beyerdynamic DT 880 Edition 250 Ohm Headphone


DT 880 Edition DT 990 Edition
DT 880 Edition DT 990 Edition
Design Semi-open (low attenuation of ambient noise) Open (ambient noise penetrates freely in and out)
Application Music enjoyment at home Music enjoyment at home
Sound quality Neutral, relaxed, relatively spacious, deep but lean bass, transparent Strong bass and trebles, analytical , very spacious, voluminous bass, transparent
Impedance 32/250/600 ohms 32/250/600 ohms
Scope of delivery Transport bag, 3 m connection cable, 3.5 mm jack plug and 6.35 adapter Transport bag, 3 m connection cable, 3.5 mm jack plug and 6.35 adapter


Weight: 290 g
Size: 250 OHM
Dimensions: 17.78 x 10.16 x 21.59 cm; 290 Grams
Model: DT 880 Premium 250 ohm
Colour: Gray
Colour: Gray
Size: 250 OHM

197 Responses

  1. Anonymous says:

     United States

    Make sure you check the box when you receive it to verify that it’s the correct OHM( I didn’t because I’ve never had an issue with my orders before). The first pair I receive was the highest OHM version they offer, which is 600 ( if I remember correctly). I connected it to a mixer and the headphones worked about 30 before they completely died. I tried them on my friends recording equipment, amps, you name it. Luckily, Amazon was their usual, on point, selves and sent me a replacement in just a few days.

    The replacement was the correct OHMs this time and I couldn’t be happier with the headphones. They’ve been going strong for the last year. The sound quality is great, but they require a mixer/sound card to adjust the levels for a great all around sound. If you live with other people, you have to be conscious of the fact that they’re semi-open, so pretty much anyone in the same room can hear what you’re listening too. The velor pads are great against the ears and still haven’t worn out after be used everyday. The headband is sturdy and rest nicely on the head. The headphones are balanced well and don’t put pressure on the head even during prolonged use. All in all, an excellent pair of headphones. If you can find a used set that has been well maintained, I would say buy them without looking back.

  2. Anonymous says:

     Australia 🇦🇺

    I ordered these and then when I realised they were “Premium”, not “Pro”, I cancelled the order. Then after researching and realising that the only difference was the band, I reordered and have not been disappointed. The band is solid and comfortable. IT feels better on my head than the 770, although that could be due to age. They seem sturdy and even if I were to take them beyond my home studio, I think they’d be fine.

    As for the sound comparison, they have a bit more space in them and the top end is a touch less harsh. They also seem to handle higher volumes a little more smoothly.

    For the price, you can’t go wrong.

  3. Anonymous says:

     United States

    Golden Review Award: 2 From Our UsersI am just getting into the whole audiophile scene and thus far I have bought cheaper cans such as Samson SR-850’s and Philips SHP9500’s (got them before they were discontinued). I got the 250 ohm on sale for $160 and I am using a Magni 3 to drive them. I am absolutely blown away.

    I feel I may lack the proper terminology that I see people use to describe lows/highs/mids, seperation/detail/soundstage. All I can really say is I guess I didn’t really expect these to be such a step up, but they definitely are. Crystal clear. Noticing things in songs that I haven’t before. Just the right amount of bass for me, it doesn’t overpower anything else. It’s nice and punchy. The SR-850’s and SHP9500’s sometimes cause issues for me as far as being maybe a little too bright? These have nice clear treble without hurting my ears, which was a nice surprise, because I have always heard that Beyerdynamic’s are treble cannons.

    The build quality on these is amazing. Definitely also a huge step up from anything I’ve used and my god these are comfortable. Not too heavy, just the right amount of clamp, super nice pads. No problem wearing these for extended periods.

    Can it really get any better than this for the price I paid for them? I guess only time and future purchases will tell, this definitely won’t be my last headphone purchase. I’m slowly becoming obsessed with headphones. For right now these are absolutely my new favorites and are a joy to listen with.

  4. Anonymous says:

     United Kingdom

    Golden Review Award: 2 From Our Usersbought these to pair with a soundblasterx ae5 soundcard as my Sennheiser 595s were starting to fail , I use these headphones through the ae5 headphone socket set to 600 ohm on headphones direct which cuts out any dsp and does raw sound at 32bit 384000 hz and the sound is spatial well balanced with excellent base which does not overpower mids or trebles . I have tried various types of music such as rock pop electronic dance and classical and all equally shine on these headphones . I previously had beyer dt990s and I believe these to be better as they are more neutral .

  5. Jonathan Terrasi says:

     Germany

    Seit Jahren benutze ich den DT931 von Beyerdynamic. (Gekauft 1989)
    Das prgt. Man gewhnt sich ja.
    Der DT 880 ? Zunchst fllt die blitzsaubere Verabeitung auf. Alles beeindruckend edel und wertig.
    Das Kabel ist schn lang mit 3 Metern und wird nur an einem Hrer in den Bgel geleitet.
    Trotzdem nervt das Kabel.
    Es dreht sich (Rundkabel) und ist fest angebaut.
    Das Kabel ist die einzige Schwachstelle am Hrer. Es neigt auch dazu, sich zu verdrehen-
    Kopfpolster und Ohrmuscheln sind perfekt geformt, da drckt nichts,
    trotzdem sitzt der Hrer fest an den Ohren.
    Der Klang? Vielleicht sollte man die beiden nicht vergleichen.
    Der DT880 klingt zunchst wie ein entschrfter DT931. Eher linear und neutraler aber doch przise und gut .
    Nicht aufdringlich , aber klar und bestimmt.
    Der alte Meister DT931 wirkt lebendiger und spritziger.
    Aber Hren ist auch eine Gewohnheitssache.
    Nach 6 Monaten in denen ich nur den DT 880 benutze merke ich gestern, dass mir mein eigener Favorit- der DT931- mir nicht mehr so gut gefllt.
    Pltzlich wirkt der DT880 deutlich natrlicher und spritziger im Vergleich.
    Ravi Shankar und die Dan Seals Country Songs.
    Die Stimmen bei Gesang wirken sehr natrlich , auch bei Sprache.
    Die Tablas und der gesamte akustische Eindruck sind perfekt aufgefchert wahrnehmbar. Das kann der DT931 so nicht.
    Dieser Hrer ist pures Understatement. Zum Verlieben sehr geeignet .

    Zweifellos ist dies ein KH der Audio Spitzenklasse.
    Ein wirklich enorm gut klingender Hrer.

    Der Preis liegt etwas unter dem von 2018.
    Erwhnt sei auch noch der gute Kundenservice von BD. Ein Produkt ohne Schwchen !

    Charles Vate

  6. Fatima46Mhovql says:

     United Kingdom

    Golden Review Award: 5 From Our UsersBeyerdynamic DT 880 headphones were a product I was interested in for many years. I had read so much about these headphones and eventually my curiosity gave way. My initial reaction to them was they looked very ‘industrial’ They are supposed to be semi-open headphones but they seem to leak sound as much as any open backed headphones. Construction is very good and they feel durable and lightweight (they weigh 296g). Comfort is also excellent due to the light weight and the earpads. Genuine earpads are relatively cheap. The way the earpads are attached to the earcup is quite novel: A lip on the earpad slips over the metal ring of the earcup. This involves quite a lot of stretching of the earpad (some recommend heating the earpad with a hairdryer). It also means the earpad can rotate around the earcup. This is different from the Sennheiser method where earpads ‘click’ into place. The earpads also have a characteristic in that they seem to be below room temperature. They are slightly cold when first put on. The cable is a non-detachable single entry design rather than a ‘Y’ chord. The DT 880 is not as modular as the HD580/600/650/660 line that can easily be dismantled and re-assembled. Unlike most headphones these are available in 3 different impedances for use with portable players (32), home hifi (250) and high end systems (600). This review is based on the 600 model. Impedance is a complex subject but the advantage of high impedance is strong damping whereby the transducer accurately follows the path defined by the electrical signal. The sound of these headphones is fairly straightforward to describe. Bass, nice, extended, certainly not what you might call ‘one note bass’. Midrange, not too much/forward or too little/recessed , nicely balanced. The high frequency is the only area that lacks the balance that this headphone represents. There’s a big treble peak before 10khz which makes the headphone sound bright. If there wasn’t this peak and the treble extended accurately into the upper frequencies then this would be a unique achievement in headphone design by Beyerdynamic. The DT 880’s value would increase considerably. Unfortunately this is not the case. Brightness often gives the illusion of detail and it does make them seem more analytical. Detail is very good but not quite at the level of headphones like the T1/HD800. Being bright can’t be good for mastering either as the subsequent recordings will lack treble. The soundstage is quite wide but the imaging is a little vague. The DT 880 is a mixed bag, some elements are world class but in other areas it’s found lacking. It just doesn’t have the integrity of the more balanced HD580/600 although there are areas it comfortably surpasses the Sennheiser’s. The DT 880 is not what you would call a ‘musical’ headphone and it certainly won’t flatter poorly recorded material. I use mine when I get new albums to get a good impression of the recording. After a while you can sometimes even forget its bright nature.

    For:
    Minimal euphonic distortion
    Quite analytical sort of sound
    Sublime bass
    Excellent frequency extension
    Choice of impedance 32/250/600
    Durability
    Comfort

    Against:
    Bright sounding
    Not as modular as Sennheiser HD600/650 line

  7. Anonymous says:

     United Kingdom

    The sound is crisp and clear, and overall they are very good for jazz, acoustic and more natural instruments. Very slight issue with rattle noise at very specific frequency on one side, which is apparently a common issue. With the right amp the 600 ohm version sounds very good and natural.

  8. Anonymous says:

     Germany 🇩🇪

    Golden Review Award: 42 From Our UsersHier kann ich nur alle positiven Rezensionen besttigen, daher erspare ich Ihnen den Versuch, noch einmal etwas Neues zu schreiben. Alles, was positiv berichtet wird, stimmt aus meiner Sicht. Negatives habe ich nicht gefunden.

    Der KH fsst sich klasse an, der Klang ist klasse, ebenso wie der Sitz. Und beim Preis kann man fr die gebotene Leistung auch absolut nicht meckern.

    Dasselbe gilt auch fr den DT 990, der mich schon einige Jahre begleitet und deutlich anders klingt als der DT 880.
    Auch hier kann ich alles besttigen, was zu den klanglichen Unterschieden der beiden KH geschrieben wird – jedenfalls in den Rezensionen, die einen vermuten lassen, der Ersteller wei, wovon er schreibt.

    Die Kurzversion:

    DT 990 = angehobene Bsse und angehobene Hhen

    DT 880 = hrbar linearer bei Bass und Hhen

    Im direkten Vergleich gibt es fr mich kein “Besser” oder “Schlechter”, es gibt nur ein “Anders”. Fr mich beides tolle KH, die Spa machen.

    PS: interessant finde ich, wie unterschiedlich die Menschen Akustik bewerten. Der eine sagt “zu wenig Bass”, der andere sagt “gar kein Bass” und wieder andere sagen “genau richtig”.
    Natrlich war ich auf meine eigene Wahrnehmung davon beim 880er gespannt. Der Song Pineapple X-Press von Audiomatic sollte mir Klarheit bringen. Also mir fehlt da nichts an Bass, im Gegenteil, genau so liebe ich ihn: tief, trocken, knackig.

    Doch nicht nur bei elektronischer Musik, sondern auch bei Jazz ist alles vorhanden an Bass, was ich will. Alexis Cole z.B. mit dem Song Ain’t we got fun macht mir genauso viel Spa.

    Da ich nun das Gefhl habe, direkt vor der Bhne zu stehen, so, wie manch anderer zu berichten wei, kann ich zwar nicht sagen. Das mchte ich aber nicht dem Kopfhrer anlasten, sondern mehr der Unfhigkeit meines Gehirns, Musik aus der Konserve mit Live-Musik gleichzustellen.

    – – – – – – – – –

    UPDATE nach 2 Jahren:

    Ich stehe noch immer hinter meinen Aussagen oben, es sind auch keine Abnutzungen an den Hrern zu entdecken.
    Also wrde ich mich aus Versehen draufsetzen und die Hrer irreparabel zerstren, ich wrde sie wieder kaufen – alle beide.

    – – – – – – – – –

    UPDATE nach 3,5 Jahren:

    Nach wie vor volle Zufriedenheit. Keine Verschleierscheinungen erkennbar.

  9. Anonymous says:

     United Kingdom

    Golden Review Award: 7 From Our UsersIt’s rare on Amazon for any product listing to last this long, but it’s nice when it does. I purchased my Beyerdynamics DT880 headphones on Amazon in November 2010, so my headphones are now almost 8 years old. They’ve been my secondary pair since November last year however; I just fancied a different set.

    Up until 2010 I’d never spent more than 50 on a set of headphones, so i picked these as my first ‘proper decent’ pair and I wasn’t disappointed. The price was a bit steep but I had cash to burn I paid 250 for them, yes they cost 250 in 2010. I remember them being fairly solid nice quality comfortable (they better be at that price) and the sound quality was super nice, if I could compare them to my current set they’re similar except the bass on my current set is slightly better. Bassheads beware, these phones are all about good quality sound all round, they don’t do boom. They offer a detailed frequency response including bass, but it’s never an uncontrolled distorted mess.

    The downside to owning these only applies to people who use these at night when people sleep, they give off a lot of noise being open at the back, another reason I chose to replace them after 7 years. I kept waking people up. 😉

    Long term ownership: They’re solid as a rock, I even stood on them and totally bent the frame on one side one night when I was drunk, I just bent it back into shape good as new. The ear pads wore out about the fifth year, I stitched them up, just a bit later the head padding deteriorated into a sticky mess so I got my Gran to stitch me a velour one.

    I did eventually retire them as my spares, but they’re still good, they sound the same as day one and they’ve had a lot of use, like 4 hours at a minimum nearly every day for 7 years.

    The tale of an elderly and much loved pair of DT880's

  10. Anonymous says:

     United Kingdom

    Firstly a gripe.. Considering the cost of these headphones I found them rather flimsy. However a year on and they’re still like new.
    The sound reproduction from these headphones is awesome, I have a few top end sets of headphones all used for mixing. These are the ones I always choose as they’re so comfortable you can wear them for hours.
    Would definitely buy them again.

  11. Anonymous says:

     United States 🇺🇸

    Golden Review Award: 26 From Our UsersThis kind of sound for this kind of price ?! Are you kidding !!!!

    A lot has been said and written about these cans but the fact is that it may be the best offer there is for analytical, precise and neutral sound. What that exactly is, is indeed a long story, but let me say that you will hear things with these that you probably never heard before.

    First of all, my set-up is an Audeze Deckard Class A headphone amplifier (I believe it’s 4W class A), which obviously is more than sufficient to drive the 600 ohm versin that I have. I actually have two pairs of cans and yes, the amp drives them both at insanely high levels at the same time with a cable splitter !

    The comfort can probably not get a lot better. I use them for movies late in the evening, and after two hours or so, they’re still very comfortable, soft, right pressure, not hot at all.

    The built quality is sincerely 4/5. You don’t get a remarkable headphone for this price, but that said it is solid, nice metal work, all in all very very good at this price point. Yes. Metal. Wow.

    And the sound…. we all hear different, but what you should be able to hear is… detail. This baby will separate details, keep the mids and low end tight, and that’s already incredible at this price. Most people seem to worry about if it sounds shrill or the bass is “missing”. I’d say that you should check what recording material you’re listening to. People tend to forget that there are so many poorly recorded albums out there and these cans with tell you exactly that. So detailed, so revealing.

    Initially I found the low end lacking in “punch” but after experimenting endlessly with different music material and EQ settings, well, the conclusion is that the low end is there, in fact, it’s all there, just in a very controlled way. Difficult to explain, but let’s say “neutral” for lack of a better word. Very studio-like. In fact, I own Yamaha HS8 studio monitors and sub, so I do appreciate neutral sound.

    So, who should buy these ? First of all, if you don’t have an amp, stick to the 30 and 250 ohm versions. The 600 ohm NEEDS an amp, period, otherwise you’ll not be able to have a decent sound level and the control over the cans that you need. These cans are for serious music lovers who don’t mind being served the truth instead of soup. While you may be disappointed in discovering that certain music that you previously thought sounded all right suddenly sounds so-so, the real reward is discovering so many new things while listening. With good recording material, you will be amazed to hear the vocals, the instruments. Sound stage is so-so, but I think we have to be fair and not compare these cans with 5-10 times more expensive ones.

    My favorite music for these are jazz, classical, lounge, blues recordings and watching a movie with these with blow your mind ! I do listen to a fair share of electronic / house music which sounds great, but don’t expect the kick you get out of that with a solid pair of speakers – but that’s merely the nature of that kind of music.

    These are half-open headphones, so you will have to avoid noisy environments, plus it’s possible to hear what’s playing even if you’re sitting a fair bit of distance away. On the plus side, which I like, you can hear what’s going on in the world outside, e.g. if someone’s talking to you.

    Fantastic cans for an unbelievable low price.

  12. Anonymous says:

     United Kingdom

    Golden Review Award: 4 From Our UsersSo far so good, I have run them in for about 30 hours and started making a new track using them.

    The artist I have been listening to so far are

    Anthony Hamilton
    Gregory Porter
    Jagged edge
    Oliver Heldon
    London Elektricity
    Danny Bird
    Diana Krall
    Ranging through House, jazz, garage, Soul, folk, drum & Bass, R&B… so a wide selection.
    Here is what I have found so far.

    The first thing I noticed was these are very comfortable and could easily be used for a good few hours at a time.
    The band clings to your head with confidence but never tight enough to make you think your eyes are going to pop out.

    The sound is warm but not bloated, clear and detailed. You can hear reverb tails on individual sounds fade away to nothing. Kick drums, snares, rim shots etc all start and stop quickly with minimal overhang. Perfect for picking faults out in recordings and mixs.

    A few things that stand out as negative points,

    The sound is not as open or articulate as my Grado’s.
    Although the these Beyerdynamic have detail and good stereo imaging, even the cheaper 100 Grado’s have a bigger/wider soundstage, and give a better impression that the sounds are in the room with you. Something these Beyerdynamics can only do to a certain point.

    The Beyerdynamic do have better bass extension then the Grado’s though and can go very low without woolyness or bloat.

    Great Cans, glad I got them but if your after soundstage width and more deep clinical detail try the Grado’s..

  13. TracieJZOS says:

     United Kingdom

    Golden Review Award: 3 From Our UsersI bought these headphones purely for use with an ipod while on holiday. I bought these on the strength that I already own a pair of T1 Gen 2 headphones. Although these are not in the same class as the T1’s I was really surprised at the sound qaulity of the DT 880’s which are very open with great detail and have surpassed my expectations. I would highly recommend these for use with a mobile device. The only negative I would mention is the ridiculously long cable.

  14. Anonymous says:

     Canada 🇨🇦

    Golden Review Award: 2 From Our UsersSi la neutralit sonore est votre proccupation, vous allez adorer ce casque. En ce qui me concerne, il brille spcialement avec la musique classique. Pour le jazz, c’est franc mais il manque un petit quelque chose au niveau de la proximit de la scne sonore. Le casque est comfortable et ne fatigue pas l’oreille lors de longues sessions d’coute. Pour le prix, c’est une merveille. Fait en Allemagne, la qualit est au rendez-vous. Trs bon service de Amazon.ca

  15. Anonymous says:

     United Kingdom

    Golden Review Award: 3 From Our Userscombined with a DAC and amplifier these headphones give superb audio quality and clarity. listening to lossless music on these is a treat. awesome audiophile level quality with balanced, rich, and deep sound on all ends. bass is not boosted and is very balanced.

  16. MelvinaBVFN says:

     United Kingdom

    Golden Review Award: 13 From Our UsersAesthetically pleasing – more attractive than the DT880 Studio edition, I own – these Beyer DT880 headphones ooze quality – made in Germany – and, sonically speaking, are up there with the Sennheiser HD600 and HD650. More neutral sounding than the HD650, the Beyer DT880 is highly analytical; the sound has a clinical precision which some may find is lacking in colour. But the Beyer’s neutrality offers remarkable levels of detail – it outperforms the HD650, in my opinion. But in the Sennheiser HD600 the Beyer DT880 meets its nemesis. The HD600 shows the Beyer DT880 a clean pair of heels when it comes to spatial location of instruments and ultimate transparency.. but it’s a close run thing and the Beyer DT880 is very comfortable to wear for long listening sessions. And the price has dropped…. these excellent headphones can be had for under 200… they are under-priced, to say the least. Snap up a bargain, while prices are low – these are high-end, hif-fi headphones of outstanding quality – genuine high fidelity sound quality. You’ll need a good headphone amplifier to drive the 600 ohm load, but the high impedance reduces the noise floor and detail is enhanced – excellent.

  17. Anonymous says:

     United Kingdom

    Sound great. They are a little large, if you want to use them for traveling.

  18. WilburBanuelos says:

     United Kingdom

    One of the best under 200, however, a desk amp and good dac is necessary. You will listen an unforgettable sound. 600ohm version is bette

  19. Danielle Kosecki says:

     Canada 🇨🇦

    Transparent sound & lightweight. To me, my HD598 are more comfortable but I’ll enjoy more of DT’s sound characteristic. Some folks commented these to be too analytical, opinion granted, possible as a matter of fact. But I use software EQ, so… compensate a bit. I use it through headphones amp. & they are being driven easily without any pain. They are even wonderful directly out of my Samsung S7 too. The cramping force a bit too tight for my preference but I’m adapting…. an opinion from a non-audiophile 🙂

  20. Anonymous says:

     United Kingdom

    These are exceptional headphones; a detailed, spacious sound with supercomfortable earpads. After two months of listening I enjoy them more and more. You may want headphones with more “slam” and heavier bass, it’s always better to try them somewhere before buying.

  21. Anonymous says:

     Canada 🇨🇦

    Audiophile here.

    This is an amazing product. Very nicely built and durable.

    The sound it produces is reference, especially in a clear, analytic and precise sense. The stage is well-delineated in its reproduction of sound.

    At this price range, this is pretty much the top of the pile in terms of value-for-money audiophile-grade headphones.

    Very, very highly recommended.

  22. Anonymous says:

     Canada

    These are amazing if you like treble, although the bass is not too recessed. Very well balanced. Cord is fixed in place.

  23. AsaSlaughter says:

     Canada

    I can’t tell you enough how comfortable those headphones are! And of course, they sound great. You will forget the price.

