[ac500]

Is it generally considered that these are slightly less in sound quality overall versus HD650s, or do some people find them better?

 

[Graphicism]

I enjoy both the HD600 and to a slightly lesser extent the HD650; the biggest difference between the Sennheisers and Beyerdynamic is the upfront clarity they offer. The HD600/650 is more of a relaxed sound signature, smooth jazz, chill-out  that sort of thing. The DT880/990 is much more aggressive, a heightened treble which pulls out much more detail, not too similar from a HD800 in that respect. Because of this however they are much more amp and source dependent than the HD600/650, I do personally find they improve a great deal with a warmer tube amp.

 

[ac500]

I don't expect the DT880 to beat the HD650s smooth lower bass although when I tried the DT990 it certainly sounded very good to me. It would be a nice bonus if the DT880 was as good as HD650s bass, but I'm not requiring it. When I get the 880s I guess I can compare both to my HD650 (for bass) and SRH940 (for treble/detail).
 
Even if the DT880 isn't as detailed as the SRH940, the main reason here is to get a good detailed pair that is comfortable and fits on my head. The SRH940 literally is too small for me, and despite sounding great, I sadly must part with it. It literally broke due to the size of my head.
 
Oh, some of you may find this interesting. Before ever trying a Beyer, everyone has always said how super comfortable they are, probably the best you can get aside from HD800s probably. Trying the DT880s/990s, I find this to be wrong. HD600/HD650 is by far the most comfortable headphone I've worn for my size/shape head, second only to the HD800.
 
The DT880s/DT990s are quite comfortable, but I'd say it's roughly on par with HD600/650s and maybe a bit less comfortable. The reason is the drivers touch my ear, and the earpads are just a bit too small so they are crushing against my ears when I wear them.
 
That said, the Beyer headband felt just fine on my large sized head and that's really all that matters for comfort for me. I even found Grados to be more comfortable than the SRH940 simply because the headband fit better. 

 

[Graphicism]

The DT880 has better extension than the HD650 which I find very rounded and warm which attributes to it's smoothness. The DT990 has similar low-end-bass to the 880 but has a greater mid-bass hump, which tends to make them sound more bassy but far less accurate.
 
I haven't heard the SRH940 however I have heard both SRH440/840 and don't consider these to be in the same league as headphones like the DT880, HD600. They're simply a decent closed phone, similar to that of a Sony MDR7506 monitoring headphone with a flat soundstage.
 
Also as I say you can't expect the HD650 and DT880 to share the same amp; the HD650s need a bright solid-state and the DT880 a warm tube amp.

 

[ac500]

They sounded fine out of the non-tube Beyerdynamic amp used on display. Also my NFB12 is supposedly a bit warm anyway. I'm not going to use tubes, if the DT880 doesn't sound good with my SS DAC/amp I will return them.
 
In any case, why would I want to make them warm and intentionally remove treble with an amp? That always seemed silly to me. If there's too much treble, I'll use something called an equalizer.

 

[Graphicism]

I don't think it's a case of removing treble but controlling it better. Some of the best headphones in the world; like the Stax SR-009 need a good tube amp to make them sing.
 
Please share your experience with them when they arrive!

 

[ac500]

I'm just skeptical of ancient tech like tubes, and in any case I refuse to ever buy an amp that "wears out" over time. Some day I'll just get a really nice SS dac/amp plus HD800 or something, but for now I'm looking for the best complimentary headphones for my NFB12 I guess.
 
I will post impressions when I get it once I decide to order, probably today.

 

[PelPix]

Mine are coming in 4 days!

 

[duetta]

I've now been living with my pair for a couple of months now (through a Schiit Valhalla) and I'm finding them exactly what I was looking for sonically, especially given their relatively affordable price.  And they are easily the most comfortable headphones that I have ever owned.
 
The only downside so far is that they're inciting an itch to hear the T-1s, with their slightly angled transducers and fuller midrange.  But at $1,000 more...I've so far been able to resist that itch!

 

[HaVoC-28]

Quote:

They sounded fine out of the non-tube Beyerdynamic amp used on display. Also my NFB12 is supposedly a bit warm anyway. I'm not going to use tubes, if the DT880 doesn't sound good with my SS DAC/amp I will return them.
 
In any case, why would I want to make them warm and intentionally remove treble with an amp? That always seemed silly to me. If there's too much treble, I'll use something called an equalizer.

 
Ya just try a DT-880 on your NFB-12  , you will see if you like it or not , i am really enjoying my DT-880-600 ohms on my C2.1 SS amp from audio GD .
 
I also have a K702 wich don't work well with tube amps (at least for my tastes, only tryed it on a LD MK3 too) . Both work very well with my C2.1 , for simplicity i will keep only one amp , if i can try again some tubes amps for free ,why not , but on the price range of my C2.1 i don't think that my DT-880 will sound soo much better , peraphs worse who knows ... 

 

[Graphicism]

Quote:

I'm just skeptical of ancient tech like tubes, and in any case I refuse to ever buy an amp that "wears out" over time.

Everything wears out over time, and really how much time are we talking for a tube to wear out... 12 years? I've had tube amps for 5 years and never had so much as a single tube die on me. Furthermore switching tubes can be as stark a difference as switching amps, so if I can get a new sound out of $30 that's a hobby in and of itself.

 

[HaVoC-28]

 
Quote:

Everything wears out over time, and really how much time are we talking for a tube to wear out... 12 years? I've had tube amps for 5 years and never had so much as a single tube die on me. Furthermore switching tubes can be as stark a difference as switching amps, so if I can get a new sound out of $30 that's a hobby in and of itself.

On Some SS amps their is also OPAMP rolling wich give the same result than playing with tubes .

 

[LizardKing1]

Good point. In tube amps, the distortion is what kills it for me, not the tube-switching.

 

[Graphicism]

Quote:

On Some SS amps their is also OPAMP rolling wich give the same result than playing with tubes .

Oh I know all about op-amps, but they're not comparable to tubes whatsoever.

 

[captouch]

Quote:

I'm just skeptical of ancient tech like tubes, and in any case I refuse to ever buy an amp that "wears out" over time. Some day I'll just get a really nice SS dac/amp plus HD800 or something, but for now I'm looking for the best complimentary headphones for my NFB12 I guess.
 
I will post impressions when I get it once I decide to order, probably today.

If I recall correctly, the 880's sounded fine out of the NFB-12 because they're already a detailed headphone and some degree of blending/rounding wasn't that noticeable compared to the HD650 which already isn't as detailed.