The Beyerdynamic DT880 Discussion thread

[Shane D]

Buy from Beyerdynamic directly next time?

I never see them having a sale. I bought and sold the T5p.2's a while ago. If I end up selling these, I will likely be done with Beyer. Of course you never know for sure.

 

[TrollDragon]

Are Robinette Boxes sold already assembled? If so, where?

I don't really know if they are or not? It's a rather simple DIY project if you solder.

 

[gooeyrich]

 

[nOoneNL]

I've had the DT880 600ohm twice, but was never quite satisfied with it. It just seemed to lack a certain "fun factor" if you will.

I've since tried several other headphones...
Such as the DT1990, which I found to be too heavy on the head...and a tiring listening experience overall, due to the almost unnatural amount of details it kept shouting at me at all times. I can certainly imagine it shines with a tube amp however, but seeing as my one and only amp is a solid state (Meier Audio Prehead mkII SE), my search continued.

So I tried the HD650, which I really loved for its sound signature, but I was utterly dissapointed by the build quality. The cheap feeling plastic made me genuinely worry about snapping it two someday... admittedly, it was an amazing combination with the Meier amp. I probably would've kept it, if it wasn't so expensive.

So back to Beyer I came running... and was happy to read that the DT880 Black Edition was suppose to have a different sound signature. Bought it straight from Beyerdynamics in a sale for about €125 and couldn't be happier.

It's the exact combination of preferences I was looking for. Build quality is top notch (seems to be better than the 600ohms I've had). It has the same pleasant amount of detail and soundstage as the "regular" dt880, but adds a nice beefed up bottom end that really makes for a more pleasant listening experience. Just a tad less analytical and a bit more warmth.

She's a keeper

 

[Skylah]

Are the DT880 600 ohm premiums worth upgrading to from the 250ohms?

 

[gefski]

Are the DT880 600 ohm premiums worth upgrading to from the 250ohms?

At the price they go for these days, it’s worth having both; I do. But their sonic personality is very similar. I actually slightly prefer my 6 years older 250. Woo tubes or Schiit SS work fine with both. For proper performance, new earpads are necessary after 2-3 years.

 

[jonathan c]

Are the DT880 600 ohm premiums worth upgrading to from the 250ohms?

My opinion would be that they are if you have a h/p amplifier that can drive those DT880s. [They have a sensitivity of 97.6 dB/volt. In comparison, the Sennheiser HD-600 sensitivity is 109.6 dB/volt. The different impedance (600 ohm vs 300 ohm) is taken into account.] That being met, the DT880s, to my ears, offer linear & wide response, airy & detailed soundstage, satisfying dynamics and ambience retrieval.

 

[lugnut]

I've had the DT880 600ohm twice, but was never quite satisfied with it. It just seemed to lack a certain "fun factor" if you will

So back to Beyer I came running... and was happy to read that the DT880 Black Edition was suppose to have a different sound signature. Bought it straight from Beyerdynamics in a sale for about €125 and couldn't be happier.

Maybe I am missing something, what do you think is the difference between the DT880 600OHM and DT880 Black Edition 250 OHM ?

 

[nOoneNL]

Maybe I am missing something, what do you think is the difference between the DT880 600OHM and DT880 Black Edition 250 OHM ?

Short answer: Low end.


Long winded answer:
It it said that only cosmetics, the headband and earpads are different. The latter adding to a difference in sonic signature. Not complete-day-and-night kind of different, but a difference non the less.

The treble seems about the same, and so do the upper mids. However, to me there seems to be a bump in low-mids and overall bass, creating the illusion of a "warmer" headphone. In my rig it just sounds... well... less boring. But I could see others might criticize it on behalf of losing it's neutrality.

So, take it with a grain of salt and YMMV etc.

Also, I again want to emphasise that I'm not powering them with tubes, but a Meier SS Amp. So there's that to take in to account.

 

[kman1211]

Short answer: Low end.


Long winded answer:
It it said that only cosmetics, the headband and earpads are different. The latter adding to a difference in sonic signature. Not complete-day-and-night kind of different, but a difference non the less.

The treble seems about the same, and so do the upper mids. However, to me there seems to be a bump in low-mids and overall bass, creating the illusion of a "warmer" headphone. In my rig it just sounds... well... less boring. But I could see others might criticize it on behalf of losing it's neutrality.

So, take it with a grain of salt and YMMV etc.

Also, I again want to emphasise that I'm not powering them with tubes, but a Meier SS Amp. So there's that to take in to account.

The black edition also comes in 600 Ohms, but it's not as common. The premium DT 880 and the black edition do in fact measure different. It's like the black edition basically uses the T1.2 and Amiron Home tuning with a little more upper mids, doesn't sound quite the same due to different driver characteristics and subtle tuning differences. I've owned the DT 880 Black, Amiron Home, and T1.2 and I would say they all have a similar overall sound balance. The DT 990 Black also sounds different than the DT 990 Edition or Pro variants but I haven't seen measurements of it yet, but I have heard it.

(source: https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/brands-a-i/dt880-black-se/)

DT 880 Black (red) and Amiron Home

DT 880 Black (red) vs DT 880 Premium (green)

 

[SHAMuuu]

I really hate my DT880s, because I use them 99% of the time. w/ a shytey bravo audio amp. I sleep with them on.

I think what bothers me most is single entry cable. One day I will do a dual cable.

*edit: actually i'll pray that Father Christmas brings me a tea 1

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

I really hate my DT880s, because I use them 99% of the time. w/ a shytey bravo audio amp. I sleep with them on.

I think what bothers me most is single entry cable. One day I will do a dual cable.

*edit: actually i'll pray that Father Christmas brings me a tea 1

What bothers you that much about a single entry cable? The tiny wire that goes up round in the headband? I guess that is a bit annoying. But I find headphones with cables wither side end up rubbing th botton of your face on one side depending what way you have the cable going. One reason I always will prefer just one cable.

 

[Skylah]

My opinion would be that they are if you have a h/p amplifier that can drive those DT880s. [They have a sensitivity of 97.6 dB/volt. In comparison, the Sennheiser HD-600 sensitivity is 109.6 dB/volt. The different impedance (600 ohm vs 300 ohm) is taken into account.] That being met, the DT880s, to my ears, offer linear & wide response, airy & detailed soundstage, satisfying dynamics and ambience retrieval.

Would my Objective2s power these properly?

 

[Sefelt103]

Would my Objective2s power these properly?

Yes.

*edit: actually i'll pray that Father Christmas brings me a tea 1

Which one: t1,t1.2 or t1.3 ? (large differences)

 

[ChillToMusic]

I recently bought a pair of DT 880 250ohm from Amazon. To me they sound thin with not much body to the sound but I have to say that the treble regions are extended nicely but through my Onkyo intergrated amplifier they cannot handle high volumes as they start to break up sonicaly where as my HD 540 at 300ohms handle higher volumes much better without distortion. I sent the DT 880 back to Amazon.