[EnsisTheSlayer]

So first, let me start by saying that I don't own a pair of DT880s, nor have I ever heard them, but they've always been a pair of headphones to interest me, especially when I was first getting into audio. Then I went from some low-fi headphones, and settled with the HE-400Is and MDR-1As (and am interested in the M60Xs). Even now however, the DT880s interested me, so I was looking at many different reviews after I "rediscovered" them, and found something rather odd.

Some reviews seemed to indicate that the DT880s were slightly v-shaped, with a slight decrease in the mids and vocals region, while others seem to indicate the opposite, with them being slightly A-shaped, with a more forward mid/vocal region with slightly recessed highs and lows. Now, I have two theories for this. A) The DT880s are so neutral, that the mids are so subjective depending on the music used to listen to it, so some people who listen to music with more recessed mids will think that's a characteristic of the headphone, and the inverse too, B) It has something to do with the housing of the actual headphone, so different models sound slightly different in the mids, and that's why people's opinions are different, or C) The drivers were changed at some point (which I remember seeing someone say somewhere but I can't quite verify if that's true), so it would depend on if the reviewer got an older or newer pair. Personally, I think a mix of B and C is most likely, but I don't know...

So, here's the reason I made this post. To those who've used DT880s before or who own them, how did they sound to you? What model did you use (Pro? Premium? Chrome Edition? Regular?)? Do you know if it's an older or newer pair? (Edit: Also, what Ohm were they?) One of the reasons why I'm asking is because I actually prefer more mid forward headphones. I like my vocals and my drums in particular to be noticeably more forward than the other instruments. Or at least something to set them apart from the other instruments, which I think the 1As do well by having more detailed vocals, but the HE-400Is don't really do as well. Vocals are kinda weird on those, it's almost like they just evaporate in all directions with how airy they are, they don't really have a strong presence, which is weird because the drums totally do.

 

[kman1211]

The DT 880 is very system dependent in my experience and they also need some break in. I had a Black Edition(same as the chrome edition) - 250 Ohm. My main issue with them is they sounded overdamped and a bit lacking in body. I got a DT 990 - 600 Ohm Chrome Edition which ended up replacing it, I wanted a more lively sound with greater fidelity, oddly the DT 990 - 600 Ohm Chrome Edition has better build quality and the headband sliders stay in place, cable is softer and isn't as janky either. If you get a DT 880, do yourself a favor and get the 600 Ohm, there is a big difference in my experience, it's much smoother and has more body(the 250 Ohm doesn't have enough midrange body imho), it's faster, more detailed, more natural, etc. 250 Ohm Beyers(non-Tesla) are slightly etched sounding in the treble which leads to a slightly metallic and slightly rough sound.

 

[EnsisTheSlayer]

The DT 880 is very system dependent in my experience and they also need some break in. I had a Black Edition(same as the chrome edition) - 250 Ohm. My main issue with them is they sounded overdamped and a bit lacking in body. I got a DT 990 - 600 Ohm Chrome Edition which ended up replacing it, I wanted a more lively sound with greater fidelity. If you get a DT 880, do yourself a favor and get the 600 Ohm, there is a big difference in my experience, it's much smoother and has more body(the 250 Ohm doesn't have enough midrange body imho), it's faster, more detailed, more natural, etc. 250 Ohm Beyers(non-Tesla) are slightly etched sounding in the treble which leads to a slightly metallic and slightly rough sound.

Thanks for bringing that up, for some reason I forgot that the different Ohm versions were slightly different sounding, so I added that into my post. That's interesting, how the 600 Ohm version could have so many benefits over the 250.

 

[kman1211]

Thanks for bringing that up, for some reason I forgot that the different Ohm versions were slightly different sounding, so I added that into my post. That's interesting, how the 600 Ohm version could have so many benefits over the 250.

