The Beyerdynamic DT880 Appreciation / Discussion thread - Page 134

Can't really comment on the MKIII - as had never tried it.  The MKIV has considerable power (gain switches preset to 10x), and with 6H30PI Gold power tubes, and either Mullard M8100 or GE JAN5654W driver tubes, it really is a nice combo.  Would definitely recommend as an option.

I just get the dt880 600 ohm this morning and they sound wow amazingly awsome out of the box, i'm running it from Dacport alone for about four hour and the sound is perfect

Lovin it already

Quote:

Originally Posted by zeinharis 

I just get the dt880 600 ohm this morning and they sound wow amazingly awsome out of the box, i'm running it from Dacport alone for about four hour and the sound is perfect

 

Lovin it already

sounds like a nice setup.  I don't know if you have any other amp or source to compare but does the dacport tend to brighten the highs?

Quote:

Originally Posted by bixby 

sounds like a nice setup.  I don't know if you have any other amp or source to compare but does the dacport tend to brighten the highs?

i'm using it from my laptop > Dacport > DT880/600, yes the dacport tend to brighten the highs and driven the dt880 pretty good, i came from ms1i that have very different soundsign than the dt880 but i'm satisfied with my setup right now, all i have to do now is to find myself an amp for my brand new baby and i heard that tubes amp are great with beyer.. CMIIW

Quote:

Originally Posted by zeinharis 

 

i'm using it from my laptop > Dacport > DT880/600, yes the dacport tend to brighten the highs and driven the dt880 pretty good, i came from ms1i that have very different soundsign than the dt880 but i'm satisfied with my setup right now, all i have to do now is to find myself an amp for my brand new baby and i heard that tubes amp are great with beyer.. CMIIW

I really like mine on tubes. I listened to them for the first 3 months on a solid state (e7/e9) and thought they were great. Then a member here convinced me to try out tube amps, and I could not be happier with what it has done to mine. 

Listening my old DT880 (600ohm) on a AMB M3 Cubed amp for some time. Amazing bass kicking.. Looks like all this time my good sounding headphones had been not power-ed up enough to reveal their entire bass performance. DT880 bas has never been that punchy before.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heathen999 

I really like mine on tubes. I listened to them for the first 3 months on a solid state (e7/e9) and thought they were great. Then a member here convinced me to try out tube amps, and I could not be happier with what it has done to mine. 

That is basically what I did!

SS for a few months, then tubes........................now I can't go back to SS for my DTs.

I would think it depends on the SS amp. I had my 880s through a Valhalla for almost a year and now through my Auditor I can say they are every bit as engaging, but driven with even more authority, control and precision. That said, I still love the tube signature (even though the Valhalla wasn't that tubey sounding), I will oneday get another tube amp.

I wish there was a DT990 600ohm lovers thread :(

Do you guys think that the same amps that pair well with the 880 would also with the 990? I'm sure there can't be a huge difference here.

I would appreciate some suggestions on amps for my new 990's as I can tell these puppies are going to need them. I hear a lot of talk about FiiO being a good choice.

I would be interested in that as well, how hard to drive are the 990s? Are they considered efficient or inefficient?

I don't know about you guys...but after about a week and a half with my DT880's, I've found like 2-3 songs (among 10000+ FLAC's) which sound great. I mean, really something that would make me go wow.  Most songs just sound like crap, either boomy, or overly bright, or sibilant.... The only music I can enjoy is electronic. Anything with vocals is just horrible, every single imperfection is thrown at my face, and things that should be thrown in my face are pushed back. Vocals sound dark, thin and recessed. In terms of instrument timbre,  something like HD558's puts the DT880's to shame. I mean, if someone would give me the two headphones and played some saxophone tunes, I'd say DT880's are several times cheaper headphones. 

It's not even that it sounds analytical or something, because there's not more detail than in any other headphones I have, it just sounds plain boring and everything that matters (vocals and instruments) are pushed far back.  And its the same with a lot of sources and amps I've tried them with which cost much more than headphones themselves. I don't know if I'm deaf or something, but honestly I feel like the "big trio" (hd650, k701, dt880) is a big joke, because neither the k701 or dt880 are even close to being in the same league as hd650's. I bought all three over the time in order to see if I'll get similar sound quality with difference flavors, but there's really no comparison imho, its not even about the preference, hd650's are just plain in a different league in every single way, there's nothing other two do better, and very little things they do as good.  But HD650's are boring to listen to as well. I think I'm giving up on headphones slowly, whatever I try is not satisfying. Probably I should sell everything and get some speakers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by derbigpr 

I don't know about you guys...but after about a week and a half with my DT880's, I've found like 2-3 songs (among 10000+ FLAC's) which sound great. I mean, really something that would make me go wow.  Most songs just sound like crap, either boomy, or overly bright, or sibilant.... The only music I can enjoy is electronic. Anything with vocals is just horrible, every single imperfection is thrown at my face, and things that should be thrown in my face are pushed back. Vocals sound dark, thin and recessed. In terms of instrument timbre,  something like HD558's puts the DT880's to shame. I mean, if someone would give me the two headphones and played some saxophone tunes, I'd say DT880's are several times cheaper headphones. 

