DT-770 Bass?

[bradthebold]

Hi, I just picked up a pair of Beyer DT-770 80ohm headphones today. They sound pretty good, a little closed-in sounding, but pretty good. I have seen lots of threads saying how much bass they have, but that's not the impression I am getting from them. The bass is noticeable, mildly tactile in bass-heavy songs. To me, they sound pretty accurate in that regard, but definitely not tons of bass as some have said. Compared to other headphones, like the DT-880's which sounded like they lacked any appreciable bass, they sound good. 
 
To me, other headphones just sound like they are lacking bass, and these are just at the bottom of the acceptable range. I am running them from my receiver (an Onkyo HT-RC370). My normal, quieter listening volume is about 45dB below reference and they start to distort around 10dB below reference volume, so I think they are being powered fine.
 
Am I just expecting too much? I have a pair of 12" subs in my car and a pair of 15"s in my living room, so that may be it, though I'm not really expecting anything near that level. The bass level sounds like a 6.5" <100W HTIB sub filling a living room to me.
 
Summary: Good quality bass, but not tons of quantity. 

 

[Kukuk]

I really don't feel they are all that bass heavy, either. Definitely more than neutral, but not even in the same league as say, the XB700's or Ultrasone PROline 750's I've owned.
 
I think they must vary by different production runs or something. Some have claimed they have pretty sizzle-y treble, or recessed mid range, and I feel these claims are also untrue.

 

[TMRaven]

Yeah you're expecting too much from a headphone.  Headphones will never output speaker bass.

 

[bradthebold]

 
Quote:

Yeah you're expecting too much from a headphone.  Headphones will never output speaker bass.

I suppose so, but after reading quotes from here such as "brain-rattling bass", by brain feels unrattled, haha.

 

[scootermafia]

Don't confuse the DT770 250 ohm with the DT770 pro.  The pro are legendary for being bassy and are much cheaper.  The DT770 250 ohm is a very shrill and unlikeable headphone to me, but quite accurate.  

 

[TMRaven]

I've noticed a lot of head-fi'ers tend to exaggerate bass performance and impact of headphones-- especially open headphones.  You'll largely feel underwhelmed if you're coming from full-sizd subs, especially subs that extend down well to 20hz and below.  
 
I am a bit puzzled by your statement that they lack quantity, however.  Purely speaking, the DT770 bass is a bit overly present compared to the rest of its sound signature, but it has no where near the omni-presence or impact of subwoofers.  Subwoofers can be a mixed-bag though.  They can either be monstrously horrific and overpowering like your typical teenager's suv, or tightly controlled and deeply extending with plenty of powerful impact like a 1000 dollar sealed servo subwoofer.  Now if your 'quantity' statement was only alluding to bass impact of the DT770s, then I can see where you're coming from.  Headphones will never touch the impact of subwoofers, even if it's just to your head.

 

[bradthebold]

 
Actually, I found the impact to be better than the actual quantity. They seem pretty punchy (for the bass they have), on bass-heavy songs that is. In more average songs, the bass is there, not lacking, but not very punchy or overly present (not quite as fun). 
 
The subs in my car are definitely just loud and not as good sounding, but I did have a $1000 direct servo sub (Rythmik F15). I felt that it sounded good, but lacked quantity as well, and one of them couldn't deal with room modes well (big drops at certain freqencies), so I moved up to some low distortion 15"s in custom boxes that sound just about as good (just much larger boxes), big power (>1500W), and a DSP. Those are quite powerful, with -3dB around 15Hz. A very full, smooth, tight sound, as opposed to the loud, overwhelming subs in my car.
 
Back to the headphones though, maybe it just that I'm comparing them to my much more expensive home theater system. They aren't even close to the same level. I just figured, since they only have to fill a few cubic inches of spaces to fill, they would be a little more impactful. More tactile would probably be the best description.

 

[bradthebold]

Quote:

Don't confuse the DT770 250 ohm with the DT770 pro.  The pro are legendary for being bassy and are much cheaper.  The DT770 250 ohm is a very shrill and unlikeable headphone to me, but quite accurate.  

 
Yeah, I have the DT-770 Pro 80ohms, which I have read are the bassiest of the 770s.
 
