Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro 250 OHM Semi-open reference headphone

I'm very fond of the DT880, but oddly enough, not when it comes to music. I find music with them dry & a bit sterile.. The DT880 demands tubes for musicality, Although, they are hard to fault in terms of technical merit. They offer excellent resolve, detail, & separation of the instruments.. The resolve is a bit superficial & docile compared to the DT48, but is still stellar in their own right, & what you would expect from a hi quality headphone worthy of it's 489.00 MSRP.

Unlike the SA5000, the detail isn't in the spotlight, getting in the way of the music.. You get just about the same amount of detail, but it doesn't take away your focus from the music. Detail isn't pushed in your like like the SA5000.

I find the DT880 to be the smoothest dynamic headphone I ever owned. Just butter smooth, only my Ortho's are smoother.. The treble high octane, plentiful, smoother & better extended then my DT48, which IMO, lacks the overall smoothness & treble energy that I really enjoy with the DT880.

The Sound stage has more depth then width from my experience, & has a un canny ability to project sound in front of you, while at the same time projecting a very convincing out of 3D imaging that can actually cover my room.. But not in the 4 corner sense, but in the triangle sense. I never had this experience with a headphone before.

The DT880's bass is the most pleasurable I have heard SE.. It just has a mind of it's own mentality with authoritative drive & impact.. Under amped the bass can sound a bit loose, flabby, plodding. Well driven, it's truly as pleasure to listen too.. Full, textured, & well extended.

The most glaring flaw is the DT880 Mid range.. I find it a bit recessed, brittle, lean, & dry... Tube amps help, but still is not the headphones strong suit.

The highs are sweet with some bloom & sparkle.. But treble sensitive listeners will find the highs more harsh & sharp.. This is a area, where most problems occur with the majority of DT880 owners.

In general.. The DT880 are linear & neutral sounding compared to the majority of other popular hi fi headphones under 500.. For gaming & movies the DT880 are A number 1 in my book.. But for music, with the gear I used them with, they didn't do much for me.. Still highly recommended.

What can i really say about these astonishing headphones? I bought them after a very long audition session where even against much more expensive competition i kept coming back to these beautiful cans.

First things first, If you are looking for cans which add something to an album the DT880's probably aren't for you. They add little in terms of energy or warmth. They are clinical in their sound. What you get on the CD/FLAC/MP3 is what you hear. To me this is no bad thing, in fact it is the reason I chose these over the other options presented to me. That isn't to say they aren't fun to listen to, they have excellent balance and dynamics, as well as having great timing and control. But the energy and excitement comes from the music. If the music is dull and lifeless the headphones sound that way too, but if the music is energetic and powerful and exciting the headphones are as well.

I purchased new headphones due to an operation which left my on ear headphones uncomfortable for long use. I have no such comfort issues here, in fact i believe these are the most comfortable headphones i've ever used. 4/5 hour listening sessions at night and i don't even know they're on my head. The pro's clamp harder than the premium line DT880's due to the intended use in studios where a lot of movement is expected, but i find the strong clamp to be reassuring.

The sound that comes from these headphones is breathtaking though, in clarity and sound stage they are superb, you can hear where everything is positioned and every tap of the cymbal and strum of the guitar it is incredible, like the band is in your room. 

The only negative, and for me it is a very small one, these cans are not for extreme bassheads. There is plenty of bass for me, it's controlled and tight and well defined, but it doesn't go to th extremely low powerful frequencies other can's manage. So maybe Techno/trance/dance/hip hop fans should consider other alternatives.

In my opinion these should be on anyones audition list. stunning detail and clarity make these cans a winner in my book.

The DT880 Pro 250 ohm is a semi-open circumaural head-phone which Beyerdynamic market for monitoring.

Packaging and Accessories

My DT880's (although purchased new) were actually sent as a demo unit - so I did not get the retail box.  They do some with a very nice padded canvas case which offers reasonable protection, and also a 3.5-6.3mm adaptor plug (screw on).

Technical Specifications

From the Beyerdynamic website :

Build / Comfort / Isolation

The build on the DT880 Pro is extremely solid.  These look and feel like they were built to last.  There is a lot of metal in the cups and headband - but everything is excellently padded.

The DT880 Pro do have quite a bit of clamp force - the Pro version were specifically designed for studio work, and as such do have a tighter clam than the Premium version.  This also is supposed to provide a more "powerful" sound (whatever that means) - but I suspect it may have more to do with bass presence and tighter soundstage.

Despite the clamp force, the DT880 are immensely comfortable and I could wear them for hours.  The velour pads are very soft, and completely enclose your ears.  The head band is well padded, and is also replaceable.  It is definitely one of the most comfortable headphones I have ever worn.

Although the DT880 is semi-open, and clamps well, it does leak sound, and allow ambient noise in (like all open headphones).  It is nowhere near as open as other headphones I've had though (Alessandro, AD700).  I would not use it for outside, or in an environment demanding quiet - but for normal use around the home so far it has been excellent.

Sound Quality

I was looking for a well balanced headphone when I demoed the DT880, and that really is it's strong-point.  IMO the DT880 is really a jack-of-all-trades, and can handle most genres really well.

Detail - The DT880 has decent clarity, but does not approach the detail level of cans like the SRH940.  Everything is very clear to me though.  It has a very slight U shaped frequency with a slightly more prominent mid-bass and treble.

Soundstage - IMO the stgae is not overly large for an open can - and is probably deeper than it is wide. I did find them reasonable for positional gaming, and they do not feel overly cramped - but they definitely are not airy or expansive either.

Highs - I found the highs on the DT880 to be almost perfect.  There is enough sparkle to keep things lively, without becoming sibilant.  Extension seems good - and the nice thing is that the highs are not overdone.

Mids - The mids are good, but do sit ever so slightly in the background - especially in the first 50 hours or so of listening.  They also have a tendency to be a little dry rather than warm and engaging.  My one regret with the DT880 is that the mids are not a little more to the front of the spectrum, and I would love to see them a little warmer.  However, if you add a tube amp to the mix, this has the ability to add the missing warmth.  I've never been a proponent of burning -in headphones.  But I have been quietly amazed over the last few days as the mids have opened up a little for me.  Could be placebo - but these are becoming more enjoyable as time goes on.

Bass - The bass is punchy, and reasonably well defined.  It extends well - but doesn't seem to quite get right down to the sub-bass.  There is a slight emphasis on the mid-bass which contributes to the U frequency, but overall the bass is well presented as long as it is driven properly.

DT880 Pro with my PortaTube - a magic combination.

Power Requirements - my DT880 Pro are 250ohm, and although they can be driven straight from my iPhone4 / iPod Touch 4 - they need volume at 90% to be listenable, and they are not really being driven to their potential.  These cans really do need amping.  They respond well to my E11, but really start to shine with the E9 (about 10 o'clock on the pot) and absolutely shine on the PortaTube.

Summary / Conclusion

The DT880 Pro are the first Beyers I've tried, and I have to say that I am impressed.  They are supremely comfortable, and for me present a level of comfort that all manufacturers should strive for.

They are extremely well balanced, and lend well to all the genres I listen to - especially female vocals, modern jazz, and both progressive and classic rock.  They also do classical surprisingly well.  They do have a tendency to be a little dry and unexciting at first - IMO due to the lack of colouration - but with tubes, or a warm amp, they do come alive and are really very pleasant.  Well worth the price I paid for them - they simply do most things very well.