The DT 880 is not a downgrade from the D2000. Different sound signature--yes. Downgrade no; in fact it is an upgrade in an apples vs. oranges sort of way.
I've read many vs/comparison threads, neither pair (880/990) seem worthwhile to me and neither model is available from a place which does not charge a 15%+ restocking fee if I don't like them.
Just for reference, some prices
AKG Q701 (405$ after tax, Amazon Canada is the only retailer to sell them with a good return/exchange policy)
Beyerdynamic DT 880 250ohm (300$+12% tax if ordered in Canada but AVshop.ca has a 25% re-stocking fee)
Sony MDR-7520 (380$ after tax, Amazon Canada is the only retailer to sell them with a good return/exchange policy)
Beyerdynamic T90 (600$ after tax from NCIX=15% re-stocking fee but I can get a 3 year no hassle warranty if I love them)
Sennheiser HD 600 (670$ after tax, Amazon Canada is the only retailer to sell them with a good return/exchange policy)
I do realize I can order from the sates/ebay (Q701's are 280$+shipping from Sonic) but the duty fees+shipping end up making the prices the same or more and then there is the return/exchange issue. I use shopbot & pricebat.ca to check prices.
Weird, found the 990 250ohms for 165$ but I am not sure if my receiver can handle them
http://www.avshop.ca/sound-amp-pa-audio/headphones/over-ear-headphones/beyerdynamic-dt-990-pro-studio-headphones
32ohm version are 430$ from NCIX but they have a 15% re-stocking fee.
Quote:
http://www.akg.com/site/powerslave,id,19,nodeid,19,_language,EN,country,EN.html
Also, the K701 is no better than the DT880. There used to be a larger debate here on which of the two is better but I think the general consensus is that the two are at the same level. I haven't heard the D2K but I've owned the D5K and I wouldn't consider the K701 to be upgrades either, more like sidegrades (certainly not downgrades).
$600 for the HD600, pretty fitting for their name
. How much are the K701's there?
Interesting, Sonic Electronics states that the AKG's have a 1 year warranty and I've seen that on a few other sites too.
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_36159_AKG-Q701-Q-701-Quincy-Jones-Signature-Reference-Headphones-Lime-Green.html
Thanks for the help!