[TheWuss]

Guys,
 
I'm a fairly new owner of the DT880 / 600 ohm.  I have a little over a hundred hours on them, and I'm just crestfallen right now, as the treble is just too much for me.
 
I owned the DT880 Pro (250 ohms), and really liked them a lot.  So, thinking that upgrading would bring me greater satisfaction, I sold them and bought the 600 ohm premiums.
 
And, they are certainly more detailed and refined sounding, but the trade off is a treble that is spiky and excessive, to my ears.
 
The biggest problem is sibilance.  And this, I've discovered, is the one thing I can't tolerate in my headphone listening experience.  I've read thread upon thread discussing this issue with the DT880s.  And there seems to be no consensus.  (and why would there be?  this is head-fi!)
 
Some folks say the sibilance is source or amp-dependent.  Other posters say that the DT880s emphasize sibilance if its in the recording.
 
All I can say is this:  S's and T's sound sharp or harsh.
Also, triangles, bells, and some cymbals are just WAY too much. 
 
So, what I'm looking for is a way to mod them physically.  Because I'm not an EQ user.
And, I might even be willing to re-cable them down the road if necessary.  But would like a simple mod to tide me over until then. 

And I've read and read and read.  I certainly wouldn't have started a new thread if I had found an answer that satisfied my query.
 
I saw some posts from 2 or 3 years ago discussing mods.  But nothing seemed conclusive.  And all the photos have expired.  And most of the threads are filled, as usual, with differing opinions. 

 
But, I did read about a foam or felt disc mod.  (Placing a felt disc at the back of the ear cup.)
 
Has anyone done this?  And is it effective?
 
Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me make my DT880s more enjoyable!!!
 
Cheers!
The Wuss

 

[bdr529]

 
 
Quote:

So, what I'm looking for is a way to mod them physically.  Because I'm not an EQ user.

 
What makes modding them better than using an EQ? 

 

[plonter]

I see you got the WA6..did you try experimenting with tubes a little?  it can help.
the second option is simply to EQ...that if you like the rest of the sound and just want to tame the highs a little.  EQ is a very good solution.
the third and last resource is to let them go and get something else.

 

[TheWuss]

equalizer means i can only use them with sources that have EQ.
 
modding them means i can plug them into anything.  well, anything powerful enough to drive them.
 
sorry.  not an EQ guy for now.

 

[TheWuss]

Quote:

I see you got the WA6..did you try experimenting with tubes a little?  it can help.
the second option is simply to EQ...that if you like the rest of the sound and just want to tame the highs a little.  EQ is a very good solution.
the third and last resource is to let them go and get something else.

yes.  i rolled tubes until  i thought i'd wear out the sockets on my woo. 

 
that third option would just kill me right now. 
i've spent so much on head-fi this year that my wife is ready to kill me.
and, you know how this hobby goes.  i told her i was getting ANOTHER set of headphones.  and when i got them and they looked just like the ones i just sold, she just did a facepalm.  
hahahahahaha.
 
so... 

 

[plonter]

Quote:

equalizer means i can only use them with sources that have EQ.
 
modding them means i can plug them into anything.  well, anything powerful enough to drive them.
 
sorry.  not an EQ guy for now.

I understrand you completely.  just wanted to add that basically all you need is computer and foobar (or any other playing programme with EQ feature) and you are set.  I used EQ with my HD650 (added more bass) and i really liked the results, I used the foobar built in EQ.      but if you prefer modding it is your choice,I personally refuse to mod any of my gear..not just headphones.

 

[plonter]

Quote:

yes.  i rolled tubes until  i thought i'd wear out the sockets on my woo. 

 
that third option would just kill me right now. 
i've spent so much on head-fi this year that my wife is ready to kill me.
and, you know how this hobby goes.  i told her i was getting ANOTHER set of headphones.  and when i got them and they looked just like the ones i just sold, she just did a facepalm.  
hahahahahaha.
 
so... 

well..at least you are not losing too much money because you are selling them and getting another cans with that money.  
 

 

[Beagle]

Quote:

Guys,
 
I'm a fairly new owner of the DT880 / 600 ohm.  I have a little over a hundred hours on them, and I'm just crestfallen right now, as the treble is just too much for me.
 
I owned the DT880 Pro (250 ohms), and really liked them a lot.  So, thinking that upgrading would bring me greater satisfaction, I sold them and bought the 600 ohm premiums.
 
And, they are certainly more detailed and refined sounding, but the trade off is a treble that is spiky and excessive, to my ears.

I had the exact same experience. I have the 250ohm version and it's wonderfully balanced and smooth in the highs (after getting the correct pads).
 
I got the 600 ohm and expected even better things but it was the opposite. The treble sting made me trade them in.

