[dano1122]

setup: lossless to dac1 toslink optical digital... i just got my 880 in two days ago and have been comparing it to my hd650. in summary, the hd650 is measurably better. from the moment i put on the 880 i knew it could not best the 650's. after burning in for over a dozen hours, still, very little change, the 650's had better detail, deeper sound, much better bass. the 880's have nothing on the 650's. also, build quality, the 880's adjustable headband creeks and cracks when you put them on and it has an ugly raw silver metallic headband adjuster. the 880s are quite a bit more closed then the 650's but they still leak sound. overall sound and build quality, hd650 takes the cake, and the difference is not marginal, i'm a big audio skeptic and i can say this difference is a worthy one. they are both good headphones but the 650 is just plain better. also, 880 is made in germany and 650 made in ireland, but still the build quality is better on the 650. comfort is close enough not to make it a factor in a decision. hope this helped out any of you out there. my 880's are going back this week.

 

[Yikes]

"after burning in for over a dozen hours"

I have over 50 hours on my new SR-325i's and I won't begin to judge them until upwards of 150 hours. I don't know if the 880's require as long of a break in as some other phones out there, but judging them after so few hours is hardly giving them a fair shake.

I have not heard the 880's, but they are on my short list of headphones that I would like to audition.

 

[ReDVsion]

Something tells me you really didn't listen to the DT880s long enough to get accustomed to their sound. I'm not saying that the HD650s might not actually be better than the DT880s, but you really ought to listen to a new headphone exclusively for a while to get used to their sound. Otherwise, whatever you had before will almost always sound better.

 

[TheWayofWay]

My DT880s kept improving far past 200 hours... and never ceased to amaze me. I would pick them up for some listening and simply hear the difference from when I last used them. It really is fantastic. I wouldn't judge them so quickly.

I wholeheartedly disagree with your complaint of build quality. The silver headphone band adjuster doesn't bother me much, but I'm not too picky. The DT880s are built plenty tough and I'd wager tougher than the HD650s. Unfortunately, I've only gotten to briefly try the HD580s, but if they're similar then the Sennheiser build quality is inferior. Even if one puts the strongest of arguments out there, the build quality would be equal.

Quite honestly, your mini-review will undoubtedly mislead many people. Burning the DT880s in for a couple dozen hours is simply insufficient. In my experience, it took hundreds. Your review lacks credibility in that you haven't even hit 100. I'll have to try or buy the 650s someday, but I have my doubts that they're leaps and bounds beyond the DT880s.

I don't mean this as a flame or any type of insult, but I believe - and I'm sure many others will as well - that this review lacks support (little burn-in) and will steer many away from the DT880s. It's not so much that any of us truly care that Beyerdynamic makes less money, but that others will be unable to enjoy the DT880s as many of us have. I think it would be a good idea for you to take a little more time with the phones. If you're staunchly opposed to that, then at least make sure your burn in time is bolded and underlined so others may not be misled.

 

[Nak Man]

Ahhh ... glad I clicked this thread !

Thanks for taking the time, dano1122. I may be a minority 650 owners who wondered about 880 good reviews - and you just saved my wallet.

I have nothing against Beyer. In my strongest opinion they are safest bet for good performing phones ... but lately I saw many posts that said 880 stomped on 6x0's grave. I knew that would be a difficult task to achieve, but reading those posts from beyerless land made me itch. Especially since I liked dt250 that much.

 

[Spad]

It might be a little premature to judge the 880 after only two days. How many of those 48 hours did you actually spend listening exclusively to the 880? I'm not a great believer in the benefits of prolonged burn-in, but it is necessary to listen to a new phone for a time sufficient to reset our mental "equalizer." I find when I've listened primarily to the DT880 for a few days the HD600 sounds noticeably congested by comparison.

The HD580/600/650 is a fine, quality series, but do you really think the paint on the 600 or 650 will outlast the unpainted finish of the DT880? How about the cable connectors? I don't mean to knock the Senns. Like many here, I've owned and loved them for many years and currently own six of 'em. But like every headphone I've owned, they're far from perfect.

If you can afford to keep both, I'd recommend living with the DT880 a while longer. I know I'd hate to be without either of them.

 

[spike33]

nakman, I think you owe it to yourself to try 880 at least once. They're a very special headphone

I also agree that 880 requires alot of burn in, <100 hrs just won't do. The build quality is excellent, its beautifully crafted. The aluminum case is a nice touch too. I think I'd pick 880 over 650 just for the box

 

[dano1122]

i don't think burning in is going to be performing any miracles here. i measured burn in with my grado 225's and hd650's and no miracles happened, in fact how can you even honestly say you remember exactly how they sounded when you bought them and how they sound now. cans dont change that much with a burn in, just how your feeling when you listen to music that day you might hear things better because your mind is more awake or relaxed, and then you attribute it to the "burn in".

please, the dt 800's feel like a modular design, a few parts put together to make a headphone. the sennheiser feels like one solid headphone without any parts to it. i don't think you can disagree with that.

anyways, build quality is not a big issue, and they are both very comfortable. i'm going mainly on sound here and the 880's don't touch the 650's. i really had a lot of hope for them but no, they share a similar sound to the sennheisers but the senn's are much better in the bass and musicality.

 

[dano1122]

as for the headphone case, the 650 case was more impressive to me. felt like a briefcase. the 880 case felt like an aluminum cookie box.

 

[Blitzula]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dano1122 i measured burn in with my grado 225's and hd650's and no miracles happened, in fact how can you even honestly say you remember exactly how they sounded when you bought them and how they sound now. cans dont change that much with a burn in, just how your feeling when you listen to music that day you might hear things better because your mind is more awake or relaxed, and then you attribute it to the "burn in".

Can't speak to your 880 review, but Grados clearly change significantly in sound once they're burned in.

 

[dano1122]

i do my burn in naturally, which means, as i listen, so if something is happening it is happening over a long period of time, which may reduce my ability to percieve it as well. in any case, no miracles, it's not a totally different headphone then from when i bought it.

 

[Blitzula]

Yeah sure, I agree that burn in doesn't change the Grado into a totally different headphone. It's significant, but not night and day.

 

[Andrea]

dano1122, thanks for the straightforwardness and the 'firmness' you put in your account. You know, elaborating things too much only makes you get lost.

 

[waltermeyer]

Im a big Hd650 lover so you wont find me upset over a good HD650 review, and I havent heard the 880 so I cant comment there, BUT if I had judged my HD650 after 12 hrs. of burn-in, I probably would have sent them back. Not that they sounded THAT bad, but for the money, I thought they should have sounded MUCH better. But I knew by reading things around here that I really couldnt judge them until atleast 200 hrs. And Im glad I didnt. Because I think the difference was huge. I think they matured into a phenominal set of headphones. They are my favorite now. And while burning in, I was thinking, if they dont get significantly better, I was returning them for something like a much cheaper 580 or something like that. So maybe give them another shot. I dont know anything about them except what I have read around here. But I have read that they are a very enjoyable can. I think most places will give you 30 days to return. Thats enough time. Just put them in a drawer under some clothes so it dosent bug you, and set something on repeat for like a week, and then put them on. Then if you dont like them, you lost nothing more. If I would have not given my HD650's a chance, I would have missed out on quite possibly my favorite cans.

 

[Andrea]

The Beyers aren't known for any 'peculiar' naughties with the burn-in thing like some Sennheisers, mostly the 580/600/650, are.
It is said that the DT880 'sounds great already out of the box, though it needs around 24 hours to start performing at its best'.