[cmirza]

Ok, I've been searching for some good bassy headphones for a while now. I tried the A500s which were way too harsh and sibilant and I didn't apreciate their colored sound. Next I got K81DJs, which were just about right sound wise, but just killed my ears comfort wise after about an hour of wear.

Now I've narrowed it down to the DT-770 or the K240 (DT-531 sounds interesting but too expensive/rare for consideration). Comfort wise I don't think I can go wrong as both are circumaural and the main problem I have with headphones comfort wise is when they crush my ears.

The DT-770 80-ohm feels like the best first choice as it has some of the best bass extension, but I'm concerned about the lack of mids that many people talk about.

The K240 seems to have the mids covered but many complain about it having sloppy, unrefined bass. But it seems this can be cured with an upgraded cable that shouldn't be a big problem since the K240 cable is detachable.

I'd like to keep this headphone's budget to ~$150 which the DT-770 just barely scrapes under if I can haggle GuitarCenter down. Portability isn't a big deal, my E4s are the only headphones that make it out of my house anyway. My main desire is lots of bass with out any gaping holes in the rest of the sound spectrum. Any help would be greatly apreciated in this decision!

 

[wax4213]

Did you try the counter-intuitive K81DJ headband bend? Instead of bending it out, bend the phones closer to each other. I'm not sure why this should work, but according to others, it does.

Other than that, the K240s is supposed to have relatively muddy bass. I dunno about the Beyer, but being the cheap person that I am, I'd try to bend the DJ's band a bit to make it more comfy. That is if you still have them

 

[kramer5150]

IMho both cans are kind of on the muddy side, the K240s being the muddy-er of the two. But that 350-800Hz recession on the DT770 was a real bummer for me. It made guitars and male vocals WAY to bright, and lacking body resonance and tone.

you might want to check out the older DT990, supposedly its lower midrange isn't so bad.

its a toss-up in my book.... I sold my DT770 and replaced it with the K240s. I dont regret it much at all. The DT770 is 2x the price of the K240s, might want to keep that in mind. Lately Ive seen portable pimetas go for $70. If it were me I'd rather have a K240s for $80 and a pimeta for $70, as opposed to an unamped DT770. I generally place a higher priority on overall spectral balance than transient speed, so the K240s has treated me fine.

 

[cmirza]

I've already sold the K81DJs, I did try the squeezing the headband together thing and it never quite helped. And I was too worried I'd destroy the things doing the crazy stretching out thing that VR6ofpain suggested, so I just sold them off. Anyway, I don't need portability with these cans, if I can find some less portable cans with better sound, all the better!

I've got amps

I have a desktop PIMETA and a portable PINT so no problem there. Price isn't a huge issue, this will probably be the last headphone I buy for a while, my next purchaces are going to be a maxed Millett Hybrid and a good external DAC to go with it, which should strain my wallet for some time. I guess I'm going to have to goto GuitarCenter with my iPod and PINT and try them out myself, theres just too much conflicting impressions of these two headphones. Though I have a feeling that the complaints about the recession in the mids with the DT770 is due to improper amping. The DT770s look so big and comfy with those velour circumaural pads, which is a huge plus for me. The DT531 sounds like it would be just what I'm looking for, but damn if it isn't hard to find.

 

[kramer5150]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmirza I've already sold the K81DJs, I did try the squeezing the headband together thing and it never quite helped. And I was too worried I'd destroy the things doing the crazy stretching out thing that VR6ofpain suggested, so I just sold them off. Anyway, I don't need portability with these cans, if I can find some less portable cans with better sound, all the better! I've got amps I have a desktop PIMETA and a portable PINT so no problem there. I guess I'm going to have to goto GuitarCenter with my iPod and PINT and try them out myself, theres just too much conflicting impressions of these two headphones. Though I have a feeling that the complaints about the recession in the mids with the DT770 is due to improper amping. The DT770s look so big and comfy with those velour circumaural pads, which is a huge plus for me. The DT531 sounds like it would be just what I'm looking for, but damn if it isn't hard to find.

thats the spirit.

Yeah IMHO both cans need adequate amplification.... at least some of the impressions you read about with either can can be somewhat alleviated with amping. Although the K240s still remains the muddy-er of the two, even with adequate amplification.

