[sK0pe]

What's the difference between the dearer pro version and the regular 600ohm version?

No sound difference that I can tell.
 
Pro:
Black yolk
headband padding is push button, easier to replace
Slightly more clamping force, you would only ever notice if you owned and used one and then out of the blue tried the other
Coiled cable stock
DT 880 printed on the metal mesh, may rub off with time
 
Premium:
Silver yolk
No button headband, built in padding 
Straight cable stock (but can be ordered coiled when ordered from Beyerdynamic)
flat metal fins or don't know what to call them, where the yolk attaches
DT 880 label attached separate to the grill
Carrying case - pleather and foam

 

[Hifihedgehog]

  No sound difference that I can tell.
 
Pro:
Black yolk
headband padding is push button, easier to replace
Slightly more clamping force, you would only ever notice if you owned and used one and then out of the blue tried the other
Coiled cable stock
DT 880 printed on the metal mesh, may rub off with time
 
Premium:
Silver yolk
No button headband, built in padding 
Straight cable stock (but can be ordered coiled when ordered from Beyerdynamic)
flat metal fins or don't know what to call them, where the yolk attaches
DT 880 label attached separate to the grill
Carrying case - pleather and foam

I do not have my DT 880 Premium 600 ohm yet so I cannot make any claims one way or the other. However, if the DT 880 Pro and Premium product lines are anything like the DT 990 lines, there is a noticeable vast audible improvement stepping up from the Pro to the Premium 600. I owned both the DT 990 Pro and the DT 990 Premium 600 for an extensive duration and the Premium model had much clearer mids, better low level detail, and a more transparent and open soundstage. On the other hand, every DT 990 Pro I have demoed or owned has been muffled, bass heavy and claustrophobic. It is quite a stark difference so much that I highly prefer the Premium 600's unamped--yes, unamped--over a Pro amped. Now, in about a week, I will know soon enough if the same pattern holds for the DT 880 line and its Premium 600's. But judging from the lower distortion in the InnerFidelity graphs, my gut reaction tells me my Premium 600's will outshine the 250 Pro's.

 

[xinghui0711]

I own two pairs of DT880 250ohm, one Pro and one Premium. As far as the sound goes, they sounded very similar if not identical. YMMV.

 

[Hifihedgehog]

I own two pairs of DT880 250ohm, one Pro and one Premium. As far as the sound goes, they sounded very similar if not identical. YMMV.

That actually makes sense, come to think of it. The DT 990 Pro skimps on design and sound compared to its Premium brethren, where the parts (e.g. back plates and driver covers) nearest to the driver seem to be of far cheaper construction and could potentially have a direct impact on the sound. As for the DT 880 line, the Pro model I owned was built more solidly and it visually did not appear to use construction around the immediate area surrounding the driver that was at all different from the Premiums. At least, that might explain the lack of a difference in sound between your Pro 250 and Premium 250. However, there is a definite electromechanical difference between the 250 ohm versions and the 600 ohm version in the driver itself. How much improvement in the sound quality that buys me I will see soon enough.
 
 @SP Wild : It might earn you a nice jump in sound quality if you wait and see what my findings are in the DT 880 Premium 600 that I am receiving in the next week or so. I owned the DT 880 Pro for several months and I am very familiar with its sound. I can let you know if it is worth the extra money or not to get a Premium 600 once I get my pair in the mail and kick the tires a bit. That way, you don't have to feel bummed if you purchase now and I later find out and post here that there is a discernible improvement that is worth the extra money.

 

[SHAMuuu]

  That actually makes sense, come to think of it. The DT 990 Pro skimps on design and sound compared to its Premium brethren, where the parts (e.g. back plates and driver covers) nearest to the driver seem to be of far cheaper construction and could potentially have a direct impact on the sound. As for the DT 880 line, the Pro model I owned was built more solidly and it visually did not appear to use construction around the immediate area surrounding the driver that was at all different from the Premiums. At least, that might explain the lack of a difference in sound between your Pro 250 and Premium 250. However, there is a definite electromechanical difference between the 250 ohm versions and the 600 ohm version in the driver itself. How much improvement in the sound quality that buys me I will see soon enough.
 
 @SP Wild : It might earn you a nice jump in sound quality if you wait and see what my findings are in the DT 880 Premium 600 that I am receiving in the next week or so. I owned the DT 880 Pro for several months and I am very familiar with its sound. I can let you know if it is worth the extra money or not to get a Premium 600 once I get my pair in the mail and kick the tires a bit. That way, you don't have to feel bummed if you purchase now and I later find out and post here that there is a discernible improvement that is worth the extra money.

Are you saying the backplate reflecting some of the sound is of poorer quality on the pro version vs the premium for 990. How did you come to this conclusion? Forgive me if i misunderstood! the pro 990 looks pure 80s German Engineering to me (like their cars), though i think they came later

 

[Hifihedgehog]

Are you saying the backplate reflecting some of the sound is of poorer quality on the pro version vs the premium for 990. How did you come to this conclusion? Forgive me if i misunderstood! the pro 990 looks pure 80s German Engineering to me (like their cars), though i think they came later

I myself am unsure which specific parts are to blame since I am student of computer engineering and not skilled in mechanical engineering. But my best guess would be the parts directly affecting the drivers' resonance, pressure level, and overall wave propagation would be the ones closest to it. That would mean lead me to believe that the material in front and in back of the driver would be among the first candidates as culprits. The pads are identical which would automatically rule them out.

