Beyerdynamic DT880 Edition 2005 - 250 ohm Semi-Open Reference Class Headphones unpacking

[TheZomiik]

On a scale of 1-10 how much do these leak ?

[LoliciousXD]

Quick question, How good is the bass on these? I will be using them to listen to hard trance, old school hip/hop, techno and instrumentals.

[LordXerpentoR]

@LoliciousXD the bass is extremely deep and defined, but without a headphone amp to drive them and a few tweaks in your eq you won't get the desired result.

[XenatR]

one of the songs sounds like a remix of Slayer - Mandatory Suicide (actually more like the Decapitated death metal version ;o )

[Username93611]

Had the DT 880 Pro (not the 2005 edition) pair of these. They were nice, but even though they were fantastic for nearly everything, I just couldn't abide the lack of bass. That lack of bass exists in nearly every headphone, cheap or expensive, except *precisely one* that I've come across. Denon AH-D5000's are unbelievably wonderful in this regard.

[evilsnakes1]

@Username93611

...lack of base is because they are flat (relatively) for monitoring. I'm sure you know this, but people don't get when you say something like that. If you wanted base, why on earth would you buy 880's? Why not 770's?

[Username93611]

@evilsnakes1

Relatively is the operative word, there, and the biggest place they fail to have a flat response is in bass response. They're about 5 dB down at 80-120hz, and they're about 10 dB down at 20-40hz. Not the 770's because they're even further off.

[evilsnakes1]

@Username93611

...those denon's are amazing (no, i haven't actually heard them, just know their reputation and seen their headroom graphs) but they are like twice the street price of the Beyer's and i'd say those 880 db claims are exaggerated, although not completely out of line. For sure those 880's TRY to be flat and do a decent job of it at their price range and in the end do a better job for monitoring than a base heavy can.

[ChromaHunter]

@Username93611 The DT 990 might have been something for you in that case. The DT 880 have neutral bass response, while the DT 990 have enhanced response to bass.

But, I run my DT 880 through a big amplifier and boy do they have bass... More than the freaking big speakers in my room.

The Denon AH-D5000 are 25 OHM by the way... They don't even need amplification to play bass beautifully. The DT 880 come in 80, 250 and 600 ohm. They MUST be amplified properly to sound good.

[Username93611]

@ChromaHunter

The DT990's aren't accurate enough. I don't just want more bass, I want flat response. Also, I've used a Headroom Bithead and the headphone amp on a Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro external cabinet to drive both. Both have plenty of power to drive the 880's to painfully loud.

[zeroboroz]

oh the irony.......he's doing a vid of the DT880s while I have a pair of dt880 pros on lol

[lonelycompany]

Anybody know the name of the second song?

[davidstruijk]

What is it with reviews and shitty music!

[ChevChelios1231]

Geiler Teppich:)

[Fleshshredder]

@Calebdaguy holy shit no^^

This music here was awesome.

[UploaderA]

AWESOME SONG ! NAME PLS ?

[hanqinshu]

Hi, after your review, I am really considering getting one. But may I ask that is the cable interchangeable? I mean I kinda want a coiled one (Unlike your preference), I am thinking about change it right away once I bought it.

Looking forward to hear your answer!!!

Nice song you put up there!

[LordXerpentoR]

@hanqinshu If you want a coiled DT880, you should look for the DT 880 PRO since it comes with coiled wire. DT 880 Premium edition 2005 comes with straight wire, like mine !!

[ikbinhans]

7 people use ipod earphones.

[Ko0lHaNDLuKex]

Jesus, why the music? You are un-boxing some headphones, not invading Vietnam...

[Amp1tude]

@Ko0lHaNDLuKex this was making me lol so hard



[liOVERLOADil]

This kind of music is unnecessary for the video.

[emgab]

Sorry, but without a word, or oppinion - pretty useless ..