 

[facelvega]

I love the K240, have respect for the DT770, but it sounds to me like what you want is actually cheaper: Sony V6. They'll pin down your bass headphone requirement pat. Plus they're comfortable and more or less portable.

 

[nickchen]

Don't know the K240, but have the DT770 ....and worship the A900. Too bad nobody is stupid enough to offer me an exchange.

The A900 bass is ~90% of DT770 quantity (sufficient for the worst bassheads), but 150% of DT770 quality - much more precise, differenciated and punchy. The mids are also a bit recessed, but not as badly as the Beyer's. You should consider the A900 as well.

 

[cmirza]

Well, I tried the A500, and did find it had great bass depth, and quality, it also had alot of harshness and sibalance that I could not tolerate. That and they were so huge on my head that they bumped the back of my chair when I layed my head back.

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmirza I've got amps I have a desktop PIMETA and a portable PINT so no problem there. Price isn't a huge issue, this will probably be the last headphone I buy for a while, my next purchaces are going to be a maxed Millett Hybrid and a good external DAC to go with it, which should strain my wallet for some time.

Just my opinion, but you'd be wasting your money on a nice amp/DAC and a somewhat subpar headphone like the K240S -- which won't scale well and won't show you the quality of your other purchases. Can't recommend anything else (as I'm not a basshead) but I wouldn't go the K240S route.

 

[cmirza]

Well, I checked out GuitarCenter and decided to go the DT770 route. Both the K240 and DT770 were definately bass-head cans but the DT770 really thumped with nice, deep yet controlled bass while the K240 felt pretty sloppy in comparison. And all the talk about deficent mids felt like nonsense, all the vocals of every hip hop track I tried were clear and impactful. The DT770 is definately the superior of the two cans. Plus the idea of eventually turning the DT770s into Darth Beyers was very appealing.

The only problem was I was unable to get GuitarCenter to drop the price past $180, even with several competitive prices from internet dealers. So I went to one of the eBay dealers, offered $135 and got it accepted, $150 shipped

. I really should have just went with these in the first place, anyone else looking for great bass cans, the premium these cans have is totally worth it.

 

[denl82]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmirza And all the talk about deficent mids felt like nonsense, all the vocals of every hip hop track I tried were clear and impactful.

That's exactly what I thought when I first got the dt770/80. However, a little testing later showed me what guys here was talking about to the extent that they do. But still, the recessed mids don't bother me at alllllll for what I need these cans for

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmirza I really should have just went with these in the first place, anyone else looking for great bass cans, the premium these cans have is totally worth it.

I paid $225 for mine, talk about premium! But I feel that they are worth it. $150 is a reallll bargain imo, one I shoulda went for cuz I'm hearing so many people getting similiar deals, hehe. But I still don't regret plunkin so much $$$ on em

 

[lini]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmirza Well, I checked out GuitarCenter (...)

What amplification did you check the phones with? If it was something with comparatively high output impedance, you probably got quite different results than you would have got with your headphone amp, as very low output impedance seems rather critical in order to make the K240S shine...

Greetings from Hannover!

Manfred / lini

 

[cmirza]

I used my iPod and PINT when trying out the K240S. My PINT has a gain of about 5 I believe, the same as my PIMETA that I would be using them with primarily.

 

[lini]

cmirza: A PINT should have been good enough, I'd assume. Just wanted to make sure that it's really a taste decision (= based on a non-compromised comparision).

Greetings from Hannover!

Manfred / lini

 

[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmirza Well, I checked out GuitarCenter and decided to go the DT770 route. Both the K240 and DT770 were definately bass-head cans but the DT770 really thumped with nice, deep yet controlled bass while the K240 felt pretty sloppy in comparison. And all the talk about deficent mids felt like nonsense, all the vocals of every hip hop track I tried were clear and impactful. The DT770 is definately the superior of the two cans. Plus the idea of eventually turning the DT770s into Darth Beyers was very appealing.

Congrats... I haven't heard the DT770, but am a big fan of the DT880... I suspect aside from not being quite as neutral as the 880, you've got yourself an excellent headphone.

I'm just not a fan of the K240S... I had one for awhile, and despite really wanting to like it I don't think it's a "higher end" headphone (and I believe the DT770 is).