Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro - 600 ohms

WreckTangle

New Head-Fier
Pros: Fantastic effortless sense of space
Can be used to listen to any genre of music with the insurance that it will sound great
Cons: there are better options for bass freaks
Can sound congested and busy when a lot of stuff is going on in a recording
These babies are the best headphones that i have ever heard i find new things i love about them everyday
I think it is dangerous to label a headphone" neutral" because a lot of people will just assume that they are really boring

The 880s are not boring headphones if you think they are its your music that is boring

They have a somewhat accentuated treble but its not bright or fatiguing i would even argue i prefer it over more treble neutral headphones like my 598s

Mids are great plenty of body to everything

There is only two flaws to the 880s the bass lacks real impact and power compared if directly compared to other headphones like for example its sibling the 990

if you listen exclusively to bass heavy music i cannot recommend these i love bass and i still love my 880s its only a total bass freak that would feel offended by the 880s

The second one aint really a flaw more like an observation compared directly to some other headphones
Complicated passages of musics are more effortlessly presented on some other headphones

On the 880s it can sound somewhat congested BUT i only noticed this when i compared it directly to other headphones

If the 880s was a bit more effortless in those moments and had a bit more power bit more kick it would be a perfect headphone

Though it is important to stress that they tried to improve the bass on the 990s and that didn't work out they simply added way to much of it so maybe it is good they played safe here

That is the thing with the 880s the entirety of your music collection and every part that constitutes the song you listening to will be presented with a high amount of detail and care the bass wont drown out the vocals the treble wont make your music sound to sibilant or bright just a little bit less boring

And of course i saved the best for last why i love the 880s so much is because of how they present space there is a real sense of space when you listening to this headphone anyone can do soundstage but actually be able to present space the quality of air in a recording? amazing!

The 880s are so effortless in presenting endless amounts of space
When i listen to my 880s and close my eyes i can swear im listening to a big pair of speakers! which i consider big praise for any headphone

Build quality is not great though sadly the headband adjustment is rubbish and if they didn't sound so good i would not buy them on build quality alone this is something i feel they have to do something about the 990s also have the same awful headband adjustment mechanic its really awful

But they sound sooo good!!!
cws5
cws5
I'm late to the party (eight years after MrTechAgent's review). But I totally concur: the DT-880 600 ohm phones are classics for a reason. They're fantastic at twice the price. So, they're also a tremendous bargain. I'm listening to them right now. To all those reading this thread considering purchase, note that as you'll read from the comments, amp pairing is crucial here -- more crucial than with headphones in the lower normal impedance range. I've got them plugged into a 300 ohm output MG Head OTL. It may be the best amp available for these cans (even better than the Bottlehead Crack). You'll be able to find an MG Head OTL on the used market if you're patient and persistent. They usually go for between $200 and $300. Totally worth it, especially given the ridiculously low price of the DT-880. Happy listening.

MrTechAgent

Member of the Trade: Kaldas Research
Pros: Clean Impulse Response , Excellent Dynamic Bass Extension , Scalability , Excellent Build and Comfort , Underpriced by $300-400 , Grain-Free
Cons: Beyer made a mistake by selling these for so low , people compare these to crap headphones
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880s are part of the classic trio , 6XX-7XX and of course the 880s , I have all those headphones , my all time favourite might be the 650s but I have tons and tons of respect for the 880s 
Here I have a pretty rare 880 , this is a PRO-600 which is pretty hard to get nowadays , I am quite lucky to have these classics , there are many Mid-Fi open dynamics but ..., I will name some I hate ...ma900s (These are so harsh and grainy that they abuse my ears) , X1s (Too bassy with very poor transition into the lower mids) , AT Air's have a good extension in the highs (UT) but the HE-300s destroy those in terms of upper treble extension and fidelity , 598s (They sound like a toy in comparison) - I own the 598s BTW 
 
880s like all Beyer are underpriced and don't get much attention on Head-Fi , I think the 880s are probably the closest to the HD800s when it comes to impulse response , the 880s for a dynamic provide stunning performance , they are grain-free in the highs like all Beyers , from the linear and clean presentation to the fantastic bass extension which is almost flat and goes down low without any distortion ,  the 880s perform like a star 
 
Since this review is a tribute I have compared the 880s to all my headphones - 
 
1) 880 vs 650 
 
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Probably the most classic dynamic headphones ever made , both these are part of the classic trio ..now I love the mids and the bass extension of the 650s but I think the 880s are very close , I don't think the mids are lacking on the 880s , whereas I think they are amazingly coherent and smooth , after a lot of deep listens and testing I can vouch for the 880s mids , they are beautiful with the right music and can sound incredibly involving and tasty , the 880s have more sub-bass whereas the 650s have more mid-bass , typical of a Senn and Beyer  house sound , both the 650s and 880s are HiFi , tonal balance and accuracy is world class 
 
2) 880 vs 702 
 
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702s are again a classic and as much as I love them I don't love them like the 880s , the 702s are having the same robust bass of the 880s which go down low when you want them too , I like them a lot , they lack the punch but they are superbly well textured and extended , they also have a wider presentation than the 880s , 880s are subtle and smoother in the treble , the 702s are more grainy in some areas too but I think its a fine phone and deserves to be in the classic trio , world class dynamics 
 
