[wankski]

hmm, might have to try it.... do like the specs of the mk iv tho...

 

[bufo]

I was going to buy the DT880 600ohm until I read this thread: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/506963/dt880-600ohm-bs
 
Reading that convinced me that there's a very small audible difference if any between the different impedances.  I ended up buying the 250 ohm after testing out a 32 ohm.  I decided to go with the 250 ohm because it seems like it's Beyerdynamic's standard version and should work for most applications.  After reading this message board and wasting my money... I've learned that sometimes the people here just repeat what others have said without really listening to it.  Connecting my DT880 250 ohm to my MacBook Pro, the volume is adequate at the 2nd or 3rd little tick out of 16.  So if you end up getting that one, you probably don't need an amp even though everyone claims that it's necessary.
 
I connect my headphones to my Echo Audiofire 2.  I bought it because everyone said a DAC is necessary.  If you look at the measurements, the converter in the Audiofire 2 is actually pretty good.  The $200 I spent on the headphones made music alot better than the $200 I spent on the Audiofire 2.  Anyways, my suggestion is to use the soundcard you have until you can afford the Xonar Essense STX.

 

[dongringo]

 
Quote:

I was going to buy the DT880 600ohm until I read this thread: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/506963/dt880-600ohm-bs
 
Reading that convinced me that there's a very small audible difference if any between the different impedances.
 
... I've learned that sometimes the people here just repeat what others have said without really listening to it. 

There are inconsistencies in your statements.

 

[bufo]

Quote:

 

There are inconsistencies in your statements.

 
I can see why you think there are inconsistencies in what I wrote.  I'll try to explain it better.  Before buying the DT880 250 ohm, I read through many threads on this forum and others.  There are some who say 32 sounds better and others who say the 250 sounds better... and then there are those who say 600 is the best.
 
The thread that I linked gives numbers and measurements showing that all 3 impedances are the same. I wanted to see for myself if there was a difference in sound.  I tried the 32 ohm and 250 ohm.  I didn't get a chance to hear the 600 ohm though.  Both the 32 and 250 ohm sound the same to me.
 
I've also read that a DAC makes a big difference.  So I bought one of those too, but I was underwhelmed by the improvement of sound quality.  I also tried to hear the difference between lossless vs itunes files... but I also couldn't distinguish the difference.
 
So what I've learned so far after spending months reading these forums is to look at measurements.  Sometimes what people hear is altered by what's going on in the brain.  So that's why I linked that thread full of measurements.

 

[TheDead]

I agree that looking at the curves, all three are almost the same. The 250 Ohm being the flattest, this is the one I'm aiming at at the moment. Also, most of the comparison done for these headphones seem to go with different amps, or worst, different source. I have yet to find a straight up comparison between the two using same source/dac/amp, at equivalent volume.
 
This could be understandable since amps can be 0, 100to300, 300to600, etc. ohmage ratings.
 
Zombie-X had both on same amp.. but amp output was 8Ohm(!?). The 600 sounded nicer and fuller for him.

 

[Trysaeder]

Quote:

I was going to buy the DT880 600ohm until I read this thread: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/506963/dt880-600ohm-bs
 
Reading that convinced me that there's a very small audible difference if any between the different impedances.  I ended up buying the 250 ohm after testing out a 32 ohm.  I decided to go with the 250 ohm because it seems like it's Beyerdynamic's standard version and should work for most applications.  After reading this message board and wasting my money... I've learned that sometimes the people here just repeat what others have said without really listening to it.  Connecting my DT880 250 ohm to my MacBook Pro, the volume is adequate at the 2nd or 3rd little tick out of 16.  So if you end up getting that one, you probably don't need an amp even though everyone claims that it's necessary.
 

 
Yea.....you may have a positive point if the 250 ohm wasn't 7 dollars more expensive than the 600 ohm.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/448470-REG/Beyerdynamic_481793_DT_880_Semi_Open.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/614493-REG/Beyerdynamic_491322_DT_880_Premium_Semi_Open.html
 
It's not like there's a $100 difference between the 250 ohm and the 'audiophile' version, while the 600 has far more demand than the 250. If you have an amp that can drive the 250, you can drive the 600. If you don't have an amp, you shouldn't be getting any of them.
 
If you actually look at the graphs there is a 2-4 decibel difference in the 4khz range and the 8-12 khz range, giving at least some merit to the hype-fi.
 
What do you lose if you go the 600?
 
edit: amazon has the 250 for $228

 

[Zombie_X]

Sorry for not replying sooner. I had the G3 and it was a great amp for the price. I have not heard the MKIII in a long time so I can not comment there.
 
The USB DAC would pop up as a USB device, like USB Speakers or something like that. That is what you were asking right?
 
