DT-770 Pro 80 Ohm : Excellent headphones for studio and live use

While the iconic Beyerdynamic DT100s may be a true industry standard, the 770s are certainly a step up and worthy of consideration for both studio and live use. I wouldn't say the sound is entirely neutral but it is certainly very good for the price.

Construction wise these are up to the usual Beyer standards, with a very solid headband and cable attachment. One point I should make though is that is is certainly worth swapping the cable from the straight type it ships with, to a coiled one. This is a relatively easy soldering job and gives you a cable that not only feels higher quality, but won't get caught round your foot when you're standing at the mixing desk.

A key feature of Beyer headphones is that almost every component can be replaced, and that is certainly the case here. From the cable, earpads, headband, drivers and beyond, you should be able to keep this set of headphones lasting for years. I often use another pair that are well over 10 years old, and are still going strong.

So then, the sound! In the low end, these are very faithful and neutral, with a rich bass but never one that feels overpowering or artificially extended. There's now hint of muddiness or boominess, with superb separation, clarity and detail throughout all of the low frequencies.

In the mids, separation remains excellent with plenty of detail to allow you to pick out those all-important mid-freq details when mixing. All genres of music sound excellent though these, although if you really want to be amazed, something along the lines of John Mayer, Kina Grannis or Brooke Fraser is worth a listen through these.

Treble is best described as being slightly extended, and while I enjoy this for listening, it's certainly something to keep in mind when mixing critical recordings. At now point does it sound brittle or harsh, but it is slightly too boosted to be described as neutral.

For live FOH engineers, do keep the DT770Ms in mind which offer greater isolation for use in nosier environments. That said, I chose the standard 770s as I also mix plenty of live recordings, and I've never mad major issues with them in either application.