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Good amp for a Dt880?

post #1 of 20
7/14/08 at 12:43am
Thread Starter 
First off, hi! im brand new to this forum. (dont hurt me)


I'm trying to get some input on a good amp for headphones im going to buy in the near future. I'm planning on buying myself a pair of Beyerdynamic DT880s for my computer setup, and I don't have the first clue as to amps, how they work, and what I should be looking for. Basically what I am trying to find out is:

- a decent type of amp to power a 250ish ohm set of cans

- potential good places to price shop for said amp

- if I should be looking for a standalone DAC, or if my soundcards onboard DAC (Auzentech X-fi Prelude) would be able to handle the job adequately

I'm trying to keep the spending to around $700, but if I need to, I can save up for better equipment. Like you probably know, I don't have an extraordinary amount of knowledge on this subject, so if i'm picking a bad set of cans, or am just going about this all wrong, please let me know
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post #2 of 20
7/14/08 at 3:20am
I recently purchased the DT880 and use the Little Dot MKIV SE tube amp with it but there are other cheaper amps like the LD MKIII for $200 which should be good too. You've chosen a phone with a long and respected track record so your best bet is to do an advanced Google search by placing this : Headphone Amps (full-size) - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio in the last field (search this site) and place DT880 in the first or "all these words" field. That should get you started.

Welcome to HeadFi where you don't need to worry about your wallet because we do it for you.
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post #3 of 20
7/14/08 at 3:40pm
Headamp's PICO portable amp is one of the best with decent DAC, don't miss it and you never regret. If you don't need DAC, then Meier's amplifiers are well known be the matching pair with Beyer cans.
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post #4 of 20
7/14/08 at 4:03pm
I think tube amps are best suited to the DT880. If you have enough power and control, the DT880 sounds like liquid gold. Your dollar will go a lot further in the For Sale Forum. I think there are a few Singlepower amps for sale there. Take a look at others for sale, too. You should be able to save 50% or more off retail.

I'm not up on DACs these days, but you should find plenty of threads on them here.
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post #5 of 20
7/14/08 at 5:47pm
Darkvoice is a good choice also. several 336's up for sale

I have tried my DT880 with a WA3+ and it is a great match.
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post #6 of 20
7/14/08 at 7:02pm
I agree with Uncle Erik. DT880s are very transparent and benefit from some tube warmth. Congratulations, you have a wonderful pair of cans.
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post #7 of 20
7/14/08 at 10:58pm
I really, really like my 2005 DT880 250ohm with the LD MkIII with 6ZH1P-EV tubes.
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post #8 of 20
7/15/08 at 5:32am
I have also really been enjoying a Woo Audio WA3 with the DT880's Buying used makes it a nice little entry level option if you want to save some of your budget for a dac. [for example: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f42/f-...ne-amp-343889/ ]

As far as sources go, I haven't heard the prelude, but I can tell you that moving from a regular x-fi xtrememusic to a entry level dac made a huge difference in sound quality with this amp + headphone combo. My experience was that the basic x-fi was (1) too slow to drive the Woo 3 + 880's for rock...the sound was jumbled and off-tempo (although choral/classical was fine in terms of speed); and (2) that the trebles on the x-fi were inherently somewhat fatiguing - often making for a bad combo with the natural brightness of the 880's. I presume your prelude is a sizable step forward from the basic x-fi - but at least in my situation, the dac was definitely a necessary purchase.

If I were in your shoes, opting instead to devote the entire budget to an amp, I know of several other amps I would be interested in hearing and researching with respect to synergy with the 880s - purely based on reviews I've read, including not limited to, the singlepower MPX3, bada p12, darkvoice 337, and KICAS Caliente.

One final consideration - instead of going with the ordinary 880's, you might consider the custom manufaktur version sold through Beyer's site. The price tag is a little higher (300 euro), but they come in the 600 ohm version, and reportedly sound fantastic. Happy shopping!
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post #9 of 20
7/15/08 at 8:32am
Quote:
My experience was that the basic x-fi was (1) too slow to drive the Woo 3 + 880's for rock...the sound was jumbled and off-tempo
You actually heard tempo changes in the music as a result of upgrading from a sound card to an entry-level outboard DAC?

Tim
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post #10 of 20
7/15/08 at 9:42am
I've been using Cayin HA-1A with my 880. Great combination in the midrange but I've experienced occasional fatigue when listening for over an hr, even in triode mode. I'm awaiting my Pico but I suspect the 880 runs best with tube amp.
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post #11 of 20
7/15/08 at 10:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by skeptic View Post
One final consideration - instead of going with the ordinary 880's, you might consider the custom manufaktur version sold through Beyer's site. The price tag is a little higher (300 euro), but they come in the 600 ohm version, and reportedly sound fantastic.
Yes they do sound fantastic.
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post #12 of 20
7/15/08 at 2:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tfarney View Post
You actually heard tempo changes in the music as a result of upgrading from a sound card to an entry-level outboard DAC?

Tim
I did indeed - although it would be more accurate to describe it as a tempo issue in and among the various instruments in fast/heavy rock recordings. I never had the sensation that the song was slowing down and speeding up per se...just that a lot of my rock sounded jumbled and somewhat disjointed. Initially, I assumed that the 880's simply didn't do rock very well or that many of the problematic tracks were simply poor recordings.

Disregarding the harsh trebles, the X-fi --> Woo 3 --> DT880 was quite enjoyable for a number of genres of music: choral, classical/instrumental, some pop, jazz, etc.

It was really my increasing perception of the x-fi's harsh trebles that drove me to purchase the DAC, but I was totally shocked when I plugged it in and realized that Bloc Party (for example) sounded good, lively and cohesive again! I think I still generally prefer the sound of a distorted guitar in low-fi, but my experience has led me to believe that the speed of the source is an extremely important and often underestimated factor in producing good sound...at least for those of us with slower amps and cans.
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post #13 of 20
7/15/08 at 5:16pm
Darkvoice amps drive high impedance cans really well, superbly well in fact. The entry level Figaro at around $160 is a great little amp for the money, but the $400 THA332 is well worth the extra investment, simply sublime with high impedance headphones like the DT880s.
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post #14 of 20
7/17/08 at 4:30am
i'm extremely pleased with my dared mp5 hybrid gainclone. it sounds amazing with my dt880's and I've also; more recently, been using it's amp to power my home speakers. It did a fantastic job on my def tech bp-10's and also with the budget value insignias in my office.

I have also used the little dot II+ with great results but i do like the dared a tad bit better and i'm about to bite on the millet starving student amp as well for my work rig.
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post #15 of 20
7/17/08 at 6:55am
I've tried the 880 with DV337 but it doesn't have the liquidity of the HA-1A; more neutral and quieter though.
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