Quote:

Hey Zombie_X:
I read that you have the PHENIX G3, do you know how it compares to the Little Dot MKIII?
Or should I just go with a Head-Direct EF2 (amp + dac)
 
Sources being : Audigy2ZS or laptop (music), PS3 (movies/games) , XBox360 (games) , Zen Micro (music).
 
Bonus noob question : I have to do research but the USB in DAC in is not like an external sound card seen in Windows right?

 

[TheDead]

Quote:

Sorry for not replying sooner. I had the G3 and it was a great amp for the price. I have not heard the MKIII in a long time so I can not comment there.



The USB DAC would pop up as a USB device, like USB Speakers or something like that. That is what you were asking right?

 
Cool for the G3, but it is a tube amp so if I understand correctly would "color" the sound more than a SS. I also read that they're "not good good for electronica and/or gaming" since they are "slow". Is this related to some kind of micro delay in sound that would "break" the fast techno beats and also the sense of immersion while playing?
 
If this is the case that this would be another point for the 250's since decent/affordable amps for the 600's are almost all tubes. (max 200$ amp)
 
As for the USB DAC... yeah that was exactly my question

)

 

[Zombie_X]

Yes it would color the sound in a way that would fill in the mids and smooth the highs. The G3 is a slower sounding tube amp and smears the sound a little bit. But I think it's not that bad. You may notice that the leading edge on some beats/notes is smoothed out or smeared. 
 
I prefer the sound of solid state, which is far flatter and more accurate, but tube amps drive my higher impedance headphones much better.
 
Since you like Techno/Electronica, I find I can not recommend the G3 for you. I find it has great synergy with the 250Ohm DT990 (tames the treble and fills the mids), but it's a slower amp and won't work good for faster genres. I does work really well with acoustic music though!
 
Quote:

Quote:

Sorry for not replying sooner. I had the G3 and it was a great amp for the price. I have not heard the MKIII in a long time so I can not comment there.



The USB DAC would pop up as a USB device, like USB Speakers or something like that. That is what you were asking right?

 
Cool for the G3, but it is a tube amp so if I understand correctly would "color" the sound more than a SS. I also read that they're "not good good for electronica and/or gaming" since they are "slow". Is this related to some kind of micro delay in sound that would "break" the fast techno beats and also the sense of immersion while playing?
 
If this is the case that this would be another point for the 250's since decent/affordable amps for the 600's are almost all tubes. (max 200$ amp)
 
As for the USB DAC... yeah that was exactly my question

)

 

[Soymilk]

amplification isn't only about getting the headphones loud enough, it's about driving the headphones properly. i cant say for the dt880 specifically, but with my dt770/80, my sound card is plenty capable of getting it more than loud enough. listening to it without my amp though, it has a pretty small amount of bass, definitely nothing that would warrant their reputation as bass monsters. after building my amp though, it sounded a lot better. i found the spot for the volume to be the same for both directly out of my computer and for going through the amp and switched back and forth comparing, listening to the same songs. there is a very noticeable difference. now, i can see why they have the reputation for being bass heavy. not only that, but the entire sound (mids and highs) sounded a lot fuller as well, and the highs which previously sounded a tiny bit harsh weren't anymore.
Quote:

Connecting my DT880 250 ohm to my MacBook Pro, the volume is adequate at the 2nd or 3rd little tick out of 16.  So if you end up getting that one, you probably don't need an amp even though everyone claims that it's necessary.

 

[TheDead]

Zombie_X:
Quote:

I prefer the sound of solid state, which is far flatter and more accurate, but tube amps driver my higher impedance headphones much better.

Since you like Techno/Electronica, I find I can not recommend the G3 for you. I find it has great synergy with the 250Ohm DT990 (tames the treble and fills the mids), but it's a slower amp and won't work good for faster genres. I does work really well with acoustic music though!

 
Thanks, you post almost cemented my decision to go with a DT880/250 with a SS amp.
I wish I could go with multiple amps and headphones but that this thing called... money or something... and I would like to have more of it.

hehe
I started a thread for frequency response curves, etc missing from headphone.com since I'm really curious on how the AD900's bass is at on a "objective" graph.
 
 
Soymilk:
 
Quote:

 after building my amp though, it sounded a lot better.

Tube or SS? Also what do you use the HPs for (games, music types..) ?
 

 

[Soymilk]

SS, the ppa v2 http://tangentsoft.net/audio/ppa/
 
i've been using it for games mostly. i like them for metal/rock type stuff, but for more acousticey music i dont like them as much as my hd555. remember im talking about the dt770 here though, not the 880s. i've never listened to the dt880 so i can't comment on how they sound.

 

[Zombie_X]

Soymilk that amp looks interesting. So can you tune the amount of bass boost by rotating the dial?

 

[Soymilk]

if you choose to include that part of the board, yeah. it's an optional piece.

 

[Zombie_X]

Sounds very interesting indeed then. I may have to look into one to test out.