Alternative to my DT770's
Feb 28, 2010 at 5:02 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 25
Sovelin

Sovelin

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I'm in med school, and I currently have the Beyer DT770 Pro with gel pads and I love them. I use them to listen to classical music in the library. Though they may not be the best for classical music, they block out noise phenominally, and better than any open-back headphones or the denon 1001k. The only issue is that they are heavy. When I'm reading over notes or texts, my head is bent down for hours at a time, and having these on starts to hurt the back of my neck.

Are there any other headphones that are just as good at blocking out sound (and not leaking sound) that aren't quite as heavy? They should also work without an amp (as I won't be carrying one around with me). They don't necessarily have to be the best in sound quality. And I absolutely dislike IEM's.
 
Feb 28, 2010 at 4:39 PM Post #3 of 25
Thank you for the suggestion. They look like a very solid pair of headphones and much more portable than my DT770. How big are they compared to the 770, and how durable are they (they don't look quite as tough as my 770)? Are they significantly lighter than the 770?
 
Feb 28, 2010 at 5:05 PM Post #4 of 25
Quote:

Originally Posted by Sovelin /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Thank you for the suggestion. They look like a very solid pair of headphones and much more portable than my DT770. How big are they compared to the 770, and how durable are they (they don't look quite as tough as my 770)? Are they significantly lighter than the 770?


I would have to advise you to not buy the 780. I used them for a while, and then after doing some light A/Bing, I found them to be terrible. By comparison to even the cheaper ATH-A700, I found them to sound really fake and plasticky. The vocals were horrid and nasal, as if the singer had something caught in his/her throat. Splashy/metallic highs, too. I would say the only thing these did well was bass, which was decent.

Also, they are definitely NOT solid. The "metal" on the earcups is just a flimsy aluminum veneer, and the rest of the construction is cheap plastic. The headband pad fell off as well, along with the earcups getting scratched and dented a lot. Very uncomfortable.

770=Made in Germany, 780=Made in Taiwan.

In short, I would say they're a big step down in all respects from your Beyers.
 
Mar 1, 2010 at 4:56 AM Post #6 of 25
Shure SRH840 are decent for closed cans and classical. However, weight will still be an issue, they're quite heavy (not DT770 heavy, but still significant enough).
 
Mar 1, 2010 at 5:16 AM Post #7 of 25
If IEMs are a problem how about ear buds? PK3 from head-direct for around $35 don't need amping and sound terrific with classical and acoustic, very similar sound signature to the full sized Sennheiser HD 580.

HFI-780 are also terrific but need a decent solid-state amp to do them justice.
 
Mar 1, 2010 at 11:22 PM Post #8 of 25
Well, a lot of people said for the DT770 you need an amp, otherwise they sound terrible. I run them from my iPod touch at only 60-70% and they are just fine for me. Keeping that in mind, would the 780 be fine? I'm not overly interested in sound quality when I'm studying in the library. The classical music is just to block out noise, and since it is instrumental, there are no vocals to distract me. Although I do plan on getting a Zero Dac/Amp with moon for listening at home when I'm relaxing.

I kinda want to stick with circumaural because I think it provides the best isolation without going into noise cancelling or IEM's. And the 780's are supposed to be decently lighter then the DT770. Remember, I'm going to be wearing them for several hours a day with my head bent down looking at notes/texts (anywhere from 8-14 hours daily). The 770 can become quite cumbersome with a bent head.
 
Mar 2, 2010 at 1:08 AM Post #9 of 25
Mar 2, 2010 at 3:17 AM Post #10 of 25
The earpads look like an easy and cheap mod. The ALO cable is kinda expensive though, and I do not know how to re-cable. Is it worth the $200 (significant increase in performance)? And please forgive me for this question, but would re-cabling cause any change in impedance?
 
Mar 2, 2010 at 4:40 PM Post #11 of 25
Quote:

Originally Posted by Sovelin /img/forum/go_quote.gif
The earpads look like an easy and cheap mod. The ALO cable is kinda expensive though, and I do not know how to re-cable. Is it worth the $200 (significant increase in performance)? And please forgive me for this question, but would re-cabling cause any change in impedance?


FWIR when recabled they sound fairly similar to the edition 9. http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f70/ul...lo-mod-299731/

I'm not sure about the impedance. As far as I understand it the impedance of a headphone is determined by the design of its voice coils, the length and size of wire used, the number of turns, etc. so I don't think recabling would change the impedance. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
 
Mar 2, 2010 at 5:11 PM Post #12 of 25
How about HD 25 I II?
The are great isolators, don't leak, on ear, light and sound great.
 
Mar 2, 2010 at 9:34 PM Post #13 of 25
Would the ALO modded 780 w/ DT250 pads be significantly lighter (to wear, not necessarily to carry) than they stock DT770 pro? In other words, would I feel less neck strain after six hours of ALO 780 then DT770?
 
Mar 3, 2010 at 8:39 PM Post #15 of 25
Quote:

Originally Posted by NapalmK /img/forum/go_quote.gif
FWIR when recabled they sound fairly similar to the edition 9. http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f70/ul...lo-mod-299731/

I'm not sure about the impedance. As far as I understand it the impedance of a headphone is determined by the design of its voice coils, the length and size of wire used, the number of turns, etc. so I don't think recabling would change the impedance. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.


Recabling can certainly change impedance.

Edit: though it normally doesn't.
 
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