[2chinzz]

@gefski,
 
Ok thanks for clarifying. The pair of glasses I use actually have really thin side bands so I don't think they are a problem.
 
@SHAMuuu ,
 
Do you think I can bend the headband to relieve the clamping? I also had the same problem with my hd650s until I bent the metal portion of the headphones that connect the earcups to the headband. 

 

[devhen]

  Diff between 880/990 vs 770 i also noticed the pads angled a bit (top part angled out, or in other words away from skin) vs 770 which sits flat.

 
They're not angled they just wear down unevenly over time because of the angle that the cups end up sitting at on your head. When the pads are new they are perfectly even with no angle to them. Over time it changes. If you have a super big head they probably wear down evenly but for most of us, there is much more pressure at the bottom of the cups than at the top which causes the bottom of the pads to flatten. If you were to spin your pads around once a week you would find that they wear down evenly and don't become angled.
 
I'm not sure about the DT770 Pro but I have the DT770 Premium and it does have much less of a tendency to wear down unevenly, due to the lower clamping force but mostly due to the fact that the DT770 pads aren't as soft or as large. They are stiffer and more narrow and there's much less of a tendency to flatten unevenly.
 
Its true that the DT880 & DT990 use the same pads (EDT990V for silver, EDT990VB for black) and the DT770 use different pads (EDT770V).

 

[bladefd]

Comfort: Essentially the same.
Sound quality: DT 990 is v shaped sound signature vs a more balanced signature of the DT880

Is it v-shaped enough that it is easily noticeable?

 

[devhen]

Is it v-shaped enough that it is easily noticeable?

 
Definitely.
 
The DT880 is the better of the two IMO, hands down. However, on certain music that really benefits from strong mid-bass, the DT990s shine. Overall I would recommend the DT880, they are superb all-arounders. They regularly drop down to ~$150 on Amazon and at that price they are hands down the best value in headphones IMO.

 

[SHAMuuu]

  @gefski,
 
Ok thanks for clarifying. The pair of glasses I use actually have really thin side bands so I don't think they are a problem.
 
@SHAMuuu ,
 
Do you think I can bend the headband to relieve the clamping? I also had the same problem with my hd650s until I bent the metal portion of the headphones that connect the earcups to the headband. 

 
Stretching out the headband slowly will cause relief along with break in of pads. In my experience anyway with pro headbands. I dont stretch premium b/c no need, its loose enough. Pad break in helps big time.

   
They're not angled they just wear down unevenly over time because of the angle that the cups end up sitting at on your head. When the pads are new they are perfectly even with no angle to them. Over time it changes. If you have a super big head they probably wear down evenly but for most of us, there is much more pressure at the bottom of the cups than at the top which causes the bottom of the pads to flatten. If you were to spin your pads around once a week you would find that they wear down evenly and don't become angled.
 
I'm not sure about the DT770 Pro but I have the DT770 Premium and it does have much less of a tendency to wear down unevenly, due to the lower clamping force but mostly due to the fact that the DT770 pads aren't as soft or as large. They are stiffer and more narrow and there's much less of a tendency to flatten unevenly.
 
Its true that the DT880 & DT990 use the same pads (EDT990V for silver, EDT990VB for black) and the DT770 use different pads (EDT770V).

I'm not sure you get what im saying. Please look at diagram. The hinge is different on 770 vs 880/990 allowing 770 to seal more. The 880/990 sit slightly angled. Not extreme, but its there.
 


Hope that makes me more clear. Sorry if my wording caused confusion. This has more to do with relief point above ear and also i think to let air escape  for cleaner sound vs a seal for 770 well b/c its to isolate, and prevent leakage into microphone while recording.
 
Anyone else can chime in? Also, still wondering about back plate removal to make fully open if anyone tried. I have asked before but i guess no one has done the mod. I have seen pic of old DT with it removed to make fully open but can't find atm.

 

[devhen]

  I'm not sure you get what im saying. Please look at diagram. The hinge is different on 770 vs 880/990 allowing 770 to seal more. The 880/990 sit slightly angled. Not extreme, but its there.
 


Hope that makes me more clear. Sorry if my wording caused confusion. This has more to do with relief point above ear and also i think to let air escape  for cleaner sound vs a seal for 770 well b/c its to isolate, and prevent leakage into microphone while recording.

