The Beyerdynamic DT880 Appreciation / Discussion thread - Page 9

I sold the HD600 in favor of the DT880 03. Also, 32yo did.

just got my DT880/600 - will compare to a recabled DT800/250 once it's burned in

A Beyer DT880/600 in parallel with a K701, similar loudness level?

Very informative thread.
I have a question for you DT880/600 users.
In this post I described the scenario that I'm evaluating:
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/hom...-music-452672/

In sinthesis, two people listening to two hps powered by the same amp (C2C).
One hp would be the K701.
The question is: would the Beyer match the k701 in term of loudness when powered in parallel?
I'm exluding the Senn HD650 as second hp because some people advised me that
the loudness differences are relevant.

Look forward to hear your impression.

Also, just got my DT880/600 (one day early than the tracking info). Mine is manufaktur and I'm not sure if it is any different from the stock 600ohm version. After some quick listen, I'll say it is truly an upgraded DT880 for me. The focus and impact of each music note are just tighten up so that the sound has been further refined.

I like my DT880/250's clarity/detail/soundstage, but sometime felt a little bit of "loosen" on notes especially comparing with k702. Also, sometime there seem to be a "mist" in the air that "scatters" the sound. However, I have never felt my DT880/250 to be sibilant or edgy at all after both my DAC and AMP being upgraded to a certain level.

Now DT880/660 seems to address those issues for me. Actually, I am already very happy with it even before it is burned in. This is probably the very first time that I'm happy with the HP right out of the box. The synergy of it with PSA DL III + GCHA is excellent!! Crystal clear with very nice harmonic resonance and decaying.

The 600 ohm version does need more on the volume knob. I usually have GCHA at about 11 o'clock for 250 ohm. The 600 ohm needs it to be at about 12 o'clock. Still, it does not seem to be too hard to drive.

Very happy!

[QUOTE=dukja;6129106]Look forward to hear your impression.

Also, just got my DT880/600 (one day early than the tracking info). Mine is manufaktur and I'm not sure if it is any different from the stock 600ohm version. After some quick listen, I'll say it is truly an upgraded DT880 for me.


I too am interested in the manufaktur 600. To clarify, are you suggesting that the version you have is an audible improvement over the stock version? If that's the case, it would be well worth the additional cost, notwithstanding the cosmetic differences. Thanks and keep us posted.

No, I wasn't trying to say that manufaktur sounds different to the stock 600-ohm version.

I called Pete at BeyerdynamicUSA before purchasing. According to him, there is no difference between the stock & manufaktur. However, I remember reading posts here regarding to the left & right driver impedance matching. It seems that the drivers for manufaktur version are better matched. (I'm not 100% sure.) My reason to go for manufaktur is to change the appearance so I can tell mine apart. (and also just to play safe on the left/right channel matching.)

OK and good reasons to get the manufaktur version. I'll probably do the same. Thanks much.

I just measured the impedance @ DC and they are
stock 250-ohm: 239.5/240.5 => error: 0.42%
vs
manufaktur 600-ohm: 614.6/610.5 => error: 0.67%

So now I am sure manufaktur probably will not guarantee giving you better balance on left & right drivers. But I am sure my left and right hearing has more imbalance than that (not to mention when allergy comes in).

DT880/600 vs K702 (and more)

When I compared my DT880/250 with K702 in the past, I always felt K702 has an edge on the extra sharp edge (fastness?) of the impact of a note at mid-high freq. Today, I compared DT880/600 with K702. And to my very satisfaction DT880/600 sound even better to me than K702 now. Not only the 600-ohm beyer sounds as sharp and clean but also the coherence between all spectral content is better than K702.

I listened the "Fields of Coral" in Vangelis' Oceanic for the comparison. The notes that sounds like hitting the crystalware were so condensed with the glow of reverberation that it is just amazing with DT880/600 and PSA comba. While K702 also sounds tight and clean, it also sounds a little bit artificial (the high freq is disconnected with the lower freq content.)

I was always looking for an upgrade which combines the strength of both DT880/250 and K702. It seems DT880/600 fit the position very well.

On a side note, DT800/600 really shows the strength of GCHA + DL III. I often found that only the revealing headphone can show the real difference of other equipments. If any chain in the link smears the sound, the comparison of other components in the link may be obscured. With DT880/600, I now can clearly hear the difference between GCHA and HP100. While HP100 sound great, it blends the edges of notes and loses the sharpness and focus a little bit. Same observation seems to apply to the comparison of DL III and DA100. Now I am looking for another set of DAC/AMP to challenge PSA combo.

I've had the DT880 250 ohm for a while and recently purchased the DT880 600 ohm. I used a DIY SS amp to test this.

Let me just be honest. I find these two headphones to sound identical or nearly identical at closely matched volumes. The treble of the 600 ohm version *might* be slightly smoother.

I'm not looking to argue with anybody about this - just wanted to offer my experience which contrasts with what others are reporting.

Again, not trying to argue with your observation since it is mainly for our enjoyment. As long as we enjoy it, other things do not matter.

I would agree with you before I got gears revealing enough to show the difference. All of my previous tests were also volume matched with sound pressure meter. And I have been puzzled by why I could not hear the difference of two gears (with good $$ difference). Until one day I got more revealing equipment(s) in the link, then the difference was so easy to tell.

For example, in one incidence I tried to tell the difference of two tubes with LD MK III with HD600. I hardly can tell. But the difference was immediately apparent when I use DT880/250 with them. Later on, there were more and more similar incidences that taught me a very good lesson: don't judge your gear hastily. Wait until you own the matching equipment (and source) to really hear the strength (and weakness) of your "gear on the trial". (will not list the gears in those incidences)

After a few days with DT880/600, it easily now be the best phone in my system. I used to switch between DT880/250 and K702 due to their own strength. But now the 600-ohm version easily takes them all. I bought K702 due to their highly praised soundstage and details. Now with DT880/600, I was surprised how deep (spatially) and clear my music can be. I would highly doubt that I can hear the improvement with my old DAC and AMP in the past. PSA combo IS amazing.

I just hate to take so long to convince myself that DT880/600 is the one for me!

actually beyer told me you can see color-coded cable at the drivers. I never checked. trust, but verify?

Did they tell you what color the 600 ohm drivers are? I just got some 600 ohm drivers from Beyer which had stickers on them, and so I am sure they are 600 ohm - so I could check the cable color to see if that's uniform.