[Keithpgdrb]

Interesting. I've never heard the 880 described as too smooth. What model do you have. And yes. Amping matters. Depending on the version.

 

[CADCAM]

  I've had this hp for a few days now and I think there is a love hate relationship going on. While there is so much to love I just can't escape this feeling that this hp sounds just TOO DAMN SMOOTH. Almost like they got a filter thing going on. It's good in a way but doesn't seem to work so well on more aggressive stuff.
 
For example distorted guitars sound a bit muffled, like they lack the grit. Or maybe more like there is no color or sweetness in the tone to the point where it can sound a bit dull and plasticky.
 
I've also heard AKG k612 recently and those very just the opposite. They had more upper mids than I'm used to and they sounded even tizzy at times, but overall distorted guitars sounded more defined and sweeter.
 
TL;DR where does this liquid smooth quality to the sound come from and does it really work for more aggressive stuff like metal?

What do you use for a source and DAC? I have both DT880 (600Ohm) & K612. 

 

[emphazis]

Interesting. I've never heard the 880 described as too smooth. What model do you have. And yes. Amping matters. Depending on the version.

 
Well the treble is definitely up there, but it's not as peaky as my dt770-250 pro. My dt880 is 250 ohm PRO and it's loud enough even with just my phone. I use it with my Asus xonar dx -> Bravo audio ocean and with stock tube I get a little more bass and power but it doesn't really change sound signature of the hp.
 
It feels almost like there is another layer on top of the sound, making it sound a bit mellower and smoother than my dt770. Don't get me wrong, this is by far nicest sounding headphone I've tried so far. Might even be "too hi-fi" for me and I just need to get used to it. It feels unnaturally smooth sounding.
 

  What do you use for a source and DAC? I have both DT880 (600Ohm) & K612. 

 
Have you tried comparing the two? How would you describe differences between the two?
 
I use only 320kbs mp3s and flac's in my foobar with wasapi output to asus xonar dx. I also have Bravo audio ocean tube amp and feel like I spent quite a bit of money on amp and got very little in return so it's hard for me to justify spending money on even pricier dac/amps.

 

[CADCAM]

  Have you tried comparing the two? How would you describe differences between the two?
 
I use only 320kbs mp3s and flac's in my foobar with wasapi output to asus xonar dx. I also have Bravo audio ocean tube amp and feel like I spent quite a bit of money on amp and got very little in return so it's hard for me to justify spending money on even pricier dac/amps.

I have the 600 Ohm DT880 Premium...I only listen to discs out of my Oppo drive.
Mine are detailed, clean with excellent lows. They can be a bit harsh with the right (or wrong) recording but 90% of the time they are excellent. I use a Little Dot MK III with the yugo driver tubes. I can see, especially with a ripped track, how they could get a little unforgiving. 
The K612 is very nice but picky with DAC's and amps. Get a good pairing and they excel. They too are detailed, mids are good and low end is more than sufficient. I prefer the DT880 but the K612 is no slouch.

 

[Draulius]

Can someone who has owned both the HD650 and DT880 tell me how the soundstage compares?

Thanks.

 

[raybone0566]

Can someone who has owned both the HD650 and DT880 tell me how the soundstage compares?


Thanks.

I've got both. 650's I've owned for quite a while but 880's only for a few weeks. My opinion is the soundstage is about the same. 650 definitely warmer, details going to 880.

 

[Me x3]

  Can someone who has owned both the HD650 and DT880 tell me how the soundstage compares?

Thanks.

 
The soundstage is about the same in the big scheme of things. But there are a few differences:
 
- DT880 is airier and lighter in the bass, so it feels more spacious.
 
- DT880 tends towards the boxy kind of soundstage where there's a slight sense of frontier in the presentation.
This might have to do with the "semi-open" design, and it's the most clear difference between DT880's and DT990's soundstage. The effect is much more evident in the similary designed but lower end Takstar HI-2050.
Even the Beyerdynamic T1 with its angled drivers and extremely focused sound retain a shade of this, especially next to the HD800 of even the classic K702
 
- DT880 is softer in the upper mids.
This normally helps the sense of depth.
 
HD650's vocal rendering and overall resolving capabilities help the overall performance of the headphone.
It's soundstage, while not the most expansive or focused, is really far from blurry, and it can be surprising how much information one can normally pick up from its presentation.
 
If you want air, DT880 is the right one.
HD650 has an open and resolving but definitely cohesive presentation.
 