 

[TheWuss]

true.
it's just painful to keep wallowing around in the mid-range headphone world.
 
here's a shocker.  though i'm sure you won't be shocked, plonter.
right now, i prefer listening to my M50s over any other headhpones i own.
why?
 
because their problems, if that's what you want to call them, are ones of omission, rather than commission.
 
the k702 and dt880 put things in the music that i don't like.  (shouty upper mids with k702, sibilance with dt880)
 
the m50 might leave some stuff out, but the overall sound is cohesive enough to enjoy.  and never do they call attention to themselves.
 
that is what i'm looking for.  cans that "go away" and let me enjoy the music.
so far, it's pretty disheartening that a $100 pair of cans are doing that better than my $300 cans.
i guess i should be happy. 

 

 

[plonter]

Quote:

true.
it's just painful to keep wallowing around in the mid-range headphone world.
 
here's a shocker.  though i'm sure you won't be shocked, plonter.
right now, i prefer listening to my M50s over any other headhpones i own.
why?
 
because their problems, if that's what you want to call them, are ones of omission, rather than commission.
 
the k702 and dt880 put things in the music that i don't like.  (shouty upper mids with k702, sibilance with dt880)
 
the m50 might leave some stuff out, but the overall sound is cohesive enough to enjoy.  and never do they call attention to themselves.
 
that is what i'm looking for.  cans that "go away" and let me enjoy the music.
so far, it's pretty disheartening that a $100 pair of cans are doing that better than my $300 cans.
i guess i should be happy. 

 

yep...yep.  even after having the M50 for two months already,i havn't changed my thoughts about them.  even after switching to the D5000 back and forth, the M50 should be (and are) very appreciated for their balance,while keeping the fun (extra bass for us bassheads).
sorry you don't have a good chimestry with the beyers.  maybe they need to break in a little..

 

[Amarphael]

^^That's a nice comment you made about sound finance. Though i found that out of the WA6 the Black Dragon recabled K701 i had to often pull the "disappearing" act you desire and let the music flow. In fact i sold them due to Omissions they had compared to my W5K, except the transperancy.
 
So i'd suggest considering a recable to make the treble smoother, and possibly changing to leather pads which might blalnce things a bit, like i found with J$ pads.

 

[David.M]

hmmmmmm interesting thread. Maybe i shouldn't sell my DT880/250's after all?

  I actually don't get any  type of  issue with the DT990/600, but i have came across 5% of youtube videos where it was noticably sibilant(usually a hissing type noise) on the 990's, BUT, to my surprise the DT880/250 had no signs of sibilance.
 
while i don't have the DT880/600 to compare with my DT880/250, I generally  feel the quality of the 600ohm is significantly better than the 250 ohm, so this doesn't really matter much to me. But it is very interesting to wonder what can be causing those terrible spikes/sibilant type noises on your 880's. Do you also hear them on your 990's? This thread is kinda freaking me out because I was suppose to be a prospect Woo Audio 6 buyer in the near future and i would hate the same exact situation to arise in my case.
 
This is what you get when you go hi-fi. you hear all types of noises from the "unknown region of the darkside"

 

 

[TheWuss]

hmmmm... maybe i need to read up some more on what the j money pads do for the dt880 sound.
that could be an option.  and cheap enough to consider, for sure.
 
my only concern is that they seem to be a little hard to come by.
i know the denon pads are sold thru headroom, right?  but i don't think they carry the beyer version...
 

 

[TheWuss]

Quote:

hmmmmmm interesting thread. Maybe i shouldn't sell my DT880/250's after all?

  I actually don't get any  type of  issue with the DT990/600, but i have came across 5% of youtube videos where it was noticably sibilant(usually a hissing type noise) on the 990's, BUT, to my surprise the DT880/250 had no signs of sibilance.
 
while i don't have the DT880/600 to compare with my DT880/250, I generally  feel the quality of the 600ohm is significantly better than the 250 ohm, so this doesn't really matter much to me. But it is very interesting to wonder what can be causing those terrible spikes/sibilant type noises on your 880's. Do you also hear them on your 990's? This thread is kinda freaking me out because I was suppose to be a prospect Woo Audio 6 buyer in the near future and i would hate the same exact situation to arise in my case.
 
This is what you get when you go hi-fi. you hear all types of noises from the "unknown region of the darkside"

 

no.  the dt990s are not doing this.
they are still my favored cans, when not listening to the m50.
tho, the bass quantity makes them a seasoning to be used with some music only.  the dt990 are pretty amazing.
 
oh, and it's not the wa6 fault.
the dt880/600 are sibilant from every source and amp i've tried them with. 
 

 

[David.M]

quick question
 
Where did you actually buy your DT880/600 from? Was it B*&H or Amazon? Because I have some people saying that the 600ohm that they sold in Amazon had an impedance mismatch and had quite a few problems. Maybe you got it from unauthorized dealer?
 
also, judging from the headroom graph
 

 
 
it seems in the 7khz &10khz registers, that the spike boost gets fairly high. I know you prolly don't want to equalize, but maybe experiment with foobar's equalizer and lower the  7/10khz frequency a few notches down to see if there's any help?
 
Worth a shot i guess. Good luck trying to get this resolved.