[pertierr]

Hello everyone,

I have a rather specific, possibly stupid question. I do a lot of electronic music production and fortunately I am mostly on the go, so I am forced to work on headphones. (I love headphones!

)

I have tried several sets of headphones and the ones that seem transfer best to my external monitors and result in the most satisfactory tonal balance are the Beyer Dynamic DT-880 PRO, and these are my main production headphones.

However, because these headphones are semi-open it is often difficult to work in even moderately noisy environments.

Is there a closed-back headphone out there that is similar in tonal quality to the DT-880 PROs?

It would be also great if they are usable for live performances with good isolation and power handling.

All the closed-backs i've tried sound tinny (to me) compared to the DT880's.

Here's what I've tried so far:
DT770: Probably the closest but insanely boomy, and not usable for live performances because of design/power handling.
Audio Technica ATH-M40: Did not like these at all, seem to make everything lumpy.
Audio Technica ATH-M50: Beautiful bass, and construction, highs lacking(?) still testing.
Sony MDR V6: My current performance headphones, very fast but lack isolation and design is, er, bear-trap like for live use.
Sony MDR 7506: Mine don't seem to sound as good as the V6's on the high end.
Sony MDR 7509: Disliked everything...except the plug was nice.

I have limited experience with semi/open back headphones so this might just be the way it is...I was hoping to get some feedback from the knowledgeable people here.

Thanks!

 

[canadianbif]

Denon D5000?
Im curious as well

 

[scompton]

You might want to try the Equation RP21 or RP22x. The 22X has more bass, so may be more like the DT770, but I haven't heard either. I do own the RP21, and a DT880. The DT880 is a much better headphone, but also 2 times the price and semi open. The RP21 doesn't sound tinny to me though. They isolate better than the DT880, but not that great, maybe about 15dB. They don't isolate well enough for my mass transit commute that has an average background noise of 95-100dB.

If you have an amp with a little guts, a vintage Fostex T40 might be good as well. I've not heard of anyone who has heard the new version T50RPMkII.

 

[lejaz]

Equation RP-21. I couldn't be happier with mine. I have those and the Sony v-6's, and the Equations kill the Sony's IMO. I just read a reviewer here on head-fi who said they preferred them to the dt250's...and they're definitely not 'boomy' as you describe the 770's. Here's a quote from the Equation rep on one of the old threads:

Malcolm Toft, Recording engineer with a background that includes; the Beatles – “Hey Jude”, David Bowie’ – “A Space Oddity” and James Taylor’ first album had this to say about the RP-21. “I finally found a pair of cans I feel I can trust during critical real time monitoring applications.”

http://www.myspace.com/lejaz

 

[boomy3555]

I hve the DT990 (2005) 250 ohm and I find my Denon 5000's to be the closest in SQ to the Beyers. Still fun bass but not boomy, clear and precise mids and highs. I likt to call them my cross between my DT990's and my Senn HD650's.
The Audiotechnica ATH-A700's or A900's are close to the beyers and they are closed cans ( The ADXXX's are open) but they are more reference quality as opposed to "Fun" headphones like the Beyers.

 

[sithlord32786]

IMHO, I think you'll find that the closest sound signature is indeed the DT 770 Pros. They are fairly linear and work well with monitoring applications. That "boomy" bass tightens up significantly after burn in and with proper amplification. If the bass is still too strong, then EQ that mofo and drop the low end a little. They also isolate pretty well. They are very comfortable and can be worn for hours at a time. As far as power handling is concerned, I really don't know what to tell you, other than there is both an 80 ohm version and 250 ohm version. If you haven't absolutely eliminated them from your choices then give them another good try.

 

[mypasswordis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scompton /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you have an amp with a little guts, a vintage Fostex T40 might be good as well. I've not heard of anyone who has heard the new version T50RPMkII.

I think you mean T40RPMkII.

Both probably "require" modding, based on reports as to the sound and my own findings with the previous generation.

 

[scytheavatar]

Look no further than the DT150/DT250. Especially made for monitor duties and is everything you need.

The Denons is not a good idea; when it comes to isolation it's no better than an open back.

 

[Caution]

I would steer clear of the Dx000s if your looking for a closed version of the dt880s. In terms of tonality they may be similar, but in terms of frequency balance, they differ a lot.

Also as scytheavatar mentioned, the Denons hardly offer any more isolation than the 880s.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Surprised no one mentioned 2005 Consumer DT770. Those are the closest DT880 closed equivalent I've heard to day.

 

[AmanGeorge]

Have you thought about IEMs? There are a number of pretty detailed options out there (ER4P/S, Triple.fi) that would be great for monitoring, and the sound isolation is unbeatable.

 

[eruditass]

DT150 for sure.

ER4P's get 2nd place recommendation.

 

[norseman8485]

Hmm... the DT150 is like the completion opposite of the ER4P...

 

[Exit Pupil]

i was under the impression that the 880 shares the same driver with the 770, or one of the 770 models??? can someone confirm or deny this?

burn the 770 pro 80 in aggressively for 200hrs and enjoy one of the best cans i have heard. amp it to sharpen the bass if it freaks you out LOL.

 

[Tiemen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew_WOT /img/forum/go_quote.gif Surprised no one mentioned 2005 Consumer DT770. Those are the closest DT880 closed equivalent I've heard to day.

X2 on the DT770 2005 consumer edition (not the Pro's)