[GeorgeGoodman]

I have the DT880s 2005 version 250 ohm balanced with Cardas, and I just got to listen to them the first time today. I actually was only able to listen to one side at a time since I only have a balanced DAC and not an amp and only have one adapter, but I will get another adapter soon. 
 
My initial impression are positive. They seem to be able to layer the instruments very well, so that some instruments seem to be coming in front or in back of another. They also do not have bad bass, one of my concerns. The bass is punchy and goes low. It is not huge, but shockingly good for what I thought were bass light phones. It also responded pretty well to EQing the bass up a little. So far, these cans seems to be pretty neutral and nice sounding, with good soundstage and layering abilities.

 

[AudioAssassyn]

Concerning the 600 Ohm models:
 
Alright, guys, so here is my impression thus far (keep in mind I only have about 100hrs of burnin on them):
 
The 880s:
 
They are heavier than the 990s but it's nothing uncomfortable. They are MUCH more neutral and brutally honest about mixes. These are the phones you want for mixing; they will tell you how lazy your "favorite band" was about mixing. Is that good or bad? I don't know - you decide. Personally, since I am using them for mix downs, I love the truth, and these bad boys do me a LOT of good. If you don't want to hear how unbalanced most bands out there are, steer clear of these.
 
The 990s:
 
Noticeably lighter on the head than the 880s. SO much more fun to listen to as well. The bass is so fun and prominent. If you aren't worried about making an accurate mix, these are the way to go. They are so fun to listen to, I intentionally try to avoid them so as to not taint my mixes.
 
Overall:
 
I'm not getting rid of either. Both are fantastic cans. The 880s, though heavier than the 990s (yet not fatiguing) are much more accurate, and that's honestly what I wanted to begin with. The 990s are nice and light (and imo, the horizontal grill on the outside looks better than the speaker grill on the 880s, though that doesn't really matter), and the bass is more pronounced. I have a lot of fun with the 990s, but I keep the 880s on my head more often because I want to keep my ear more neutral, because that's what suits my purpose. But if you don't want to mix, grab the 990s, they sound like pure candy. I will be putting leather earpads on the 880s as well as getting them recabled by Zynsonix so I can hone them just a bit more (even though it really isn't necessary), but the 990s are great right out of the box, fantastic after a few days of programmed burnin, and I can't wait to see what both cans sound like after I get about 600 hours on them. For my application, the 600 Ohm models are best. If you aren't looking to mix or analyze your library to the "T", then don't worry about going out of your way for them. The 250s will more than suffice.

 

[GeorgeGoodman]

I have the 250 Ω DT880s Cardas balanced and I just hooked them up to my cheap CD player/receiver through the speaker outputs with a little bit of wire. They sound good and are pretty neutral. They do have deep bass that can be impactful if it is in the song (Jay-Z, Disturbed, anything bass heavy.) They can punch pretty well. They also have great imaging and the instruments very often sound like they are out of the head. Overall, I like them a lot and am looking forward to getting a good balanced amp. I am considering the Ibasso PB2, which is coming out next year and should be even better than the PB1 and the Ray Samuels SR71B.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Quote:

Of course, we all have our favorite can, but is there any reason in particular that you kept your 990s over the 880s? The E9 is set in stone right now, so no more discussion on that one.

Sorry I took so long to reply. I had the 880s quite a while back, when I was still experimenting with headphones, trying to figure out what sort of balance I wanted. I only let them go because I wanted something new, that's it. They are the best headphones I have heard if balance was what I'd want. Me, I'm a more of a slight bass and real treblehead, so the 990s just sound better FOR ME. If I had the funds, I'd get the 880s again just because they are near reference quality. I'd find it hard to believe that anything is clearly better than the 880s until you start spending some serious cash.
 
Even if I owned both, I know the 880s wouldn't get the head time the 990s get.