I've been using the DT-770 600 ohm for the last few days nearly non-stop. I like it, a LOT. The only problem is that it often I wish it was a bit more forgiving of poorly mastered (FLAC!) recordings
. Ok, not really, but you know what I mean! Like the DT-880 it would be one that would make me want to re-rip all my CDs. I did that with the DT-880, but luckily all my files are now FLAC mostly.
I have the non bass-heavy version. I've been reading every review and description I could find on these headphones and it's really sounds different than everyone else's impressions. On Amazon or in other reviews it's said that these have "Strong Bass and Treble" or a "V-shaped" signature. Nope, not this pair. This is perhaps the most neutral sounding headphone I've ever heard. Weird Huh? The mids are not recessed and sound just about right. They actually sound a tad more forward than those of my old D2000. If you look at graphs, you'd expect female vocals to sound recessed, but they're actually quite good and don't sound recessed at all. Entirely depends on the recording though. Some vocals sounds recessed, but it's the recording. Some specific Pearl Jam songs for example.
The treble is quite smooth and never becomes bothersome at all. Got a track that's harsh and fatiguing? The DT-770 600 keeps it just like it should sound. I can check the recording on another headphone and it still sounds the same. It's not the headphones fault.
The tricky thing about this headphone I think is that it's easy to get confused with the sound and blame the headphone, when in fact it's the recording that's crap. I have some songs I've listened to dozens of times and they're often made worse on this headphone. I experienced this same thing with gaming recently. Only because of how revealing they are. More so than any other headphone I've heard. Even my KRK!
In Portal 2 and Fallout New Vegas, some of the sound effects and music sounded rather bad. I was using a Turtle Beach Earforce connected to my amp. I was just so confused why it sounded so bad on my KRK KNS-6400 and on the DT-770 600 ohm. I'd switch to my K501/K601/HD-598 and it was perfectly fine. No complaints really. My conclusion was that even if the music sounds fine on all my other headphones, it's made much worse on my KRK and DT-770 just because of how revealing they are. K601/K501 are fairly detailed, but certainly no detail monsters like the KRKs and Beyer DT-880/770!
I often complain with the DT-770 that some music just sounds so lifeless and boring and then I switch tracks and the song sounds amazing. It's so random like this. Never had a headphone do that before. I basically memorized how all my favorite tracks sound or should sound and THIS DT-770 and my KRK KNS-6400 seems to make them sound just the way they should. No frequency jumping out, unless it's in the recording and should be that way. This headphone for me doesn't try to make anything sound better than it really is.
None of my other headphones sound similar to the DT-770 600, the closest match was the KRK KNS-6400. The 8400 would be even closer except for it's more laid back mids. The mids of this DT-770 600 ohm are not forward or not recessed.
Yesterday I was comparing all my larger headphones for gaming. DJ100, KRK KNS-6400, AD300, HD-598, Sextett, K601 and K501. The DT-770 had the most detail, but K601 was pretty close. I think for gaming I prefer a balance of good detail, a decent soundstage (not too huge) and a somewhat forgiving sound. I still think the K601 is the best for gaming and prefer it over the K501. The K501's soundstage often seems too huge for gaming and does lack a bit of detail.
The DT-770 600 I have is fine for gaming, but it's soundstage ruins it. Now it's perfectly fine to me, but for gaming I think an open headphone is a MUST. If I had to use an analytical closed headphone I'd pick the KRK or DT-770. The DJ100 was nice, but it does have a tiny bit too much bass for competitive gaming.
BTW I read another post from maybe years back and they said this headphone was the most neutral sounding headphone they ever heard. Sounds like they may have one that sounds like mine! Don't remember who it was.
Bassheads would hate this headphone. The bass is pefectly fine, but has less than my DJ100, M50, but more than my K601 and K501. Maybe similar to the HD-598, but maybe a little more. The bass is extremely well controlled. I can see someone getting these and complaining about it's lack of bass!!
One thing interesting I noticed about this headphone is it's soundstage accuracy. One funny thing I noticed about this headphone is that music with a larger soundstage in the recording often sounds distant or further away than it sounds on other (less accurate) headphones. Recessed mids? Nope, it's in specific recording and that's how it's supposed to sound. On other headphones the recording feels more forward than it should be and less accurate. On my HD-598 you almost never notice this. I have some crappy recordings where it feels as someone took the soundstage and took all the sounds and shoved them about 2 feet from my ear. Very cave like! I checked the recording and it's also like this on the KRK. On other headphones it's harder to notice the exact distance between all the different instruments and sounds. This is only on specific (bad) recordings though. Some classical just sounds so horrible. BTW these "bad" recordings are in FLAC too!
I also noticed this when I attached a Belden 1192A cable to my HD-598. The soundstage was much more accurate and it made it easier to pick out all the different instruments. With stock and Mogami it's a bit more difficult. Wonder why? Maybe the stock Beyerdynamic cables are quite good?
The comfort on these for me is pretty poor. It doesn't play well with my head. The DT-880 is even worse due to it's more shallow cups. Yet the DT-770 Pro 80 is PERFECT for me when it comes to comfort! This makes no sense. I've probably bent the DT-770 several times just to get a better fit.
I remember trying the DT-880 32 ohm for gaming and the recessed mids killed it for me. With these for gaming I have no such issue. What the heck?! Some reviews say that the DT-770 600 is less clear than the DT-880 600. The pair I have is extremely clear sounding. No complaints there. If I find the DT-770 600 to have smooth/non-fatiguing treble I shouldn't bother with the DT-880 600 maybe. Some say the DT-880 600 has more bass than the DT-770 600. In other reviews the DT-770 600 is supposed to have more recessed mids than the DT-880 and DT-990, but I'm definitely not finding that to be true with this pair. I guess I have a lucky pair. My DT-990 Pro had very recessed mids and everything sounded a bit "off" due to the excessive treble. The DT-770 Pro 80 had better mids and smoother treble, but bloated bass. I did prefer the DT-770 Pro 80 to the DT-990 Pro by far.
Ok, despite liking these, they're not the most fun pair of headphones in the world to listen to. Depends entirely on the recording and music. I think people who love the KRKs would like this one as long as they don't get the bass heavy version.
Maybe I'll compare the DT-880 600 to the DT-770 some more. I've already had the DT-880 about 3 times, so I pretty much remember how they sound, but I'd really need to have them side by side. The shallow cups of the DT-880 ruined the experience for me though. Why can't they be as comfortable as the DT-770 Pro 80?
BTW for anyone that doesn't know this, IMO the DT-770 Pro 80 sounds NOTHING like the DT-770 600. I bet the DT-770 600 and DT-880 600 are somewhat similar.
I wonder why Beyer released a bass heavy version of the DT-770 600? Maybe there is more than two variations? The pair I bought I scored for only $117 with Amazon Warehouse Deals. They're also often found new for $199! BTW I wonder if the DT-770 600 could be installed into the DT-770 Pro 80's enclosure? I'd do that just for the extra comfort and the cups with more room inside them.
Wonder why the DT-770 600 ohm isn't very popular around here? I guess maybe people go straight for the DT-880 or prefer open headphones. Who knows..
