Beyerdynamic DT 860

Design

Each of these cans are built around different design philosophies, and it shows even at a first glance: the Beyerdynamic DT 860s prize function over form, while the opposite is true for the Beats Pros. Though they are primarily designed to turn heads, the Beats Pros have closed backs, which have the tendency to echo a bit sometimes while listening, while the Beyerdynamic DT 860s suffer from no such shortcoming. Still, this does make them more durable, so if you need your cans to go into the outside world, the Beats are closer to what you’d want.

Beyerdynamic DT 860	Monster Beats Pro

Frequency Response

Absolutely no contest here, the Beyerdynamic DT 860s blow the Beats Pros right out of the water. Though neither strayed too far from our ideal limits, the Beats Pros have an unreasonably high emphasis on bass frequencies and erratic response, where the Beyerdynamic DT 860s have a beautifully flat response for most of the bass and mid tones. To add insult to injury, the Beyerdynamic DT 860s are much closer to the “studio quality” the Beats Pros advertise than the Beats themselves.

Beyerdynamic DT 860	Monster Beats Pro

Distortion

Neither set of cans had a problem with distortion, but the Beats Pros technically have more.

Beyerdynamic DT 860	Monster Beats Pro

Tracking

Neither pair of headphones have a perfect response, but nothing you’ll notice in your listening.

Beyerdynamic DT 860	Monster Beats Pro

Isolation

This is probably the largest departure in performance here: where the Beats Pros are closed-backed over-ears, the Beyerdynamic DT 860s are open, so the Beyerdynamics do not attenuate as much outside noise as the Monsters. Still, this does not mean that the Beats Pros are “good” at isolation by any stretch of the imagination.

Beyerdynamic DT 860	Monster Beats Pro

Comfort

Though the Beyerdynamic DT 860s are guilty of having a firm grip on your skull, the Beats Pros have a tendency to try to kill it. Normally a firm grip is fine, but the padding of the Beats Pros does not lend itself to reshaping, like that of the DT 860s. We’ll give this one to the Beyerdynamic DT 860s.

Wear
Beyerdynamic DT 860	Monster Beats Pro

Verdict

If you want a set of headphones for home audio listening, there is no functional reason to choose the Beats Pros over the Beyerdynamic DT 860s, as they have a poorer audio performance across the board and cost almost 100% more. Unfortunately for the Beyerdynamic DT 860s, their open backs make them unable to go outside, so if you want to take your cans out in the world, the Beats Pros are more able to perform that function.