[pppaullll]

will my yamaha rxv765 power these 250 ohm

[LordXerpentoR]

@pppaullll I have no clue how good receivers drive headphones. It should "boost" your volume if that's what you're thinking. :)

[derbigpr500]

@pppaullll Probably too late, but nope. "Cheap" recievers and speaker amps have fairly weak headphone outputs. It will make your headphones louder, but thats not only goal you want from an amp. Headphone amp gives your headphones clearer, faster, tighter AND louder sound, it will add bass and it will control the bass better, it will give you smoother sound and more refined tone. Most people think that headphone amps only give you more volume, but in many cases thats wrong.

[XFUCK3R]

the cable.....3,5mm ?

[DanielJr]

Any impressions on these headphones, man?

[medusavirtual]

WTF!!!!!!!!!!!! stupid mother f,,,, video, what is the point,,,,, Headphones unpacking,,,,, review.... give a opinion,,,,say something

[TokyozzFinest]

song?

[LordXerpentoR]

@TokyozzFinest SHIN CONTRA, multiple songs edited. You'll find them in my profile. The first song is SHIN CONTRA - Venus. Look for it in my profile.

[doctorqwerty]

What amp are you using to power these monsters? Also, do you recommend these for rock/metal?

[LordXerpentoR]

@doctorqwerty I use my Asus Xonar Essence's internal headphone amp, very very good amp, doesn't mean there aren't others better, but voltage requirements are met, sound is crisp and clear. I recommend them for metal, yes, but the best ones for metal are Grados. I listen to a variety of styles: rock, metal, classical, jazz, reggae etc. The sound is very very very detailed.

[doctorqwerty]

@LordXerpentoR Thank you for your detailed input. I think I may purchases these in the distant future.

[EtremeHorror666]

@doctorqwerty The 600Ohm ones are even better for metal. They have more bass and midrange in them.

[Squirelll]

I own the DT880 600ohm :) Heard the T1 but didn't impress me. Used it with a good DAC and SPL Auditor listening to Metallica. DT880 are fine for this. I really don't think I would need to spend thousands of dollars on audio equipment unless listening to Classical etc.

[BIGDADDYF50]

@Squirelll

had the 800 600ohm for a while

sold out cause i thought it was lifeless in music. The bass was weak and it didn't have the impact i was looking for.

got the 990 600ohm and couldn't of been more happier !

[Squirelll]

@BIGDADDYF50 My dt880 has plenty of bass. On some songs it even has too much. I find it great for rock. Prefer my Grado HF-2 for Metal though.

[TheBringle]

@LordXerpentoR  what's the name of first music that you put in video? Please!!

[kbi35]

The best DAC chip is the sabre32. Their specs read like fantasy numbers. I have the 83SE with this dac chip.

[chikotube]

problem is there isn't a single place around here where i can sample "studio-reference" headphones. I'm not about to trust anyone but my own ears when shelling out this kind of money for premium audio quality. Thanks for sharing, at least your vid helps a little bit with seeing the construction of these pups.

[ARodwald]

one hand master ;)

[phuphroo]

annoying song in the background, cool headphones tho. wish i could afford them :P

[LordXerpentoR]

@ubby11 They have a leather headband by default.

[bsod4u2]

Very good cans, I just got my bBeyerdynamic over the ear..Tesla! These are fully worth the $1000 price tag, and sound great out of the box!

Check out my little clip,Tesla inside.

[LordXerpentoR]

@bsod4u2 My god dude, how do they sound ?:O I bet they're really awesome !!!

[bsod4u2]

@LordXerpentoR

The Tesla are truly reference class, in build and sound quality.

They belong way up there with the Denon D7000 and Sennheiser HD800!

[bsod4u2]

@LordXerpentoR

The Tesla is around the same level of SQ as the HD800. They need a good headphone amp or else they sound close to the 990. Detail and freedom from coloration is the name of the game with the Tesla.

[Johnnsen]

What song is this?

