[zhenya]

I can't tell you how many times I've almost ordered a set of DT880's in the last week. There's just something that I'm not quite sure about with them. I think it's that while they come highly recommended around here, people aren't fanatical about them the way they are about Grado's or to a lesser extent Senn's. I get the point that they are accurate, but do they inspire you? Do they engage you? Are they fun? It kind of feels like they are a great phone, at a great price, but they might leave the listener a little cold, as if they can hear how good they sound, and how good the music is, but never make you forget about them for the music.

Currently, I have a set of SR-60's and a set of ER-4p's. At home I listen to an NAD c541i and a Music Hall mmf-2.1 through a wooaudio 3 amp. While the Ety's are unquestionably better than the Grados in many ways, I still find myself reaching for the Grado's at least 90% of the time. At home I listen to a lot of jazz, bluegrass, classic country, some electronica, some rock. I value foot tapping engagement over perfect pitch or timbre.

Just recently I was able to listen to the SR-60's alongside of the SR-225's and the Silver 325's. I found the latter two to be tremendously better than the 60's, which sounded generally congested and harsh sounding on brass. The two better Grado's were much smoother in those areas, while also having much better clarity and separation between instruments. I actually slightly preferred the 325's to the 225's, and did not find them harsh as per their reputation here. I guess as I write this, it sounds like I would be very happy with the Grado's. Problem is, I still haven't heard the Beyers! Any Beyer fanatics out there who want to chime in and set me straight?

 

[BrokenEnglish]

well... it depends...

... what's your music, zhenya?

if there's a beyer-dealer around, go there and listen! the dt880 don't need that much burn-in. they sounded excellent right out the box. but... but... it's been a long history to match amps, cables, sources... and it's not over at all...

/edit: oops.. just saw this:
Quote:

Originally Posted by zhenya At home I listen to a lot of jazz, bluegrass, classic country, some electronica, some rock. I value foot tapping engagement over perfect pitch or timbre.

ok... stick with grados...

 

[Andrea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zhenya At home I listen to a lot of jazz, bluegrass, classic country, some electronica, some rock. I value foot tapping engagement over perfect pitch or timbre.

Uhm, hmm, mmm, err... Sounds like more of a job for a Senn...

[size=xx-small]! fanboy alert ![/size]

 

[zhenya]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrea Uhm, hmm, mmm, err... Sounds like more of a job for a Senn...

Okay. I haven't had the opportunity to listen to Senns. All the shops I ever go in have only grados! Could you be more specific? As to models, or what you like about Senns over Grados or Beyers you've heard? Thanks!

 

[rmx]

Both. Get both.

I had the same dilemma... so I got both. I have the old 325's and also the beyer 770/80's. The Beyers are bass kings, but lack the detail of the 325's. The mids are what is really missing in the beyers... and the 325's pick up on those nicely. So I keep the beyers for electronica and other fast music, and I use the grados for jazz, instrumentals, etc etc.

 

[SunShip]

I'm a new 'team dt880' member as of last week. I can see where people are coming from saying they don't find these phones involving, but for me and my listening experiences, I love them, especially for jazz and large scale classical music and for these styles of music I find them hugely involving. They definitely don't leave me cold.

Really try to audition them, maybe take advantage of Todd's 30 day return policy. But I'd say, don't buy them unless you can audition them, as to me it sounds like you might prefer grados sound.

Also, I'm using them with a solid state amp, but I've heard many say here how well tubes sound with the 880, - the woo audio could be a good compliment.

 

[BrokenEnglish]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rmx I have the old 325's and also the beyer 770/80's

the dt770 are different beasts... imho not comparable to the dt880.

 

[BrokenEnglish]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SunShip I'm a new 'team dt880' member as of last week. I can see where people are coming from saying they don't find these phones involving, but for me and my listening experiences, I love them, especially for jazz and large scale classical music and for these styles of music I find them hugely involving. They definitely don't leave me cold.

i'd subscribe that... but zhenya listens mainly to rock/country...

 

[Andrea]

Ok, I've never heard a Beyer.

I know that the Senn HD595 excels with all of the genres you quoted.
It's particularly at home with acoustic, since it does strings, piano notes, woodwinds etc. so beautifully - and with 'vocal' music, with its warm intimate rendition of voices.
And it has the deep impactful bass that rock demands.

It's all in all the same level as the DT880 in 'absolute' terms -- with the DT880 you get the more detailed phone overall, and with the HD595 the more lively and involving. From recent reports of people who have tried both.

