• Register  |  
• Login  |  
•   Advanced Search 

It took a good week of burn in before I could come to an accurate conclusion as to the merit of the 2005 version of the DT 700 250ohm headphones. I was fortunate enough to pick these up on sale at Amazon for just over $100 (shipped) and at that price these headphones are a steal of epic proportions. As was pointed out in the review above these don't stand out in any one aspect. But what they have going for them is an overall coherency that disguises their weaknesses and accentuates their positives.

On the positive side of the ledger is their freedom from frequency anomolies. While they don't go real low or extend out into the stratosphere, in between they exhibit a smoothness that doesn't emphisize any one frequency over the other - all blend togehter as in real life. They are just dynamic enough to offer you the sense of listening to real music. They also bring out enough detail to again make listening enjoyable.

Debit side: They are not for basshead. While they go low (if there is bass in the disc) they don't plumb the depths with power - they just reproduce whatever the source has on it. Next is it's lack of sparkle. The 2005 DT 700 250ohms seem a bit rolled off - not exhibiting the shimmer of a well recorded cymbal (as an example). But the biggest negative is that without a good quality headphone amp you'll never hear these headphones at their best. That 250ohm rating is no joke. These cans need a serious kick in the pants to make them come alive. But if you have such a beast (be it a stand alone headphone amp or a good receiver) then you'll gain full enjoyment from these headphones.

Isolation from outside noise is on the acceptable side of the ledger, but a little sound does leak in. On the flip side, they allow almost no sound to leak out. (I say almost because no headphone is completely silent.) I tried them next to my wife (who has bat ears when it comes to me disturbing her beauty sleep listening to music) with the sound turned up louder than I'd normally listen and she said she couldn't hear a thing - so bonus points for being a properly sealed closed back headphones. While I wouldn't want to take these on the road due to their size they would work for that purpose.

Comfort is very good. The velour covers pads rest comforatably around the ears and the padded top strap doesn't place much pressure on the top of my head. They also exhibt good adjustability.

All in all these are a very good choice, especially if you can find them on sale as I did. If you're looking for a good, high quality pair of closed back headphnes, and you have the proper amplification to drive them, then the 2005 DT 700 250ohm Beyerdynamic headphones will make you very happy.

These are the most neutral and balanced headphones that I have owned/heard. I have owned at one time or another a lot of the current faves/classics of the 21st century. These cans do everything well with the only knocks against being that they could isolate better and have a sweeter top end and lower bottom end. They are not the last word in any one headphone holy grail but what they do for $250 and sealed at that is just phenomenal. I listen to these more than any others I own or have owned. They have a GREAT synergy with my Woo 3 toob amp. Would not want to use these cans without a good amp like the Woo. Toobs and headphones in general seem to float my boat. These phones can be a little sterile without an amp or with op amp driven amps. Toobs seem to mellow or buffer them out a bit and totally to the good. Great for Rock and Jazz. Highly recommended for a sealed can under $300.