DT 770 PRO Black Edition (80Ω) vs DT 990 Edition (600Ω): which needs more amplifier?

The Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO Black Edition (80Ω) is 80Ω at 96.0 dB (no reference unit printed); the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Edition (600Ω) is 600Ω at 96.0 dB (no reference unit printed). This page covers what they ask of an amplifier, not how they sound.

In amplifier terms these two are the same headphone. The gap between what they need for 100 dB is under half a decibel, which is smaller than the step between two clicks of most volume controls.

The numbers that decide it

SpecificationDT 770 PRO Black Edition (80Ω)DT 990 Edition (600Ω)
Impedance80 Ω600 Ω
Sensitivity96.0 dB96.0 dB
Sensitivity (voltage)107.0 dB/V98.2 dB/V
Power for 100 dB2.5 mW2.5 mW
Voltage for 100 dB0.45 V1.23 V
Current for 100 dB5.6 mA2.0 mA
Highest source impedance
that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule)
10.00 Ω75.00 Ω
Sources that reach 100 dB
out of 280
280266

One caution before reading the rows. Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO Black Edition (80Ω) and Beyerdynamic DT 990 Edition (600Ω) printed a decibel figure with no reference unit, so this page reads it as per milliwatt. If it is really per volt, each of them needs far more than the table says. Why the two readings differ by so much.

Where the two part company

14 of the 280 sources have the power for the DT 770 PRO Black Edition (80Ω) but not for the DT 990 Edition (600Ω) — Apple USB-C dongle (US), Apple USB-C dongle (EU), JadeAudio JA11, 11 more.

24 sources are low enough in output impedance for the DT 990 Edition (600Ω) under the one-eighth rule but not for the DT 770 PRO Black Edition (80Ω) (Audient EVO 4, ART HeadAmp 4 Pro, Focusrite Scarlett Solo 4th gen, 21 more).

266 of the 280 sources here reach 100 dB on both.

What each one needs from 80 to 105 dB

The DT 990 Edition (600Ω) is more demanding than 98% of the 567 non-electrostatic models in this database; the DT 770 PRO Black Edition (80Ω) than 84%.

dB SPLDT 770 PRO Black Edition (80Ω) powerDT 770 PRO Black Edition (80Ω) voltageDT 990 Edition (600Ω) powerDT 990 Edition (600Ω) voltage
800.03 mW45 mV0.03 mW0.12 V
850.08 mW80 mV0.08 mW0.22 V
900.25 mW0.14 V0.25 mW0.39 V
950.79 mW0.25 V0.79 mW0.69 V
1002.5 mW0.45 V2.5 mW1.23 V
1057.9 mW0.80 V7.9 mW2.18 V

The cheapest source that satisfies both

SourcePriceHeadroom, DT 770 PRO Black Edition (80Ω)Headroom, DT 990 Edition (600Ω)Output impedanceNoise
FiiO KA11$2915.1 dB6.4 dB0.7 Ω1.7 µV
FiiO BTR13$5912.0 dB3.0 dB0.6 Ω1.0 µV
iBasso DC03 Pro$6911.9 dB3.2 dB0.12 Ω0.9 µV

Of the 280 sources here, 266 reach 100 dB on both. 68 of them also publish an output impedance low enough for both under the one-eighth rule and a noise figure that stays below the audible-hiss threshold with both.

The cheapest of the 68 is the FiiO KA11, at $29. It leaves 15.1 dB of headroom on the DT 770 PRO Black Edition (80Ω) and 6.4 dB on the DT 990 Edition (600Ω), its output impedance is 0.7 Ω against a one-eighth limit of 10.00 Ω and 75.00 Ω, and its noise figure puts the hiss floor 28 dB and 37 dB below the 20 dB SPL this site treats as the point where a quiet room stops hiding it.

Try any other source.

What each sheet prints, and what it is worth

ModelAs printedToleranceStandard
DT 770 PRO Black Edition (80Ω)5 - 35.000 Hznot printednot printed
DT 990 Edition (600Ω)5 - 35.000 Hznot printednot printed

Beyerdynamic prints the same thing for both the DT 770 PRO Black Edition (80Ω) and the DT 990 Edition (600Ω): 5 - 35.000 Hz.

DT 770 PRO Black Edition (80Ω): Beyerdynamic prints the top of this range as “35.000”, with a dot, on the same English page where its other models get a comma. The figure is quoted here as it stands.

DT 990 Edition (600Ω): Beyerdynamic prints one range for the whole DT 990 Edition page, the same figure for every impedance version.

Neither range has a tolerance printed beside it, so the matching numbers say little.

Not a measurement; maker by maker.

Both pages in full

Both have a page of their own. In full: Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO Black Edition (80Ω) and Beyerdynamic DT 990 Edition (600Ω). Each figure on this page is labelled on those pages with where it came from, including the ones Beyerdynamic never published — what that maker publishes, counted.

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