The Final DX4000CL is a full-size dynamic driver with a 40 mm paper-carbon composite diaphragm released in the spring of 2026. It features a large but comfortable housing with thick earpads. Launch price is£949 / €999 / $999.
The DT1770PRO mk1 is a well-established professional closed-back studio headphone built around a 45 mm dynamic driver, with a focus on passive sound isolation and clarity. The mk1 has an impedance of 250 ohms, while the newer mk2 version is only 30 ohms. The price was around 600 USD
I personally think it is a mistake for Beyerdynamic not to continue offering both, as I would like to see them maintain the tradition within their professional range for offering the same model at different impedance levels.
For instance, the DT770 Pro has been available in 32, 80, and 250 ohm variants for years. There is a reason for that: people have different gear and different preferences. Impedance matching with amplifiers is important, and when everybody gravitates toward low impedance headphones, you limit the design options of audio equipment, which is a shame.
FINAL DX4000CL SPECIFICATIONS:
- Type: Closed-back dynamic headphones
- Driver: 40mm Paper-Carbon dynamic driver
- Sensitivity: 96 dB/mW – 1kHz
- Impendance: 37 Ohms
- Earpads: Synthetic leather with memory foam (lip-and-notch detachable)
- Housing: Resin
- Cable: 2 m silver coated cable
- Cable connectors: dual 3.5mm on headphones
- Cable termination: 4.4mm (with 4.4mm to 6.3mm adapter)
- Weight: 375g (excluding cable)
BEYERDYNAMIC DT 1770 PRO mk1 SPECIFICATIONS
- Type: Closed back – Over-ear
- Driver: 45 mm dynamic
- Sensitivity: 102 dB/mW – 500 Hz
- Impedance: 250 Ohm
- Cables: 3 m straight, 5 m coiled
- Connector: Threaded straight 3.5 mm jack
- Adapter: Screw-on 6.3 mm adapter
- Pads: both pleather and velour (lip-and-notch detachable)
- Weight: 388 g (without cable)
BUILD AND COMFORT
The DT1770PRO is built and designed like almost every full-size headphone from Beyerdynamic. It is very utilitarian and compact, and I find it comfortable with the velour pads; it feels a bit claustrophobic with the pleather pads. The pleather pads change the sound signature, not necessarily in a bad way, and they also isolate much better than the velour.
The DX4000CL comes only with leather pads, but they are larger than those of the DT1770PRO. They do cover a lot of skin, making them less ideal in humid environments. The DX4000CL is also generally larger but still comfortable. It offers isolation on par with the DT1770PRO with velour pads, but less than the DT1770PRO with pleather.
Both headphones use replaceable pads that connect to the cup with a standard lip-and-groove system.
Further, both headphones come with detachable cables. The DT1770PRO is single-sided and uses a three-pin mini XLR connector, while the DX4000CL has connectors on both ear cups and features the widely used 3.5 mm connectors.
PADS ON THE DT 1770 PRO
The DT 1770 PRO is supplied with two types of pads. It is used in this comparison with the velour pads, which sound quite different from the pleather pads. The pleather pads are very different, importantly it’s less airy sounding and has significantly more bass presence.
LISTENING COMPARISONS
Associated equipment:
- Amplifier: Topping A90
- DAC: RME ADI-2 DAC FS
- The DT1770PRO with stock VELOUR pads
I Speak Because I Can by Laura Marling
The DT1770PRO sounds quite bright, with the tambourine in particular coming across as pretty shrill but not distorted. The DX4000CL offers a darker, slightly thicker tonality. Both sound spacious and are high in detail.
Rambling Man by Laura Marling
This song is mixed in a more pleasant-sounding way. The DX4000CL presents the vocals convincingly; everything feels well balanced and natural. Coming from the DX4000CL, the DT1770PRO offers much brighter vocals that sound a bit too aggressive, and the general presentation is also brighter and crisper than I prefer – at least in direct comparison.
Cloud Wars by Medeski, Martin and Wood
The DX4000CL has a thicker mid-bass and sounds generally more laid back, while the DT1770PRO is crisper and brighter.
Terminal 7 by Tomasz Stanko
The DX4000CL sounds natural and neutral in a slightly laid-back vein, with good instrument separation and detail delivered in a smoother way, especially compared to the DT1770PRO, which has more recessed lower mids and less bass but a more energetic upper mids and treble. It is much crisper. At first listen it might feel more detailed, but I think it’s not – just more articulate in the higher frequencies.
The Sun Always Shines on TV MTV Unplugged by a-ha
The DT1770PRO sounds airy and crisp, upfront, with bite and attack. Moving over to the DX4000CL, things sound fuller and richer, darker and smoother, yet with a good level of detail.