  24. Meredit11G says:

     United States 🇺🇸

    Over the last 15 years I have owned six head and in ear earphones ranging in price from $110-$500 and have used them extensively. Sound and comfort are a highly personal experience but I’ll share my feelings to help others make a choice. I,personally,found my in ear earphones to give the best sound, but a pain to insert properly and take off and uncomfortable for extended use. My headphone choices to me were a distinct notch down in audio quality,easier to get on and off but still uncomfortable for periods running over an hour. The headbands were too tight, squeezing my ears. I have a large head and the one size fits all concept made my ears sore. Also their cups were too small pressing onto the lobes of my ears furthering the discomfort. My Beyerdynamic DT 880’s are the exception. The cups are large enough they fit around/over my ears,not on top of the lobes and are looser giving me more comfort than any other device I have owned. My other headphones use leather(real or synthetic) to cover the padding where the DT 880’s have a material similar to a cross between velour and a very high quality towel like material. This seems to help my ears breathe better without sweat forming as easily which made my ears itch with the leather type covers. As a plus the sound is very good. Other reviewers have covered its audio characteristics far better than I could so refer to them for the details. The Beyerdynamic DT 880 Premiums are my go to earpiece of choice as of now.

  25. Anonymous says:

     Germany 🇩🇪

    Golden Review Award: 12 From Our UsersDer Beyerdynamic DT 880 Edition wird in einer schmucken mit Schaumstoff verstrkten Kunstledertasche geliefert , in dieser liegt auch der vergoldete Adapter fr Miniklinke auf 6,3-mm-Anschluss. Das Kopfhrerkabel ist fest mit dem DT 880 Edition verbunden, also nicht abnehmbar oder austauchbar.
    Der Beyerdynamic DT 880 wiegt ca. 297 Gramm (ohne Kabel) und damit ist er allerdings kein Leichtgewicht mehr. Das Gewicht verdankt er seiner stabilen Konstruktion die dem aus Federstahl gefertigten Kopfbgel geschuldet ist. Er wird durch den besonders gut gepolsterten Bereich des Bgels im Kopfbereich ergnzt.
    Die Ohrmuscheln umschlieen die Ohren vollkommen und komplett und diese liegen durch einen sehr weichen und angenehmen Schaumstoff sehr komfortabel am Ohr auf.
    Mit einer Nennimpedanz von 32 Ohm ist der DT 880 Edition soll er auch fr den Einsatz an moblien Gerten und Smartphones geeignet sein, was von mir aber nicht getestet wurde, aber auch angezweifelt wird. Ich betreibe den DT880 an einem Stereovollverstrker AS301 am Kopfhrerausgang und da muss ich schon stark aufdrehen, ca. Vollaussteuerung um eine ansprechende Lautstrke und Klang zu erreichen. Dann bringt er vermutlich auch den angegebenen Schallduck. Eine der absoluten Strken des DT 880 ist das tolle Stereobild fr einen halboffenen Kopfhrer.
    Der DT 880 Edition bringt an meiner Anlage ein recht homogenes und neutrales Klangbild Pop, Dance, Rock bringt er recht geradlinig herber und doch auch druckvoll, aber bei weitem nicht so wie mein alter DT860 von Beyerdynamic, aber dafr ist er in den Mitten sehr schn prsent, ohne aufgesetzt zu wirken, in den Hhen knnte er eine Kleinigkeit mehr bringen und etwas brillanter klingen. Vor allem bei den kurzen Impulsen arbeitet der DT 880 Edition ber den gesamten Frequenzverlauf exzellent. Sein ganzes Knnen spielt der DT880 vor allem bei sehr akustischer und klassischer Musik aus. Bei Klassikaufnahmen kann der DT 880 Edition sein ganzes Knnen so richtig unter Beweis stellen und beeindruckt durch eine groe enorme Bhnenbreite. Der Raumeindruck wirkt so richtig dreidimensional. Auch bei Philharmonic Rock und Symphonic Rock macht er eine sehr gute Figur. Bei Jazzaufnahmen zeigt er den Kenner eine ebenso wunderbare Abbildung der Rumlichkeit einer Aufnahme. Musikproduktionen lassen sich mit dem DT880 brigens ebenslo sauber bewerten und Mischfehler aufzeigen.
    Fazit:
    Wer einen Spitzenkopfhrer, also einen echten Profi fr die heimische Stereoanlage sucht oder ein Arbeitspferd fr die eigene Musikproduktionen und dabei einen geradlinigen, unverflschten Frequenzgang schtzt, der mit einem sehr gut ortbaren Stereobild, sowie Tiefe glnzt, der macht mit dem Beyerdynamic DT 880 Edition alles richtig!
    Wenngleich mir mein alter Beyerdynamic DT860 doch noch einen Tick besser gefllt. Er ist etwas druckvoller, krftiger im Klang und der Bass ist etwas satter und wrmer, aber das ist halt Geschmackssache und Verwendungszweck abhngig.
    Ein klarer Vorteil des DT880 gegenber dem DT860 ist die mechanische Bgelkonstruktion aus Federstahl, whrend der DT860 einen phantastischen Klang hatte, war doch ein erheblicher Mangel, die Bgelkonstruktion, die am Bgelende beiderseits in einem Kugelgelenk aus Kunststoff endete.
    Dieses Kugelgelenk aus Kunststoff war derart bruchempfindlich, so dass ich im Laufe der Jahre mindestens4 Brche des Kugelgelenks hatte, die aber so muss man fairerweise sagen ,immer unter
    Kulanz behoben wurden.

  26. Noor says:

     United Kingdom

    Wow. I wish I’d discovered Beyerdynamic 20 years ago. These are unbelievably good compared to similarly priced headphones from more heavily marketed brands. I’m using the 600 ohm version with a headphone amplifier.

  27. Anonymous says:

     United States

    Golden Review Award: 118 From Our UsersAfter owning the DT 990 Pro 250 for a year, I decided to get these to compare and obviously keep. While I read that the DT 880 are light on bass, according to my ears, they’re only light on impact. The bass is there, ALL OF IT, but it’s not felt…doesn’t fill the ears like the DT 990 Pro. So by result, the bass is more detailed and nuanced. The trade-off is worth it.

    The DT 880 600 ohm are what my ears expected of the DT 990, which has too much treble for my liking. My Schiit Asgard 2 rounds off that treble nicely, though. The DT 880 are BRIGHT on their own. If you have heard them and consider them too piercing, the DT 990 are DT 880s on steroids.

    The bass is big and also the highs…while the midrange is thinner. That is what I like about the DT 880…that they are as revealing as the DT 990 but without sounding so thin in the middle. They’re flatter, while the DT 990 sound V-shaped.

    Lots of people say the DT 880 are the boring ones and the DT 990 are the fun ones. While I get what they mean by that, I don’t consider the DT 880 boring at all. They’re flatter-sounding, but they do not sound…flat. They’re way livelier and more intense than a lot of headphones. If you want to experience truly boring headphones, try the super flat and revealing Senal SMH-1200. Those make any music sound boring and lifeless with their empty, dry sound signature…but are awesome as audio loupes.

    Anyway, I agree with beyerdynamic’s descriptions: the DT 880 are for reference monitoring and the DT 990 are for critical listening and mastering. Having music production as a hobby since 2002, it makes sense to me and their sound signatures are the proof.

    Oh, I wanted to mention that good conversion/amplification gets rid of the “metallic tone” and sibilance of beyerdynamic headphones. It’s been established that the Sennheiser HD 650/6XX scale up with gear, and they do scale up, but so do these, and more noticeably. The better the equipment and the more power, the better they sound.

    Thanks for reading. God bless you!

    [EDIT-June 13, 2020]
    I like to read reviews, sure, but ultimately, I trust my own ears/brain. I completely disregard what other ears/brains hear. What use are they to me, right? I’ve been comparing these with my beyerdynamic T90 Jubilee using the beastly Tascam UH-7000 and the original Schiit Asgard, which sounds great.

    The DT 880 are less exciting in terms of energy, since the sound is not so “in-your-face”, but there is something about the DT 880’s presentation that I like more. They sound more “out of the head”, “wider” side to side and more “layered” from foreground to background.

    The DT 880 are just more balanced from lows to highs frequency and energy-wise, as if they had a transparent compressor. Weirdly, to my surprise, they also translate more emotion, even if they are reference headphones and not Hi-Fi headphones like the T90. Those I admit are more musical-sounding, BUT, musicality and musical emotion are two different things in my book.

    The sound stage on the DT 880 is not so “zoomed-in” like in the T90, so they don’t sound as full, but that “distance” in the sound presentation makes the DT 880 transmit something that the T90 lack. The DT 880 sound more “lonely” and not as ear-filling, which is something that kills a lot of headphones for me, but somehow, I precisely like that about them.

    It might seem like an undesirable trait, but I am sure that, regardless of experience level, trained ear or not, anyone could understand what I mean if they were to compare both side by side. The DT 880 simply affect me more emotionally even if the T90 are the obvious winners in the technical performance department.

    Is this preference of mine due to the DT 880’s design PLUS the drivers having way higher impedance and requiring more juice from the amp, which results in the drivers behaving differently in a way above my knowledge level? I have no clue. All I know is I somehow feel some kind of relief taking off the T90 and wearing the DT 880 even if they sound “smaller”, more “distant” and less ear-filling.

    I can wear the T90 and go, “Wow, these sound incredible”. Then I take them off, wear the DT 880 and go, “Aaaaah, I SO missed this…whatever THIS is.” The T90 are tonally clearer, but the DT 880’s overall sound presentation is clearer, as if filtered. They are very, very different headphones. The T90 sound better technically, but the DT 880 emotionally take me to a better place.

    Ever since I got the DT 880, I’ve been saying to myself that they are special. It just took me a long while to figure out what it was. Yeah, the DT 990 are no slouches, but they don’t transmit the emotion that the DT 880 do. The DT 880 simply touch my feelings in a unique way. Just wanted to share this with you guys!

    Bright, balanced sound that brings smiles...how I expected the DT 990 to sound! [EDIT-June 13, 2020]

  28. Anonymous says:

     Canada

    Golden Review Award: 25 From Our UsersFirst, let me say these are an amazing pair of headphones for the price. But anyone can say that about their headphones, like Bose, Dr.dre, Sennheiser and so on. But what actually makes these a good set of headphones? Let me tell you why. Here’s my take on the Beyerdynamic DT880 (250ohm) headphones.

    SOUND:
    As some of the other reviewers have stated it has a nice and flat frequency response. This means these headphones balance the bass, mids and treble very nicely. In contrast, bose and dr.dre tend to have a v-shape frequency response where the bass and treble are strong and the mids are recessed or weak. I found on my Sennheiser HD598 they had good mids and treble however they lacked some bass. The majority of sound that makes up music is found in the mids. For example, guitars, vocals, piano, any natural instrument really. If you are into the classical genre, vocal soloists or even country you will LOVE these headphones. The mids are really brought to life and sound incredible.

    COMFORT:
    As far as comfort goes it really depends on the shape/size of your head however I find these are extremely comfortable. The band pressure is not too tight nor too loose. Just right. The velour pads are a nice touch and prevent your ears from sweating.

    DAC/POWERING:
    For the 250ohm version, your iPhone or smartphone will power these to a comfortable volume level, however I highly recommend you invest in a DAC and amplifier to truly get the most of these headphones. Even with my Audioengine D1, the 250ohm version of these headphones really draw quite a bit of power, I need to almost max the volume while listening to classical music to get a comfortable enough volume.

    LISTENING ENVIRONMENT:
    Now lets talk about listening environment. These headphones are a semi-open design which means there are essentially holes that allow the music to pass through the headphones. Someone standing beside you can hear what you are listening to, and you can quite easily hear whats going on around you. I would not listen to these in a noisy environment as you wouldn’t be able to enjoy them. They are more for at-home in a quiet place where people won’t be annoyed to hear what you are listening to.

    CONCLUSION:
    For $240 CAD, these really are a bargain. I’ve listened to $500 headphones that don’t even come close to these. With a beautifully balanced sound signature and impressive design and comfort these headphones will definitely be in my studio for a long time.

    EXTRA NOTES:
    For those of you who are bass-heads, these may not be the headphones for you. They definitely have more than adequate bass but not earth shattering like two 12’s subwoofers in you trunk…..or a pair of dre beats. If you are also wondering in terms of sound color these have like “warm, neutral or bright” I would describe these as right inbetween warm and neutral. Some other models like the dt770 and the dt990 are known to have painful treble or very harsh sounding highs. I do not find these at all with the dt880 250ohm version. The treble is well balanced.

    I hope my review will you help you decide if you’d like to purchase these headphones and if they are the right ones for you. Good luck!

  29. Anonymous says:

     United Kingdom

    Great headphones!

    A bit too “open” for me though, as I wanted to use them when working as well as for music playing/recording (without making my office colleagues hear). Also, I didn’t really noticed originally, but 250 ohm is a too high impedance for my poor MacBook Air. I’m now using DT 770 80 ohm.

    But if sounds leakage does not matter for you, and you have enough audio delivering power (amplifier), then go for these!

  30. Anonymous says:

     Germany

    Golden Review Award: 12 From Our UsersIch hatte schon einige teurere Kopfhrer. Unter anderem AKG K701 oder den Sennheiser HD650 oder beyerdynamic DT880 Edition und beyerdynamic DT990 Edition. Anders als bei 50 vs.100 KH ist der Vergleich unter diesen KH nicht sofort eindeutig, da eher die Art als die Qualitt der Wiedergabe sich ndert.

    Ab dieser Preisklasse gibt sich nun wirklich keiner der Groen eine Ble in Sachen Klangqualitt. Wer jetzt aber denk, dass sie gleich, oder hnlich klingen, irrt gewaltig. Ob ein KH nun gut oder schlecht klingt hngt viel mehr von den eigenen Vorlieben bzw. der angehrten Musik ab.

    Ich hatte die Mglichkeit alle unten genannten Versionen gleichzeitig, ausfhrlich daheim zu testen und werde jetzt ohne (viel) blumige Umschreibung vor und Nachteile auffhren. Mein Musik Geschmack ist sehr weitlufig. Ich hre von klassischer Musik/Film ber Pop, Rock, LiquidD&B, Rap bis melodicMetal so ziemlich alles was mir gefllt. Nicht die einfachsten Voraussetzungen bei der KH Wahl, da man quasi eine eierlegende Wollmilchsau sucht.

    DAC: Asus Essence STX
    Alle KH wurden vor dem Test ca. 50h “eingespielt”.

    Toshio Masuda – Guren theme (WAV):

    Wie alle Lieder von Masuda ist auch dieses unglaublich gut aufgenommen worden und weist eine hohe rumliche weite auf. Das hichiriki was neben Gitarre und Geige die Hauptrolle spielt, ist extrem hochauflsend. An diesem Stck, kann ich KH am besten auf ihre allgemeine Auflsung und “aufgespannte Bhne” testen.

    DT990 Edition 250Ohm: ganz klar der hochauflsendste von allen. Dementsprechend arbeitet er die hohen Frequenzen auch noch perfekt heraus ohne unangenehm zu wirken. Die Rumliche Darstellung ist ebenfalls weit und man kann jedes Instrument klar in Richtung und Entfernung platzieren. Tiefen werden nicht berzogen und nicht verwaschen dargestellt (<60Hz). Wer sich viel Musik in diese Richtung anhrt, wird restlos begeistert sein.

    DT880 Edition 250Ohm: Von der Klangfarbe sehr hnlich dem DT880Edition. Schne ausgewogen ber den gesamten Frequenzverlauf. Es gibt aber entscheidende Unterschiede. So ist die Auflsung nicht ganz so extrem hoch, aber noch immer ein Niveau ber Sennheiser und AKG. Die Rumliche Darstellung ist ebenfalls vergleichbar mit der des DT990 Edition. Die Tiefen (<60Hz) sind etwas geringer aber mit hnlicher Przision wie die des DT990 Edition. Fr dieses Genre ein ebenfalls perfekt geschliffenes Messer...aber keine Rasierklinge wie der DT990Edition.

    Sennheiser HD650: Definitiv ein komplett anderes Klangbild wie die Beyerdynamics. Die rumliche Darstellung ist nicht so weit und wirkt nher, weniger "vom Kopf losgelst". Przise Instrumentenortung ist allerdings mglich. Der Hauptunterschied ist, dass er nicht so hoch auflst und, zusammen mit dem kleineren aufgespanntem Raum, dadurch wesentlich wrmer klingt. Solange keine hochfrequenten Instrumente oder das Surren einer Seite aufgelst werden muss gefllt mir der Klang sogar etwas besser als DT 880/990 Edition. Da dieses Lied mit diesen Eigenschaften nur so um sich wirft, wirkt der HD650 im direkten Vergleich mit den beyerdynamics wie ein kleineres Messer, was noch immer hervorragend schneiden wrde...htte man nur nicht gerade mit einem Skalpell gearbeitet.

    Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory - Crawling (WAV):

    Klassisches Linkin Park Lied mit sehr kurzen, starken Sten im Tiefbassbereich (30Hz). Mir persnlich wird bei einem schwammigen Tiefbass bel ber lngere Zeit. Weshalb ich viel mehr auf die Konsistenz als auf die dB Wert lege. Das Lied hat ebenso ruhige wie hektische Bereiche. Die Stimme von Chester Bennington wird allerdings in der live Version besser dargestellt. Wie viele Linkin Park Lieder weist auch dieses eine vergleichsweise groe Bhne auf. (Allerdings nicht so groe wie vom "Guren-Theme" )

    DT990 Edition 250Ohm: Hervorragende Tiefbassdarstellung! Sehr gute dB Werte bis in die allertiefsten Frequenzen ohne Nachhall. Kurzer Impuls. Dann kommt der hektische Teil und man bekommt die Rasierklinge direkt am Trommelfell angesetzt...das tut weh. "S"-Laute schneiden frmlich und es ist teilweise wirklich unangenehm wenn der Schlagzeuger ans Becken kommt. Dass mit den "S"-Lauten habe ich bei vielen Pop-Liedern, welche in den Charts laufen gesprt. Mein Bruder hat seinen DT990 Edition seit vielen Jahren und ist demensprechend viele 100h eingespielt, weshalb ich sagen kann, dass es mit der Zeit definitiv besser wird, aber nicht verschwindet.

    DT880 Edition 250Ohm: Ebenfalls Hervorragende Tiefbassdarstellung wie der DT990 Edition. Allerdings etwa -3dB leiser bei (30Hz). Nach den 50h Einspielzeit gibt es das "S"-Problem wie beim DT990 Edition gerade so nicht.

    HD 650: Hier glnzt der Sennheiser. Klasse prziser Bass (nicht ganz so przise wei beim DT990 Edition) aber auch schn tief und stark. Auch die hektischen Passagen werden angenehm dargestellt. Fr diese Art von Musik definitv der Beste aus dem Trio.

    Thrift Shop - Macklemore

    Lange Tiefbassphasen mit extremleisen(!) Frequenzabfall bei 1:18. Diese Drops hrt man mit vielen gnstigeren KH gar nicht. HD650 und DT990 Edition haben keine Probleme bei der Darstellung. Der DT 880 Edition hat dabei leichte Problem, die aber ohne Probleme mit einer (!)DACinternen Anhebung von +3dB der 30Hz Frequenz behoben werden kann. Ansonsten Trifft das oben genannte ebenfalls erneut auf jeden einzelnen KH zu.

    The Cranberries - Zombie

    Hier fand ich den DT880Edition am besten. Der DT990Edition war wieder einen ticken (diesmal erstaunlicher Weise nicht so extrem wie erwartet) zu sehr am "schneiden". Dem HD 650 fehlt hier im Vergleich etwas die Weite. Es klingt alles relativ nah am Ohr, was mir persnlich hierbei nicht gefllt.

    Getestet habe ich noch viele andere Lieder, die aber allesamt keine neuen Erkenntnisse beisteuern wrden.

    Meine Entscheidung.

    Zuerst war fr mich der DT 990 Edition raus. Fr meine Bandbreite an Musik ist er einfach zu speziell.
    Die Entscheidung zwischen HD650 und DT 880 Edition war schon schwerer. Beim Sennheiser mochte ich den wrmeren Klang und beim DT 880 Edition die wesentlich rumlichere Darstellung und den Tick mehr an Klarheit.

    Entschieden habe ich mich nach langem berlegen fr den DT 880 Edition. Dies ist natrlich meine persnliche Wahl, die auf meinen persnlichen Gewichtungen beruht.
    Ich hoffe ich konnte euch einen echten Eindruck bezglich der Unterschiede geben, sodass ihr die Auswahl eingrenzen knnt 🙂

  31. Healthy Living Natural Beauty - Michelle says:

     Italy

    La cuffia mi arrivata dopo 3 giorni dall’ordine. arrivata perfettamente imballata in un doppio scatolo (originale + imballo Amazon). La qualit si vede gi da come si presenta la scatola originale. Viene fornita di una custodia profumata in finta pelle firmata da Beyerdynamics per il trasporto della cuffia. In un giorno ho riprodotto 5 album di artisti diversi tra cui Darkness, Queen, Dire Straits, Nek e Laura Pausini. uno spettacolo unico, sento come se la band/artista stesse suonando nella mia stanza davanti a me. Offre un’immagine stereo bella larga e si riescono a sentire ben divise le tracce dei diversi strumenti, si percepiscono suoni e dettagli profondi che non senti normalmente. Le basse frequenze son ben avvolgenti e dettagliate ma mai esplosive, le alte sono ben in risalto ma mai acide e le medie stanno al loro giusto posto. Tutto suona divinamente. Le voci cantate prendono vita. La versione che ho preso quella con l’impedenza a 600 ohm ed quella che consiglio a tutti perch suona meglio di tutte le altre versioni (32 e 250) ed la pi bilanciata ma per suonare bene ha bisogno di molta potenza. A discapito di ci che sta scritto in internet, l’uscita cuffie della mia scheda audio Scarlett 6i6 ce la fa a farla suonare decentemente ma per non affaticarla son costretto a usare come pre amplificatore la scheda audio e come finale il mio impianto stereo Pioneer del 1981. davvero una cuffia da alta fedelt e, come dicono su internet, suona ancor meglio se abbinata ad amplificatori vintage, meglio ancora se valvolari. Ora capisco cosa si intende per “superiorit tedesca”. Non vedo l’ora di usarla per mixare le mie canzoni su Logic con questa favolosa cuffia.

