Both are at prices well above what they were a few weeks ago. It's just Amazon's algorithm magic. I wouldn't infer too much from it.     One could draw the opposite conclusion from the fact there is only one pair of HD650's left, and 5 pairs of HD600's.

  They may be useful in some cases - in the pc world, for example, there are often noisy internals, and getting the DAC out of they main case can help with that sort of noise.   But the main reason is that people like to buy things, and DACs have exploded in the last 5-6 years.   Desktop...

Bad mastering, including the fallout of the Loudness War.

Depends on what you mean by bass heavy. Klipsch s4's can be had for around half that budget, more for the s4i with remote. They may not be bassy enough for you, though - they're on the border of too much for me.

  When I was 14.5, I got a job at a fast food place, which was legal in my state. It might be in yours, too.     I mention the .5 because the cutoff was fourteen years and six months, for whatever reason.

    Thanks, but not really looking - I like having the same sound signature at home and at work too much.

I expect I am a bit younger, but my first experiences were with Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Metallica, Megadeth, Sabbath, Slayer, Anthrax, and Morbid Angel (who I ended up not liking so much) circa 1990, and soon after I discovered Tool, Primus, Nine Inch Nails, and Ministry (hey, NIN's Wish won...

Of prime critiques I had for my 990's, durability and build quality were not among them.   Beyers are built tough.

that might be an over generalization, but I'd wager that those that really enjoy the other beyer flagships won't care for the DT250 sound. (or what used to be the other flagships - phones that cost more than a thousand USD are so far off my radar they don't exist) horses for courses, though -...

Yeah, the DT770 is much more comfortable. (Not that the DT250 is uncomfortable - the DT770 is just more luxurious, I suppose)   I think you can install the DT770 leather headband on a DT250, but I doubt you can make the ear pads fit.

I think it depends, in. part, in how much treble hearing one still has. I have always protected my ears, so I still have a lot for my age. Most beyers are far too bright for me (880 included) Hell, on some recordings, even my dt250 can be fatiguing. For me, too much treble energy ruins a...

  To each their own.   I doubt you'll find a closed headphone for $200 or less that is a good a compromise as the DT250.   And some (like me) would gladly take a bit of bass emphasis in trade for non-fatiguing treble. If you'd like it the other way around, I'm sure there are other options...

  "too much bass" is a matter of taste.   I think they sound quite close to neutral at low volumes. Not entirely neutral, and that's okay - thats why I say the sound a lot like the HD650.

Does the DT880 sound similar to the DT250 (in the way the HD650 does?)   The DT250-250 sounds a lot like a closed HD650 to my ears.

He's looking for isolation, though.