[quimbo]

I just received the Venus Audio Mogami cable https://www.ebay.com/itm/122113609321 Its a nice solid cable, the plugs fit but not as tightly as the cable it is replacing. The sound is at least as good as the original cable, it's really hard to switch them out quickly and compare. I think that there is a just a wee bit more detail and a few hours of serious listening later on may bear that out. Having a much thicker cable and the sound at least as good is a deal maker for me,in fact I already ordered a second pair for my other set of 540s that I keep at work.

 

[sennsay]

I asked the seller for a price quote on a particular ‘custom’ cable so we will see what the damage is.

Is making your own cable easy enough? I have some soldering skills and do enjoy DIY but if it’s a tireless task I may just buy it.

But if I’m saving the money and getting exactly what I want then I may consider it.

We’ll see what the seller says first, he may give me a decent price.

I'm used to soldering and cable making, so it was no biggie at all, it's a pretty straight forward job, requiring a touch of dexterity and preferably with one of those little electronics stands with crocodile jaw clips, perfect for putting the plug in one side and holding the cable in place with the other while you solder up, while making sure that the correct cable goes to the right solder pin on the plug!

 

[sennsay]

I just received the Venus Audio Mogami cable https://www.ebay.com/itm/122113609321 Its a nice solid cable, the plugs fit but not as tightly as the cable it is replacing. The sound is at least as good as the original cable, it's really hard to switch them out quickly and compare. I think that there is a just a wee bit more detail and a few hours of serious listening later on may bear that out. Having a much thicker cable and the sound at least as good is a deal maker for me,in fact I already ordered a second pair for my other set of 540s that I keep at work.

I'll look out for updates For the last two days I've been listening to other gear of mine including headphones and last night, while tuning into some Random Access Memories, I realised that there were elements of Life and real human involvement that were missing. I now long to hear my Schiit stack and Ref1s again! Two days and nothing is quite the same. Warming up the gear now! Hanging for that big luscious and involving soundstage of musical Life

 

[Zackobrien]

Ive heard great things about them... maybe ill get my hands on them one day!

 

[sennsay]

All is well again now. Gear is hot, Ref1s have been pumping, vol set to just past 2 o'clock, how brilliant to go back to them! Random Access Memories (Daft Punk) has reset the bass beat in my head, got virtually all of my body moving and a shakin' and reaffirmed that the Mogami cables beat the heck out of everything else I have for the Ref1s. That massive weighty slow n steady whomping stomp of a beat on Lose Yourself To Dance would loosen screws if the Senns had any And does it while allowing the bass guitar to play on it's own, the vocals to be superbly clear while being warm and natural (bless Daft Punk for creating a superbly recorded album that lacks any nasty midrange compression and hot vocals ... blech!), backing vox easily heard, "..everybody dancing on the floor, getting ready for some more ...", highs effortlessly clean without being forward. That full bass has the resonance of being in a club, amazingly alive and organic. Plenty of emotional communication coming from "Within" as well, I know that place. Again, the electronic backing refrain is easily understood. The beat on "Get Lucky" is quite different, still very solid, yet more focused like a real kick drum with some delay to give a little ambient air around it, vocals have the best diction I've heard yet.
I do believe I've become a real R2R ladder DAC fan! The Mimby being as ridiculously great value - and not just for the money - as the Magni 3 and much of Schiit's other gear. There's an organic and communicative naturalness that reminds me of good analogue. The Ref1s eat this stuff up, losing no timing whatsoever with the huge bass on some tracks, no wonder I'm loving these things even more! They will, however, easily show up some of the few Mp3s I have from iTunes that are more, but not always, typically edgy and thin sounding. A few are rather good despite the compression.
I loaded the 2015 Mumford & Sons, Wilder Mind CD into the DV6600 the other night and was rather horrified to hear it sounding quite hot in the vocals, to such an extent it didn't last long in the player. Wish they wouldn't do that. The system let me know the recording quality immediately, or lack of it!
seanc6441, upper mid harshness is not the natural state of affairs with the Ref1s! Cables, pads etc will fix all of that and man am I happy they do! I reckon you'll have a ball when your's get sorted.

 

[Grumpy Old Git]

Hard to say with the headphones I was using - a newly arrived pair of 1980's Beyerdynamic DT 880's - Im still getting used to their sound (which by the way...if you think the 540's are good....

Do tell more Jon! How do they compare to the HD 540? (treble,mid's,bass, imaging, ect) And how do your vintage DT 880's compare to your vintage DT 990's?
I'm still pondering on a pair of vintage DT 990's, but I would be interested in your take on the DT 880's.

 

[Grumpy Old Git]

Hmm, velour cloth, eh? That could be an excellent option, now to find some My Beyer inners are now Senn inners! Both good options, will work on that.
Oh, and it's the outer driver covers I want to replace, not the inners They're a bit larger and I will have to use the originals as a pattern, a bit of shaping is required.

I would suggest to anyone who wants to experiment with the audio signature of their cans to start with removing any foam/cloth ear cup covers first (clearly the cheapest option!).
Then try either cloth, foam, or ideally both ( of various thickness) to try and achieve the sound you prefer. Then move onto cable swapping to fine tune the signature of your cans.