[pdude1911]

gay music, awesome headphone. I got the 80 ohm DT770pro btw :-)

[MetalAMV666]

@pdude1911 YOU ARE GAY, you cocksmoking, urine gargling, pinky-pop face-full-of-zits, piece of excrement. I say this music is beyond awesome, and these girls with dicks can piss their pants all they want. Only girls use 80 ohm or less headphones. Real men use 600 ohm versions combined with tube amplifiers. I own the Beyerdynamic DT 880 Manufaktur(red and black) - 600 ohm version and guess what, I use them for Death Metal. \m/

[xxxIronLeexxx]

Get the 80ohm version if listening on any type of portable mp3 player, otherwise you will have to turn the volume up to max just to hear the music at a normal level. 250ohm are made for bigger systems, or you will need a haedphone amp if listening on a portable mp3 player.

[LordXerpentoR]

If you would have watched the entire video, you would have noticed that I tested these headphones with that subtle music you mentioned. It was not Brahms though, it was Mozart !!

[ussnimitz3666]

Lmfao if u use these headphones to play the same type of music ur playing in this video, u just wasted your money...

Hard

[LordXerpentoR]

I don't think so. Combined with a decent sound card and amplification, these headhones bring out the purity of the instruments in this type of music. Sorry if you dissagree, but metal deserves nothing less.

[noodleninjaa]

I agree, I also have the 880s and metal sounds terrific on them. Beyerdynamics have deep, detailed bass and kick drums shine like a muthafukka. However, I do prefer Grados over my Beyers for anything with distorted guitars.

[mevans1182]

I already have a bass boost cmoy and I use an ac adapter to power it. would it be adequate for these headphones? at least until I can afford a better solution.

[LordXerpentoR]

A cmoy uses 9V. It should be adequate, it will drive the headphones properly, however, a better sollution is necesary if you want to take advantage of the full extent of the quality these headphones offer(soundstage, frequency response etc)

[510MyTube]

how does this sound on an ipod?

[LordXerpentoR]

An ipod doesn't have neither the voltage, nor the power to drive these headphones. Your sound will be weak.

[Nitrosplitt]

And on a Cowon S9 with an Fiio E5?

[Videomaster593]

The best sound of this headphone is the combination with a disc player ( Schallplatten) because the sound isvmuch better .

[Videomaster593]

Beyerdynamic headphones have the best sound and material and they are made in Germany , in Heilbronn.

[kbi35]

Beyerdynamic makes the best headphones.. And created the first stereo headphone in 1937. The DT48.

[MoizAudio]

check out" trafomatic head one" amp

[j0bey1]

They arrived today :D

Fucking amazing, and I'm just running them off my standard Dell laptop. Going to invest in a soundcard. Already bought my Cmoy amp!

[BIGDADDYF50]

like i said, the better your source is, the better they will sound.

I'm running them on Little Dot Mark 3 tube amp & some high quality Audio GD DAC.

It's like i died, went to heaven, died again and went to Radio Land LOL

god i love these headphones.

[LordXerpentoR]

I agree, tube amps are the absolute best. My friend has a tube headphone amp, with some russian tubes. I tested my DT 880 with his amp and I have to say, nothing compares to tube technology, TOTAL AUDIO NIRVANA !! In the end he was begging me to lend him my headphones and I was begging him to lend me his amp. :D Crazy !! Beyerdinamic cans + tube amp = ear orgasm. The downside to tube amps is that they are expensive and the parts are scarce. Other that that, there're the absolute best !!

[ShakeITyEA]

the music made it easier for me to read your description.

fantastic looking headphones, I want them!

[j0bey1]

Just ordered mine....cant wait!

