[HaVoC-28]

Quote:

 
I would have to concur here based on my experience. Not that my equipment is the best by any stretch, but the Auditor and Audiolab 8200CD combination I use has really taken the 880s up a noticeable notch in sound quality and musical experience bang for the buck. I was considering investing in the T1, but opted to upgrade my amp and source and I'm sure doing so has provided me far more sound quality improvement than had I used my previous amp and source with a T1. Of course, that is speculation as I never did get to try the T1 in that set-up.

 
Hum , i don't know wich amp or source you used before , but on a cheaper setup (for amp at least) when i had DT-880-600 and T1 , T1 was clearly ahead , and i am not so sure that a DT-880-600 with a better system would sound much better than a T1 on a cheaper one .
 
Headphone is what matter most IMO .

 

[Sonic Defender]

Normally, I would agree with you, but all things are the sum of the parts and in this case, the two upgrades from Valhalla > Auditor and from Rega Apollo > Audiolab 8200CD made a very big difference. I took my previous set-up to a meet here in Ottawa and heard a T1 through it, really not much of an improvement over the 880 (based on limited listening time), in fact I thought the treble on the 880 was nicer. So now with the new source and amp I am fairly confident that these components sum up to a bigger sound improvement than the T1 would have. Of course, adding the T1 with my new components may be a step forward, and when I borrow my friends T1 I'll know for sure. I would be shocked if the T1 really offers enough sonic improvement over the 880 to justify the extra cost, and that seems to be a very often asked/debated point around here.

 

[HaVoC-28]

Quote:

Normally, I would agree with you, but all things are the sum of the parts and in this case, the two upgrades from Valhalla > Auditor and from Rega Apollo > Audiolab 8200CD made a very big difference. I took my previous set-up to a meet here in Ottawa and heard a T1 through it, really not much of an improvement over the 880 (based on limited listening time), in fact I thought the treble on the 880 was nicer. So now with the new source and amp I am fairly confident that these components sum up to a bigger sound improvement than the T1 would have. Of course, adding the T1 with my new components may be a step forward, and when I borrow my friends T1 I'll know for sure. I would be shocked if the T1 really offers enough sonic improvement over the 880 to justify the extra cost, and that seems to be a very often asked/debated point around here.

 
Hum , soo you upgraded both CD player and Amp , everything at same time or amp first , CD player first ? And which give you the bigger improvement ?
 
For the Amp i agree that it help a lot , it was a noticeable upgrade going from a C2.1 (Audio GD) to Auditor , if i had kept my DT-880-600 it would have improved too , but as T1 i think (though , DT-880-600 is a bit harder to drive) , on C2.1 T1 was clearly a better can IMO . 
 
In the source part i have to confess , that beetween ODAC , NFB-2 / NFB-17.2 (Audio GD) or a Pioneer DVD Player , after level matching i can't hear any difference beetween them . Peraphs an even beter source is needed , but i am not ready to spend money on something that i peraphs will not hear any difference , we all hear differently and peraphs i am not sensitive to jitter or what ever , just telling what i hear , and it's not so bad , i can save money like that

.
 
If you can try T1 on your setup just let do it ,only you can judge if the gape is ok for the money or not , some even prefer DT-880/600 to T1 , some times i would like to try DT-880/600 on Auditor ...
 
Well happy listening ^^ 

 

[Sonic Defender]

The Amp and CD player upgrade were within a few weeks of each other with the Auditor coming first. Just the addition of the Auditor made a difference for certain, and while I suspect jitter is a tiny factor, the DAC in the Audiolab  8200 is quite good as is the analogue output stage so the improvements from the 8200 were additive with the Auditor. I must add that the Auditor has really brought my HD 650s alive as well, taken some of the kind-of flabby bass from before and tightened it up and added more tonal nuances as far as I can tell. So yes, I can't imagine how the T1 alone with my old chain could have possibly been as beneficial to the sound quality as the two upgrades with the 880s.
 
I am considering upgrading to the Fostex TH900 for my next move, but that will be at least a year away and hopefully by then some used units appear here in the For Sale Forum.

 

[derbigpr]

Quote:

I really enjoyed my 600ohm 880s on the Graham Slee NOVO, it was a really engaging sound so I can only imagine the Solo would be as good, if not somewhat better of a match.

