The Beyerdynamic DT880 Discussion thread
Dec 17, 2015 at 6:01 PM Post #9,541 of 12,546
Originally Posted by Mshenay /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
   
And what other differences have you noticed, if I might be so bold?

 
 
So I'll do two birds with one stone etc.

 
Actually I was referring to the differences between the 250 ohm & 600 ohm phones. I'm still trying to get the definitive answer on whether there is any appreciably difference, as those who've owned both seem to be split down the middle--'couldn't hear any difference'---'like chalk and cheese'.
 
Dec 17, 2015 at 8:51 PM Post #9,542 of 12,546
Balanced man is back..........
very_evil_smiley.gif

 
Dec 18, 2015 at 12:47 PM Post #9,543 of 12,546
  Thank you for the comments on amplification for the DT-880 and the number of headphones I own. No offense taken!  In fact, thank you for making me reflect on this number.  Almost all of my headphones were bought on sale, and many were bought refurbished, B-stock, etc., so the investment is much smaller than it appears to be.  Some fill special needs (e.g., travel, night listening, listening to low-fidelity sources).  Some of the thirty-three are no longer with me: they were given as gifts to family members and others, e.g., at charity events.  In part, my problem is that for many years I was very happy with my Stax SR-44 system, and when it stopped working I had a hard time finding something that seemed to sound as good as that, probably because I was used to its sound.   It is also fun to enjoy the differences among "mid-fi" headphones.  Still, I should rethink my acquisition and giving strategy; maybe I will start selling some that I do not use much any more.

It's all about experiences, whether that's listening to a great track with perfectly match headphones or sharing the gift (or curse) of audio with those closest to you. You sound like you're having a blast either way :)
 
I've just talked to a lot of people who urge me to not get stuck in "mid-fi purgatory" and find the TOTL for me ASAP, buy a good amp for them, then never worry about gear again. You seemed to be perfectly happy doing the opposite, just had to ask! I guess its a journey vs. destination thing
 
  Sounds great, as far as you enjoy it's very clear and analytical presentation.
HD800 has a DT880-like balance in the big scheme of things, but it's significanlty more clinical.
 
If you feel that DT880 is too clinical, coldish, borderline bass light, then skip the HD800.

 
Is the HD800 as aggressive as the DT880? Honestly, that's the word that comes to mind, much more than clinical/cold. Very aggressive, very clean just cause that treble is so incredibly forward, not sibilant, but can make close recordings of violin/electric guitar/trumpet sound a little bit piercing.
 
Is your HD800 Anax modded or no?
 
Dec 18, 2015 at 1:49 PM Post #9,544 of 12,546
 
Is the HD800 as aggressive as the DT880? Honestly, that's the word that comes to mind, much more than clinical/cold. Very aggressive, very clean just cause that treble is so incredibly forward, not sibilant, but can make close recordings of violin/electric guitar/trumpet sound a little bit piercing.
 
Is your HD800 Anax modded or no?

No mods on my Senn HD800.
 
Different recordings might play a role here.
Share a link to a song of your preference, I can listen to it later and try to answer which one is more 'aggressive' to my ears.
 
Dec 18, 2015 at 9:01 PM Post #9,545 of 12,546
  Balanced man is back..........
very_evil_smiley.gif

YEA man balanced AMPS all day long ^^ my iBasso PB2 cost me like $400 an its still an amazing sounding portable amp. still waiting to hear another portable on par with it :D 
 
 
Oh why not, BALANCED DT 880 FTW, you Single Ended Pleebs are INFEIROR MUHAHAHAHAHAHA 
   
Actually I was referring to the differences between the 250 ohm & 600 ohm phones. I'm still trying to get the definitive answer on whether there is any appreciably difference, as those who've owned both seem to be split down the middle--'couldn't hear any difference'---'like chalk and cheese'.

Oh duh I forget to mention that, frankly the 600 Ohm scales better imo an has a touch less bass due to the decreased clamp force, THOUGH a DT 880 Pro 600 ohm DOES exist! Very rare though 
 
Also the 600 ohm scales better than the 250 ohm imo 
 
Dec 19, 2015 at 1:12 AM Post #9,546 of 12,546
  I'm really enjoying my DT880s but find the clamp is too light. I got mine second hand, so I'm wondering, all they all light in the clamp department, or has mine been broken in a bit too much?


I recently bought the 880 600Ohm version, and I have had the 990s for about 3 years. The clamping force on the 880s is greater than the 990s. It is not an issue with new cans; it's normal after a few months/years of use. My 990s are too light after 3 years. I expect same with 880s. Aside I find 880s to be far superior to 990s in terms of sound quality.
 
Dec 19, 2015 at 8:57 AM Post #9,547 of 12,546
  Also the 600 ohm scales better than the 250 ohm imo 

 
 
Very likely. However, I'm more interested in how they compare with the same amp. The fact that you mention scaling twice suggests that you haven't detected any other significant difference.
 
Sorry to harp. If anyone else has an opinion on this subject by all means feel free.   
 
Dec 19, 2015 at 9:31 AM Post #9,548 of 12,546
  Actually, I feel that the $Jmoney an alpha Pads share a lot of simmilarities, I had J$ Money on my W1000X WAY back in the day, an I've tired the Alphas with the W1000x an I got a simmilar sound, deep bass an sound stage boost 
 
also nice to see a new crowd here <3 


When you say Alpha, are you talking about Alpha Dog?  Because I own the Alpha Dog, and always thought the pads on those were very close to the Jmoney pads as well, but I didn't think they would automatically fit the Beyers.  Plus, I wasn't going to experiment with the pads I currently had either.
 