The back plates are not, however, leading me to believe the venting geometry and material is having some form of detrimental effect. As a result of whatever it may be, the DT 990 Pro's have a distinctly muffled, overly bassy quality to them, a constrained, dark sounding midrange, and a very unrefined, narrow trebly sizzle that adds a hiss and sizzle without much accompanying air (upper treble) or presence (lower treble) to make it sound natural.

Later on, the DT 990 Premium 600's I owned were a complete upgrade on the Objective2/ODAC combo system I had at the time. The bass was more distinct and was shed of its upper and mid-bass fat by at least a 3 dB. The bass blend much less into the midrange and now the midrange was neutral and clear and maybe even slightly cool. The treble was far more cohesive with less peaks and all in line with itself, with now presence and air. They would have been my perfect headphone if the treble were just a couple notches less strong, though every part of the frequency band was nevertheless smoother and more precisely aligned.

Now, on a slightly related topic, as to the DT 880 Pro/Premium 250 and DT 880 Premium's differences in sound quality, I wonder if this member's post is all true. This member owns an Orpheus (!) so he must be not too far off in his conclusions. By the way, at the time, he said he enjoyed his DT 880 Premium 600's as much as his Orpheuses (!!). This alone gets me uber excited for my incoming Premium's.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/506963/dt880-600ohm-bs/60#post_6868111

 

[bhavanidte]

I just bought a DT 880 Premium 600 OHM. I generally use my Macbook (2012) with my ATH-50 for listening to Music and Youtube. I now realize that i need a good AMP and DAC for using the 600 Ohm with DT 800. Amazon has the 600 ohm version for $183 which looks like  a great deal
 
i am looking for preferably for DAC/AMP in the 100 to 150 Dollars range. Any body has any suggestions.

 

[xinghui0711]

I just bought a DT 880 Premium 600 OHM. I generally use my Macbook (2012) with my ATH-50 for listening to Music and Youtube. I now realize that i need a good AMP and DAC for using the 600 Ohm with DT 800. Amazon has the 600 ohm version for $183 which looks like  a great deal

i am looking for preferably for DAC/AMP in the 100 to 150 Dollars range. Any body has any suggestions.

Schiit Fulla is pretty decent in this range.

 

[bhavanidte]

Any other one than Schiit Fulla which can support the 600 ohm version? 

 

[xinghui0711]

Any other one than Schiit Fulla which can support the 600 ohm version? 

Micca origen? I have not tried any budget DAC/AMP recently but DT880 isn't source picky.

 

[DangerClose]

  Any other one than Schiit Fulla which can support the 600 ohm version? 

 
I don't think the Schiit Magni 1 (don't know about 2) can even fully drive a 600 DT880.  The Fulla 2 is almost 1/3rd the power, and the Fulla 1 even less.  
 
That doesn't mean it will sound bad, though.

 

[i luvmusic 2]

A used TEAC UD-H01 i like mine the DAC is very nice if you decide to get a dedicated Headphone amp in the future you already have a nice DAC to go with it the head-amp of this DAC is not the greatest to drive the DT880-600R but it does the job.

 

[Hifihedgehog]

 
Any other one than Schiit Fulla which can support the 600 ohm version? 

It has more than enough voltage and power output. According to InnerFidelity, the 600-ohm model requires .43 mV to reach 90 dB SPL. Performing the necessary calculations based on a 96 dB/mV sensitivity, you would need the following voltage and wattage drive capability to achieve these listed loudness levels:

Listening Loudness ​	Voltage Needed ​	Current Needed ​	Power Needed ​
Safe	85 dB SPL​	0.22 Vrms​	0.37 mA​	0.08 mW​
Moderate	100 dB SPL​	1.23 Vrms​	2.05 mA​	2.52 mW​
Fairly Loud (	110 dB SPL​	3.88 Vrms​	6.47 mA​	25.09 mW​
Very Loud (Leaf blower or jackhammer)	115 dB SPL​	6.9 Vrms​	11.5 mA​	79.35 mW​

[tr] [/tr] [tr] [/tr]

Source: http://www.digizoid.com/headphones-power.html

Keep in mind that 85 dB is actually fairly loud to most people. I try to keep my listening between 75 and 85 dB to protect my hearing. Contrary to what you might think, though USB power has a low 5 V supply voltage, voltage is not the primary inhibitor here. Per the specifications, where the Fulla 1 and 2 would likely be limited first is wattage, not voltage. The Fulla 1 and 2 can handle 40 mW at 300 ohm and following their power curve, likely 20 mW at 600 ohm. For most people and their listening preferences, the Fulla line can reach 4 to 4.5 V of voltage swing easily which is more than enough when taking dynamic peaks into account. There is more than enough power here for 99% of users at the most common listening levels (65 dB to 85 dB). Otherwise, you would be putting your hearing at serious risk. See the pertinent charts below. Permanent hearing damage has been documented as occurring after these prescribed time limits:
 

