I have to say that my ears have been getting a lot of exercise recently as I have had a pile (so high) worth of headphones sitting in front of me the last few weeks or so. I constantly take my time with each, making sure to clear my mind before each one, as testing headphones can be a lot like wine.
Today’s highlight for the palate is Beyerdynamic’s DT 240 Pro over-ear studio headphones, coming from one of Germany’s finest. These headphones are meant to compete with the likes of Sony, Audio-Technica and Shure (just to name a few), with a focus on delivering a flat response that is ideal for mixing (let it be live sound or in the studio)–as well as other forms of monitoring, such as camera, field recorders, and so forth.
Design
The design of the DT 240 Pro headphones features a mostly plastic build, with an internal metal band wrapped with a nice thick layer of cushion. The muffs are also well cushioned, and the band offers enough flexibility to fit any shape of head.
The cushioning that is provided is indeed comfortable and feels good on the skin. However they can be a little tight around the ears after long-term listening. It feels like the muffs are little tight (their diameter should be a little wider) around the ears, causing some squeezing. If you are one to constantly take your ears on an off while monitoring, this should be fine.
They include a cable that is more than long enough and partially pigtailed to help reduce the slack in the cable when you don’t need to make use of the full stretch. This helps to keep the cable from hitting the floor or getting wrapped around everything (you tend to find this with most studio monitor style headphones). There is some cable noise that gets transferred to your ears from rubbing against the body or clothes, but thankfully these aren’t the headphones you’d normally be walking around or going on a jog with (so this shouldn’t cause much of an issue).
There is of course a 1/4-inch adapter that is included, and both it and the cable feature threads so it can be screwed on properly. This is a big deal as so many people leave their adapter in the board when they pull out their headphones and run off at a live “gig” (when they are simply slip on vs threaded).
One thing to point out is that these are incredibly lightweight. So these won’t be adding any noticeable weight to your pack or travel case. Their performance is that of a studio pair of headphones, but their weight is similar to that of something like a $30 pair of Skullcandys.
When it comes to durability, they feel pretty good, although they could be better for the purpose of travel (mixing live events and so forth). Models like Sony’s MDR7506 provide an excellent form that can be collapsed, twisted and beat up a little, while the Beyerdynamic’s are a lot more stiff and can’t collapse in any way. They also don’t come with a decent storage solution (just a really thin polyester-like bag). These are quite/more similar to Shure’s SRH440 headphones
Performance
The qualities that stand out the most in these headphones exist around their high and mid range of frequencies, allowing your content to really stand out as your listening. Your needed accuracies are there, perfect for tuning things in with. This allows things like vocals and any instrument that basks within this range to shine.
Your lows are decent as well, although they don’t stand out nearly as well as the highs/mids do. They are nice, but could use some more range here stretching deeper into those lower frequencies. Don’t get me wrong, you’re not looking for powerful low-end like you would with headphones like Beats, Koss, or Kicker. These are made for a solid accuracy of how sound is being delivered to your audience, and not something that would be adjusted to accommodate for things like theatrical listening–it’s all about being flat-response and untainted by things like DSP. However, at times I notice some of the details in the lows are missing, which could hamper some of your monitoring of those frequencies (if you needed to dig deep into this range while mixing).
For most situations where you are mixing/monitoring for camera, small performances or anything that doesn’t have a focus on low frequencies, these are great. If you are mixing for an elite band that typically has a killer presence like The Eagles, you may want to spend more money than this, but they may still deliver most of what you are looking for. If you are diving more into the realm of DJing–well in my honest opinion, most of them use DSP’d headphones, so they don’t really count.
What’s in the box?
I have already covered it all actually. With the headphones, you get the cable, the 1/4-inch adapter and a thin polyester bag (you are better off throwing these in a felt Crown Royal bag though if you want to protect them from scratching).
Our Conclusion
The DT 240 Pro headphones prove to be a decent pair for mixing/monitoring sound with. They aren’t the best, as they do compete with many within the same price range that outperform them in this way or that, but they are decent (perfect if you are a Beyerdynamic fan). Their high and mid accuracy is where they shine more than anything, and thankfully this is the most important when it comes to bringing out the detail and clarity in anything you are trying to mix (ie, vocals). This keeps them up there with the better options, but in the end will depend on user-preference more than anything.
| Buy from Amazon | Buy from beyerdynamic | |
Our Rating | Average Price* $99.00 |
*Average price is based on the time this article was published
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