[Syan25]

 
Mine...

 

[calipilot227]

Quote:

 
Mine...

 

 

[Shockiez]

Sorry if this has already been asked 'countless' times, but I havn't been able to get a clear answer to whether or not the E7/E9 combo properly drive the 600 ohm version of these headphones (and the others in the Beyer range). Some posts say that don't, some posts say they do great. What's the proper answer I wonder?
 
Ha, thanks in advance.

 

[rawrster]

It probably depends on where you are coming from. I'm sure it will be great if you have no experience with dacs and amps and have only been using say your onboard sound. That might not be the case if you are used to high end.
 
 

 

[rainy nights]

 
Mine...

Wonderful piece of art

 

[Syan25]

They are - aren't they?

 

[captouch]

Hi all, just a quick intro.  Been using IEM's up to now, using Ety ER-4P's and UE TripleFi 10's up until now.  I have a headphone amp that I purchased around the time I got the ER-4P's - they add some impedance to make the 4P's sound like 4S's when using this amp.  I decided to venture out of IEM's and started to do a lot of reading on Senns, vs Grados, and stumbled into Beyer's and Zombie X's great write up on 770 vs 880 vs 990 at all the different impedance options.  Decided to go for the 880/600's and this forum has only confirmed my choice as one I think I'll happy with.    
 
I've been through 50+ pages of this forum and tried some selective in-thread searches as well, but didn't see anything that would answer my question.
 
I want to purchase an amp for these (I'm pretty sure my current amp that adds more impedance isn't going to cut it!).  But I really don't want to spend more than ~$150 or so on an amp, and would prefer to spend less as there seem to be many other ways to spend money on these (re-cabling, ear pads, etc).
 
For $150 or less in the tube domain, I could only get into something like Little Dot Q or I+, but these are clearly on low end of their lineup and haven't seen any mention of people recommending these for this HP.  It seems there's also different schools of thought on whether tubes or SS is really "best" (I know it's all subjective though).
 
Until I got reading in-depth in this thread, I was strongly considering a JDS Labs cMoy 2.03 modded to have 2 x 9v batteries to supply higher voltage.  JDS seems to be the best cMoy and also has the bass boost feature if I ever want to augment the low-end.  This would only set me back $70 or so and I'd have $ left over to think about re-cabling or new pads.  I've read that high impedance HP's like these need voltage more than current, and the 2 x 9v would seem to address the voltage supply issue.  
 
Any opinions on how well the JDS at 18V would work?  I could roll opamps pretty easily with this as well.
 
So basically my question is, if I want to get out at least 80+% of the capability of these HP's and I don't care about portability of the amp, would you advise:
1) Get best new (or perhaps used) tube amp for $150 and put off other upgrades like re-cabling until budget allowed (if so, any particular amps in this range I should be looking at?)
2) Get JDS 18v SS amp and spend balance on re-cabling
3) Save my $ and wait until budget allowed to spend more on better amp (and if so, what's the price point where pulling the trigger starts makes sense).
 
Thanks a lot.

 

[NomadicAce]

Hey captouch, I would highly suggest something like the Hifiman EF5 (500 new) around 350ish used. That amp, as I am sure many will agree is plenty to make the 880 (600 ohm) sing. Also an amp I have not tried, but have heard good things about is the Schiit Valhalla (350 new 300ish used). Another good choice would be a darkvoice or la Figaro. A WooAudio (one of their OTL models) is also good but can be a bit spendy depending on the model. 
 
As far as cabling and Jmoney pads, it is really up to you, personally I do not mind the cable (others dislike how it has memory) and I find the stock velour pads to be plenty comfy.
 
These are just my suggestions if you get a chance try and see if anyone is having a meet in the future near where you live (I would focus on OTL amps, but some solid states can also do a good job).
 
I would not use a cMoy for the DT880 I have built several of them (and used them with the DT880 600 ohm), and even with 18v the sounds is just not fluid and full sounding to my ears.

 

[rawrster]

I may end up getting a recable on them since it does look so nice I like the stock pads so I don't think J$ pads will be something I get since they are pretty pricey. In the meantime I bought a headphone stand off ebay and will use it for my DT880 so I don't have to put it back in the case it came with every time.
 
I'm pretty satisfied with my setup..maybe one day I'll get a tube amp but as for now I prefer SS

 

[Graphicism]

 
I call this sculpture, Le Auditeur.

 

[BournePerfect]

Nice! I always wanted one of those silver manequin-heads to perch my Pro 900s on! That would look pretty badass (and spacey haha) I think.
 
-Daniel

 

[Syan25]

Lovely manequin - how to get hold of one?

 

[captouch]

 
Quote:

Hey captouch, I would highly suggest something like the Hifiman EF5 (500 new) around 350ish used. That amp, as I am sure many will agree is plenty to make the 880 (600 ohm) sing. Also an amp I have not tried, but have heard good things about is the Schiit Valhalla (350 new 300ish used). Another good choice would be a darkvoice or la Figaro. A WooAudio (one of their OTL models) is also good but can be a bit spendy depending on the model. 
 
As far as cabling and Jmoney pads, it is really up to you, personally I do not mind the cable (others dislike how it has memory) and I find the stock velour pads to be plenty comfy.
 
These are just my suggestions if you get a chance try and see if anyone is having a meet in the future near where you live (I would focus on OTL amps, but some solid states can also do a good job).
 
I would not use a cMoy for the DT880 I have built several of them (and used them with the DT880 600 ohm), and even with 18v the sounds is just not fluid and full sounding to my ears.

Hey NomadicAce, thanks a lot for the advice.  I hadn't heard of the EF5 and after doing some reading, it seems like it'd be a good match since it's supposed to mellow the treble a bit and does good with mids and bass.  I was lucky and able to get a EF5 off of eBay just now not too far out of my budget, so will be able to try out the whole setup later this week hopefully.  Agree, the recable and pads are probably lower priority.  I'm looking forward to trying different tubes and opamps in the EF5.
 

 

[Zombie_X]

I'd recommend something like a PHENIX G3 at it's $150 total and is far more lush sounding than the EF5. The EF5 is a hybrid amp which really won't give the DT880 all the juice it needs, though the amp has a fabulous sound signature.
 
I had once used a cmoy that had 4x9V batteries and it gave the HD600 plenty of juice. It having a total voltage swing of 36V!! That's pretty high for a solid state amp and I believe my modded Woo amp does about 60V or right around that. cmoy amps do a good job on most gear, especially the HD600. Even a K601 sounds good off of them.

 

[Graphicism]

Quote:

Lovely manequin - how to get hold of one?

I bought it at an art gallery a few months back and unfortunately haven't seen one since.