  32. Anonymous says:

     Italy 🇮🇹

    Golden Review Award: 2 From Our UsersHo acquistato queste cuffie perch ne ho sempre sentito parlare bene nelle recensioni. Partiamo nel dire che a 200 euro vi portate a casa delle cuffie ex top di gamma, quando uscirono costarono intorno ai 400 euro. All’interno della confezione troviamo le cuffie, un jack da 6.3 e una custodia per riporre le cuffie. Le cuffie hanno una costruzione eccezionale con alluminio, metallo e qualche parte in plastica e sono Made in Germany! Sono di tipo semiaperto con i pad in velluto che io preferisco a quelli in pelle ma in estate scaldano molto e non sono indicate per l’ascolto all’aperto poich non sono chiuse, sono grandi e infine anche se hanno un impedenza di soltanto 32 Ohm hanno una bassa efficienza e quindi per tirarne fuori il loro potenziale hanno bisogno dell’amplificatore, Dopo aver letto molte recensioni gi sapevo che tipo di sonorit mi avrei aspettato, le cuffie sono molto neutrali e analitiche e sono molto rivelatrici infatti la qualit di ascolto dipende anche dalla qualit delle registrazioni, il soundstage molto ampio e anche la separazione tra gli strumenti eccezionale! I bassi sono quasi inesistenti e gli alti in alcune registrazioni sono molto accentuati e possono dare fastidio. Se ascoltate musica sinfonica e classica ve le consiglio ma se ascoltate Rock o Metal possono non piacervi perch il tutto suona neutrale e analitico facendole sembrare un po’ “fiacche” anche perch non sono cuffie dal sound “divertente” e il suono non presente come ci si aspetterebbe e anche le voci e le chitarre non sono energiche facendo suonare tutto un po’ arretrato infatti mi hanno molto deluso. Per le dimensioni che hanno sono anche molto leggere e le trovo veramente molto comode. Le ho vendute perch con i generi che ascolto non mi sono piaciute e se ascoltate Rock e Metal orientatevi su altre cuffie.

  33. FreemanV14 says:

     Mexico

    Golden Review Award: 2 From Our UsersAudifonos usados en grabaciones en sitio y para revisar mezclas en el estudio, en conjuncion con el sistema Waves NX son una combinacion ganadora, respuesta flat en el rango de frecuencia crtico para una referencia confiable.

  34. Anonymous says:

     United States

    Golden Review Award: 2 From Our UsersCall this a long-term review. I bought this over 8 years ago, still have it, still love it. I just ordered and attached some replacement parts from Beyerdynamic, the headband and the tiny plastic thingies (ratchet?) that provides the clicks for narrowing or widening the headband’s seat.

    Before buying this or since, I have listened to AKG K701 and K702, several Sennheiser and Stax cans, KRK KNS 8400, Shure SRH 9400 and BD’s own DT 1990 Pro. I was absolutely prepared to shell out 600 Euro to take my listening experience further, but found improvements either not at all or so minimal, it just wasn’t worth it.

    I listen mainly to alt and folk rock, to classical music, both chamber or solo pieces and orchestral stuff, Bach’s cello suites as well as Mahler symphonies and sometimes hard rock of the Robert Plant or Deep Purple variety. If it was classical only I would buy into Stax, no doubt. If it was just hard rock, maybe Sennheiser HD650. But I don’t really see myself dealing with several cans, so the 880 it is. It provides wonderful stage and localization in orchestra pieces, it has an airyness that becomes guitar concertoes as well as intricate Paul Simon arrangements, voice in general, too, from Anais Mitchell to Glen Hughes to Patricia Barber. It has – to me – enough oomph for the base lines in the latter’s “So In Love” from Nightclub and bite for the sheer energy of Purple’s Burn.

    And, guys, it’s a steal for the price.

  35. Lance Cartelli says:

     Canada 🇨🇦

    I have a self-destructive habit of collecting headphones, with a good twenty pair in all. Despite reading some sharply negative reviews about these cans, I decided to give them a try, knowing I had an amplifier to go with them. Much has been said about them – no low end, shrill, etc.. Plugged into a very modest Canadian made $300- headphone amp, paired to a $65- Sony DVD player, these German built things sing. Beautiful clarity, precise bass, lovely mid-range, and plentiful but never dominating treble – light in weight, leather free (yay!), plush velour pads. Headphones are SO subjective, but I have to say, at $260- odd dollars, these babies are a steal. A relatively inexpensive introduction to the wonderful, immersing world of headphone audiophile listening – and I’ve played all genres of music on them. But amp them…don’t plug them into a smart phone. They’re not for mp3s.

  36. Anonymous says:

     Canada 🇨🇦

    Golden Review Award: 3 From Our UsersWell, the story with these is that I have been looking for an “upgrade” to my Sennheiser HD598 something a little more detailed. I had ordered the DT-990 and sent them back because there were basically no midrange, or it was recessed enough that it bothered me. Otherwise the 990’s were really nice headphones.
    After further research, I decided to try the 880’s, because I do love the design and build of the Beyerdynamics, and reviews indicated that the response was flatter. They were right, they are a much more full sounding headphone to the 990. However, there is still a lot missing to my ears. They have much better imaging and instrument separation than the HD598, and a little more sparkle, and I’d say the bass goes deeper. But they feel far away to me, more of a big room, back row sound, rather than the front and center and more natural sounding Sennheiser. Don’t get me wrong, on some tracks these are spectacular, and my Sennheisers are not perfect either, but the 598’s are just more satisfying. They are a great headphone, and don’t deserve a bad review, but they are not right for me. If you are looking for detail and separation only, these are great.
    As a side note, while these are 32ohm, they are harder to drive than the 50ohm Senns, and unless you have great hearing, I doubt a phone will bring out the best. I had to boost the gain on my little amp to feel that they were working as intended. And another point, the ones I got were new, but in a box with an inspection date of 2011, so they are more ‘new old stock’ IMO.

  37. Anonymous says:

     Canada 🇨🇦

    Golden Review Award: 2 From Our Users**What I liked**
    Fantastic soundstage and instrument separation
    Great detail for this price point
    Good for gaming. I didn’t notice any blackout area that some people have pointed out but I’m not a big FPS gamer.
    Hard but not that hard to drive, entry level audiophile Amp will work (I used a Fiio E10k)
    THE BIG ONE – Comfort is phenomenal, probably the best in existence at this price point

    **What I didn’t like**
    Harsh highs, especially without my bass boost on. Makes it hard to listen to music for an extended period.
    Very “thin” sound. If you’re a big rap or hip hop guy there are headphones that are much better suited to this music. These will blow those away for anything classical or with that theme of soundstage, a lot of instruments etc.. Because the separation is awesome.
    Non detachable cable

    **All in All**
    Yeah, if you read my point above and decide that these are good for you, for $250 Canadian you can’t go wrong. These are significantly better than the Sennheiser 598s in ever way (except the 600ohm version needs an amp)

  38. Anonymous says:

     United Kingdom

    JUST AN AWESOME PAIR OF CANS HOOKED UP TO MY NAIM HEADPHONE 2 AMP THEY CAN HANDLE ANYTHING LOVELY MID TONE JUST ENOUGH BASS.

  39. lauraarcher18 says:

     Canada 🇨🇦

    Golden Review Award: 3 From Our UsersI have Grado 325, AKG 701 and Sennhieser HD600 headphones. I like them all for different reasons. Through my Schiit Lyr tube headphone amp, these DT 880s sound the best. That’s me——try for yourself. They need about 200 hours of break-in and a dedicated headamp.

  40. EsmeralWAQ says:

     Canada

    Golden Review Award: 13 From Our UsersI did a bunch of research, and these headphones appeared to strike the best balance between amazing sound quality, flat frequency response, full frequency range, comfort and value. I am a very discerning listener/audio engineer, and I was not disappointed. The headphones are extremely comfortable, and come with a nice leather carrying case. The sound quality is rich, detailed and silky, and is very vast (wide and deep). Lows and highs are not over-emphasized – everything is balanced. I was concerned that the 250 Ohm model wouldn’t be loud enough when used with an iPhone or Macbook. I did some research on this too, and people indicated that the headphones are fairly easy to drive, and are loud enough with these devices. I trusted this, and was really happy to find out that my iPhone 5 pushes them as loud as I’d ever want them (at two squares away from full volume), and my Macbook pushes them slightly louder than this. Of course, a separate headphone amp will push them even louder and may sound slightly better.

    Listening to 94/24 lossless audio through a Profire 2626 audio interface sounded unbelievable on these headphones. Comparing the same 44/16 lossless song at the same volume level (2 squares below maximum on the iPhone), I noticed a subtle improvement in detail and richness when listening via the Profire 2626 audio interface vs. the iPhone, but the improvement was not significant (maybe 10/10 vs 9.5/10).

    I couldn’t be happier with this product.

  41. Ariel Adams says:

     Canada 🇨🇦

    Golden Review Award: 6 From Our UsersI chose carefully and read a lot of reviews before buying this set. Totally worth it. One of my favourite sets.
    Strong build. Super comfortable, indeed! Great sound – just the way I like it… enough bass but not too much, and clear highs too.
    The design is semi-open: a good copromise – to me, it’s the best of both worlds.

    A small portable amp is not a must but is a good addition to drive these 250 ohms babies
    I purchased a Fiio E12 and it boosts the signal by +12 Db, which is very acceptable.
    Of course, more powerful amps (not portable, and more expensive) can also be used, with even better results.

    Only 1 complain: the wire is fixed, and 3 meters long …obviously made to be used at home.

  42. JeffereyShumway says:

     Canada

    Amazing headphones. Paired with O2 ODAC Rev. B they deliver an outstanding sound. For me the clamp is quite good, not very strong but not weak either. But they don’t withstand a good headbanging, that’s true, but then again what headphone would?

  43. JeanneYyrhwmj says:

     Germany

    Golden Review Award: 6 From Our UsersReview Beyerdynamic DT 770 pro VS DT 880 Edition VS Custom Studio VS Audiotechnica ATH-M50x
    _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    Table of Contents

    Einfhrung
    Reviews
    Fazit

    Einfhrung
    ===============

    Anwendungsszenario:
    Mein Ziel war es mir zum ersten Mal einen guten Kopfhrer ber 20-30 zu gnnen um Musik angemessen genieen zu knnen. Benutzen mchte ich den KH primr im Bro um mich etwas von der Umgebung abzuschirmen und dass die Arbeit leichter von der Hand geht. Zweitrangig auch mal mit in den Urlaub nehmen oder zum Zocken nutzen.

    Bevorzugte/getestete Musikrichtungen:
    Rock, Metal, Alternative …bspw. Metallica, RHCP oder lteres wie Pink Floyd oder Queen.

    Genutzte Quellen:
    Yamaha RX480 (Zuhause), mp3-Player Archos Gmini 202, Lenovo X230, Nexus 5 (jeweils ohne Equalizer Voreinstellungen)

    Musikqualitt:
    mp3s mit 192kbps VBR, Spotify (mittlere Quailitt)

    Bewertungspunkte:

    Tragekomfort
    Erwartungen: Er sollte so bequem sein, um ihn einen kompletten Arbeitstag tragen zu knnen ohne heie Ohren oder Druckschmerzen zu bekommen (daher Over-Ears, da potenziell am Bequemsten)
    Testverfahren: Probetragen, bis zu einem Arbeitstag am Stck.

    Klangqualitt
    Erwartungen: Ich mchte differenziert die einzelnen Instrumente heraushren knnen. Hierbei sollte der KH eine Charakteristik besitzen, die sowohl Hhen, Mitten als auch Bass bei neutralem Equalizer mglichst gleichmig bedient.
    Testverfahren: Mehrmaliges hren von Lieblingsliedern und Liedern mit viel Dynamik, da sich hier nochmals kleinere Unterschiede bemerkbar machen. Beispiele Testsongs: Chevelle – The Red, Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody, Pink Floyd – Time, Yello – Virtual Concert …

    Features Abnehmbare Kabel und Lieferumfang

    Optik/Haptik Wie schn sieht der KH aus, wie wertig fhlt sich der KH an und wie sauber ist die Verarbeitung.

    Sonstiges Was noch so erwhnenswert ist.

    Reviews
    =============
    DT770 pro (80Ohm)
    DT 880 Edition (32Ohm)
    Custom Studio (80Ohm)
    Audiotechnica ATH-M50x

    DT770 pro (80Ohm)
    —————————————-
    Tragekomfort: Sehr Bequem! Konnte den KH einen kompletten Brotag tragen, ohne unangenehme Druckstellen.

    Klangqualitt: Hier hat sich der 770 als Favorit herauskristalisiert. Man kann das Lied wirklich im Kopf in die einzelnen Instrumente zerpflcken, die sich schn voneinander absetzen. Auerdem scheinen weder Bass noch Hhen zu sehr betont.

    Features: Sehr spartanisch, eine Stofftasche und ein Adapter auf groe Klinke ist dabei. Besonders hervorzuheben finde ich, dass der KH komplett in seine Einzelteile zerlegt werden kann, und man fr jedes Teil ein Ersatzteil bekommt…wirklich jedes! Sollte bspw. ein Kabelbruch entstehen, kann man mit rudimentren Ltkenntnissen einfach ein neues Kabel einlten.

    Optik/Haptik: Der KH ist sauber verarbeitet und das Plastik wirkt robust und wertig. Man hat den Eindruck dass der KH vor 30Jahren Entwickelt und seither unverndert so gebaut wird.

    Sonstiges: Die Abschirmung der Umgebungsgerusche ist enorm gut. Selbst bei relativ leiser Musik ist man fast komplett von der Auenwelt abgeschirmt. Mit Velours Polstern ist die Abschirmung allerdings einen Tick geringer als mit Leder Pads.

    DT 880 Edition (32Ohm)
    —————————————
    Tragekomfort: Man fhlt ihn kaum auf dem Kopf! Bester Tragekomfort aller getesteten. Die Edition sitzt im Gegensatz zur Pro Variante sehr locker. Bei etwas heftigem Kopfschtteln verrutscht er leicht.

    Klangqualitt: Fhlt sich nicht an als htte man einen KH auf. Die Musik scheint eher aus dem Raum als aus dem KH zu kommen. Klanglich ist er ebenso przise wenn nicht sogar besser als der DT 770.

    Features: Im Lieferumfang ist eine robuste Ledertasche mit Polsterung dabei und ein Klinkeadapter.

    Optik/Haptik: Der KH fhlt sich sehr hochwertig an. Viele Metallkomponenten und die Velourspolster lassen ihn sehr edel erscheinen.

    Sonstiges: Da dieser KH halboffen ist, schirmt er die Umgebung nicht wirklich ab. Man hrt, was andere reden und die Anderen hren die Musik auch bei normaler Lautstrke. Im mehrpersonen Bro also ungeeignet. Deshalb nicht der Testsieger.

    Custom Studio (80Ohm)
    ————————————————
    Tragekomfort: Im Gegensatz zum DT 770 hat er einen hheren Anpressdruck, was aber in der Praxis nicht so sehr auffllt wie gedacht. Das meiste federn die Velourspads ab. Ohne Probleme konnte man ihn ohne Druckstellen einen ganzen Arbeitstag tragen.

    Klangqualitt: Im Gegensatz zum 770 oder 880 trennt er die verschiedenen Instrumente im Lied nicht so sauber voneinander und verschluckt sogar manche Instrumente fast. Bei einem Teststck konnte ich mit dem DT 770 klar die Hi-Hats vom Schlagzeug erkennen und der Custom Studio waren sie fast verschwunden. Selbst bei normalen Bass Einstellungen am Schieberegler klingt die Musik sehr “voll” und nicht so analytisch wie der DT 770. So kommt es dass manche Musikstcke mit dem DT 770 und andere mit dem Custom Studio besser klingen. Allerdings schaffte der Custom Studio bei mir nicht den “WOW das ist mir in dem Lied noch nicht aufgefallen” Effekt bzw. schafft es nicht ein Lcheln ins Gesicht zu zaubern wie der DT 880/770. Auerdem fllt der KH im Brotest durch. Nach einem kompletten Brotag mit normalen Bass Einstellungen hat dieser KH durch seinen sehr vollen Klang ein unangenehmen Druck auf den Ohren hinterlassen. Ich hatte das Gefhl, dass es mir reicht und ich einfach keine Musik mehr hren mchte auch nicht leise.

    Features: Da ist der KH sehr gut ausgestattet: abnehmbare Kabel und variabler Bass Boost klingen nett und auf dem Stand der Technik. Auerdem kann man noch ein Mikrofon direkt anschlieen. Zustzlich bekommt man die Standardmige Tasche und den Klinkeadapter. Die Velourspolster lassen sich auerdem durch eine kleine Einkerbungen sehr bequem austauschen/aufdrehen. Die DTs haben diese nicht.

    Optik/Haptik: Sehen finde ich ansprechend und modern aus. Durch die wechselbaren Seitendeckel sind sie auch schn personalisierbar. Verarbeitung wirkt auch wertig.

    Sonstiges: –

    Audiotechnica ATH-M50x
    ———————————————–
    Tragekomfort: Die Audiotechnica sind mit Kunstleder Polstern ausgestattet. Im Gegensatz zu Velourspolstern neigen diese eher zu heien Ohren. Auerdem sind die Audiotechnica etwas kleiner und man hat nicht so viel Platz wie in den Beyerdynamic. ber einen Arbeitstag habe ich die KH nicht getestet, da sie mir klanglich nicht zusagten.

    Klangqualitt: Die Mitten fehlen hier scheinbar komplett. Das scheint fr Techno OK aber bei Rock fehlt einfach etwas. Nachdem man einen der Beyerdynamic auf hatte hren sich diese billig an…es fehlt einfach etwas.

    Features: Der Lieferumfang ist reichlich: Spiral und normale Kabel in verschiedenen Lngen. Leider wurde bei der Buchse des KH ein zu Klinke hnliches genutzt, aber Spezialstecker eben.

    Optik/Haptik: Die Muscheln sind dreh-, wend- und klappbar in viele Richtungen. Das ist gut fr DJs aber sonst eher verwirrend. Design sieht gut aus, allerdings macht das verwendete Plastik einen etwas billigeren Eindruck als bei den 770ern aber noch OK.

    Sonstiges: –

    Fazit
    ==================
    Beyerdynamic Varianten
    ——————————————–
    Earpads:
    Die Kunstleder Earpads sind von allen Pads am festesten, lassen sich schwerer eindrcken und schirmen die Umgebung am besten ab. Allerdings ist hier die Gefahr von heien Ohren am grten. Schwarzes Velours ist eher wie weicher, feiner Frottee Stoff und angenehm zu tragen. Graues Velours ist am flauschigsten und angenehmsten auf der Haut.

    Widerstand:
    Von den meisten Beyerdynamics gibt es ein 32, 80, 250 und 600Ohm Variante. Je mehr Ohm der KH hat desto strker muss der Treiber sein, um die gewnschte Lautstrke zu erhalten. 32 bis 80Ohm wird fr Mobil (Handy) empfohlen und alles darber eher fr Studio und HiFi. Hier gilt angeblich je mehr Ohm desto mehr Klang. Ich konnte 32 und 80Ohm Varianten testen und konnte klanglich keinen Unterschied feststellen. Mag sein, dass man bei 600Ohm einen Unterschied im Direktvergleich hren kann, allerdings ist es mir zu affig deshalb nochmals einen extra KH-Verstrker fr weitere 100 zu kaufen. Bei 32 VS 80Ohm kann man als normal Lautstrken Hrer auch zur 80Ohm Variante greifen. Ob Handy, mp3-Player oder PC waren 80Ohm ausreichend laut. Die 32Ohm Variante war auf voller Lautstrke unangenehm Laut, sodass einem die Ohren geklingelt haben. Die 80Ohm Variante war sehr Laut, aber noch ertrglich.

    Empfehlung
    ————————-
    Der DT 880 ist eigentlich mein Favorit, dieser ist allerdings wegen seiner offenen Bauweise nicht frs Bro geeignet. Der Custom Studio fllt nach einem Tag Probe hren raus wegen zu viel Bass auf den Ohren. Der Audiotechnica gefllt bei Rock vom Klangbild nicht. Der DT 770 hat zwar nicht die netten Features wie der Custom Studio aber ist vom Klangbild und der Schirmung das beste Paket fr den gewhlten Einsatzzweck.

  44. Anonymous says:

     United Kingdom

    Perfect quality at proper price. One of best item I bought 2016

  45. Anonymous says:

     United States 🇺🇸

    Golden Review Award: 62 From Our UsersWow, the first time I put it on… booom! It was like, the thick blanket around my ears through the years had finally been lifted. Everything is so clear, I can really hear the singers inhaling, moving their lips and tongues, and the fingers caressing the strings.

    I listen to all kind of music, ranging from classical to rock, metal (think of Dimmu Borgir, Wintersun, Amorphis…) and everything in between. My quest was to find a detailed, revealing headphone, and I A/Bed several headphones in stores, using Fiio X3 2nd gen as I tried to find something efficient enough without the need of amplifier:
    * Sennheiser HD598: smooth, but boring for most rock with virtually no bass.
    * Audio-Technica ATH-M50x: overrated, the sound was too constricted and the bass was bloated. It gave me headache just after 5 minutes of listening.
    * Grado sr80e: Gosh! It was like somebody was using chainsaw right beside my ears. Couldn’t stand 1 minute.
    * Grado sr325e: smoother than sr80e, OK but a bit too metallic to me.
    * V-Moda M100: OK, good thumps, a bit less detailed than HD598 and sr325e. Looks good too.
    * Sennheiser Momentum On Ear: the bass was very good, detailed, strong, fast, but the mids was a letdown, too distant and overwhelmed by the bass. I could not enjoy any classical piece with it.
    * Audeze Sine: perhaps the Fiio X3 2nd could not handle that, because this headphone sounded like a $30 to me.

    I also own Sony XBA-A3 – a hybrid IEM with one 16mm dynamic driver and two balanced armature ones, and Skullcandy Grind. To me, the DT 880 is clearer by a wide margin, to the point that I use it to see the differences more than to enjoy the music. You can find the frequency response graphs of DT 880 and equalize it to achieve a smoother experience (that is, increase the bass and decrease the treble around 8kHz for better thump and less sibilance) without losing detail.

    I use the DT 880 mostly for films and classical music, and when my head is strong enough, rock and metal. The details are sometimes excessive, so to listen to music to relax, I use the XBA-A3 for a stronger (but slower) bass and smooth treble. The Skullcandy Grind is only for audiobook on my phone, merely because of the convenience (easy to put on/off, has button on the phone) as the bass on this phone is too much for any kind of music (good for those who want Beats bass but lack the money).

  46. PrincessWhitman says:

     Canada

    Returned it for the inconvenience of long cable which is not suitable for entertainment use of those overall very good headphones.
    Exchanged for 990 model with coiled cable which is also not replaceable but more convenient.

  47. MargariMorell says:

     United Kingdom

    Excellent headphones ! Crystal clear, natural sound, very comfortable for long time listening period, and of course adequate price (as a gift for 115 ) !

  48. ClintonIsx says:

     United Kingdom

    Golden Review Award: 2 From Our UsersDefinitely an improvement in sound quality over the sound blaster Omega headset the DT’s are replacing, and an even greater improvement in comfort.