[BIGDADDYF50]

you will not be disappointed my friend.

these cans work semi-decent right out of the box if you're using regular computer speakers.

the bass won't be that high and they may not feel like $260 worthy headphones

but once you pair them up with a dedicated amp and a good sound card or dac, these babies' will sing like Frank Sinatra

[TheRealPhoenix]

Specs are: Headphone Outputs at Maximum Volume into 32 ohm Load Frequency Response +/- 0.1dB, 20Hz to 22kHz Signal-to-Noise Ratio -108dB (A-weighted) Dynamic Range 108dB (A-weighted) THD+Noise 0.003% (-90.0dB), 1kHz, -1dBFS Max Output Level into 32 ohms +2.9dBV, typical Power into Ohms 60 mW into 32 ohms Output Impedance 75 ohm Load Impedance 24 to 600 ohms Crosstalk <-75dB @ 1kHz Thanks!

[TheRealPhoenix]

Hi Im looking to buy the DT880 Pros 250 ohm. Can you tell me if my audio interface (M-Audio Profire 610) had enough juice for these babies?

[LordXerpentoR]

Your M-Audio Profire supports up to 600ohm, it is an external soundcard so it should by all means have more than enough voltage tu supply the headphones, and to my knowledge, all external sound devices have headphone amplification so yes, it's perfect, go with it!!!

[TheRealPhoenix]

Cheers for the advice!

[BIGDADDYF50]

I just got these bad boys from amazon for 250 bucks !!!

They're pretty good without an amplifier, but sound/bass isn't that sharp, so I'm looking to buy a headphone amplifier.

I heard good things about the Musiland Monitor 01 US. should i buy that one?

my budge is around 150 bucks

[LordXerpentoR]

It's not the deadphone's job to provide you the bass you want. That part is reserved for the source and the amplifier. And the sound isn't sharp enoght because the headphones aren't driven properly, not by a long shot. Musiland Monitor is a headphone amp and a portable dac, but I don't think it's powerfull enough for these cans and the frequency responce is far less than that of the headphones. My advice, search for another amplifier.

[LordXerpentoR]

headphone* sorry, my bad :P

[LordXerpentoR]

Like I said, I have these headphones connected to a Xonar Essence STX. It's true, the Beyerdynamic DT 880 cans doesn't emphasize bass or mids or highs, but that can be easily solved by a little tweaking in the soundcard's EQ. These headphones are very analitical, very linear, the bass, the mids, and the highs are very well distinguished, neither one emphasized. If you want more bass, you have to pump more from the source. And don't worry, these cans can take it :)

[derk2]

Oh and do these headphones come with a 3.5 mm jack because I saw some specs on the product that said it does. I'd like to use them with my mp3, I noticed yours came with a larger jack

[LordXerpentoR]

Yes, they do. The Beyers come with a 6.3 mm adaptor already mounted. I tried to take it off but I couldn't in the video because the adapter has a screw mechanism that keeps it firmly attached to the 3.5 mm jack. I belive that's a very good thing because it assures the best signal flow possible. However, the jack won't be your problem. These massive headphones are a little hard to drive, so unless your mp3 doesn't have additional aplification, the volume will be quite low.

[derk2]

oh ok, thanks for the info. I plan on buying the Head Room Total BitHead Portable Headphone Amp with the headphones so I can bring out the quality in them when I use them with my mp3 and computer (since I don't have a stereo)

[LordXerpentoR]

That won't be a good ideea for a few different reasons: 1. that amp you want to buy simply won't do the Beyer DT880 cans justice. The main rule in driving headphones of this magnitude of size and sound quality you need an amp that has a high voltage supply. Your amp is powered by 4 AAA batteries(6V). To drive the Beyers properly you would need a 9V battery capable amp. Don't get me wrong, you will have plenty of volume with that amp, but the quality will drop because the voltage requirements

[LordXerpentoR]

If you plan on buying a portable amplifier, I recommend a M3 headphone amplifier or a Meier Corda. Meier amps are the best answer for Beyerdynamic headphones, a Meier-Beyer combination, if you will. :) Whatever amp you buy, make sure it supplies enough voltage to drive these headphones to their full potential. I use them on my Asus Xonar Essence STX soundcard, and it includes a dedicated headphone amplification chip(by Texas Instruments), powered by 12V(computer power supply) :D

[LordXerpentoR]

w w w . meier-audio . homepage . t-online . de/ Here you have the meier-corda website(without the spaces), go over to the products section and pick your poison. \m/

[derk2]

thanks, while I was browsing I found this amp called the C&C XO+ Portable Headphone AMP. It seems heavy, Have you heard about it?