 
 
 
I see a lot of people recommending the Graham amps, but according to specs, they can output 30/40 mW per channel into 600 Ohms. Isn't that a little too weak? I though DT880's need at least 100 mW (that's what the manufacturer recommends). My LD Mk5 can output much more than 40 mW into 600 Ohms, and the DT880's really sound dull, shrill and underpowered with it.  I think the best solution would be something like Rotel RA-12. An excellent integrated speaker amps with great DAC and amazing headphone output. I haven't personally heard it, but it was recommended to me by the hi-fi guy (he heard it with HD800's) in the store where I bought the Onkyo. However, it comes at almost three times the price.

 

[derbigpr]

Today I bought a pair of Kef Q300 speakers (after weeks of auditioning loads of different speakers) that I think sound pretty similar to Beyers in terms of sound signature. Its actually interesting to compare them while listening to music.  They've very similar, DT880's obviously have a higher level of clarity and resolution, and details are more obvious at low volume levels-, the only drawback is the sound feels small and too near me, and sort of behind my head, while the Kef's make a very nice surreal, very deep soundstage. Thats very obvious on something like Patricia Barber - Beat goes on from Companion live album. The claps you hear in the background seem to be coming from behind me on the Beyers, and very close to my head, while on the Kef's they come from very far away. Its almost creepy how realistic the soundstage seems to be at certain moments, it literally feels like my walls in the room disappear and there's that big space in front of me. Its one of the reasons why I chose the Kef's, I think they throw a better soundstage than much bigger and more expensive speakers I've heard, and weirdly, better than Q500, Q700 and Q900 floorstanders from the same line of speakers.

 

[Chris J]

Quote:

 
I would have to concur here based on my experience. Not that my equipment is the best by any stretch, but the Auditor and Audiolab 8200CD combination I use has really taken the 880s up a noticeable notch in sound quality and musical experience bang for the buck. I was considering investing in the T1, but opted to upgrade my amp and source and I'm sure doing so has provided me far more sound quality improvement than had I used my previous amp and source with a T1. Of course, that is speculation as I never did get to try the T1 in that set-up.

 
Nice reading about your 8200CD experience. Have you tried the 8200CD headphone jack?
 
When I bought my DT880s I auditioned them via an 8200CD at the store.
I thought they sounded excellent on that CD player.
My Matrix M Stage (the SS amp I have at home) was nowhere near as good as the Audiolab's headphone jack.

 

[Chris J]

Quote:

 
 
 
I see a lot of people recommending the Graham amps, but according to specs, they can output 30/40 mW per channel into 600 Ohms. Isn't that a little too weak? I though DT880's need at least 100 mW (that's what the manufacturer recommends). My LD Mk5 can output much more than 40 mW into 600 Ohms, and the DT880's really sound dull, shrill and underpowered with it.  I think the best solution would be something like Rotel RA-12. An excellent integrated speaker amps with great DAC and amazing headphone output. I haven't personally heard it, but it was recommended to me by the hi-fi guy (he heard it with HD800's) in the store where I bought the Onkyo. However, it comes at almost three times the price.

 
I think the manufacturer is stating that 100 mW is the maximum power limit for the DT880s.
10 mW is approx. 105 SPL into a pair of DT880s, assuming we can trust the manufacturer's spec.

 

[czedipy]

I have myself a pair of these headphones, and they've recently been giving me a lot of pain. I power mine through the 332, and after upgrading the power tube I started having ear pain and headaches. I swapped the tubes back, but the problems persist.
 
The symptoms onset quickly; within ten minutes of listening to music, I'll start feeling sharp pressure piercing into my eardrums, and after thirty minutes my ears begin to ache -- longer listening sessions result in the ache worsening and the development of a headache. I haven't owned the dt880s for too long, but they didn't give me any issues until now.
 
It might be important to note that shortly after acquiring them, one of the drivers went bust and required repair. I got them back not long before the ear pain started.
 
I've already tried neutering the treble peaks, which provided no relief. I don't listen to them very loudly -- around 40-60 db, as my meter says. Lowering the volume does seem to delay the symptoms, but not by much. I took a vacation from the 880s, and two weeks later, they hurt just as much as ever. I haven't had any similar problems in the past; I can comfortably listen to dangerously high volumes for any amount of time on my other, lesser headphones.
 
If anyone who has had a similar experience, or in any case, can share some direction, I'd really appreciate it.
 

 

[Chris J]

Quote:

I have myself a pair of these headphones, and they've recently been giving me a lot of pain. I power mine through the 332, and after upgrading the power tube I started having ear pain and headaches. I swapped the tubes back, but the problems persist.
 
The symptoms onset quickly; within ten minutes of listening to music, I'll start feeling sharp pressure piercing into my eardrums, and after thirty minutes my ears begin to ache -- longer listening sessions result in the ache worsening and the development of a headache. I haven't owned the dt880s for too long, but they didn't give me any issues until now.
 
