[JaZZ]

Taoster...

...I never saw any comments from you about your new DT 931 since you got it. How do you like it? (How does it compare to your HD 580 and your ER-4S?)


Howie...

...indeed my ethousiasm is slightly subdued... noticing that the DT 880 isn't the perfect headphone I momentarily believed. Sorry to have evoked some false expectations! Nevertheless it's probably my best dynamic headphone, together with my (foamless) HD 600, which now – despite some affinity – appears to have a clearly different sonic signature. But one thing is for sure: the DT 880 is the one with the greater fun factor (not necessarily the higher neutrality).

JaZZ¨

 

[taoster]

Quote:

Originally posted by JaZZ Taoster... ...I never saw any comments from you about your new DT 931 since you got it. How do you like it? (How does it compare to your HD 580 and your ER-4S?) JaZZ¨

since youve asked

Ive found each of the phone that I have owned to excel in some area that may be lacking from another. The Beyer DT931 is no different, what it excels in is by far is it's neutrality. It's the most natural sounding phone ive heard, with no exaggerated fun bass and no evident play on soundstage and delivery.
It delivers a present sound that is lacking from the HD580 and has very good detail, similar sounding to the er4s while not extending the highs/details like the SR325. It also has a very comfortable natural soundstage which edges the er4s.

I would best described the phone as being a natural sounding phone but that in turn is its own short-coming. there's always going to be phone that will provide more bass, better highs and better soundstage. In fact, I am not even sure if I appreciate its neutrality as much as i should.

Beside the sound, i do found the DT931 to be slightly uncomfortable. While the Grado makes my ear itch the Beyer touches the tip of my ear and feels very loose on my head, yet it clamps on the frontal part of my head.. it has a rather weird fitting for me. The HD-580 is much better in this regards.

 

[JaZZ]

Quote:

Originally posted by taoster Ive found each of the phone that I have owned to excel in some area that may be lacking from another.

Whom do you tell that!

It's so sad we have to live with that... During my DT 880 euphoria I thought this one could be the great exception. But now that the first disappointment is over I must say that it's a damned good headphone anyway.

 

[Spiffyis5150]

Quote:

Originally posted by taoster Are you comparing the DT931 with an increased impedance? I use the 120ohm oehlbach and it has totally transforms the phone.. The DT931 NEEDS the increased impedance to sound any good. I cant stress enough how important the DT931 NEEDS that increased impedance, NEEDS!

No, I am not comparing it the DT931 with the 120 ohm adapter. I purchased the DT931 from Head-Fier who was using it with a Porta Corda that included the adapter and he didn't want to part with it. Yes, I know it needs an adapter, but I don't have the tools to make one and I'm not going to just order a 120 Ohm adapter from Jan who's halfway across the world. My apologies for not stating that it was without the 120 Ohm adapter. I still stand by what I said though, so for all you other people out there, it was WITHOUT the 120 ohm adapter that I made my comparisons.

I would also like to add that although Jazz has found a few shortcomings in the DT880 that may or may not affect you should you choose to purchase them. For instance, Jazz hasn't made any comment about issues with bass with the DT880 which is my biggest beef at the moment. I, on the other hand, don't find the DT880 to have a problem with treble accentuation. I only point this out because everyone seems to be bothered when an imperfection is pointed out. I don't think the DT880s are perfect. I wish they were, but they aren't. What I do think is that these are very nice headphones and will make many people happy. Since I came here in December, I've purchased 4 sets of cans and none them have fit the bill. I bought the DT880 because even though I love my DT770s, I wanted something with a better soundstage and better mids while keeping the bass and treble from the 770. Do the 880s fit that bill for me? Almost. Right now, they are THE set of headphones for me at home and that's my endorsement in a nutshell.

 

[HappymaN]

Damn it, I was almost set on buying some DT880's, but then I borrowed my friend's HD600.

The HD600, when driven by the Corda Blue I just kindly received from JaZZ (I haven't even paid him yet!

), is simply incredible. Everything sounds so real. What should I do!!!

 

[taoster]

Quote:

Originally posted by HappymaN Damn it, I was almost set on buying some DT880's, but then I borrowed my friend's HD600. The HD600, when driven by the Corda Blue I just kindly received from JaZZ (I haven't even paid him yet! ), is simply incredible. Everything sounds so real. What should I do!!!

Pffft.. get both

 

[HappymaN]

Quote:

Originally posted by taoster Pffft.. get both

Spoken like a true Head-Fi'er!

HappymaN = Student = No Job = Can't Get Both

 

[JaZZ]

HappymaN (student)...
Quote:

Can't Get Both

...you (...or I, resp.) definitely need both! The DT 880 is more fun, but can be annoying with certain recordings, and these are exactly the ones which the HD 600 is for. The more so if you like it so much anyway, I would buy one (first), maybe used. You may consider the DT 880 for the near future then. – What do you think?

JaZZ

 

[JaZZ]

Just solved the DT 880/brightness problem: by using the Bel Canto DAC2 instead of the internal 963SA DAC. Still the treble is accentuated, but it's not really annoying anymore, even with «Vespertine». The only problem: now I have to swap the source again for SACDs.

