[Makiah S]

  Schiit Vali and Modi combo tends to be popular. $218.

 
 

You have a few options.
dacs : hifimediy usb sabre, odac, modi, E10

amps: Schiit Vali 

combos: audio-gd nfb 12.1 or 15.32
 

honestly if your on a budget the Vali is your best you bet, I loved it with my DT 880 600 ohm. 

 

[wahsmoh]

  I'm going with a Schiit Modi DAC and Schiit Asgard 2 amp. I hope to upgrade to the Schiit Bifrost DAC at some point in the not too distant future.

The DT880s make a wonderful pairing together with the Asgard 2 and Bifrost uber. Asgard 2 is on the warm side of neutral so I think it helps tame the DT880s treble. Be reminded that these headphones will make your poorly mastered music sound as it is. You can only do justice for these headphones by listening to lossless music or well mastered tracks. These headphones expose the flaws in .mp3 recordings and you don't need golden ears to tell.
 
I'm listening to the 8 minute version of Death Cab for Cutie's song "I Will Possess Your Heart" in FLAC. All I can say is breathtakingly real.

 

[devhen]

If it were me I'd get an O2 or a Lake People G103. Just my .02. And if you hear people say that an amp is bright and thin.... avoid that amp. The 880 already lean quite a bit toward the bright and thin area. Look for an amp that is very neutral (like the two I've mentioned) or even a warm amp.

 

[Makiah S]

Schiit Vali is a great choice with a low cost 

 

[TrollDragon]

NFB 15.32

 

[Makiah S]

oh some bad news, it's official I own the HE 4 now [with a balanced cable]
 
and I have come to the conclusion that a SE and Balanced DT 880 sound the same, the differance in sound is the amp. My point, my balanced amp sounds wonderful. I recommend any one who can and wants to try the Balanced NFB 10ES3, does my DT 880 Balanced sound better than yours se... I don't know but I do know my balanced Amp sounds better than the Schiit Vali, the Matrix M Stage, the JDS Labs C5 and everything else I've owned up to this point
 
that is my conclusion on the matter, on that note I've sold my Pb1 now as I own the Pb2.
 
The DT 880 is for sale if any one would like to bite. My HE 4 will b here Monday or Tuesday so I'll compare the two then. 

 

[Mambosenior]

The DT 880 is for sale if any one would like to bite. My HE 4 will b here Monday or Tuesday so I'll compare the two then.

Good luck with the new toy. To my ears, the 880/600 is the best HP under $700. It has qualities that even the T1 doesn't measure up to. I own them both and would ditch the T1 before the 880 if I had to. I have auditioned all the Hifiman models: the HE-6 is genial and the HE-5LE is extremely good.

 

[MrEleventy]

Sooooo you're saying that there was no discernable difference between balanced and se?

 

[listen2themusic]

I currently own AKG K702 headphones (which I do enjoy), but I'm thinking about adding the 880/600 to my collection - just for a little variety. I've not heard these particular headphones, but from what I've read, it sounds like they share many of the same qualities with my AKG's. I only wish they had a removable cable as I will need about 12-15 total feet of cord. Guess I will need to invest in a headphone extension cable.
 
I plan to power these with a recently updated vintage H.H. Scott LK-48-B Integrated tube amp (that's the kit version of the 222D)...should be a nice match. I primarily listen to 16/44 FLAC files ripped from LPs, the set-up chain looks like this:
 
Toshiba Laptop + External Drive + JRiver MC -> Musical Fidelity V-Link II -> Cary Xciter DAC -> Scott LK-48-B Integrated Amp -> Headphones
 
The only reason MF V-Link is in the chain is I have two systems - one for normal speaker listening and one for headphone listening. The V-Link coax output runs to a Cal Audio tube DAC (for the main rig) while the toslink sends signals to the Cary Xciter (for headphone listening). This way, I can marry two systems without having to swap cables/equipment around.
 
I think with both the 702 and 880, I'll have two of the best bang-for-the-buck headphones in existence.

