[pwnzorzz]

Quote:

I've used my DT880 with numerous SS rigs, including some FiiO amps:    E17, E12, E09K and a Matrix M Stage. The M Stage would be the best out of that bunch. Sure, they sound great, but not optimal.
 
The only time I have ever heard the DT880s really shine was with my La Figaro 336C tube amp (disclaimer:  this is the only tube amp I have used with the DT880) and via the headphone jack on an Audiolab M-DAC.

 


Cool. Thanks for the input guys. Keep it coming!

 

[xkonfuzed]

Just jumped onto the bandwagon recently, anybody has a dt880 pro 250ohm paired with an o2+odac?

I've been looking around for items around that price range... Stuff like fiio e7+e9, schiit m&m, etc. but I'm leaning towards the o2+odac. Any comments will be greatly appreciated

I'm actually quite surprised by how good they sound out of a ipod classic 7g (rockboxed) with a c&c bh! I think they are not fulfilling their max potential though... and reading about the recabling is seriously tempting although it would cost quite a lot more to ship it to BTG from Singapore. Maybe after my warranty expires.

Cheers!

 

I used to run my DT880's from a c&c BH to my Galaxy S2, not a fair comparison, I know, but that's all I had. Then I got a Schiit Modi + LittleDot MK2 and a lot of magical things happened to my ears I don't think I'm gonna be upgrading in the next year or so lol.

 

[pwnzorzz]

Quote:

I used to run my DT880's from a c&c BH to my Galaxy S2, not a fair comparison, I know, but that's all I had. Then I got a Schiit Modi + LittleDot MK2 and a lot of magical things happened to my ears

I don't think I'm gonna be upgrading in the next year or so lol.

 
Seems like most people like the dt880 with a tube amp...

 

[TrollDragon]

Seems like most people like the dt880 with a tube amp...

I run mine from a E17/E09K combo, a nice little setup with portable functionality to boot. The LD MK IV just arrived from HK so I am going to connect it to the Line Out of the E09K and still use the E17 as a DAC.

 

[pwnzorzz]

Quote:

I run mine from a E17/E09K combo, a nice little setup with portable functionality to boot. The LD MK IV just arrived from HK so I am going to connect it to the Line Out of the E09K and still use the E17 as a DAC.

 
So how did the E17/E09K combo do for you?
I did get to try that combo with a dt880 at a shop, wasn't too shabby, but I'll have a go at the o2+odac as well to see which is better...

 

[MrEleventy]

Oh yeah, forgot I had the e17 too. Lol. I've tried it as a dac/amp & dac+o2. I liked the dac+o2 better. Aune T1 + o2, even better. Any tubes in the chain helps take some of the digital harshness out of my computer source. Still haven't tried t1 with magni yet. Will give that a try Monday.

 

[serbia]

Hi everyone

Thanks to the kind advice from all on here picked up 880 pro 250 plus magni modi combo.

Works great for pure listening I.e anything played in iTunes, but I'm just not getting power when using Ableton. E.g master out on Ableton is at 0, but volume/gain on the DAC is at max. Obviously I can get more volume by turning up master In Ableton but I bought this set up for mixing, and master of course needs to be at 0 during mix down.

Any thoughts appreciated. Just to contrast my hd25s plugged directly in to mac with no amp/DAC are louder when using Ableton than 880s with both.

Thanks

Aaron

 

[Dillweed]

Hey, people. Just a query for you, if you can help me. I've had my DT880s (250 ohm) for a little over a year and a half, and in that time I've noticed a few things I don't like about the sound: the lack of front-rear depth and mainly just left-to-right positioning/imaging, the mids sounding slightly pushed back/recessed, and the slightly harsh/bright/sibilant/whatever highs. I have mainly been using them for games and movies, and they've been kind of disappointing for those purposes.
 
I'm running them from my PC's Titanium HD's RCAs to a Lovely Cube, and I've switched in and out several op amps trying to get the sound I'm looking for without much luck. I've managed to smooth out the sound to a point where they're pleasing for music, and I've tried them on a couple of other setups to see how the sound changes, but they still lack that depth and proper imaging I'm trying to get for their main uses.
 
So, what I'm wondering is, is it at all possible to get the change in three-dimensionality/positioning I'm trying to get out of these headphones, or am I basically SOL and I'll likely have to look for an upgrade or at least a complementary set?

 

[Argyris]

To address your concerns specifically:
 
-There's a limit on how much depth any headphone's soundstage is going to give you, since the two stereo channels are isolated and cannot interact the way they do with speakers. However, if you feel that the DT880 is deficient in this regard even in comparison to other headphones you've heard, then that's different. I'm not sure there's anything you can do to fundamentally alter the presentation of any headphone, though of course there are those who feel that different amps and DACs can have at least some effect here.
 
-The harshness you hear is intrinsic to the tuning of the headphone and is chiefly caused by a spike in the 5-6 kHz region. This is the main flaw in the DT880's tuning, IMO, and can only be truly eliminated by using EQ. Amp and DAC selection isn't going to remove a narrow, high-Q spike like that, though it might have a broad effect on the overall balance of the headphone that helps mask the effects of this spike.
 
