Quote:
Originally Posted by
tlniec 
Why did you have to bring up the DT880s? I worked so hard to narrow down my scope of search, and there you go opening it back up! :-) At least I'm pretty well set on the Fiio E7/E9 DAC/AMP combo for any high-impedance can I might buy... so I'm no longer 100% indecisive!
Seriously, though, the DT880 600-ohm is quite intriguing, especially at the current pricing. I'm not one to shy away from treble, and the perception of detail it brings (I am quite a fan of Klipsch speakers, the ones with horn-loaded tweeters). That's actually my main lingering reservation about the HD650. It's one of those things that would be so easy to answer if I could try them (better yet, A/B them with the Beyers)... but of course, nobody in Iowa seems to have them on-hand. I can say the HD595s I have now provide adequate treble for my tastes, but I wouldn't object to a headphone with more "sparkle" (nor would I be devastated by a headphone with a little less).
I do have a question about the HD650 vs DT880 -- maybe you can answer, since you've had both.
I REALLY like the way the HD595 feels on my head (and works with my ears), due to the elliptical shape of the earcups -- and the HD650 looks similar in that regard. The DT880, on the other hand, appears to have more of a round earcup shape -- the cups also look larger (though I know pictures on the web can be deceiving). The reason that concerns me is the other circumaural headphone with round cups I've tried (ATH AD700) just flat out did not work for me -- unless the pair I had was defective, something about the way the AD700 sat on my head and the size/shape of earcups prevented me from getting good left/right channel balance. Soooooo, getting to the point -- how would you compare the fit of the HD650 to the DT880?
You can not choose wrong in the HD-650 vs DT880 discussion. The cans aren't that far away from one another (see Sugarkang's review comparison, it should be a few pages back from the front page). It's just where they differ that I prefer the DT880s. Of course, my DT880s are brand new (They've got about 20-25 hours on them) and my HD-650s are 6 years old (thousands of hours on them) so it could just be "new hardware giddyness".
The Senns fit better. I don't believe I have big ears, but the senn's oval earcup doesn't touch anything but the very bottom of my earlobes. The Beyers are slightly larger, but only slightly. They do touch both my earlobes and the tops of my ears, but it's not very distracting. 98% of the pressure is on the side of my head, like it should be, not my ears. I only notice it simply because I came from 10 years of sennhesier headphones (the 570s/590s I had were a similar shape to the 650s, more like a teardrop than oval, but similar overall) that never did that.
when it comes to headphone comfort, I'd give the DT880s a 7.5/10 or maybe 8/10 once they break in a bit more. They clamp harder than my 650s, and they touch ears, but those are both minor concerns that may diminish with time. The 650s are probably a solid 9/10, or at least my well-broken-in ones were. The 590s were a 10/10. I don't think it would be possible to improve on the 590s, I really DID "forget they were on my head" and try to walk away from the computer while still plugged in a few times with those. That has -almost- happened with the 650s, but I don't think I could forget with the DT880s. That's not really a bad mark on the DT880s, it's just that they're being compared to some of the very best in the comfort arena. Compared to headphones at large, they're easily still in the top tier of comfort.
I've got a review thread called "DT880 First Impressions" that should be on page 2 or 3 (maybe 4 by now) if you want to see my inital thoughts on 650 vs 880.
If you can't test the two out (as I couldn't), just blindly pick one and take the plunge at some point. Neither one is a bad choice. You're trying to decide between cake or pie here, either one is awesome, and whichever one you choose now, you can always pick up the other one at a later point. from a money point of view, the HD-650s are not $100 better than the DT880 600ohm version. From a "I have the money, which can is better?" point of view, there is no clear answer. It's personal preference. I simply noted some of your musical preferences and thought that while the HD-650 can handle of of those with aplomb, the DT880 may emphasize the quality traits of them a bit better.
One final note. Last night I had my first "wtf" audio moment in a long time. I was listening to a song I'd heard easily hundreds of times. I was really -listening- to it for the first time in a long time, and the DT880 showed me new stuff. I didn't know that was still possible. I actually had to pause and rewind the song to see if I really heard it. I did.