As Before by Olga Konkova
The way the cajón drum in the intro is presented is always interesting to listen to. The DX4000CL delivers a nice punch. Vocals are smooth, and the piano is clear without sounding shrill or overly crisp.
The DT1770PRO offers a pretty tame cajón drum that lacks body and punch entirely, while the piano is crisp, almost a bit shrill. Vocals are clear and textured. There is a lot of space, but also sibilance on the vocals, which I rarely encounter on this track.
It Could Be Sweet by Portishead
The DT1770PRO delivers very polite, detailed bass, crisp and highly detailed vocals, and energetic treble. The DX4000CL sounds much more neutral. The vocals are still very detailed but sound more naturally balanced. The bass is much more present and the treble not as aggressive.
Escape Route by Boris Blank
The DX4000CL sounds very organic, the bass has a good rumbling character, and things are smooth and delightful to listen to. The DT1770PRO sounds thin and bright, crisp and sometimes shrill, in comparison.
Summer 3 Vivaldi Recomposed by Max Richter
The DX4000CL sounds smoother, lusher, and more natural. The DT1770PRO is crisper and much brighter, not in a way I find natural.
WRAPPING IT UP
Note: as previously stated, the DT1770PRO is used in this comparison with the velour pads. It is also supplied with pleather pads, which make it sound very different and essentially turn it into a different headphone, meaning my comparison impressions would have been very different with those fitted.
Sound Signature
“Neutral” is a very subjectively used word when it comes to describing sound. In my view, neutral should sound natural, with bass that is more than merely present, full-bodied mids, and highs that are not shrill.
With that perspective in mind, the DX4000CL has a more neutral sound signature with a better balance between bass, mid-range, and treble. The DT1770PRO (with velour pads) is not neutral; it is bass-light and bright, with a very pronounced upper mid-range and treble. Beyerdynamic headphones are known for being bright, and the DT1770PRO is no exception.
Treble
The treble is significantly more energetic and articulate with the DT1770PRO, which comes across as outright bright and overly crisp. It may be useful for picking out artefacts in a recording, but when it comes to enjoying music, the DX4000CL is far better, more natural and pleasing.
Midrange
In the mid-range too, the DT1770PRO is brighter and crisper, with more energy in the upper mids than the lower. The DX4000CL sounds more natural, with a better balance resulting in a lusher and smoother delivery. However, the DT1770PRO does reveal midrange texture more clearly and more pronounced.
Bass
The bass of the DT1770PRO – with the stock velour pads – is good in quality and extension but the quantity can be described as anaemic. If you are focused on picking out artefacts especially for production purposes, a very polite bass may be useful, but when it comes to listening to music and getting an impression of how most audio gear reproduces it, the DX4000CL is much better suited in my opinion.
Soundstage and Imaging
The DT1770PRO (velour), with its bright delivery, sounds very airy. It is also quite good at imaging, helped by the highly articulate character of the upper frequencies. Still, the DX4000CL manages to offer a comparable soundstage size and imaging quality with its lusher, more laid-back sound signature.
Detail, Dynamics, and Timbre
It is a bit hard to compare detail levels because of the different sound signatures. The DT1770PRO, with its very articulate highs and upper mids, can fool you into thinking it is more detailed at first listen. However, once you adjust to the sound signature, the DX4000CL offers more nuance and refinement, just in a smoother, more laid-back manner.
Because the DT1770PRO (velour) lacks bass presence, the DX4000CL sounds more expressive in terms of macrodynamics. The DT1770PRO has more pronounced microdynamics in the mids and highs, but to me this feels artificial and excessive when compared directly to the smoother DX4000CL.
When it comes to timbre, it should be clear by now that I vastly prefer the general tuning of the DX4000CL. On its own, I can enjoy the DT1770PRO; it certainly has its qualities and has long been a reference in its class, but I have never found it to sound convincingly natural when compared to more lush sounding headphones like the DX4000CL.
In essence, the DT1770PRO (velour) is crisp and bright, enhancing textures and artefacts, while the DX4000CL is smoother, better balanced, and a more pleasant, laid-back listen.
CONCLUSION
The DT 1770 PRO (with velour pads) and the Final Audio DX4000CL are quite different headphones.
If you use the DT1770PRO as a working tool to pick out faults and artefacts in a recording, or simply prefer a bright and crisp tuning, it is certainly not a bad headphone. However, when it comes to a balanced and natural-sounding presentation of music, or simply wanting a smoother, lusher listen, the DX4000CL is much better.
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