Lorenzo
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 3, 2005
- Posts
- 47
- Likes
- 0
I just got my Beyer DT 880s today. And I am new to the world of hi-fi headphones.
Some background: I am a Jazz musician, and I listen and play music basically all the time. I am not an audiophile, but I am certainly critical of my music...or so I thought!
I do most of my listening and transcribing using my Ipod 60GB Photo, which was a replacement for my 3G 40GB (which was stolen not too long ago...GRRR). Anyway, my ipod is part of my life, essentially. I can't listen to anything below 320Kbps AAC, and All my Jazz Albums are encoded in Apple Lossless. Sound quality is important, because my "job" is to listen to music as much as possible...and any degradation in sound and detail is just unnacceptable to me. Itunes, the Ipod, and Headphones have been the best thing to happen to musicians since the invention of the CD player, I say.
All I can say is....I didn't know what I was missing until I listened with these phones! Man. I am....shocked. Mainly at how much more I've been missing in my music. My world has been changed!
Even more amazing to me is that sound quality and presentation will actually increase once I get a proper amp. I don't know if my brain can take it! Also, the comfort is fantastic...I know the headphones are there, but it's as if my brain doesn't want to acknowledge that there is something sitting on top of my head.
I compared the Beyers to the other phones I have: Sony EX71SL, Sony E888SL, and Sennheiser HD 497. The Sennheisers have been my workhorse for a while, for their durability and overall good sound, but these Beyers kill them in every aspect. There is more detail, clarity, richness in sound. I can actually hear details in the Bass...without trying to listen for them, they are just there! I never could justify the money it takes for a decent setup, and now that I finally took the plunge, I can't help but wonder how much more there is out there that I'm missing.
Anyway, my listening world has opened up, and it seems I've found a new, soon to be expensive hobby, LOL.
And the price of entry isn't too bad. $225 shipped for the cans. Considering I've heard speaker systems costing 10X that much which don't provide nearly the clarity and detail, I am amazed what a difference good headphones make in one's perception of music. I listened to a few records I haven't listened to in a while, and was almost overcome with emotion at what I was hearing. Solo piano, and Acoustic Jazz, my two favorite Genres, suddenly comes alive.
Anyway, just wanted to share my preliminary, subjective thoughts on what a good pair of cans has done to my musical world. I'm still awaiting the arrival of my Headroom Micro Amp (which may take a while), but until then, I am more than satisfied with what I've got now. I can't wait to try other headphones and see what the effect various good amps will do.
Thanks to head-fi for the wonderful information, and thanks to Beyerdynamic for making these killer headphones! For what I paid, the entry into the world of hi-fi headphones has been worth the admssion price.
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Music Tested:
John Coltrane - Giant Steps
Eric Reed - Musicale
A Tribe Called Quest - The Anthology
Sonny Rollins - Live At The Village Vanguard
Marvin Gaye - What's Goin On
Equipment Used:
Ipod Photo 60GB
Apple Powerbook G4 17" ---> Itunes
Sony Vaio S360 ---> Audigy 2 ZS PCMCIA Soundcard ---> Itunes
Some background: I am a Jazz musician, and I listen and play music basically all the time. I am not an audiophile, but I am certainly critical of my music...or so I thought!
I do most of my listening and transcribing using my Ipod 60GB Photo, which was a replacement for my 3G 40GB (which was stolen not too long ago...GRRR). Anyway, my ipod is part of my life, essentially. I can't listen to anything below 320Kbps AAC, and All my Jazz Albums are encoded in Apple Lossless. Sound quality is important, because my "job" is to listen to music as much as possible...and any degradation in sound and detail is just unnacceptable to me. Itunes, the Ipod, and Headphones have been the best thing to happen to musicians since the invention of the CD player, I say.
All I can say is....I didn't know what I was missing until I listened with these phones! Man. I am....shocked. Mainly at how much more I've been missing in my music. My world has been changed!
Even more amazing to me is that sound quality and presentation will actually increase once I get a proper amp. I don't know if my brain can take it! Also, the comfort is fantastic...I know the headphones are there, but it's as if my brain doesn't want to acknowledge that there is something sitting on top of my head.
I compared the Beyers to the other phones I have: Sony EX71SL, Sony E888SL, and Sennheiser HD 497. The Sennheisers have been my workhorse for a while, for their durability and overall good sound, but these Beyers kill them in every aspect. There is more detail, clarity, richness in sound. I can actually hear details in the Bass...without trying to listen for them, they are just there! I never could justify the money it takes for a decent setup, and now that I finally took the plunge, I can't help but wonder how much more there is out there that I'm missing.
Anyway, my listening world has opened up, and it seems I've found a new, soon to be expensive hobby, LOL.
And the price of entry isn't too bad. $225 shipped for the cans. Considering I've heard speaker systems costing 10X that much which don't provide nearly the clarity and detail, I am amazed what a difference good headphones make in one's perception of music. I listened to a few records I haven't listened to in a while, and was almost overcome with emotion at what I was hearing. Solo piano, and Acoustic Jazz, my two favorite Genres, suddenly comes alive.
Anyway, just wanted to share my preliminary, subjective thoughts on what a good pair of cans has done to my musical world. I'm still awaiting the arrival of my Headroom Micro Amp (which may take a while), but until then, I am more than satisfied with what I've got now. I can't wait to try other headphones and see what the effect various good amps will do.
Thanks to head-fi for the wonderful information, and thanks to Beyerdynamic for making these killer headphones! For what I paid, the entry into the world of hi-fi headphones has been worth the admssion price.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Music Tested:
John Coltrane - Giant Steps
Eric Reed - Musicale
A Tribe Called Quest - The Anthology
Sonny Rollins - Live At The Village Vanguard
Marvin Gaye - What's Goin On
Equipment Used:
Ipod Photo 60GB
Apple Powerbook G4 17" ---> Itunes
Sony Vaio S360 ---> Audigy 2 ZS PCMCIA Soundcard ---> Itunes
