[Gladcow]

alright i promise this is going to be my last post before i finally buy something. between the k701 and the 2006 dt880 assuming they were selling for the same price (which they are in my case, stupid amazon raised their price by 50 usd for the dt880) which would you consider better value for the money. i've read a lot of posts going both ways saying one is better than the other but i know the k701 naturally retails for a lot more than the dt880 so maybe that varied some's opinions. for those who have both how bout i ask it this way, if you had both and you had to lose one, which one would you keep?

 

[mtd]

You didn't post the price. Or what you'll be using it for.

 

[Gladcow]

yea that would be kind of important wouldnt it. right now they are both going for about $250. Im primarily looking for a headphone to listen to music with but ill also be playing games and watching movies with them.

 

[Nandro]

The type of music is probably the determining factor, ie. Rock, Jazz, Opera, Classical, etc... I have the 701's and although they are not fully broken in yet, they sound like the HD 600's but more on the refernce side with a little bit flatter tones all around instead of the wam Senn sound, and the Bass is not as deep, and it dosent have the massive highs the Grado's had although they seemed extremely bright at first, that seems to be evening out as well as the bass may fill in a bit. They only have like 20Hr's on them...great chistmas gift i got.

 

[socrates63]

I'd keep the K701 because my ears can't handle the DT880 sound (pre-2005 version). I feel the K701 offers the more balanced sound between the two. Comfort-wise, it's probably a toss up -- they're both good.

 

[Nandro]

I agree, the 701's are quite comfy, and allow long relaxing listening sessions, as well as sounding nice out of my LD II tube amp. I cant wait to get my Aria amp to see how much that improves. Seems kind of weird using reference cans out of a tube amp, but they really do sound great, and at a good price comparable to the HD600's W/ cardas cable which in itself is like another pair of cans cost wise. Sounds good out of my iPod, especially with the Total Bithead amp. I have been spoiled by hearing decent cans through decent amps to the point where they really don't sound good without them. Even my SuperFi 5 Pro's sound lifeless without the bithead amp. I would highly recommend getting at least a bithead amp for any of the mid to high range cans as you wont know what your missing without it. Whats your primary source?

 

[Gladcow]

for the moment im going to be playing out of my computer with an onboard soundcard or my xbox 360. im not too sure how good the dac is in that thing but im assuming its not going to be that great. im planning on eventually buying an external dac, i was looking at the silverstone eb01. as for amplification im planning on either getting a used headfive or get the upgraded arietta. oh yea and i listen to all genres of metal including some rock.

 

[Gladcow]

the reason im curious on how people feel about this is because any of hte comparison threads ive read people seem to be suprised that to chose between them is such a hard decision. because apparantly a lot of people prefer the k701s. which seems consistent so far...

 

[smurfie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gladcow /img/forum/go_quote.gif for the moment im going to be playing out of my computer with an onboard soundcard or my xbox 360. im not too sure how good the dac is in that thing but im assuming its not going to be that great. im planning on eventually buying an external dac, i was looking at the silverstone eb01. as for amplification im planning on either getting a used headfive or get the upgraded arietta. oh yea and i listen to all genres of metal including some rock.

Neither of these cans will shine without an amp. As for your music preferences maybe a Grado headphone would suit you better?

 

[Gladcow]

i said i was planning on getting an amp...ive heard that the headfive works well with either the dt880 or the k701 so i figure i wont go wrong with the corda arietta.

 

[Nandro]

Why not go with the Aria with the Dac built in? Seems to be a great bang for the buck from what I have read.

 

[Gladcow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nandro /img/forum/go_quote.gif Why not go with the Aria with the Dac built in? Seems to be a great bang for the buck from what I have read.

i havent even bought the headphones and your already trying to talk me into paying another $170. (this is when someone says welcome to head-fi). i have looked at it but it seems (correct me if im wrong) that the only benefit is the addition of the dac. which i can save money by buying them seperately. plus it will take me longer to pull out the extra money.

 

[aaron-xp]

I personally find the DT880s rather "sterile" sounding. I'd go with the K701, for comfort (which the DT880 is actually rather close to) and the slightly more entertaining sound (to me). Another thing, which may be considered less important, is that the K701 is already the flagship, which reduces the tendencies of upgraditis acting up, whereas there's the DT990, which you'll probably be tempted to get/listen to in the near future if you do buy the DT880s.

 

[Gladcow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aaron-xp /img/forum/go_quote.gif I personally find the DT880s rather "sterile" sounding. I'd go with the K701, for comfort (which the DT880 is actually rather close to) and the slightly more entertaining sound (to me). Another thing, which may be considered less important, is that the K701 is already the flagship, which reduces the tendencies of upgraditis acting up, whereas there's the DT990, which you'll probably be tempted to get/listen to in the near future if you do buy the DT880s.

yea i certainly thought about that. i thought that for 250 dollars that it might be a steal. plus if beyer comes out with a new top of the line can the dt880s will be that more affordable right?

for some reason the dt880s attracted me but im thinking for the same price id be better off going with the k701's. anyone else want to push me in this direction?

 

[Nandro]

As I sit hear listening to my 701's, I can say I am pleased with them although they do need more breaking in. They seem very nicely poised sound wise between my HD600's and my Grado's. They are very neutral sounding to me, especially without an amp, an amp brings out the highs big time, they almost seem slightly dull with no amp at the high end, and the bass is not quite as deep as the Senns. I really need to get some Beyers to compare to... must resist....

Sorry about your wallet, and your right, you can buy them separately, but like me, I got a total bithead from headroom with the dac built in it's $50 more and basically let me use my PC as a nice source, sounding much better than on board sound through my LDII and blows the extigy sound card away. I only mentioned the Aria as I have one on the way. I had a great Christmas as all my relatives and wifes relatives all got me audio equiptment or let me pick out audio stuff. I will do a review on the Aria when I have it here and broken in. Other than my PC and my iPod a good source is still out of my price range, even with gifts.