Beyerdynamic DT 880 Premium
600ohm (With ZXAC Fully Balanced Recable) [$235 Used]
Personal Back-Story
I recently re-purchased my
Beyerydanmic Dt 880’s back! And this time I made the upgrade to the 600 ohm
variant.
Pros: Airy sound, delicate
mids, speed, sense of openness, sound stage and layering. Timbre
Cons : no isolation, bright [I like bright cans but some don’t]
lacks intimacy, bass for some may not be heavy enough
Build [5/5]
Classic Beyerdynamic Build
quality, although these are a tad more fragile than my pro series headphones,
the adjustment device is located outside of the head band, as opposed to the
pro series which feature the extension mechanism within the head band. In
addition the head band itself is not as well padded. The headphones are very
well built and comfy like the pro series.
Very Sturdy
Specs
Semi-Open Back Dynamic Operating Principle
600 Ohm Impedance
96 db Sensitivity
5 - 35,000k response
Ease of Use
[Comfort/Fit/Isolation] [4.5/5]
Simple and to the point,
extend the head band and slap em on! There is no isolation due to the semi open
back design, and the fit is very simple and straight forward. Despite being the
Premium Model, it’s almost as comfy at the Dt 990 Pro, yet the DT 990 Pro is
still my most comfortable headphone!
Price to Performance : [5/5]
Top notch, versatile enough to handle any genre, and tough
as nails.
Sonic Test Process
Source Win 7[Foobar2000
WASAPI] -> oDac -> MonoPrice Premium Coaxial Cables -> Matrix M Stage
[Lme 49990 OpAmp]
In addition, I always like details presented in all frequances
Highs- looking for and evaluating air, nice
extension and good energy and placement within sound stage
Mids- looking for and considering weight,
body and tone
Bass- listening
for, control, texture and punch/impact
Sound Stage- reported after listening to all tracks
Imaging
–Track #3 and #4 are well
mastered for 2D and 3D imaging
Instrument
Layering-reported after listening
to all tracks
Timbre- realism of sound, fun versus real
Speed- ability to retain mirco-details in ultra fast tonal shifts
Sound
Sound Signature-
Very clean, a slight tilt towards the upper mids and treble, although the
headphone features a lower mid resonance which adds a nice touch of body to the
lower mids and upper bass. The headphone
is also very quick, and light on its’ feet. Over all an incredibly balanced and airy
sound, filled with many details and excellent 2D and 3D sound stage. Brighter
than neutral
Dynamics- quick and effortless
Timbre- very real, mids are life like,
treble how ever may be slightly brighter than natural but is not fake or
exaggerated
Speed- very quick, shows quickness with all genres
Sound Stage: A wide
sound stage, great instrument separation, and good 3D and 2D placement of instruments.
Amplification Need or
Suggested –for the Beyerdynamic Dt 880
Premium an amp is required, as a 600 ohm headphone it requires an amp with a
large voltage swing, OTL tubes pair nicely with the Dt 880 600 Ohm
Highs- airy with a touch of bright sweetness, great energy. Brighter than neutral
Mids- very real, a delicate sense of weight, good timbre tone and body. Not intimate
Bass- VERY deep and tight, great impact and solidity. Too lean for EDM without eq
In addition comparative notes will be in italics and only
included in the full Head Fi review and mentioned in the Video Reviews.
Recommend Genre ; Jazz
