themanbeast
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2008
- Posts
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Yesterday, my beyerdynamic DT-880 finally got to my house. I was a bit nervous trying them after reading that you absolutely HAD to have an amp with them, as well as the word about them not being the absolute best for rock music (easily my genre of choice)... I still don't know why I actually went for these, they seemed to call to me. I decided I would put the cans through some testing against my current headphones, the Audio Technica AD700.
THE TEST:
Headphones: Beyerdynamic DT-880 '05 (250 ohm) - Brand new out of box
Audio-Technica ATH-AD700 - 500+ hours of use
Source: Auzentech X-Fi Prelude
Amp: No amplification (!)
Music: Classic Rock
Heavy Metal
Melodic Death Metal
ALL RECORDED IN FLAC FORMAT
- - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Comfort
I feel the AD700s set a high bar in this department, with their wing headband and loose fit, they are almost not there. The earpads can get a little itchy with prolonged use, but they are remarkable for comfort.
The DT-880, much to my surprise, hung tough in this department. The earpads are very comfortable, and while they are snug, it is still hard to remember they are on your head during listening sessions. I feel these would definitely be a better headphone for people wth smaller heads versus the ad700, as I have a fairly large noggin and the AD's still feel loose. They feel very good, but fall just a bit short of the AD700s.
ADVANTAGE: AD700
Build Quality
While neither headphone is going to just fall apart on you, the DT-880 has an obvious advantage here. The AD700 has several areas with thin plastic parts that will not be able to sustain a decent fall at all. In addition, the mesh covering on the ad700 is prone to dents. The DT-880 appears to be very well built, out of metal, yet still maintaining a light weight essential to comfort. the sides dont feel nearly as flimsy as the AD700. Also, the earpads on the DT-880 completely outclass the one on the ad700, though one might expect this considering the price difference. this subject IMO is not even close.
ADVANTAGE: DT-880
The Sound: Classic Rock
AD700: The AD700 can make this genre very fun. the soundstage is excellent, and through the prelude the bass has a definite kick when it is supposed to. the soudn is decently clean. Its a very pleasant experience.
DT-880: Wow, am I glad I went with my initial impressions and went with these! (BEAR IN MIND, THIS IS UNAMPED) The DT-880 brings out an impressive amount of things that I never heard using my AD700, or HD595 before it. The clarity is something that I've been sorely missing! I was expecting the bass on these headphones to be a bit lacking especially considering the lack of an amp, but the punch is at the very least on par with the AD-700 - but is is MUCH more precise. drums sound like drums! in addition, the soundstage is IMO perfect for this genre of music.
ADVANTAGE: DT-880
Heavy Metal
AD-700: this has always been a genre that I adored the AD-700 for. Iron Maiden, Metallica, Megadeth, it all sounds good through them. The bass is just enough for it. However, there are definitely areas where you cannot differentiate some guitar strokes from one another. all in all, its impressive.
DT-880: Once again, considering there is no amplification, the DT-880 has competely impressed me! They manage to take my favorite songs and remove any muddiness the AD-700 had. The bass is there, not quite as much as I was hoping for, but very accurate and clean sounding. Overall very good! I would say this genre is a push, whether you want more bass or you want more clarity.
ADVANTAGE: Tie
Melodic Death Metal
AD-700: This genre always seemed a bit muddy to me. the riffs seemd to all be intertwined rather than have their own seperate sound, combined with the bass made it less enjoyable than I had hoped.
DT-880: Talk about a spanking. In Flames sounds absolutely remarkable through these. Every note is distinct, the bass is SPOT ON, and once again the clarity is amazing. compared to the DT-880 in this genre, the AD-700s sound like a pair of $15 logitech headphones.
ADVANTAGE: Dt-880
Conclusion
The Beyerdynamic DT-880 are absolutely remarkable. the clarity they have with just about everything I listen to is amazing. The thing I thought was the biggest surprise was these phones' ability to run so nicely without any amplification. I don't even know if I need to get an amp with how good they sound to be honest. The volume is there, in fact I have to turn it to about halfway on my prelude, and the soundstage is excellent. Overall, its a much better phone than the AD-700 IMO, and the AD-700 is a great headphone.
