[pp312]

Nice posts. I should make clear that I'm pretty old (66) so the brightness is probably lost on these old ears. AIso, I only listen to classical/orchestral so things like bass texture are lost on me as well. And I wouldn't pretent that what's good enough for me should be good enough for all, though I stand by the contention that phones of the DT880/HD650 etc are probably good enough for most people, even head-fiers, if they don't let themselves be sucked into the "more expensive is better" or "he's got it and I want it" syndromes. Also, I don't want to entirely minimise what spending more (wisely) can bring. The LCD-2 was a beautiful phone, and I once wrote that it was in a different class to the HD650, which it is. But there's a tendency here to hyperbolise (is that a word?) differences, often with military terms like "totally destroyed", "blew out of the water" etc, which gives the impression the differences are immense when in fact a casual listener may not even detect them. This is especially true of amps, where experience tells me the differences can't possibly be of the order being suggested (we won't even get into headphone leads and interconnects). In any case I just wanted to draw attention to some of the inexpensive diamonds lying unnoticed at our feet while we gaze off enviously into the distance at LCD-3s and HF6s etc. 
 
hifimanrookie, I appreciate your free-flowing prose but I must admit, as a traditionalist, I do find it a bit hard to follow at times. Do you think just for us old fogies that you could clarify just a little, or at least not use texting language quite so much? I really would like to follow exactly what you're saying.  

 

[hifimanrookie]

Nice posts. I should make clear that I'm pretty old (66) so the brightness is probably lost on these old ears. AIso, I only listen to classical/orchestral so things like bass texture are lost on me as well. And I wouldn't pretent that what's good enough for me should be good enough for all, though I stand by the contention that phones of the DT880/HD650 etc are probably good enough for most people, even head-fiers, if they don't let themselves be sucked into the "more expensive is better" or "he's got it and I want it" syndromes. Also, I don't want to entirely minimise what spending more (wisely) can bring. The LCD-2 was a beautiful phone, and I once wrote that it was in a different class to the HD650, which it is. But there's a tendency here to hyperbolise (is that a word?) differences, often with military terms like "totally destroyed", "blew out of the water" etc, which gives the impression the differences are immense when in fact a casual listener may not even detect them. This is especially true of amps, where experience tells me the differences can't possibly be of the order being suggested (we won't even get into headphone leads and interconnects). In any case I just wanted to draw attention to some of the inexpensive diamonds lying unnoticed at our feet while we gaze off enviously into the distance at LCD-3s and HF6s etc. 

hifimanrookie, I appreciate your free-flowing prose but I must admit, as a traditionalist, I do find it a bit hard to follow at times. Do you think just for us old fogies that you could clarify just a little, or at least not use texting language quite so much? I really would like to follow exactly what you're saying.  

Lolz..i respect ur opinion ofcourse..and ur right.. most mid end phones (dt880, hd650, he400, and so on) are probably enough for most of the headfi'ers. and i am also not the youngest..i am 46 years young..so my ears are probably a bit different also then the new dogs here..to explain my long post a bit..it all came to this: no matter what ur budget is, what ur preference is, what ur physical state is and even how u stand in life emotionally..the phone u owe or wanna buy must give u that little special world in which u can loose urself in..make u close ur eyes and just forget all whats around u..thats what matters..no matter being a 250 usd beyer a 699 hifiman or a +1000 audeze...but as u also state..spending sensible could give u that extra.
and my apologies if i am a bit to talkative..am just a bit passionate when i believe in something..but i always respect other opinions..all the best! And happy new year.

 

[Argyris]

I guess I'm the junior member here at 24. I'd like to experience some of the higher end headphones, hopefully if a meet comes close enough to where I live. The DT880 would be the best headphone I have ever heard at the moment, so as for how it actually compares to higher end gear I can only extrapolate from other people's impressions (which are all over the map). Objectively, at least, I see no obvious failings with it. It could be a case of not having known better, except that my experience accords with that of many people who own or have owned this headphone: it's a lot better than its price and market position let on. In the past, before I was exposed to true hi-fi equipment, I was always conscious of the limitations and flaws of the headphones I did have. With the DT880, that's almost never the case.
 
I like to operate under a philosophy I read from somebody on AudioKarma many years ago: perfection is not when nothing can be added, but when nothing can be taken away. Basically, if what you own checks all the boxes and puts a smile on your face every time you listen with it, it can be considered perfect to you. I can't exactly imagine what something better than the DT880 might sound like. Obviously the areas I mentioned earlier could be improved: the 5-6kHz spike could be eliminated, bass extension could be improved (from what I understand, the hallmark of orthos and electrostats), etc. But at this point we're fixing problems rather than providing a solid platform to begin with, which quite a few headphones I've heard struggle with in the first place with at least one obvious flaw.
 
I don't think the difference between the DT880 and the flagship headphones can be anywhere near as pronounced as that between the DT880 and something in, say, the ~$50 range. Even in the $100-$150 range there are some pretty good performers, like my own SRH440, for instance (though it's somewhat cheaper these days), that pull well above their weight. There are differences in refinement and presentation (which there should be between an open and closed headphone), and the tonal balances are slightly different, but the delta already is narrowing by this point. It's always going to be a case of diminishing returns, and if you want that extra 5%, you'll pay handsomely for it. Eventually I'd like to move on into ortho or electrostat territory and see if I can find that extra bit of performance. The DT880 will be sticking around, though, regardless of what I eventually augment my collection with.

 

[pp312]

Thanks for your input, gentlemen--you've turned this into a great thread. Hifiman, I didn't mean to suggest you were rambling on; just that I wasn't sure I was quite understanding everything you were saying. That post, however, was perfectly clear.
 
