[dissembled]

Both analytical phones; relatively bass-light. Both are pretty much crossover phones so I don't think it would be wise to buy both of them.

I'm wondering whether people here prefer the K701s or the DT880s as the better all-arounder? The K701s have great soundstage ample for many types of music while the DT880s I understand, have somewhat more bass.

If you've heard/own both, which would you keep personally? Which one would you say has a more enjoyable tonal signature?

 

[greggf]

I'm betting that this turns into an interesting thread!

Me, I'd take the K701 over the DT880. I still have the latter, but I'll be returning it. Way too sharp for me. I found the 701 to be much more musically enjoyable, although watch out - it needs TLC to sound that way: proper sources, amplification, burn-in, yadayadayada.

 

[XENOPHOS]

I really liked the dt880 but it was just too bright for me and it kinda hurt.
with the 701's though, I still get a ton of detail (possibly not as much as the 880 but close), wide soundstage, and it was very easy to listen too with no more hurt

 

[daltonlanny]

I prefer Sennheiser 600's and 650's to either one.
To my ears the Beyers and AKG's are both somewhat thin, lack body, analytical, and emphasize either the treble alittle too much [880] or the upper mids/lower treble too much, and are sort of sterile [701], and the bass is a little too light on both.
To my ears, the Senns are smoother, more natural, more involving, easier to drive, and have much better bass power.

 

[nickchen]

They are quite in the same league IMO. DT880 sounds slightly better if your genres are rhythm-orientated (Rock, Hiphop, D&B, etc), K701 does slightly better with the "tender" stuff (folk, classical, etc). The Beyer has more slam & energy, whereas the AKG is more musical and involving.

 

[dissembled]

Quote:

Originally Posted by daltonlanny /img/forum/go_quote.gif I prefer Sennheiser 600's and 650's to either one. To my ears the Beyers and AKG's are both somewhat thin, lack body, analytical, and emphasize either the treble alittle too much [880] or the upper mids/lower treble too much, and are sort of sterile [701], and the bass is a little too light on both. To my ears, the Senns are smoother, more natural, more involving, easier to drive, and have much better bass power.

How do they fare detail-wise?

 

[d-cee]

keep em both, i did

generally i'd consider the K701 more balanced overall and more detailed though

the DT880 for me is in my "groovy" setup, I think its a bit more transperant than the K701 in terms of component change upstream, so it's easily flavoured by amps/DACs etc

 

[iozz]

AFAIC the DT880 are colder than the K701. I agree with nickchen, the K701 have beautiful upper mids and are better for soft music. DT880 have more punch.

 

[Scottyyy]

I haven't heard either of them, but out of the two I want to hear the DT880's more. I don't know why heh.

 

[pataburd]

For me, it depends on which iteration of the DT880 you're talking about. After having owned and very much enjoyed the DT880/2003, the DT880/2005 were a bitter disappointment--yeeow! the memory of the latter still makes me cringe.

Well, I ended up keeping (and re-cabling) the K701.

However, I still entertain hopes of eventually re-acquiring the DT880/2003. While perhaps a bit recessed in the lower mids/upper bass, the highs were incredibly extended, smooth and never bright or fatiguing, and the lows got seriously down when the recording dictated.

The DT880/2005 were, to me, the sonic antithesis of the DT880/2003, and the wholesale spoiling of a Beyer "classic," in an apparent attempt to gain popularity with a broader cross-section of the head-fi masses at large.

(a) For K701 vs. DT880/2005, I'd chose (and in fact have emphatically already chosen) the K701.
(b) For K701 vs. DT880/2003, it could go either way for me. : )

 

[karma]

I would take the K701 over the DT880 (and I did so).

Both are excellent, and when listening to either in isolation, I don't think you'll be disappointed. However, when A/B'ing between the two, I often found myself missing the K701 sound when I was on the DT880. The DT880 was colder, a bit more sterile, as compared to the AKG. (FYI, I had the newer 2005 version of the DT880.)

Like daltonlanny, I generally prefer the Senn HD650 over either of them.

 

[lostbobby]

i think the input from posts above is good. I won't commit cause i have yet to recable my 701s. 880's with Cardas and pure silver kick ass, tho.

They're quite different, try to go to a meet, or borrow some, or test-listen however you can.

 

[daltonlanny]

With the right source, cables, and amps the 600/650's are close to the detail resolution of either. To my ears the 600's, and especially the 650's, are simply more organic, natural, involving, smoother, and real, but that is simply my opinion.

 

[shigzeo]

i am rather a dt880 guy. it has been my favourite phone of all time but then it is all preference. i happen to prefer its fit as well. it will win no contests for beauty but for grace whilst on, it is all gold.

 

[YngwieJMalmsteen]

My main headphones are the older 880's with a straight cable. I've been borrowing the 701's for a couple days now. Both great headphones with more similarities than differences.

However, I have to give it to the AKGs over-all. They have a touch more refinement, a little more upper bass and warmth in the mids. The soundstage is bigger, more layered, tends to separate instruments more. Also they don't need quite as much juice as the 880s and do a little better un-amped. The 880's have em on looks and comfort though.

Anyway the differences are minimal enough that it I'm not going to be upgrading anytime soon, despite k701 being a technically superior headphone in my view. Haven't heard the newest beyers but I'm surprised to hear pataburd's reaction. Others have said that they are pretty similar with just a hair more bass than the old version and the frequency chart would seem to corroborate this.