[DCofficehack]

Guys, I'm getting close to pulling the trigger on a pair of DT 880/250 ohms, and I was wondering about amps. I'm looking at the Schiit Magni 2 uber and the Schiit Vali.  All things being equal, the Magni 2 uber or non-uber strike me as ideal first amps and pretty close to a sure thing.  I'd never need another amp, although odds are, given the amount of time I spend on this website, I'll might want another amp, but that's another story.  The uber business seems to introduce an element of flexibility. Anyway, the most negative comments regarding the DT880 are that it's a touch treble heavy, a touch bright, and thus possibly a little fatiguing. All that's sort of the case with my 770s as well, although I love them and wear them at work for hours and hours.  Comparisons with, say, the HD 650 point to the fact that the warmth and 'veil' talk of how they have a bit less treble and are less bright, but it a good way. Anyway, all that makes me think that perhaps the Vali would make a better complement to the DT 880 by potentially adding a touch of warmth and perhaps making the DT 880s just a smidgeon less bright--in a good way.
 
I can't say positively that the brightness of the DT 770 bothers me; the only headphones I've compared with are Fischer FA-003s, and the DT 770s were significantly more engaging, like night and day. I'd love to be able to borrow a pair of HD 650s.
 
Any thoughts on pairing the DT 880s with the Vali vs. the Magni 2?

 

[Rhamnetin]

  Guys, I'm getting close to pulling the trigger on a pair of DT 880/250 ohms, and I was wondering about amps. I'm looking at the Schiit Magni 2 uber and the Schiit Vali.  All things being equal, the Magni 2 uber or non-uber strike me as ideal first amps and pretty close to a sure thing.  I'd never need another amp, although odds are, given the amount of time I spend on this website, I'll might want another amp, but that's another story.  The uber business seems to introduce an element of flexibility. Anyway, the most negative comments regarding the DT880 are that it's a touch treble heavy, a touch bright, and thus possibly a little fatiguing. All that's sort of the case with my 770s as well, although I love them and wear them at work for hours and hours.  Comparisons with, say, the HD 650 point to the fact that the warmth and 'veil' talk of how they have a bit less treble and are less bright, but it a good way. Anyway, all that makes me think that perhaps the Vali would make a better complement to the DT 880 by potentially adding a touch of warmth and perhaps making the DT 880s just a smidgeon less bright--in a good way.
 
I can't say positively that the brightness of the DT 770 bothers me; the only headphones I've compared with are Fischer FA-003s, and the DT 770s were significantly more engaging, like night and day. I'd love to be able to borrow a pair of HD 650s.
 
Any thoughts on pairing the DT 880s with the Vali vs. the Magni 2?

 
If you worry about treble fatigue then I'd get a tube amp.  The Vali is a tube hybrid, I would blindly choose it over the Magni (I say blindly since I've never heard either).  However I'd blindly choose the Little Dot MKII or a Garage1217 OTL amp over either of them, since these are OTL tube amps and have the potential to inject more warmth and ease the treble.

 

[Arnotts]

For listening pleasure, get the Vali. The only negative is the short ringing when plugging in headphones.
 
Well implemented tubes are just better than solid state. 

 

[DCofficehack]

Ha...not as blind as someone who's never heard an amp of any sort and is basically imagining things based on what he's read on Head-fi!

 

[bwcgrx]

  Guys, I'm getting close to pulling the trigger on a pair of DT 880/250 ohms, and I was wondering about amps. I'm looking at the Schiit Magni 2 uber and the Schiit Vali.  All things being equal, the Magni 2 uber or non-uber strike me as ideal first amps and pretty close to a sure thing.  I'd never need another amp, although odds are, given the amount of time I spend on this website, I'll might want another amp, but that's another story.  The uber business seems to introduce an element of flexibility. Anyway, the most negative comments regarding the DT880 are that it's a touch treble heavy, a touch bright, and thus possibly a little fatiguing. All that's sort of the case with my 770s as well, although I love them and wear them at work for hours and hours.  Comparisons with, say, the HD 650 point to the fact that the warmth and 'veil' talk of how they have a bit less treble and are less bright, but it a good way. Anyway, all that makes me think that perhaps the Vali would make a better complement to the DT 880 by potentially adding a touch of warmth and perhaps making the DT 880s just a smidgeon less bright--in a good way.
 
I can't say positively that the brightness of the DT 770 bothers me; the only headphones I've compared with are Fischer FA-003s, and the DT 770s were significantly more engaging, like night and day. I'd love to be able to borrow a pair of HD 650s.
 
Any thoughts on pairing the DT 880s with the Vali vs. the Magni 2?

 
I currently run a Magni 2 (Non-uber) as my primary amp, which is being fed by an ifi idsd nano from my PC.  I own a pair of Beyer DT 990s and DT 880s, both 250 ohm variants.  I'm very susceptible to treble fatigue especially the type that Beyers are known for.  I will say that in my particular setup and experience that the DT 880s have a very minimal treble emphasis and it is only apparent on certain recordings.  On well recorded and mastered material the DT 880 strikes me as being very neutral and balanced in some ways even rivaling the Senn HD-600 in the feeling of transparency.  In comparison, I've found that I do have to EQ the DT 990s on most pop/rock recordings as that 7k-10k range for me is just too spikey and really tortures my ears, about a 2 to 3db reduction ot that treble range in Foobar EQ fixes the DT 990 though.  Interestingly enough the DT 990 almost never sounds treble harsh with most orchestral and jazz recordings, however they do have that often mentioned V shaped sound.
 