    Not particularly good for listening to middle and low quality audio source, they really show up bad recordings and sample rates. Get a good source, though and they will impress. Good sound separation, reasonable bass..,has presence but not overpowering, with clear mids and bright highs.

    They leak quite a lot of noise. Rubbish for not disturbing someone in the same room. In hindsight I should have got the DT770 models with the closed backs. Loving the sound too much to send them back 😀

  49. Anonymous says:

     France

    Golden Review Award: 16 From Our UsersCe casque est presque rod et il a un son d’une finesse impresionnante.

    L’image stro et la spatialisation sont renversantes (plus effet 2d alors que les casques full ouvert ont un effet 3d comme le dt990 ou akg k702 par exemple) .

    Le son est assez neutre mais avec suffisamment de “patate” une fois bien aliment.

    Je ne sais ce que les personnes trouvent aux aigus mais la version 600 ohms alimente avec un bon ampli casque sonne droit et n’est AUCUNEMENT fatiguant mme volume elv.
    Les aigus sont super dtaills sans aucune sibilance.

    Il est vrai que des amplis ou balladeur inadapts peuvent faire ressortir un peu les aigus mais une fois bien aliment ce casque rvle toute sa force.

    Selon internet la version 600 ohms est la meilleure tout comme le dt770 et dt990.

    Donc si vous envisagez la version 250 ohms je vous dconseille prenez directement la version 600 ohms qui est largement suprieure.

    Je DCONSEILLE les versions 32 ohms de l’ensemble des casques beyerdynamics la finesse et la spatialisation sont trs en dea.
    Tout comme Beyerdynamics le conseille la gamme DT se rvle avec la version 600 ohms, c’est la version qui offre une meilleure frquence de rponse et un son plus ar et spatiale ainsi que de meilleur dtail.

    J’alimente mes casques 600 ohms et mon akg k702 avec mon ampli hifi nad en tant que preampli et un ampli casque violectric v200 le rendu est superbe avec ce couple 😉

  50. Kerry Ann @Vinobabys Voice says:

     United Kingdom

    Golden Review Award: 2 From Our UsersFantastic sound from the 600 versions, just make sure you have them paired with a capable device to drive them properly.

    Like clouds on your ears, suitable for all day use, I have better sounding headphones but due to these being so comfortable I use them more than the rest.

  51. Anonymous says:

     United Kingdom

    Probably the best headphones i will ever own at this price point, exceptional clarity and separation with a great sound stage.

  52. Anonymous says:

     United Kingdom

    Golden Review Award: 2 From Our UsersAs a sound engineer, I find that these are one of the most transparent headphones you can buy. You won’t want to use them on a train journey as they’re open backed so they leak quite a lot of sound, but in terms of sound quality they’re amazing.

  53. Randall21D says:

     France 🇫🇷

    Golden Review Award: 11 From Our UsersJ’ai pu valuer ce modle par une autre voie que l’achat Amazon, car le DT880 reu tait en 32 Ohms.
    Cette valuation concerne bien le DT880 en 600 Ohms.
    L’impdance leve fait que ce modle va s’exprimer pleinement sur un bon systme sdentaire avec un amplificateur de casque assez puissant, et de qualit.
    L, je dois dire que ce DT880 dans les mdiums, et par rapport l’homognit globale de la restitution est absolument magnifique, c’est le casque que je garde pour mes coutes.
    Tous les genres de musique lui conviennent.
    Il est un peu sec dans les graves mais par contre ceux-ci ne sont jamais envahissants sur les mdiums, et c’est une qualit assez rare en fait.
    Par contre, il n’est pas physique dans les graves (dans les mdiums, si, beaucoup), mais il est capable d’impacter fort sur des grosses caisses, et sur des contrebasses ou autres. L’extrme grave existe, mais si vous recherchez le niveau et le ressenti physique, ce n’est pas le modle pour cela.
    Ce DT880 a la pointe 8000 Hz commune beaucoup de Beyerdynamic, mais qui reste contenue (rien voir avec le T90 ou mme le DT990).
    Mon modle de plus ne doit pas tre au bout du rodage, et pour les connaisseurs avertis, il peut gagner avec un recblage, le cordon Beyer d’origine ne mettant pas compltement en valeur la qualit de ces drivers qui sont d’un trs haut niveau. Je le sais, car je connais beaucoup de casques Beyer, dont un 990 250 Ohms recbl avec du 1877Phono, ce qui lui donne des mdiums et des aigus magiques. Le 990 prsente une grosse emphase dans le grave et le haut grave qui lui donnent du charme, mais voile le message sur les enregistrements optimistes dans ces frquences.
    Il existe des professionnels spcialiss dans le recblage des casques.
    La version 600 Ohms du DT880 apporte une rapidit qui s’approche des drivers Tesla de chez Beyer, mais avec plus de naturel, d’homognit dans le mdium, de sensation de son analogique. Il n’existe pas de phnomnes de halo dans le mdium, mme sur les forte de piano, ou d’accordon par exemple, qui sont des instruments qui ne pardonnent pas.
    Je ne peux pas affirmer que le rendu du DT880 va plaire et convenir tout le monde, certains vont prfrer du Grado, d’autres du Sennheiser, de l’AKG etc… Le DT880 doit tre associ un trs bon systme pour le mettre en valeur, mais l je vous assure que c’est vraiment un des meilleurs modles raliss par Beyerdynamic. C’est LE modle qui m’apporte le plus de plaisir, et il ne me fatigue pas sur des sances d’coutes longues.
    Il ncessite de pousser le volume sur l’ampli, beaucoup plus qu’avec les drivers Tesla par exemple, il a une tenue en puissance importante et est capable de passer la dynamique sans altration avec un niveau impressionnant. Excellente sparation dans les parties trs charges en informations musicales, avec une restitution restant douce, prcise, esthtique, incroyable!
    Un gros dfaut, la musique joue passe normment l’extrieur, l’entourage en profite aussi. Si l’on met du volume, on entend l’autre bout d’une pice, mme le 990 de type ouvert ne me fait pas a!
    Cet avis est subjectif, avant tout d’un passionn. Je connais aussi des modles d’autres marques que Beyerdynamic, mais pas du trs haut de gamme comme Audeze ou similaires. Je ne prtendrais pas que le DT880 va galer ou dpasser des casques high end, mais je suis certain que c’est un trs bon modle, et pour un prix demeurant abordable. Par contre il faudra rajouter bien plus pour l’ampli casque et la source que le prix de ce DT880, il faut le savoir. Sur un smartphone, le 600 Ohms donne un petit niveau sonore avec le volume 95%. Je dconseille la version en 32 Ohms, prendre le 250 Ohms pour la polyvalence et la qualit. Sur un PC avec carte son correcte, entre un 250 et un 600 Ohms, pas de diffrence de qualit sonore perue, volume 70% sur le 600 Ohms, 25% sur un 250 Ohms.

  54. LaraSeidel says:

     Germany 🇩🇪

    Golden Review Award: 8 From Our UsersEines muss man ihm lassen, so lebendigen Sound kenne ich von keinem anderen Hersteller. Es klingt in nahezu jeder Situation einfach erfrischend, knackig und ausdrucksstark. Es macht einfach richtig Spa, damit Musikzuhren. Tiefe Basspassagen erwecken ein Gefhl von Erfurcht. Die Hhen zaubert er einem mit einer derartig spritzigen Lebendigkeit um die Ohren, dass meinem Mund immer wieder ein verbfftes ‘Wow’ entglitt, whrend sich smtliche Haare an den Armen aufbumten und ein Trnchen aus dem Auge kullerte, wenn bspw. der Drummer auf die Snares prgelt. Auch bei basslastiger Musik wie Dubstep kommt mit etwasper Equalizer entschrftem Oberton ein Club-feeling vom feinsten auf. Eigentlich sogar noch viel feiner. 😉

    Wobei ich ihn nur am KHV entschrfen muss, am AVR klingt richtig schn kuschelig warm.

    Soviel zu dem was er kann. Was er nicht kann:
    Die Hauptschwche sehe ich im Tiefbass unter 30Hz. Der Pegel fllt einfach zu massiv ab und auerdem neigt er in den Frequenzen zu kratzen und knacksen. Und zwar in vllig unterschiedlicher Intensitt. Nicht nur von DT880 zu DT880, sondern auch von Linker Kanal zu rechter Kanal.
    Wie man angesichts dieses Verhaltens noch eine Tiefenwidergabe ab 5Hz angeben kann, erschliet sich mir nicht wirklich. Ich wrde ehr sagen ab 25Hz, je nach modell und kanal sogar 30Hz. Ab da allerdings, fr meine Begriffe, traumhaft. Und soweit runter kommt man beim tglichen Musik hren sowieso ehr selten.

    Der Hochton ist Strke und Schwche zu gleich, manchmal kann es einem schon etwas ins Ohr ‘schneiden’. Wobei das bei wirklich gut gemasterten Stcken eigentlich nie der Fall ist. Die Mitten sind leider nicht so atembereaubend wie Hoch und Tiefton. Wirken etwas komprimiert und kriechen mir manchmal etwas zu nah/tief ins Ohr.

    Der Verarbeitung ist auch super. Bis auf die Greneinstellung, leider.
    Diese besteht aus bruchanflligem Plastik und ist als Bindeglied zwischen Federstahl Kopfbgel und Aluminiumblech Ohrmuschelaufhngung verschraubt. Brechen und ausleiern nur eine Frage der Zeit. (Wobei es selbst gebrochen nocht gut benutzbar ist)

    Alles in allem kenne ich fr den Preis (200) keinen besseren Kopfhrer. Jeder der richtigen HiFi-Sound kennt, wird die Qualitten dieses Kopfhrers zu schtzen wissen. Generation Smartphone und Bass Bass Bass wren hier aber wahrscheinlich ehr enttuscht. Der Stern Abzug ist fr die realittsferne 5Hz-Angabe und vorallem die bescheuerte Greneinstellung. Aber bei Sennheiser (und nicht nur denen) gibts mehr Schrott fr noch mehr Geld, also ist das wohl meckern auf hohem Niveau.

  55. Anonymous says:

     United Kingdom

    Golden Review Award: 3 From Our UsersComfortable and excellent quality headphones with a flat “curve”. Note that this means that there is no emphasis for bass or treble, although the rendition is crystal clear. Careful with your ears – you can increase volume a lot and not feel it, because there is no distortion, only your ears start to hurt…

    There is a need for an appropriate driver (using it with a PreSonus FireBox), as this is the 600 Ohm model.

  56. MajorTPXSdtncns says:

     Canada

    Amazing headphones. Got the 600Ohm version with a sw8 headphone amp for producing music, and everything sounds great!

  57. EarthaD69ahknjp says:

     Canada 🇨🇦

    Golden Review Award: 2 From Our UsersIf you like a neutral headphone, the sound is really good. 4 stars because the clamping force is really weak on the pair that I bought. If you move your head in direction of the ground, they move on your head and they will fall for sure.

  58. Anonymous says:

     Germany 🇩🇪

    Golden Review Award: 10 From Our UsersIch habe den DT880 nun schon seit 2 Monaten. Betreiben tue ich ihn ber einem Fiio E10K, welcher an meinem Laptop angeschlossen ist. Die Musik kommt von Spotify Premium, welches auf einem Debian Linux System luft. Auer dem DT880 habe ich noch einen Superlux HD 668 B und einen Phonak Audeo PFE 121 mit grauem Filter.

    Zur klanglichen Abstimmung: Bass und Hhen sind moderat angehoben, mir scheint, dass die Hhen strker angehoben sind, nach einiger Zeit und mit der entsprechenden Musik wird mir das teils zu anstrengend. Andererseits sorgen die Hhen auch fr eine gewisse Rumlichkeit und Luftigkeit, und es kann schon Spass machen, so zu hren. Beim Bass wiederum, bin ich doch manchmal erstaunt, ich muss mich immer mal wieder vergewissern, dass der Bass Boost am FiiO (+ 3 dB) ausgeschaltet ist, da hatte ich geringfgig weniger erwartet.

    Eignen tut sich der DT880 eigentlich fr alle Musikrichtungen. Was mir besonders gut gefllt, ist, das man Schlagzeuge so gut hrt, die knnen einen schon ziemlich mitreien (gerade auch bei Metal). Was mir nicht so gefllt, sind Sibilanten: Man hrt doch fter Zischlaute, als man es mchte.

    Im Vergleich zum Superlux ist natrlich erstmal weniger Bass und Hochton verhanden. Letzteres merkt man insbesondere bei ruhigen Stellen, z.B. rauscht Stairway to Heaven nicht mehr wie verrckt. Sie erscheinen mir auch etwas rumlicher und weniger isolierend, aber es ist schon erstaunlich, wie gut der Superlux fr seinen Preis klingt.

    Im Vergleich zum Phonak Audeo PFE 121 mit grauen Filtern erscheint mir der Bass und die Hhen etwas strker betont, was aber beim Bass laut Messungen nicht sein kann, sondern wohl einfach nur an der Wahrnehmung liegt. Was der Phonak etwas besser macht, sind die Mitten. Der DT880 hat eine leichte Senke um 2 kHz, der Phonak ist da linearer. Stimmen sind auf dem Phonak prsenter, was sowohl an den Mitten als auch an der geringen Rumlichkeit gegenber dem DT880 liegen an. Der DT880 liefert ein kohrenteres Bhnenbild, bei dem Phonak werden die Instrumente teils zu stark separiert und voneinander platziert, sodass man quasi Lcken in der Bhne hat.

    Der Tragekomfort ist etwas schwierig: Durch den geringen Anpressdruck liegt der KH hauptschlich auf dem Kopfband, und Bewegungen des Kopfes oder eine lngere geneigte Stellung (z.B. auf einen Laptopbildschirm schauen) fhren dazu, dass der Kopfhrer verrutscht. Meine Ohren scheinen komplett umschlossen zu werden, aber selbst wenn er mal teils aufliegt, spre ich ihn eigentlich nicht. Meine Brille scheint auch kein Problem zu sein (ist es aber auch nicht mit dem Superlux).

    Die beigelegte Tasche ist etwas suboptimal. Die Rckseite und Seiten sind enorm gepolstert, was die Tasche enorm gro macht. Leider ist nicht wirklich viel Platz unterhalb des Kopfhrers um das Kabel zu fhren, sodass ich irgendwie ein bisschen Angst habe, dass das Kabel irgendwann kaputt geht. Der “Deckel” der Tasche ist dnn und der Kopfhrer steht etwas aus dem Schaum heraus, sodass die Tasche in der Hinsicht wohl keinen groen Schutz bietet.

    Ich denke brigens, dass der Fiio E10K auch mit dem 600 Ohm zurecht kommen sollte, momentan hre ich nur auf Lautstrken 1 bis 3; je lnger ich hre, desto niedriger die Lautstrke. Da der 600 Ohm wohl etwas minimal moderater in den Hhen spielt, macht der wohl mehr sinn als der 250 Ohm; zumal er auch weniger Verzerrungen im Frequenzgang beim Betrieb an hherohmigen Ausgngen wie AV-Receivern u.. haben wird.

  59. MicahZoegk says:

     Italy 🇮🇹

    Golden Review Award: 6 From Our UsersBeyerdynamic DT 880 Premium Cuffie stereo 600 Ohm ………suona bene …molto bene …maledettamente bene ……rodata appena 10 ore per il momemto
    con il lettore fiio x3 2gen guadagno regolato su alto ….volume 80…. se suonate flac e mp3 320 rimarrete stupefatti , vi siete negati fino ad ora una vera gioia per le vostre orecchie e l’ anima . dovrete riconsiderare l’ascolto della vostra musica liquida , vinili o cd qualunque essa sia …sar come riscoprire i brani togliendo il velo che c’era sopra , quella nebbia che vi impediva di percepire i dettagli pi minuti , la cuffia suona in maniera neutra senza addomesticare i toni
    i bassi ci sono , magari suonano normali e per chi campa di rock duro , tecno ecc sembreranno poco adatte ma non c’ niente di impastato si coglie tutto il dettaglio , io preferisco cos , se voglio andare sul pesante con quel tipo di musica alzo il volume …per i medi e gli alti credo proprio che vi dovrete sedere appartati e tranquilli avete appena fatto un biglietto per un’altra dimensione , sar dura tornare indietro , le voci e gli strumenti come mai li avete ascoltati , la scena musicale che si crea si popola all’improvviso di suoni mai uditi prima , strumenti che riusciamo a percepire nella lora esatta posizione in un ambiente virtuale che la cuffia ricrea in maniera veritiera nello spazio innanzi all’ascoltatore , , dimenticavo …il progetto semiaperto fa suonare la cuffia anche all’esterno ..si coglie benissimo ci che si ascolta anche dopo averla posata sul tavolo e non isola totalmente dai rumori ambientali , non andate in giro fuori non pensata per questo sarebbe un reato , un consiglio da seguire alla lettera , suonate dei file di buona qualit quindi se possibile flac-alac in primis
    poi ape ogg per giungere agli mp3 ci che non c’ nel file la cuffia non pu farvelo sentire . se non siete cos spocchiosi come il sottoscritto vi consiglio il solito modesto lettore e gli mp3 con una normalissima cuffietta da 10 euro e vivrete tranquilli e senza rimorsi , se poi siete di quelli che non si accontentano mai questa cuffia deve essere vostra , mi sono io stesso rammaricato per aver temporeggiato a lungo prima di prenderla , consigliata secondo me per chi ama la musica in tutte le sue sfaccettature , nessun genere escluso , cominciando a riascoltare i dischi a voi pi familiari , sarete realmente sorpresi …..li avrete ascoltati mille e mille volte , ma vi assicuro che la prima volta con questa cuffia sar dura da dimenticare……per quanto riguarda un amplificatore dedicato direi di provare prima con quello che si ha a disposizione lettore portatile , amplificatore casalingo che magari gia avete nell’impianto hi-fi , magari tenendo inizialmente sempre basso il volume in uscita..andate per gradi , con calma e provate con varie soluzioni , non mi sembra cos ostica da pilotare nonostante i 600 ohm d’impedenza , se poi volete qualcosa di dedicato a voi la scelta : amplificatore tradizionale oppure ibrido con preamplificazione valvolare oppure tutto valvole difficile stabilire i giusti legami se petete ascoltate prima in negozio o da un vs amico la vostra musica preferita mi raccomando , quella che conoscete a menadito e fate una valutazione con i migliori strumenti a disposizione : le vostre orecchie , non vi tradiranno state tranquilli , la catena di ascolto breve : la musica un ampli e la cuffia e poi voi e voi soltanto …buon ascolto a tutti
    un piccolo appunto ad amazon . acquisto la cuffia a 266,98 euro dopo il mio acquisto nel giro di pochi minuti la cuffia costa il 15% in meno cio 227,98 euro
    avevo la cuffia nel carrello gi dal giorno precedente magari avvisare un cliente assiduo come il sottoscritto non sarebbe stata una cattiva idea , e ovvio che si tratta di un negozio virtuale e nessuno mi obbliga ad acquistare , una mia libera scelta , sono stato per 20 anni commesso in negozio e se avessi venduto a distanza di pochi minuti lo stesso articolo con una cos evidente differenza di prezzo avrei certamente avuto problemi con la clientela , non entro nel merito delle politiche di vendita a volte basta il buon senso , per il resto ottimo… la solita puntualit e un buon prodotto , rivedrei un p il discorso imballaggi a volte non proprio impeccabili su certi articoli

  60. Anonymous says:

     United Kingdom

    Golden Review Award: 2 From Our UsersEasily the best headphones I’ve used. There may be some better ones, but they also seem to cost a whole lot more.

    Even if you are not someone who makes music, I absolutely have to recommend these headphones. They’re solidly built, have excellent sound reproduction and accuracy, and they are incredibly comfortable to wear, even for long periods.

    I upgraded from Beyerdynamic DT770s and I think it’s fair to say I’m a fairly loyal customer now. I have owned many other headphones before but none that I liked quite as much as these.

    There’s a reason professionals love these.

    Only thing to keep in mind is you do need a headphone amp for these headphones – your computer’s built in audio output probably won’t have enough power.

  61. AlvaOUDKielxw says:

     United Kingdom

    my dad got these and when he died i got them, they’re ok

  62. Anonymous says:

     United States 🇺🇸

    Wow. Just wow. I can hear a lot more of the music now. Even, in one case, a metronome waaaay in the background that really shouldn’t be there. Kind of funny. The DT 880 Premium replaces an AKG340, which I bought new when it first came out. The AKG was amazing in its time, comfortable and good sounding. These sound better, just richer, but not boomy or otherwise enhanced. They just sound clean and true. Headphone sound and comfort is very subjective. If you have the ears, these are woth listening to. I have been playing them mainly through the UAD Apollo Duo Twin, but tried them on my iPad 2 and iPhone. They sound absolutely the best on the Apollo, but the iPad seems to work with them very well, very high clarity without and sharp edges, very deep and broad. When using them the the apollo I am cheating a bit, as I am also hearing my nearfield studio monitors in addition to the headphones. The headphones are a semi-open design, so you can hear ambient sound (sound around you) as well as the music through the headphones. The earpads are very comfortable and are replaceable. The headband adjusts to my head well, something that rarely happens. (The AKG 340 ‘might’ be a bit more comfortable, headband wise, but they feel heavier, and the ear pads aren’t close to being as good.) The 880’s do not feel heavy, and I can wear them for hours. I am using the 250 ohm version of the headphones, which might not work for some devices. Look into it before you buy. the 600 ohm ‘should’ sound a little better, but wouldn’t work well for a iPad or iPhone.
    I had tried an 880 Premium and a 990 (at a friend’s studio) before buying, and the 880 sounded better, but wasn’t “quite” as comfortable as the 990, which while a touch more comfortable I thought sounded terrible; both were being driven by / through an apollo mind you. For me, the 990 had boomy bass and almost shrill treble. My friend preferred the 990. (Now I wonder if his hearing is ‘sound’.) Just be aware they sound very different. I do wish I could rip the earpads off a 990 and put them on the 880. But, the earpads on the 880 are very nice. Be careful, as the 880 Premium sounds very different from the 880 Pro, which costs less.
    (If you don’t know what the UAD Apollo’s are, look into them. Off scale amazing. Thunderbolt to Mac connected, would work with a PC with Thunderbolt. You may not ‘need’ this, but you will ‘want’ it. 🙂 )
    So, a good upgrade from the 340’s, works well with iPad 2 and i Phone6s, and works GREAT through the Apollo.

  63. Anonymous says:

     Germany 🇩🇪

    Golden Review Award: 20 From Our UsersIch hre auch daheim gerne ber Kopfhrer Musik, weil man sie damit einfach bewusster und ungestrter wahrnehmen kann. An meinem Pioneer A9 Verstrker betreibe ich nubert-Boxen. Daran erkennt man schon, dass ich auf natrliche, lineare Abbildung stehe. Meine Haupt-Zuspieler sind ein Raumfeld connector und ein SACD-Player Pioneer D6.

