We're putting the Beyerdynamic DT 240 Pro through the review process. There are several important factors to weigh when choosing the perfect headphones. Among others: weight; the comfort of the headband and ear pads for long sessions, so you can keep your "ears" and head clear; price; portability (depending on the use); and, obviously, for a studio product, the reliability of uncolored listening, the accuracy of detail and the stereo image they give us. Let's get to it.
Since its introduction, the Beyerdynamic brand has stood as a guarantee of quality for professionals. Good build quality and know-how in the design and internal engineering of the devices it sells. It's also worth noting that the company works hard to stay current, offering products that meet needs that keep changing as technology and the ways we communicate advance. It analyzes what musicians, DJs, producers and others need to record and edit their pieces the traditional way, but adapted also for podcasters, YouTubers, gamers, mobile productions and so on. In short, quality products at competitive prices that are updated regularly.
That opens up the range of users. It takes in, for example, gamers or professionals from other fields who need to record and monitor themselves professionally, delivering quality results (online too) to their followers. When I read about "expensive" prices, I always think about what "gamer" headphones cost, which often carry exorbitant price tags and more flash than substance. In our case, and for the studio, we prefer less visual spectacle (except perhaps in DJ contexts), more quality and moderate prices. That's our case today.
DT 240 Pro
These are professional headphones with a compact design and powerful transducers that give you listening flexibility. The box has the product well protected and secured. Inside we find a professional cable with a mini-jack (1/8") plus a (quality) stereo 1/4" TRS adapter. I especially like headphones where, as here, I can detach the cable for storage: cables and headphones kept separately. It also includes a handy (cloth) bag for transport and storage.
Pro features that set them apart. We liked the comfort of the headband and the light weight of the headphones. You're working with a listening system that doesn't feel oppressive or become annoying in somewhat longer sessions. They're also very good at isolating us from outside noise, which makes them a good companion outdoors too, or for monitoring in especially busy places. This lets you stay focused and hear only what you're working on.
Once we've checked price, design, comfort and the rest, we're left with the essential part.
How Do They Sound?
If, at this point, the sound doesn't have the quality we expect from a studio-work standpoint, everything above is moot. This is the moment when, in a review where we can touch, press, listen and "taste," we truly learn what the virtues of the product under test are. I began by preparing what I was going to listen to for the tests. I started with some casual "Sunday listening" with songs I knew well to see the overall response. I was looking for a balance of lows, mids and highs.
Then I decided to put on some tracks I've mixed myself, which I've heard on plenty of monitors (Mackie, JBL, Genelec, KRK, PMC and a few more), and also on various AKG, Sennheiser and other headphones. As you can imagine, I know by heart every detail of each cut on the album: its panning, the compression we used, how we brought out the sparkle on cymbals, vocals and guitars, and so on...
The thing is, I planned to play one track and write, and in the end I played the whole album. Why? Because I suddenly discovered mix information that had gone unnoticed until now, or that I hadn't seen so clearly. The quality of the stereo image, the power of the tight low end and the balance of mids and highs gave me a fresh listen to something I had already heard I don't know if hundreds, but many dozens of times.
When a track gets stuck in a mix, it's really useful to let a few hours or days go by to "reset" your ears and listen again. It helps enormously to have faithful monitoring systems, able to reproduce reality and each of the details you're hunting for to "enrich" your mix and your recording of the artist. The Beyerdynamic DT 240 Pro struck me as one of those essential tools because they really add information to other (accurate and powerful) monitoring systems.
Conclusions
I think I could sum it up with the sentence "these headphones have left me stunned." I expected much less, even from Beyerdynamic. Regardless of the fact that they sound "pretty" (to each his own) and balanced, they're really useful for mixing and recording. The price-to-quality ratio, in my opinion and after a few hours with them, is exceptional.
Specs
Closed-back, over-ear headphones
Connection: wired
Impedance: 34 ohms
Weight: 196 g
Frequency response: 5 - 35,000 Hz
Suggested price: 90 €
Manufacturer: Beyerdynamic
Distributor in Spain: Gaplasa