 
The DT990 Pro, which is fully open, has the angled hinge that is shown here on the DT770 and it still sits against your face at an angle the way the DT880 in the photo does.
 

 

[SHAMuuu]

   
The DT990 Pro, which is fully open, has the angled hinge that is shown here on the DT770 and it still sits against your face at an angle the way the DT880 in the photo does.

Yes i've mentioned the dt880/990 sits slightly angled. At first I didn't know why but i just assumed for some leakage to keep things smooth. Anyway i know they are labeled semi-open and open, but both have that backplate thingy, so either they are both open or semi-open. This is what i'm wondering by saying fully open to take that backplate off.

 

[devhen]

Yeah, the DT990 sounds only slightly more open than the DT880 to me. Neither of them sound super wide open like some open cans do. My HD600 feels more open than either of them, for example.

 

[SHAMuuu]

  Yeah, the DT990 sounds only slightly more open than the DT880 to me. Neither of them sound super wide open like some open cans do. My HD600 feels more open than either of them, for example.

I would imagine (and if im wrong someone correct me) is that the backplate is reflecting some of those low notes back. I will try and find picture where someone removed it on the old series (must be from early 90s) where it was removed. I would think that would make it even more flat.

I posted this before but i dont think anyone answered. I would imagine the backplate holds the driver, so maybe the hole is made bigger to make it more open? I dont know. Anyway im not gonna tinker with it . Maybe when it starts wearing down. Whether that is good or not i don't know. But i'm curious.

 

 

[Hifihedgehog]

  Yeah, the DT990 sounds only slightly more open than the DT880 to me. Neither of them sound super wide open like some open cans do. My HD600 feels more open than either of them, for example.

Interesting. The HD 6x0 are some of the most closed sounding last-gen TOTL open headphones I have ever used. Versus my DT 880-600, it is no contest. The DT 880-600 is far wider than the HD 6x0 series. The HD 650 and HD 600 when I demoed them at Sweetwater and the HD 600 I owned had a very subdued treble dip in the 7 to 10 kHz range. Many others who have heard my HD 600 when I owned it and three family members present when I demoed the HD 600 and HD 650 at Sweetwater noticed this same odd characteristic. (I had access to several TOTL rack amplifiers during the demo at Sweetwater as well as owning an Objective2/ODAC combo system.) The HD 6x0 makes sounds seem like they were pushed on your face and creates a vacuum/veil of sorts. They are decent headphones but they remind me of the warm, midrange/upper-bass centric tonal quality of older equipment. If you are fond of older floorstanding speakers from the 70s and 80s and aren't wanting the last word in neutrality and detail, I suppose the HD 600 is acceptable. But I can equalize my DT 880-600 much more easily and get that sound for free while maintaining far better detailing and soundstaging.

 

[devhen]

  Interesting. The HD 6x0 are some of the most closed sounding last-gen TOTL open headphones I have ever used. Versus my DT 880-600, it is no contest. The DT 880-600 is far wider than the HD 6x0 series. The HD 650 and HD 600 when I demoed them at Sweetwater and the HD 600 I owned had a very subdued treble dip in the 7 to 10 kHz range. Many others who have heard my HD 600 when I owned it and three family members present when I demoed the HD 600 and HD 650 at Sweetwater noticed this same odd characteristic. (I had access to several TOTL rack amplifiers during the demo at Sweetwater as well as owning an Objective2/ODAC combo system.) The HD 6x0 makes sounds seem like they were pushed on your face and creates a vacuum/veil of sorts. They are decent headphones but they remind me of the warm, midrange/upper-bass centric tonal quality of older equipment. If you are fond of older floorstanding speakers from the 70s and 80s and aren't wanting the last word in neutrality and detail, I suppose the HD 600 is acceptable. But I can equalize my DT 880-600 much more easily and get that sound for free while maintaining far better detailing and soundstaging.

 
I still haven't heard the HD650 but I agree on the HD600, its pronounced mids make things sound quite in-your-face. What I was referring to was the openness of the headset in general, i.e. how much sound leaks in and out, and how "airy" the sound is overall, as opposed to the sound signature and how that adds to or detracts from soundstage. I find the DT880 & DT990 to sound somewhat semi-closed in that respect.