-Imaging is a little puzzling, since I've always been quite impressed with the DT880's ability here, save for a very slight difficulty they seem to have in creating a center image. The only thing I can think of is that your particular pair has poor driver matching in the upper end. Good imaging requires well-matched, smoothly extended treble, or else positional cues get smeared and imaging suffers.
 
-As far as the recessed mids, I think it all comes down to personal preference. I've never felt the mids were deficient, and I highly doubt our DT880s are fundamentally different in this regard, so we're listening to the same headphone essentially and drawing different conclusions. This is a normal part of the hobby, and I'm not going to tell you that you're wrong. 

 Rather, I think it's possible you might prefer a different balance, with more forward midrange and a bit less treble than the DT880 provides. You might want to look at something like the Sennheiser HD600.

 

[Dillweed]

Alright. I think you're kind of confirming what I was guessing at.
 
As far as the depth is concerned, it may be that my ears just aren't a great fit for the driver orientation or something, I'm not sure, but the HD555s I had before this seemed to do a (very slightly) better job at producing the front/front-center and rear depth cues. The DT880s can place sounds wider apart, though, so it probably does distant sounds to the left and right better. And maybe you're right and I just have a dud as far as the ability to image is concerned. I don't have the technical expertise to check something like that, so I'm pretty much stuck with my experiences and the fact that my ears and the DT880 don't seem like a great match. It sucks I guess, but what can you do besides move on and try something else?
 
Thanks for the feedback in any case, Argyris.

 

[TrollDragon]

Quote:

 
So how did the E17/E09K combo do for you?
I did get to try that combo with a dt880 at a shop, wasn't too shabby, but I'll have a go at the o2+odac as well to see which is better...

I had won the E17 in a contest so the E09K was the choice at the time for an inexpensive amplifier,
I had ordered in the Audioengine D1 after be told by Audioengine Support that it would drive the Pro's, what they didn't tell me was you had to have the volume control at 90% to get a decent level of sound out of it. Needless to say after hooking up the D1 and finding this out, it was promptly boxed back up and sent back to B&H for an exchange with the E09K. The FiiO combo is a great little unit with plenty of power to drive most headphones and the E17 is a great portable IMHO, but I would give the O2/ODAC combo a run as it gets great reviews here.
FiiO products seem to have this cheapness about them that does not rate to high with the graph listeners. 

 

[Leonarfd]

Ofcourse this is an quite expensive dac/amp combo but. I use my dt880 250ohm with the stock version of Asus Xonar Essence One(Price is the same as to import magni/modi in norway), also tried with the muses opams that actually made the dt880 to trebly but gave more depth. So I prefered the stock and could shave off alot.$. It did give me better imaging than when I used o2+stx as dac or sabremediy. The trebble spike I have never had any problem with and find the overall sound of the dt880 engaging and smooth.

You might be better off with another headphone like the hd600/650, darker and less fatiguing but more mids so more engaging on some genres. Im in love with the dt880 so im going to get the t1 next year after xmas. More sound like the dt880 but better overall for just around twice the cost of a dt880/hd650/q701(this is in norway). But is the the imaging part you highest priority as you are gaming?

 

[Dillweed]

Sorry if you aren't, but I'm assuming you're addressing me for the gaming bit at least. Yeah, imaging or the ability to emulate a three-dimensional space (or whatever you want to call it), and a "natural" sound to my ears are pretty much the top priorities for me. So, while I'm perfectly fine with how music sounds with my DT880s through the Lovely Cube with the stock op amp switched out for an OPA627BP, for example, they don't really do enough for me for everything else (which is the majority of their use).

 

[Leonarfd]

Yeah it was for you, was writing on the mobile in morning and quoting is not a good function for some reason. I reccomend the akg701/702 for competive gaming as it does a better job with the 360 degree imaging and the depth. But tbh I prefer the dt880 due to better bass as I like some fun while gaming, the k702 anni adresses this but costs way to much here in norway. Mad Lust envy guide is good to use for this though we all hear different so not all the information is the same for all. Im the other way I listen more to music than gaming so that is my priority, and atm I got good enough collection that im sattisfied with. But for me its clear that i prefer the dt880 and Mad Dog for gaming, and for music it is mostly the same but the hd600 sometimes aswell together with bozzanova or nu jazz.

 

[pwnzorzz]

Quote:

I had won the E17 in a contest so the E09K was the choice at the time for an inexpensive amplifier,
I had ordered in the Audioengine D1 after be told by Audioengine Support that it would drive the Pro's, what they didn't tell me was you had to have the volume control at 90% to get a decent level of sound out of it. Needless to say after hooking up the D1 and finding this out, it was promptly boxed back up and sent back to B&H for an exchange with the E09K. The FiiO combo is a great little unit with plenty of power to drive most headphones and the E17 is a great portable IMHO, but I would give the O2/ODAC combo a run as it gets great reviews here.
FiiO products seem to have this cheapness about them that does not rate to high with the graph listeners. 

 
Got an o2+odac to run with the dt880s.
I'm liking what I hear