    Vor ca. 3 Jahren hatte ich beschlossen, meinen etwas in die Jahre gekommenen Sennheiser HD560 ovation II (noch made in Germany) zu ersetzen. Das Kopfband mit seiner Polsterung sah etwas schbig aus, und anstatt es zu ersetzen, kaufte ich einen Sennheiser HD650. Auf Dauer wurde ich mit diesem jedoch nicht ganz glcklich. Er bringt zwar gute Bsse, ist aber insgesamt etwas zu “warm” abgestimmt. Es fehlt der Biss in den Hhen und damit auch einiges an Klarheit und Brillanz. Vor der Bhne scheint immer ein Vorhang zu hngen, den man gerne beiseite schieben wrde.

    Durch meinen inzwischen fr den mobilen Betrieb angeschafften T 51p, der mich total begeistert, geriet wieder der Hersteller Beyerdynamic in mein Visier. Zunchst versuchte ich es mit einem DT 990 PRO, den ich bei Amazon als “Limited Edition” uerst gnstig als Blitzangebot bekommen konnte. Whow! Wenn man von einem HD 650 kommt, hauen einen die Bsse und die klaren Hhen direkt um! Ja, das ist schon ein Kopfhrer, der einfach Laune macht. Aber nach einiger Zeit wird einem schmerzlich (ja, im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes!) bewusst, dass der DT 990 sich das mit einem kleinen Trick erkauft. Die Bsse sind etwas berbetont und kleistern damit feine Details (auch in den Mitten) zu. Noch schlimmer sind die Hhen: Der typische “Beyer-Peak” wird einem schnell lstig. Besonders bei Frauenstimmen, Geigen und Gitarrensoli nerven die Hhen schnell. Und das kann dann tatschlich auf Dauer schmerzen.

    Dennoch hat es der DT 990 PRO geschafft, mir endgltig klarzumachen, dass der HD 650 nicht der richtige Kopfhrer fr mich ist. Und so kam, was kommen musste: Ich bestellte den Beyerdynamic DT 880 Edition in der 600 Ohm Variante. Jetzt bin ich endlich zufrieden. Nein, eigentlich mehr als das: Ich bin begeistert und erlebe meine gesamte Musik seitdem neu und entdecke stndig neue Details! Der Beyer-Peak fehlt hier, dennoch sind die Hhen ungemein klar und detailliert. Die Bsse empfinde ich nicht als zu schwach. Sie werden einfach nur nicht berbetont. Aber gerade dadurch nimmt man sie teilweise besser wahr. Bei vielen Stcken klingt bespielsweise der Kick der Bassdrum ganz neu, mit Klangnuancen, die man hier gar nicht vermuten wrde. berhaupt ist die klangliche Auflsung enorm; bei einem HD 650 hat man kaum die Chance, alle Feinheiten wahrzunehmen, zu dicht ist der bereits erwhnte Vorhang.

    Einen Kopfhrerverstrker brauche ich nicht. Der Kopfhrerausgang meines Pioneer treibt den DT 880 mit einer Kraft und Spielfreude an, dass es ein Vergngen ist. Selbst an meinem mobilen iBasso DX 50 spielt der DT 880 tapfer auf, allerdings muss sich der iBasso dabei ordentlich anstrengen. Er hat drei Voreinstellungen fr verschiedene Kopfhrerimpedanzen, selbst in der hchsten muss man den Lautstrkeregler dann zu 70 – 75 % aufdrehen. Aber auch hier ist der Klang dann vom Feinsten.

    Sehr gut gefllt mir das metallene Design des DT 880.Sehr schick! Der Kopfhrer sitzt sehr gut und nicht zu stramm.Schade, dass das Kabel nicht austauschbar ist, aber das wre dann auch mein einziger Kritikpunkt. Zu guter Letzt ist der DT 880 ausgesprochen preiswert. 240 Euro sind wirklich angesichts der Leistung und der sehr guten Verarbeitung uerst fair.

  64. AdelaidaDas says:

     United Kingdom

    It is one of those purchases that I wish I made a long time ago, it is that good.
    Quality of the sound is superbe, not too much base which I like in particular, although you can crank it up if you like with your eq

  65. Anonymous says:

     Germany 🇩🇪

    Golden Review Award: 7 From Our UsersIch hatte den DT880 Edition (250 Ohm) sowie DT990 Pro daheim zum Probehren.

    Der DT880 spielt extrem neutral, d.h. was die Musikaufnahme hergibt spielt er auch genauso ab.

    Fr mich persnlich war dieser KH eine Offenbarung! Bei Musik wie Eric Clapton, Elton John, Mark Knopfler einfach berragend! Jede Finesse, jedes Detail wird von den KH herausgearbeitet und in eine wunderbare Kulisse gepackt.
    Das Gitarrenspiel nimmt bei Knopfler / Clapton eine wunderbare Form an – stehts prsent und knackig.
    Atemberaubend!

    Der DT880 allerdings hat seine leichten Schwchen bei der hrteren Gangart (Metal / Hard-Rock etc.), hier fehlt m.E. einfach etwas der Bass (natrlich auch per EQ einstellbar). Dazu kommt, dass seine analytische Ader bei den teils nicht perfekten Aufnahmen natrlich jede Schwche aufdeckt.

    Der DT990 dagegen ist deutlich basslastiger abgestimmt, auch wenn ich die teilweise sehr extremen Wahrnehmungen von anderen Rezessionen nicht besttigen kann.
    Bei Clapton / Knopfler / John im direkten Vergleich viel diese Basslastigkeit sehr stark auf fr meinen Geschmack! Je nach Lied hatte man das Gefhl, dass das Gitarrenspiel zwischen den starken Bssen und den markanten Hhen verschwimmt.
    Damit man mich nicht falsch versteht, der DT990 spielt auch diese Musik noch immer gut jedoch im direkten Vergleich bei dieser Musik hat er das Nachsehen.

    Der DT990 kann dafr bei allen hrteren Stcken (Metal, Hard-Rock) seine wahren Strken zeigen. Die teils suboptimalen Aufnahmen werden durch ihn etwas “aufgehbscht”. Der Bass gibt der Musik eine klare rockige Note – TOP!

    Letztendlich um den kleinen Vergleich abzuschlieen kann ich nicht “den besseren KH” nennen. Beide KHs sind sehr gute Kopfhrer und sicherlich ihr Geld wert und ihre Unterschiede spielen in Details ab.

    Meine persnliche Empfehlung wer viel Instrumental, Klassik, Blues, Jazz etc. hrt ist mit dem DT880 besser bedient.
    Freunde von Rock, Metal aber wahrscheinlich auch bei anderen basslastiger Musik (Techno etc – ich es selbst nicht deshalb nur geraten) sind mit dem DT990 gut bedient.

    Ich werde mir den DT880 PRO bestellen – aufgrund des Spiralkabels (angenehmer wenn ich am PC sitze).

  66. Anonymous says:

     United Kingdom

    It was a gift for my husband . Great comfort , value and sound . He loves it ..

  67. Anonymous says:

     United Kingdom

    Golden Review Award: 7 From Our UsersI have been using these fantastic DT 880 Premium Edition headphones for a while now, mostly for professional mixing use. I got the 250 ohm version as I am running them off my Apogee Symphony interface, which has two headphone outputs. They make a pretty good combo, though not the most perfect match. A dedicated HP amp would be better. Anyway, the sound quality of these DT 880 Edition’s could be described as superbly revealing, and very close to my Sennheiser HD-600’s, though they do have some sonic differences. The 880’s are extremely flat sounding, perhaps less exciting and not very forgiving to poorly mixed and mastered music. In studio use, mixing decisions have been very favourable so far and they translate well to other playback systems. The bass is just right IMO, no bumps or tricks. You can hear every note with a decent level of detail and nothing ever gets muddy. Only poorly mixed or mastered material shows its ugly side on these cans, which is a good sign of the quality we get with these headphones. The 880’s mids are pretty smooth, and perfectly balanced to my ears. They reveal recording flaws, pops and clicks upon first listen, and nothing is hidden away. The highs are very nice, with plenty of resolution, clean and extended. The soundstage is superb for a semi closed design, very similar to my 600’s. Comfort wise, these are wonderful, like soft cushions hugging your ears. They are extremely comfortable. Overall, these are one of the best headphones for critical monitoring, mixing or checking out your music collection on. They are beautifully designed and still hand made in Germany. I chose the DT 880 Premium Edition over the Pro version simply because I prefer the presentation of the Premium version a little better, and they look very classy indeed! The engraved DT 880 badge on the mesh of each driver looks very smart. These also include a cool leatherette zip up bag with soft foam inside to keep the cans protected during transport or storage.

    Reference class headphones...one of the best!

  68. Anonymous says:

     United Kingdom

    The best canes, only Amazon should clearly distinguish between two models (flat cable and curled cable).

  69. ndalessandro says:

     Germany 🇩🇪

    Golden Review Award: 8 From Our UsersHatte die Mglichkeit, folgende Kopfhrer zu vergleichen:

    AKG:
    K701

    Beyerdynamic:
    DT 880 Edition 2005 (250 Ohm)
    DT 990 Edition (250, 600 Ohm)
    DT 880 Pro (250 Ohm)
    DT 990 Pro (250 Ohm)
    DT 1350
    T 90
    _____
    T1

    Denon:
    AH D 2000

    Sennheiser:
    HD600
    HD650

    Quelle: Xonar Essence STX bzw. ESI Dr. DAC Prime
    Material: Flac, Wav
    Musikrichtung: Klassik, Pop, Rock, Raggae, Jazz, Latin, Electronic

    Kurze Zusammenfassung meiner Eindrcke:

    Fr Klassik-/Jazz-Liebhaber, ist der K701/Q701 erste Wahl. Sehr groe, jedoch etwas unnatrliche, Bhne.

    Der DT 880 ist ein guter Allrounder, der sich kaum Fehler leistet. Auf Dauer kann er aber zu nchtern und neutral klingen. Die Dynamik geht etwas verloren.

    Fr Leute die ein gnstiges Multitalent am PC suchen und damit auch Filme oder Spiele genieen wollen, ist der DT 990 Pro der perfekte Partner.
    Sein Preis-Leistungs-Verhltnis ist unschlagbar.
    Die Edition-Variante ist den Aufpreis nur wert, wenn einen das Spiralkabel strt bzw. man eine minimal natrlichere Abstimmung bevorzugt.
    Die 600Ohm-Variante spielt feiner. Es handelt sich aber nur um Nuancen.

    Der DT 1350 hat eine extrem hohe Auflsung und Przision. In dieser Disziplin kommt er fast an den T 90 heran.
    Wer also eine KH sucht der Spa macht und mit fast jeder Musikrichtung klar kommt, berall betrieben werden kann und halbwegs mobil ist, sollte den DT 1350 auf jeden Fall probe hren.
    Die ohraufliegende Bauart ist sicher Geschmackssache.

    Wer die Abstimmung des DT 880 mag und diese mit hoher Auflsung und Przision gepaart haben mchte, sollte sich den T 90 anschauen. Beyer-Peak ist aber auch hier vorhanden.

    Der Denon AH D 2000 kann vieles ganz gut aber nichts herausragend, ist aber geschlossen und somit fr bestimmte Zwecke von Vorteil.

    Die beiden Sennheiser-Modelle besitzen den typischen Sennheiser-Teppich und klingen recht dumpf. Sie sind daher nur etwas fr Liebhaber dieser Abstimmung. Die Mitten sind leicht betont und sehr detailliert, allerdings ist die Basswiedergabe recht trge.

    Hoffe meine Erfahrungen helfen euch, die Klangcharakteristik der jeweiligen Kopfhrer etwas besser einzuordnen…

    _______________________________________________________________________________

    Nachtrag:

    Inzwischen bin ich auf das Prunkstck von Beyerdynamic, den T1, umgestiegen…

    Die Kurzfassung:
    Die Gene des DT880 sind genauso erkennbar, wie die enge Verwandtschaft zum T90.
    Dennoch spielt der T1, fr mich, in einer anderen Audio-Liga.

    Details sind meiner Rezension des T1 zu entnehmen.

  70. Paul M. Eng says:

     United Kingdom

    Superb sound, but need a proper headphone amp to get the best from them. Don’t even try to run them from your iphone etc without something else in the line as they won’t even get loud enough.

    Work well with a valve headphone amp (for the fellow geeks out there I use a homemade Starving Student amp and a Schiit audio DAC). I’d love to be brave enough to try running them of the speaker terminals of my power amp, but haven’t tried yet.

    If you want something bit more mainstream then look at the lower impedance models.

  71. ShelleyKap says:

     Germany

    Golden Review Award: 9 From Our UsersIch bewerte hier die 600 Ohm Version. Die 250 Ohm Version hatte ich auch und guten Gewissens an einen Feund verkauft.
    Anfangs war meine Meinung zu dem Kopfhrer zwiegespalten. Die Auflsung und Bhne die man hier geboten bekommt ist echt super.
    Gewonnen hat der Hrer auf jeden Fall bei souliger (Ayo), jazziger (Jazzmataz :)) und auch klassischer Musik (die blichen Verdchtigen).
    Mein Musikgeschmak geht aber eher (nur “eher” ich hre vieles gerne) in Richtung Rap/Elektronische Musik.
    Am Anfang war mir der Bass doch ein bisschen zu wenig fr diese Art von Musik (Quantitativ). Gut aber zu wenig. Egal was der Produzent geplant hat, ich war mehr gewhnt und das hatte mir auch gefallen.
    Jetzt, nach etwa einem Monat mche ich die Hrer nicht mehr austauschen. Meine Fidelio X1 sind nur noch selten, bzw gar nicht mehr im Einsatz. Dort strt mich nun der doch ein bisschen aufdringliche Bass. Versteht mich nicht falsch, die Fidelio X1 sind super Kopfhrer und ich wre immer noch mit Ihnen zufreden htte ich nicht die DT880 gefunden.
    Den Bass finde ich bei den DT880 nicht mehr zu wenig sondern genau richtig! Es kann rumsen, aber es rumst nicht bei einer Violine 😉
    Ich benutze den DT880 vor allem am PC mit einer Phoebus Soundkarte (die Gamervariante (minimal schlechterer Wandler, aber gleicher KHV) der Essence) zum Hren von FLAC, MP3 und auch zum Zocken mit einem Knig Mic.
    Zum Vergleich hatte ich auch die offene und geschlossene Kopfhrer (770,990) von Beyerdynamic gehrt. Die konnten aber nach meinem GEschmack nicht mit Fidelio oder dem 880 mithalten. Entweder noch heftigerer Bass oder nerviger Hhenpeak.

    Fazit: Tolle Kopfhrer, auch der Preis ist i.O. Es gibt natrlich laut Internet noch genug Hrer die besser klingen. Da ist man aber schnell bei 500-1000< . Fr mich ist es das nicht wert. Rund 200 +/- fr die DT880 und alles ist gut 🙂

  72. JaneenKimbell says:

     United States 🇺🇸

    Golden Review Award: 7 From Our UsersMy review on these headphones will be more on my overall opinion of the headphones than a focus on the sound. I will be giving it a hard time and say what I think on little details, but again I am being critical.

    My first comment will be on comfort. I find the headphones to be mostly comfortable, but not the most comfortable out there. The earpads are soft, but because of the size of the opening they are mostly comfortable although I wouldn’t consider them to be a set of headphones that disappear on your head. The headband comfort is padded well enough, but what makes it comfortable is more of how light the headphones are. I am glad that the cords are single ended as this well add more to the comfort. I find headphones like the HD598 more comfortable due to the size of the earpads will fit your whole ear inside while still giving you the same lightweight comfort.

    Okay now on to the build. I have mix feelings about the built and overall construction. I thought overall the arm adjustment for size is not the best I have seen. I find the when adjusting the size of the arms, it’s seems clumsy. I am glad that they do include the notches to see how far you have adjust them unlike headphones like the Sennheiser HD598/HD558. The flaw of them are that they are not the smoothest when you change from one notch to the next. I find that sometime I have to push harder just to get them to go to the next notch and sometime I end up going two notches. Compare to the HD598/558 or Audio Technica ESW9 or the D2000, the process seems clumsy and annoying. (D2000 has the best I have seen on a headphone) Another thing about this is their seem to be a metal tab on the outer top part of the DT880 arm which usually I assume is for you to place your thumb there to adjust like some of the the other headphones I previously owned, but in the DT880 it’s practically useless and more for decor. That metal tab when used to slide the arm will press against the headband will cause it to halt the sliding process. Now onto the appearance of the arm, when you look at the inside of it, the arm looks like it is missing an outer coating to make it smoother to touch. I also don’t like that the cable is not removable and the part where it goes inside the cup is thicker/big. As for the bag, I wish the top flap of the bag has a little bit of cushion to fully protect it from be bumped. The bag is a very minor complain as I find it to be one of the best bag that comes with a headphone. I also think they could of put a little bit of cushion on the top of the headband to give it a bit more of a premium feel. Again, all of these complaint are not something that would sway me from this headphone, but things I see could make these headphones even better.

    Now that I got all of my thoughts on what I don’t like, here is what I do like. I find the DT880 to have a wonderful sound presentation. The one I own now is the 32 Ohm version. I find the volume control loudness is great as I find myself perfectly content with the volume set around 45 to 55% on my laptop without any sort of amp. The sound quality sounds great and I have no issue with it without and amp. I do believe they perform better than the HD598 (a headphone I use without an amp) by having tighter bass, better clarity, less veil mids, more 3D presentation, better imaging. The soundstage seems very appropriate and uniform. The overall sound signature seems to be well balance without bleeding into each other. What I am also glade about the 32 Ohm version is that there are improvements with an amp if wish to use one. I also find the looks of the DT880 to be easily liked and not offensive. The weight of the headphones itself is very light and light when it is in the bag. The bag seems to be well design to where the wire is not cramp and the not removable cable won’t get strained from pressure of being press upon. the cable is not so thick, not microphonic, kinks, and the connector are not huge. The 1/4 attachment are screw on which is nice.

    Overall I give the DT880 a five star because it serves the purpose I need it for:To be able to be used without an amp, comfortable enough for me to use for long periods of time, versatile enough for me to listen to most music, great for movies, a good enough case for me to bring it along when I travel, and it sounds fantastic at a great price point.

    Update 10/14/14: I found out a couple of things after owning them a little bit longer. The fit of the DT880 is a little bit smaller than then my other headphones and after extending the arms and pushing the cups toward the back of my head, comfort is a whole lot better. I also believe the side metal piece between the headband and arms are actually for the fit of the headphones.

  73. Anonymous says:

     Canada 🇨🇦

    Not new as describe, but in perfect shape. I enjoy it everyday!

  74. OrvilleFYX says:

     Germany 🇩🇪

    Die Kopfhrer sind der Wahnsinn. Nicht nur zum Musik hren, auch zum spt abends noch einen Film gucken kann man sie gut verwenden und auch fr Video Spiele sind sie absolut ausreichend. Natrlich braucht man keinen ins Knochenmark vordringenden Bass erwarten aber ich vermisse an den Kopfhrern in dem Punkt nichts. Ich hatte zum Vergleich noch die Beyerdynamic DT-990 Pro Headphones und die AKG K 701 Bgel-Kopfhrer zu Hause. Fr mich sind in Sachen Tragekomfort und Klang (auch mit Blind Tests – meine Freundin durfte mir die Kopfhrer durchgemixt aufsetzten. So konnte ich mglichst ohne “Vorurteile” ausprobieren) einfach unschlagbar – da kann man dann auch ber kleinere Mngel drber weg sehen.

    Die KH’s sind sehr bequem zu tragen. Schade ist nur, dass die Ohrpolster recht schnell etwas nachgeben nach einigen Stunden tragen und der Abstand zwischen Ohr und KH sich etwas verringert – so liegen jetzt meine Ohren direkt innerhalb der Muscheln mit der Flche auf dem Velour berzogendem Plastik Ding. Es ist manchmal etwas strend aber man vergisst es sehr schnell wieder (ansich etwa so als htte man nur eine Mtze aufgezogen. Mit nagelneuen Velorpolstern ist es absolut perfekt aber ich bin nicht reich genug mir alle 10 Stunden neue Polster fr 30 Euro aufzuziehen 😉

    Dennoch gibt es 3 Nachteile die ich bemngeln mchte:

    1) Das Kabel ist recht dnn und zeigt sehr schnell Spuren. Wenn man mit dem PC Stuhl mal doof drber rollt sieht man es. Was mich dadran rgert ist, dass ich das Kabel nicht wie bei anderen KH’s fr 300 Euro (Ursprnglich mal) einfach austauschbar ist. Wenns bei mir irgendwann kaputt geht muss ichs kostenpflichtig austauschen lassen, wenn Beyer Dynamics diesen Service berhaupt anbietet. Fr den Preis schon etwas unglcklich. Die PRO Version hat ein geriffeltes Kabel, da passiert das mit dem drber Rollen wohl nicht, allerdings empfand ich den Zug am Kopf dadurch als zu nervig. Desweiteren trau ich der “Rasterung” an den verstellbaren Bgeln nicht. Das luft einfach nur via kleinen “Nupsies” die in die Metal Kerben reinrutschen. Ich glaube in 1 – 2 Jahren knnten die so weit abgenutzt sein, dass die ohne den Anpressdruck am Kopf nicht mehr von alleine halten. Aber das kann ich jetzt noch nicht sagen.

    2) Diese KH’s machen dir jedes Knarzen und Pfuschen bei importierten Audiodatein, die nicht auf einer mindestens 320er “Abtastrate” laufen, bemerkbar. Also Audiodateien im schlechter Qualitt klingen ganz grausam. Das hie fr mich: Meine ganzen Alben erneut von CD auf den PC ziehen – diesmal nur in Losless oder 320er Qualitt.

    3) Die 16 Euro PC Lautsprecher will man inzwischen gar nicht mehr Einschalten weil die so schlecht klingen, man ertappt sich dabei wie man pltzlich 45 Minuten mit geschlossenen Augen auf dem Stuhl sa um “mal eben” 1 – 2 Lieder zu hren…

    Die letzten 2 Punkte sind natrlich nicht ganz ernst zu nehmen als “Kritik” Punkte 😉

    brigens: Wer sich wie ich fragte wieso es manchmal die [2005] Edition gibt, und dann wieder einfach nur die DT 880: Das sind alles die Selben! Seit 2005 wird nur noch die eine Version hergestellt. Es gibt inzwischen (schon lange) keine Chargen mehr von vor 2005, also jeder bekommt hier das gleiche Produkt.