My hint is to carefully read Headroom's descriptions of the both. They sound about as realistic and complete as it gets.

 

[SunShip]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrokenEnglish i'd subscribe that... but zhenya listens mainly to rock/country...

Ah! Didn't see that.

The only possible solution I can see is for zhenya to have a vast rethink of his musical tastes, ditch the rock and buy several hundred classical recordings, starting with mahler and beethoven. Go!

 

[acs236]

I liked the Beyer 880s a lot when I heard them. They're definitely more lively than the upper-end Senns, and I guess a tad brighter. They're very balanced. On the other hand, the Grados are great, too. Unfortunately, there's no way to avoid the need to experiment unless you go to meet and spend some time listening to both.

 

[zhenya]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrokenEnglish i'd subscribe that... but zhenya listens mainly to rock/country...

no, no. I'd say I mostly listen, at home anyways, to jazz (miles davis, john coltrane, medeski martin and wood) and bluegrass and classic country.

 

[zhenya]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SunShip Ah! Didn't see that. The only possible solution I can see is for zhenya to have a vast rethink of his musical tastes, ditch the rock and buy several hundred classical recordings, starting with mahler and beethoven. Go!

that's it!

Actually, I don't listen to much classical mostly because I haven't ever been happy with the quality of the sound. Part of it is recording quality, but part of it is that I haven't ever really heard good reproduction where the orchestra is obviously discreet sections. It always sounds like a big blob of sound to me. I actually have a couple hundred classical vinyl records I inherited with my house that I'm hoping my new v15vmxr cartridge, cleaners, and alignment tools I have on the way will bring to life.

 

[Andrea]

Quote:

Originally Posted by acs236 They're definitely more lively than the upper-end Senns, and I guess a tad brighter.

It just depends on what you perceive to be "lively". I tend to focus on 'tone quality', while you may focus more on the balance.
In fact, the DT880 is reported to be a little brighter than, say, the HD595.

 

[txa]

My experience and search for a certain sound has lead me down the path of the 880s. Unfortunately I have not been able to audition them, but I've taken my experiences with the ER4S, HD595, HD650 - as well as reviewer comments on the 880, and am hoping for the best! I have purchased them, but they are on backorder. Darn it!!

I own ER4S, and HD595 - and have listened to each extensively. I do not own HD650 - but I have listened to that extensively as well. Below are my observations of each, as well as what I'm hoping to get from the 880.

595 vs 650
595 has excellent, intimate midrange. Midrange is 'bigger' sounding than 650. Depending on what you like, one will be more engaging than the other.
I prefer 650 midrange, because there is more space between the notes. It just seems to 'pull me in' a bit more. But the 595 midrange is fantastic as well. My mood sometimes dictates this.

595 is more forward than 650 - more upfront sound. I like this. 650 can feel a tad distant.

595 has more balanced frequency response (less full bass) than 650. I like this as well. The 650, especially on low-end amps, has WAY too much bass/midbass for me.

595 has less low-end impact than the 650. I like the kick of the 650, as well as it's presence in the lower regions. Prefer it to 595.

595 has less detail (space between the notes) than the 650 - across the entire frequency band. This bothers me. I've burned them in and have over 300 hours on them, and still - not the dark bacground I've been hoping for.

Both have that Senn house sound, darker-than-lighter sound, where the upper-octaves are softened. Regarding tonal balance, I think the 595 gets it more right.

In particular, when listening to audio books, both require me to listen at increased volume to hear the detail in word ennunciation. Compared to Ety's, it's just harder to understand the words. (maybe my ears are bad!)

595/650 vs ER4S
ER4S are quite a bit brighter.
ER4S frequency spectrum seem a lot more flat - more space between the notes, and very tight bass. Just an extremely clean sound.
ER4S bass is tuneful, but a lot less. I'd like a tad more warmth, but just a tad, and not near as much as the HD650.
595\650 more intimate and soft. Easier to listen for longer periods.
595 more intimate tonal balance - more of a liquid feeling.

What I'm hoping from the 880
- liquidity of the 595
- space between the notes\intimacy of the 650
- brighter, more forward highs as compared to 650\595
- bass somewhere between 595 and 650
- intelligbility of speach as the ER4S

Probably a tall order. I listen mainly to contemporary jazz (Lee Ritenour, Marc Antoine, Holly Cole, Diana Krall) some pop and classical. Mostly female vocals and a lot of acoustic guitar. Anyhow, I am ANXIOUSLY awaiting the 880s.

Hope this helps!