THE TEST:
Headphones: Beyerdynamic DT-880 '05 (250 ohm) - Brand new out of box
Audio-Technica ATH-AD700 - 500+ hours of use
Source: Auzentech X-Fi Prelude
Amp: No amplification (!)
Music: Classic Rock
Heavy Metal
Melodic Death Metal
ALL RECORDED IN FLAC FORMAT
- - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Comfort
I feel the AD700s set a high bar in this department, with their wing headband and loose fit, they are almost not there. The earpads can get a little itchy with prolonged use, but they are remarkable for comfort.
The DT-880, much to my surprise, hung tough in this department. The earpads are very comfortable, and while they are snug, it is still hard to remember they are on your head during listening sessions. I feel these would definitely be a better headphone for people wth smaller heads versus the ad700, as I have a fairly large noggin and the AD's still feel loose. They feel very good, but fall just a bit short of the AD700s.
ADVANTAGE: AD700
Build Quality
While neither headphone is going to just fall apart on you, the DT-880 has an obvious advantage here. The AD700 has several areas with thin plastic parts that will not be able to sustain a decent fall at all. In addition, the mesh covering on the ad700 is prone to dents. The DT-880 appears to be very well built, out of metal, yet still maintaining a light weight essential to comfort. the sides dont feel nearly as flimsy as the AD700. Also, the earpads on the DT-880 completely outclass the one on the ad700, though one might expect this considering the price difference. this subject IMO is not even close.
ADVANTAGE: DT-880
The Sound: Classic Rock
AD700: The AD700 can make this genre very fun. the soundstage is excellent, and through the prelude the bass has a definite kick when it is supposed to. the soudn is decently clean. Its a very pleasant experience.
DT-880: Wow, am I glad I went with my initial impressions and went with these! (BEAR IN MIND, THIS IS UNAMPED) The DT-880 brings out an impressive amount of things that I never heard using my AD700, or HD595 before it. The clarity is something that I've been sorely missing! I was expecting the bass on these headphones to be a bit lacking especially considering the lack of an amp, but the punch is at the very least on par with the AD-700 - but is is MUCH more precise. drums sound like drums! in addition, the soundstage is IMO perfect for this genre of music.
ADVANTAGE: DT-880
Heavy Metal
AD-700: this has always been a genre that I adored the AD-700 for. Iron Maiden, Metallica, Megadeth, it all sounds good through them. The bass is just enough for it. However, there are definitely areas where you cannot differentiate some guitar strokes from one another. all in all, its impressive.
DT-880: Once again, considering there is no amplification, the DT-880 has competely impressed me! They manage to take my favorite songs and remove any muddiness the AD-700 had. The bass is there, not quite as much as I was hoping for, but very accurate and clean sounding. Overall very good! I would say this genre is a push, whether you want more bass or you want more clarity.
ADVANTAGE: Tie
Melodic Death Metal
AD-700: This genre always seemed a bit muddy to me. the riffs seemd to all be intertwined rather than have their own seperate sound, combined with the bass made it less enjoyable than I had hoped.
DT-880: Talk about a spanking. In Flames sounds absolutely remarkable through these. Every note is distinct, the bass is SPOT ON, and once again the clarity is amazing. compared to the DT-880 in this genre, the AD-700s sound like a pair of $15 logitech headphones.
ADVANTAGE: Dt-880
Conclusion
The Beyerdynamic DT-880 are absolutely remarkable. the clarity they have with just about everything I listen to is amazing. The thing I thought was the biggest surprise was these phones' ability to run so nicely without any amplification. I don't even know if I need to get an amp with how good they sound to be honest. The volume is there, in fact I have to turn it to about halfway on my prelude, and the soundstage is excellent. Overall, its a much better phone than the AD-700 IMO, and the AD-700 is a great headphone.