  75. Anonymous says:

     United Kingdom

    Perfect item, better than I expected!
    It was described as “very good” but I received a “like new” item!
    Amazing sound, perfect fit, excellent price.

  76. ReyesEames says:

     Germany 🇩🇪

    Nach etwas Recherche und Probehren habe ich mich doch fr dieses Modell entschieden. Fr mich waren ausschlaggebend:

    – Tragekomfort
    – Einsatz sowohl an mobilen Gerten, als auch daheim
    – Klangbild passend fr Musik (von Progressive Metal bis Klassik alles dabei), Filme (alles Blu-Rays, groteils mit DTS-HD Tonspur) und Computerspiele (fast nur Action und Shooter)

    Ich besitze neben diesem Exemplar noch weitere Kopfhhrer, von Denon in-ear-plugs bis zu halbwegs guten Sennheiser Kopfhhrern. Aber keiner konnte mich so wirklich berzeugen, Anders hier. Der Aufpreis lohnt sich!

    Der Kopfhhrer hat ein in meinen Ohren natrliches und unverzerrtes Klangbild und kann auch ohne dedizierten Verstrker satte Pegel erreichen. So etwa an meinem iPod Nano 6. Anders bei einem Sansa Clip+, da reicht die Eingansleistung wohl nicht aus, strt mich aber nicht, weil das nicht mein MP3 Player ist 😉

    Mit Verstrker, bei meinem Notebook eine ASUS Xonar U7, kann er schon wirklich guten Sound bieten und erfllt meine Erwartungen vollends. Vom Frequenzspektrum toppt er meine Wohnzimmer Teufel Anlage, welche bei Klaviermusik und sehr hohen Tnen an ihre Grenzen stt. Der Kopfhrer hingegen spielt auch diese einwandfrei und unverzerrt ab.
    Die Bsse kommen auch knackig und dynamisch, aber nicht berdimensioniert, wie bei manchem fr Spieler ausgelegen billigeren Headset.
    Im Mitteltonbereich ist vor allem die Flle an Klngen berzeugend. Man hrt Details, welche zuvor verborgen blieben. Macht einfach Spa. So kommen auch Filme gut rber, wo die Dialoge nicht hinter der Musik oder Action verblassen. Auch vorgetuschtes Surround-Feeling durch Techniken wie “Dolby Pro Logic II”, “CMSS-3D” oder Vergleichbares kommt gut zur Geltung. In entsprechenden Computerspielen erleichtert es die Ortung von Geruschen und kann mit “realen” 5.1 Headsets mithalten. Nur, dass es dabei noch besser klingt!

    Also ich bin rundum zufrieden. Vor allem auch mit dem Tragekomfort, welcher bei meinem recht kleinen Kopf einen guten Halt bietet, aber so angenehm ist, dass ich teils fast vergesse, den Kopfhrer zu tragen. Zum Glck ist das Kabel mit drei Metern Lnge gut genug dimensioniert, dass man auch problemlos aufstehen kann.

    Ein netter Nebeneffekt ist die Abschirmung von Umgebungslrm. Es ist zwar keine aktive Geruschunterdrckung, aber immerhin eine satte Dmpfung von Umgebungsgeruschen. Da kann der nchste Langstreckenflug gerne kommen!

    Abschlieend kann ich sagen:
    Wer einen Kopfhrer fr ein breites Spektrum an Beschallung sucht, der sollte sich diesen unbedingt mal anhren! Sicherlich gibt es wesentlich Billigere, die in manchen Aspekten subjektiv besser klingen knnten. Wer jedoch auf Bassbombardements zu Gunsten von Detailreichtum verzichten kann, dem kann ich den Beyerdynamic DT 880 nur empfehlen!

  77. Kittee Bee Berns says:

     United States 🇺🇸

    Golden Review Award: 17 From Our UsersThis is the second time I’ve owned a pair of Beyerdynamic headphones. Between now and then I’ve owned AKG 701s, and a pair of unfortunately fragile Sennheiser 650s. I’ve returned to beyerdynamic’s for two reasons price and sound.

    I love my AKG 701s, but they took a ridiculous amount of time to burn in. It was only after several hundred hours of continuous play that they lost their new headphone harshness and became truly musical. I was going to return to them this time around, but the AKG company has been bought by Harman and the factory has been moved from Austria to China. They claim production is of similar quality but a number of recent buyers aren’t happy. Even with a price drop I simply cannot justify spending the money needed to buy another set of Sennheiser’s. So, I’m back to Beyerdynamic. I have to say, I’m very happy with my decision.

    The last time my 880s cost nearly half again as much more and came with a beautiful aluminium carrying case. The price is a lot more reasonable now and the case is leatherette, but I don’t much mind as the sonic qualities are the same: they are precise and accurate. If there is a flaw in the recording these cans won’t hide it. On the other hand a superb recording will take you places with these headphones that you may never have been before. They are also very easy to wear. Though not the lightest high-performance headphones on the market, the weight is well-balanced and the clamping force over one’s ears is not too heavy. I’d say actually that there are a lot easier to wear than the Sennheiser’s.

    I was worried that I might have to endure a long breaking in. I needn’t have worried. I listened to three pieces in my first sitting. First was Beethoven’s 15 Piano Variations and Fugue in D flat in the 2006 Deutsche Gramophone recording of Emil Gilels. It was everything that you would expect of this music and this artist. From the resonance of the repeated low strikes alternating with rapid legato runs. Gilels makes the piano breath and everything sounds exactly right — from the resonances of those low tones to his glistening light touches in the upper registers. This recording is done very intimately and listening with these headphones one feels not only as if you were in the same room, but perhaps sharing the bench.

    I listened next to Glenn Gould’s 1980 recording of J.S. Bach’s Toccata in f sharp minor, BWV 910. Where Gilel’s Beethoven was warm and dramatic, Glenn Gould’s performance has a kind of precision that uses the piano in a very different way. In the end it is perhaps even more exciting, but it gets there through a kind of uniformity of touch that allows JS Bach’s layering of tones to emerge unsullied. In his time Gould was highly criticised for using exaggerated tempos — too slow or too fast — but these recording seems spot on to me. There’s very little room presence in these recordings (and this is exactly as Gould liked) instead these headphones reveal a piano that seems to surround the listener. Instead of sitting next to the pianist, instead magically it’s almost as if one is living inside the piano hearing every hit of hammer on string, minute sounds of the keyboard mechanism, and the faint sounds of Glenn Gould humming in the distance. Absolutely magical!

    Finally for something completely different, I listened to Miles Davis’s Masqualero (the original Album version, not the awful remastered botch) from his incredible 1967 album “Sorcerer.” Everything is there from Davises raspy aggressive tone to Wayne Shorter’s incredible saxophone (it’s as if he can make the instrument speak your language — whatever the language is). The percussion work is superb Even a simple repeated strike of the cymbal (that covers many bars of the piece) seems to be alive. Thank you Tony Williams. Herbie Hancock on piano and Ron Carter on double bass complete quintet. The recording is spacious and has lots of air — even as it still manages to seem very intimate. You can imagine that you might be sitting in the front table small club. You hear every articulation — the sounds of hard key strikes on the saxophone when Wayne shorter gets moving, and of course Miles Davis breathing life into his trumpet. These headphones make it easy to just close your eyes and be there.

    It’s possible things will change with these headphones as they are broken in, and if anything bad happens I will revisit this review but for the moment let’s say I’m a very happy customer of a fine German company.

  78. Leslie Katz says:

     Germany 🇩🇪

    Golden Review Award: 6 From Our UsersIch habe nach einem hochwertigen Ersatz fr mein Headset gesucht um damit zu 90% am PC zu spielen, aber auch mal Musik an der Anlage zu hren oder TV zu sehen. Nachdem mein Exemplar des Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro einen knackenden Bass hatte und mir das dazu separat erhltliche Headset Gear Mikrofon zu dumpf klang, habe ich mich dazu entschlossen einen anderen HiFi-Kopfhrer selbst mit einem Antlion ModMic Mikrofon auszustatten. Nachdem ich den Custom One Pro getestet hatte, wusste ich bereits das fr mich ein geschlossener Kopfhrer auf keinen Fall in Frage kommt. Da ich mich mit dem geschlossenen Kopfhrer selbst nicht mehr hren konnte, ist es mir sehr schwer gefallen mich mit meinen Freunden ber Teamspeak in einer “normalen” Lautstrke zu unterhalten. Auerdem mchte ich auch beim spielen noch von auen ansprechbar bleiben. Es sollte also ein offener oder halboffener Kopfhrer werden. Trotzdem war auch schon der Custom One Pro ein beeindruckendes Erlebnis.
    Fr mich Stand die Wahl nun zwischen dem DT-990 Edition (offen) und dem DT-880 (halboffen). Tests zu diesen beiden Kopfhrer und zu deren Unterschieden findet man genug. Aber man muss es dann doch einmal selbst gehrt haben.
    Der DT-990 war mir bei den hohen Tnen teilweise zu viel. Hier wird auch in Kundenrezensionen fter auf das Zischen im Hochtonbereich hingewiesen. Ansonsten klingt er dem DT-880 sehr hnlich. In BF4 hat mir aber so mancher gegnerisch Schuss auf mich fast das Trommelfell zerrissen. Daher ging der DT-990 zurck.
    Der DT-880 dagegen ist wirklich ein Traum an Neutralitt. Alles klingt so ausgewogen und detailreich, ich kann es kaum beschreiben. Ich betreibe das 250 Ohm Modell an einer Soundblaster Z Soundkarte (hat einen Kopfhrerverstrker). Ein Klick auf SBX und die Soundkarte ballert die Frequenzen nach oben das einem schwindelig wird. Beim spielen wird der DT-880 so zur absoluten Spamaschine. Die Ortung in Spielen ist meiner Meinung nach hervorragend. Beim Musik hren deaktiviere ich dann SBX wieder und hre die Musik so, wie sie wahrscheinlich der Toningenieur im Studio abgemischt hat. Wenn ich dann doch etwas mehr Pepp brauche schalte ich den Equalizer der Soundblaster an und gebe dem DT-880 eine Badewannenabstimmung wie sie der DT-990 hat.
    Was auch noch erwhnt werden sollte ist die hervorragende Verarbeitung und der Tragekomfort des Kopfhrers.

    Das Antlion ModMic lsst sich auf dem ueren Gitter des Kopfhrers sehr gut befestigen. Wenn es richtig eingestellt ist lsst es sich dann auch leicht nach oben klappen ohne das es an den Bgel des Kopfhrers schlgt.
    Da Kopfhrer und Mikrofonkabel beide 3 Meter lang sind habe ich sie in einen Kabel-Sleeve gepackt und mit Schrumfschluchen fixiert. Das ganze sieht nun fast aus wie aus dem Laden und ist, sowohl was die akustische Qualitt als auch Verarbeitung und Tragekomfort betrifft, jedem Headset das ich bisher besessen habe um Lngen voraus.

  79. Matt Smith says:

     United States 🇺🇸

    Golden Review Award: 8 From Our UsersThese are some of the best circumaural, open back headphones I’ve ever tried, and that’s saying something. They are very, very well balanced. Perfect combination of lows, mids, and highs, and this set does a fantastic job at all three. Don’t take my word for it! They’re been an audiophile “standard” or “favorite” in the $300 – $350 range for SO many years, that there are incredible professional reviews out there. Lots of them.
    Note: Google the website by “Ken Rockwell” and find his review of this particular set. He describes them very fair and accurately, and better than I ever could. Read his. He’s right. “what he said!”
    Note: there is lasting controversy in the audiophile and headphone enthusiast fora about whether the degree of difference between the dt880 “Pro” versus “Premium” is big enough to justify the price difference. And whether the 600 ohm truly is any better sounding than the 250 ohm. Most say “no, minor, negligable, save your money.” Some say “the treble is even smoother and nicer on the 600 ohm Premium’s.” I found a good deal, and went straight for the 600 Premiums. Can’t opine on the other flavors of DT 880. Probably quite similar performance and sound signature. Anyway, these are some of the best you could possible buy for $350, IF you like open sound stage, very balanced sound graph, total “all rounder” which does everything and many genres extremely well, but does not emphasize any particular spectrum of the sound to cater to a particular music genre or demographic of buyer. For a middle aged guy who listens to classic rock, jazz, mature pop, and classical, folk, acoustic – these are incredible. One last thing. You CAN drive them utterly fine straight from an iPod. No amp required. Serious. I do it every night. They sound fantastic that way, at 75% – 80% volume, and to go to max volume would damage your hearing. An amp may make these even better (as many say) but you do Not require one; they’re incredible straight out of the box, hooked to iPod. Hope this helps. Trey

  80. DavidFortggft says:

     United Kingdom

    Golden Review Award: 15 From Our UsersI’ll make this a quick one.

    Sound performance is not really in question here (if you know Beyer).

    Comfort is supreme (pretty much best you can get, end of).

    But, these 600 Ohm models will take a serious amount of driving. For any decent volume levels, this means proper amplification (not your i-gadget/phone/lap-top, but something with a proper Headphone Amp)!

    They also leak sound, a lot, so do not consider if you need sound isolation.

    Sounds like a negative review, but not so, just a fair warning on some inportant points.

    Sound is fantastic!

  81. LazaroAVAzsucv says:

     Germany 🇩🇪

    Endlich ist er da! Ich war lange lange auf der suche nach einem Kopfhrer der meinen Hrgewohnheiten entspricht. Ich hatte mir zuvor einen Beyerdynamic DT 770 (80 Ohm) bestellt und war mit dem klang berhauptnicht zufrieden. Die Mitten wurden total verschluckt, die Bsse waren schwcher als erwartet und die hhen auch nicht so wie ich mir das vorgestellt habe. Generell war der Ton nicht neutral genug.

    Ganz im Gegenteil der DT 880 (250 Ohm). Ich bin begeistert. Der Ton ist superneutral. Hhen, Tiefen, Mitten – alles wird genau so wiedergegeben wie ich mir das erwarte (wobei die Bsse ruhig krftiger sein drften). Durch die halboffene Bauweise ist auch ein schner Raumklang mglich und die Kopfhrer klingen nicht mehr so nach >Kopfhrer<. Der Nachteil dadurch ist natrlich, und das ist wirklich heftig, der Klang nach aussen ist ziemlich laut. Jeder der sich in 4-5 Metern entfernung befindet kann problemlos zuhren. Fr mich kein Problem, die Qualittssteigerung ist das auf jeden fall wert. Thema KHV: Ist meiner Meinung nach nicht >unbedingt< notwendig bei dem Hrer. Ich habe keinen und betreibe ihm am Computer (onBoard Sound meines Asus Rampage IV Extreme bzw. direkt am DENON AVR 2809). Fr mich ist die Lutstrke auf jeden fall ausreichend, jedoch muss ich sagen, dass die Wiedergabe beim Denon doch schon deutlich besser klingt. Vor allem in den tieferen Tonlagen. Wer aber ne anstndige Soundkarte hat, kann wohl wirklich drauf verzichten. Verarbeitung: Die Verarbeitung ist gut, jedoch deutlich schlechter als beim DT 770. Das Kopfband ist leider nicht abnehmbar wie beim 770 und die Einstellung der Gre etwas wackelig. Der Anpressdruck ist gegenber dem DT 770 auch deutlich geringer - was fr mich eine Wohltat ist! Beim 770 hatte ich nach ein paar Minuten bereits Kopfschmerzen. Fazit: + Tne werden sauber wiedergegeben + Raumklang - Verarbeitung schlechter als beim DT 770 (dennoch hochwertig) - Viel ton nach aussen (was aber klar ist bei Halboffnen hrern) - Bsse knnten krftiger sein Fr mich sind die Pluspunkte jedoch deutlich strker als die negativpunkte. Bei den Bssen habe ich eh nicht mehr erwartet, ein KH ist eben keine THX-Anlage, und das recht viel Ton nach aussen geht, ist mir persnlich total Wumpe. Schade nur, dass die Verarbeitungsqualitt mit dem DT 770 nicht ganz mithalten kann. Dennoch, der TON passt und darauf kommts an - daher 5 Sterne!

  82. Anonymous says:

     Germany 🇩🇪

    Golden Review Award: 4 From Our UsersHallo, wollte mir mal wieder einen Kopfhrer gnnen, da ich meist nur abends wenn der Rest der Familie schlft in Ruhe ein bischen Musik hren kann. Ich hatte vor mehr als 25 Jahren schon den ersten DT880 und war sehr zufrieden, wobei wie ich mich noch schwach erinnere die Grenzen im Bassbereich bei der Maximallautstrke schneller erreicht waren.
    Danach hatte ich einen Stax SR64 der damals ca 350 DM kostete. Dieser war nicht ganz so bassstark aber von den Eigenschaften der Detailauflsung wirklich gut und besser als ein AKG K240 oder der damals beliebte Revox Kopfhrer.
    Dazwischen hat sich natrlich viel getan.
    Ich hatte auch die Gelegenheit auf einer High END Ausstellung einmal den Sennheiser Orpheus zu hren.
    Ist schon eine Weile her. War sehr gut aber die Hrprobe zu kurz.
    (Was viele nicht wissen den Rhrenverstrker hierfr baute eine kleine deutsche Firma die Rhrenverstrker herstellt in meinem Wohnort fr Sennheiser.)
    Ich beschftige mich seit ca 30 Jahren mit hochwertiger Musikwiedergabe und kenne und verfolge den Stand der Wiedergabetchnik. Ich habe schon fters und ausgiebeig die besten Musikwidergabeketten der Welt gehrt.
    Sicherlich hat jeder Kopfhrer in dieser Preisklasse ein unterschiedliches Klangbild.
    Ein AKG 701 den ich vor ein paar Jahren mal probehrte ist auch sehr gut, wobei bei mir die Bgelverstellung nicht reichte.
    Was mir bisher nie so richtig gefiel sind geschlossene Kopfhrer.
    Sehr suspekt finde ich den Hype um diese “Beats” Kopfhrer. Die sind zwar sehr laut, klingen jedoch angestrengt, schlecht auflsend und haben mit hochwertiger Wiedergabe nicht so wirklich was zu tun.
    Ich konnte den DT 880 bei meinem nchstgelegenenFachhndler aus hygienischen Grnden nicht probehren.
    Also bestellte ich ihn auf Verdacht bei Amazon. Ich hre nicht sehr viel , aber nach einigen Wochen kann ich sagen das es eine gute Entscheidung war.
    Ob zwischen 250 oder 600 Ohm ein groer Klangunterschied ist weiss ich leider nicht. Fr mobile Gerte reicht der 250 Ohm welchen ich habe, aber nicht. Weder mit Apple noch Samsung Handy ist eine brauchbare Minimallautstrke erreichbar.
    Da mte definitiv die 32 Ohm Variante her.

  83. Katharina26B says:

     Germany 🇩🇪

    Ich nutze den Kopfhrer an einem Workstation-Keyboard und zum normalen Musik hren
    an einem guten Verstrker.

    Lieferumfang:

    – Kopfhrer
    – Gepolsterte Tasche
    – 3,5mm Klinke auf 6,3mm Klinke (vergoldet und zum Schrauben)
    – Produktbeschreibung/ Garantiebeschreibung

    Verarbeitung/ Tragekomfort:

    Was einem sofort ins Auge sticht ist das viele Metall was hier verbaut wurde.
    Dieses lsst den Kopfhrer sehr hochwertig aussehen und fhlt sich auch toll an,
    ohne den KH bermig schwer zu machen. Auch die Ohrmuscheln und der Rest des KH sind
    sehr gut verarbeitet. Die Ohrmuscheln sind gro und sehr weich, wodurch der KH auch
    nach Stunden nicht unangenehm wird (Besser als bei meinem alten AKG K240).
    Die Gre lsst sich passend einstellen, jedoch verstellt sich diese nach
    abnehmen des KH gerne mal, da die Einstellungen nicht fest fixiert sind.

    Klang:

    Der Klang ist meiner Meinung nach sehr ausgewogen und klar, gerade Musik welche mit
    hoher Qualitt abgespielt wird wirkt sehr detailliert, als wre man mitten im Geschehen.
    Ich hre Details, welche mir vorher nie aufgefallen sind, der DT-880 entlarvt daher auch
    so manchen kleinen Fehler in der Aufnahme. Der Bass ist knackig und absolut klar, wer
    jedoch auf “Bassgedrhne” steht ist hier falsch! Durch die Halboffene Bauweise wird
    das Musik hren auch nach lngerer Zeit nicht so “anstrengend” wie bei einem
    geschlossenen Kopfhrer.

    Varianten:

    Den Kopfhrer gibt es in zwei Varianten, Edition und Pro mit jeweils drei verschiedenen
    Impedanzen (32,250,600Ohm). Die Pro Variante hat einen strkeren Anpressdruck, wenn man nicht
    gerade auf der Bhne “rockt” ist die Edition-Variante vllig ausreichend und auf Dauer
    wahrscheinlich angenehmer zu tragen.
    Die 250 Ohm Variante ist fr mich ein guter Kompromiss, es ist weder fr die Stereoanlage
    noch die Workstation ein Kopfhrerverstrker notwendig, der KH lsst sich sogar am
    Handy/MP3-Player betreiben, je nach Gert sogar in relativ hoher Lautstrke. Wer jedoch
    ausschlielich Kleingerte benutzt sollte auf die 32 Ohm Variante zurck greifen oder
    einen Verstrker benutzen.

    Fazit:

    Der Beyerdynamic DT-880 ist ein toll verarbeiteter und bequemer Kopfhrer mit einem neutralen,
    ausgewogenen und kristallklaren Klangbild.

  84. AdriannLWAO says:

     United Kingdom

    Golden Review Award: 2 From Our UsersOnly had these for a month but far exceeds my expectations sound quality is spot on, needs a good amp to get the best out of them

  85. Anonymous says:

     Germany 🇩🇪

    Golden Review Award: 3 From Our UsersDie Rezension bezieht sich auf den DT 880 Edition 250 Ohm.

    Zum Vergleich: bisher habe ich einen Bose AE2 benutzt, um Musik zu Hause und unterwegs zu hren, da dieser Kopfhrer einerseits transportabel ist und von den Auengeruschen gut abschirmt (weil geschlossene Bauweise und ohrumschlieend) und anderseits eine sehr gute und dynamische Tonwiedergabe liefert. Jedoch wurde er nach einer oder zwei Stunden Musikhren etwas ungemtlich, da das Klima in den Kopfhrern ziemlich warm und feucht wurde (aber wie gesagt, er isoliert deshalb gut von der Umwelt). Und bei klassischer Musik wiedergibt er die Rumlichkeit nicht sehr gut, weil die Hhen ziemlich verschwommen sind.

