DT880: REAL difference between 250 and 600 ohms?

You know, people tend to exaggerate the goodness of limited or hard-to-gain things. Not just headphones. And they really believe in that hyperbole themselves. Maybe 600 ohmers are actually noticeably better, maybe this perception of them being better is the result of better amp matching with 600 version... But, there's one thing can't be denied: beyers' owners love tube amps and many tube amps will certainly do better with 600 ohm load.

The 600 ohm versions just have added resistors right where the cable is hardwired to the drivers?

Not exactly. I believe it's all in the driver itself. Like a variation of the whole driver.

I remember a guy recabled his 600ohm DT880's and they were still 600ohm after the recable.

Really I don't know much about this stuff.

the diodes are here to protect the drivers, as I understand it...this DT770 had 250Ω drivers before I soldered the 600Ω, and yes they sound far more "refined"....the 250Ω had ugly and harsh trebles.

the higher the impedance on the beyer, the faster/more transparent they get(that's what their PM told me anyway!)

i have BOTH 250 Ohm DT880 (2003) and 600 Ohm one on my desk now, and after series of listening in various kind of music, i can confirm that the 600 one can give you a more refined, transparent sound.

My take on DT880 differences:
- Tamed down treble
- Better and fuller bass
- Evened out mids
- More smooth all way through
The difference is not resistors, there aren't any but different driver voice coils.
I was quite unhappy with 250Ohm version to keep it (anemic bass, harsh treble, recessed mids), 600Ohm seems to address all these issues. Out of all Beyer models that I've heard this is the only one that I truly enjoy.

No, I would think the voice coils would be wound differently between the two versions.

I hope there will be some impressions - I've been very interested in the 600 Ohm DT880.

Uncle Erick, I have both so I can give you some comparisons.

1) The 250ohm DT880's treble is very unrefined and a tad harsh while the 600ohm DT880's treble is smooth and unfatiguing.
2) Mids on the 250ohm were present but more or less drowned out by the treble. Mids on the 600ohm though were far more present and not recessed.
3) Bass on the 250ohm version was very detailed/controlled, but the 600ohm even more so with perhaps a little added detail?
4) Soundstage on both seems to be equal.
5) The 600ohm had better resolution/transparency that the 250ohm.


Anything else you'd like me to comment on? Though I am using different amps for both so maybe that's why they sounded so different.

Damn, i want the 600ohm version now. And i really like the 250ohm ver.

X2 but they ain't cheap enough for a look-see.

Although there are budget options for 600Ohm - stock models with higher impedance drivers available from some etailers like Moon Audio, I would advise against going this route as Beyer is notorious for putting mismatched drivers in non custom line, I was burned 3 times in a row trying to get 600Ohm version of DT770. The impedance mismatch between drivers was from 12 to as much as 30 Ohm, needless to say they all went back to the manufacturer. On the other hand, Manufaktur 600 Ohm DT880 that I own has perfectly matched drivers. Seems like Beyer bothers with drivers matching only on high $, custom items.
Another funny story, one 600Ohm DT770 that I got did not have dampening caps installed, and the other one had it just on one driver. Imagine that, and they both were brand new, straight from the manufacturer drop ship items.

I have both the DT880/250 and DT880/600 ohm versions on loan for Can Jam and have been comparing them all weekend with my Sonett amplifier. I prefer the sound of the 250 ohm. While both sound similar, the 600 ohm sounds too tight, lean, and clinical for me.

My current favorite of the beyer consumer models is the DT990/600 ohm. A little more bass weight and treble sparkle than the DT880/250 making an overall very engaging, enjoyable sound.

I've seen some of the Manufaktur DT880's on CraigsList for $250-$280 used, so keep an eye out.