[Oneiric Moor]

I love that Nad and his signature and I'll never sell mine I just suggest you to try the headphone in a different amp if you can, I really would know your opinion.. send me a pm.
 
o/

 

[ccash]

I'm switching back and forth between DT880 600 ohms and 880 Pros 250 Ohm. There's a substantial difference. Two friends of mine (audio professionals) are also confirming the same thing I'm hearing.
 
The Pros are very well balanced, albeit with that 880 signature treble which can get harsh at times, especially at higher volumes. The trade-off for this balance seems to be the soundstage (less depth, less "3D") and the air up top. I wish the 600 Ohm had the bass impact that the Pro's have, and I wish the Pros had the airy sweet treble of the 600s; the 600's top end is what makes me feel like I'm listening to something with an audiophile quality.
 
The Pros are great and if I'd never heard the 600s, I'd probably be happy. I have a lot of equipment that sounds great and balanced, but the 600s are the only thing I have going right now that have a bit of "magic". A shame about the bass though -- it's just too light for me, which just exacerbates the issue of the high end sounding ... what's that word you guys keep using, "strident"? Piercing... makes me wince. 
 
Still hoping the new tubes on the way will make enough of a difference. Otherwise I may be looking for something else. But, when the 600's top end is nice, it's soooo nice!

 

[r010159]

I'm switching back and forth between DT880 600 ohms and 880 Pros 250 Ohm. There's a substantial difference. Two friends of mine (audio professionals) are also confirming the same thing I'm hearing.

[deleted]

Are you switching between the 600 Premium and the 250 Pros, or are both Pros!?

 

[Chris J]

I'm switching back and forth between DT880 600 ohms and 880 Pros 250 Ohm. There's a substantial difference. Two friends of mine (audio professionals) are also confirming the same thing I'm hearing.

The Pros are very well balanced, albeit with that 880 signature treble which can get harsh at times, especially at higher volumes. The trade-off for this balance seems to be the soundstage (less depth, less "3D") and the air up top. I wish the 600 Ohm had the bass impact that the Pro's have, and I wish the Pros had the airy sweet treble of the 600s; the 600's top end is what makes me feel like I'm listening to something with an audiophile quality.

The Pros are great and if I'd never heard the 600s, I'd probably be happy. I have a lot of equipment that sounds great and balanced, but the 600s are the only thing I have going right now that have a bit of "magic". A shame about the bass though -- it's just too light for me, which just exacerbates the issue of the high end sounding ... what's that word you guys keep using, "strident"? Piercing... makes me wince. 

Still hoping the new tubes on the way will make enough of a difference. Otherwise I may be looking for something else. But, when the 600's top end is nice, it's soooo nice!

Tubes seem to "fix" the 600 Ohm DTs treble troubles.
I think you'll be well pleased with what a good tube amp does for them.

 

[HeretixAevum]

  So do you really need more bass? I chosen my DT880/600 after a test with a nice pair of HD600, thanks to my my local dealer. To my ears how Beyerdynamic control low freq is a great add. Listening a song with few instruments (piano, bass and chello) I definitely said: "Ohh Jesus.. this one! I can feel the wood of that chello". If changing the pads improve the bass quality.. just tell me where I can order a pair, if you mean that I'll get more bass or deeper bass but less control or quality isn't for me, thanks.

I'm happy with the amount of upper and mid bass with the DT880, but down lower it just doesn't cut it. More punch would be nice, too.

 

[ccash]

The 600s are Premiums. As far as I know the Pros in any model only come in 250 Ohm.

Are you switching between the 600 Premium and the 250 Pros, or are both Pros!?

 

[r010159]

The 600s are Premiums. As far as I know the Pros in any model only come in 250 Ohm.

So I did not pay up for the Premiums for nothing? This is good news!

 

[Brooko]

  I'm switching back and forth between DT880 600 ohms and 880 Pros 250 Ohm. There's a substantial difference. Two friends of mine (audio professionals) are also confirming the same thing I'm hearing.
 
The Pros are very well balanced, albeit with that 880 signature treble which can get harsh at times, especially at higher volumes. The trade-off for this balance seems to be the soundstage (less depth, less "3D") and the air up top. I wish the 600 Ohm had the bass impact that the Pro's have, and I wish the Pros had the airy sweet treble of the 600s; the 600's top end is what makes me feel like I'm listening to something with an audiophile quality.
 
The Pros are great and if I'd never heard the 600s, I'd probably be happy. I have a lot of equipment that sounds great and balanced, but the 600s are the only thing I have going right now that have a bit of "magic". A shame about the bass though -- it's just too light for me, which just exacerbates the issue of the high end sounding ... what's that word you guys keep using, "strident"? Piercing... makes me wince. 
 
Still hoping the new tubes on the way will make enough of a difference. Otherwise I may be looking for something else. But, when the 600's top end is nice, it's soooo nice!

