[m_memmory]

Ok, I was slightly worried for a bit there.

The past week or two I've had to totally reinstall everything on my PC and so, while it was happening, I've not had my usual access to all my music. But I've also had an urge to listen to Bat Out Of Hell (a classic album from my childood - I used to sing to this before I could actually speak!) through my Aria into my DT880.

Well tonight I decided to put that into practise. Ripped the album into FLAC and then played it back via foobar2000. Only got half way through the first track before I was having to turn it off - man that sounded dreadful. I realise that the recording was done fairly cheaply and that this isn't a remastered or whatever CD that I've got but that was really really bad. I've got Californication and I can cope with that via the DT880s and still think that's good but Bat Out Of Hell is dreadful.

Luckily this head-fi curse hit a bit when I first came and I've also got MS1 and HD555 to play things throuhg and (phew!) the album sounds great through both of them (HD555 at the moment and it rocks like I knew it should)

Guess my 100% total love for the DT880s will have to start dropping just a little.

 

[Jam_Master_J]

It sounds worse than Californication

The DT880 does a pretty good job of exposing poor recordings.

 

[MarkyMark]

That's the problem with 'phones like DT880's. They will show up the poor masterings in your music collection all too clearly. I know Californication is a poor example, compressed and maxed to the hilt. Dunno about Meat Loaf (is it a remaster - the old versions usually avoid the loudness treatment?).

DT880's are excellent but am sure there are better phones for rock etc, due to the lack of slamming bass. I might try and pick up a pair of DT990's for the heavier stuff.

 

[JunktionFET]

Back when I had a pair of DT-990 PROs, I absolutely loved them for rock. The wide sweeping hump in the bass combined with the gentle valley in the 1.5-3kHz presence band made them perfect for loud, busy, and otherwise overprocessed rock music. Yet they would settle right down and sound awesome with really good recordings. An awesome headphone for sure. Sadly I couldn't wear them for very long due to limited headband adjustment and too much clamping force. I hope to try the new and improved non-PRO model soon.

 

[fewtch]

Yup, my main beef with the DT880 is that it's hard to listen to with anything below average recording quality. I like to say just add the word "very" to the recording quality and that's what you get with DT880. Poor becomes "very poor," average becomes "very average."

But good also becomes "very good" and excellent also becomes "very excellent," which is the strong point about them.

 

[jagorev]

Hmm...I was looking into the DT880. Too bad a lot of my records are from the 1940s and 50s.

*scratches DT880 off prospective headphones list*

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jagorev Hmm...I was looking into the DT880. Too bad a lot of my records are from the 1940s and 50s. *scratches DT880 off prospective headphones list*

Plenty of recordings from the 40s and 50s are well recorded IME.

 

[Omega]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jagorev Hmm...I was looking into the DT880. Too bad a lot of my records are from the 1940s and 50s. *scratches DT880 off prospective headphones list*

I listen to lots of jazz on my DT880's...including stuff from 40's and 50's, and in general, they sound great. So don't let that discourage you from the DT880's--they're great jazz and blues 'phones.

Compression and hissiness is what I think the OP was knocking...and I can certainly see how such music (from any time period) would suck on the 880's. I listen to Californication too, becuase the album content is good...but the sound quality is very poor.

 

[braillediver]

"Bat Out Of Hell"

The CD I have sounds fantastic with the PS-1 Pros. You can just about hear Meatloaf sweating when he's singing.


Mitch

 

[wakked1]

I think the DAC in the Aria is the same as the Porta Corda III USB. Its not the best DAC imho, I prefer the U24 and even the built-in Soundmax in my Thinkpad. It makes the DT880 sound rather dark and clustrophobic. The Thinkpad line-out to the Porta Corda amp is a much better sounding combo.

 

[m_memmory]

It could possibly be the mastering of the album that's the problem. It's the "revamped" version of the CD so it's possibly that that causes the problems. To me I can cope with Californication for all it's troubles because the music is soo good (admittedly I just wonder what it could've been like had it been mastered properly!)

Till this album though I have to say that I've loved everything through my DT880s. This would be the first album in my collection that I have a NEED to get some different headphones out for. (and I have got some older stuff in my collection - the Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Queen recordings all sing beautifully with the DT880)

And oh yeah... with the MS1 the album rocks!!!

 

[m_memmory]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wakked1 I think the DAC in the Aria is the same as the Porta Corda III USB. Its not the best DAC imho, I prefer the U24 and even the built-in Soundmax in my Thinkpad. It makes the DT880 sound rather dark and clustrophobic. The Thinkpad line-out to the Porta Corda amp is a much better sounding combo.

Not sure about the DAC in the Aria as the only thing I can compare it to is the DAC in my Audigy 2 ZS. Personally for my headphone listening I use the Aria's DAC and it sounds great (to my ears but I'm no total audiophile yet)