If you want space and instrument separation, K702 surpass them both provided a decent DAC/Amp and high quality recordings.  

 

[wahsmoh]

Interesting. I've never heard the 880 described as too smooth. What model do you have. And yes. Amping matters. Depending on the version.

That is odd. I think the DT880s have a tendency to sound slightly "etched" with detail. That is the tonal balance of these is relatively neutral but with a slight bump in the lower treble region and mid-range not as boosted as HD600 or HD650. I like my closed TH-X00 w/ Alpha pads more though than HD600 and DT880 I own. I might do a big headphone write up and comparison of Alpha dogs, TH-X00, HD600, and DT880 when I get the time.

 

[emphazis]

Me x3 pretty much nailed the description of dt880. I've never heard hd650, but I definitely notice softness in dt880's upper mids compared to other headphones I've heard.
When played from a phone my dt880 sound extremely mellow but still airy with a lot of detail. It's so soft that it makes me think there is a veil thing going on.
Just changing output from DS to WASAPI in foobar immediately makes dt880 mids stronger from my asus xonar dx. I can only imagine it gets even better with proper dac/amp. The detail and presentation on this hp is simply amazing. (I'm used to dt770)
Does anyone else notice this veil/softness on dt880 or am I the only one?

 

[wahsmoh]

 

Ya, I do too. It is the upper midrange. Look on a frequency graph of the HD600 and DT880 and you can see the differences. HD600 is slightly boosted over neutral, DT880 is slightly less than neutral. I really need to get on top of doing a huge headphone comparison. I have some mid-range "end game" headphones and I think the TH-X00, DT880, and HD600 got my ears occupied too much to ever buy a TOTL headphone.

 

[Draulius]

Quote:
 
So they have somewhat similar soundstage, thanks for clarifying that. One last thing, how would the HD650 compare to the DT880 for things like rock and electronic music? Would the midbass on the HD650 help them win with those genres?

 

[Me x3]

   
So they have somewhat similar soundstage, thanks for clarifying that. One last thing, how would the HD650 compare to the DT880 for things like rock and electronic music? Would the midbass on the HD650 help them win with those genres?

There's plenty of different recordings that can be labelled as rock or electronic music.
 
Maybe you can share a few links so I can compare them with your music in mind.

 

[DangerClose]

 
Quote:

   I really need to get on top of doing a huge headphone comparison. I have some mid-range "end game" headphones and I think the TH-X00, DT880, and HD600 got my ears occupied too much to ever buy a TOTL headphone.

 
It's interesting reading some of the meets threads where, yeah, some people say TOTL headphones are amazing, but a surprising number also say the mid-fi headphones are very close, and cost much less. 
 
Re: soundstage. I don't have an HD650, but my HD580's stage size is disappointing compared to DT880.  And DT880 isn't even huge like some other headphones.  HD580 is good, but different.
 
Btw, if people are underpowering the DT880, especially the 600 ohm version, the soundstage will be smaller than it should.  If someone tells me an amp is only for volume, I'm going to have to disagree.

 

[gefski]

It's interesting reading some of the meets threads where, yeah, some people say TOTL headphones are amazing, but a surprising number also say the mid-fi headphones are very close, and cost much less. 

Yggy changed everything for me. When fed a superb music signal, DT880 and HD650 present music like reference cans. They are the only cans I took to the last meet and all I plan to take to the upcoming one. Lots of great cans there but people kept plugging these in and smiling (most everyone owns one or both).

 

[pp312]

   
Quote:

   I really need to get on top of doing a huge headphone comparison. I have some mid-range "end game" headphones and I think the TH-X00, DT880, and HD600 got my ears occupied too much to ever buy a TOTL headphone.

 
It's interesting reading some of the meets threads where, yeah, some people say TOTL headphones are amazing, but a surprising number also say the mid-fi headphones are very close, and cost much less. 

 
True. There's definitely a far greater gap in price between top line and mids like 650 and 880 than in sound quality.
 

Yggy changed everything for me. When fed a superb music signal, DT880 and HD650 present music like reference cans. They are the only cans I took to the last meet and all I plan to take to the upcoming one. Lots of great cans there but people kept plugging these in and smiling (most everyone owns one or both).

 
I actually think the 880 is underestimated. My phones are slightly modified in having a layer of flannalette placed in the cups (made a huge difference, no idea why), and I'm using a Beyer A1 clone, and the sound on classical is positively concert hall; I've given up my ambitions of moving to T1 etc. I don't think the true potential of the 880 has been fully explored yet.