The Beyerdynamic DT880 Discussion thread

[Sonic Atrocity]

Uhh, I just ordered a pair from someone on here who got them from someone else (and they don't know how long that someone else had them before them). I have received them (they are at my parents place a couple towns over), but now I'm worried they will have a channel imbalance, and that maybe that's the reason the first and second owners didn't want them. 
 
 
Awwwwwww crap. Honestly, that will be a real piss off if it's true.

 

[cute]

 

   
Mine were off by 50 ohms, could definitely hear that.  Replaced to a driver match of 3 ohms diff from Pete at Beyer.....good now.  Ten should be within their tolerance +/- !

Was this on new cans or something that changed over time?
It was good that beyerdynamic looked after them, did they replace them no charge?

 
Bought them from another headfier here.....$66 charge to replace a driver that went bad, but the first replacement was 651 ohms.....Pete sent another at 608 ohms, that matched the other at 611 ohms, no charge to get them to match existing.  So, driver mismatches exist in Beyers replacement stock and they don't check before they send them out.

 

[Sonic Atrocity]

Great. I did some reading elsewhere and this seems to be a big problem. Fantastic. How did I not come across this flaw in my research? Kinda wish I didn't order them now. 
 
Maybe I should have gone with the Mad Dogs.

 

[Argyris]

If you're worried just because of the above posts, I wouldn't get too worked up. The older Beyers generally have excellent channel matching (better, in fact, than some specimens of the newer models). There are always going to be exceptions, of course, but until this topic rolled around in this thread, I've never personally heard of it happening with a DT880.
 
I would say that if your pair has changed hands a few times, it's likely because people have moved on and/or the DT880 just wasn't its former owners' cup of tea. Lots of people bang on about wanting neutral, only to find that they're actually looking for a particular sonic flavor.* Bright-leaning neutral isn't a very popular signature anymore, probably because a lot of higher end headphones from the 80s and 90s were tuned that way and people just got burned out on it.
 
*Unfortunately, many of them then go on to claim that their preferred signature is neutral or "natural" and that the genuinely neutral headphones they've tried don't sound right. Nobody seems to want to admit that, yes, they like colored sound.

 

[Sonic Atrocity]

Well, thanks again for your post. Very much appreciated. Indeed, I really do want a neutral sound - even if I don't like it. I seek the truth in my sound (sonic epistemology?!). 
 
I wonder when my DT880 was produced. Seriously, if it turns out not to match I guess I could contact Beyer, but even though it worked out for Cute I worry I will end up needing to spend more money - and I really can't afford to do that. Don't get me wrong. I'm not impoverished by any means. I'm just a broke student haha. 
 
Ugh... I LOVE music and I love audio, but sometimes this stuff gets a little ridiculous. Take my DAP journey for example. I hate the iPod. I want a neutral sound. I got a clip+ (rockboxed). The jack failed. I assumed it was just defective. I bought a new one. The jack failed. I did research about it. I got it soldered (at a shop here in Toronto) and it was fine. Then I lost it, and got another. The jack failed. I then grabbed a clip zip for the gym (and was getting ready to solder the last player and then the clip zip if the jack on it broke too). So far the clip zip has remained intact - I can't believe it. 
 
Also, it was annoying to have to rockbox in order to get a proper playback speed and pitch going. Unless you want to drop fat dollars in this scene it doesn't seem you can get anywhere.

 

[Argyris]

I found the Clip Zip's native firmware to be worse than useless. It repeatedly and randomly crashed and I couldn't work out why. I Rockboxed it and, lo and behold, after that it worked without a single crash, even on a (then) beta release. Amazing! 

 
I wouldn't say you always have to spend a lot of money to get good sound. It takes a bit of separating the wheat from the chaff, and perhaps some realistic expectations about how much better a given component can really be, but there are plenty of options that won't break the bank. Sometimes you even luck out and find you've got everything you need on hand. For instance, the headphone amp in my mixer does a great job with my DT880. I try not to get too hung up on the name on the box or the lack of Head-Fi-type prestige, if that's the case. I just listen and judge for myself. To quote a dearly departed friend of Head-Fi, obobskivich, "If it sounds good, it is good."
 