 

It's not even that it sounds analytical or something, because there's not more detail than in any other headphones I have, it just sounds plain boring and everything that matters (vocals and instruments) are pushed far back.  And its the same with a lot of sources and amps I've tried them with which cost much more than headphones themselves. I don't know if I'm deaf or something, but honestly I feel like the "big trio" (hd650, k701, dt880) is a big joke, because neither the k701 or dt880 are even close to being in the same league as hd650's. I bought all three over the time in order to see if I'll get similar sound quality with difference flavors, but there's really no comparison imho, its not even about the preference, hd650's are just plain in a different league in every single way, there's nothing other two do better, and very little things they do as good.  But HD650's are boring to listen to as well. I think I'm giving up on headphones slowly, whatever I try is not satisfying. Probably I should sell everything and get some speakers.

Hey, it's all subjective.  If you don't like them, then you don't like them.

Mine continue to make me smile, so I'm sticking with them for now

Quote:

Originally Posted by derbigpr 
I feel like the "big trio" (hd650, k701, dt880) is a big joke

Why don't you try some "fun" headphones ? maybe all these flat headphones have made you flat : \

Quote:

Originally Posted by derbigpr 

I don't know if I'm deaf or something, but honestly I feel like the "big trio" (hd650, k701, dt880) is a big joke, because neither the k701 or dt880 are even close to being in the same league as hd650's. 

Different people - different preferences.  I currently have HD600s, DT880 600ohm, K701 and Grado 325is.  They all get roughly equal head-time, and I appreciate them all for their particular sonic signatures.

Personally I found the HD650 was just a little too laid back for my tastes. 

debigpr, if I had to guess I would say that you would bore and be just as dissatisfied with whatever speakers you get, unless your loaded and get the best of the best. Then of course everything else in your chain would need to be better .... it's a vicious cycle. Speaker listening can be amazing, I still use my speakers, but the intimacy and details available through headphone listening just can't be duplicated with speakers. Okay, maybe some very high-end speakers will mine the same amount of detail, but get that wallet way open. You mention having the harsh aspects of recordings revealed, that is the hallmark of any headphone/speaker capable of detail retrieval and resolution, they allow you to hear everything, good or bad. I listen to a great deal of musical genres with both 880s and 650s and I do not at all share your experience with the 880, not even close. I think sibilance is a candidate to be "over-reported". Sibilance is natural to one extent or another with the S sound, some female vocalists really make a big s sound, and if they happeen to be close miked during the recording session voila, you have sibilance at the source and of course any good headphone should reveal that. I am not saying that sibilance isn't sometimes enhanced by the headphone, of course that happens, but the sibilance exists in the recording and solid treble extension will bring this out. Some love the hyper-detail portrayl of treble strong headphones, but it is a double edged sword for sure. Same with bass heavy headphones, great for bass, but other detail is obscured.

Sorry for the lecture, but when you post such strong and derogatory comments about the gear people really like they are going to respond, human nature. As I said, I have spent many hours with the 880s and while they aren't perfect, I can agree with very little of what you have said. I will agree that the mids are a tad recessed, but not enough so to be a deficiency, just an area where they could be better. The treble is strong, but not over-bearing or strident, but it does tend toward forward, but that aids in detail and energy so it is a trade off. The better recordings will sound stunning on the 880s, assuming your source is capable, and your source list does seem well regarded, however I have not had the pleasure of hearing any of them myself. You saying the 880 is boomy is very surprising, I can't for the world imagine them as boomy. Just last night I pounded my 880s with plenty of bass, but they never got anywhere near boomy in response. I will say this, the bass was certainly less controlled through my Valhalla than it is with my Auditor, and if I have understood this correctly, a tube amp will rarely be as good as a well designed SS amp at controlling the drivers. I could be misunderstanding that principle, but I thought that was a consensus of the tube amp sound in general, you get the warmth and timbral qualities, but give up some driver control and speed. Anyway, I hope I haven't been harsh, that isn't what I was going for at all, I just felt that I needed to offer another perspective, not saying it is the right perspective at all. I have a lot to learn so I do not pretend I speak the absolute truth. Cheers.