 

[gerG]

Just for fun I put on my HD600s last night and listened for about an hour. Most enjoyable. Then I switched to the DT880s. One word came immediately to mind:

Alive. The 880s bring life to the music that just wasn't there with the Sens. Usually when I switch cans like this there is some glaring difference that bugs me for a bit, but not in this case. It was like switching from B&W to color.



gerG

 

[Howie]

You know I have always wondered about this. I'm not a bass person so I'm always seconding guessing someone's opinion whenever they show a love for bass (cause their definition of bass can simply be what they feel and doesn't really care too much about tightness and speed as well as the blend of the bass). Of course there are knowledgeable people here so I tend to second guess much less.

I do read Stereophile though not obsessed with it. And I'm always interested in reading their amp reviews. I always find reviewers that find neutrality more credible because they are often able to sit back and consider what actually sounds real. I do want my music to sound as "real" and as natural as possible. I don't want anything to make it more alive cause sometimes vocals and instruments gets "supercharged" when they actually aren't suppose to be.

I'm thinking of Jan's review here. If the HD600 represents the music in a more neutral way despite not being perceived as "exciting" that to me means the HD600 is better. Now I'm no expert so I too am often influenced by what "excites" me which qualities such as brightness tend to do as well. Just my thoughts. With that said I would love to get the DT880 just to see what everyone is talkign about

 

[wallijonn]

Jazz,

I'm elated that you're having some success with the DT880. I've been looking for a Muse 2 DAC myself, although I find myself waffling on the Parasound DAC (used, of course).

could you list your wire preference in your profile? i'm especially interested in your passive preamp, so I have to wonder what you are using to drive the DT880. did you chip roll the meta?

 

[AdamP88]

Damn you all. Especially Beyer for making a phone at an excellent price point that's getting such rave reviews.

Luckily I think I will be able to resist the temptation for now, as I already plunked down a good chunk of change for a new amp.

I think Head-Fi should start selling little metal clamps to go over your wallet.

 

[JaZZ]

wallijonn...

...I have no Meta!

Just a Corda HA-2 and an Earmax Pro. These two usually drive my headphones, currently mainly the DT 880. Besides I have a passive «amp» (a 500 ohm potentiometer) to attenuate the source signal which actually drives the headphones itself. I'm not sure if you mean this one with «passive preamp» – the latter is meant to control just the speaker amp and consists primarily of a 10 kOhm Alps potentiometer (thus nothing special – but still clearly better than any active preamp). Currently I spend very little time with my speakers – my headphones represent my main rig. This as a consequence of my tinnitus which I now have since 1¾ years; it was much easier to ignore it with headphones. Now that I'm used to these I find it hard to return to speakers – so much hollowness and standing waves, such a blurred bass reproduction...

Well, you wanted to know more about my interconnects. From my profile: self-built digital, interconnect, speaker and HD 600 cables (all of 0.028-0.05 mm magnet wires). This list isn't quite complete anymore. I've changed the magnet wire digital cable for the Bel Canto DAC2 to one made of 0.2 mm resistance wires. These sound more neutral and less glossy – that's better with the Bel Canto, while the (rather dry sounding) Theta preferred the magnet wire design.

With my (foamless!) HD 600 I slightly preferred the EMP, especially with classical. Now, with the DT 880, the HA-2 is my favorite. It's somewhat darker, rounder and more elegant in the treble, also a bit more controlled and dynamic. But I still slightly prefer the EMP for SACDs. Today I changed its output tubes from the brilliant russian military tubes to the rounder Siemens E88CC – with success.

Compared to my passive «amp» both real amps seem to sound more complete, richer and smoother. But don't imagine a sound as if there was any technical shortcoming (there isn't one anyway) like the notoriously suspected insufficient current supply: there's full, dynamic bass, clean and transparent mids as well as ultraclear and -detailed highs. I could easily live with it, if I hadn't the more euphonic headamps at my disposal. I can also live with this «lie», since it simply sounds more enjoyable and even true, although it actually isn't (see my previous postings to the subject). With the DVD 963's line out it's hard to get a sufficient volume anyway, since its output impedance obviously is too high for direct-path purposes.

As to the DT 880: yes, I love it. It has replaced my HD 600 as my number one headphone. After the painful process of desillusion which took me down from my initial euphoria – you know: the brightness shock! – now I can take it as it is: an imperfect sound transducer (like all the others), nevertheless a highly fascinating one, and after the source swapping even one of the best and maybe even the most musical headphones I ever heard (whatever that's worth). I wouldn't go so far as gerG with his B&W vs. color allegory – that's just too unfair to the HD 600 IMO which is still a great headphone –, but I can understand him to a certain degree.


Howie...

...yes, for me too the HD 600 is still a benchmark when it comes to neutrality – knowing that in fact it isn't really neutral. I wouldn't even call it clearly more neutral than the DT 880 after all. But the colorations the HD 600 shows are less obvious (and maybe less annoying!) – because they mainly consist of a dip instead of a peak. So I wouldn't call the DT 880's enhanced 10 kHz range a greater coloration than the HD 600's 8 kHz dip. It might just spontaneously be more ear-catching. But the downside is the HD 600's slight lack of fascination and vividity, of which the DT 880 has just a tiny bit too much. It's a matter of preference, not objective truth.

JaZZ