[LordXerpentoR]

Looks good: has the necessary voltage, it can amplify very high impedance headphones (600ohms), it has lithium battery pack, for these headphones I estimate about 38-40 hours of playback since these are 250 ohm headphones, the frequency responce is well withing the ranges of the DT880. I think this choice is realy good. Go for it !!

[derk2]

I plan on buying these this week ^_^

Dude how are those bad boys?

and do you know anything about the Sennheiser HD650 Headphones? And if you do, do you know if they are any better?

[LordXerpentoR]

These bad boys rock, crush & destroy. Everyone saiys it, I noticed it too, the soundstage is tremendous, you won't feel like listening to headphones, but rather big speakers, and they are VERY comfortable. No pain will ever come from wearing these.

They aren't as far as stereophiles say. They might be a bit more expensive than the Beyerdynamic but not as good sounding, and they are of open design which means they leak a lot of sound.

[sergiolad]

Awesome phones dude I'm planning well saving for the 990 at 600ohms and also I'm yet to find a good phone amp that will drive them

Hey what's the song at the end of the video?? Cheers take care

[LordXerpentoR]

I recently found out that Meier(Corda) headphone amps are ideal for Beyerdynamic headphones. Visit the Meier Corda website and pick your poison. Oh, and I forgot to mention, the bigger Meier amp models, all have Burr-Brown DACs. How sweet is that ??

[sergiolad]

Awesome man thanx for the advice I will check into it and let u know. what I was thinking is using lehman or the A1 I mean is the same brand is a great amp it should in theory sound rather good. Yeah Burr-Brown Dacs r sweeeeet man? I hope I ever have the money for one

What I have now to work with and don't laugh is a mere Fiio 3 and 5 to drive my sennheisers PMX70 and the CX380 and that is as close as I have gotten to improving my quality audio listening hahahah!!!

Cheers dude I'll keep u posted

[LordXerpentoR]

The Beyerdynamic A1 amp is a nice choice, beyer amp for beyer cans. The Burr Brown is the best DAC (127db) out there seconded only b the new Wolffson 127db DAC. They are both 127db SNR capable, but the Burr is still better, I think. By the way, you can find the songs on this video on my channel. Look for SHIN CONTRA ! \m/ The last song on the video is called Fortress and it describes the Beyer DT880 perfectly, they are built like a tank, like a fortress. :D

[sergiolad]

Hey my friend thanx so much for the song jejeje!!! :D

What I been checking is that many brands r going with Wolffson dac now instead of Burr-Brown no idea why. Yeah the dt880 well the DT' really look very strong what I want is to save up and Manufaktur my 990 really crazy jjeje!!

But anyhow the DAC will have to come last I first need to buy a great headphone amp to drive the 600ohm version there r a lot of great amps out there I just have to find a great 1 that stays within my budget :(. Cheers

[LordXerpentoR]

Hey bro, glad I was of help. The Burr-Brown has been bought by Texas Instruments so whan you see TI PCM179x(where x can be 2 or 6 - 2 channels or 6 channels, front rear, subw etc) it is in fact Burr-Brown PCM 179x and you know how big companies have a communist style of marketing. Wolfson is still a free-for-all comapany and that being said, their DACs are much more easily procurable and now that Wolfson has a DAC that rivals the Burr toe-to-toe, makes it the better choice.

[kbi35]

The best dac chip on the market is the sabre. The specs are nuts. Very popular in the DIY forums.. And the best sounding DT880 are the original DT880s made in 80. Also try the 03 version of the DT880. More natural sounding. Less treble emphasis. The DT880 come in 3 flavors 32ohm 250 ohm and 600 ohm. Many feel the 600 ohm betters the 250 ohm. I'm still looking for the original dt880s.

