[Argyris]

  Good thread... haven't read though all of it...  I have had the DT880 Premium 250Ohms for several years now, I just replaced the earpads on mine as well as you'll doubtless know these seem to need to be replaced after awhile..   So in my case I have this 80s (most epic 80's all buttons no Knobs at all) kenwood KR-V106R receiver on my desk (got at some church swap thing 4yrs or so ago for $20).    Sometimes I eq this down a bit on the treble ...(as you see I have the equalizer on the controls (with the presets and whatever)..    I actually like this receiver with these headphones quite alot..
 

 
I have a soft spot for those glowing, vac fluorescent displays. IMO they look even better on silver face equipment, but the overlap between the era of aluminum faceplates and the use of vacuum fluorescent displays was very small, so the combination is rare.
 
If you like what you're hearing from your DT880 hooked up to this receiver, then you've found exactly what this hobby should be all about. Enjoy your DT880, and enjoy the music!

 

[atarione]

   
I have a soft spot for those glowing, vac fluorescent displays. IMO they look even better on silver face equipment, but the overlap between the era of aluminum faceplates and the use of vacuum fluorescent displays was very small, so the combination is rare.
 
If you like what you're hearing from your DT880 hooked up to this receiver, then you've found exactly what this hobby should be all about. Enjoy your DT880, and enjoy the music!

 
 
You may like this ... I also have a SX-3600 fluoroscan receiver... it is pretty balls (imho)... not a power house at 35WPC but just very nice sounding (it is hooked up to NHT superzero's and NHT SW1 (passive sub)... really enjoy this.

 

[Xyrium]

  I just wanted to jump back in here with an update on my experience with the DT880 Premium 250 Ohm. I have had them for a little over 2 weeks now. I have used them almost every night since. I must have 40 hours on them by now. Out of the box, there was some additional treble energy in the 6kHz to 10kHz region. If I had to take a guess by ear, I would say right around the following level of additional energy.
 
6kHz +1
7Khz +1
8kHz + 2
9kHz +1.5
10kHz +1
 
However, I honestly did not find it fatiguing at all. It just offered additional detail retrieval, and allowed the headphones to expose more in the music. After probably 40 hours of use now, the headphones sound even better than they did out of the box. At around 30-35 hours of use. I really noticed a great improvement to the bass. It became tighter, deeper, and more defined. It is definitely capable of reaching down low when the music or a video game calls for it. Out of the box, the mids were gorgeous, although just slightly recessed. It appeared as though the mids were just slightly behind the bass and treble while listening. After 35 hours or so of use, the presentation ended up moving forward. Everything is just so balanced now. I will say right now that the mids on this headphone are the best I have heard thus far at the 250 dollar price level. The sound is so musical, and without any fatigue at all. Now, regarding the treble. That additional treble in the 6-10khz region has just seemed to have magically disappeared almost completely now as well. All I hear left is perhaps a +1 additional splash of energy at right around 8kHz. It is nice and airy, without any fatigue. I just find this to be an awesomely balanced sounding headphone.
 
Of course, we all hear things differently, but I am amazed that I have heard people claim these headphones have ear piercing treble. I just don't agree with that at all. In my experience, the DT770 Pro 250 Ohm, now that had fatiguing treble, as well as bass. I did not like those headphones at all. I am currently running my M-Stage HPA-2 (Non USB version) as an amp with the stock OPA2134 opamp. For a DAC, I have been switching between my Aune T1 MK3 (latest version) with Genalex Gold Lion E88CC Gold Pin Tube, and my HT OMEGA Claro Plus sound card. I have an LME49860NA I am going to pop in the M-Stage in the next couple days which will certainly offer an improvement as well. At this point, I think the DT880 Premium 250 Ohm is a great pair of headphones.

Yeah man, like fine wine. The 880s are indeed the value of the century. Enjoy the music!

 

[LaCuffia]

You can get these for $200 on Amazon now. Is that a steal? Only Beyerdynamic I tried were the T51i - loved the sound but not on ear fit. Is the 880 comparable to the T51i? I know the 880 is semi open and over ear so maybe not the best comparison. I just shy away from too much treble.

 

[Vanquished]

LaCuffia, you are asking the same questions again and again, I already told you about t51i and dt880...

 

[bladefd]

You can get these for $200 on Amazon now. Is that a steal? Only Beyerdynamic I tried were the T51i - loved the sound but not on ear fit. Is the 880 comparable to the T51i? I know the 880 is semi open and over ear so maybe not the best comparison. I just shy away from too much treble.

880 are extremely balanced, and I find the pads to be extremely comfortable. I used to wear them for 6 hours at a time with no issues. For $200, they are awesome bang for the buck. They sound as good or better as headphones more than twice the cost IMO.

