Looks very cool all the same.
The Beyerdynamic DT880 Discussion thread
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nickchen
Headphoneus Supremus
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DEL
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gefski
1000+ Head-Fier
Sunday morning DT880-ing one of my fav twisted guitarists Steve Tibbetts. Still prefer my older Pro to my 6 yrs newer Premium 600.
TheGiantHogweed
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Sunday morning DT880-ing one of my fav twisted guitarists Steve Tibbetts. Still prefer my older Pro to my 6 yrs newer Premium 600.
I hated the coiled cable of this version. But since replacing them with the premiums, I'm not sure if it's been worth it other than getting rid of the cable. I find the weakest point of these headphones are the adjustment notches. The plastic part there feels a significent drop in build quality compared to the rest. I actually think the fact that they were powder coated on the pros actually helped it "click" when adjusting holding it in place more firmly. The premiums in my case slip all over the place and i had to put some tape around the adjustment area to keep them at the same size. They also crunch badly when on the minimum size as the metal adjustment bar rubs on the headband when the ear pieces are adjusted slightly. Everything but the size adjustment is built really well on these headphones though. But if anything, I can't say the premium feels better than the pro. Feels worse from my experience. Though the Pros had problems with the coiled cable and stopped working on one channel.
Beware of the word Premium!
gefski
1000+ Head-Fier
The Pro series coiled cable has been fine for me at desktop. My worst cable by far is my HD800S, a stiff, clumsy snakepit! Different strokes for different folks’ listening situations.
TheGiantHogweed
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For me it was the weight of it that was the issue. I have my headphone amplifier on the right of my desk and usually like to have the headphone cable go all round the back of my desk, so 3m is perfect for this. So I used an extension with the coiled cable, but then you had the weight of the coiled cable hanging from your left ear and it was just annoying for me.
The one thing I do miss from my AKG K702s is the detachable cable. I would much rather have a detachable mini XLR then i can have what cable i want.
The weight was the thing I noticed from my one experience with a coiled cable.
TheGiantHogweed
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To me, about the only time when i can see a coiled cable being nice with headphones is for it being practical when listening with a phone or music player. If the cable comes out your left ear cup, have the phone or player in your right shirt pocket if you have one then the weight is reduced. But my preference is to have a detachable cable. Then use a long one for home listening and a short one for moving about. I like coiled cables for some things, but otherwise i find them pretty annoying.
Nicest cable to handle that I have come across is the Audeze LCD-2 Classic cable.
ElSilvestre
New Head-Fier
Hello, I've been reading the thread almost entirely and seeing that comparisons between impedances, and comparisons with 990, are appreciated, I decided to write.
I have tested the Beyer 990 on the 32, 250 and 600 ohm models, and I have compared simultaneously the 880 600 ohm and the 990 600 ohm.
I start with my personal preference after several days of A/B testing. The 990 600-ohm is a technically better headset, the felt covering the 880 driver reduces the volume of the bass and treble, subtracting detail throughout the entire spectrum, taking out air and some of the scene as well.
The bass of both is the same, only in the 990 it has more kick, it seems even tighter and more dynamic, but being equalized you get the exact same bass as the one we find in the 880.
The mids are a few decibels behind in representation, but against all readings, the 990 is not a V-signature headset for me, but a balanced, analytical headset with a fun emphasis on bass and treble. The mids are more detailed, but not as dominant as the 880.
The highs have more air, the sound of a river, rain, wind or footsteps on the grass and snow are richer in the 990. However, in certain genres of music it sounds artificial, like supernatural. I love them for drum and bass, trance, edm in general and classical music, but it is true that the sound of the cymbals on tracks of doubtful good mastering can be slightly annoying.
The 880s only win, according to my preferences, at 990 in vocal music. And yet, applying a filter to the higher frequencies, the 990 and 880 sound 99% identical.
As for the scene, the 880s are a bit claustrophobic compared to the 990. Also, the filter in front of the driver makes the ears closer to the headset.
If we talk about the different models of impedance, the 600 ohms model is undoubtedly the definitive and best. The 250-ohm model is, at least in the 990, incredibly annoying, squeaky, and has a serious rudeness that invades the medium range. The highs sound sharp as knives. I don't recommend it at all and it's responsible for the 990's bad reputation. The 600 model is more balanced, smooth, refined and has a little more scene.
These considerations can be generalized theoretically to the 880 model, because they have the same drivers. The 32 ohm model is a lower step, less refined and with a comparatively slow bass.
In short, both the 880 and 990 are headphones that I love, they are fast, fun, detailed and comfortable. But if I have to choose one, the 990 is my choice, it's an 880 unleashed. And if I want to turn it into an 880 I just have to apply -2dB of low shift filter, preserving detail, scene and air.
I hope you liked my impressions and forgive me if I wrote something wrong, my English is not perfect.
I have tested the Beyer 990 on the 32, 250 and 600 ohm models, and I have compared simultaneously the 880 600 ohm and the 990 600 ohm.
I start with my personal preference after several days of A/B testing. The 990 600-ohm is a technically better headset, the felt covering the 880 driver reduces the volume of the bass and treble, subtracting detail throughout the entire spectrum, taking out air and some of the scene as well.
The bass of both is the same, only in the 990 it has more kick, it seems even tighter and more dynamic, but being equalized you get the exact same bass as the one we find in the 880.
The mids are a few decibels behind in representation, but against all readings, the 990 is not a V-signature headset for me, but a balanced, analytical headset with a fun emphasis on bass and treble. The mids are more detailed, but not as dominant as the 880.
The highs have more air, the sound of a river, rain, wind or footsteps on the grass and snow are richer in the 990. However, in certain genres of music it sounds artificial, like supernatural. I love them for drum and bass, trance, edm in general and classical music, but it is true that the sound of the cymbals on tracks of doubtful good mastering can be slightly annoying.
The 880s only win, according to my preferences, at 990 in vocal music. And yet, applying a filter to the higher frequencies, the 990 and 880 sound 99% identical.
As for the scene, the 880s are a bit claustrophobic compared to the 990. Also, the filter in front of the driver makes the ears closer to the headset.
If we talk about the different models of impedance, the 600 ohms model is undoubtedly the definitive and best. The 250-ohm model is, at least in the 990, incredibly annoying, squeaky, and has a serious rudeness that invades the medium range. The highs sound sharp as knives. I don't recommend it at all and it's responsible for the 990's bad reputation. The 600 model is more balanced, smooth, refined and has a little more scene.
These considerations can be generalized theoretically to the 880 model, because they have the same drivers. The 32 ohm model is a lower step, less refined and with a comparatively slow bass.
In short, both the 880 and 990 are headphones that I love, they are fast, fun, detailed and comfortable. But if I have to choose one, the 990 is my choice, it's an 880 unleashed. And if I want to turn it into an 880 I just have to apply -2dB of low shift filter, preserving detail, scene and air.
I hope you liked my impressions and forgive me if I wrote something wrong, my English is not perfect.
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Which dac and amp did you use?
McLambo
Head-Fier
Are all these different models still available? Or did you borrow them from other owners?
ElSilvestre
New Head-Fier
I'm afraid not, first I bought the 990/32, then the 250 and returned the previous one, then the 600 and returned the previous one. And finally I bought the 880/600 and returned it by liking the 990/600 more.
The differences i found are very similar to those found here
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