[dlaloum]

I ended up getting a good condition used driver from JTA...
 
On checking all the connections and resoldering one, it appears the original drivers are fine.... so I now have a spare!
 
bye for now

David

 

[duetta]

Had my Beyer DT880/600s now for about week.  I've read through this entire thread now - and am still curious about the impact of the leather pads versus the stock velour. 
 
My DT990/600s (from the early 90s) originally shipped with leather pads, which by the time I got around to changing them (about 15 or so years later) had become physically deflated (that is, much thinner), with the phones hanging much closer around the ears.  If you like bass, these phones were really fun with the right repertoire (which unfortunately wasn't orchestral music).  Replacing them with the gray velours that come standard with 880s changed the sound significantly, and at the time I didn't think for the better (although they became far more balanced, which is actually a good thing, although it did also emphasize the original 990s tendency towards brightness).
 
Having now listened a bit to the 880s, I don't personally feel as if they lack bass.  With the right repertoire (say Holst's Suites for Band on Reference), there's plenty of bass - if not the physical thump I get though my speakers.  I understand why people describe them as bright - but so far that isn't proving much of an issue to me, given how much I've enjoyed listening to music through my Etymotic ER-4s all these years (and had a pair of them since the late 90s), and how I've found bass-oriented headphones to obscure too much of the detail otherwise available in orchestral music.
 
It seems that early on in this thread the leather pads were being recommended, and by the end...people were having second thoughts.  I note that Headroom now sells both the Beyer and JMoney leather pads, so I was wondering if people finally concluded that this was a useful upgrade or not.  I still have my original deflated pair of original pads from the 990s, so maybe I should try those.
 
These phones are proving amazingly comfortable.  It took me probably a year of wrestling with/bending of the original headband on the old 990s to achieve a truly comfortable fit.  These 880s fit like a glove right out of the box.

 

[jimbob747]

Quote:

I've been trying to decide between DT-880 600 and Sennheiser HD-650s with a Schiit Vahalla amp.  I'm still burning in the Vahalla and have about 25-30 hours on it - and I'm trying to decide what I think about it via a old (circa 1993) pair Beyer DT-990 600 and my trusty Etymotic ER-4s. 
 
I had been all set to pick up a pair of 880s until I ended up with the Vahalla - which, based on the reviews I've read, might prove more tonally similar to the DT-880 600 rather than complimentary, and hence not the best match.  Too bad you can't tube roll with this amp. 
 
Anybody else using recent vintage DT-880 600 with a Schiit Vahalla?  My musical tastes tend toward classical and opera.

I just traded out my valhalla but it does match the DT-880 very well! 
I wouldn't say it brought the midrange forward as much as many other OTLs but the balance, detail and sound-staging are just fantastic.

I should be getting my 3rd pair of HD650s (ridiculous i know) sometime within the next 2 weeks and as my friend has my valhalla now i could probably give you a proper comparison when they arrive.

For now - if you haven't read it: http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/schiit/8.html
It really compares the T1 and HD800... but i find the T1 and DT880 quite similar anyhowww... I obviously can't say the same for the HD650 and HD800 but you get the idea.
 

 

[duetta]

Thanks, Jimbob747.  I've been though every review I could find on the Vahalla & Crack.  I might still order a Crack/Speedball and build it with a friend, just for the hell of it.  I know that I could tube roll with it.  To bad that I heard about the 20% promotion that Bottlehead was running a little too late.

 

[fatal_crest]

hello there,
 
i own a dt880/600 pro version. i consider to recable my dt880, i found this headphone has a little sibilance in some recordings. i'd like to tame it a little (if can), which cable is recommend for my purpose..silver or copper?, i think i'll use cheap cable on these, low budget i consider the bass n midrange improvement. thanks

 

[duetta]

About 60+ hours into burning in my new DT880/600s and its odd how my perceptions of the phones are changing - for the worse.  Right off the bat, when listening to a group of recordings that I consider well done, and that I know well through both my big rig (featuring Apogee Duetta Signatures) and my previous headphone setup (either Beyer DT-990/600 classics or Etymotic ER-4S), the phones sounded terrific - if a trifle hyper-detailed (which, given my comfort with the classic Etymotic sound, was not a big deal).
 
Now, at about 60+ hours in, when listening to more run-of-the-mill orchestral recordings, my impression is of a persistent grayness.  Not sure how much of this is a reflection of the phones accuracy, or a lack of tonal compatibility between the Schiit Vahalla's strengths & DT-880s weaknesses, or of my ultimate preference for a detailed yet slightly more euphonic, forgiving phone (maybe the Sennheiser 650) - given the reality that many 1950s-1990s orchestral recordings are poor-to-average sounding to begin with (too many microphones deployed, too much mixing, etc.). 

 

[DRUB]

Quote:

About 60+ hours into burning in my new DT880/600s and its odd how my perceptions of the phones are changing - for the worse.  Right off the bat, when listening to a group of recordings that I consider well done, and that I know well through both my big rig (featuring Apogee Duetta Signatures) and my previous headphone setup (either Beyer DT-990/600 classics or Etymotic ER-4S), the phones sounded terrific - if a trifle hyper-detailed (which, given my comfort with the classic Etymotic sound, was not a big deal).
 