I'm getting wireless bluetooth headsets (b&w p7 or b&o h7) so I won't be using the dt880 as much, but I still love them.

 

[LaCuffia]

LaCuffia, you are asking the same questions again and again, I already told you about t51i and dt880...

Ok sorry to bother you. I don't remember asking before. If I did accept my apologies and have a good evening.

 

[Xyrium]

880 are extremely balanced, and I find the pads to be extremely comfortable. I used to wear them for 6 hours at a time with no issues. For $200, they are awesome bang for the buck. They sound as good or better as headphones more than twice the cost IMO.

I'm getting wireless bluetooth headsets (b&w p7 or b&o h7) so I won't be using the dt880 as much, but I still love them.

^^^^
 
Also, if you look at the measurement reports from innerfidelity, you'll notice that they compare favorably to the Stax 009s even.

 

[MarkF786]

Is it worth buying the DT880 just to have another 'flavor' of headphones?  I mostly listen to my Sennheiser HD650 and HD600 'phones, though recently I also bought the Focal Elear, but I've always been curious to try the DT880.  Some days it seems like a no brainer, but other days I wonder if I'd just be wasting money.
 
Thoughts?

 

[Keithpgdrb]

I had both the 600 and 880 for a long time. While I loved both, I ended up keeping the 600. for me, the 880 definitely has more energy and detail retrieval, but I found the 600 to just be more musical and engaging for what I listen to. Both were powered by the crack with speedball, and some nice tubes. Having said that, I would have loved to keep it in the stable. But I'm saving up for a major purchase, and something had to go.

 

[Aussiejuggalo]

Anyone used the Chinese knock off pads?

Cant find genuine pads that don't cost an arm and a leg anywhere and I sweat so much it gets expensive replacing them seeing washing them screws up the velour.

 

[funkisound]

  Is it worth buying the DT880 just to have another 'flavor' of headphones?  I mostly listen to my Sennheiser HD650 and HD600 'phones, though recently I also bought the Focal Elear, but I've always been curious to try the DT880.  Some days it seems like a no brainer, but other days I wonder if I'd just be wasting money.
 
Thoughts?

Depends if you like that flavor. The 880 mainly has a less warm sound, not really cold but colder than a 600 or 650. The mids are actually quite smooth but treble is not so smooth, it's quite fast and edgy (can become a bit fatiguing for longer listening periods). Bass is very precise and punchy but also quite thin compared to the warmer and less punchy 600/650 bass.

 

[musickid]

I have a dt880 edition 600 ohm. i came across a company called custom cans who offer a cable upgrade (mine is the straight cable) to some kind of litz braided cable for £90. would i really benefit from any sonic or audible improvements here? if there was a positive change i would be happy to pay for it. thanks to all
 
 
Just to note the dt880 edition 600 i have are paired with an earmax pro 2 tube otl amp. many consider this the reference system for 1000 euros here in the UK and Europe and even US. The warm tube sound cancelling any treble that may be considered too much.

 

[Xyrium]

  Depends if you like that flavor. The 880 mainly has a less warm sound, not really cold but colder than a 600 or 650. The mids are actually quite smooth but treble is not so smooth, it's quite fast and edgy (can become a bit fatiguing for longer listening periods). Bass is very precise and punchy but also quite thin compared to the warmer and less punchy 600/650 bass.

Not that FR graphs always tell the whole story, but check out the measurements from innerfidelity. I believe you'll be surprised to see how flat the 880s are from 20Hz to about 5kHz. Perhaps the drivers wren't broken in fully, but the suspension on mine seems to have allowed for quite dynamic bass lines in rock, metal, and jazz.
 
880:
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/BeyerdynamicDT880600ohm.pdf
 
600:
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/SennheiserHD600.pdf

 

[funkisound]

  Not that FR graphs always tell the whole story, but check out the measurements from innerfidelity. I believe you'll be surprised to see how flat the 880s are from 20Hz to about 5kHz. Perhaps the drivers wren't broken in fully, but the suspension on mine seems to have allowed for quite dynamic bass lines in rock, metal, and jazz.
 
880:
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/BeyerdynamicDT880600ohm.pdf
 
600:
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/SennheiserHD600.pdf

I know the measurements yeah, and that's what I meant, the bass is quite flat with decent extension and the mids are quite neutral too. But the spike between 6 and 10 kHz is just a bit too big imo, and it affects the whole sound, making the bass sound a bit thinned down (unless it's a bassy song). The 600Ohm version is probably a tiny bit smoother than the other models in the treble, the 6k spike seems a little less there, but I had the 250Ohm version and the treble emphasis was a bit too much; I like it more neutral there.