There are so many variables involved in the quest for the 'best sound', a certain combination of pads and cable can sound perfect with a particular amp, but not quite as good with a different amp.
It's probably best to keep any pads and cables you acquire just in case you change amplification, then it's just the simple task of testing your other cables and pads to see if they improve the sound with your new amp.

 

[jon parker]

Do tell more Jon! How do they compare to the HD 540? (treble,mid's,bass, imaging, ect) And how do your vintage DT 880's compare to your vintage DT 990's?
I'm still pondering on a pair of vintage DT 990's, but I would be interested in your take on the DT 880's.

I'll do a bit of A/B-ing and think a bit more to give a good idea of them . . . BUT Ive never heard a more airy 3D holographic detailed clear headphone
Ive listened to nothing else since Ive had them! - They do work especially well with a particular brand of tube but anyway
If you love the 540 Im pretty sure you would also love the 1980 DT 880's

 

[Grumpy Old Git]

Sounds very interesting, I look forward to your observations.
Been pricing the DT 880's up, some are quite expensive, others are quite reasonable. It looks like the DT 990's are cheaper to buy.

 

[jon parker]

The 880's are more expensive but they are totally worth the price
The 990's are very nice although quite an over all warm reference sound (They are Not very open, only having a small hole) - If you are looking for a laid back accuracy they are great...like a pie and a pint of award winning ale, late of a winters eve
at a favorite Dartmoor pub by the fireside.
The 880's are like your first experience of proper farm made Scrumpy Jack!
both equally pleasurable in their own way . . . but Farmhouse Scumpy . . . o_0

 

[Grumpy Old Git]

The 880's are more expensive but they are totally worth the price
The 990's are very nice although quite an over all warm reference sound (They are Not very open, only having a small hole) - If you are looking for a laid back accuracy they are great...like a pie and a pint of award winning ale, late of a winters eve
at a favorite Dartmoor pub by the fireside.
The 880's are like your first experience of proper farm made Scrumpy Jack!
both equally pleasurable in their own way . . . but Farmhouse Scumpy . . . o_0

It seems there is an 880 S (studio) model Jon, do you know anything about them?

 

[quimbo]

880s are on sale for 145 for the next few days - https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...65848&cm_re=dt_880-_-0TH-00JD-00112-_-Product

and these 880s as well https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA25X11H5433

 

[jon parker]

@quimbo
Its these ones:

@Grumpy Old Git

There are 3 variants, normal, monitor and studio. As far as I can tell each one seems to add another something on top

Normal - 5-25,000
Monitor - 5-30,000
Studio - 5-35,000

by all accounts the Monitor and Studio are very rare
I wouldn't want any more than what the regular variant offers though !!

Not the best translation !!

DT 880
The beyerdynamic DT 880 is probably the headphone, about which you have to say (or write) the least, that is already said and written about this listener. bending
However, it does have reproduction properties that only professionals with the Compare sound results of much more expensive electrostatics. Because his voice coil has only a fraction of the weight conventional voice coils and its membrane differ Its nature is similar to previously known
guides
Since 1980, the DT 880 has enjoyed a triumphal march of unequaled
to step. Hardly a test that he did not confidently decide for himself has. And hardly a buyer who does not spontaneously confirming outstanding test results. A future-oriented superior quality headphones.

Technical specifications:
Transmission range: 5-25000 Hz
Nominal impedance: 600 Q / system
Characteristic sound pressure level at 1 kHz
(DIN 45581: 294 dB
Nominal load capacity (DIN 45 582)
100 mW 114 dB-7.75 V to 600 Ω
Pressing force (DIN 45581: 1.5 N
Weight (without cable): 195 g
versions:
DT 880.07 Spiral cable with
Stereo jack plug 6.35 mm
DT 880.10 Helical cable with headphone
standard plug

 

[Grumpy Old Git]

@quimbo
Its these ones:

@Grumpy Old Git

There are 3 variants, normal, monitor and studio. As far as I can tell each one seems to add another something on top

Normal - 5-25,000
Monitor - 5-30,000
Studio - 5-35,000

by all accounts the Monitor and Studio are very rare
I wouldn't want any more than what the regular variant offers though !!

Not the best translation !!

DT 880
The beyerdynamic DT 880 is probably the headphone, about which you have to say (or write) the least, that is already said and written about this listener. bending
However, it does have reproduction properties that only professionals with the Compare sound results of much more expensive electrostatics. Because his voice coil has only a fraction of the weight conventional voice coils and its membrane differ Its nature is similar to previously known
guides
Since 1980, the DT 880 has enjoyed a triumphal march of unequaled
to step. Hardly a test that he did not confidently decide for himself has. And hardly a buyer who does not spontaneously confirming outstanding test results. A future-oriented superior quality headphones.

Technical specifications:
Transmission range: 5-25000 Hz
Nominal impedance: 600 Q / system
Characteristic sound pressure level at 1 kHz
(DIN 45581: 294 dB
Nominal load capacity (DIN 45 582)
100 mW 114 dB-7.75 V to 600 Ω
Pressing force (DIN 45581: 1.5 N
Weight (without cable): 195 g
versions:
DT 880.07 Spiral cable with
Stereo jack plug 6.35 mm
DT 880.10 Helical cable with headphone
standard plug

Thanks for that, I look forward to a more detailed comparison between your 880's and 990's.

 

[seanc6441]

Aren’t the 990’s more V shaped? Or is that only the newer variants?