Tier 3 · Rank #11

Beyerdynamic — German broadcast and the indestructible M88

Founded in Berlin in 1924, family-owned and now headquartered in Heilbronn, Beyerdynamic (officially beyerdynamic, lowercase, but no one writes it that way) is the brand of broadcast headset mics, the legendary M88 dynamic, and the DT 770 / DT 990 studio headphones almost every audio professional has tried at some point.

Founded1924

HQHeilbronn, Germany

OwnershipPrivate, family-controlled (Stahl family)

Best-knownM88 mic, DT 770 / DT 990 headphones

What they make

Broadcast mics, headsets, and the most-used studio headphones in Germany

Beyerdynamic’s mic line is smaller than Sennheiser’s or AKG’s but laser-focused. The M 88 TG dynamic has been on broadcast desks since the 1960s and is the German equivalent of an RE20. They make tour-grade headset wireless (the Opus and TG series), measurement-grade condensers, and the DT line of headphones used in studios and broadcast booths worldwide.

The famous mics

Beyerdynamic microphones worth knowing

M 88 TG — hypercardioid dynamic. Broadcast voice, kick drum, brass.
M 160 — double-ribbon mic. The drum overhead and guitar amp ribbon people swear by.
M 201 — slim hypercardioid dynamic for snares and broadcast.
TG V90r — premium ribbon vocal mic.
MM 1 — measurement condenser for tuning a room.
DT 770 PRO — closed-back studio headphones. The standard tracking headphone in countless studios.
DT 990 PRO — open-back studio headphones for mixing.

Should you buy one?

The short answer

Get a Beyerdynamic if You want a German dynamic with a different character than a Shure SM7B — the M88 is brighter, tighter, and very flattering on broadcast voice. Or you need their headphones, which is most of what people actually buy from them.