Background
To this day, I have owned a couple of "pretty good" headphones (in my opinion pre-DT770
:
* Sennheiser HD555
* Sennheiser HD448
* Shure E2-C IEMs (lost/stolen)
* Ultimate Ears Super-fi 5 IEMs (lost/stolen)
I also own an Fiio E7 DAC/amp, which I used along with my HD448 at work.
Needing a closed headphone for work, I decided ot purchase a pair of DT770 250Ohm after a lots of reading on here and arround the web. So, I've pulled the trigger on those and the much praised Modi/Magni duo. I actually got the Modi2/Magni2 straight from Schiit's website (note to all canadians: they might not be as cost effective to us with the new USD/CAD change rate and duty import taxes - a suprisingly high 75$ CAD, ouch!).
So, yesterday I finally received my Modi 2 + Magni 2 and today came my DT770 250ohm.
Expectations
So, my expectations were pretty high after reading so many reviews and impressions; I've have always found the Sennheiser sound signature to be pretty awesome for mid and highs, and totally lacking bass. Being what you guys would consider a basshead, I've been disapointed a lot with the HD555 ever since I've had them (5 years+). I've do appriciate them a lot more with jazz/cuban/electronic music, much less so with rock/hiphop/dubstep, because of the lack of deep controller bass.
Impressions / mini-review
Now for my impressions. When I toyed around with the modi/magni yesterday with my Sennheiser cans, I was somehow afraid I would be disapointed with the DT770. I truly couldn't see any difference between my Fiio E7 and the modi2/magni2; my set of HD555 is only 50Ohm impedance, so it doesn't really benefit from being amped.
But today, I finally got to give a try to the DT770, and holy crap, those things are simply awesome! I've never listened to anything sounding as clean and tight as those. The bass is so precise, deep and controlled. The highs are at least as good as the HD555 (which I can't A/B test right now, left them home), and those cans truly make the HD448 feel and sound very cheap. It's simply in another league.
The build quality is, like said many times before, very solid. And the comfort is pretty good. I kinda feel like they grip a little too much, but I'm sure it'll loosen up with time. Oh, and the sound isolation is exactly what I wanted: very close to IEMs in isolation level, but much easier to remove/put on the cans; which is a must at work when a coworker needs my attention.
And finally, I can actually appreciate *any* type of music with those cans: from hiphop to jazz, it just doesn't matter. I really don't mind them having a V-shaped sound signature, I guess; I just use the DT770 without any sort of EQ and the sound signature fits my taste. So, that's it for now. I'll post more impressions as they get burned-in and as I listen to them more.
*******
Price paid : $219 CAD / $175 USD
Note : My source is a retina macbook pro, 256/320/16bit mp3s mostly, tons of 16bit lossless FLAC/ALAC, and some 24bit lossless alac rips from SACD. I'm using iTunes on OSX, with the OS setup to output 192KHz/24-bit signal to the modi2 through a fairly cheap USB cable (I got some 32awg coming from monoprice, but I really doupt those make a difference at all). Oh, and I got the Psyst RCA cables from Schiit to to connect the modi2/magni2.
PS: Sorry about my most likely bad or lackluster use of adjectives regarding my audio impressions, I'm french canadian so bear with me
