beyerdynamic is a brand that’s been much maligned by many in the hobby for well over a decade. The chief complaint is the exceedingly elevated treble on most of their headphones. In fact, the DT 990 and DT 1990 have actually given me headaches due to their treble. Since beyerdynamic was acquired by OEM/ODM audio manufacturer Cosonic in 2025, I was interested to see how the company would change going forward. The DT 270 Pro is one of the first new releases from beyerdynamic since this acquisition, but the turnaround between acquisition and release may be too short for Cosonic to actually have had much influence in the DT 270 Pro's development. One tell for this is that DT 270 Pro’s pads look like smaller versions of the existing DT 700 Pro X and DT 900 Pro X, so we may be waiting a while longer for the results of this acquisition to manifest. I do think the DT 270 Pro is a solid step forward though, so I hope beyerdynamic continues in this direction.
I must mention before I start my review that my ears fit inside the DT 270 Pro’s pads. My impressions may vary even more than with other headphones as I am able to get a very good seal with them. I also much prefer this headband to beyerdynamic’s spring steel headband, which barely fits my large head. In contrast, I have extra adjustment clicks with the DT 270 Pro. Even before pressing play, the DT 270 Pro is a more positive experience than not just the DT 770 or DT 880, but also beyerdynamic's flagship T1 and T5p models.
First Impressions
My first impressions are in my CanJam NY writeup:
This sounded weirdly honky, treble and the treble was really aggressive on my head. Full review of this to come to give beyerdynamic the benefit of the doubt since this could be a very compelling option.
Thankfully, I believe the length of my hair at the time played a role, as I wasn’t able to get a great seal with these pads. This was not a problem with large pads, but because the pads are the exact size to fully break seal on my head with medium length hair, I likely heard worse balance between bass and treble. With my hair grown out, I actually can push it out of the way and hear more bass. The treble, while still quite elevated, is noticeably less obtrusive.
Sound
Bass
There’s a lot of it. Like any closed headphone, the exact amount will depend on the seal. In the DT 270 Pro’s case, since my hair breaks some of the seal, it has noticeably less bass than it shows in my measurements. This helps significantly with keeping the DT 270 Pro from sounding too bloated, but there is still a touch too much for my preference. On a bus, airplane, or subway, however, this elevated bass may be able to compensate for the bass that is drowned out by external noise that the DT 270 Pro does not isolate. It's not the most textured bass, especially with the sheer amount of midbass that masks much of this texture, but it's a huge step forward from the DT 770.
Midrange
I can't believe I'm saying this but it's actually...good? The DT 270 Pro's midrange is incredibly linear. It legitimately is one of the best midranges I've heard in this price range, period. This includes both open headphones and IEMs. Next to the Sennheiser HD 560S, the DT 270 Pro is noticeably less shouty and more coherent overall.
The upper bass does occasionally add some congestion in the midrange, but I'm very, very impressed by the DT 270 Pro's midrange balance. Vocals and strings are so shockingly normal-sounding that I would not believe this was a beyerdynamic headphone if I wasn't actively putting it on myself. The 3-4kHz range is a bit dipped, which blunts harmonics more than I'd like and makes for a somewhat compressed sound, but fundamentals are very coherent. Sennheiser could learn something from the DT 270 Pro.
Treble
This is where things get tough. I still think the DT 270 Pro is too bright. But I also think every other closed headphone in this price range is too bright. I do think the DT 270 Pro's treble is significantly more controlled on my head than the DT 770, so this is already a big improvement. It's also noticeably less grainy than I'm used to hearing from any beyerdynamic headphone. The amount of treble the DT 270 Pro has makes sense to balance the elevated bass, so I can understand the premise of tuning the DT 270 Pro bright. I can also tolerate the treble for a few hours straight so it's miles ahead of what I am used to from closed back headphones in this price range.
