[HiCh]

Currently have a pair of DT880s powered by a Cute Encore Amp. Have been burt in and all. I find that the sound is a tad bright. But love the detail and soundstage, bass well about everything else. Though I'm looking for somthing warmer and more lush i think is the word. Should i be looking at the HD600s/650s or upgrading amp to tubes like the Woo Audio 3?

 

[nickchen]

Yes. Absolutely.

And if the HD650 still isn't warm enough, you may consider the DT770.

 

[Capt. Z]

I have a 20 year old Beyer DT990. Soundwise very similar to the DT880 of today.

I also have the Sennheiser HD600. Shortly after I got them I removed the foam that covered the drivers, since I prefer the sound without the foam.

So one day I placed those foam pieces in front of my old DT990, since I found the highs a little too bright. And Woooooooooooow, tamed the highs just enough and gave the mids a little more warmth.

So, before you sell those DT880 try this simple mod.

 

[sionghchan]

There is always the Lush Warm Sound of the K701.

 

[BushGuy]

HiCH, don't have any idea of what you may be using as a source..........but since you have the dt880 and are happy with them - I fail to comprehend any suggestion for you to dump them, when the basic weakness is clearly your inappropriate amp. The dt880's are very good cans. YOU are right in thinking about trying a Woo 3, or perhaps an even better answer might be to consider an Earmax Pro - perhaps the most common solution. Tube amps are regularly found to be most amicable to the dt880.

 

[HiCh]

Thanks guys, well my source is my M-Audio Revolutuion from my comp. i think i'll probly just save up and get some tubes =)

 

[GreatDane]

I'm using a WA3 with my 880 and it sounds...dare I say "perfect" to my ears.

 

[Fort_Worth_Keith]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreatDane /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm using a WA3 with my 880 and it sounds...dare I say "perfect" to my ears.

I am looking hard at the Woo Audio 3 or Woo Audio 6 for my next amplifier. Woo Audio owners all seem to be very satisfied with the combination of DT 880 with their Woo Amps. I need to go to a meet and listen to a variety of different tube amplifiers before making a decision however. I think I definitely need an amplifier with more power than the Headroom Total Airhead. Sigh. The Quest for the Perfect Sound never seems to end....

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HiCh /img/forum/go_quote.gif Currently have a pair of DT880s powered by a Cute Encore Amp. Have been burt in and all. I find that the sound is a tad bright. But love the detail and soundstage, bass well about everything else. Though I'm looking for somthing warmer and more lush i think is the word. Should i be looking at the HD600s/650s or upgrading amp to tubes like the Woo Audio 3?

That might be your source problem, but in any case HD650 will definitely warm the sound.

 

[BushGuy]

To my ears, dt880's are not at all overly bright at all. So, strongly suggest you consider a tube amp. That Woo is quite tubey and may work very well for you. Some folks do not like SS amps with dt880 at all......personally, I'd never choose Senn. with their strongly rolled-off treble, over the true-er dt880's.............and I'm a guy that likes Darths, and dt990's.

 

[ironbut]

you need to give those 880's at least 100 hours of burn in before some of the edge to the highs mellows. I have a M -audio audiophile usb and the only time I use the headphone out is when I'm monitoring mixes/editing when I don't want any coloration to the sound. For enjoyment (not that post production work isn't fun) I listen to tubes almost exclusively. That will definitely help. Another thing you can try is a 120 ohm adapter. I have one I got from Jan Meier for about $15. It's a 1/4" plug on both ends. When I listen to my 880's, I almost always use it. It's effect is a very slight tipping of the freq. curve. Picture a ramp where the highs are attenuated a bit and the bass is raised a bit. One nice side effect too is that the bass tightens up and you can perceive more texture and detail. When I got my adapter he still had a few left but, you need to email him about it (it isn't on his web site).

 

[Uncle Erik]

I love the DT880 with a set of tubes. I do like the fast and bright sound you get with solid state, but tubes slow the headphones down just a bit and they retain most of their detail. I'd look into a tube amp, if I were you.

 

[barshnik]

I'm sure I'm in the minority, and true, at my advanced age I do suffer from a good bit of HF hearing loss, but I find the sound of the DT880's through my RSA Hornet from an iPod w/ ALO LOD nearly beyond reproach (using Apple Lossless). I've found my own personal sweet spot, and it is portable to boot.

John F

 

[vcoheda]

The more posts I read, the more I see a general trend (or old trend that I am just noticing) of recommending/favoring a tube amp for just about every single headphone, with the exception of the HD650, which most say sounds better with a solid state.

So the Head-fi wisdom can neatly be summarized as own an HD650, buy solid state. Otherwise, go tube.