    Deshalb habe ich mir nach langem Suchen den DT 880 gekauft, weil er neutraler im Bassbereich und insgesamt viel klarer sein sollte, und viele schwrmten vom Tragekomfort. Ich kann dies nun nach einigen Wochen intensiver Benutzung nur besttigen. Es ist ein echtes Vergngen, mit diesen Kopfhrern Musik zu hren, selbst nach 3 Stunden. Ich bekomme nicht das Gefhl, dass meine Horen berlastet werden. Und auch wenn er eher neutral klingt, ist er alles auer langweilig. Man muss sich nur mit seinem klaren Klang anfreunden. Bsse sind fr mein Empfinden stark und rund genug.

    Manche Rezensenten erzhlten von einem gewissen Zischen im Hhenbereich. Klar, die Hhen sind gut hrbar, aber ich finde es nicht unangenehm und sogar normal. Zur Not kann man am Equalizer etwas justieren, aber ich hatte nie das Bedrfnis dazu (obwohl ich z.B. gerne Drum & Bass hre). Dieses Zischen soll angeblich beim DT 990 deutlicher sein.

    Die 250 Ohm Version funktioniert perfekt an allen Gerten, die ich ausprobiert habe (ohne Verstrker am Macbook, anderen Laptops und Ipod Nano). Die Lautstrke reicht bei weitem aus, selbst auf dem Ipod. Vielleicht ergibt sich mit Verstrker eine noch bessere Tonqualitt, aber auch ohne ist diese schon sehr hoch.

    Die robuste Konstruktion made in germany und zum Teil aus Metal (alles was silbern aussieht) hat mir auch zugesagt. Der Kopfhrer drckt nicht, aber wie bei jedem anderen Kopfhrer muss man sich an diesen Fremdkrper auf dem Kopf erst mal gewhnen. Dann macht er sich kaum noch bemerkbar (im Gegenteil zu meinem Bose, obwohl dieser schon recht bequem ist).

    Jedem also, der sich einen solchen Luxuskopfhrer, der fr alle Musikrichtungen geeignet ist, leisten will und kann, empfehle ich den DT 880 wrmstens. Die Preise scheinen auf Amazon jedoch zu schwanken, weil ich den fr kaum mehr als 200 bekommen habe…

  86. Anonymous says:

     United States 🇺🇸

    Golden Review Award: 5 From Our UsersBuy if:
    1. You are looking for a full over the ear “old school” headphone
    2. You are looking for clarity and full range
    3. You have the ability to drive them

    Look elsewhere if:
    1. You are looking for a fashion headphone
    2. You are looking for a headphone for the gym or about town

    Comfort and fit:
    My head size is a medium hat and on the smallest setting they fit perfect and completely cover the ear. The weight is not noticeable.

    Break in:
    Break in time was 150 hours using the Ayre Irrational But Efficacious (Track 6 Out Of Phase Brown Noise) at half the listening volume for 48 hours. Then break in consisted of looping the disk for another 112 hours at full listening volume (This provides glide tones, white noise, pink noise, and brown noise).

    Performance:
    The headphones audibly and measurably delivered from 20 hz to 20khz (using Audio Tools – Real Time Analyzer and Stereophile Editor’s Choice – Warble Tones).

    Subjective performance:
    Using the Benchmark DAC to drive the headphones, both ITunes and CDs were very clear with no noise or breakup. After listening to several known songs from my reference system, I compared the fit, finish, and sound quality of the Beyerdynamics 880 600 ohms to comparably priced Audio Technica, Phillips, Sennheiser, Bose, and Beats. In all areas I found the Beyerdynamics to be far superior. The one caveat is that the Beyerdynamics will need a quality headphone amp. If you are listening to these at home this should not be a problem and you may even find that this takes the place of the need for an amplifier and speakers. If you are at the gym the bulk of the headphones and the need for a portable amplifier may be a bit much. As a consumer of high end audio products I am pickier then most and find these headphones to be very high quality and an easy recommendation.

  87. GemmaDominquez says:

     Germany 🇩🇪

    Golden Review Award: 2 From Our UsersVorweg muss ich sagen, bin ich kein audiophiler Mensch. Doch gut sollte Musik trotzdem klingen. Also bestellte ich mir die Beyerdynamic DT-880 Premium (600 Ohm) und DT-990 Premium (600 Ohm) als Vergleichsmodell.
    Beide Kopfhrer sind erstklassig auf meinen Ohren. Wieso entschied ich mich also fr die DT-880?
    In meinen Augen kommen die Hhen sauberer heraus. Ich habe mich vor meine Anlage gestellt und abwechselnd die 880 und 990 probegehrt. Nach einigen Liedern standen die 880er fr mich fest, weil die Hhen der 990er etwas kratziger in meinen Ohren waren und schrfer klangen, unsauberer. Die Basslastigkeit ist etwas hher. Da aber oft ein Equalizer vorhanden ist, sei es an der Hifi-Anlage oder am PC, ist diese fr mich nebenschlich und macht das Kraut nicht fett.
    Ich rede hier von meinen subjektiven Eindrcken und muss noch hinzufgen, dass das unsaubere Kratzen (F, scharfes S und sehr hohe Tne) ausschlielich Quntchen ausmacht.
    Ein weiterer Kaufgrund der 880er war aber auch die Verarbeitung. Im Gegensatz zu den offenen DT-990 mit ihren billigeren Kunststoffrippen, besitzen die DT-880 ein Metallgitter an den Auenseiten der Muscheln. Farblich nicht zu unterscheiden, weil der Kunststoff der 990er lackiert ist, gefhlt und gesichtet sehr wohl. Und da nun die Kopfhrer doch auch fter mal auf den Muscheln bei mir liegen, ist Metall einfach das robustere Material.
    Der Tragekomfort ist bei beiden sehr gut, der Kopfbgel angenehm weich und das Kabel liegt nur an der linken Seite an, was fr mich zweckdienlicher als beidseitig ist. Lediglich die Hhenverstellung der gestanzten Metallbgel sollte in meinen Augen etwas exakter und nicht so schwammig ansprechen. Trotzdem kein Grund zur Abwertung.
    Zu der Impedanz noch ein Wort. Gelesen und von einem guten Musikerfreund darauf hingewiesen, dass viele Gerte zu schwachbrstig wren, um die Kopfhrer ordentlich zu betreiben, hre ich jetzt trotzdem noch mit ihnen Musik. An meiner Anlage, am mp3-Player, am PC.
    Fr den PC habe ich mir zustzlich die Xonar Essence STX zugelegt. Hauptschlich der Klangqualitt, nicht des AMPs wegen. Diesen habe ich auf die Mittelstufe mit bis zu 300 Ohm Untersttzung gestellt und habe die Lautstrke trotzdem noch auf 1/8 des Machbaren. Bei meiner Anlage hre ich auf Stufe 3 von 10. Nur beim mp3-Player muss ich etwas mehr aufdrehen.

  88. SiennaRosenberg says:

     United Kingdom

    Golden Review Award: 13 From Our UsersI own many pairs of headphones, among them several Sennheisers including HD650, Grado SR325is and AKG Q701. These are all fantastic headphones and I love them all in different ways; the Senns are laid-back and relaxing with crisp but non-aggressive highs, the Grados are forward, exciting and in-your-face with a smaller, more intimate soundstage, and the AKGs are detailed, airy and very neutral (which if I had to choose would be my preference overall). I hadn’t yet tried the Beyerdynamics and wanted to add them to my collection, so I bought the DT880 600 Ohm directly from Beyerdynamic “Manufaktur”, which is custom configured on-line. Out of the box, I was taken aback by how crisp, detailed and (to my surprise) exciting they sounded.

    Neutral, analytical headphones like the DT880 and Q701 are often considered “boring” but trying various types of music from Vivaldi to AC/DC to Lasgo I regularly became immersed in the *music* with even the occasional shiver down my spine. Bass is taut and deep (not boomy or excessive, which bass-heads will *not* like), mids have great clarity (not notably recessed on my setup) and treble is lovely and sparkly. Of course, much has to do with the source which in my case is an Audiolab M-DAC reading flac files through asynchronous USB, fed into a Graham Slee Solo Ultra-Linear Diamond Edition headphone amp. With this setup, it really is a spectacular experience and I could listen for hours and hours with immense enjoyment of tracks I am well familiar with – and without experiencing fatigue or getting bored. The fact that the cans are supremely comfortable to wear significantly contributes to the pleasant quality of the experience. If you have a decent set-up and, like me, you like a highly detailed, neutral, analytical presentation of your music, I can’t imagine you will be too disappointed. In many ways, I personally feel that out of all my cans the DT880 600 Ohm is the best “all-rounder”.

    In summary, the newer cans such as the HD700/800 and Beyer T70/T90 may well improve on the DT880 significantly but I have yet to experience the honour of hearing those. However, if you don’t want to spend that much, the less than 300 it would cost for the DT880 is worth the money. Note the 600 Ohm version requires a decent headphone amp to drive them adequately.

    EDIT: The more I hear these, the more they seem to put my other cans in the shade. They are beautifully balanced, neutral, detailed and exciting. I couldn’t ask for more.

  89. Anonymous says:

     Germany

    Golden Review Award: 7 From Our UsersNachdem mein Sony MDR-F1 nach 15 Jahren den Dienst quittiert hat, bin ich auf der Suche nach einem gleichwertigen oder hherwertigen Ersatz gegangen.
    Leider bietet Sony keinen direkten Nachfolger an und daher habe ich nichts passendes bei Sony gefunden.
    Aber es gibt ja auch andere Firmen…
    Meine Frau hat einen AGK K701 – ein sehr gut verarbeiteter Kopfhrer mit einem guten Klang. Allerdings im Bassbereich etwas flach und ich hre auch gern mal Drum’n Base. Auerdem drckt mich der Bgel etwas. Dafr klingt er im Vergleich zum DT880 Edition etwas luftiger.
    Nun hab ich mir Beyerdynamik angesehen. 990er oder 880er? 32/250/600Ohm Impedanz… Nachdem ich unzhlige Tests gelesen hatte, entschied ich mich fr den halboffenen DT 880 Edition.
    Der Klang ist berragend, die Bsse klar ohne zu nerven. Der Sitz komfortabel, auch ber mehrere Stunden. Allerdings drckt auch hier der Bgel etwas auf den Kopf, obwohl auf max. Gre eingestellt. Die Verarbeitung ist im Vergleich zum AGK K701 etwas schlechter, speziell die Verstelleinrichtung der Ohrhrer ist etwas weniger solide und in dieser Preisklasse erwarte ich, dass die Aluminium Halter nicht einfache Stanzteile sind, entgraten htte man das Ganze schon knnen.

    Die Luftigkeit mit guter Basswidergabe des Sony MDR-F1 erreicht weder der Beyerdynamik noch der AGK. Auch das filigrane und leichte Design des aus Aluminiumguss und Magnesium hergestellten Sony findet man nicht wieder. Dafr entschdigt der DT880 Edition mit einen berragenden Klang.

    Ach ja, ich habe die 250 Ohm Variante gekauft. Das reicht selbst fr das iPad oder iPhone. Auch der Sony MP3 Walkman A818 bringt noch ausreichende Qualitt. Macbook und Laptop sind ebenfalls in der Lage den Kopfhrer zu “powern”.
    Natrlich klingt es am Verstrker besser 🙂
    Aber die 32Ohm Version ist nicht zu empfehlen und die 600er nur, wenn man einen Kopfhrerverstrker verwendet oder wenn man den Kopfhrer nur daheim am Verstrker / Mischpult verwendet.
    Der Vollstndigkeit halber, der AGK K701 hat 62 Ohm und mein Sony hatte 16 Ohm.
    Preislich liegt der DT880 leicht ber dem K701. Der Sony war mal 350 DM.

  90. Anonymous says:

     United States 🇺🇸

    Golden Review Award: 3 From Our UsersThis is my first pair of what I would call HiFi headphones. Usually I just stick to earbuds but I tried a co-workers Ultrasone over-the-ear headphones and was blown away by the difference. I settled on the Beyerdynamics as I wanted an open back design with a higher impedance. The headphones come in a nice padded case and are extremely light. I mean really light. The case they come in weighs more than the actual headphones. The padding is very soft and comfortable with no sweating after long term use. I can literally wear these for more than 5 hours with no pain or discomfort. I tried out another coworkers Beats Pro headphones and nearly cried after 30 minutes. The quality of build is excellent which is only to be expected with a German made product. Regarding the sound (I’m not any kind of an audiophile), this set blows away anything you might be used to if you’ve never tried out HiFi level headphones. The open (or semi-open as I can’t really tell the difference) back is much different than any closed back headphone and make for a very natural sound. The bass is really tight and not overpowering at all with very crip mids and incredible highs. I listen primarily to heavy metal and this set really brings out the guitars and mid to high range drums. DO NOT buy this particular headset without an adequate headphone amp. There are several on Amazon to choose from that are less than $200.00 and will do the job. I would recommend the E7/E9 combo(about $200) or the HiFiMan EF2A ($169) which are plenty for beginners in HiFi equipment. These headphones do not sound good at all just with a MP3 player like an iphone/ipod. MP3 players buy themselves don’t have enough power. If you don’t want to add the expense of a headphone amp then get the 32 Ohm version of these headphones. If you want more information on these headphones and tons of others in all price ranges, check out […]. There is a really good headphone guide you can download from this website.

  91. Anonymous says:

     United States

    Golden Review Award: 62 From Our UsersIn my quest for a reasonably expensive headphone to beat my actual favorite, the AKG Q701, I often did read about the Beyerdynamic headphones and I decided to try the DT880. Considering that I am very often using my Iphone 4 with or without a headphone amp, I decided to go for the 32 Ohms model. I made sure to give it a fair burn-in time so for a week, I did let it run almost constantly with some variation of music and pink and white noises. Today, I can estimate the burn-in to have passed the bar of 100 hours.

    In order to compare effectively the two models, I will use my Iphone alone in the first place and then add a FiiO E-11 and reuse the same tracks. I expect the AKG to under perform with no amp as this phone is very power hungry. The tracks I will use are those that I always use when trying to compare headphones, because I love them first but also because I know how they should sound and more importantly because they provide a good sample of music genres and tonalities. The tracks will be compressed at 320Kbps and are as follow:
    – Ultrasone Sound test Siley Put short (Jazz, Binaural recording perfect for localization of sounds).
    – Ultrasone sound test Wellen track 7 (sound of water waves perfect for the head stage definition).
    – Frank Sinatra: How insensitive (Jazz, good also for localization of sounds).
    – Robin Thicke: Lost Without you and Angel (Perfect for the voice testing and for bass impact).
    – Pink Floyd: Astronomy Domine from A piper at the gates of dawn (Rock and excellent also for the localization of sounds).
    – DJ Magic Mike: Feel the Bass (Infra-Bass, enough said…) will be played from my computer because it is missing on the Iphone.

    But first, let’s start with the non musical parts:

    Comfort: The Beyerdynamic DT880 Premium 32 Ohms are extremely comfortable. Their pads are the softest I have ever experienced and rest comfortably around your ears. On the top of your head, I think it is some faux leather. The pressure level is absolutely fine. They are slightly heavier than the AKG but I would still give them 5 stars. The AKG are also extremely comfortable. Their cushions aren’t as soft but they also fit like a dream around my ears and the pressure is lesser. I can keep them on for hours.
    Conclusion: DT880 : 1. AKG: 1.

    Price: I paid $255 for the AKG (MSRP $479)and $309 for the DT880 (MSRP $359).
    It could be deducted from the pricing that the DT880 keep a better value than the AKG. Personally, I do not know what to make of this. One may deduct that the MSRP was overblown for the AKG or that the DT880 are overpriced now. While looking at the final price, the AKG appears as the better deal.
    Conclusion: DT880 : 0. AKG: 1.

    Packaging:
    The AKG come with two cables but no carrying case. Both cables are green and of high quality. Both are too long for a portable use. The cables are easy to connect or disconnect and it is a plus because most times, the cable is failing before the rest. Since these headphones are not meant for a portable use, a carrying case was not really necessary.
    The DT880 come with only one cable and it is not removable. It is also a bit long for a portable use. It also comes with a huge carrying case. I like it because it is sure to protect it but it is way too bulky for thinking about using it when I travel.
    Conclusion: DT880 : 0. AKG: 1.

    Sound Isolation:
    The AKG Q701 are an open design.
    The DT880 are a semi open design.
    Both are leaking quite a lot and are not meant for use in public areas. Although the DT880 are slightly more portable, I would still not make them my choice for outdoor use. Both should be kept for home use, listening to music or playing video games (both are excellent at it).
    Conclusion: DT880 : 0. AKG: 0.

    Now, let’s come to the real important part of this test: the sound. I will start by saying that the sound for both was really good out of the box but improved quite a lot with the burn-in time. My first impression before going any further is that they are quite similar, with maybe the AKG sounding a bit more natural and with a larger head stage (open design versus the semi open design of the DT880) and the DT 880 with the mids a bit more forward and overall more powerful. I may sometimes find the DT880 a bit more tiring. Note that the 68 Ohms of the AKG are very deceptive since they sound as hard to drive as maybe a 300 Ohms headphone set.
    I will finish this introduction by saying that I am partial to a large head stage and as natural a sound as possible. I like analytical headphones and so far the AKG proved perfect in that field.

    Ok, let’s start:
    – Ultrasone Sound test Siley Put short (Jazz, Binaural recording perfect for localization of sounds).
    Both headphones delivered very well on this track. The DT880 were a bit more powerful than the AKG. The AKG sounded a bit more precise but this is by a hair…

    – Ultrasone sound test Wellen track 7 (sound of water waves perfect for the head stage definition).
    Once again, it is a wash between the two. Both are delivering well on every detail and head stage. You really feel the waves coming from afar, getting past you and going the other direction. Some birds are heard in the distance to the right and one come your direction and it is well rendered by both sets.

    – Frank Sinatra: How insensitive (Jazz, good also for localization of sounds).
    The DT880 are definitely more powerful. The voices are more recessed but still present on the AKG. Both deliver nicely and I cannot fault any. Though they sound different, nothing is missing for either. Amped or not , both sound magnificent.

    – Robin Thicke: Lost Without you and Angel (Perfect for the voice testing and bass punch).
    These songs are nicely performed with both headphones. Their signature is different again, with the mids a bit more present for the DT880 and also more power. Once the FiiO amp is connected, the bass improvement is slightly better on the DT880.

    – Pink Floyd: Astronomy Domine (Rock and excellent also for the localization of sounds).
    I like the AKG better on this song but it is not because the DT880 are at fault. Once again, the mids are not as forward on the AKG and it gives me an impression of neutrality more visible than with the DT880. But once again, the DT880 offer a superb delivery.
    Used with the FiiO E11, the AKG start shining and takes a slight edge in my listening pleasure.

    – DJ Magic Mike: Feel the Bass (Infra-Bass, enough said…) will be played from my computer because it is missing on the Iphone.
    The infra-bass is maybe the most difficult sound for any headphone to reproduce. I failed completely a Sennheiser 598 for it’s lack in reproducing it. In this case, both do work well, with once again the DT880 more powerful without an amp. Without a proper amp, the AKG won’t be the best because of the power limitation.
    With the amplification provided by the FiiO E11 turned to the max, the DT880 start distorting slightly and leave me with a tingling in the ears due to the vibration of the diaphragms. This does not happen with the AKG. When I try to use a similar comfort level for my ears, the AKG appear slightly better.

    Conclusion:
    I have failed to find better than the AKG Q701 but I found it’s equal in the DT880 Premium. I would suggest going for the DT880 if most of the use is done without an amp or if one prefers the mids a bit more forward. I would suggest to go with the AKG if the price is an important factor (you will save about $60) and if you like a more neutral sound. In either case, the Beyerdynamic DT880 Premium is a first class headphone!

  92. Anonymous says:

     United States 🇺🇸

    Golden Review Award: 61 From Our UsersTo start with, readers of this review must realize that the 250-ohm version of these phones was designed by beyerdynamic to be used with a fairly powerful home audio system. The 32-ohm version was designed to be a better match for the iPod/laptop crowd… of which I am not a member.

    For me, the reason for this purchase was rather specific: I have a moderately high-end 5.1 home theater setup (Yamaha / Klipsch / Philips / Toshiba / 58″ Samsung Hi-Def Plasma), and for quite a while now, I’ve been looking for a way to watch DVDs and listen to CDs late at night, without disturbing my neighbors (I live in a fairly upscale 55+ mobile home park)… but also without losing the incredibly accurate sound fidelity to which I have become deeply and happily accustomed.

    Finally — having read almost every online review that exists of the 880’s and their chief competitors — based on my listening tastes, I decided on the 880 Premiums.

    Upon first listening to them, I will admit that they seemed to be very slightly treble-heavy — and a bit light on the bass end. Even so… without any break-in at all, I thought they sounded REALLY amazing — very clear and clean — and initially, I honestly could not have been more surprised and pleased.

    That was two weeks ago. Since then — while I’ve listened to a number of CDs and watched several DVDs — in order to more rapidly burn them in, I’ve been playing CDs through them almost around-the-clock, with them mounted on a foam cushion, instead of my head. As of this evening, they have accumulated just over 200 hours of use, so I consider the burn-in to have reached completion, and — as I’d hoped — the further into the burn-in process the 880’s have gone, the more even, smooth and true they’ve ended up sounding. So, amazingly, what started out as being phenomenally good — to my ears, at least — has gotten INFINITELY better!

    While my DVD collection includes every type of film imaginable, my CDs and music-concert DVDs are primarily jazz and classical. Last night, I watched Pat Metheny’s “Speaking of Now: Live” DVD, and even though the spacial representation of DTS 5.1 is lost, the accuracy of sound reproduction through the 880’s was flawless, and their sound stage is open enough that I never felt as though I wasn’t “in” the film. I also found this to be true while watching my Blu-Ray of “Avatar” the night before; COMPLETELY realistic.

    Tonight, I watched my Blu-Ray of “Jeff Beck – performing this week… live at Ronnie Scott’s”, featuring the 20-something phenom Tal Wilkenfeld on electric bass. Let me just say… while many reviewers seem to feel that the 880’s bass response is somewhat lacking, I personally am ASTOUNDED at their ability to so clearly define, express, and reproduce every nuance of intonation and touch in the playing (for instance) of acoustic standup bass… right down to the lowest notes of which the instrument is capable. At the same time, neither deep electric bass notes nor loud, low drumtones are ever the least bit harsh, distorted, or uncomfortable in any way… yet they are fully, perfectly, and accurately THERE. Pure pleasure!

