ph0rk
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2003
- Posts
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I use a DT250-80 in my office [serial number to be added later, about one year old], currently driven by a Rockhopper mini3 (which I don't find particularly bright, and I listened to that particular headphone out of an iphone/iphone 3g prior to adding the mini3, and noticed no muted highs).
It's a great office sealed headphone: pleasant, non harsh sound that still has plenty of treble extension, and good low end definition for the mostly ambient electronic/IDM I listen to while working/reading etc (rock is too "catching" for me to read, write, or think while listening). Think Aphex Twin, Autechre, pre-Mclaughlan Delirium/Synesthesia, a bit of the more ambient experimental Radiohead, Team Sleep, and NIN's Ghosts I-IV.
Now, I was thinking: "Man, I sure love the balanced sound of that headphone".
And, naturally, the thing to do was order another for home [sn 55525]. Only, the new dt-250-80 I got at home was much darker, with a more annoying midbass hump than my work phone. What? Especially next to a k271 the 250-80's treble extension leaves something to be desired (though that might be unfair), even out of a Glite or M^3.
So, as B&H is having an extended return period for the holidays, I thought I'd pick up a DT250-250 and compare. [sn 54395]
First interesting point of comparison is out of something like an 0404 usb they are very nearly level matched at the same setting, so I expect as others have said many sources would be ok to drive the 250-250, and indeed the sound out of my first gen shuffle is great into the 250-250. Punchy and exciting. A first gen nano is similarly engaging - bass is tight and deep (and this is not a particular strength of the original nanos).
The second notable point is that there is less/no midbass hump in the 250 ohm model, and a tad more treble energy. This lets it sound more neutral than the dt250-80 (more like like the 250-80 in my office). Though, even the 250-80 in the office has a slight midbass hump.
After moving the 250-80 to the Glite (and level matching it with the 250-250 out of the 0404 with a db meter) this particular 250-80 remains on the dark side of neutral with a bass hump - supposedly the 0404 has a bass bloom issue, so the advantage here should be to the 250-80 with superior amping, but it isn't enough to change its character relative to the 250-250.
I can't say that all 250-80's will be the extra(somewhat?)-dark version, as I am quite sure I have one that isn't. Compared to the k271, the dt250-250 has a more present low end without being particularly boomy (even on tracks like massive attack's angel or dissolved girl, or any random KMFDM track, where the 250-80 got a bit out of control), and none of the peaky business in the 5-6k region the k271 has, while still performing more than well enough for rock and electronic music treble-wise.
If you have only heard the dt250-80 and thought they were dark or muffled with a midbass bump, you'd be doing yourself a favor by giving the dt250-250's a whirl. In the past I've recommended the dt250-80 more than once for a Senn-like closed headphone - I think the dt250-250 does this job even better.
It's a great office sealed headphone: pleasant, non harsh sound that still has plenty of treble extension, and good low end definition for the mostly ambient electronic/IDM I listen to while working/reading etc (rock is too "catching" for me to read, write, or think while listening). Think Aphex Twin, Autechre, pre-Mclaughlan Delirium/Synesthesia, a bit of the more ambient experimental Radiohead, Team Sleep, and NIN's Ghosts I-IV.
Now, I was thinking: "Man, I sure love the balanced sound of that headphone".
And, naturally, the thing to do was order another for home [sn 55525]. Only, the new dt-250-80 I got at home was much darker, with a more annoying midbass hump than my work phone. What? Especially next to a k271 the 250-80's treble extension leaves something to be desired (though that might be unfair), even out of a Glite or M^3.
So, as B&H is having an extended return period for the holidays, I thought I'd pick up a DT250-250 and compare. [sn 54395]
First interesting point of comparison is out of something like an 0404 usb they are very nearly level matched at the same setting, so I expect as others have said many sources would be ok to drive the 250-250, and indeed the sound out of my first gen shuffle is great into the 250-250. Punchy and exciting. A first gen nano is similarly engaging - bass is tight and deep (and this is not a particular strength of the original nanos).
The second notable point is that there is less/no midbass hump in the 250 ohm model, and a tad more treble energy. This lets it sound more neutral than the dt250-80 (more like like the 250-80 in my office). Though, even the 250-80 in the office has a slight midbass hump.
After moving the 250-80 to the Glite (and level matching it with the 250-250 out of the 0404 with a db meter) this particular 250-80 remains on the dark side of neutral with a bass hump - supposedly the 0404 has a bass bloom issue, so the advantage here should be to the 250-80 with superior amping, but it isn't enough to change its character relative to the 250-250.
I can't say that all 250-80's will be the extra(somewhat?)-dark version, as I am quite sure I have one that isn't. Compared to the k271, the dt250-250 has a more present low end without being particularly boomy (even on tracks like massive attack's angel or dissolved girl, or any random KMFDM track, where the 250-80 got a bit out of control), and none of the peaky business in the 5-6k region the k271 has, while still performing more than well enough for rock and electronic music treble-wise.
If you have only heard the dt250-80 and thought they were dark or muffled with a midbass bump, you'd be doing yourself a favor by giving the dt250-250's a whirl. In the past I've recommended the dt250-80 more than once for a Senn-like closed headphone - I think the dt250-250 does this job even better.