 

Noise Source	DecibelLevel	comment
Jet take-off (at 25 meters)	150	Eardrum rupture
Aircraft carrier deck	140
Military jet aircraft take-off from aircraft carrier with afterburner at 50 ft (130 dB).	130
Thunderclap, chain saw.  Oxygen torch (121 dB).	120	Painful.  32 times as loud as 70 dB.
Steel mill, auto horn at 1 meter.   Turbo-fan aircraft at takeoff power at 200 ft (118 dB).  Riveting machine (110 dB); live rock music (108 - 114 dB).	110	Average human pain threshold.  16 times as loud as 70 dB.
Jet take-off (at 305 meters), use of outboard motor, power lawn mower, motorcycle, farm tractor, jackhammer, garbage truck.   Boeing 707 or DC-8 aircraft at one nautical mile (6080 ft) before landing (106 dB); jet flyover at 1000 feet (103 dB); Bell J-2A helicopter at 100 ft (100 dB).	100	8 times as loud as 70 dB.  Serious damage possible in 8 hr exposure
Boeing 737 or DC-9 aircraft at one nautical mile (6080 ft) before landing (97 dB); power mower (96 dB); motorcycle at 25 ft (90 dB).  Newspaper press (97 dB).	90	4 times as loud as 70 dB.  Likely damage 8 hr exp
Garbage disposal, dishwasher, average factory, freight train (at 15 meters).  Car wash at 20 ft (89 dB); propeller plane flyover at 1000 ft (88 dB); diesel truck 40 mph at 50 ft (84 dB); diesel train at 45 mph at 100 ft (83 dB).  Food blender (88 dB); milling machine (85 dB); garbage disposal (80 dB).	80	2 times as loud as 70 dB.  Possible damage in 8 h exposure.
Passenger car at 65 mph at 25 ft (77 dB); freeway at 50 ft from pavement edge 10 a.m. (76 dB).  Living room music (76 dB); radio or TV-audio, vacuum cleaner (70 dB).	70	Arbitrary base of comparison.  Upper 70s are annoyingly loud to some people.
Conversation in restaurant, office, background music, Air conditioning unit at 100 ft	60	Half as loud as 70 dB.  Fairly quiet
Quiet suburb, conversation at home.   Large electrical transformers at 100 ft	50	One-fourth as loud as 70 dB.
Library, bird calls (44 dB); lowest limit of urban ambient sound	40	One-eighth as loud as 70 dB.
Quiet rural area	30	One-sixteenth as loud as 70 dB.  Very Quiet
Whisper, rustling leaves	20
Breathing	10	Barely audible

 

[sK0pe]

  I just bought a DT 880 Premium 600 OHM. I generally use my Macbook (2012) with my ATH-50 for listening to Music and Youtube. I now realize that i need a good AMP and DAC for using the 600 Ohm with DT 800. Amazon has the 600 ohm version for $183 which looks like  a great deal
 
i am looking for preferably for DAC/AMP in the 100 to 150 Dollars range. Any body has any suggestions.

I'm assuming you do want the DAC and headphone amplifier for travel or fixed / desktop?
The Macbook 2012 I believe has USB 3 out as well as a headphone out (or 3 pole to RCA) to feed the DAC.
 
Micca Origen+ - has the USB and many options which far more expensive DAC / Amp combos do not have.
SMSL M3 - USB, has a good 1/4" out (these always last longer than the 3.5mm)
FiiO E10k - USB, has a silly bass boost that doesn't do well which you can ignore, sound is not as great for music as others in the same price range e.g. SMSL M3
 
 
At the 170 USD (slightly higher than your range)
SMSL M6 - USB, very close to expensive DAC/AMP combos almost 2 to 3 times the price, has a joystick controller with a screen, pretty small but not as small a form factor as the above 3, can lineout RCA speakers.
Kind of weird that it is close enough to the price of the SMSL M3 but you're paying for a better DAC and having an external power supply.

 

[SHAMuuu]

@Hifihedgehog
 
where are the weight differences that could be told by holding it in hand? I think i also came across that statement sometimes on one of the threads. As I understand the 600ohm has a thinner wire used for the voice coil and more windings, but no indication of thinner diaphragm material. Is a smaller magnet used? Perhaps slightly stronger b/c of the voice coil differences.
 
I've seen posts (most) saying 600ohm sounds the smoothest, but most have the 600 ohm premium with lighter clamp, which i assume would be less bassy than the rare 600ohm pro with its clamp force being greater. Some have said the 32 ohm sounds more like 600ohm than 250ohm. And some even preferring sound of 250 ohm saying its got more of a rawness quality to it.
 
I would think if the 250 comes close enough to the 600ohm, which i am thinking b/c people keep saying "better by a touch" for treble and bass quality, then the 250 ohm crowd can sleep better.