[markot86]

As I've been sitting here for the last week ampless, plugging my DT880's into my 4th gen ipod, the sound isn't all that bad; dare I say it, it's pretty darn good. While it does exhibit the flaws that I commonly hear about the DT880's (bright, no bass) it's certainly far from not listenable. That said, amping them improves them a WHOLE lot; particularily in the bass region. With my micro amp it seriously felt like there was a subwoofer in these headphones; I was even listening to rap quite well with them =)

Moral of the story; don't be afraid to buy an expensive headphone first and get an amp later; it certainly still works quite well given that you have a decent source

 

[Oski]

Yup, I had my DT880 delivered to my office at the time and the only thing I had around was an iPod Mini, so I naturally plugged them in and was wowed by the phone right out of the box. They are great cans!

 

[the_engineer]

Thanks for this thread. I'm going to be getting a pair of DT-880's soon, been kicking the idea of AT-900's around, but its comments like these, that make me sway towards the 880's.

 

[markot86]

Quote:

Originally Posted by the_engineer Thanks for this thread. I'm going to be getting a pair of DT-880's soon, been kicking the idea of AT-900's around, but its comments like these, that make me sway towards the 880's.

The AT-900's never really wowed me; I guess if you NEVER plan to get an amp they're a good choice, but come on, this is head-fi =).

 

[Purgatos]

They do sound okay, but it's like getting onto a subway packed with people is okay because it gets you where you're going, but it's way nicer to actually be able to sit down and not be pushed up against that sweaty, creepy guy.

 

[Fitz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by markot86 That said, amping them improves them a WHOLE lot; particularily in the bass region. With my micro amp it seriously felt like there was a subwoofer in these headphones; I was even listening to rap quite well with them =)

QFT.

Contrary to popular opinion, the DT880s have plenty of bass!

 

[markot86]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Purgatos They do sound okay, but it's like getting onto a subway packed with people is okay because it gets you where you're going, but it's way nicer to actually be able to sit down and not be pushed up against that sweaty, creepy guy.

Uh, no, that analogy doesn't fit at all. Nice try though.

 

[NotJeffBuckley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Purgatos They do sound okay, but it's like getting onto a subway packed with people is okay because it gets you where you're going, but it's way nicer to actually be able to sit down and not be pushed up against that sweaty, creepy guy.

No, it's really more like listening to a quality pair of headphones that some dislike and some like. Thanks for that, uh, thing, though.

 

[dvdonly]

You know, I've run my DT880 from my Sony ES receiver, from my PA2V2, from a PCDP, from a PC, and from a 5G iPod. I'll admit that coming straight from my receiver (which from what I understand has a good headphone out) does sound "the best" - I find it hard to say that coming out of the other sources sounds bad in comparison.

If I had to quantify it, I'd say that coming from a decent unamped source like the PCDP and the iPod, gets me 95% of the way there. You do have to turn up the volume more than with other, easier to drive, cans. But I am adding on to this thread to dispel the notion that the DT880s *require* amplification.

That misinformation almost caused me *not* to buy the DT880s at first, and actually caused me to buy the PA2V2 as well. Knowing what I know now, I'm not sure I'd buy the PA2V2 again--it's nice, don't get me wrong, but not required.

 

[Kirosia]

Eh, I was never fond of the dt880 unamped. Listenable yes, but they didn't sound their worth.

Quote:

don't be afraid to buy an expensive headphone first and get an amp later; it certainly still works quite well given that you have a decent source

Yeah, agreed for the most part. But if you're not gonna get the whole good amp/source shebang, stay away from the high-end. A pair of low-bies will suffice.

Hell, I've been using kscs/px100s for awhile and can deal.

EDIT: Purg's analogy works for me. (though not exactly perfect) He's comparing unamped v amped I think, not dissing the d880 as a phone. And I really don't like that sweaty guy. Or that dude who just sorta, you know . . stares at you.

 

[Purgatos]

Quote:

Originally Posted by markot86 Uh, no, that analogy doesn't fit at all. Nice try though.

Well it made sense to me. When they're unamped everything sounds so compressed(in a packed subway), but amped they're airy and there's tons of space(getting to sit down).

 

[bl4cksh33p]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Purgatos Well it made sense to me. When they're unamped everything sounds so compressed(in a packed subway), but amped they're airy and there's tons of space(getting to sit down).

I agree, made plenty of sense to me.

 

[warpdriver]

I think amping removes some of the congestion in the bass, it doesn't improve the bass volume that much, just makes the bass more defined and more tonally accurate.

But I kind of agree, depending on the source, the 880 can be quite enjoyable without an amp.

 

[EdipisReks]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Purgatos Well it made sense to me. When they're unamped everything sounds so compressed(in a packed subway), but amped they're airy and there's tons of space(getting to sit down).

while i found it to be a little strange, it made sense to me too.

 

[markot86]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Purgatos Well it made sense to me. When they're unamped everything sounds so compressed(in a packed subway), but amped they're airy and there's tons of space(getting to sit down).

My problem with your analogy is that it portrays the headphone unamped as something you wouldn't want to touch with a 10 foot pole without an amp. The headphones are still quite airy and the soundstage is still quite big, even without the amping. I think you can agree with me that a packed subway/train is NOT a pleasant experience, whereas I'm sitting here enjoying the DT880's and it's quite a pleasant one.

The problem with this forum at times is the complete emphasis on source, amps, etc etc; what people forget is that these headphones were DESIGNED to sound good out of a little better than bottom of the barrel (nothing can make an integrated soundcard sound good) system. I'm just reminding newbies cruising this forum that it's IMPORTANT to find your headphone sound signature first and not worry about not giving a headphone a chance because it "requires" an amp. Even the supposedly impossible/hard to drive DT880's sound quite good out of an ipod and gets louder than I would ever want to listen.