And Argyris, for a 24-year-old you're refreshingly literate and lucid. Gives the lie to the perception all young people have been 'dumbed down'.
 
Happy New Year to all.

 

[hifimanrookie]

Quote:

Thanks for your input, gentlemen--you've turned this into a great thread. Hifiman, I didn't mean to suggest you were rambling on; just that I wasn't sure I was quite understanding everything you were saying. That post, however, was perfectly clear.
 
And Argyris, for a 24-year-old you're refreshingly literate and lucid. Gives the lie to the perception all young people have been 'dumbed down'.
 
Happy New Year to all.

thats what we all are here for on headfi...young and less young

..sharing each others experiences and opinions about our mutual hobby.

and respect each other.
and Argyris..ru sure ur just 24?

as u sound so mature for ur ago concerning ur opinions and the way ur able to express ur opinions..am impressed!

 

[eugenius]

I recently spent some time with a DT880pro amped by just a stock HT Omega Claro Halo. It's better than I expected. I have to say, If Beyer discontinues this headphone they're shooting themselves in the foot. I liked it better than the T1, which is a supremely overpriced gaming headphone.

 

[ksama]

wow, when I asked about the burn in effect of DT880 couple pages back, I certainly didn't expect to raise so much discussion, goes to show beyer fans do rock...
 
I am realistic about burn in effects, whilst I do believe headphones change slightly with burn in, I also believe human brain is an equaliser, such that you hear what you want to hear.
 
To people who's owned a DT880 and upgraded, what headphone did you upgrade to? If I have the money to upgrade now, I would be happy with a tube amp from DarkVoice and HE500.

 

[ksama]

Another thing, anyone here changed cables for DT880?

 

[hifimanrookie]

wow, when I asked about the burn in effect of DT880 couple pages back, I certainly didn't expect to raise so much discussion, goes to show beyer fans do rock...

I am realistic about burn in effects, whilst I do believe headphones change slightly with burn in, I also believe human brain is an equaliser, such that you hear what you want to hear.

To people who's owned a DT880 and upgraded, what headphone did you upgrade to? If I have the money to upgrade now, I would be happy with a tube amp from DarkVoice and HE500.

I started my over ear experience with the beyer mmx300 (and still have this one..andwill probably be burried with it..i love him!) then a hifiman he300 then he400 (hated this one, sold it after 3 months) and now the excellent he500. By the way i understand that the mmx300 is the sibling of the dt880.
A tip about the darkvoice and he500..the only darkvoice that excells with the he500 is the 337 or its similiar sounding sibling the lafigaro 339..the 3322 for instance sounded outright horrific with my he500's
And yes ur brain can burn the phones in also and imho dyamic phones need less burn in time then the planars of hifiman..maybe it has to do withthe drivers of the planars? I dont know..am not that technical..the pads do change the sound after time of using..thats a wellknown fact.

 

[ksama]

Quote:

I started my over ear experience with the beyer mmx300 (and still have this one..andwill probably be burried with it..i love him!) then a hifiman he300 then he400 (hated this one, sold it after 3 months) and now the excellent he500. By the way i understand that the mmx300 is the sibling of the dt880.
A tip about the darkvoice and he500..the only darkvoice that excells with the he500 is the 337 or its similiar sounding sibling the lafigaro 339..the 3322 for instance sounded outright horrific with my he500's
And yes ur brain can burn the phones in also

and imho dyamic phones need less burn in time then the planars of hifiman..maybe it has to do withthe drivers of the planars? I dont know..am not that technical..the pads do change the sound after time of using..thats a wellknown fact.

Seems like a popular choice with people upgrading from DT880 to HE500, I've read quite a few people went down that path.
 
I was looking at LaFigaro 339. But by the time I come to upgrade, there will be better things out there. For the time been, DT880 more than satisfies what I need.

 

[hifimanrookie]

Seems like a popular choice with people upgrading from DT880 to HE500, I've read quite a few people went down that path.

I was looking at LaFigaro 339. But by the time I come to upgrade, there will be better things out there. For the time been, DT880 more than satisfies what I need.

I know from experience that newer amps doesnt always mean better soundquality..in another thread there are people who even prefer second hand vintage (tube) amps abovethe newer stuff for their phones because of the better and purer soundquality...and am sure darkvoice and lafigaro will be here for many years to come

 

[pp312]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hifimanrookie /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
and Argyris..ru sure ur just 24?

 
 
Well, I suppose he could be 53 and just re-living his youth.

 
Quote:

the 3322 for instance sounded outright horrific with my he500's
 

 
What do you mean by horrific? I'm still struggling to like my HE-500 and wondering if an amp would do the trick.

 

[Lord Soth]

wow, when I asked about the burn in effect of DT880 couple pages back, I certainly didn't expect to raise so much discussion, goes to show beyer fans do ...…

To people who's owned a DT880 and upgraded, what headphone did you upgrade to? If I have the money to upgrade now, I would be happy with a tube amp from DarkVoice and HE500.

I upgraded from a DT880 (US$260) to a T1 (US$945).

To my ears, the extra $700 was worth it for the lifting of the sonic veil.

 

[hifimanrookie]

Well, I suppose he could be 53 and just re-living his youth.


What do you mean by horrific? I'm still struggling to like my HE-500 and wondering if an amp would do the trick.

Horrific in: muddy inconherent sound, no bass and shrill treble.as if there was a veil all over the music..i couldnt stand the sound...i wanted to buy that amp for my he500 but am happy i listened before i bought it.instead i bought the 337 which was a bit more expensive.but so much better...but.i understand the 3322 does pair well the sennheiser hd650.. Maybe its just to weak for the he500? For me it was a no deal!

 

[htxmade]

Just ordered the Schiit Valhalla amp for my DT990/600 ohm headphones.  Can't wait for it to get here!