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The simple truth about the DT770 (80 ohm) headphones!

post #1 of 6
12/6/11 at 10:58am
Thread Starter 

Do they need an amp?  Absolutely.  Although you will hear sound without an amp, the sound that you do hear is just too low to be fully enjoyed by most people. 

 

Are they bassy?  Absolutely.  Without an amp the bass is overwhelming, to the point it bleeds into the mid's and just muddy's the sound.

 

I purchased the iBasso D6 amp, and this was a dramatic improvement vs unamped.  Everything tightened up and sounded much better overall - minimal boom and much better detail and depth. 

 

I don't know how other amps will modify the sound, all I can say for certain is that these cans unamped is a big mistake.  I see a lot of posts of people asking these same questions...I was one of them, but now that I have experienced it for myself, I'm just trying to help others from making the same mistake I did, which was thinking these cans would be okay without an amp.  They're really not - don't fool yourself.

 

 

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post #2 of 6
12/6/11 at 11:22am

There are very few full-size headphones that don't benefit at all from an amp that can drive them fully--when there's extra headroom, the sound gets better.

 

That said, I think some portable players do a lot better than others, as well.  It's hard to make this kind of absolute generalization.

 

I'm glad you found a combination that works well for you, though.

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post #3 of 6
12/6/11 at 11:26am


I agree with this. I personally found that amps really don't do much unless the source itself has difficulty driving the power load -- most low-end IEMs and portable efficient cans wouldn't benefit for amping, but higher end headphones that pull more voltage than the source improve a notable amount.

Quote:
Originally Posted by joelpearce View Post

There are very few full-size headphones that don't benefit at all from an amp that can drive them fully--when there's extra headroom, the sound gets better.

 

That said, I think some portable players do a lot better than others, as well.  It's hard to make this kind of absolute generalization.

 

I'm glad you found a combination that works well for you, though.



 

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post #4 of 6
12/6/11 at 11:55am

I bought the DT770's for listening to at work, iPod amped through a TubeMagic A1.  I needed closed cans as I work in an open-concept office, it's a noisy place and I needed to keep outside noise out and not bug my colleagues at the same time.

 

At first I thought I'd have to take a hit on sound quality going to closed cans but the DT770's have become my favorite cans (I also have a set of DT860's and Grado SR80's for home use).  They're comfortable enough to wear all day (unlike the DT860's - too heavy) and are a great all round headphone (unlike the Grados - great for some music, not so much for others).  

 

Eventually I'd like to get them Darth Beyer modded... I love them stock, I can't wait to hear them as vastly improved as everyone says they are modded.

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post #5 of 6
12/6/11 at 12:12pm
Thread Starter 

I see your point.  To claim anything as an absolute is never a good idea, my mistake.    I tested this setup with a Macbook Pro, Lenovo laptop, desktop PC, Ipod, and Iphone.  None of those sources provided sufficient power.  I'm sure there are sources out their that will drive these, I guess I was just thinking in terms of the norm, not the exception.  Funny thing is, I don't even think the D6 fully drives these cans.  The max volume is just barely too loud - there's minimal headroom.   I have a pair of Ultrasone 580's in transit to me that are supposedly very easy to drive - I'm curious to see how they compare. If the bass and overall sound of the 580's is even half that of the 770's, I would personally recommend the former rather than the latter for portability purposes. 

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post #6 of 6
12/11/11 at 6:37am
Thread Starter 

Okay, so the Ultrasone's were much easier to drive, the only problem their is that they were WAY to harsh on the top end.  I still think people should back off on their claim that the DT770 (~ohm) are fine without an amp.  Maybe so in some rare instances, but certainly not in the majority of circumstances, and it's always better to err on the side of caution.  I'd hate to be the guy using a laptop or portable mp3 and getting that silly advice.

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