Dec 19, 2015 at 3:25 PM Post #9,549 of 12,546
  No mods on my Senn HD800.
 
Different recordings might play a role here.
Share a link to a song of your preference, I can listen to it later and try to answer which one is more 'aggressive' to my ears.

https://youtu.be/okWr-tzwOEg?t=4m
 
Probably one of the worst, checking all the boxes:
 
1. Classical, so high dynamic range and low overall volume 
 
2. Close recording (can hear the soloist breathing many many times)
 
3. High frequency harmonics from the strings (exacerbated by close mic = no high freq attenuation from distance)
 
I don't listen to classical THAT much, but these passages make me stick with the K712 when I do, since the DT880 (with the Fiio, at least) makes it just slightly uncomfortable to listen.
 
Any genre that the DT880 does particularly well? I haven't had them long enough to find a genre that makes these shine, at least not in the way the K712 takes any kind of acoustic to a whole new level
 
Dec 19, 2015 at 3:51 PM Post #9,550 of 12,546
 
Any genre that the DT880 does particularly well? I haven't had them long enough to find a genre that makes these shine, at least not in the way the K712 takes any kind of acoustic to a whole new level

 
pop, rap, hip hop, freestyle, dance, jazz, blues. There is very good detail and sound stage in the mids with Amarra and Little dot mk iv.
 
Dec 19, 2015 at 6:44 PM Post #9,551 of 12,546
 
When you say Alpha, are you talking about Alpha Dog?  Because I own the Alpha Dog, and always thought the pads on those were very close to the Jmoney pads as well, but I didn't think they would automatically fit the Beyers.  Plus, I wasn't going to experiment with the pads I currently had either.

I had J$moneys on the DT 880 for a time, an the Alphas should, I had Alphas on my HE 400 an I now have Beyer Pads on my HE 4 
 
   
 
Very likely. However, I'm more interested in how they compare with the same amp. The fact that you mention scaling twice suggests that you haven't detected any other significant difference.
 
Sorry to harp. If anyone else has an opinion on this subject by all means feel free.   

That depends on the amp, on a amp with a higher output power the 250 can get a little loose or noisy, how ever on a lower powered amp the two are very simmilar, since I went with a Balanced Amp, I went with a 600 Ohm pair an luckly got them already balanced! 
 
Dec 19, 2015 at 8:02 PM Post #9,552 of 12,546
 
I recently bought the 880 600Ohm version, and I have had the 990s for about 3 years. The clamping force on the 880s is greater than the 990s. It is not an issue with new cans; it's normal after a few months/years of use. My 990s are too light after 3 years. I expect same with 880s. Aside I find 880s to be far superior to 990s in terms of sound quality.

 
Thanks for letting me know about the clamping.
 
I'm not surprised to hear about the 990s. They get generally negative reviews. The Zreview guy called it a "treble rape fest." Generally the 770s and 880s get raves, and everything above that in the Beyerdynamik line up mixed reviews at best.
 
Dec 19, 2015 at 8:10 PM Post #9,553 of 12,546
I think 
  https://youtu.be/okWr-tzwOEg?t=4m
 
Probably one of the worst, checking all the boxes:
 
1. Classical, so high dynamic range and low overall volume 
 
2. Close recording (can hear the soloist breathing many many times)
 
3. High frequency harmonics from the strings (exacerbated by close mic = no high freq attenuation from distance)
 
I don't listen to classical THAT much, but these passages make me stick with the K712 when I do, since the DT880 (with the Fiio, at least) makes it just slightly uncomfortable to listen.
 
Any genre that the DT880 does particularly well? I haven't had them long enough to find a genre that makes these shine, at least not in the way the K712 takes any kind of acoustic to a whole new level

 
I think it does all things well. I mostly listen to classical and enjoy it very much. Now, that violin thing you linked to was painful, admittedly, but not the stuff I listen to.
 
Janos Starker playing Bach cello...that's good. Or well regarded Beethoven symphonies...fabulous.
 
Dec 19, 2015 at 9:01 PM Post #9,555 of 12,546
  They do?
 
I have the DT990 250 and DT880 600 sitting here, and they're more alike than different.

 
Yes, and usually with regard to treble. Mind you, I've also seen positive reviews, but they weren't as unanimously positive as the reviews for the 770 and 880.
 
Frankly, I can't believe Beyerdynamic makes a BAD headphone, and most of us would be pretty happy with most of what they offer. So the reviews represent subjective responses to very slight variations. I ended up buying the 770s because I went to a Guitar Center hoping to try a bunch of headphones from several makers. They had none of what I wanted to try, but they had the 770s. So I gave that a try, thought it was fantastic, and decided I was done reading reviews that seemed to struggle to communicate in written language narrow shades of sound. These were good enough for me to declare the search over.  I ended up buying the 880s later simply because I also wanted an open pair for home use (the 770s sit on my desk at work).
 
I find, by the way, that my 880s are clearly better than my 770s, but some of that difference might have to do with the fact that I'm amping the 880s but use my 770s straight out of my MacBook.
 
Would you please share your thoughts on the 990s and the differences between it and the 880?
 

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