I'v not heard the DT 770s so I can't comment there.  I would be surprised if you had any large issues with the treble on a Magni 2 uber, with the DT 880.  They are a really good set of cans, more transparent and neutral than most headphones and possibly a bit too reserved for some types of music, some would say they are boring cans.  That's probably why I have too many headphones.  A different set for different moods and music.

 

[Rhamnetin]

Yeah I must add that if you're hearing fatiguing treble with the DT 880, it's because:
 
A) You're using a bright amp, which according to everyone does not describe the Magni or Magni 2.
B) You're listening to a low quality recording/music file.  Note that not every lower quality recording will sound harsh, just some and I can't predict which.
C) Both A and B.

 

[notfitforpublic]

  Guys, I'm getting close to pulling the trigger on a pair of DT 880/250 ohms, and I was wondering about amps...

 
If your looking for an amp specifically for the DT880, I would definitely go with the Vali. Vali adds just a touch of warmth and the high impedance Beyers tend to love tubes. I ran the DT880 and Vali combo for some time and loved it. The Vali's disadvantage is its not going to be AS great with every other headphone out there. If your looking for something that will more than likely work well with any other headphone you may buy in the future, get the Magni 2 Uber or not.

 

[Shaffer]

Yeah I must add that if you're hearing fatiguing treble with the DT 880, it's because:

A) You're using a bright amp, which according to everyone does not describe the Magni or Magni 2.

Except for me. I borrowed a Magni and thought it sounded like sheet metal.

The common thought promoted on this forum - headphones first, associated equipment last, and the source martial thought to be as good as anything else - is ultimately a fallacy. Yes, changing the headphones will have a biggest change in sound, but it won't produce the biggest change in the quality of the sound. We have folks driving DT880s with exemplary gear and high-grade source material, and we have the same headphones fed by much less capable electronics and MP3s with an equalizer, of course. Opinions of the sound differ, greatly at times. What a shocker! And it just keeps on going....

 

[DCofficehack]

I should add that to the extent that I experience fatigue with my 770s, it's only after listening for hours and hours. Often at work it's on my head all day. They really are very comfortable, and sound terrific. I am only looking to get another pair of cans for a different location, where open phones are suitable.  Since I'm going ahead and buying new phones--open phones, I want to take the opportunity to move up from the 700s, at least as far as my limited budget will allow.
 
What I get from everything I've read here is that both amps--any amps--really, will do the job, and that most people seem to think that the 'brightness' and treble-focus of the 880s is seldom really an issue.  Most who are in that camp also seem to dismiss the idea that the Magni might exacerbate the problem.  The Vali could, all agree, if I wanted, add a touch of warmth. It would do that, but it's not necessary. Like adding a pinch more sugar to one's coffee.  Is that about right?
 
I can see why this is a slippery slope...I'll buy one and then six months from now start thinking about wanting a new experience...or I'll see a pair of HD600s for sale at a great price...
 
ps. I will run these straight off my MacBook Pro, using ALAC files. Word is that the MacBook's DAC is quite good, and for now I'm better off spending my money on the cans and an amp.

 

[ksporry]

Hey guys,
I'm pretty new at this stuff (both head phones and portable audio).
I've been eyeballing this set, basically based on a friend of mine who has the DT770 80 Ohms. He runs his without problems from his iPhone.
I understood that a higher impedance should allow for more details and accuracy, is that correct? I'm just curious if a 250 or a 600 Ohm version of this headset can be driven from a portable device like an iPhone. 
Also, if not, what recommendations are there for portable DAC/amps to drive a 250 or 600 Ohm version with?

 

[Rhamnetin]

  Hey guys,
I'm pretty new at this stuff (both head phones and portable audio).
I've been eyeballing this set, basically based on a friend of mine who has the DT770 80 Ohms. He runs his without problems from his iPhone.
I understood that a higher impedance should allow for more details and accuracy, is that correct? I'm just curious if a 250 or a 600 Ohm version of this headset can be driven from a portable device like an iPhone. 
Also, if not, what recommendations are there for portable DAC/amps to drive a 250 or 600 Ohm version with?

 
I would not pair the 600 Ohm one with an iPhone.  Either one would benefit from a portable amp/DAC.  Note that the DT 880 is mostly an open back headphone, if you were planning on using it on the go.  It provides next to no isolation and leaks quite a bit of sound.

 

[DCofficehack]

I tried an 80 ohm DT770 at a store using my iPhone and found that I had to crank the iPhone volume all the way up (ok, the room was super loud, but still). The sound was great, though, which convinced me to buy a DT770, just not the 80 Ohm model. I went with the 32 Ohms. It works great off of the iPhone. Would the DT770s with great impedance sound better (if properly amped)?  I presume so, but I like the sound I have. A lot.
 
Anyway, a 250 or 600 Ohm DT880 might be audible on an iPhone, but it doesn't make sense to me. You wouldn't be getting your money's worth. Also, if you're aiming for portability, the closed-back DT770s make more sense.

 

[chambermusicman]

Muxamed - Slightly off topic, but you look a whole lot like 20th century Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů.  Actually, his music sounds very good with DT880s.  There, got it back on topic.

 

[bracko]

  Muxamed - Slightly off topic, but you look a whole lot like 20th century Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů.  Actually, his music sounds very good with DT880s.  There, got it back on topic.

Yeah, that's Martinu 

 one of my favorite composers. Unfortunately I don't have my DT880 anymore but I enjoy Martinu's music on my beloved T90 

 I remember though that Martinu sounded super nice on DT880 

 

[pp312]

  Unfortunately I don't have my DT880 anymore but I enjoy Martinu's music on my beloved T90 

 I remember though that Martinu sounded super nice on DT880

 
Muxamed, do you find the T90 very much brighter than the 880? The FR indicates that it is, but I'm wondering if that comes through subjectively.