Buying DT831's
Jan 1, 2003 at 4:00 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 32
valthainos

valthainos

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I'm trying to figure out my first really good pair of headphones. I've been reading many reviews and browsing the forums and am seriously thinking about DT831's. I know wallijonn is all for em,
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, but does everyone else approve? I saw the DT831's for $111 w/ shipping from the uk, but I also saw them for $219 in the us. What's up? Where should, if I do, buy these babies?
 
Jan 1, 2003 at 4:51 AM Post #4 of 32
Where's your location?

As to the DT831s - man, you are going to have to do a lot of source matching. mate them up to bright sources and your ears are going to ring for days. plug them into a vintage amp and they should be tamed somewhat - but mate them to a bright pcdp or soundcard or dvd or cd player and you may be in a world of hurt. my denon 810 cdp is a nice mellow unit, so it sounds okay. remember, that they are rated at 250 ohms, so even H.A.s with a 120 ohm output may not do them justice. if you mate them to a low impedance amp, chances are you won't perceive any bass, and it's known that the resistor tweaks will not cure their brightness.

i take it that you're in the USA? if you haven't heard them, then headroom (www.headphone.com) is a good place to buy them from as they have a liberal return policy. it's better than spending $200 and then being stuck with them. if you can live with unknowns, then meier-audio has the best prices.

i would say that you should attend a meet, but DW's meet only proved that it they can still sound horrid from mis-matched sources. i wonder what they sounded like through their Melos, though, as they sounded okay through Matt's Melos, albeit very bright and raspy.

the reasonably flat response may not be conducive to all types of music, especially if you like a forward sounding midrange (like ATH). and from what some of the other guys tell me, the dt931s are even more transparent, have better attack and decay. and of course snufkin likes the dt531s. which is why i intend to get them both. and since the dt931s have a nominal 250 ohm impedance (more like 700 ohms), I will be driving them through my Crown amp. That should be a good match.

all i can say is that i am listening to Jimmy "Bo" Horne's "Is it in?" and there is waaay too much bass. it sounds like a 100Hz hump.
 
Jan 1, 2003 at 6:35 AM Post #6 of 32
Definately US: MA to be precise. You seemed to kinda smear your phones there wallijonn.
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To Snufkin, I basically like everything, everything that is, except country.
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I know it sounds lame, but hey, I like it. I will definately be utilizing bass to the max wallijonn, so I take it they kinda suffer in regards to that? I will be probably running them through an opamp that I am having custum built. I assume you guys know www.headwize.com - http://headwize2.powerpill.org/proje...=cmoy2_prj.htm - that's the style amp. Very small, very nice. Plus I can adjust it to a certain extent for the 250 ohms impedance. Basically, I'll be running them through that amp all the time. My main source of audio right now is my Nomad Jukebox 3... which I am not all that familiar with in terms of technical specs on the tonality of the Jukebox - making me wonder whether it's going to be too bright. Yet, I'll be running through the amp, so hopefully I can adjust it enough to not make my head ring for several days.
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In regards to pricing, I went to www.headroom.com and found them at $219. A somewhat different price that $110. Did you guys look at that page? Ah well. I'll check out meier. Your comments are very much appreciated.
 
Jan 1, 2003 at 6:45 AM Post #7 of 32
To me the DT831 was too much "what a headphone should sound like" and not enough "how I want a headphone to sound"
I found them to be amazingly detailed, transparent and.. well... technically great, but they just never clicked for me (no air guitar action
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).

Quote:

I will definately be utilizing bass to the max


Does that mean you want powerful bass response, or accurate bass response?
The DT831 has fantastic accurate, melodic bass - but it lacks impact. If you want impact you should probably consider the DT770pro instead.

Just keep in mind that while the DT831 is considered Beyers "top of the range" closed headphone, it doesn't mean it's the best allrounder, and it may not suit your tastes. If you can try before you buy, do so.
 
Jan 1, 2003 at 7:28 AM Post #8 of 32
Accurate definately. I'm not using the bass the max of impact at all. I have pretty pristine hearing and I take care of it because I am a singer through and through. All I want is the bass to be clear. I'm not interested in blasting my head open.
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Ah well. I'm looking for somewhere to test it... but I don't know of any places on the East Coast.
 
Jan 1, 2003 at 7:37 AM Post #9 of 32
Val,

I don't think that any headphone with higher than 100 ohm impedance will work satisfactorly with the CMOY amp. You may want to rethink your choice if that is the amp that you are set upon.

As to sound preferences, I try to call them as I see them. You may like most types of music, but are you looking for sweet vocals, a recessed, flat or forward midrange. Do you favour violins over vocals?, string instruments over brass?, drums over triangles?, pianos over synthesizers?, etc. And how "forward" do you like the midrange? Others look to delicacy in their instruments, or decay in bells, etc. Bass isn't the end all if it is boomy or flabby, or if it isn't in a good proportion to the rest of the sound spectrum. It's all a matter of personal taste. Some people want the bass to extend to 20 Hz, while others like the bass impact of Grados. Every headphone therefore has their own colouration, some more than others, others less than most.

The fact that you are in MA. means that you may be able to hook up with DarkWolf, and perhaps meet up at their next meeting. There are also meetings in CT. Although if you're in the western part of MA, ie, "The Pines", you may have to try to find a Head-Fi'er in Albany, NY.

The DT770 has an impedance of 600 ohms, minimum. A beefier amp is therefore called for. The DT770 calls for a lot of voltage - voltage that the op amp may not be able to provide; it may clip a lot, causing massive distortion. As it is, the DT770 tends to have a darker sound, which to me means missing highs, transparency and decay. So you'll try to turn up the volume to hear the highs, which will in turn tend to exacerbate the problem.

A lot of people here tend to favour Meta42's. And the Antness Gilmore is highly though of, along with the RKV, and host of others. It all depends on your wallet.

You may want to consider a lower impedance headphone, perhaps one with more midrange to high end energy ( 2KHz to 5 KHz). It's a more "pleasing" sound to many, especially if you're into rock music. As it is, I'm afraid that your Nomad may be a bright source (as a lot of Creative products are) and therefore would tend to make the DT831 sound horrid, even more so the DT770.
 
Jan 1, 2003 at 7:52 AM Post #10 of 32
Thank you for the very detailed advice! I was reviewing the CMOY amp and it suggests 50-100 ohms. You're right. Well... it seemed so nice. But do you think it would be affected that much if I ran the bright Jukebox through a powerful amp? I do live in western Mass. Amherst, MA. So maybe the Albany thing might work out. If you have some recommendations on a good Grado that would be cool... the low impedance would be nice to use with the CMOY. Thanks for the info.
 
Jan 1, 2003 at 8:01 AM Post #11 of 32
Val,

If you could do a search at www.yellowpages.com, you may be able to find a lot of stores in your area. as to Grados, I usually do not recommend them because of the comfort factor. Many people here like them. you may be able to drive to Albany and take the train down to NYC and either make the NYC meets, or visit a lot of stores that carry headphones like J and R World (www.jandr.com), 47th st photo, B&H, the store at 45th street between 5th and 6th Avenues, the Sony Store at 56th St and Lexington Avenue, etc. It may be worth the trip down on a Saturday. Otherwise a trip to your local CircuitCity, BestBuy, Fry Electronics, CompUSA may be in order (if not to at least see what they carry).
 
Jan 1, 2003 at 8:50 AM Post #12 of 32
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