It might be important to note that shortly after acquiring them, one of the drivers went bust and required repair. I got them back not long before the ear pain started.
 
I've already tried neutering the treble peaks, which provided no relief. I don't listen to them very loudly -- around 40-60 db, as my meter says. Lowering the volume does seem to delay the symptoms, but not by much. I took a vacation from the 880s, and two weeks later, they hurt just as much as ever. I haven't had any similar problems in the past; I can comfortably listen to dangerously high volumes for any amount of time on my other, lesser headphones.
 
If anyone who has had a similar experience, or in any case, can share some direction, I'd really appreciate it.
 

 
Very strange, I don't have any problems with any headphones I use, even my most trebly headphones:  my Q701s and Sennheiser HD424s.

 

[bixby]

Quote:

I have myself a pair of these headphones, and they've recently been giving me a lot of pain. I power mine through the 332, and after upgrading the power tube I started having ear pain and headaches. I swapped the tubes back, but the problems persist.
 
The symptoms onset quickly; within ten minutes of listening to music, I'll start feeling sharp pressure piercing into my eardrums, and after thirty minutes my ears begin to ache -- longer listening sessions result in the ache worsening and the development of a headache. I haven't owned the dt880s for too long, but they didn't give me any issues until now.
 
It might be important to note that shortly after acquiring them, one of the drivers went bust and required repair. I got them back not long before the ear pain started.
 
I've already tried neutering the treble peaks, which provided no relief. I don't listen to them very loudly -- around 40-60 db, as my meter says. Lowering the volume does seem to delay the symptoms, but not by much. I took a vacation from the 880s, and two weeks later, they hurt just as much as ever. I haven't had any similar problems in the past; I can comfortably listen to dangerously high volumes for any amount of time on my other, lesser headphones.
 
If anyone who has had a similar experience, or in any case, can share some direction, I'd really appreciate it.
 

what is the 332 you are referring to, and how could meters somewhere measure how many decibels is being presented to your ears or are you using a sound pressure meter pressed against an open cup?  Are you using any eq,?  Could any of your sources be passing a large amount of dc that the amp is reproducing at the headphones?  Not sure but you may wish to see if there is a method to measure for dc at the headphone output of the amp.

 

[Chris J]

Quote:

what is the 332 you are referring to, and how could meters somewhere measure how many decibels is being presented to your ears or are you using a sound pressure meter pressed against an open cup?  Are you using any eq,?  Could any of your sources be passing a large amount of dc that the amp is reproducing at the headphones?  Not sure but you may wish to see if there is a method to measure for dc at the headphone output of the amp.

 
Czedipy:
 
Check to see if there is some DC offset on the output of your source.
If you are using a 332 I do not think you will see any DC offset on the output of the 332 as I understand that the 332 uses coupling capacitors on the output to block DC.
 
OTOH, the 332 may or may not have a capacitor on the input to block DC, and if DC is present on the input it will change the bias points of the input tubes.
 
Maybe you just don't like closed and semi closed headphone.
Do you own any closed (sealed) headphones?

 

[Jorge3]

I own AKG K271 & Sony MDR-7506 (along with KRK VXT6) for music production, all connected to Mackie Big Knob. I plan to purchase DT880 600 ohms as a step-up. A couple of questions:
 
1. Big Knob's headphone out impedance is 150. Can this adequately drive 600 ohms cans? (How should I calculate the compatibility?)
 
2. Reportedly the lower ohms versions have harsh highs & weak lows. How does the 600 ohms version compare to (say) AKG K701 & Sennheiser HD800 in terms of flatness/accuracy?
 

 

 

[derbigpr]

Quote:

I own AKG K271 & Sony MDR-7506 (along with KRK VXT6) for music production, all connected to Mackie Big Knob. I plan to purchase DT880 600 ohms as a step-up. A couple of questions:
 
1. Big Knob's headphone out impedance is 150. Can this adequately drive 600 ohms cans? (How should I calculate the compatibility?)
 
2. Reportedly the lower ohms versions have harsh highs & weak lows. How does the 600 ohms version compare to (say) AKG K701 & Sennheiser HD800 in terms of flatness/accuracy?
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
Your 150 ohm output impedance much more suits the 600 ohm headphone than some low impedance ones like you have now, so there should be no problems. DT880's work good out of any stereo receiver or speaker amp headphone output I've tried them with, so they should work fine.
They are more neutral and flat than K701's. 

 

[zeinharis]

Does anyone have tried the iBasso PB2 to drive dt880/600?
 
http://www.headfonia.com/ibasso-pb-2-first-impression/