Personally, I think people tend to overstate the differences between different upstream equipment (at least in the solid state realm--I don't have any experience with tubes). I have heard differences even in my own humble stable, but it's usually very subtle, and when it isn't so subtle it's caused by something obvious like a bad impedance mismatch (e.g. my old Kenwood receiver has around a 600 ohm output impedance according to the specs, so I get a fractional damping factor on both my full-sized headphones--not good, as it results in somewhat boomy bass and both grain and a lack of control across the range).

 

[TrollDragon]

Colorfly C3 is the portable I use, great little sounding rig, but the UI has it's "Quirks"... Check the appreciation thread for more details and you will need an amp with the beyer's though.

 

[Makiah S]

  Well, thanks again for your post. Very much appreciated. Indeed, I really do want a neutral sound - even if I don't like it. I seek the truth in my sound (sonic epistemology?!). 
 
I wonder when my DT880 was produced. Seriously, if it turns out not to match I guess I could contact Beyer, but even though it worked out for Cute I worry I will end up needing to spend more money - and I really can't afford to do that. Don't get me wrong. I'm not impoverished by any means. I'm just a broke student haha. 
 
Ugh... I LOVE music and I love audio, but sometimes this stuff gets a little ridiculous. Take my DAP journey for example. I hate the iPod. I want a neutral sound. I got a clip+ (rockboxed). The jack failed. I assumed it was just defective. I bought a new one. The jack failed. I did research about it. I got it soldered (at a shop here in Toronto) and it was fine. Then I lost it, and got another. The jack failed. I then grabbed a clip zip for the gym (and was getting ready to solder the last player and then the clip zip if the jack on it broke too). So far the clip zip has remained intact - I can't believe it. 
 
Also, it was annoying to have to rockbox in order to get a proper playback speed and pitch going. Unless you want to drop fat dollars in this scene it doesn't seem you can get anywhere.

 
Don't get to worked up over Creepy Pasta. THe internet is full of horror stories. I've owned 2 Dt 880s never had any issues with either. 

Colorfly C3 is the portable I use, great little sounding rig, but the UI has it's "Quirks"... Check the appreciation thread for more details and you will need an amp with the beyer's though.

ACtually, I found the Hifiman HM 601 drove the DT 880 PRo really nice without an amp! I was supirsed the first time my AMp died and the HM 601 was able to power the 880 250 ohm all by it self :O and it sounds good! The 601 sounds SO good I am now the happy owner of a HM 801 :3 [which sounds even better] 

 

[TrollDragon]

Yes but Sonic Atrocity was talking about Sansa Clip's, not $800 players with a balanced output board, or it's $250 little brother... You balanced people...

The C3 for how it sounds, which is the key here is a great little player for $99. The UI on the C3 isn't really that much of an issue either, look at the Terra Player... You can even get a black stick-on button cover with that one for another $100

 

[Makiah S]

Yes but Sonic Atrocity was talking about Sansa Clip's, not $800 players with a balanced output board, or it's $250 little brother... You balanced people...

The C3 for how it sounds, which is the key here is a great little player for $99. The UI on the C3 isn't really that much of an issue either, look at the Terra Player... You can even get a black stick-on button cover with that one for another $100

DUde I paid $125 for my hm 601 used... lol A used HM 601 is pretty cheap imo. I think there are a few for sale here for about $150. Granted it's not as cheap as the C3 or the Sanza but you don't need an amp if u have a hm 601 :3 [or he wont with his pro dt 880] 

 

[knightboy140]

Yes but Sonic Atrocity was talking about Sansa Clip's, not $800 players with a balanced output board, or it's $250 little brother... You balanced people...

The C3 for how it sounds, which is the key here is a great little player for $99. The UI on the C3 isn't really that much of an issue either, look at the Terra Player... You can even get a black stick-on button cover with that one for another $100

GO BALANCED OR GO HOME
jkjk but balanced shtuff = awesome 

 

[Makiah S]

  GO BALANCED OR GO HOME
jkjk but balanced shtuff = awesome 

YEA WHAT HE SAID! 

 

[MrEleventy]

Isn't it against forum rules to make two accounts Shenay!?!? :wink_face:

 

[TrollDragon]

Oh noooooo's he is gathering followers!

 

[knightboy140]

hahahaha 
Nah it's just that for the hd800 it gets so much better from single ended to balanced.
Im getting my dt880s modded into balanced dual entries and I'm having high hopes for them
all in all: BALANCED.