[Tequilasunriser]

Thank you! Makes me feel a bit Google inept.

 

[devhen]

No problem. I do enough Googlin' for the both of us.

 

[Argyris]

They're a bit expensive, but on the other hand, they do last a long time. Mine are well into their fourth year, and while they're a bit squished and slightly discolored, they're nevertheless fully functional. Try that with your typical pleather-wrapped foam ring pads on many other headphones, which often crack and peel away after a year or so.
 
I figure I've got at least another year on my set, though it's difficult to tell since I've never actually completely worn a set of pads out.

 

[Tequilasunriser]

Mine are damn near flat. Pads are about 5 or 6 years old. They still function but I know they need to be put to pasture.

 

[Argyris]

I guess that's a handy upper limit to consider, then. I don't relish the thought of having to replace any consumable item, but at least it's not something I have to face every year.

 

[stevej12]

My DT 800's are barely a week old, and one of my velour pads is already showing signs of wear - in fact, at one place, if I look carefully, I can even see the cloth underneath, at the point where a section of the velour is going in the opposite direction to the fall of the cloth. Also, the foam on the pads seems a little uneven. Are both of these things normal? (btw, wanted to post a picture but seems I don't have permission - a newbie, you see )
 
For the record, I handle these with kids gloves, so it's most certainly not because of harsh handling. 
 
Apart from this, the headphones sound magnificent. I listen mostly to classical, and these headphone sound divine - I've started appreciating pieces of music that I'd overlooked earlier. And I don't hear any of the fabled sharp highs that reviewers go on & on about - or maybe I'm just lucky to be listening to the correct genre of music 

 

 

[Chris J]

  My DT 800's are barely a week old, and one of my velour pads is already showing signs of wear - in fact, at one place, if I look carefully, I can even see the cloth underneath, at the point where a section of the velour is going in the opposite direction to the fall of the cloth. Also, the foam on the pads seems a little uneven. Are both of these things normal? (btw, wanted to post a picture but seems I don't have permission - a newbie, you see )
 
For the record, I handle these with kids gloves, so it's most certainly not because of harsh handling. 
 
Apart from this, the headphones sound magnificent. I listen mostly to classical, and these headphone sound divine - I've started appreciating pieces of music that I'd overlooked earlier. And I don't hear any of the fabled sharp highs that reviewers go on & on about - or maybe I'm just lucky to be listening to the correct genre of music 

 

 
Hmmmm, my DT880s still look great after over 2 years!
 
BTW, I don't hear these terrible sharp highs either!
Maybe we're both treble heads?

 

[knightboy140]

  My DT 800's are barely a week old, and one of my velour pads is already showing signs of wear - in fact, at one place, if I look carefully, I can even see the cloth underneath, at the point where a section of the velour is going in the opposite direction to the fall of the cloth. Also, the foam on the pads seems a little uneven. Are both of these things normal? (btw, wanted to post a picture but seems I don't have permission - a newbie, you see )
 
For the record, I handle these with kids gloves, so it's most certainly not because of harsh handling. 
 
Apart from this, the headphones sound magnificent. I listen mostly to classical, and these headphone sound divine - I've started appreciating pieces of music that I'd overlooked earlier. And I don't hear any of the fabled sharp highs that reviewers go on & on about - or maybe I'm just lucky to be listening to the correct genre of music 

 

what sharp highs? I don't know them...do you?
Actually I've had really bad sharp high problems with my hd800 previously, and dt880 somewhat i guess?. I just changed the dac/amp and it became MUSICAL BLISS

 

[shane55]

It's the peak, man. The spike at 8k...!!! Notorious! 

 
Yeah, I hear it, I don't like it, and I EQ it out (minimally). With some recordings, it's downright painful for me.

 

[pp312]

The thing with the 880s is, yes, there's a spike at around 6.5khz, but it's not only benign on most material, especially classical, but extremely easy to deal with if it bothers you. I use a Marantz stereo amp and I just back off the treble 2db--simple as that. You won't ever get a completely flat FR above 2khz with less than flagship phones (and not with many flagships either), but if you must have a HF problem let it be something like the 880s, with a clean, smooth response up to the peak. 
 
Incidentally I find these phones astonishingly true-to-life on classical, and I've owned LCD-2 and HE-500.

 

[Spiral Out]

The spike in the treble does not bother me at all. I have an EQ preset that I found earlier on this tread that knocks the peak out, but I actually prefer the stock signature of the headphones. The amp I'm using is a tube hybrid, but its definitely not a super warm amp. I guess it all comes down to taste. To me something like the HD600 is too tame in the treble. But that's the great thing about the wide selection of headphones available, a different flavor to suit everyone's taste.

 

[illyria]

A little over three months have passed since I got my pair of  DT-880 Pros.  Besides them clamping a little too hard, I have absolutely loved every minute with them.  
 
Excluding the gnawing sensation that I feel when looking at Audeze LCD-2 headphones, I haven't really had any desires to buy anything else.  

 

[wahsmoh]

  The thing with the 880s is, yes, there's a spike at around 6.5khz, but it's not only benign on most material, especially classical, but extremely easy to deal with if it bothers you. I use a Marantz stereo amp and I just back off the treble 2db--simple as that. You won't ever get a completely flat FR above 2khz with less than flagship phones (and not with many flagships either), but if you must have a HF problem let it be something like the 880s, with a clean, smooth response up to the peak. 
 
Incidentally I find these phones astonishingly true-to-life on classical, and I've owned LCD-2 and HE-500.

 
 

  The spike in the treble does not bother me at all. I have an EQ preset that I found earlier on this tread that knocks the peak out, but I actually prefer the stock signature of the headphones. The amp I'm using is a tube hybrid, but its definitely not a super warm amp. I guess it all comes down to taste. To me something like the HD600 is too tame in the treble. But that's the great thing about the wide selection of headphones available, a different flavor to suit everyone's taste.

The spike in the treble is only noticeable to me on poorly mastered recordings. I honestly think it is more an issue of volume matching and "loudness" wars. The DT880 is so revealing I can show my "non audiophile" friends the difference between a crappy mastering and a very good one and they can tell the difference

 

[stevej12]

  A little over three months have passed since I got my pair of  DT-880 Pros.  Besides them clamping a little too hard, I have absolutely loved every minute with them.  
 
Excluding the gnawing sensation that I feel when looking at Audeze LCD-2 headphones, I haven't really had any desires to buy anything else.  

 
I completely agree. You know the moment when everything sounds perfect, and because you're not missing anything musically, there's nothing that prompts you to go in for that next upgrade. I'm in that stage of bliss with the DT880. Sure, you can always find the shiny new thing to lust over, but that's a completely different ballgame. Otherwise, I think this is the first audio equipment I have that I can say I can spend my life with - rhetorically of course, but they're genuinely that good. 
 
Incidentally, I need a portable amp for these. Any suggestion? What about the ALO Island? I listen mostly to classical. 

 

[stevej12]

  A little over three months have passed since I got my pair of  DT-880 Pros.  Besides them clamping a little too hard, I have absolutely loved every minute with them.  
 

 
About the clamping, just manually stretch out the headband slightly, a few times, on a few occasions - that did the trick for me. Plus, I just put a small diary where the headband meets the clamps: this also stretches them out and I think 2-3 days of doing it fixed things for me. Please note that while doing this, they're stretched out about the same as they woudl be on my head, so not sure why using them for 3 months hasn't fixed this for you. But do try the headband stretch: it's metal so you can't really harm it.