 

[Hifihedgehog]

   
I still haven't heard the HD650 but I agree on the HD600, its pronounced mids make things sound quite in-your-face. What I was referring to was the openness of the headset in general, i.e. how much sound leaks in and out, and how "airy" the sound is overall, as opposed to the sound signature and how that adds to or detracts from soundstage. I find the DT880 & DT990 to sound somewhat semi-closed in that respect.

I will have to respectfully disagree here. I have heard several TOTL headphones (K812 and HD 800 at Sweetwater for a few hours, HiFiMAN HE-1000 and JPS Labs Abyss at a local audio store for a few hours on four or five separate occasions) and the HD 600 sounds closed compared to the DT 880-600. Speaking of driver responsiveness and not sound signature, the driver itself is moderately fast but not as fast or clean as the DT 880-600. This makes them seem less open to my ears. The Denon AH-D5000, though technically closed, which I also owned was a bit more open than the HD 600 as well. Additionally, I get the impression of wearing headphones more, of there being some reflective surface behind and around the HD 600 than the Denons or the DT 880-600s. However, a few years ago, I owned both the DT 880-250 and DT 990-250 Pro on separate occasions. I agree those do seem a tad slower and therefore more closed in than the HD 600. 

 

[bavinck]

I will have to respectfully disagree here. I have heard several TOTL headphones (K812 and HD 800 at Sweetwater for a few hours, HiFiMAN HE-1000 and JPS Labs Abyss at a local audio store for a few hours on four or five separate occasions) and the HD 600 sounds closed compared to the DT 880-600. Speaking of driver responsiveness and not sound signature, the driver itself is moderately fast but not as fast or clean as the DT 880-600. This makes them seem less open to my ears. The Denon AH-D5000, though technically closed, which I also owned was a bit more open than the HD 600 as well. Additionally, I get the impression of wearing headphones more, of there being some reflective surface behind and around the HD 600 than the Denons or the DT 880-600s. However, a few years ago, I owned both the DT 880-250 and DT 990-250 Pro on separate occasions. I agree those do seem a tad slower and therefore more closed in than the HD 600. 

 

This is my experience as well. The DT880/600 sound very open and airy, where as the 6xx series sound like a closed headphone to me with the music shoved into my face.

 

[devhen]

  I will have to respectfully disagree here. I have heard several TOTL headphones (K812 and HD 800 at Sweetwater for a few hours, HiFiMAN HE-1000 and JPS Labs Abyss at a local audio store for a few hours on four or five separate occasions) and the HD 600 sounds closed compared to the DT 880-600. Speaking of driver responsiveness and not sound signature, the driver itself is moderately fast but not as fast or clean as the DT 880-600. This makes them seem less open to my ears. The Denon AH-D5000, though technically closed, which I also owned was a bit more open than the HD 600 as well. Additionally, I get the impression of wearing headphones more, of there being some reflective surface behind and around the HD 600 than the Denons or the DT 880-600s. However, a few years ago, I owned both the DT 880-250 and DT 990-250 Pro on separate occasions. I agree those do seem a tad slower and therefore more closed in than the HD 600. 

 
Maybe its because I'm comparing them to the DT880 Pro and DT990 Pro but there's no question about it, my HD600 is physically more open. I'm swapping between the DT990 Pro & HD600 with no music playing and the DT990 is attenuating ambient noises around me while the HD600 seemingly does not block out anything. It has 0% isolation while the DT990 has I would say about 30% or more.

 

[Hifihedgehog]

   
Maybe its because I'm comparing them to the DT880 Pro and DT990 Pro but there's no question about it, my HD600 is physically more open. I'm swapping between the DT990 Pro & HD600 with no music playing and the DT990 is attenuating ambient noises around me while the HD600 seemingly does not block out anything. It has 0% isolation while the DT990 has I would say about 30% or more.

If you are speaking merely about the attenuation of outside sound, then yes, I definitely agree the HD 600 attenuates a bit less than DT 880. However, they don't disappear/get out of the way of the music as much as my DT 880-600's. In my experience, the HD 600's driver presence is a bit more obvious than the DT 880-600's.