yashu
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Nov 1, 2009
- Posts
- 210
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- 20
A big of a long read here so...
Some backstory. I was popping off the retainter ring on my 880s a while back, these are the 2005 pro models, anyway, so while doing this I manged to mangle the acousticly semi-transparent material in the grid that supports the driver on one of the sides. I attempted to fix this as best as I could, but ended up nicking the other side (just don't ask, it was a bad day, some e-bay douche sold me old nasty dt990s as "new" by replacing the earpads, but I got a new set of pads and some spare parts, but not enough to, say, replace the driver support grid because his were all messed up.. my idea was to use splices of the material to replace the material I mangled, and it seemed to look ok, but I guess this is such an important part of the sound of these headphones, the slightest glue bleed into an area that should be free and clear changes the sound in a huge way). Since I was going to need new driver support grilles, I just left them on the back burner a while, as my first fix was a failure, they sounded so aweful and unbalanced, even their timbre was strange.
I finally decided today that dt770/80s are cheaper than 880s to replace, or I could live without the 770s while replacement parts came if beyer sold them, and I *carefully* removed the 880 drivers from the torn up ones, and in process, noticed one driver actually had the middle with an indentation that appeared to have been there a while. This would not have been of my doing, but I know beyer drivers well and how they can get ""sticky", so I just shrugged and got it back to it's proper shape, tested it, no issues with movement or voice coil, and it matched the other, well looking driver, at point of distortion, excusion, etc. Not sure how that happened, I know I did not poke through the felt.
I then removed the 770 drivers from their support grids, and, of course, the grids seem the same, minus the black felt used on the 880s, so installed them, put the felt on, got everything together, and am listening to them now, and noticed a few things... damn these are dynamic. I mean wow. I don't remember them being this impactful, but they put my 770s to shame. I think it is my amp, the Grace 901, but still... even hard trance is extremely clean, no matter how hard the kicks nail your ears, or the sub bass decays, no distortion and just punchy fun. I did not catch them for a dance music can, but hey, nice if they are, I like to keep a comfey pair on when listening to varied tastes, instead of the Grado way, where they are quite genre sensitive, but obviously worth owning for me.
What I don't understand is, I thought I remembered them having a bit more of a holographic headstage, and they seem to sound as clean as imaginable, but they do not project instruments like several headphones I have that cost half the price or less. The exact opposite of these phones are my Grado 325is (similar price, good compare), as they are nowhere near this imactful and punchy, but they are dynamic and can project things into the room far enough to freak me out sometimes. I have nothing that can do that as well as the sr325is when I am listening to non-electronic. My AKG k271s originals and 240studio originals (as in, both are not mkII, people say no difference, I hear difference, but another discussion) The k240s have been slightly modded, and sound a bit like a laid back Grado, and the k271Ss are just wonderful on the Grace, as they can project sounds all over the place, sound impactful, and seem to be extremely dynamic in their well used stock form, but don't freak out at some genres of music... Great cans, just *very* amp specific.
Back to the 880s... Is this just "how they are"? Semi open monitors that can offer up a more refined sound than the 770/80s if you have the right amp, though the 770s would often suprise me, it was usually on a lower power tubed amp, where here I am using high end SS with a tubed preamp. (770s on this setup would not sound much different than on a good lower power setup) If so, cool, but if I did something wrong, or if there is something that can be done to increase the spaciousness, please let me know, and also, would simply, removing the felt ruin their sound, or would it be a bit like the 240Ss where removing the felt padding under the pads and replacing it with grillecloth (just to keep the dust and stuff out, and to cover up my odd looking diffuser.) made all the difference?
I am wanting to know if the DT880s just sound this way on a good reference system, or if they don't, what might I have done, or not done, to cause them to lose a good sense of space. I can't have messed them up that much for them to be as impactful and dynamic as they are. They sound balanced L/R again, so I feel the acoustic material matrix is OK on both sides, but could it be different from the actual 880 ones? I looked at them for a long time and found them to be the same, just with the felt on the 880s. Even the 990s I had that had so much hair on thier drivers it was disgusting, their driver housings, despite the stains and tears ($%^^%^ !#ing seller) looked to be of the same design, again, without felt. Without the felt, all three could be mistook for any one of the models. Still, Beyer could have did something, who knows? I saw no difference in the base driver elements of the 770, 880, and 990, just stuff put on the housings, or around the housings, but I know they are different. I just don't hear the semi-open part of these, or maybe I just don't remember them, as it has been about 8 months since I f'ed them up. I just used the 770s with 880/990 pads, which was great, much like this, but with a bit less impact, and more of the smile curve they are known for, however, if you raised the mids, dropped the treble a tad, you would have this sound, just not as well as it is being done here on the 880s with no EQ needed.
Sorry for the long post... I figured all info is important if I could be missing something small, or just above my perception when looking at the housings between the 3 phones. I do not have the 880s with the metal grille area in center... it is plastic just like my other beyers. Either they are what they are, I am not seeing that the 770 acoustic grille matrix driver housing is truly different, or I missed something in putting them back together. Any other ideas welcome.
