[Makiah S]

Quote:

 
Both quantity and quality. W1000X is indeed too much if your frame of reference is something like DT880... DT990... but it's not really that much more than D7000 or TH900. And I have heard something with far more (read: significantly more pronounced) bass than W1000X. Imagine that.

 
Also got to hear wolfetan's cocobolo DT880. It was... interesting to look at. Though I could only detect a slight hint of warmth. It seems like the semi-open design of the DT880 negates much of the benefits of the wood. I'm kinda wondering how it would sound fully closed... (with small openings along the edges as bass ports, not unlike the W1000X)
 
I heard the ATH-AD2000X recently. I think... that one would fit you to a tee.

More treble, more open, bigger soundstage than W1000X. Clearer midrange as well. With bass that's just there and not too intrusive at all. It was like Audio Technica took a HD800 and made the midrange more prominent.

But the ATH AD2000x is OPEN. I LOVE byer for Open cans they are AWESOME
So I like Byer for opened and ATH for closed, 
 
In addition I to have heard something with far more bass than a w1000x, it's called a Sony Xb700... let's not talk about that xD Non the less, the Dt 770 would have to much bess and less mid range which is a NO NO, for a closed can. At the very least the Ath A900x should have the bass of the k550 WITH this mids that ATH is know for. So it should be the WIN WIN, I'm looking for. In addition it is said to have less bass than the w1000x, not to mention they cost me $93 :O [eat that Agk K550] that being said. The Ath a900x arrives in like 3 days. 
 
But yea, the Dt 770 is not that great from what I hear, ppl are enjoying the Ath a700x :O more than a dt 770, so once again the Ath a 900x looks like a WINNER, and yes the w1000x sounds CLOSED compared to a Dt 990. Did i mention to that my w1000x has been MODDED, so it's got much tighter bass than nrml, which is still less than the Dt 990 [btw check out my dt 990 review on my blog and here on head fi]
 
Anyways, if they Ath a900x has to much bass for me [which I doubt it will be more than the w1000x, which is good to hear] I can order some A1000 pads for them which tighten the sound stage! They cost $60 which for me is perfectly acceptable.
 
Anyways, I belive that the Ath A900x will be a winner for me [although the fit on the K550 was perfectly fine imo] I hope the Ath a900x fits as easily as the AKG K550 and the w1000x. although If i need to I WILL rubberband the ATH wings, as they are only $93 dollars. 
 
So anyhow, glad I tried em would have sucked to bought them. And who knows, I might find that school is quiet enough for me to use the dt 880 pros again as well! [cuz I am BUYING THEM BACK, in September <3] 

 

[Bill-P]

If you want a pair of closed headphone to beat the W1000X, be patient and wait for the closed-back Audeze.

 
Anyway, I'll return the thread to the DT880 after that remark.
 
When I finally got to try the DT880 600 Ohm again at 4th CAS (special thanks to shane55), midrange sounded obviously recessed to me. And I had a hard time detecting the "heft" inside vocals. I mean... there wasn't much midrange presence at all, even though the rest of the sound was very very nice.
 
Funny... because when I used to own the DT880 600, I thought they had just the right midrange, and some people told me that my DT880 600 lacked midrange. And now I'm... "hearing" that for some reason.
 
And it wasn't even like I compared them to the W1000X and ES10. I compared that DT880 to the D7000 and the HD800.

 

[Makiah S]

Quote:

If you want a pair of closed headphone to beat the W1000X, be patient and wait for the closed-back Audeze.

 
Anyway, I'll return the thread to the DT880 after that remark.
 
When I finally got to try the DT880 600 Ohm again at 4th CAS (special thanks to shane55), midrange sounded obviously recessed to me. And I had a hard time detecting the "heft" inside vocals. I mean... there wasn't much midrange presence at all, even though the rest of the sound was very very nice.
 
Funny... because when I used to own the DT880 600, I thought they had just the right midrange, and some people told me that my DT880 600 lacked midrange. And now I'm... "hearing" that for some reason.
 
And it wasn't even like I compared them to the W1000X and ES10. I compared that DT880 to the D7000 and the HD800.

