Beyerdynamic 770 & 990 Pro headphones

by **Glenn Bucci** » Wed Mar 21, 2018 6:36 pm

My older 770's of 15 years needed to be replaced. Also I wanted to replace my even older AKG 240 open back headphones as well.

I have some newer Shure 840's which I like but as another reference for listening to my mixes, I prefer the 770's as they have more bass though not exaggerated bass. One example of the benefit of additional bass is at the mastering stage. When I use the Weiss DS1 Mk3 compressor, I hear the subtle changes much better with the 770's. The mids and high end is also pleasant and detailed.

I am happy to report after burning in the new 770's (250 ohm) that they sound the same as my old ones going through my Dangerous D Box. Music even sounded good through my LG V30 phone which has a decent high fi quad input jack.

I replaced the AKG 240's with the Beyerdynamic 990 Pro. They have the same sound as the 770's but are less fatiguing with them being open backed. When laying down a vocal track you want the closed back so the music won't bleed into the mic. But for critical listening open back are easier on your ears.

Sure there are a lot of newer, more expensive headphones that sound great, and offer more detail but these headphones which have been used in studios for over 25 years, are still made in Germany, sound great, and don't hurt your wallet as much. Headphone choices come down to personal preference, but with that being said, these still sell very well and are just as popular as they were before so that says lot.

by **blinddrew** » Wed Mar 21, 2018 8:40 pm

I use the 770s and 990s as well. I did find the 990 a bit tiring to listen to for any length of time but I also now use Sonarworks Reference 3 and this has flattened things out so that's no longer an issue.

by **Glenn Bucci** » Thu Mar 22, 2018 1:39 am

The top end of the 990's are a little more pronounced than the 770's but not harsh thankfully.

by **ef37a** » Thu Mar 22, 2018 8:51 am

Hmm? Just Googled for the 990 specs and the Beyer site eventually showed a stark box in German that I worked out meant that unless I had Edge as my browser I could not visit their site.

I eventually found out that they are only 96dB (per mW? per V? poor spec) which is well below the 112dB of my K92s and so will be of little use to this deaf old bottle swapper!

Dave.

by **blinddrew** » Thu Mar 22, 2018 1:52 pm

Hmmm, this test would indicate 99.1 http://reference-audio-analyzer.pro/en/ ... ro-250.php
But either way, I run mine direct from my scarlett interface and when listening to commercial recordings rarely get the volume control past 9 o'clock. When I'm mixing my own stuff it's generally hovering around 10 o'clock and if I'm listening intently to a specific track then it might get halfway up the dial.
I guess what I'm saying is that I've never had any issue with their volume.
Your experience will obviously vary.

by **ef37a** » Thu Mar 22, 2018 2:02 pm

blinddrew wrote:Hmmm, this test would indicate 99.1 http://reference-audio-analyzer.pro/en/ ... ro-250.php
But either way, I run mine direct from my scarlett interface and when listening to commercial recordings rarely get the volume control past 9 o'clock. When I'm mixing my own stuff it's generally hovering around 10 o'clock and if I'm listening intently to a specific track then it might get halfway up the dial.
I guess what I'm saying is that I've never had any issue with their volume.
Your experience will obviously vary.

Oh! All down to me D! I just plugged my Sennheiser HD448s into this HP laptop and they are only JUST loud enough for me at 100% with the internal soundcard. If I could be A'ed to rig my KA6 or Berry HA400 I could get a bit more welly!
My AKG K92s have, to my considerable rage, gone faulty after just 6 months. The right hand driver is intermittent a fault that lies in the feed from the left side. I am told 30 days to get them turned around. I do hope this is not typical of the K92s as I have sung their praises in a couple of forums. I do not expect AKG and other such kit to go wrong,..EVER!

Dave.

by **blinddrew** » Thu Mar 22, 2018 2:21 pm

To be fair, 30 days isn't actually that unreasonable assuming they're actually doing a repair and not just a replacement. Most places get things turned around well within their quoted times these days anyway. Hope they're sorted shortly.

by **Wonks** » Thu Mar 22, 2018 2:23 pm

Well, AKG is all Chinese manufacture now. so I'd expect new kit from them to go wrong a bit more often than it used to.

by **ef37a** » Thu Mar 22, 2018 4:19 pm

Wonks wrote:Well, AKG is all Chinese manufacture now. so I'd expect new kit from them to go wrong a bit more often than it used to.

Some of "OUR" stuff is made in China and it does not go wrong!

Anyhooses......!

I looked up the specc for these Senny 448s and found they are rated at 114dB/1v.
My K92s are 113dB/1v but are MUCH louder! ?? To further muddy the pond, the 448s are 'rated' as 24 Ohms and the K92s at 32R so the 448s should really be a bit louder anyway. In fact my trusty Fluke 83 showed the 448s to be nominally 32 Ohms, actually measure 36 Ohms!

Can we trust ANYTHING anymore?

Dave.

by **blinddrew** » Thu Mar 22, 2018 4:49 pm

ef37a wrote:Can we trust ANYTHING anymore?
Dave.

Accept certain inalienable truths
prices will rise
politicians will philander
you too will get old, and when you do you'll fantasize that when you were young
prices were reasonable
politicians were noble
and children respected their elders

- Baz Luhrmann - Everybody's Free (to Wear Sunscreen)

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Beyerdynamic 770 & 990 Pro headphones