 

[pp312]

Wooaudio WA7 aka Fireflies

 
Wow, that's way out of my league. I use a modern Marantz stereo receiver (SR 4023) and constantly marvel at how lifelike the orchestra seems and how much detail I'm hearing. Would I hear more detail if I invested in a $1000+ tube amp? Probably, but you know, I somehow doubt there's actually that much detail left in the recording. Possibly it would just mean that things were a touch more realistic, but without that yardstick they sound mucho realistic to me, and as long as I never listen to a WA7 I should be okay, most especially as I've saved $1000.
 
What am I rambling on about? Just restating my oft-stated belief that the law of diminishing returns becomes cruel above a few hundred dollars, as well as that I don't believe dedicated HP amps generally give good value for money over well-chosen speaker amps and receivers. Why am I stating this now? Dunno. I don't drink so I can't be drunk. Must be just envy of those who can afford the Woo WA7. 

 

[listen2themusic]

The DT 880 is for sale if any one would like to bite. My HE 4 will b here Monday or Tuesday so I'll compare the two then. 

 
Did you list them here? If not, how much?

 

[i luvmusic 2]

  I currently own AKG K702 headphones (which I do enjoy), but I'm thinking about adding the 880/600 to my collection - just for a little variety. I've not heard these particular headphones, but from what I've read, it sounds like they share many of the same qualities with my AKG's. I only wish they had a removable cable as I will need about 12-15 total feet of cord. Guess I will need to invest in a headphone extension cable.
 
I plan to power these with a recently updated vintage H.H. Scott LK-48-B Integrated tube amp (that's the kit version of the 222D)...should be a nice match. I primarily listen to 16/44 FLAC files ripped from LPs, the set-up chain looks like this:
 
Toshiba Laptop + External Drive + JRiver MC -> Musical Fidelity V-Link II -> Cary Xciter DAC -> Scott LK-48-B Integrated Amp -> Headphones
 
The only reason MF V-Link is in the chain is I have two systems - one for normal speaker listening and one for headphone listening. The V-Link coax output runs to a Cal Audio tube DAC (for the main rig) while the toslink sends signals to the Cary Xciter (for headphone listening). This way, I can marry two systems without having to swap cables/equipment around.
 
I think with both the 702 and 880, I'll have two of the best bang-for-the-buck headphones in existence.

I don't have K702 but i have Q701 with bass port mod and DT880 600 ohms they compliment each other.Some songs it sound better with Dt880 example Loving Arms by Dobie Gray.

 

[sarthakmsinghal]

Soon getting my first good headphones. I am receiving an amp but still unsure if the DAC will improve audible differences, otherwise going to power them using my laptop. What do you guys think?

 

[sarthakmsinghal]

Soon getting my first good headphones. I am receiving an amp but still unsure if the DAC will improve audible differences, otherwise going to power them using my laptop. What do you guys think?

 

[Makiah S]

  Soon getting my first good headphones. I am receiving an amp but still unsure if the DAC will improve audible differences, otherwise going to power them using my laptop. What do you guys think?

http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UCA202-Audio-Interface/dp/B000KW2YEI
 
$30 Dac, should make a nice upgrade to your laptops onboard dac. In it's simplest form, a dac should provide a clean signal to an amp. Your onBoard laptop's Headphone out is already amped, and is most likyle noisy as all tar.
 
I know my Laptop a fairly nice, 2013 Acer [i3 processor]  sounded better with the UAC acting as a USB sound card. Most obviously was noise, a lot less hissing. That Dac has a RCA out, You can use it, additionally you can use the sPdif Out to pass through to nicer dacs, I tested my Audio GD Through my the USB on my PC and out of the UAC 202 sPdif out, there wasn't a big differance if any at all, and with FooBar I could use WASAPAI out with both USB directly to my Audio GD and with the UAC ACting as a usb to sPdif feed 
 
So the Beringher UAC 202 is my favorite budget dac, the chip inside is fairly nice, but it can pass digitial audio through it self to a nicer dac if you ever upgrade an do not want to hassle with drivers