[devhen]

I've been curious about that headphone, I may consider it sometime and considering the design is basically the same as the pair I heard comfort isn't an issue. What would you say are the most striking differences in it's sound compared to the HD 600?

 
Hmm. Its hard to say. I've only had them a little while and they haven't gotten a ton of head time. To my ears they are slightly warmer than the HD600 but it could be that the treble just doesn't have the same sparkle and quality. Overall I was quite impressed with them but in terms of the congestion & grain we mentioned earlier, they have a little more than the HD600. I really like the no-nonsense design but they don't feel all that secure on your head and I found myself longing for the more substantial build of the DT880 and HD600. The center image can sound a bit congested and generally they can sound a tad plasticy at times but only slightly. They are actually really impressive headphones considering how little attention they get. People who are used to 'phones like the DT880 or HD600 would feel right at home with them in terms of overall technical ability. Despite the niggles I've described there's really no obvious weaknesses that jump out at you. If for some reason all of my other headphones were gone and I had to live only with the GMP400 I wouldn't be missing out on much. I think they compete with DT880/HD600-level cans better than their lesser-known status suggests.
 
EDIT: The phrase that comes to mind when I try to describe the GMP400's treble is that it "breaks up" at times, but I'm not even sure if I'm using that term properly. I've heard it used before to describe treble that isn't particularly coherent compared to some of the better cans out there and that phrase tends to come to mind but its really hard to say for sure. Every time I put them on I'm pleasantly surprised. They have no obvious weaknesses, just flashes of slight flaws here and there. They are definitely an interesting headphone and I think I need more time with them before I'll feel entirely confident about their personality and technical ability.

 

[kman1211]

   
Hmm. Its hard to say. I've only had them a little while and they haven't gotten a ton of head time. To my ears they are slightly warmer than the HD600 but it could be that the treble just doesn't have the same sparkle and quality. Overall I was quite impressed with them but in terms of the congestion & grain we mentioned earlier, they have a little more than the HD600. I really like the no-nonsense design but they don't feel all that secure on your head and I found myself longing for the more substantial build of the DT880 and HD600. The center image can sound a bit congested and generally they can sound a tad plasticy at times but only slightly. They are actually really impressive headphones considering how little attention they get. People who are used to 'phones like the DT880 or HD600 would feel right at home with them in terms of overall technical ability. Despite the niggles I've described there's really no obvious weaknesses that jump out at you. If for some reason all of my other headphones were gone and I had to live only with the GMP400 I wouldn't be missing out on much. I think they compete with DT880/HD600-level cans better than their lesser-known status suggests.
 
EDIT: The phrase that comes to mind when I try to describe the GMP400's treble is that it "breaks up" at times, but I'm not even sure if I'm using that term properly. I've heard it used before to describe treble that isn't particularly coherent compared to some of the better ones out there. But its really hard to say. Every time I put them on I'm pleasantly surprised. They have no obvious weaknesses, just flashes of slight flaws here and there. They are definitely an interesting headphone and I think I need more time with them before I'll feel entirely confident about their personality and technical ability.

Ah I see. Honestly I wasn't a big fan of the HD 600, I found it refined and good but it just failed to engage me and the comfort wasn't that good for me, I did think it was in the same tier sonically as the DT 880 and the K612. So it's basically another pretty much neutral headphone with a little more warmth than the HD 600. Sounds like it's an overlooked neutral headphone like the K601/K612.
 
Does the treble have what you would call a slightly hazy quality at times? If it shares the same treble characteristics of the GMP 240 I heard but darker, it could be the case.

 

[devhen]

Ah I see. Honestly I wasn't a big fan of the HD 600, I found it refined and good but it just failed to engage me and the comfort wasn't that good for me, I did think it was in the same tier sonically as the DT 880 and the K612. So it's basically another pretty much neutral headphone with a little more warmth than the HD 600. Sounds like it's an overlooked neutral headphone like the K601/K612.

 
Yup, I'd say that's pretty spot-on. Another neutral & transparent headphone in a similar class to the DT880/HD600/K612. I haven't heard the K612 yet but from your description and others it sounds like a slightly more neutral version of the K712. So yeah, the GMP400 fits in quite nicely with those cans. As such I think they are a great headphone for mixing & mastering, just as those others are. In fact, German Maestro specifically markets them as a neutral & transparent headphone meant for mixing & mastering and I think they've done a good job with them.
 

 
Does the treble have what you would call a slightly hazy quality at times? If it shares the same treble characteristics of the GMP 240 I heard but darker, it could be the case.

 
I'm listening to them now and yes, I think that does describe their treble pretty well. I think I've heard people say that certain headphones have treble that "tends to break up at higher volumes" and I think that is true here. The "breaking up" and "haziness" seems to be more evident the higher you take the volume but at typical volumes its not really an issue.
 