 
Between the Pros and Premiums - there will be a difference ..... clamping force - compresses the pads for a tighter fit, and effectively brings the drivers closer to your ears.  This will give the effect of slightly more bass, and slightly less air/space/stage (the the pros).  BTW - I've owned both.
 
Curious about comparison though -

• Were you comparing on exactly same equipment / chain?
• How did you go about volume matching?

 
Once the clamp of the Pros relaxes (through use/stretching), if you have both with similar pad wear, and you volume match properly (eg use of an SPL meter) - you'll likely find many of the differences are radically reduced.  Again - this from personal experience.

 

[ccash]

I believe you, but I find it hard to believe. ... that the clamping force alone is causing these differences. I've heard that the drivers are the same, but again, really hard to believe.

We compared them on the same equipment - my DV 336, a Presonus Central Statiom, a Digidesign (Avid) 003, and finally the headphone out my Denon CD player. No, I didn't bust out the SPL meter, haha... I just wanted to hear the differences. I think with as much switching back and forth and different pieces of equipment we listened to, any volume differences were averaged out. But you're absolutely right, volume differences are a BIG deal in A/B tests and louder always wins.

Nice info though. It will be interesting to hear what happens over time. I bought both of these headphones, picked the 600 Ohm as my keepers, and sold the Pros to my buddy. He likes the sound of both but he isn't liking the clamping force of the Pros. I actually like the firm hold. I brought them home to see if I wanted to trade with him, but again, I gotta go with the 600s.

 

[pp312]

 

The 600s are Premiums. As far as I know the Pros in any model only come in 250 Ohm.

So I did not pay up for the Premiums for nothing? This is good news!

 
Apparently there is a 600 ohm Pro. It's a very rare biped that lives in the upper wilds of Patagonia and hunts audiophiles exclusively. I'd be wary of it if I were you.
 

 

 

[VALIENTE]

Hello DT880 owners. May I ask opinions please. I am a long time user of Grado SR60 paired with Fiio E9 amp and a CD Player, what can I expect from a DT880 250 Ohm? What is the difference between the two headphones? Are there similarities, too? Thanks.

 

[HeretixAevum]

  Hello DT880 owners. May I ask opinions please. I am a long time user of Grado SR60 paired with Fiio E9 amp and a CD Player, what can I expect from a DT880 250 Ohm? What is the difference between the two headphones? Are there similarities, too? Thanks.

I can't comment on the sr60 or dt880 250, but I had the SR225i and I now have a DT880 600 (most of these differences should apply):
 
- Beyerdynamic has far better comfort and build quality
- The soundstage is far more accurate and spacious, compared to the Grado which is far too small
- The Beyer has much more sensible treble, it's still a little on the bright side (not fatiguing or piercing at all to me) but the Grado is just silly in comparison
- The Beyer has a more linear bass response, with better extension, texture and authority. It doesn't roll off down low as much as the Grados, which really fall off down low
- The Grado is a marginally quicker headphone, but the Beyer is still actually quite agile from my experience. Not at all slow or sluggish, and does well with fast, hectic music
- I'd place the Grado to be warmer in tone, with the Beyer being more on the 'cool' side
- The Beyerdynamic is noticeably more detailed and far more natural and realistic sounding as a whole
 
If I had to characterise each headphone with a concise sentence it would be:
 
Grado: "Fun, but it's a novelty headphone"
Beyer: "A sensible, high-fi headphone"
 
Honestly, I think the Beyer ****s all over the Grado 

 and I'd pick the Beyer in almost every circumstance I can think of

. 
 
This will be blasphemy to Grado fanboys, but I think the DT880 does Metal better than the SR225i I had.

 

[wjh7]

The 600s are Premiums. As far as I know the Pros in any model only come in 250 Ohm.

the studio version (called Pro) comes in all 3 flavours; 32, 250 and 600 ohm. I've previously owned a pro 600ohm not long ago. tho they're definitely rarer and harder to find.

 

[UNIFi]

Yeah the DT880 smoked the SR60 when I have heard both. But yeah, the DT880 I heard would even mount a challenge to the Bushmills Grado w/ G-Cush which is well above a SR225 in SQ IMO.

 

[wahsmoh]

  Yeah the DT880 smoked the SR60 when I have heard both. But yeah, the DT880 I heard would even mount a challenge to the Bushmills Grado w/ G-Cush which is well above a SR225 in SQ IMO.

Hey I saw you in the Alpha Dog thread : ] welcome to the thread that got me addicted to audio. I only bought my DT880s back in the day because of the famous "Battle of the Flagships" thread which awarded the DT880 an A+ and Ken Rockwell's review I found on Google haha. I have been incredibly happy with them : ] a much better value than the HD650 IMO for mid-fi

I got my DT880s for $240 new : ]