[LordXerpentoR]

There is one catch: Burr-Brown has 127db Dac for both 2 and 6 channel solutions, the 2 channel solution being revised a little as I've heard. Wolfson has a 128 db DAC only for 2 channels but for 6 channels they only have 100 db dacs at best. The WM8741 is Wolfson's flagship, the 128 db DAC. If you see any equipment with this chip, it's worth the cash. Cheers.

[Dr1v3ByPr0duc71ons]

HEAVY METALLLL WHOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[LordXerpentoR]

Yes, it's metal !! Is there a problem ?? Is your comment getting somewhere ??

[Dr1v3ByPr0duc71ons]

lol i'm getting the dt 770 soon, i might make an unpacking vid :D MANUFAKTUR baby!! haha

i love the music =D

[LordXerpentoR]

Oh, I thought you were being sarcastic about the metal music background. :) Sorry about that, my bad. I wait for your unboxing vid.

[Dr1v3ByPr0duc71ons]

lol that's alright, my headphones will come by the end of the week :D now i just need to borrow a camcorder haha

[BedShaker0909]

Cool pair of cans.. I'm planning to get the DT990 250ohms to pair it with Ibasso Cobra D10 portable amp.. And an HT Omega Halo XT soundcard for my rig.. I hope those 2 are enough to drive these headphones..

[stevenshl2]

I am planning on getting these very soon, along with the Xonar Essence :)

[LordXerpentoR]

Awesome choices, you won't regret it. :D

[antunkatona]

I use an otl tube amp which I was custom made out of the best available parts on the market today. When compared to the Paravicini's HP4 which is 2400$ US, this amp sounds more controlled, robust and the soundstage is wider. The parts were around 800$ US so if you want my advice, build your own amp. As for these headphones, they are in fact really good. I just prefer AKG K701. For rock and the derivatives, these deliver. Also try Grados SR325is. For classical try the K701.

[LordXerpentoR]

Maybe someday I'll have the pleasure of hearing a tube amp. I always hear they are the best as far as sound purity goes. If I like it, I may just buy one, even if it will be a costly move.

[antunkatona]

Well, you can try one but for your kind of musical taste I'd suggest you go with solid state amps such as Headamp GS-1 and PS Audio GCHA amps. Generally I feel SS amps to suit best for metal and hard rock though I am not a big fan. But you definitely must try some tube amps before you decide. ESSENCE STX is a good card for a souncard, but opamps simply cannot match a tube output stage in linearity and frequency response. I am sure it sounds good though, way better than my SB X-Fi for sure!

[wazzupi]

i own a pair my self did you buy any headphone amps for them and if you did is there a difference in sound.

[LordXerpentoR]

A headphone amp is ALWAYS a big difference. To drive headphones of this magnitude you don't just need Watts, you need voltage. Voltage drives headphones propperly which without a headphone amp is quite difficult to do. A simple sound card for instance simply does not have the necessary voltage for these kind of cans.

[LordXerpentoR]

I have 2 headphone amps: one of them is Texas Instruments TPA6120A2 built in my soundcard (Xonar Essence STX) and I have a separate Millenium HA4 external headphone amplifier. Both work great with my headphones, the external one is a little bit more powerfull than the internal one but lacks the frequency range response that I get with the internal headphone amp. Both of them use a 12volt power source so it's enough to drive my headphones.

[LordXerpentoR]

But when it comes to quality of sound, I know that there are other headphone amplifiers much more expensive than what I have. You can search for tube amps which are quite expensive but are the best in terms of sound quality, and the can drive a pair of headphones like no other amp types. Or you can go with solid state amps, like mine, but only much much more expensive. There's a lot to say about headphone amps. For more details, visit the HEAD-Fi forum. They'll give you more details.