Audio production can happen almost anywhere, whether you have a professional setup or limited to a open room on a budget. Studio headphones in particular aren’t hard to find but the risk of being crappy, but Beyerdynamic has their own bridge between consumer, musician, and podcaster with the DT 240 Pro Studio Headphones.
This is an area that is often associated with gear priced at hundreds — if not thousands of dollars more — but the DT 240 Pro pulls it off at a mere $99. This also means that sound is aimed at accuracy and solid clarity, a characteristic that is not totally unlike premium hi-fi except without the pretentiousness.
Because the job of audio monitoring is about function, the DT 240 Pro doesn’t exude coolness or flashiness in the conventional sense. It’s draped in matte black with plastic circumaural closed-back earcups that make no delusions about being more than what they are. There’s a generous level of comfort in the earpads and headband which come moderately padded in leatherette, meant to provide wear long enough for hours to a full wok day of listening. Other stylish garnishes are stripped only to show off the logo and “DT 240 Pro” name on the outer parts of the headphones, while the earcups can be folded flat similar for transport.
A heavy-duty half-coiled wire comes in the box and is detachable. This also excludes an inline remote typical of consumer headphones but has the advantage of being able to stretch roughly up to 10 ft, and can be plugged into anything that has a normal 3.5mm connector or larger ¼” (6.35mm) option through an included adapter. Casual listeners will probably dislike the included cord but since it can be swapped, almost any straight cable should work fine.
Our general impression of the DT 240 Pro is that they are a step above most headphones among its price, exhibiting a neutral profile that leans toward relaxed. Bass response is tight and has surprisingly articulate definition that doesn’t overwhelm with exaggerated lows. For Jay-Z’s “Moonlight” the drums punch through as a foundation to surreal jingles and repeated vocals throughout — it’s best described as being prominent but hardly distorted at higher volumes.
Midrange performance is spacious to give instruments their own presence. “What a Wonderful World” by the Ramones is represented well and once again shows how balanced in audible treble the DT 240 Pro handles guitar strums, cymbals, and percussion at once. Vocals are another satisfactory area that came in nice with forward clarity, though sometimes portrayed as mildly shouty at worse to compensate. This is probably where the DT 240 Pro shines the most and is intrinsic of their studio-oriented environment, unsurprisingly these sounded fantastic for spoken-word and podcast sessions.
Frequency boosting is well-regulated and kept to a reasonable minimum, although it does exist and present on orchestral and live tracks. Fortunately, this trait doesn’t take attention away from songs but deserves to be pointed out for lower effect instrumentals, otherwise higher strung violins or harmonicas benefit the most.
Affordable studio-friendly headphones aren’t necessarily rare but some are better than others, and the Beyerdynamic DT 240 Pro is one of those examples. These on-ear headphones these won’t break your wallet for editing workspaces, and normal listeners will be just as attracted to the amount of balance and depth too — as long as they can live with or willing to substitute the cord arrangement. Overall, an excellent choice for vloggers, audio mixers, or anyone else in between.
