[devhen]

 
Your helping me confirm my decision even more to get the DT880's. If they are that close to the HD600's then they have the perfect combination of sound and isolation that I'm looking for right now. 

 
Regardless of what has been said previously, the DT880 do not isolate. Sure, they isolate slightly more than some fully open designs do but if you need isolation they will not satisfy you. There is not much difference between a semi-open headphone and a fully open headphone in regards to isolation and leakage. In both cases the people around you can hear what you are listening to and you can hear what is going on around you. When you are listening to music the noises around you are hard to hear regardless of whether the headphone is isolating slightly more than a comparable fully open design would. And the noise that leaks out of these headphones isn't very loud so a slight difference in that quantity is essentially meaningless. We're talking about tiny drivers sitting next to your ears so even if you don't isolate them at all they will still sound quiet to someone standing a few feet from you. Very slightly decreasing that makes very little difference.
 
If you need isolation do not get open or semi-open headphones.

 

[zoso0632]

Regardless of what has been said previously, the DT880 do not isolate. Sure, they isolate slightly more than some fully open designs do but if you need isolation they will not satisfy you. There is not much difference between a semi-open headphone and a fully open headphone in regards to isolation and leakage. In both cases the people around you can hear what you are listening to and you can hear what is going on around you. When you are listening to music the noises around you are hard to hear regardless of whether the headphone is isolating slightly more than a comparable fully open design would. And the noise that leaks out of these headphones isn't very loud so a slight difference in that quantity is essentially meaningless. We're talking about tiny drivers sitting next to your ears so even if you don't isolate them at all they will still sound quiet to someone standing a few feet from you. Very slightly decreasing that makes very little difference.

If you need isolation do not get open or semi-open headphones.

Yes I am aware that sound does bleed out just not as much as the completely open headphones like the dt990s. A comment a few pages back from a member who owned both the dt990 and dt880 for a year said that they bleed about 50% less sound than the dt990. These headphones will have the level of isolation that I'm comfortable with getting now for the environment I will use them in.

 

[pp312]

Yes I am aware that sound does bleed out just not as much as the completely open headphones like the dt990s. A comment a few pages back from a member who owned both the dt990 and dt880 for a year said that they bleed about 50% less sound than the dt990. These headphones will have the level of isolation that I'm comfortable with getting now for the environment I will use them in.

 
 
That's about right. Take something like the LCD-2 and you can easily hear that the 880 isolates much better. Someone sitting 10 feet away should not be bothered by the 880 unless you're listening at head pumping volume--in which case stop!

 

[Makiah S]

   
^ Definitely the best price/performance ratio of the DT880s. As long as you can live with the coiled cable I think they are a no-brainer. At just $220 on Amazon they are probably one of the very best values in all of headphones.

Yes, the 600 ohm is good if your planning to balance a pair of dt 880s or drive them with any powerful amp
 

   
LOL thats exactly what I thought about how the Grado's would feel after 10 minutes when I first saw them! 
 
Ok I was thinking about getting the premiums because they seemed to be built stronger with the metal and everything but I'm sure the pro at that price would be just as good. 

Actuallly I still feel the pros are built a little better, my preuims head band extender is kinda of loose, it's not a big deal and it does not affect perfomance, but my Dt 990 Pro and Dt 880 pro just had a more solid feel in my hands to them.  
 
Although I have no idea how old the DT 880 Pre 600 ohm is... that and it was recabled. Could have been something loosened during recontrustion of the can 
 

   
Huh? The build is identical.

imo the Pro is built much better, that metal thing is just for looks. 
 

Interesting... some reason its the other way around for me.

I still like the dt's though. "Nothing is WORST than he400's Imho". Apologies HE owners.

 
I own a HE 400 mind you, but I use LEather J$money pads

 

[devhen]

 

   
^ Definitely the best price/performance ratio of the DT880s. As long as you can live with the coiled cable I think they are a no-brainer. At just $220 on Amazon they are probably one of the very best values in all of headphones.

Yes, the 600 ohm is only good if your planning to balance a pair of dt 880s 

 
What is the logic behind that statement? The 600 ohm is better for high output impedance amps but I don't see how that necessarily follows that its only good if you're planning to balance it. If you have an OTL tube amp, for example, the 600 ohm version is best, regardless of whether you're planning to balance them or not.
 

 

   
Huh? The build is identical.

Wrong, imo the Pro is built much better, that metal thing is just for looks. 

 
Right, that's your opinion. The build is identical between the two. Whether your headband extender is loose or not is luck of the draw. They are identical in build quality, that's a fact not an opinion.

 

[Makiah S]

   
What is the logic behind that statement? The 600 ohm is better for high output impedance amps but I don't see how that necessarily follows that its only good if you're planning to balance it. If you have an OTL tube amp, for example, the 600 ohm version is best, regardless of whether you're planning to balance them or not.
 
