This is Headroom's opinion on the Beyer DT880
Germany's Beyerdynamic has offered up a real contender for world's very best well-priced headphone with the DT880. Although these cans are ever-so-slightly more forward-sounding than what we can call absolutely "neutral", the DT880 serve up a wonderfully engaging audiophile headphone listening experience--absolutely TONS of clarity, crisply-rendered musical detail throughout all frequency ranges, and a very precise, deeply layered soundstage image and, thankfully, not a harsh note to be found! The DT880's mids and upper bass really hold together very well, so overall a seamless and smooth-sounding tonal presentation.
Amazingly expressive dynamics, superbly controlled highs, plus a sweet mid-range snap make the DT880 a very well-balanced can, but perhaps not the most ideal headphone choice for the heavy bass-loving hip-hop/rap/electronica crowd since the DT880 doesn't quite muster up the hefty bottom-end response required for anchoring modern funkitude. We think you'll love these headphones if you seek clear, clean sonics with plenty of airy musical detail, quick dynamics, excellent upper treble range extension, and a lively, ultra-open soundstage presentation. They are especially strong audio performers for classical, symphonic, chorale, chamber, and acoustic folk and jazz recordings.
The DT880 also seem particularly good at speech intelligibility, female vocal textures, and film soundtrack detail recovery for truly immersive movie/DVD watching and will deliver a superb high-end home theatre personal listening experience. Moreover, the DT-880 have become big faves amongst audio professionals doing analytical recording work who demand timbral accuracy, instrumental detail, and precise musical clarity above all else. By the way, we believe the recently revised DT880 to be just a smidgeon stronger in the low-mids/bass than previous DT880 editions--probably due to the extra damping material in the earpiece housing and (maybe?) the "softer", more rounded earcup shape. The revised DT880 headphone also features a simpler plastic/alloy headband design and some fairly minor cosmetic re-workings. Please remember that about 100-200 listening hours are required for the large-driver DT880 to fully 'burn-in' and sound its very best.
And Tyll from Innerfidelity
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/comparison-beyerdynamic-dt-880-32-ohm-dt-880-250-ohm-and-dt-880-600-ohm-headphones
Beyerdynamic DT 880 32 ohm
While I found this headphone to be driven to satisfactory levels from portable devices, I felt the sound quality was degraded (likely by the poor damping factor) to the point that the price/performance ratio was poor. Essentially, you are not going to get DT 880-like performance from this pairing. I suggest that if you are looking for a portable headphone, the DT 880 32 ohm is a poor choice from a sound quality perspective. Additionally, you should be looking for a sealed design for portable use so that you will get some isolation from outside noise. I do not recommend this headphone.
Alternatives at or below this price would include: Denon AH-D2000 ($349; fast sounding); Shure SRH840 ($250; warm sounding); Audio Technica ATH-M50 ($199; slightly edgy but good otherwise); and the Skullcandy Roc Nation Aviator ($149; great sound, poor isolation).
Beyerdynamic DT 880 250 ohm
The DT 880 is a long-standing staple for headphone enthusiasts who like clear and airy highs with a bit of “zing” in them. I felt the bass was strong but a bit loose, and felt the mid-range a little lacking relative to the warm lows and zippy highs. Never the less, this is clearly a good performer in its price/category. It’s lower impedance and decent efficiency makes them able to be used with a portable device satisfactorily as long as you are not looking for high-volume levels. I think this is a good general-purpose headphone when you don’t need isolation. Yup, recommended.
Beyerdynamic DT 880 600 ohm If you are only going to be using these headphones with home or desktop gear, the DT 880 600 ohm is a good choice. With sonic characteristics largely like those of the 250 ohm version above, but with slightly more finesse in the highs, these headphones compare well with the best of the headphones in this class. Also
Quote:
Think I'd have to demur from the "light, airy sound". Plenty of treble, yes, but plenty of bass when it's there too. There's just no mid-bass hump like in the HD650. I find no lack of heft on heavy orchestral music.
