that normal for a closed can IMO, although I can't compare to your Shures (soundstage is much better than the Shure 840s I had, however). There's a lot of "air" in the upper mids and treble regions, which helps a lot with detail and soundstage. Beyer has managed to tune this well enough to avoid any harshness, although as noted above the occasional bit of sibilance can creep in. 

Thank you :thumbsup_tone2:

 

[gelocks]

Shure 1540s were almost "basshead" cans to my ears... for more info check my old review...
Now, I'm going by memory here:
 
DT1770s: More controlled bass, un-even mids in comparison (Shure somehow always manages to have good mids, with the exception of the 1440s... the only ones I couldn't stand and returned quick!), imaging NOT as great as the 1540s but very decent, more present highs (a good thing to me) and the best thing, IT DOESN'T BREAK once you turn up the volume! Sadly, the 1540s are best when you are listening at lower decibels. Plus the Shure's for some reason leaked more sound (again, mentioned on my review).
 
Overall, I'd still choose the 1770s, especially if you find it on sale.
 
Good luck. 

 

[TWerk]

Do you own them? If so, could you give some thoughts on a few of my questions please? Thank you.

To me, they are one of the best mid-fi cans I've heard.
 
I'm very, very picky with headphones and they seem like keepers for me.
 
They are not bass anemic at all. They have a very solid, strong low end, extension into sub bass is excellent. The treble is both smooth but sparkles too. If you're super sensitive, maybe they aren't for you, but they provide a very agreeable treble to me. The velour pads sound better to me, I think the pleather pads make them sound a little darker. I had them side by side with a DT770 and they are so much better in terms of controlling that headphones spiky and fatiguing treble. The mid-range is also much improved and smoother and more forward vs the 770.
 
They have really good imaging and great soundstage for a closed back. They are awesome to me for movies too, the hard hitting, deep, rumble of the sub bass they provide make me feel like I'm in a movie theatre. 
 
Also, I can plug them right into my laptop and they sound good. But they also sound great from a good amp. They work really well with my cheap Fiio E10k too. They are very versatile in this regard and also play great with desktop amps. 
 
You also get great isolation. For a totally sealed can, these do so much right, they are hard to consider parting with.
 
I'd say try to look for a solid deal on one and try it out. I have always been in the camp that thinks YOUR ears should make the decision. I can sit here typing till my fingers are sore, but you've still gotta listen for a while to see if they agree with your ears as well as they do mine.

 

[shurealltheway]

Shure 1540s were almost "basshead" cans to my ears... for more info check my old review...
Now, I'm going by memory here:

DT1770s: More controlled bass, un-even mids in comparison (Shure somehow always manages to have good mids, with the exception of the 1440s... the only ones I couldn't stand and returned quick!), imaging NOT as great as the 1540s but very decent, more present highs (a good thing to me) and the best thing, IT DOESN'T BREAK once you turn up the volume! Sadly, the 1540s are best when you are listening at lower decibels. Plus the Shure's for some reason leaked more sound (again, mentioned on my review).

Overall, I'd still choose the 1770s, especially if you find it on sale.

Good luck. 

Thank you sir! I went back and read your older review. I went ahead and ordered me the 1770's from Sonic Electronics but they're back ordered

 

[shurealltheway]

To me, they are one of the best mid-fi cans I've heard.

I'm very, very picky with headphones and they seem like keepers for me.

They are not bass anemic at all. They have a very solid, strong low end, extension into sub bass is excellent. The treble is both smooth but sparkles too. If you're super sensitive, maybe they aren't for you, but they provide a very agreeable treble to me. The velour pads sound better to me, I think the pleather pads make them sound a little darker. I had them side by side with a DT770 and they are so much better in terms of controlling that headphones spiky and fatiguing treble. The mid-range is also much improved and smoother and more forward vs the 770.

They have really good imaging and great soundstage for a closed back. They are awesome to me for movies too, the hard hitting, deep, rumble of the sub bass they provide make me feel like I'm in a movie theatre. 

Also, I can plug them right into my laptop and they sound good. But they also sound great from a good amp. They work really well with my cheap Fiio E10k too. They are very versatile in this regard and also play great with desktop amps. 

You also get great isolation. For a totally sealed can, these do so much right, they are hard to consider parting with.

I'd say try to look for a solid deal on one and try it out. I have always been in the camp that thinks YOUR ears should make the decision. I can sit here typing till my fingers are sore, but you've still gotta listen for a while to see if they agree with your ears as well as they do mine.