 
Right, that's your opinion. The build is identical between the two. Whether your headband extender is loose or not is luck of the draw. They are identical in build quality, that's a fact not an opinion.

 
Wow thank you SO much for the feed back, I really like how you answer your own questions! 
 
moving on, yea he has a point OTL tubes [like balanced amp] offer a LOT of volts, there for you'r going to want a 600 ohm with any amp running a high voltage swing. Weather your going to balance it or run it SE 
 
And... I'm still not a fan of the build quality of the Preuim Version, or rather how it feels in ,my hands. But like I mentioned mine may have some sign of age [the head band sticks to my hair as well... something my pro's didn't do] 

 

[DR650SE]

What exactly does it mean to "balance" the headphones?  Out of noobish curiosity.

 

[devhen]

 
Wow thank you SO much for the feed back, I really like how you answer your own questions! 
 
moving on, yea he has a point OTL tubes [like balanced amp] offer a LOT of volts, there for you'r going to want a 600 ohm with any amp running a high voltage swing. Weather your going to balance it or run it SE 
 
And... I'm still not a fan of the build quality of the Preuim Version, or rather how it feels in ,my hands. But like I mentioned mine may have some sign of age [the head band sticks to my hair as well... something my pro's didn't do] 

 
Sorry man, didn't mean to be rude. Was just pointing out:
 
* The 600 ohm, like other very high ohm headphones, are best for high output impedance amps like OTL tube amps. Whether you balance them or not makes no difference. Balancing a pair of 250 ohm 880s works just as well if you're not using a high output impedance amp.
 
* The Premium and Pro versions of the DT880 have identical physical builds aside from the coloring, the coiled (Pro) vs. straight (Prem) cables, and the fact that the headband on the Pro model clamps a bit tighter.
 
These are things I think people looking into the DT880 need to know so I wanted to make sure it was clear.
 
Cheers

 

[devhen]

  What exactly does it mean to "balance" the headphones?  Out of noobish curiosity.

 
Just search here on head-fi or here are a couple links
 
www.headphone.com/learning-center/balanced-drive-faq.php
 
http://www.headphone.com/learning-center/balanced-drive-article-series.php

 

[DR650SE]

Thanks man, I'm working the night shift and blanked.  Balanced seems like it would sound awesome.  I'd love to try a set of DT 880s balanced with my iMod.  Wonder if it would be worth the premium it costs.

 

[wavoman]

So with your iMod you will use an ALO cable into an RSA portable balanced amp, then have the 880s balanced with the 4-pin connector that Ray uses?
 
That doesn't sound like a great plan to me for portable use, and why use the iMod for anything else?.  Sticking with beyer, just get the 1350's and connect the ALO to a normal, single-ended high-power portable amp, the Pico Power, the iQube ... that sort of thing.
 
You will be amazed how close the SQ of the 1350's are -- especially since they are closed, portable folding phones -- to the 880s.  Balancing the 880s will add nothing, trust me on this.
 
Stock 880s with a good solid state amp intended for high impedance cans (or tube amps per the above posts ... I have no personal experience with that) at home. iMod + a good portable amp + 1350s on the road, and you are the beyer man!
 
I actually own and have listened to all of the stuff named above (except the RSA balanced, my RSA portable amp is single ended).  I have the 1350s, the 50p's, 880's (had 770s), Pico Power, iQube, ALO amps and cables, more iMods that I can count, solid state amps voiced specifically for 880s, etc. etc.
 
Be sure to put losseless 16x48 ALAC files on the iMod .. this is what Wolfson does best.  Downsample 24x96 hi-res files from the web (or rip from DVD-A's) using SOX, and conert to 16x48 ALACs.

 

[DR650SE]

Im just curious about the lanacing headphones as I never knew anything about them.  I'm going to be using an iMod > ALO Cable > Fiio E17 > DT 880s 250ohm for portable use.  I'm not going to be balancing anything for a long time.  Just don't need it at the moment, and totally agree with you that it would not be a wise portable solution.
 
I'll be shipping my iPod off to Red Wine Audio for the iMod in the next few weeks.  Being deployed I don't have the tools, or soldiering skill to do the iMod myself.  Definately looking forward to hearing the sound of the full setup once I have it all done.

 

[wavoman]

Vinnie at RWA is the best.  He will do a great job for you.  The rig will sound great.

 

[DR650SE]

Thanks, Yea I emailed him. A few times and he was great, very helpful and very quick.

 

[zoso0632]

Does anyone else besides me wish that the DT880 or DT990's had a removable cable like the sennheiser headphones do. Would be nice to put a Chris himself cable on it I think.