Measurements
I wasn't lying, the midrange is really, really linear at any price point, much less at $100. The treble looks elevated until you consider most headphones measure fairly elevated in treble. For example, here is the DT 270 Pro compared to the notoriously "veiled" Sennheiser HD600:
Of course, treble is very difficult to realistically compare just using measurements, as treble is so variable between person to person. Even my own measurements, which are taken so that the headphone is in approximately the same spot each time, still show changes with positioning. On my head, I hear noticeable peaks at 7kHz and 12kHz with dips at 3-4kHz and 8-9kHz.
I have also measured the DT 270 Pro with a broken seal, using a piece of leather to make the surface of my measurement rig less flat. I would assume hair should lead to even more bass reduction.
No surprises with the impedance measurement: I wouldn't recommend using the DT 270 Pro with a source with high output impedance unless you are looking to add more bass and 2kHz.
Comparisons
Fiio FT1
The Fiio FT1 is a natural comparison point to the DT 270 Pro. While the FT1 is more expensive at the time of writing, the wooden cups and larger pads may be enough to get some people to spend a little more money. However, I actually prefer the sound of the DT 270 Pro in every aspect.
Back to back, the FT1 sounds congested, disjointed, and harsh. I expected the matchup to be close, but I actually do not have any reasons, other than maybe pad comfort and design, to recommend the FT1 over the DT 270 Pro. The FT1's midrange has always bothered me with its slight amount of 1-2kHz putting it over the edge of keeping it out of my rotation.
Even pad comfort may be a split for people, as the circular pad opening for the DT 270 Pro is actually larger than the FT1's oval opening.
The FT1 was a standout release last year as a competent closed back headphone to recommend over the Audio Technica ATH-M50X and beyerdynamic DT 770 without hesitation, and it only took a year to be usurped, and by beyerdynamic no less.
I believe much of my perception of its disjointed sound comes from the midrange to treble transition, which is significantly more awkward than the DT 270 Pro's, due to its single large peak at around 5kHz. This emphasizes some harmonics while deemphasizing others, leading me to perceive the FT1 as confused-sounding. I also hear more bass with the FT1, which means that I get less bass leak on my head with the FT1 than the DT 270 Pro, possibly because the pad's surface area is much larger, making a seal break more difficult. This, in theory, is a good thing. I just think it's too much bass, so I actually wish it were worse at sealing.
Sennheiser HD 25
This may be a strange comparison, as the HD 25 has not been particularly relevant in the market for well over a decade, but I wanted to include a comparison to a staple "professional" headphone. The HD 25 sounds a lot more agreeable to me than not only the aforementioned DT 770 and ATH-M50X, but also other studio-marketed headphones like the Sony MDR-V6 and Sennheiser HD 280. I've felt the HD 25 deserves more love than it's gotten, but I do understand that on-ear headphones are very difficult to recommend as so few of them are tolerable to wear. The HD 25's midrange is very, very coherent, especially compared to other studio headphones but its Achilles' Heel is the very, very harsh treble.
And this is where the DT 270 Pro feels like a spiritual successor to the HD 25. The DT 270 builds on the competence of the HD 25 and fixes all its strongest flaws: the bass roll off, the treble, and the comfort. The HD 25, both on my measurement rig and on my head, have a substantial midbass and upper bass boost but noticeable sub bass roll off. It also has a treble peak that, on my head, is even harsher than on measurements. It's what has kept me from recommending it for years, despite thinking its midrange is quite good.
That peak at 9.5kHz shifts down to around 8kHz on me, which puts it right in the sibilance range. It's a shame because the HD 25 has quite nice vocal performance if I tamp that down with EQ, but I'm not always using a device that allows me to use EQ.
Conclusion
I'm so glad that I gave the DT 270 Pro another chance. These will be a staple recommendation for the foreseeable future because they're such a well-rounded package. beyerdynamic managed to make a compact headphone with large-for-its-size pads and one of the most coherent midranges this side of the Sennheiser HD6X0 series. It does have quite a bit of bass and treble, but its less comfortable competitors like the AKG K371, Audio Technica ATH-M50X, and Creative Aurvana Live! do as well.
This headphone is so good that we are giving this headphone, which was purchased out of pocket, to one lucky reader!