Some backstory. I was popping off the retainter ring on my 880s a while back, these are the 2005 pro models, anyway, so while doing this I manged to mangle the acousticly semi-transparent material in the grid that supports the driver on one of the sides. I attempted to fix this as best as I could, but ended up nicking the other side (just don't ask, it was a bad day, some e-bay douche sold me old nasty dt990s as "new" by replacing the earpads, but I got a new set of pads and some spare parts, but not enough to, say, replace the driver support grid because his were all messed up.. my idea was to use splices of the material to replace the material I mangled, and it seemed to look ok, but I guess this is such an important part of the sound of these headphones, the slightest glue bleed into an area that should be free and clear changes the sound in a huge way). Since I was going to need new driver support grilles, I just left them on the back burner a while, as my first fix was a failure, they sounded so aweful and unbalanced, even their timbre was strange.
I finally decided today that dt770/80s are cheaper than 880s to replace, or I could live without the 770s while replacement parts came if beyer sold them, and I *carefully* removed the 880 drivers from the torn up ones, and in process, noticed one driver actually had the middle with an indentation that appeared to have been there a while. This would not have been of my doing, but I know beyer drivers well and how they can get ""sticky", so I just shrugged and got it back to it's proper shape, tested it, no issues with movement or voice coil, and it matched the other, well looking driver, at point of distortion, excusion, etc. Not sure how that happened, I know I did not poke through the felt.
I then removed the 770 drivers from their support grids, and, of course, the grids seem the same, minus the black felt used on the 880s, so installed them, put the felt on, got everything together, and am listening to them now, and noticed a few things... damn these are dynamic. I mean wow. I don't remember them being this impactful, but they put my 770s to shame. I think it is my amp, the Grace 901, but still... even hard trance is extremely clean, no matter how hard the kicks nail your ears, or the sub bass decays, no distortion and just punchy fun. I did not catch them for a dance music can, but hey, nice if they are, I like to keep a comfey pair on when listening to varied tastes, instead of the Grado way, where they are quite genre sensitive, but obviously worth owning for me.
What I don't understand is, I thought I remembered them having a bit more of a holographic headstage, and they seem to sound as clean as imaginable, but they do not project instruments like several headphones I have that cost half the price or less. The exact opposite of these phones are my Grado 325is (similar price, good compare), as they are nowhere near this imactful and punchy, but they are dynamic and can project things into the room far enough to freak me out sometimes. I have nothing that can do that as well as the sr325is when I am listening to non-electronic. My AKG k271s originals and 240studio originals (as in, both are not mkII, people say no difference, I hear difference, but another discussion) The k240s have been slightly modded, and sound a bit like a laid back Grado, and the k271Ss are just wonderful on the Grace, as they can project sounds all over the place, sound impactful, and seem to be extremely dynamic in their well used stock form, but don't freak out at some genres of music... Great cans, just *very* amp specific.
Back to the 880s... Is this just "how they are"? Semi open monitors that can offer up a more refined sound than the 770/80s if you have the right amp, though the 770s would often suprise me, it was usually on a lower power tubed amp, where here I am using high end SS with a tubed preamp. (770s on this setup would not sound much different than on a good lower power setup) If so, cool, but if I did something wrong, or if there is something that can be done to increase the spaciousness, please let me know, and also, would simply, removing the felt ruin their sound, or would it be a bit like the 240Ss where removing the felt padding under the pads and replacing it with grillecloth (just to keep the dust and stuff out, and to cover up my odd looking diffuser.) made all the difference?
I am wanting to know if the DT880s just sound this way on a good reference system, or if they don't, what might I have done, or not done, to cause them to lose a good sense of space. I can't have messed them up that much for them to be as impactful and dynamic as they are. They sound balanced L/R again, so I feel the acoustic material matrix is OK on both sides, but could it be different from the actual 880 ones? I looked at them for a long time and found them to be the same, just with the felt on the 880s. Even the 990s I had that had so much hair on thier drivers it was disgusting, their driver housings, despite the stains and tears ($%^^%^ !#ing seller) looked to be of the same design, again, without felt. Without the felt, all three could be mistook for any one of the models. Still, Beyer could have did something, who knows? I saw no difference in the base driver elements of the 770, 880, and 990, just stuff put on the housings, or around the housings, but I know they are different. I just don't hear the semi-open part of these, or maybe I just don't remember them, as it has been about 8 months since I f'ed them up. I just used the 770s with 880/990 pads, which was great, much like this, but with a bit less impact, and more of the smile curve they are known for, however, if you raised the mids, dropped the treble a tad, you would have this sound, just not as well as it is being done here on the 880s with no EQ needed.
Sorry for the long post... I figured all info is important if I could be missing something small, or just above my perception when looking at the housings between the 3 phones. I do not have the 880s with the metal grille area in center... it is plastic just like my other beyers. Either they are what they are, I am not seeing that the 770 acoustic grille matrix driver housing is truly different, or I missed something in putting them back together. Any other ideas welcome.