You do know I love the Dt 880 right, the whole reason I own the w1000x is because of the Dt 880, and when comparing the Dt 880 Pro 250 ohm to the w1000x, out of the same amp. I really felt the dt 880 pro 250 had the better lower mids, still upper an central mids where best on the Ath
 
Still I'm looking forward to getting my Dt 880s back in September any one try them with a Jds C5 yet? The Amp I'm getting 100%,but I'm hoping the new iBasso Dx50 will be a little tighter in sound than my old Hifiman Hm 601 one... I loved my Hm 601 cMoy combo with the Dt 880 pro 250's so I'm hoping an iBasso C5 combo will get me closer to the sound of my oDac Matrix Dt 880 250ohm combo. 
 
Oh and I forgot to mention, I do enjoy the Delicate nature of the 880s mids, for... Classical Duets, the Dt 880 was better by far than the w1000x, the Dt 880 was not as warm but had a softer more delicate warmth and push that was really wonderful for Classical Duets [Cello Piano for example] although with big orchestral stuff, the delicate warmth was not enough xD 

 

[Bill-P]

Well, I haven't even seen the C5 in person.
 
But I did try the DT880 (250 ohm) out of its older brother, the C421 (AD8620), and I thought the pairing was lacking compared to JDS Labs O2.
 
It just didn't really sound... transparent? Maybe the C5 fixed that, but I've also read people say that C5 is closer to C421 (OPA2227), and from my experience, C421 (OPA2227) is even less transparent than C421 (AD8620).

 

[xkonfuzed]

You guys need to stop making me hate my DT880's now.

 

[shane55]

Quote:

You guys need to stop making me hate my DT880's now.

 
I hear ya bro.
 
I'll probably... eventually sell them. I've been only listening to closed back cans for a while, and these will eventually be replaced by the Alpha dogs, Audeze closed-back, or something similar.
I'm just finding it harder and harder to tolerate intruding sounds... regardless of how I feel about the DT880 sound.
 
(and thanks for the shout BillP)

 

 

[devhen]

Regarding whether or not the DT880 has what you might call "recessed mids",
 
I have the HD600 and DT880 and the main difference between them besides the stronger treble on the DT880s is the mids. The mids are more forward on the HD600 and more recessed on the DT880. But I've never had a problem with feeling like the mids were too recessed on the DT880. To the contrary, there have been several times when I've felt that the HD600's mids were too forward, making vocals up-front even when the recording doesn't necessarily call for it. The detail and quality of the mids are better on the HD600 but I would be hesitant to say that the mids are more neutral than on the DT880. I really don't notice any recession to the mids on the DT880 except in direct comparison to the HD600. To me they sound quite neutral. On tracks where the vocals are emphasized and up-front the DT880 renders them as such, while at the same time letting vocals and other mids fade into the background if the track was recorded that way. With the HD600 it sometimes feels like vocals and mids are taking center stage when they shouldn't be.
 
Having said that, I think the HD600 has slightly more resolution and detail overall but the DT880 are very good cans indeed and I don't feel like their mids are overly recessed, if recessed at all. I guess the last few inches come down to what your preference is and what you're used to. There's also likely slight differences in sound signature from one DT880 to the next because of standard driver variance.

 

[xkonfuzed]

I wouldn't say the DT880's have recessed mids, they're rather neutral. But when you A/B it with an HD600, the mids definitely don't stand out like with the 600's, especially with male vocalists. However, i still regard the DT880's midrange as smooth and nice, its exactly where it should be to me. Of course, thats when its paired with a tube amp. 

 

[Argyris]

Quote:

I wouldn't say the DT880's have recessed mids, they're rather neutral. But when you A/B it with an HD600, the mids definitely don't stand out like with the 600's, especially with male vocalists. However, i still regard the DT880's midrange as smooth and nice, its exactly where it should be to me. Of course, thats when its paired with a tube amp. 

 
I agree. I think what most people perceive as "recessed mids" is actually a result of the forward treble of the DT880. The mids are certainly not pushed forward, but I wouldn't say they're recessed, either. The treble tends to catch the upper harmonics of the midrange and this gives the mids an overall thinner presentation. The mids themselves aren't actually notched or welled in any way. I think it's honestly a case of people describing the same thing but in different words.
 
I think it could also be that a lot of people just prefer forward mids--no problem with that. And a lot of people might not like strong treble. Again, no problem there.
 
EDIT: As an experiment, try EQ'ing the treble down on the DT880 and see if the mids don't suddenly seem more prominent. It really does make a difference.