3) 880 vs 770
 
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Now you can call me a Beyer fanboy , the 770s are excellent to begin with so what do you get with the 880 , well less sub-bass , more Soundstage and better mid-range , that's about it 
880s are more airy and resolving but the 770s are incredible for the price , again like all Beyer even they are underpriced 
 
4) 880 vs 598 
 
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Haha ..598 is a joke , flabby bass , decent resolution ..598 are better than the ma900s but not even close to the 880s , 598s are strictly Mid-Fi 
 
5) 880 vs Open HM5 
 
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My Modded HM5s are "Excelente" ! but not as "Excelente" ! as the world class 880  , the 880s are significantly cleaner and less grainy , the HM5s have a very tight and robust bass , probably too tight so it lacks the texture quality , 880s will have a much more fuller and bodied sound , HM5s are great but not as great as the 880 
 
6) 880 vs Modded ZX700 
 
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Haha ..No comparison , let's proceed 
 
7) 880 vs HFI-450
 
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This is again wasting time but the HFI-450s are rolled off in the highs by 6 db from flat and have a peak at 8-10Khz but they are not grainy and I like them , 880s are much better 
 
8) 880 vs D340
 
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D340 sounds like its trying to destroy your ear with grain , the 880s are cleaner and more cohesive , although I got a stellar deal on the Denon's , can't complain 
 
9) 880 vs HE-300 
 
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Now this is interesting , the HE-300 have a magic treble which is so unreal and smooth that it really kills the competition in that area , the HE-300 has a extension which is warm and so detailed its crazy , very smooth and clean , the 880s have the same detail but not the same warmth in the extension , mids , bass the 880s destroy the HE-300s 
 
10) 880 vs Modded K240
 
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240s have a nice clear sound , with the Modded EDT-990V they sound very similar to the 880s but they just don't have the bass and quality is not exactly like a 880 , still pretty good though , I like to call mine the AKG 880 :p 
 
11) 880 vs DT150 
 
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Let me tell ya , this was tough ...both the 150s and 880s are stunning , the 150s have a nice warm sound , like the 6XX to me , bass wise the 880s will give you a better sub-bass which will be more bodied than than 150s , the 150s have great , great clarity for a closed headphone , like all Beyer even they are grain-free in the highs and are very easy to listen to . The 880s and 150s both are excellent , I highly recommend both of these ..legendary headphones 
 
Story of getting the 880 PRO-600
 
So I always wanted the 880s even before I got the 650s (My first HiFi headphone) in my country it was close to impossible to find the 880s , saved up money ...after 4 months of getting the 650s decided to order the 880s from Amazon.com via international shipping , well good news was that I got a good price , bad news was it was backorder-ed and waiting was 3 months , haha yes , waited 2 months then got a E-Mail from Amazon saying that they couldn't process my order , they will have to cancel it 
So I never got the 880s until one fine evening of Feb 2014 where I saw a classified ad of the 880-600 Ohm , the guy uploaded a stock picture from the website , it was of the premium so it all looked good ....well he sent me a picture and to my surprise it was the PRO and was 600 , I knew that moment that I will get it , since I was concerned I made a post about it in Feb - http://www.head-fi.org/t/707023/please-help-fake-880-pro-600 ..LOL that excitement period 
Now I know the main people at Beyer India so they hook me up with anything Beyer , they also sent me free set of earpads and a new headband to make my 880s brand new again , so a big thumbs up to Beyer 
 
Here are some old pictures before I got the spares from Beyer , this was around March 2014 
 
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They look like this now , this remained constant after I got the spares on 12th April 
 
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So this is it I guess , my humble tribute to this excellent world-class headphone which is highly underpriced and underrated here in the community , Beyer made this 2 decades ago and the design is still state of the art , this is engineering at its best , from the high tech DT-48 made in the 30s to the t1s ,Beyer has always made stuff which was incredibly amazing and underpriced , these classic DT models are worth owning , they truly are stunning , thank you for reading ! 
 
Video Review on YouTube - 
 
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abhishekSPS
abhishekSPS
thanks man!
happy listening :)
Essence STX
Essence STX
Hi my friend. first of all i wanna say big thank you to you for all your efforts and the guidances that you deliver to us. i've realized all your reviews are unbiased whereas the most famous reviewers have tendency to a specific brand or model without complete insight. (for instance: headfonia_HD650) or tyll@innerfidelity that i have tons of respect for him but experience has proven some of his recommendation can be misleading sometimes. most of the times he prefer warm signature to neutral. my first headphone was DT880 PRO and for a long time i've been through "wall of fame" without success and absolute satisfaction. so in the end i went back to the first love (DT880 PRO) what a legendary headphone! i would say this is "the bargain of century"
It's really strange this headphone doesn't has any place in the "wall of fame" yet!!! whereas there are so many "utter garbage" models (in comparison with DT880) in wall of fame. 
Unfortunately it seems these days most of enthusiasts prefer "hype-colored-unnatural" or in other word incorrect sound. people evaluates headphone by their appearance and price. THE MOST EXPENSIVE = THE BEST SOUND QUALITY !
They doesn't even know there are some vintage headphones that can destroy some "modern headphone" like HD800 in almost all aspects.
Anyway i'm one of those rare persons who prefer DT880 to HD6xx, HD800 by a big margin! i even prefer this to some vintage that i've tested (HD540 RII, HD560 Ovation, HD580 Germany made)
I'm so eager to know what's your opinion? am i wrong?
 
Best wishes...
MrTechAgent
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