[pevsfreedom]

I recently moved and kind of shifted around and purchased some new audio gear. Basically I have my Technics SL1200 hooked up to a Yamaha S501 and right now I'm using basically new to me Beyer DT770 80ohms. I bought them because I had them before and liked them, but not for this usage, and bought them again without doing proper research. They don't sound nice for what I like. I've never used a headphone amp before, or really listened to a record with headphones.

They are very comfortable, but that's about it. The bass got super muddy and I had to turn it down significantly. The treble was sparkly ear bleedy. No mids whatsoever. I listened to Led Zeppelin II and Dark Side of the Moon. You could barely hear the lady screaming on Great Gig in the Sky. Neither sounded very good. I don't know if this is a 'trait' of listening thru headphones but I could hear every single bit of static with the 770s as well. I am kind of reading they may be too "clinical" or "analytical" for spinning vinyl. They just were not impressive for my use. I would be using these primary for listening to the turntable, with primarily classic rock. So I assume I need something with a lot more mids. The 770's also made 320kbps sound like total garbage, which is probably true for any good pair of headphones? I would use these same headphones for some lower quality listening (Spotify) and some GarageBand mixing as well.

I know it's my fault - didn't research. I think I may not care much on open v. closed back. Wife said she don't mind hearing what I'm listening to. Not sure if it matters.

Anyone have some better recommendations? Was looking at maybe DT880s or HD600s/50s, or maybe just an EQ? I've never had an integrated amp before either.

 

[NA Blur]

I suggest first listening to the DT770 on a phone/tablet/PC and determine if the same tracks you listen to via record sound the same with the headphones. It is quite possible that you are hearing more accurately what records sound like. You should also try listening to your headphones through the Yamaha S501, but instead of a record, try a different source like PC/phone.

The DT770 are in no way perfectly tuned for your listening tastes, but they should sound more pleasing than you describe. This makes me think it is more the source material and the record playing making things worse.

 

[pevsfreedom]

I suggest first listening to the DT770 on a phone/tablet/PC and determine if the same tracks you listen to via record sound the same with the headphones. It is quite possible that you are hearing more accurately what records sound like. You should also try listening to your headphones through the Yamaha S501, but instead of a record, try a different source like PC/phone.

The DT770 are in no way perfectly tuned for your listening tastes, but they should sound more pleasing than you describe. This makes me think it is more the source material and the record playing making things worse.

Do you have any recommendations for something better suited? I have a pretty much new AT120Eb cart, which I'm not sure is super great for the headphone application?

Without the headphone amp they were pretty quiet, and low quality stuff sounds OK. Not loud enough for me to really care or notice. With the amp the 320kbps is totally exposed. Good idea though.. I'll have to do a flac DSOTM or something to see how that sounds thru the amp compared to the vinyl.

On the turntable though everything kinda sounds bad. I have a absolutely perfect 200g Hendrix Axis: Bold as Love and that sounded rough as well. No mids. Boomy bass. Brutal treble. I've never listened to records with headphones so maybe I'm just not used to it - or it's something with my turntable... I mean it's got a brand new needle, tho we moved recently across country and it hasn't been properly set-up or calibrated since the move, though I don't know if that would make a super huge difference. Through the speakers the records sound as expected (pretty good thru new Klipsch R820f's that I kind of just decided to get).

I bought a HD600, Beyer DT880 250, SD25, and DT770 250ohm to try. I really prefer the closed back so I hope the latter two offer something a bit more akin to my taste. Though I wear glasses so SD25 might be out. The DT770 is so comfy.

 

[helloh3adfi]

You could try the DT880 or Sennheiser HD560. DT700 Pro X should be better than the DT770. EQ can help as well.

 

[D00M]

I bought and returned Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 ohm. It was awful for me and I HATED it. It sounds dark and bright. What I cannot stand is the harsh metallic trebles. My ears were ringing after 30 minutes. And I got splitting headache after 1 hour.

I wasn't sure what was going on. So many people liked it and speak so highly of it. I made sure I gave it time for mental burn-in. I listened to it 3-4 hours daily for 2 weeks. It was the worst 2 weeks of my life. Constant ear pain and headache. When I gave up, I was so happy my suffering can end.

Sometimes the headphones' tuning is just not a good fit. Don't try to force it by buying dac/amp thinking it will change the sound for the better. Since you got it, gave it time and watch the return window. If it doesn't work, move on. There are so many options out there.

 

[pevsfreedom]

Missed the return window but I'll sell. I had the noxious ringing for hours as well and it wasn't even that loud.

 

[bagwell359]

On the turntable though everything kinda sounds bad. I have a absolutely perfect 200g Hendrix Axis: Bold as Love and that sounded rough as well. No mids. Boomy bass. Brutal treble. I've never listened to records with headphones so maybe I'm just not used to it - or it's something with my turntable... I mean it's got a brand new needle, tho we moved recently across country and it hasn't been properly set-up or calibrated since the move, though I don't know if that would make a super huge difference.