 

[Chris J]

Quote:

 
Naw, don't worry about it. I'm glad somebody's here to sort this stuff out. It's better that the right information is given, even if it's just setting the terminology straight. I'll make sure I remember this distinction for the future.

 
My excuse is "I do this for the benefit of all mankind"!  

 

[Chris J]

Quote:

I wouldn't say the DT880's have recessed mids, they're rather neutral. But when you A/B it with an HD600, the mids definitely don't stand out like with the 600's, especially with male vocalists. However, i still regard the DT880's midrange as smooth and nice, its exactly where it should be to me. Of course, thats when its paired with a tube amp. 

 
I have a few amps that have no trouble driving my 600 Ohm '880s to insane volumes, but IMHO my tube amp sounds best with '880s. 

 

[Bill-P]

Quote:

I hear ya bro.
 
I'll probably... eventually sell them. I've been only listening to closed back cans for a while, and these will eventually be replaced by the Alpha dogs, Audeze closed-back, or something similar.
I'm just finding it harder and harder to tolerate intruding sounds... regardless of how I feel about the DT880 sound.
 
(and thanks for the shout BillP)

 
Hey.
 
Sorry, I didn't mean to "tear" your DT880 apart.
 
I've admittedly discovered myself to be a midrange-head as well, so that may have had an effect on my perception of the DT880.
 
I'm just recalling people's comments a while back. Back then, I didn't really know what they meant, and now it's funny that I kind of get the same thing.
 
Quote:

I agree. I think what most people perceive as "recessed mids" is actually a result of the forward treble of the DT880. The mids are certainly not pushed forward, but I wouldn't say they're recessed, either. The treble tends to catch the upper harmonics of the midrange and this gives the mids an overall thinner presentation. The mids themselves aren't actually notched or welled in any way. I think it's honestly a case of people describing the same thing but in different words.
 
I think it could also be that a lot of people just prefer forward mids--no problem with that. And a lot of people might not like strong treble. Again, no problem there.
 
EDIT: As an experiment, try EQ'ing the treble down on the DT880 and see if the mids don't suddenly seem more prominent. It really does make a difference.

 
I think you may be on to something here.
 
I'm admittedly a midrange-head, so my perception may be skewered.
 
Also you're right about one thing: I can't stand overly bright treble. The HD800 is the kiss of death for me.
 
Funny that I was never bothered by the DT880's treble at all. And I still wasn't bothered when I had the chance to hear them again. But the HD800 didn't get any better to me even after months later... except out of the HDVD 800 amplifier that Sennheiser made specifically for it. 

 

[cdbob]

I got my pair in today, and without an amp I was forced to use my cheap $150 mixing board. 
 
It's the first time I've ever had to fully max out that board to get normal listening levels. 
 
I know they sound different than when they're properly amped, but man are these things neutral. It's great!

 

[Makiah S]

honestly I prefer the move forward mid on my ATH in some instances then I do the more neutral ones from the beyer. but I find that for classical the beyers are by far better than the mid forward ath. the cello sounds best on the more delicate n neutral mids of the buyer DT Open Series.

 

[pp312]

Quote:

Quote:

I wouldn't say the DT880's have recessed mids, they're rather neutral. But when you A/B it with an HD600, the mids definitely don't stand out like with the 600's, especially with male vocalists. However, i still regard the DT880's midrange as smooth and nice, its exactly where it should be to me. Of course, thats when its paired with a tube amp. 

 
I have a few amps that have no trouble driving my 600 Ohm '880s to insane volumes, but IMHO my tube amp sounds best with '880s. 

 
 
No doubt, but I wouldn't restrict the choice to tube amps. I've just recently changed from the veteran Marantz SR4200 HT receiver I was using, which till then was the best I'd heard with my DT880 Pro, to a new Marantz SR4023 stereo receiver, and it's the first time I've wanted to listen to the Pros completely flat, with no treble reduction at all. I'm no expert on tube amps, but I imagine the 4023 has a very similar balance--creamy smooth with a quite full low end but no overall loss of detail. For those who don't want the hassle of tube amps--and they can be a hassle in many ways--this Marantz receiver, and perhaps others in the Marantz line, could be a possible alternative. Plus of course you get the convenience of electronic volume, remote switching etc.