[Capt. Z]

I mainly listen to jazz and classical and my old and tweaked DT 990 (600 ohm version) are almost perfect, exept they are a little lean in the mids. They would be perfect if they would be a little warmer in the mids.

I am considering upgrading to the new DT 880 or DT 990 Pro.

Which one of those two would be the better choice.

Thanks

 

[wallijonn]

DT880.

 

[sacd lover]

DT 880.

 

[tom hankins]

I sit here with a smile on my face, and the DT880's on my head.

 

[plainsong]

Depending on source though. The 990s will forgive your PCDP, while from what I'm reading the 880s may not.

But yeah, I wish I had the 880s too.

 

[adhoc]

the 880s are IMHO too biased towards the dark side to show the full breadth of an orchestra clearly.

dynamics wise, you cant go wrong with the 990. details while, you cant go wrong with the 880.

 

[JaZZ]

Quote:

Originally posted by adhoc the 880s are IMHO too biased towards the dark side to show the full breadth of an orchestra clearly.

I guess you meant 990, no?

 

[adhoc]

compared to say, the 931, the 880 is certainly on the dark side of the family.

detailed, yes. bright, no.

 

[Snufkin]

I'd say the DT880 is one of the more neutral Beyers... the DT770 and DT990 are at the "rather dark" end and the 831 and 931 are "rather bright"

I wouldn't say the 880 is unforgiving either, unlike the 831 and 931 which can be brutal to bad recordings or harsh music.

My vote goes to the DT880 as well

 

[plainsong]

Oh for a headphone amp with more power...

oh yeah, and some money too.

 

[Geek]

The DT880 is an extremely fast, relatively neutral headphone which leans slightly on the forward side and has a really incredible soundstage. I really wasn't expecting such a great sound when I put them on.

I heard the DT880s through a Max with stepped attenuators through a Krell Transport and 60x oversampling DAC with Dimarzio M-Path interconnects. It was close to the HD600 in terms of natural sound reproduction.

If I was to order a second phone, it would be a close decision between K1000s, DT880s, and RS-1s.

If you want to stick with the beyer family, by all means buy the DT880, it is the best sounding beyer I have heard.

adhoc,
You say that the DT880s are slightly dark. From your profile it does not specify what amps you are using. Have you heard the DT880s properly powered before on a high end source / amp? They are REALLY hard to drive properly just like the HD600s but they have a crystal clear high end on the right associated equipment, and that is where my asssessment of "forward" comes from.

Cheers,
Geek

 

[adhoc]

geek,

thanks for pointing that out to me. currently i am driving it out unamped from a jvc cdp.

perhaps that is why i consider it dark(er).

also, you mention something interesting:

Quote:

It was close to the HD600 in terms of natural sound reproduction.

are you saying that the hd600 is superior to the dt880 in terms of natural sound reproduction?

 

[wallijonn]

Quote:

are you saying that the hd600 is superior to the dt880 in terms of natural sound reproduction?

Many proud HD600 owners say so. Many DT880 owners will say no.

It's all about preference.

This DT880 owner takes the whole frequency reponse into consideration. This owner can hear the HD600 veil, and as such finds it objectionable. For sex jazz, this owner prefers the DT880, finding the female vocals more intimate & silky.