Hi there.

 

So yesterday I received my Beyerdynamic DT 880 Premium 250 ohm edition headphones and they sound great. Some describe them as being too bright and having too much treble, but I don't feel this is the case; it sounds a lot like my old Sennheiser PC 360 headset but with more clarity and detail (cymbals can be a bit too prominent on some tracks, though, but nothing ear fatiguing), so that's good.

 

I have one major issue, though... They're not very comfortable to wear for more than 30 minutes or so. They don't clamp your head very hard, if at all, but this just means that most of the weight presses down from above and results in the metal headband pressing down hard on the top of your head. This causes, at least for me, minor pain which is obviously not very comfortable. In addition to this, my ears touch the foam inside the ear cups which, while not a large issue, is still a minor annoyance if anything. Neither of these issues were present at all with my Sennheisers which seem to strike a nice balance between clamp and the headband pressing down on you, plus, there's plenty of room for your ears. I can wear those for hours and not feel anything.

 

So where to now? Is there anything I can do to rectify this problem or is it a lost cause? I found a thread on reddit from several months back where someone described more or less the same problem, but as far as I'm reading, there isn't much to do.

 

I should still be able to return the headphones and this is what I'm strongly considering doing. Afterwards, I would most likely get a pair of Sennheiser HD 600 or 650 instead, but I would like to hear other opinions first. It's just a shame I feel this way because I'm really enjoying the sound of these.

 

Thanks!

Whatever. Think I've decided to just return them and get the HD 600 instead.

That seems odd!
Most beyerdynamic owners including myself find the DT series and T series to be one of the most comfortable headphones around. Is there something wrong with the headband? Maybe a little modding or adjusting can fix your problem. 

theriseoftroy said:

  That seems odd!
Most beyerdynamic owners including myself find the DT series and T series to be one of the most comfortable headphones around. Is there something wrong with the headband? Maybe a little modding or adjusting can fix your problem. 

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I don't think there's something wrong with it. It's just that it presses down too hard on my head due to the clamping force being very low (on the Premium model). I tried adjusting the headband a bit, but this doesn't help alleviate the problem .
 
I did read that pretty much everyone says they're incredibly comfortable so I'm really surprised to find them like this. Do bear in mind that this is the Premium edition which has a different headband design. I do know that I'm not the only one who feels this way, although I have only been able to find one or two other "reviews" claiming this to be the case.
 
I spent about an hour listening to them today and I really do like the sound, but the comfort is just not there for me, so I'll be returning them as soon as possible.

So on that note...
 
Are there any headphones with a similar sound to that of the DT 880, but with a different (hopefully more comfortable for me) construction/design? Right now I'm pretty set on the Sennheiser HD 600 because of its, supposedly, neutral sound.

guywithtwohands said:

  So on that note...
 
Are there any headphones with a similar sound to that of the DT 880, but with a different (hopefully more comfortable for me) construction/design? Right now I'm pretty set on the Sennheiser HD 600 because of its, supposedly, neutral sound.

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I have to say oval-shaped cups like Sennheiser HD 650/600/598/558/380 have always fit my head better than circle-shaped cups.
 
But my Beyers have always been compfy....hmm.

twelvetrains said:

  I have to say oval-shaped cups like Sennheiser HD 650/600/598/558/380 have always fit my head better than circle-shaped cups.
 
But my Beyers have always been compfy....hmm.

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Yeah, the cups on the DT 880 didn't surround the entirety of my ears at all. They also didn't really have enough room to allow my ears to not touch the foam inside the cup, but it was, as I mentioned, the headband thing that ultimately made me decide to return them. I really am quite surprised to find so little mention of these comfort problems. Perhaps I just have an odd head, hah.
 
Anyway, I think I'll go for the HD 600. They're described as neutral just like the DT 880 and I quite enjoyed the sound of those.

guywithtwohands said:

  Yeah, the cups on the DT 880 didn't surround the entirety of my ears at all. They also didn't really have enough room to allow my ears to not touch the foam inside the cup, but it was, as I mentioned, the headband thing that ultimately made me decide to return them. I really am quite surprised to find so little mention of these comfort problems. Perhaps I just have an odd head, hah.
 
Anyway, I think I'll go for the HD 600. They're described as neutral just like the DT 880 and I quite enjoyed the sound of those.

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I would say that the HD600 is a good alternative to the DT880s. You won't be disappointed, just know that the HD600 needs an amp to sound its very best! I guess everyones head is different, it's sad that you had comfort problems with the 880s, but if you liked the sound of them you should also enjoy the sound of the 600s.