Lighter weight voice coil means a lighter overall transducer thus greater speed and fidelity, I just didn't expect it to be so audible, I've heard the 600 Ohms in the past but only recently had a chance to compare them at length. Beyers have excellent magnet and transducer design, the tuning on Beyers is often met with mixed impressions though as people may be sensitive to what they emphasize in their FR response. My DT 990 - 600 Ohm(don't get me wrong it is a bright headphone but it's so smooth) makes my HD 650 sound obviously gritty and abrasive and a bit hollow, whereas the DT 880 - 250 was somewhat less grainy than the Senns. I personally always found Beyers to have some of the best drivers in their price range, modding and EQ only confirmed this for me.

 

[MF Kitten]

They are great headphones. Put some felt over the driver (they actually come with felt over the driver stock, so you'll just be fine tuning it), and they'll warm up a little too. I bet Brainwavz velour pads would sound lovely with them.

You can mod them to add back the DT990 bass if you want as well. Pop the driver out, remove the metal mesh attached to the back of it. Tadaah!

 

[Me x3]

DT880s are neutralish headphones so they don't hide the midrange. They are also very extended in terms of bass and treble response. The bass reaches deep but it's tight and far from boosted, so it doesn't affect midrange clarity. The upper midrange is slightly softened helping with the sense of depth and making the sound unintrussive. It's a subtle hint of character and it's very similar to the Sennheiser flagships (HD800 and HD800S) in this regard.

Since it's a neutralish headphone the setup can play a role in one way or the other. Same applies to recordings.
DT880 is slightly bright in the big scheme of things so very high quality recordings with extremely clean and dynamic treble response tend to sound really well, while poorly mastered recordings can sound pretty bad. It's pretty much as picky as the Sennheiser HD800 in this regard.

Anyway, the AKG K701 (white headphone) is considerably more forward in the upper midrange relative to DT880 / HD800 / HD800S
It's also even more picky with recordings.

 

[WildStyle-R11]

Don't know anything about the DT880, buut...
I'd say HD660 S is pretty damn forward with vocals, to the point you want them to stop shoving them in your face so much. So have a look into them... I also remember the Q701 vaguely, which did indeed have a sense of "party mode on" in the midrange.

I kinda had the same problem with HE400i, it's good, but kinda lackluster.

Striking a good balance seems like such a hassle with headphones, you either get too much of this or too little of that.

 

[Sefelt103]

The DT 880 is a superb headphone that gives an accurate insight into a recording if paired with a neutral amplifier. Many people won't like this type of thing however. It lacks a euphonic and uncoloured sound which most manufacturers introduce into their headphones/amplifiers as a matter of course. If it's too cold and analytical you can of course warm it up with a valve amplifier or by other means. The DT 880 definitely does not have a 'V' shaped sound signature, the DT 990 is the one to get if that's what you require. Neither is it particularly boosted in the mid-range. It's a slightly bright headphone which (as well as the soundstage) are the only dislikes for me. Sennheiser's HD580/600 don't have the brightness but they are more euphonic and frequency extension is not as good. The 600 ohm versions are the ones to get which means using an amplifier. One thing about the DT 880 is the lack of any noticeable 'burn in' (unlike the HD650), also the sound seems to be noticeably affected by the positioning of the headphone on ones head. It's a headphone for purists and for people who would quite like the HD800s performance (minus the panoramic soundstage) without paying for it.

 

[gryphon1911]

I just recently bought a pair of 250 Ohm DT880 Chrome from a member here.

They are my second set of Beyers, the first being the 80 Ohm DT770. My wife loves them for the low frequency response - she listens to EDM mostly. I liked the DT770 slightly more for "fun listening" than the Audio Technica M50x.
After listening to the DT880 for only a short time, They immediately became my favorite overall headphones. For rock and metal, I still prefer my Grado SR225e, but for everything else the DT 880 rule.

I fall into the same belief as others regarding the DT880 versus the HD650. The Senn HD650 are good, but the treble is not as bright. I do not the HD650 veiled at all....just not as treble heavy as the DT880.
I just hope that the cables on the Beyers last. They are great value for the money.

Bass response is enough for me...I'm not a bass head, so don't need ear vibrating bass. The DT 770 have more, the DT 880 have enough.

I run the DT880 from my computer, DAC is a FiiO E10K and the amp is a Little Dot Mk II for transparency on how I listen to them.