[Knuckledragger]

I recently won an auction for some b-stock DT-880s from Beyer's official eBay account. They're the older version, I'm not sure what year (they look like this.) They just arrived an hour ago, and I've barely begun the honeymoon stage, let along done any serious critical listening, but a few few things have become clear to me:
1. Beyer Pads are amazingly comfortable. Of course, I already knew this, having replaced the pads on my 7506s with Beyers.
2. The upper mids and high end are very ...floaty. They just seem to waft in breezily. Clearly the 880s are a little on the bright side, but even with less than one hour of use on them I don't find the brightness to be shrill or overbearing.
3. That's one expansive soundstage. I haven't played any of my standard sounstage test tracks, but just on the tracks that happened to be next in my playlist, I'm impressed.
4. I'm loving the decay. The upper frequencies on these cans fade out as gracefully as they come in. Snare drums aren't the epic event that they are on the TakeTs, but they are still quite lively.
5. Bass is certainly present and not lacking. I know 880s have a reputation for being a bit bass-shy, but I'm not hearing that. Right now I am listening to the drum n bass track "Tractor Beam" by Eat Static (off their new De-Classified album) and both basslines in the track are quite clearly defined and substantiative. The 880s lack the extension and impact of my 650s, but they're hardly wussy. I'm going to do them a kindness and not compare them my TakeT H2s in this area.

I have a feeling the 880s will make a nice foil to my 650s, given how their relative strengths compliment each other. For years, when I got bored with the 650s, I went to my HD-590s. The 590s have a spookily deep soundstage an a very upfront presentation, but their frequency response is more than a bit uneven. Clearly, the 880s are much better behaved. I am driving them with my GLite/DPS, which hasn't seen much use since the arrival of my TakeTs. I have to go work shortly, and I'm going to try them unamped out of my iPod.

 

[Sovkiller]

Try them balanced, and you will be surprised....

 

[b0dhi]

Sovkiller, when are you gonna start renting out advertising space in ur sig?

 

[Sovkiller]

Quote:

Originally Posted by b0dhi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sovkiller, when are you gonna start renting out advertising space in ur sig?

We can arrange something but send the funds to Jude...

Nah seriusly I tried the DT the other day for the first time balanced, and the improvement was even bigger than the one you get out of the HD650, that was my top heapdhone in getting benefits from the balanced topology...

Unfortunatelly the wiring is not as easy and require some work, but if you want to try them I really reco go balanced...and please do not think that becasue Rudi sell two balanced amps I'm trying to push you, try any other balanced amp from any other manufaturer, and the results will be the same, the topology is what benefits it, not the brand of the amp used....of course not all amps will sound the same, but you will see an improvement in any case...

 

[b0dhi]

Thanks for those impressions btw Knuckledragger. Lots of info in a small space.

Am I the only one that gets really poor bass extension with the H2s? :/

 

[p956lh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Knuckledragger /img/forum/go_quote.gif I recently won an auction for some b-stock DT-880s from Beyer's official eBay account.

What's the account name? I'm looking for some double-eight oh myself.

 

[Knuckledragger]

Sovkiller, your sig makes my eyes bleed. If in some far distant future I get a balanced amp, I will consider getting the 880s balanced. However even in their stock configuration, I appreciate how good they sound unamped. I'm going on a business trip next me, and the 880s just made the short list (along with my KSC-75s) of cans I am bringing with me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by b0dhi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for those impressions btw Knuckledragger. Lots of info in a small space. Am I the only one that gets really poor bass extension with the H2s? :/

No problem. When I got my H2s, I drove them with a vintage 1997 Yamaha reciever. They sounded terrible. As I have said elsewhere, the TakeTs are Ming the Merciless when it comes to revealing flaws in the gear upstream of them. If you're finding problems with their bass extension, it's most likely due to your source or amp. I'm now driving driving my H2/TR2 with a Halfer P125 power amp, and they have serious bass impact. My 650s seem tame by comparison.

Quote:

Originally Posted by p956lh /img/forum/go_quote.gif What's the account name? I'm looking for some double-eight oh myself.

bd-usa. I'm afraid they're out of 880s, though. Quoted straight from ther auction I won:

Quote:

THIS IS THE LAST ONE I WILL BE POSTING. I HAVE NO MORE AVAILABLE!

 

[Knuckledragger]

Having had a little more time to reflect on the 880s, I have a few further thoughts:

While in general, the high end of these cans sounds fantastic, instrument separation is not the greatest. It's a pretty jumble, but a jumble nonetheless.
I haven't done any A/B work, but these cans are about as different from the TakeT H2s as it is possible to get. I'm listening to a few drum n bass tracks right now and for the first time the 880s lack of bass impact is quite clear to me. My HD-650s excel at deep modulated analog bass, and the TakeTs redefine it in their own massive piezoelectric terms. The 880s really cannot compete.

Interestingly, the 880s actually have better instrument separation in the low end than they do in the high. I listened to Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits last night for the first time in 20 years, and I was amazed how clear the basslines were in the mix. I'm going to try listening to it with my 650s and TakeTs ... just as soon as I can pry these Beyers off my head.

The usual caveats still apply: while I've now logged maybe 20 hours on these days, I've done no real burn-in. I am quite sure that instrument separation will improve after I shoot white noise through them for 100-150 hours. They are still among the most comfortable cans I have ever worn.