[159650]

I waiting on my m9XX from massdrop. How do the 880 stack up against the Q701? I have the latter but have always been curious of the beyerdynamic sound.

 

[Rhamnetin]

I waiting on my m9XX from massdrop. How do the 880 stack up against the Q701? I have the latter but have always been curious of the beyerdynamic sound.

 
Expect the DT 880 to be less smooth sounding, bassier, less open, and have slightly more forward treble.  I haven't heard the Q701 but I have the K7xx which is similar (although no less bassy than the DT 880 really).

 

[MarcoGV]

I waiting on my m9XX from massdrop. How do the 880 stack up against the Q701? I have the latter but have always been curious of the beyerdynamic sound.

I have both; I bought my DT880 Pro (250 Ohm) from Adorama at the beginning of November, when it was on sale for just under $160 (http://www.head-fi.org/t/692119/the-deals-discussion-thread-read-the-first-post/17970#post_12047497). I also have am AKG Q701, which I have bass modded. I have been using the DT880 Pro almost exclusively for the past two weeks and have not yet tried to do a careful comparison with the Q701. It is very comfortable and the Objective2 amplifier can power it very well.  I am planning to keep it.

 

[pp312]

Originally Posted by Rhamnetin /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
Expect the DT 880 to be less smooth sounding

 
Now there's a statement that could use its own thread. Personally I find the 880 very smooth save for the treble peak, whereas I couldn't abide the K701 at all on orchestral music--it sounded strangely metallic to me (maybe due to the peak at 2khz). Each to his own, I guess.  
 
 

 

[CADCAM]

I waiting on my m9XX from massdrop. How do the 880 stack up against the Q701? I have the latter but have always been curious of the beyerdynamic sound.

I don't have the Q701 but I do have the K612 and would say they are both very good headphones. I have the 600 Ohm variant of the DT880 so it requires a little "juice" to get going but think it's dynamic with good texture within the details...exciting bass and again a dynamic treble. The K612 is picky IMO but hit the right DAC & amp and you have an absolute winner. Excellent sound with great detail retrieval as well, I really enjoy having them both. 

 

[159650]

Thanks for the detailed responses from lots of folks! 
 
So yeah, the DT880 sounds like a good choice. The Q701 are great, but a bit down on excitement. The DT sound a bit more musical. 

 

[bracko]

   
Now there's a statement that could use its own thread. Personally I find the 880 very smooth save for the treble peak, whereas I couldn't abide the K701 at all on orchestral music--it sounded strangely metallic to me (maybe due to the peak at 2khz). Each to his own, I guess.  
 
 

I agree. DT880 is smoother sounding than most headphones and, to my ears, smoother sounding than AKG x701s. 

 

[Rhamnetin]

When I say smooth I don't think I was referring specifically to treble spike, rather across most of the spectrum the DT 880 sounds a bit more textured (but not more detailed) and the K7xx a tiny bit more smoothed over.  Although I was addressing the treble too, even though I take more issue with K7xx treble than DT 880 treble, the latter is more forward overall to my ears.
 
Maybe what I'm referring to is also related to transient response, although I'm not entirely sure what this means.

 

[wahsmoh]

  I agree. DT880 is smoother sounding than most headphones and, to my ears, smoother sounding than AKG x701s. 

Between the DT880 and HD600 it's a really tough call which one I prefer. Sometimes I feel like the DT880 has a slightly boosted top end so details come through a bit more forward than the HD600. Other times I'm reaching for the HD600s elevated midrange versus the more neutral midrange of the DT880. They are both so close that looking back I should have only bought one open dynamic headphone, not two.
 
The Alpha Dogs I own are a major departure from the dynamic sound. They have more pronounced bass that doesn't roll off at all and it has a closed subwoofer feel that neither HD600 or DT880 can achieve.
 
If you're looking for a better deal though, I got my eyes set on the new Fostex TH-X00 which is going to be $399 on Massdrop and should have some of the best bass of any mid-fi dynamic (comparable to Denon D7000/D5000) line. If it turns out to be the real deal I would highly recommend it over the Alpha Dogs if you're looking for something different.
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/MrSpeakersAlphaDog2014.pdf
 
Here's a link to the measurements. You can get a general idea of how the bass will sound. I would say though distortion measurements aren't entirely accurate of how the headphone sounds. That's just the nature of the testing equipment when used on closed cans and T50RP mods always have major distortion peaks in the midrange. That's something I don't hear though when I put them on.

 

[ThatAccount]

Hello there,

I recently bought a Beyerdynamic DT 880 250 ohm 2005 version and I need a proper headphone amp for it. What would you recommend for it? Years ago I had one too and paired it with a tube amp, a darkvoice figaro. It worked rather well but I can't seem to find the exact one I had. The thing is, I lost my old 880s and now when I used the new 880s with the old figaro, something happened on the right cup and I heard weird crackling once in a while up until one day i just could not hear anything on the right side. It seems it's a problem with the old figaro. The headphones seem to work fine otherwise on other devices, without the amp.

So, I'm looking for a replacement. From my research years ago it seemed that a tube amp was the way to go with the DT880s and someone recommended the figaro but now I'm kind of lost with all the new headphone amps out there.

Any recommendations?

 

[TrollDragon]

The old Little Dot MK III or IV (SE) is a great choice...

 

[TrollDragon]

Hi guys!
 
Been a while, What's New?

 

[eeagle]

Hello there,

I recently bought a Beyerdynamic DT 880 250 ohm 2005 version and I need a proper headphone amp for it. What would you recommend for it? Years ago I had one too and paired it with a tube amp, a darkvoice figaro. It worked rather well but I can't seem to find the exact one I had. The thing is, I lost my old 880s and now when I used the new 880s with the old figaro, something happened on the right cup and I heard weird crackling once in a while up until one day i just could not hear anything on the right side. It seems it's a problem with the old figaro. The headphones seem to work fine otherwise on other devices, without the amp.

So, I'm looking for a replacement. From my research years ago it seemed that a tube amp was the way to go with the DT880s and someone recommended the figaro but now I'm kind of lost with all the new headphone amps out there.

Any recommendations?

Woo Audio WA7 Fireflies​

 

[LiranV]

Where I can get replacement pads and headband for premium dt880 for a reasonable price (not the price of a new set of headphones)?

 

[notfitforpublic]

Amazon.ca carries them. I imagine you can find them at amazon in your region.

  Where I can get replacement pads and headband for premium dt880 for a reasonable price (not the price of a new set of headphones)?