    And while the 880’s certainly can’t reproduce the (literally) earth-shaking Low Frequency Effects of which my 12-inch Klipsch sub-woofer is capable, the very-low-frequency response of these phones, in the midst of explosive, calamitous film action, is FAR beyond my expectations. Several times now, in fact, in the middle of some on-screen battle or disaster scene, I honestly have spontaneously taken the 880’s off my ears, just to make sure that my sound system really was NOT on!

    Final evaluation: WOW. I absolutely LOVE them!

    Update, December 13, 2012:

    By way of reinforcing my conclusions, as represented in the above review, I’d like to add that, over the past eighteen months, I have become so enthralled with the accuracy of sound reproduction of the 880 Premiums, and with how incredibly comfortable they are (again — so as not to disturb my neighbors late at night — I often wear them for four or five hours at a time), that I bought a second pair of them a few weeks ago, so that a visiting friend can enjoy a (sometimes exceedingly loud) late-evening film or CD with me.

    And what’s truly nice about that, is that even though we’re both wearing headphones, it remains a genuinely “shared” experience… which would not be possible if we were wearing “closed” headphones. Because of the “semi-open” design of the 880s, we are still able to make comments to each other during the film, or carry on normal conversation, without having to remove our headphones or pause the film or CD — just as we would if we weren’t wearing headphones at all.

    Allow me to repeat myself: W-O-W. I absolutely LOVE these things!

  93. KristinSteil says:

     United States 🇺🇸

    Golden Review Award: 8 From Our UsersI bought these after a lot of research on phones in this price grouping (+/- $ 300). I was replacing a well used (and loved) pair of Sennheiser HD280’s. I settled on the 600 ohm DT880’s and after just one night of listening, all I can say is “WOW”.

    The sound stage was totally immersive, and the musical details were spectacular; every little nuance was picked up. I not only heard the note being played, but could here the plucking of the string, the after note, and every process of the note produced. I listed to the enhanced audio CD of “Days of Futures Passed” by the Moody Blues, and I felt like I was actually sitting in the concert hall! I really loved my old Sennheiser’s; but these are well worth the few extra bucks you’d invest.

    I like all genre’s of music, but really wanted to audition these phones with a CD I knew really well. I also listed to a “Southside Johnny” album on my turn table and was totally blown away again by how I felt I was in the middle of the record.

    The 600 ohm version requires a good (at the minimum) stereo system with a good output to the jack. These headphones are so light and comfortable that you forget you have them on. The cord is long enough that I did not have to use an extension to sit in my “listening” chair.

    The build quality is excellent, and I feel that I definitely got my money’s worth on these. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed, but be aware of the fact that the 600 ohm version does require more output voltage for comparable volume levels than sub-600 ohm headphones. A good amp is a requirement (I use Yamaha stereo equipment), and if you can swing it, get an enhanced audio CD player with enhanced audio CD’s so you can really enjoy these headphones as well as your music.

    I can only imagine that after some burn-in time that these headphones will not only be great, they will be spectacular.

    1 year Update: I’ve used these for over a year now, and all they’ve done is get better. If you are even remotely concerned about your music and how it sounds, you owe it to yourself to get these on your head ASAP.

  94. Anonymous says:

     United States 🇺🇸

    Golden Review Award: 8 From Our UsersFor the longest time I had cheapo Sony’s or whatever they sold at the store and figured that was as good as it gets. After I broke my “good” headphones, I went on the hunt for a new set, did a lot of reading, and found an entire sub-culture devoted to headphones. After lots and lots of research I landed on the DT 880 600ohm and have been both astonished and saddened at how much of the sound stage I’ve been missing!

    There are purchases in our life-time that may have a one time gratification or are faddish and where great for a while — things we spend hundreds on and put into a box which never gets opened; the ability to listen to music of this clarity, however, are truly soul changing. How do you put a price on your ability to connect with what you love?

    For these to be run properly, I bought an external Sound Blaster HD DAC, a JDS labs cMoy modified with a 4000uF capacitor and an LME49860NA Op-Amp which is run by 24V 1Amp — my life has never been the same…

    I’m no expert, but my ears tell me I’m hearing everything, and if I listen very closely, I often hear more! Its there, its ALL there!

    The headphones are extremely comfortable. Even with prolonged wear, they will not give you a headache like many headphones do. These cans don’t grab your head tightly, they don’t grind in the top of your head, they are VERY lite, the large ear-pads are roomy enough to fit anyone’s ears and are very soft. In all seriousness, it doesn’t even feel like you’re wearing them.

    There are three things I dislike about these however…
    1. They are VERY open. You can hear sound outside the headphones very clearly.
    2. 600ohms isn’t an easy thing to drive. I may only be using a cMoy, but its pumping out a full amp of power and sometimes its still too quiet. I do have a powerful tube amp, but I don’t care for the clipping on the high and low ends.
    3. I wish the bass was a little more heavy. Not to say that the bass isn’t deep, it just feels as though its not as prevalent as it should be. But then, maybe its my American socialization.

    Overall, these headphones are fantastic!

  95. Anonymous says:

     United States 🇺🇸

    Golden Review Award: 15 From Our UsersHi all, Zombie_X from Head-Fi here with another review! This won’t be as in depth as the T1’s review but I will give you all the needed info.

    The Beyerdynamic DT880 sound can be classified as being treble oriented with slightly recessed mids (will get tot hat later) and having slow or muddy bass (will get to that as well).

    ___________________________________________________________
    ___________________________________________________________

    GEAR USED:
    – Source: PC via Pop-Pulse SPDIF-II (to Optical), Marantz VC6001 CD Player
    – Amp: Woo Audio WA3+, Audio-GD ROC
    – DAC: Music Hall DAC25.2 (with NOS Mullard E88CC tube)
    – IC’s : ZXAC custom made RCA and XLR cables

    ___________________________________________________________
    ___________________________________________________________

    TREBLE:
    I find the treble on the DT880/600Ohm to be slightly smoother than the 250Ohm and 32Ohm models out there. It’s very extended and crystalline in it’s presentation. I find it to be harsh on poorly mastered or recorded material but when used with reference grade material the treble is to die for. Very articulate and grain free.

    MIDRANGE:
    Many say the DT880 is leaner in the midrange but I have to say they are not. The treble shines over the mids and makes them seem recessed or muted. The mids are very transparent with lots of detail and also have great resolving capabilities. Vocals sound very nice and realistic and guitars have an edge to them which is very nice.

    BASS:
    Yet again I hear this talk of the slow and muddy DT880 bass. The 250Ohm has this as well as the 32Ohm, but not the 600Ohm model. The bass is very punchy when needed and is very extended with great texturing and layering. It’s is also not sluggish in anyway as long as the recordings bass is not that way. The bass is very tight and well controlled without being to dominant of the sound. Many on […] have said that the DT880 also has bloated bass which is simply not true.

    SOUNDSTAGE:
    The soundstage is very well layered and offers a lot of detail and separation of the various instruments. I find it to be quite accurate and spacious with good air. In comparison to the HD600 it is a bit bigger in terms of width and depth of the presentation. It’s not the biggest out there but it is better than others.

    These 600Ohm headphones need strong amping. I would recommend a nice OTL tube amp for them like my Woo Audio WA3+. They need a significant voltage swing to function properly.

    Excellent Reference Headphone

  96. RNYJillian says:

     United States

    Golden Review Award: 43 From Our UsersBasic Build:
    Obviously, the build and appearance of both these headphone will be nearly identical. And that is correct, with the only difference being the outside of the earcups. The build quality of these headphones are among the best I have ever experienced. They are made of very high quality materials and feel very hefty, despite their light weight. The cable is nice and thick and is well connected to the headphone and jack itself. Although coated in an almost stiff plastic, I have no complaints about the cable. The headband, is also incredibly durable, able to withstand horrible abuse. In fact, I conducted an experiment. I actually grabbed the two cups of the headphone, and bent them backwards so that the headphone was completely straight in a flat line form. After that, I bent the headband in a very tight loop. After all this, the headband looked and functioned exactly as it did before, with absolutely no obvious wear or damage. Although I cannot recommend doing this for stress relief, rest assured that your Beyer headband will never break. If it does, tell me how you did it. Overall build is just fantastic. Beefy parts, solid materials, resistant design, and great feel overall.

    Appearance:
    Flat out, these look really quite fantastic. They look especially good when seen in person. In fact, the DT880 is one of the best looking headphones I have yet come across. As discussed in the previous paragraph, there is only one difference in the appearance of the DT880 and the DT990. The DT880 has dotted outer earcups, and the DT990 has slatted outer earcups. In person, and in my opinion, the DT880 looks superior to the DT990. But of course, all of this relies on the users opinion and preference. Both do look great, but the DT880 simply looks better. Most will tell you there are only two differences between the DT880 and the DT990, and that would be the appearance and sound. But I am here to tell you, that there is actually a third difference in which sets these two apart, and I will go into more detail on that in the upcoming paragraphs.

    Function:
    Since these headphones are identical build wise, this lead to the exact same headband adjustment. The headband adjustment on these headphones, is good, but not great. So far, the D2000 is clearly the king of adjustment, with it’s superior clicking adjustment device. The Beyer headphones on the other hand, are a bit harder to adjust to your desired size. On the insides of the earcup arms, you will see many dots — all of which indicate how far out the headphone is adjusted. From what I can recall, there are eight of them, with which being at eighth dot is the headphone at full size. Pulling them out can sometimes be a bit resistant at times, but once you get the specific size you want, you don’t have to adjust them anymore, so it’s really not a problem. This is actually quite similar to the HD650, except the HD650 doesn’t have any way to guide you into how far you’ve pulled them out, so balanced adjustment relies on your eyes. Although, Beyer definitely isn’t the worst, but definitely not the best when it comes to adjustment. The interesting thing about these headphones though, is even fully adjusted to the eighth dot, the headphone really isn’t that big. So what does this mean? This means, if you close them all the way in, the are absolutely tiny, and can be great for storage or display. For some reason, they look even more fantastic when they are in their tiny form, but again, just another opinion.

    ——————–

    Initial Comfort:
    This is where both of these headphones differ from each other. But first, let me explain their initial comfort. Most people know by now that Beyerdynamic headphones are very comfortable. And I am happy to report, this is true — but to some extent. The earpads a very soft indeed, and feel very good while wearing them. And the headband is generously padded as well, so most will find it comfortable too. But there is a slight problem with both of these headphones in terms of comfort — especially with the DT880. First let me clarify that this may not be a problem to users with very small ears. To those of us with medium to large ears, there is a slight problem. Both of the earcups on these headphones are really quite shallow. In which, your ear WILL most likely be touching the inner foam of the earcups. To many this isn’t a problem, but to some, it is the end of the world. The interesting thing is, the DT880 has “curved” foam inside it’s earcup and the DT990 has “flat” foam inside it’s earcup. This is extremely apparent not only while wearing them, but by taking off the earpads, it’s clear they are to what I have stated. What this means is, your ear is much more likely to not only touch, but be irritated by the inside foam while wearing the DT880, than the DT990. Putting them on back and forth reveals that this issue is obvious, and the DT990 is clearly a step ahead of the DT880 in terms of comfort — which is a real shame, because the DT880 sounds superior to the DT990. With that said, the DT990 feels absolutely fantastic when first placed on your head. It’s pillow-like feel, and the relatively soft headband makes these a joy to wear.

    Long Term Comfort:
    Many will overlook something as important as long term comfort. They look for the initial shock in how comfortable a headphone is, and leave it at that. Unfortunately, no headphone I have ever owned feels the same after even half an hour after you put them on — excluding the king of comfort, the AD700. No matter how soft, or how good they feel when you first put them on, they WILL feel different after extended wear. That said, the DT880 began to irritate me in less than a half an hour. Not only did my ears not like the semi-claustrophobic earcups, but they really detested to the foam. The DT990 on the other hand, even from initial wear, is quite obvious that they will be more comfortable down the road — and they were. Unfortunately, I have only worn these for a little less than an hour, but with that, they still felt pretty good. Most may not even keep them on that long anyway, so in that case, the DT990 passes the test with flying colors. Sadly for the DT880, it’s curved foam inside the earcup disabled me from wearing them for anywhere near as long as the DT990. A sad fact indeed, as I already mentioned that I liked the sound of the DT880 loads more than the DT990. That of which I will go onto in the next section.

    ——————–

    Bass:
    And now comes the section in which the DT880 and the DT990 differ most. The sound. Let’s start out with the basics and begin with bass. Between the two, it’s quite apparent that the bass is indeed different. Instead of putting it into confusing terms and long descriptions, I’ll put it nice and simple. The DT990 has MORE bass, the DT880 has LESS bass. Yup, it’s that simple, and is that self-explanatory. The DT880 has very “safe” bass, in which most will be happy with the bass it has to offer. It’s not too much, nor is it too little, thus it’s the perfect amount. I will definitely agree with that to some extent. Between the two headphones, the DT880 has the more favorable bass. In some songs, it had too little, just as the DT990 had too much. But the DT880’s bass is safe — in which it sounds perfectly acceptable and it won’t be fatiguing, at all. It’s deep, it’s balanced, and it’s clear. The DT990 on the other hand, is a bit more risky. It does indeed have more bass, but some can find it fatiguing, just as some will love the addition of more of it. To play it safe AND if I could keep one for bass alone, I would choose the DT880 no question. For fun listening, rock sessions, laid back, or analytical examining, I would still pick the DT880 for all of those categories.

    Treble and Overall Sound:
    This is where the storm begins. The treble is without a doubt, the trademark of Beyerdynamic headphones. They are bright, energetic, and detailed — thanks to their overemphasized treble. But where they get their strength, is also where they get their weakness. Too much treble. Far too much. I’m writing this comparison to obviously compare and review the DT880 and DT990, and not to criticize it’s sound based off listening to the HD650, but what I hear is what I hear, and I will share my findings. The DT880 and the DT990 are simply too bright for my tastes. With it’s brightness also comes it’s detail and energy, but also comes it’s dryness, lack of body, and hollow sound. It actually reminds me of Grado headphones in a way that it has a very upfront and engaging sound. Due to this, I find it not only fatiguing listening to both, but find it not as enjoyable due to something being “left out” in the sound. To describe this, I will give you a mental image of their general sound signature. With “higher” equaling “treble” and “lower” equaling “bass”, the Beyer’s sound resembles an “upside down pyramid”. Little support at the bottom, and too much weight up top. Due to this shape, the sound like I mentioned, sounds very dry, lacks body, and has a relatively hollow sound — but with that has a very sharp and detailed sound. But, with all this information describing Beyer in a general sense, or more so the DT880, I will now give you a glimpse into the strange, twisted world of the DT990.

    After discovering my DT880 was too bright when compared to my reference HD650, I completely forget to also compare it to the DT990. I tested the DT880 vs the HD650 extensively, and only tested the DT880 and the DT990 briefly in the past (I quickly came to the conclusion I found the DT880’s sound superior to the DT990, so I discarded the DT990 temporarily). So, after my extensive tests between the DT880 and the HD650, coming to the conclusion the DT880 was too bright, I went ahead and threw the DT990 back into the mix. Let’s just say, I was blown away with the sheer amount of treble they presented. It was, in short, appalling. It was so incredibly bright, it rendered them almost unlistenable with all the variety of music I threw at it. With brightness comes sibilance, and with sibilance comes fatigue. The sound of the DT990 was so bright, it felt as if it was covering up all the other details in the music. Instead of the sound being “veiled” it was more like being “tinned”, as everything in the sound had such a bright shimmer, which seemed to detract from the overall enjoyment. But, to make things even more interesting, the DT990 has enhanced bass as well. Now we have a bit too much bass that can blur into the mids, and WAY too much treble that eats the rest of the spectrum! An incredibly twisted sound if you ask me, but many may find it amusing! Overall, both of these headphones are extremely bright and lack bodied, balanced sound. The DT990 just takes that to the next level — by offering an even brighter sound, and bass that can also render fatigued listening. In all, the DT990 is a very strange (and not preferred) headphone indeed. Getting fatigued by bass and treble at the same time is really quite the experience! The DT880 is a “tamed” DT990, and for that, it sounds much better for all kinds of music.

    ——————–

    Recommendation:
    Whatever you do, try them first if that’s an option. Beyerdyanmic headphones give me more mixed reactions than any headphone I have ever tried, and to that, you really should try to listen to them and possibly compare, before you buy. If that’s not an option, and you think the words: bright, dry, upfront, energetic, and detailed might engage you, then go ahead and buy the DT880, unless you are feeling extremely courageous and want to risk it with the DT990. But, if you feel like you want a more: balanced, emotional, full bodied, complete, unobtrusive, and smooth sound, then I strongly recommend the fabulous HD650. Whatever you decide, remember, I warned you about the DT990, so if you still choose to get it, may your ears endure such a sound…

  97. Sarah Perez says:

     United States 🇺🇸

    Golden Review Award: 10 From Our UsersPurchased from Amazon, great transaction and incredibly quick even with super saver shipping. Thumbs up to Amazon first of all.

    Now, the DT 880’s themselves are wonderful. Take note though, that you will NEED an amp to get adequate sound out of these headphones. I tried them before I had an amp and came away disappointed, they were clear, but they felt as if the sound stage was small and they had no impact. I now have them paired with a Little Dot MK III tube amp and together, the sound can be breathtaking. The clarity of the sound is outstanding and it is so full, and it really hits you – you can’t help but close your eyes and enjoy the sound; it’s hard to be productive with sound this good so don’t plan on working with them on. Before this setup I was using fairly decent mid grade stuff, and these have mids like I have never known. Many of the songs that I am intimately familiar with have details that I have never even come close to hearing, it really adds another dimension to music. The highs are easy to handle, and not piercing – I can listen for many hours without any ear discomfort.

    The bass is definitely there, and it is extremely crisp, however it does not really thump hard. I would describe it as accurate, but subtle… Personally I could use a touch more bass, but with that said, it does not detract from the sound quality what so ever – the bass is quite present and definitely enjoyable.If you are looking for something to give you some extra boom on top of what your input is sending, look elsewhere. If you want a great balanced, neutral and pleasing sound, look no further.

    I also use these for gaming as well, and they work great with Call of Duty, they feel extremely precise and locating sounds is extremely easy.

    They are extremely comfortable, the velour pads are awesome. My girlfriend loves these because they feel so nice on the ears.

    I have two complaints with them in terms of build quality, first is that the adjustment band does not stay put, nor does it really feel like it was well designed. I find that I have to re-adjust the headphones about every time I put them on because they lost the setting I had them on, and I have to make them larger. In addition to that, after a while of using them, the headband gets a bit irritating, it feels like it needs a bit more padding. I do still think they are extremely comfortable, but for long periods of use I have to move the head band around a bit.

    I really enjoy these headphones and intend on keeping them for many years to come. Hope this helps your decision.

  98. Anonymous says:

     United Kingdom

    Golden Review Award: 5 From Our UsersInitially tried them via my regular hi-fi amp’s headphone jack but they really struggled (this is the 250 Ohm version). Now use them with Lake People’s G100 headphone amp and the sound is absolutely superb.

    Verdict: wonderfully comfortable, beautifully made, highly detailed neutral sound.

    Give your ears a treat!

  99. HeribertoGrano says:

     United Kingdom

    Golden Review Award: 16 From Our UsersI have been very pleased with the sound and comfort of these headphones.They are mainly used with a Little Dot Mk.3 amplifier, although they sound good whatever I’ve plugged them into- not tried mp3 players.The headphones sound a lot like LS3/5A speakers, but with better bass. Other reviews, I have read, have suggested that these headphones are bass deficient, I would not agree, I think they are just neutral.They are wonderful at showing up bad recordings.They are the most comfortable headphones I have ever used, the build quality is excellent.

  100. Tiffany Drew says:

     United States 🇺🇸

    Golden Review Award: 37 From Our UsersI just purchased the Beyerdynamic DT 880 after reading every possible review on the internet. Rather than just reiterating everything that other reviews have covered on the internet, I’ll try to focus on a few things that may help you make up your mind.

    A little disclosure first – While I am not a “true” audiophile, I am a HiFi consumer. I own 2 NAD receivers, KEF Uni-speakers as for primary system and B&W CM1 (they are awesome) speakers for my secondary system. I listen to most of my music via MP3, as in a NYC apartment as space utilization is key and CDs were one more thing I could get rid of.

    That aside, I think anyone who loves music will appreciate these headphones for home or studio listening. They sound great, are really comfortable and block out more sound than traditional open headphones. If you are not familiar with headphones of this caliber, you will find yourself noticing new things in music that you had never picked up before. Typically, headphones that allow you to do this are analytical sounding, but I don’t feel that way about the DT 880. It just sounds like it is reproducing the music the way it was recorded.

    First contrarian comment: You can absolutely drive these with an iPod. I have a 5th generation iPod, and I can tell you that if you turn it up to 90%, these headphones get loud. Many other reviews have said otherwise. While I have not used a true audiophile headphone amp to see what I was missing, they still sound very good with the iPod and did not seem distorted.

    Second contrarian comment: I had read that these headphones do not have driving bass, and that if you like electronic music, you would be unsatisfied. I have not found this to be the case. People who want exaggerated bass will not be happy with this headphone, but listening to Simian Mobile Disco and Daft Punk with the DT 880 put a pounding to my ears. I have other headphones that can absolutely put out more bass, but they didn’t sound this balanced.

    One area where the other reviews are correct and I think it is worth noting, these headphones will point out if your music is recorded poorly or if you are listening to MP3s with a low bit rate. 128k compression won’t cut it. These headphones while overall sonically balanced seem to favor the treble a little more than the bass or midrange, and MP3s tend to be compressed the most in this area. I found myself noticing artifacts from the compression process where I never had before. If anything, this isn’t really a flaw with the headphones, but a flaw with my plan of getting rid of all my CDs. As most of my MP3s are compressed with a variable bit rate of over 200k, I haven’t found that this is a huge issue.

    The cable on the 880 is nice. Approximately 9ft long, straight, with a 1/8″ jack with ” adapter. This is ideal for me. I bounced the cable around a bit and got little to not noise transference to the phones.

    One final note – other reviews have noted that the burn-in for these headphones to sound their best is 200 hours. I have not gotten to that point with mine yet… I am at about 10 hours… so I may come back and adjust this review another time. But even without the additional burn in time, I would be surprised if a music lover did not enjoy these headphones. It has made listening to music while doing nothing else fun again. And on top of that, at the time of this review, the price to value ratio is heavily in favor of you buying these headphones. Overall 4.5/5

    Update: At around 60 hours of burn-in my few qubbles with the headphones went away. The highs mellowed a bit, the mids began to come to life and with more color. Fiona Apple and other female vocalists sounded stale at 1-10 hours… at 60 they sound warm and inviting. I have not noticed a change in the bass, but regardless there is a very noticable difference following a substantial burn-in. If you are giving these as a gift you may consider doing this for the recipient as they probably would skip this process without prompting.