Most TT's are not set up correctly to begin with, they can get much worse from a move across the room never mind country.

What TT and cartridge? Can you twist the headshell or the cartridge? If so, get an alignment protractor and align it. Pivot tonearms mistrack almost all of every disk but you can set up to have the least amount and it matters.

Before that check the cantilever and tip under magnification - 10x should do. Also when playing examine the cantilever from both sides and front. If it looks non perfect - you have a twisted cantilever - replace.

It's doubtful you can change the VTA - vertical tracking angle, but read up just in case and do it if possible.

Also tone arm effective weight and cartridge compliance can be badly matched. If you bought as a set its probably ok. But if you upgrade - it becomes an issue.

 

[pevsfreedom]

Technics Sl1200 and a AT120Eb cart. The basic stuff is set right, but no I haven't busted out the protractor and gotten into it again yet. Something I wish I could pay sometone to do - because I'm a fidgety person

 

[pevsfreedom]

Maybe I'm just weird but thru flac DSOTM with the DT770 80ohm the same issues apply. Guitar solos need to be turned up to sibilant levels to sound good. Treble and bass overwhelm the hell out of the mids. I always equalized my stuff to a weak U but this V is pretty intense. Ears hiss every time I use them with the amp at 50%.

 

[NA Blur]

What’s your budget for a new headphone?

 

[helloh3adfi]

Maybe I'm just weird but thru flac DSOTM with the DT770 80ohm the same issues apply. Guitar solos need to be turned up to sibilant levels to sound good. Treble and bass overwhelm the hell out of the mids. I always equalized my stuff to a weak U but this V is pretty intense. Ears hiss every time I use them with the amp at 50%.

Did you try Oratory or AutoEQ? Though the frequency respones of the 80 and 250 ohm editions will differ a little.

 

[ADUHF]

Doesn't sound like the 80 ohm DT-770 is a good fit for your current setup, pevsfreedom.

The DT-770 is indeed a rather bright, analytical, and dry-sounding headphone (especially new out of the box, before the pads have broken in and compressed a bit), which is perhaps geared a bit more for studio use. The amp you're using probably isn't helping matters though. And is likely delivering poor sound quality to your headphones because the output impedance of the headphone jack is too high. And you're not getting good bridging and electrical damping as a consequence...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impedance_bridging
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damping_factor

You might get a little better sound quality with the higher impedance 250 ohm Beyers, either the DT-880 or DT-770. But you'll still have to contend with their brighter and more V-shaped tuning in some way. Maybe the amp has some internal EQ features that you could use for that? Or you could add a graphic EQ between your source an amp?

If you can find another headphone with higher impedance and lower sensitivity, with a warmer, more neutral and pleasing sound out of the box, perhaps that might be a better fit for your setup.

 

[pevsfreedom]

What’s your budget for a new headphone?

Around $300

Did you try Oratory or AutoEQ? Though the frequency respones of the 80 and 250 ohm editions will differ a little.

Never used those as I don't know what they are. I just saw the 250 was a bit more U shaped than V.

 

[pevsfreedom]

Doesn't sound like the 80 ohm DT-770 is a good fit for your current setup, pevsfreedom.

The DT-770 is indeed a rather bright, analytical, and dry-sounding headphone (especially new out of the box, before the pads have broken in and compressed a bit), which is perhaps geared a bit more for studio or portable use. The amp you're using probably isn't helping matters though. And is likely delivering poor sound quality to your headphones because the headphone output's impedance is too high. And you're not getting good bridging and electrical damping as a consequence.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impedance_bridging
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damping_factor

You might get a little better sound quality with the higher impedance 250 ohm Beyers, either the DT-880 or DT-770. But you'll still have to contend with their brighter tuning in some way. Maybe the amp has some internal EQ features that you could use for that. Or you could add a graphic EQ between your source an amp?

If you can find a headphone with higher impedance and lower sensitivity, with a warmer, more neutral and pleasing sound out of the box, perhaps that might be a better fit for your setup.

Thanks for the response. Yeah that's the impression I'm getting. I've heard the bass tones down a bit with use.

Not sure what you mean about the amp? Are you saying the amp is "expecting" a higher ohm headphone? I tried the 80ohm also with a Focusrite Solo that I use for recording, and ended up buying the amp because it was so quiet. I bought a Schitt Heresy first, which is when things got really exposed, then the S501, and have used them in tandem a bit as well.

The S501 does have bass/treble tuning. So that might help. I'm hoping I like the 770 250ohms as they are closed and allegedly a bit more neutral, or just enjoy the open cans. Those are new to me.

I've not learned much yet about "sensitivity" beyond I guess power:volume ratio, or "warmth". I understand neutral.

 

[ADUHF]

Didn't see mention of the Heresy above, so I assumed you were just using the headphone jack on the Yamaha amp to drive the 80-ohm DT-770's.