I don't know man, this headphone is really interesting, haha. I can't quite peg it. It sounds coherent and capable right away and yet there are certain aspects of it, which I've somewhat described, where I feel like I can't quite trust their technical ability 100%. And yet its always a fleeting feeling and in the end I have no choice but to praise them as a very capable dark-horse candidate that deserves more attention than it gets.

 

[kman1211]

   
Yup, I'd say that's pretty spot-on. Another neutral & transparent headphone in a similar class to the DT880/HD600/K612. I haven't heard the K612 yet but from your description and others it sounds like a slightly more neutral version of the K712. So yeah, the GMP400 fits in quite nicely with those cans. As such I think they are a great headphone for mixing & mastering, just as those others are. In fact, German Maestro specifically markets them as a neutral & transparent headphone meant for mixing & mastering and I think they've done a good job with them.
 
 
I'm listening to them now and yes, I think that does describe their treble pretty well. I think I've heard people say that certain headphones have treble that "tends to break up at higher volumes" and I think that is true here. The "breaking up" and "haziness" seems to be more evident the higher you take the volume but at typical volumes its not really an issue.
 
I don't know man, this headphone is really interesting, haha. I can't quite peg it. It sounds coherent and capable right away and yet there are certain aspects of it, which I've somewhat described, where I feel like I can't quite trust their technical ability 100%. And yet its always a fleeting feeling and in the end I have no choice but to praise them as a very capable dark-horse candidate that deserves more attention than it gets.

I think I may get my hands on a pair eventually. Not going to get a new headphones for a while. The K612 a good headphone, it has it's flaws like every headphone, it has a bit of an emphasis in the 2-4khz region which some may find bothersome.
 
Maybe that treble presentation is part of the German Maestro house sound. I think the haze may have to do with the treble region above the 10khz region, somewhere in the 12-16khz region. I never felt I could fully trust any headphones technical ability 100%. I just listen to headphones for enjoyment so I chose what's enjoyable for me. I have noticed extended use of headphones over time have made me more sensitive to treble to the point where I just couldn't listen to headphones for extended periods of time, I'm becoming slowly less sensitive to treble again since I switched to tubes some reason.

 

[Chris J]

 
It was depressing when I heard various STAXs and especially the R10 going back to my headphones, they didn't sound right, took me a week or two to adjust to my headphones again, although it doesn't help I'm going to listen to the R10 again heavily in a week. In terms of that effortless sound, orhtos and dynamics don't quite comare. I do agree, I found both the DT 880 and DT 990 very grain-free for dynamics, the only real problem spot grain wise in the upper treble. Just whatever you do don't listen to an R10 for an extended amount of time, especially on a system that synergizes well with the headphone, it's depressing going back especially since the headphone is practically unattainable. It has the effortless and grain-freeness of stax with that sense of body that you get from dynamics and it had the most natural and euphoric sound I've ever heard and it made everything sound wrong afterwards, it did basically everything right to my ears. Its my ideal headphone and it bothers me knowing I can't obtain the headphone for a very long time if ever, I just hope a true replacement for the headphone comes out. I will eventually settle with a STAX system for that effortless, clean, and coherent sound or I will get a K812(while not free of grain is musical, euphoric, and natural sounding).

 
Just thought I would throw in my 2 cents here.
 
I picked up a set of Stax SRS-2170 last summer.
The grim truth is that my dynamic cans and matching amps are starting to gather dust.
I've started to go thru the process of selling a few of my amps and dynamics......

 
Relatively speaking, my dynamics all sound mechanical and grainy (to varying degrees) compared to my entry level Stax.

 

[devhen]

 
Just thought I would throw in my 2 cents here.
 
I picked up a set of Stax SRS-2170 last summer.
The grim truth is that my dynamic cans and matching amps are starting to gather dust.
I've started to go thru the process of selling a few of my amps and dynamics......

 
Relatively speaking, my dynamics all sound mechanical and grainy (to varying degrees) compared to my entry level Stax.

 
Yup. That matches my experience. "Mechanical and grainy" describes it almost perfectly. There's no doubt in my mind that I would own the HD800 or T1 (or more likely both) by now if I had not demo'ed the Stax 407 and realized that the audio perfection I was dreaming of wasn't something dynamics were capable of.  In a weird way it has allowed me to better enjoy my current cans, particularly the DT880 because, as I said, they stood up best to the terrible beating the Stax gave all of my dynamics.

 

[BbOO]

So undecided between dt880 600 ohm and hd600

Dt880 is so much easier to get while hd600 quite harder, plus i like the design of dt880 much more...

