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Amplifier for Beyerdynamic DT 880 (600 ohms)

post #1 of 26
8/19/08 at 8:55am
Thread Starter 
I'm thinking of purchasing the Beyerdynamic DT 880 (600 ohms) headphones. I understand that these require amplification. Can anyone recommend me the best headphone amplifier for these and other headphones (for future headphone purchases)? Where would I be able to purchase the amplifier? Where would I be able to purchase the replacement tubes (if needed)? Keep in mind that I live in the Netherlands.

Thanks in advance!

P.S. This is part of a continuation of another thread I started in the Headphones section (http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/k-7...-880-a-354393/). But since the question of amplifier has risen in the thread, I thought I also ask the people hanging around here for advice.
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Gear mentioned in this thread:

Beyer Dynamic DT 880 Premium 600 OHM Headphones
post #2 of 26
8/19/08 at 9:07am
Some powerful OTL tube amp.
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post #3 of 26
8/19/08 at 10:26am
when I had mine, I ran them on LD IV SE, Woo 3+ and Morgan Jones.

All OTL and all able to handle the high z and low sensitivity of the phones.

sounds? WONDERFUL!
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post #4 of 26
8/19/08 at 12:10pm
You can just grab GLite, it has more than enough juice to drive them at 12 o'clock. For the price it's an amazing piece of hardware.
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post #5 of 26
8/19/08 at 6:40pm
Thread Starter 
After reading a number of reviews, I must say, I like the looks of the Darkvoice 336se and WooAudio 3+. How do these work with the DT 880 (600 ohms)?

Where would I be able to purchase the Darkvoice 336se? And where would I be able to purchase the replacement tubes? I'd rather not buy via eBay.
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post #6 of 26
8/19/08 at 9:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ATHFan View Post
Where would I be able to purchase the Darkvoice 336se? And where would I be able to purchase the replacement tubes? I'd rather not buy via eBay.
If you prefer to avoid Ebay for the Darkvoice 336se, you may try there Audiophilechina (same seller as Casque_hifi on ebay)

For tubes, you can find many sellers by searching on google for these tubes
Output tubes : 6as7, 6as7g, 6080
Driver tubes: 6sn7, 6sn7gt, etc.
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post #7 of 26
8/19/08 at 9:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by glitch39 View Post
All OTL and all able to handle the high z and low sensitivity of the phones.

sounds? WONDERFUL!
x2. OTL is a great choice for high ohms. Lots of voltage as needed. I will throw in a recommendation of the Earmax Pro. I'm biased because I own one and love it with the DT880/600s, Tubes: Matched Electro Harmonix 6922 Golds is a good and very reasonable option for outputs. You can get them new at the Tubestore and other places on the web- about $55 with matching option. But you need a good warm NOS driver tube (12AT7/E81CC) to make them sound their best. Early Philips/Mullard/Amperex are all great choices if the quality is good.
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post #8 of 26
8/20/08 at 6:42am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by shotmaker View Post
If you prefer to avoid Ebay for the Darkvoice 336se, you may try there Audiophilechina (same seller as Casque_hifi on ebay)
Thanks for that! I also contacted Darkvoice, and they seem to sell the amplifiers themselves as well. They mentioned the Darkvoice 336se costs $360,00 ($260,00 + $100,00 EMS courier costs).

They also mentioned that the old product lines, like the FIGARO and Darkvoice THA336 are out of production . I don't know the specifics though.

Quote:
Originally Posted by shotmaker View Post
For tubes, you can find many sellers by searching on google for these tubes
Output tubes : 6as7, 6as7g, 6080
Driver tubes: 6sn7, 6sn7gt, etc.
Thanks again! So which of these replacement tubes should I purchase for use with the DT 880 (600 ohms)? I'm sorry for asking this much, but I'm new to this kind of stuff.

Quote:
Originally Posted by cooperpwc View Post
x2. OTL is a great choice for high ohms. Lots of voltage as needed. I will throw in a recommendation of the Earmax Pro. I'm biased because I own one and love it with the DT880/600s, Tubes: Matched Electro Harmonix 6922 Golds is a good and very reasonable option for outputs. You can get them new at the Tubestore and other places on the web- about $55 with matching option. But you need a good warm NOS driver tube (12AT7/E81CC) to make them sound their best. Early Philips/Mullard/Amperex are all great choices if the quality is good.
Like I mentioned before, I'm new to this. How do I know if the amplifier is a OTL (OTL stands for Output TransformerLess, right?) amplifier? And do they work great with low impedance headphones as well?

Thanks!
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post #9 of 26
8/20/08 at 8:48am
There are good sounding OTLs with low impedance headphones but they aren't cheap. The one I know is ASL Twin Head but I still have impression this amp prefers higher impedances in OTL mode.
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post #10 of 26
8/20/08 at 6:33pm
Thread Starter 
Okay, after reading a lot of review of headphone amplifiers, I am really interested in the Darkvoice 332. Too bad it's no longer in production. The Darkvoice 3322 seems to be the replacement for the 332, but I don't like the fact that the left and right volume controls are separated. It just seems as a hassle to increase or lower the volume this way. Where is the master volume control? Does the 3322 have anything like this?

What other amplifiers with the same quality as the 332 would you recommend?
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post #11 of 26
9/6/08 at 10:58am
LD MKIVSE...A lot of tube rolling options...Great amp..
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post #12 of 26
1/18/09 at 5:32am
How about the XCan v.3?? i have used this setup and changed the tubes to Amprex 6DJ8, it seems the sound is ok, but i still want to hear more advice for it.
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post #13 of 26
1/18/09 at 3:07pm
Transformer coupled amps are fine with high impedance headphones, as well. I'm running a 300 Ohm Sennheiser HD-650 off the Si2A3 right now. The output impedance matters more than the circuit topology. The circuit tells you more about how the amp will sound.

Yes, I'd also recommend a tube amp for the DT880. I don't have the 600 Ohm version, but they sound warmer, fuller and more liquid on tubes. It can be a little shrill with solid state.

As for replacement tubes, do you mind ordering from the United States? I use The Tube Store, Tube Depot and Antique Electronic Supply when I order tubes. However, there are a few stores I know of that carry tubes and a couple of swapmeets, so I usually buy tubes that way.
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post #14 of 26
7/17/10 at 7:53pm

I am interested in hearing additional feedbacks and recommendations of particular amps that best match the 600-ohm DT880.

 

TIA.
 


Edited by lyramax - 7/17/10 at 8:10pm
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post #15 of 26
7/17/10 at 11:20pm

Even though they're somewhat different phones, they're close enough for a comment: The Beyer DT990/600 are a GREAT match with the Woo WA3. The WA3 is a good value at its price point and would probably do justice to the 880 in a similar fashion as with the 990.

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Gear mentioned in this thread:

Beyer Dynamic DT 880 Premium 600 OHM Headphones
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