[powerdog]

Headroom says that the 831 is best used with an amp. So, using a portable and NO amp, would it still be better for classical music than the 250-80?

 

[Tomcat]

To my ears, the 831 is not better for classical music even with an amp. The 250-80 has a warmer and more natural tonal balance, is less fatiguing and lot more musical and involving than the rather bright and bass-shy 831.

Another interesting headphone, easily driven by a portable and with an expansive soundstage, might be the closed Audio Technica ATH-A55. I prefer its predecessor, my old A5, to the Beyer 250-80.

 

[Vince]

I know this is all a matter of personal taste, but I compared these headphones at the HeadRoom WOH tour, and I must say the 831's totally blew me away. They were my favorite phones there. I liked them significantly better than the 250-80's, as well as the Senn 580/600, for that matter.

I hear alot of complaints that the 831's are thin and don't have enough bass, but to my ears the sound was clean, crystical clear, and well balanced. I agree that this type of sound is best suited for Jazz and Classical. They had a Kenny Burrell CD going at the time and it knocked me out.

All the comparisons I made at the WOH tour had the cans running through headphone amps. At 200 ohms, the 831s appear to be more for home use than portable use. They are also quite large, but very comfortable. They would be kind of inconvenient to drag around with a portable. That's why I elected to go with the Etymotic 4P with a 4S converter cable.

Vince

 

[RMSzero]

I compared both these headphones side by side, and I agree that the 831's are thin. They had little bass response and for classical the instruments didn't sound, to me, as full as they would in real life.

I enjoyed the 250-80 because they gave this rich sound to the orchestra, making it seem lifelike. This diminished not one bit when testing out of my d-25s. They also had the most controlled bass of any other headphone in that price range, although it was a bit emphasized, but in a flat and extended way I could handle.

I compared the beyers both with rock and with classical music, and I enjoyed the 250-80 more for both, including out of my pcd as I said.

 

[Snufkin]

I spent a lot of time comparing the 831s to the 250-80s, while "comparing" I liked the 831s a lot more - crystal clear, accurate great sounding headphones, the 250-80s just sounded a little laid back and less clear by comparison.

Then I stopped comparing them, and ended up liking the 250-80s a lot more.
While they aren't crystal clear and revealing as the 831s, they are a hell of a lot more fun to listen to. They take the edge off harsh music, without taking away the detail, and they just make everything a lot more enjoyable to listen to.

While listening to the 831s I was constantly thinking about how clear and revealing they were, which distracted me from the music completely, whereas with the 250-80s I'm tapping my toes in minutes

I've since sold the 831s, and given the 250-80s to my girlfriend, my current headphone of choice is still the beyer DT531.

 

[kelly]

I think the 831 is an awesome headphone that is extremely comfortable and had excellent clear highs and natural sounding horns. However, it is bright and fatiguing and thin and bass shy, just as others have said it is. Plugging into the 120 ohm jack of the Corda makes the 831 less bright and fatiguing but more closed in sounding and isn't generally worth it.

The 250-80 is the polar opposite. Very forgiving, very warm, lacking the detail of the 831's top end and smoother overall. The bass is more present and full and gives the headphone more body and weight.

If I had to pick one for portable or office use, I'd go with the 250-80.

Otherwise, consider the Etymotics. I personally think they're the best route for closed headphones and are wha I use at work.

 

[andrzejpw]

personally, I compared both at the WOH tour. I thought the 831 was pretty bad, but that's just in my opinion. VERY thin. The 250s, otoh, magical!

 

[vb1]

I have the 250-250 and the 831

The 831 are a little too bright but are a better headphone. The 250-250 has the slight closed-phone-boomish-bass and sounds sort of like the V6 (which is understandable as it has the same shape-closer to the ear-less ambience)
note: I'm not saying the v6 has boomy bass.

I'm curious to compare the 250-80 to the 250-250.

Mind you, BOTH these cans are very good.

I use the DT831's with EQ and they sound UNBELEIVABLE.
Why they are tuned so bright, I haven't a clue.

Also, since the 250-250 is 250ohm I would think the bass LESS boomy than the 250-80?

(by the way: boom bites eah?)

 

[RMSzero]

Hmm, I don't think the 250-80 was boomy at all. It's defintly more comfortable and certainly more durable seeming, two unrelated things I forgot to mention.