Thank you. I appreciate your opinion.

 

[JerseyD]

DT 1770 (dynamic) vs Ether C (planar) comparisons, anyone?

Apples and oranges. The 1770 does have more bass than the original Ether C. This has been corrected in the new Ether C Flow. The planar sound is sufficiently different from the dynamic driver sound that if you are considering both, you should really listen to both before deciding and throw in the T5p v2 for good measure. Depends what you value more...clarity and detail (planar) or visceral impact (dynamic). The T5p v2 is a fairer fight with the Ether C Flow than the 1770, but let your own ears and wallet decide. As a dealer, I'm lucky to have all of them lying around, and depending on what music I feel like listening to, can grab the one I feel matches up best. The T5p v2, the 1770 and Ether C Flow (as well as MrSpeakers discontinued Alpha Prime) are my favorite closed-back headphones, but for different reasons.

 

[rusnak666]

Just got my dt1770pro, they have about 5hours of burn-in, the sound is perfect, but im questioning myself, would be the dt1990pro better for me? Im using the headphones only at home, so the open-back is ok for me, in fact i was till now using dt990 pro and i think the sound was some clearer and airier, do you think the dt1990pro have much more clearer and airier sound than dt1770pro? Thanks

 

[JerseyD]

  Just got my dt1770pro, they have about 5hours of burn-in, the sound is perfect, but im questioning myself, would be the dt1990pro better for me? Im using the headphones only at home, so the open-back is ok for me, in fact i was till now using dt990 pro and i think the sound was some clearer and airier, do you think the dt1990pro have much more clearer and airier sound than dt1770pro? Thanks

To my ears, the 1990 offers a little bit more treble detail than the 1770, but they both sound great. I prefer the 1770 with rock and the 1990 with acoustic jazz, but that's just me.

 

[foreverzer0]

 
To my ears, the 1990 offers a little bit more treble detail than the 1770, but they both sound great. I prefer the 1770 with rock and the 1990 with acoustic jazz, but that's just me.

 
Seems like we'll just have to wait for the 1880 pro next year to hit that balance!

 

[jinxy245]

Apples and oranges. The 1770 does have more bass than the original Ether C. This has been corrected in the new Ether C Flow. The planar sound is sufficiently different from the dynamic driver sound that if you are considering both, you should really listen to both before deciding and throw in the T5p v2 for good measure. Depends what you value more...clarity and detail (planar) or visceral impact (dynamic). The T5p v2 is a fairer fight with the Ether C Flow than the 1770, but let your own ears and wallet decide. As a dealer, I'm lucky to have all of them lying around, and depending on what music I feel like listening to, can grab the one I feel matches up best. The T5p v2, the 1770 and Ether C Flow (as well as MrSpeakers discontinued Alpha Prime) are my favorite closed-back headphones, but for different reasons.

 


My wallet is glad you didn't have the Ether C Flow in yet...totally enjoying the 1770s though!!

 

[foreverzer0]

While I felt the on-sale price I paid for my previous 1770 pro's were definitely worth it, and my most expensive headphone purchase I've had, I was actually playing with the idea for dropping $1799 for the ether flows. Those were amazing, I felt like once I put them on they transferred me to another world. I guess that's called engaging or completely engrossing.

 

[shurealltheway]

Has anyone purchased these in the last month or two? I'd love to know if Beyerdynamic has fixed their quality control issues with these cans. Thanks!

 

[JerseyD]

 

Apples and oranges. The 1770 does have more bass than the original Ether C. This has been corrected in the new Ether C Flow. The planar sound is sufficiently different from the dynamic driver sound that if you are considering both, you should really listen to both before deciding and throw in the T5p v2 for good measure. Depends what you value more...clarity and detail (planar) or visceral impact (dynamic). The T5p v2 is a fairer fight with the Ether C Flow than the 1770, but let your own ears and wallet decide. As a dealer, I'm lucky to have all of them lying around, and depending on what music I feel like listening to, can grab the one I feel matches up best. The T5p v2, the 1770 and Ether C Flow (as well as MrSpeakers discontinued Alpha Prime) are my favorite closed-back headphones, but for different reasons.

 


My wallet is glad you didn't have the Ether C Flow in yet...totally enjoying the 1770s though!!

So glad you are enjoying the DT1770, Jinxy!  The Flows are here if you want to come take a listen...