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A commemoration of Beyerdynamic’s 100th anniversary, the $199 DT 770 Pro X LE headphones are a special edition of the popular DT 770 Pro with upgraded Stellar.45mm dynamic drivers and a removable cable. All types of audio sound wonderful on them, from film soundtracks to jazz recordings to electronic music with intense sub-bass. Long-term listening comfort is top-notch as well due to the plush earpads and padded headband. Beyerdynamic’s $349 DT 700 Pro X headphones have a marginally fuller low-end response and a more understated design, but they also cost a lot more. Audiophiles and sound engineers alike should find many reasons to enjoy the DT 770 Pro X LE, and the headphones easily earn our Editors’ Choice award for studio work. Unbeatable Comfort and Upgraded DriversBetween their gray, velour circumaural pads and black, semi-matte frame, the DT 770 Pro X LE headphones fit right in with most of Beyerdynamic’s other models. The earpads, in particular, have always been one of the most distinctive aspects of the company’s studio headphones—their massive, perfectly circular shape fully seals off the ear and creates ideal isolation for tracking. They do have some distinguishing features, including a silver logo that marks the company’s 100th anniversary and a headband cover with metallic snap-shut buttons. Both the earpads and the headband cover are replaceable. Overall, I prefer the less flashy design of the DT 700 Pro X headphones, which are matte black and use sleek black lettering.
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(Credit: Tim Gideon)
Despite their bulk, the DT 770 Pro X LE headphones are easily among the most comfortable I’ve ever tested. The earpads feel like travel pillows due to their large contact surface, while the combination of the soft material and ample padding makes for a luxurious feel. Their spacious design means they are less likely to get warm and sweaty over long listening sessions, a benefit for studio work. A closed-back design ensures that they won’t leak audio, a must for many recording environments.Meanwhile, the headband features a recessed area that effectively prevents it from contacting the pressure-sensitive fontanelle area (top) of your skull. It too gets generous padding. Underneath the padding, the spring steel frame ensures that it’s durable.
(Credit: Tim Gideon)
I find the DT 770 Pro X LE a bit more comfortable than the DT 700 Pro X. The latter’s earcups can exert pressure in some spots, while the former’s do not. Pressure over the long term often leads to discomfort.Inside each enclosure, Beyerdynamic’s Stellar.45 driver delivers a frequency range of 5Hz to 40kHz. This is the same neodymium dynamic driver system in the pricier DT 700 Pro X and an upgrade over the 45mm dynamic drivers of the DT 770 Pro. According to Beyerdynamic, the advantages include a higher sound pressure level (SPL), lower harmonic distortion, and a wider frequency response. The transducer’s low coil weight also enables a particularly fast and detailed transient response, thus allowing for more accurate, distortion-free listening at high volumes.
(Credit: Tim Gideon)
With an impedance of 48 ohms, the headphones are easy to power on a wide range of playback devices and pro gear. This marks another change from the DT 770 Pro monitors, which are available in 32-, 80- and 250-ohm versions. I don’t consider this standardization a downgrade since the headphones are perfectly suitable for most studio uses.
(Credit: Tim Gideon)
The included 9.9-foot audio cable has a three-pin mini XLR connector that attaches to the bottom of the left earcup. I appreciate that the cable is detachable (especially because the DT 770 Pro lacks this feature), but would prefer if it could connect to either earcup for more versatility. A second, shorter cable, like the 5.9-foot one for the DT 700 Pro X, would have been a nice extra. Regardless, the cable is of high quality and terminates in a 3.5mm plug (the box includes a quarter-inch adapter). Beyond the cable and the adapter, the only other accessory is a simple, black nylon drawstring pouch with the Beyerdynamic logo. The headphones are a bit light on accessories for the price.Stellar Sound Across the BoardTo test the DT 770 Pro X LE, I plugged the headphones into a Lynx Aurora (n)16 interface, which I connected to a Mac Studio. I tried using them for mixing in Pro Tools and hi-res listening via Apple Music. The first thing I noticed is just how little power it takes to drive these. For reference, the headphone control on the Aurora is at its lowest level at approximately the 7 o’clock position and the highest around the 4 o’clock mark. I mostly listened with the knob set between the 8 o’clock and 10 o’clock levels, except for some particularly quiet recordings. Even at low volumes, the audio signal sounds full. The deepest sub-bass frequencies are audible and accurate, while high-frequency content comes through with tremendous detail. On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the drivers deliver impressive depth. The sub-bass sounds full-bodied at high volumes, but always clean. The thump is still evident at moderate volumes but never seems overdone.The drivers beautifully reproduce the sub-bass at the 34-second mark of Kendrick Lamar’s “Loyalty.” The lowest of these notes comes across with the same amount of subwoofer-like rumble as a 2.1 speaker system. The bass sounds full-bodied, but never overly boosted. The various vocal performances are superbly clear and fully present in the mix. Overall, the headphones achieve a wonderful balance here, reaching down to the deepest lows without boosting them for effect. They handled these deep lows so convincingly that they fooled me into thinking I had left my subwoofer playing during testing. For reference, I can hear slightly more full-bodied bass with the DT 700 Pro X, but the difference is subtle and likely attributable to the difference in earpad design.
(Credit: Tim Gideon)
Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” a track with far less deep bass in the mix, gives us a better sense of the headphones’ sound signature. They maintain an accurate response, presenting the drums with plenty of body. Meanwhile, Callahan’s baritone vocals receive a lovely blend of low-mid richness and higher-frequency detail. The acoustic strums and higher-register percussive hits have plenty of detail and a sense of airiness—the soundstage feels a bit wider than with typical studio headphones due to the recessed placement of the drivers inside the earcups.Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, sound especially bright and clear, though the lower-register instrumentation is still rich. The wider stereo presentation especially benefits live classical recordings like this, as well as others with a natural, dynamic feel, like Miles Davis’ “Pharaoh’s Dance.” On the latter, the widely spaced percussion sounds marvelous, as does the delivery of the bass.A Revised Studio StandardThe Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro X LE headphones are about as perfect for studio work as anything under $200. Simply put, they sound fantastic and feel amazingly comfortable. They earn our Editors’ Choice award for studio monitors and firmly bridge the price gap between our upgrade selection, the venerable $349 Beyerdynamic DT 700 Pro X, and the more affordable $99.95 Sennheiser HD 280 Pro, both of which are also Editors’ Choice winners in their price categories.
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