Now, at about 60+ hours in, when listening to more run-of-the-mill orchestral recordings, my impression is of a persistent grayness.  Not sure how much of this is a reflection of the phones accuracy, or a lack of tonal compatibility between the Schiit Vahalla's strengths & DT-880s weaknesses, or of my ultimate preference for a detailed yet slightly more euphonic, forgiving phone (maybe the Sennheiser 650) - given the reality that many 1950s-1990s orchestral recordings are poor-to-average sounding to begin with (too many microphones deployed, too much mixing, etc.). 

 
Try A/B-ing the exact same recordings with which you found the 880 to be terrific, to figure out if it's the music or if the headphones have changed. I don't really understand what you mean by 'persistent grayness' also - what does that mean frequency-wise?
 
Given that you note the reality of 50s-90s orchestral recordings being poor to begin with, surely this may be a more legitimate reason than 60 hours of burn-in reducing the sonic quality of the 'cans. 
 
Disclaimer: I don't think much of burn-in with regard to affecting sound.
 

 

[rawrster]

It could very well be the recordings. I find that the DT880 are quite nice with good recordings and isn't the most forgiving phones but at the level of the DT880 most phones are not the most forgiving.

 

[duetta]

Probably is the recordings - but it brings up the old dilemma: do you build your system to sound great with a limited number of recordings, or do you build it to sound reasonably satisfying with a much larger universe of recordings. 

 

[Gforce8]

Finally gotten these pair of cans! Enjoying it right out of the box but am still not satisfied till I burn them in fully.. This is also my very first audiophilic cans.. Regarding burn in, may I put them on pink noise for >72hrs consecutively?

 

[skeptic]

Quote:

hello there,
 
i own a dt880/600 pro version. i consider to recable my dt880, i found this headphone has a little sibilance in some recordings. i'd like to tame it a little (if can), which cable is recommend for my purpose..silver or copper?, i think i'll use cheap cable on these, low budget i consider the bass n midrange improvement. thanks

I don't believe that there are any actual measurements anywhere suggesting that one cable or another will actually change the frequency balance of you headphones (i.e. reducing sibilance).  That said - among aftermarket cable advocates, copper is generally believed to be "warmer" sounding.
 

 

[NinjaSquirt]

Delete

 

[DRUB]

Quote:

I don't believe that there are any actual measurements anywhere suggesting that one cable or another will actually change the frequency balance of you headphones (i.e. reducing sibilance).  That said - among aftermarket cable advocates, copper is generally believed to be "warmer" sounding.
 

Love the name 'skeptic' - haha, and yes, Skeptic is correct - measurements on cable effect on FR have shown absolutely miniscule if not no difference in output for the headphones. It may be worth investing in a decent EQ or taming that treble with a VST plugin for Foobar (perhaps just for those recordings) - you will be a lot happier and less poor!
 

 

[irishsammy]

Hey guys.  I'm happy to say that I'm a member of the 880/600 club as of a few weeks ago.  They're Manufaktur, they're visually beautiful (love the black velour pads), and I'm one of the only folks I know with a coiled cable version. 

  I think I've put about 100 hours on the myself now and I got them used so they're pretty much burned in, I think. 
 
Anyway, I read through all 97 pages of the thread and learned all the goodies therein.  It's much appreciated.  And with all the info that has been thrown back and forth about amplification and such, I wanted to mention that personally, I'm running mine out of a Maverick Audio A1 amp here at work (straight out of my laptop's HP jack into the line-in on the amp).  If you guys aren't familiar with it, it's a little hybrid integrated with an all-tube headphone stage and I find that it's a very good match with the 880/600's.  It's got a very smooth sound signature and when it comes to relaxed listening (i.e. non-analytical, non-headbanging), I think it's about perfect.  There's no sibilance, no rough edges (even on so-so recordings), and the head stage is very nice, albeit a tad on the smaller side.
 
I have a Woo WA6-SE at home and with the 880/600's the difference is quite large between the two amps.  The Woo is a fantastic amp with my LCD-2's but I think listening to the Beyers on it vs. the A1 reinforces everything I've read on this thread about an OTL tube amp being preferable for smoothness with the 880/600's.  The Woo is very accurate and has tons of power but it gives these Beyers an "edge" to their sound that isn't to my personal liking as much.  It expands their soundstage and brings the mids out a tad but otherwise, they come off sounding a little drier and more sterile than through my lowly little $250 A1.  Bass in particular seems tighter on the Woo but not as extended which adds to that a bit, I think.  
 
That's about it.  I just wanted to throw the Maverick A1 into the discussion as another very high-quality alternative for budget amplification of these marvelous cans.  Thanks everybody for all the info in the thread so far and happy listening. 

 

 

[captouch]

@irishsammy, does the A1 use IC opamps at the output?  If so, which does it use and can you swap to another opmap if desired?  Just curious.