[Max Choiral]

 dt880 bass is better and tighter than dt250-250 bass

Absolutely agree. To my ears, DT250/250 is pretty bassy headphones. Yeah, the bass has too much presence, more or less tight and controlled, but damn, it's really hard hitting. Nah, I don't think this HP is "neutral".
However, the mids are more enjoyable on DT250/250 than on DT880

 

[CJG888]

The DT-250s need an amp with a decent damping factor to take control of them. They may be relatively inexpensive cans, but they have reasonably expensive tastes....

They work well with the Audio-gd SA-31SE.

 

[Max Choiral]

CJG888, well, I'm not sure. Good amp can improve quality of bass, but can it reduce quantity?
DT 250/250 is a good cans, and there are people who will love its' intimate sound with congested soundstage

 

[CJG888]

A good amp can reduce bass bloat (the head-fi equivalent of boom).

Poor quality bass generally gives the impression of overwhelming quantity.

 

[Head1]

Have they fixed the mismatched drivers?

 

[Max Choiral]

A good amp can reduce bass bloat (the head-fi equivalent of boom).

Poor quality bass generally gives the impression of overwhelming quantity.

Hm, I had thought that it's all about tightness and control.
Even so, I 'm not going to return to them, cause this is not really an upgrade from my old German Maestro 8.35 Emma. The latest have two options for improvement at least and isolates better in noisy environment.

 

[donunus]

The German maestro has a more consumer oriented sound of having that one dimensional bass and treble without the midrange articulation of the dt250-250 though. You just need to get a good amp to match them. I have compared the GM and the dt250-250 side by side by the way. I may have also had the 80 ohm at the same time. 

 

[ph0rk]

  CJG888, well, I'm not sure. Good amp can improve quality of bass, but can it reduce quantity?
DT 250/250 is a good cans, and there are people who will love its' intimate sound with congested soundstage

 
"too much bass" is a matter of taste.
 
I think they sound quite close to neutral at low volumes. Not entirely neutral, and that's okay - thats why I say the sound a lot like the HD650.

 

[Max Choiral]

  The German maestro has a more consumer oriented sound of having that one dimensional bass and treble without the midrange articulation of the dt250-250 though. You just need to get a good amp to match them. I have compared the GM and the dt250-250 side by side by the way. I may have also had the 80 ohm at the same time. 

DT 250/250 do has better midrange but my GM 8.35 not far away imho
By the way, I compared German Maestro 8.35 Emma & 8.35D long time ago and they have different sound signature. 8.35D is more bass oriented headphones.
I didn't try Beyerdynamic with amp, because the purpose was to use it without amplification.

 

[Max Choiral]

   
"too much bass" is a matter of taste.
 
I think they sound quite close to neutral at low volumes. Not entirely neutral, and that's okay - thats why I say the sound a lot like the HD650.

My two pairs of fullsized headphones, including Etymotic ER4S sound more "neutral" at low volumes

And I do love bass, quality over quantity of course.

 

[ph0rk]

 
My two pairs of fullsized headphones, including Etymotic ER4S sound more "neutral" at low volumes

And I do love bass, quality over quantity of course.

 
To each their own.
 
I doubt you'll find a closed headphone for $200 or less that is a good a compromise as the DT250.
 
And some (like me) would gladly take a bit of bass emphasis in trade for non-fatiguing treble. If you'd like it the other way around, I'm sure there are other options, but that's not the point of this particular thread, is it?

 

[Max Choiral]

   
To each their own.
 
I doubt you'll find a closed headphone for $200 or less that is a good a compromise as the DT250.
 
And some (like me) would gladly take a bit of bass emphasis in trade for non-fatiguing treble. If you'd like it the other way around, I'm sure there are other options, but that's not the point of this particular thread, is it?

Sure, it's not like my opinion claims to be "truth". I'd just told about my little experience with DT250/250

For the mentioned price this is a decent pair of headphones with its' flaws.

 

[threefolds]

Interesting insights; DT250 vs. DT880. 
 
I'm always curious though, what makes many people prefer headphones with such a prominent dips and spikes in the overall frequency range.
I mean we all want some freedom in liking whatever phones that gives us an immediate pleasure, and that's understandable especially in this
kind of society with full of propaganda/commercialism/consumerism.
 
But, since we listen to music not only with our sensual ears but also with mental brains, I always wonder why one is not concerned with being
conditioned by overly artificial frequency curve or not remaining open --at least conceptually-- to the very best, the most neutral audio gear
currently on earth (cf. Lunatique's thread on neutrality, again) in relation to which one can be aware of the possibility of how her/his preference
is skewed. At least to me, such awareness helps me remaining very honest about my own biases and help me appreciate that of others' as well. 
 
Anyhow, I'm here to appreciate dt250/250 again and also everyone in this thread. 

 

[ph0rk]

I think it depends, in. part, in how much treble hearing one still has.

I have always protected my ears, so I still have a lot for my age. Most beyers are far too bright for me (880 included)

Hell, on some recordings, even my dt250 can be fatiguing.


For me, too much treble energy ruins a headphone - followed by excessive bass I suppose, but the tolerance for excessive bass is much higher. ( DT770 pro 80 ohm is clearly too much bass )

I will say the DT250 is one of the best headphones I have used for studio monitoring purposes, but that's all about familiarity with the sound signature - it just works for me.

 

[CJG888]

Exactly: the treble on the DT250 is not particularly prominent, but it is there, and it is detailed. It doesn't use a treble spike to create the (artificial) impression of hyper-detailed sound.