 

[pp312]

Don't get either. Get the DT880 250 ohms.

 

[genclaymore]

Don't get the DT880 600ohm unless you have a headphone amp that good enough to power it enough to enjoy them, or a Tube amp like a Little Dot MK3 etc etc. BbOO do you know what sound signature you are looking for? If you can you can see if you can find a place that has both the HD600 and the DT880 and give them a listen. Another option is to buy both from amazon the 250ohm model and the HD 600 and give them both a listen and pick the one that sounds good to you because thats very important, As any one can suggest headphones to you but it will always be up to your ears to what you like and don't like.

 

[BbOO]

  Don't get either. Get the DT880 250 ohms.

You did not just do that. I dont need a 3ed headphone in my decision box.
Thanks though

 

[BbOO]

  Don't get the DT880 600ohm unless you have a headphone amp that good enough to power it enough to enjoy them, or a Tube amp like a Little Dot MK3 etc etc. BbOO do you know what sound signature you are looking for? If you can you can see if you can find a place that has both the HD600 and the DT880 and give them a listen. Another option is to buy both from amazon the 250ohm model and the HD 600 and give them both a listen and pick the one that sounds good to you.

A prevoius post by me:
"So i have been enjoying my SRH840  for few months but i need to explore some better headphone. While i like them, i would like a set that would sound more fuller, warmer, wider and more engaging. I mostly listen from my laptop (so portability is not an issue). Genres include: electronic (techno, house), 60&70s pop-rock, soul, modern pop music. My source is Fiio E10 connected to laptop.
Im between dt880 (250 or 600) and hd600. Considering my music preferences and tastes, which one would be better?"
 
Fiio e10 is my current amp&dac and i will upgrade later (not soon though).
 
What do you think?

 

[CADCAM]

  So undecided between dt880 600 ohm and hd600

Dt880 is so much easier to get while hd600 quite harder, plus i like the design of dt880 much more...

I have the DT880 (600 ohm) with a LD MKIII and the sound is impressive. They also sound great out of my O2 on low gain even...

 

[genclaymore]

The E10 def wont power the DT880 premium 600's those req some power that your amp wont be able to supply, The DT880 premium 250's would be a very good choice for the type of music that your listening to, I don't know how good well the E10 will work with the DT880 premium 250's. You might be able to wing it til you get a better dac/amp later on. The only DT880 250 that I have used was the Pro-250 and it did a good job but it wont fit your req of having a wider sound as the pro-250 sound stage is smaller then the premium's, tho it does have more bass because of the clamping, but the Clamping on the pro's might annoy your ears and hurt your head, Like it did to me. I have not used the HD 600's, so you might have to check the threads for HD600's to see what to expect, Also you might wanna check the threads for the DT990 premium 250's those are open back and might have what you want.

 

[sinnottj]

  A prevoius post by me:
"So i have been enjoying my SRH840  for few months but i need to explore some better headphone. While i like them, i would like a set that would sound more fuller, warmer, wider and more engaging. I mostly listen from my laptop (so portability is not an issue). Genres include: electronic (techno, house), 60&70s pop-rock, soul, modern pop music. My source is Fiio E10 connected to laptop.
Im between dt880 (250 or 600) and hd600. Considering my music preferences and tastes, which one would be better?"
 
Fiio e10 is my current amp&dac and i will upgrade later (not soon though).
 
What do you think?

 
I've got an E10 and both the DT880 (250 ohm) and the HD600.  The E10 drives both perfectly well. (Better amps will probably do a better job, but the E10 is perfectly adequate. TBH, neither headphone is all that hard to drive - I can drive both straight out of my sansa clip and they still sound pretty good!)
 
I used to have a DT880 600 ohm and the E10 wasn't up to driving those at all though! The volume was fine, but any music with a wide dynamic range would sound bad.
 
I think either the DT880 / HD600 will work well with your taste in music. I personally prefer the HD600 for rock/jazz/acoustic and the DT880 for techno/hip hop. The HD600 is fuller/warmer sounding, but also more laid back. I feel the DT880 is more engaging. DT880 has a wider soundstage, but the HD600 has a more 'natural' and less 'headphone-like' presentation.  DT880 is more comfortable. Both are awesome

 

[Chris J]

So undecided between dt880 600 ohm and hd600
Dt880 is so much easier to get while hd600 quite harder, plus i like the design of dt880 much more...

The 600 Ohm version is not that difficult to drive:
I can drive my 600 Ohm DT880 from:
My FiiO E12 headphone amp with gain set to 16 dB, you can pick one up for one hundred and change
My Matrix M Stage headphone amp with gain set to 20 dB
Or my La Figaro 336C tube amp