 

 

[TMRaven]

Oh so you're looking for more impactful mid-bass in non bass-heavy songs?  My experience with the DT770-80Ω wasn't that long at all, but it did seem like a headphone that chose to play its cards on the lower end of the bass spectrum.  Something along the lines of Ultrasone is more mid-bass oriented.  Headphones can pressurize the tiny space around your ears, but I still don't think it's the same as a subwoofer pressurizing a room.

 

[bradthebold]

Quote:

Oh so you're looking for more impactful mid-bass in non bass-heavy songs?  My experience with the DT770-80Ω wasn't that long at all, but it did seem like a headphone that chose to play its cards on the lower end of the bass spectrum.  Something along the lines of Ultrasone is more mid-bass oriented.  Headphones can pressurize the tiny space around your ears, but I still don't think it's the same as a subwoofer pressurizing a room.

Ah, yeah, that makes sense. Presence of lower bass is pretty good, but the impact of the mid-mass isn't amazing. The more I'm listening, the more I'm liking them and the less I feel the bass is lacking though. Maybe I just need some time to get used to them. Vocals aren't great though, probably won't get used to that.
 
Edit: I'm still in disbelief of other people's reviews though: bass that shakes their head, people getting rid of them because they have way too much bass. I've heard two pairs, so it's not just specific to the ones I got. For me, that would be a pair of JL audio W7s in a truck cab (though I wouldn't get rid of them : ) ) 

 

[Rawrbington]

man just a thought that came to me while reading your experience with them.
 
i have plugged some of my bassier cans into some receivers and had them almost completely sound different.  sometimes thin sometimes harsh with no bottom end.
you really never know with the receiver headphone jacks sometimes.
 
but to me the 770 Pro 80s are pretty bass heavy for headphones.
even out of my ipad they have a fair amount of bass for being underpowered.
 
try playing them out of something else if you can, perhaps a different receiver or an ipod or something
 
good luck on your journey!

 

[bradthebold]

Quote:

man just a thought that came to me while reading your experience with them.
 
i have plugged some of my bassier cans into some receivers and had them almost completely sound different.  sometimes thin sometimes harsh with no bottom end.
you really never know with the receiver headphone jacks sometimes.
 
but to me the 770 Pro 80s are pretty bass heavy for headphones.
even out of my ipad they have a fair amount of bass for being underpowered.
 
try playing them out of something else if you can, perhaps a different receiver or an ipod or something
 
good luck on your journey!

 
Great idea. I just got them, so haven't tried anything else yet. I am now listening on my desktop with onboard sound (can get pretty loud, no distortion though), and it sounds much better with the EQ I have for my other headphones. They do have more powerful bass; vocals sound much better now too, and more forward. Sounds much better overall. Not sure if the settings carry through to the headphones on my receiver, but my speakers are EQ'd much different (house curve, but pretty flat, adjust for room reflections, etc), so that may be part of it too.

Thanks

 

[Rawrbington]

yeah the eq would carry over i think.
not 100% sure on a multi multi channel AV receiver but i know on my stereo receivers if i adjust the bass treble or mid it also adjusts it on the HP jack as well.
 
the best receiver headphone jack i've found is on the marantz 2245.
and the 2215 i heard was pretty darn good as well.
but my yamaha a s500 doesn't sound too great

 

[Tequilasunriser]

Quote:

 


I suppose so, but after reading quotes from here such as "brain-rattling bass", by brain feels unrattled, haha.

EQing helps a bit for the frequencies below 50Hz, but the hype train is at full speed with these cans right now, so claims of, "brain-rattling bass" are an unfortunate result.
 
That said, I found them to be overall good sounding but sold mine because I preferred the sound of my DT880s more.
 

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

Summary: Good quality bass, but not tons of quantity. 

 
Pretty much this.
 
The DT770 is an under-rated headphone really. It's bass is emphasized compared to a flat headphone, but it's not overly bassy and definitely isn't earthquake worthy. It's just a good solid quality bass. It's mids are not that recessed (common of a headphone with emphasized bass) and it's treble isn't overly spiked, it has a sparkle, but isn't completely "V" to the point of fatigue (eg, Ultrasone). There's mods to increase bass in the DT770, but I find it fine as it is. Enough to satisfy, while still being a good headphone for actually listening to quality music and not just for slamming you with bass.
 
Very best,