beyerdynamic DT 880

Germany's beyerDynamic has offered up a real contender for world's very best headphone with the DT880. Although these cans are ever-so-slightly more forward-sounding than what we can call absolutely "neutral", the DT880 serve up a wonderfully engaging audiophile headphone listening experience -- absolutely TONS of clarity, crisply-rendered musical detail throughout all frequency ranges, and a very precise, deeply layered soundstage image... Boy, not a harsh note to be found here! The DT880’s mids & upper bass really hold together very well, so overall a seamless & smooth-sounding tonal presentation. Amazingly expressive dynamics, superbly controlled highs, plus a sweet mid-range snap make the DT880 a very well-balanced can, but perhaps not the most ideal headphone choice for the heavy bass-loving hip-hop/rap/electronica crowd since the DT880 doesn't quite muster up the hefty bottom-end response required for anchoring modern funkitude. We think you'll love these headphones if you seek clear, clean sonics with plenty of airy musical detail, quick dynamics, excellent upper treble range extension, and a lively, ultra-open soundstage presentation. They are especially strong audio performers for classical, symphonic, chorale, chamber, and acoustic folk & jazz recordings. The DT880 also seem particularly good at speech intelligibility, female vocal textures, and film soundtrack detail recovery for truly immersive movie/DVD watching and will deliver a superb high-end home theatre personal listening experience. Moreover, the DT-880 have become big faves amongst audio professionals doing analytical recording work who demand timbral accuracy, instrumental detail, and precise musical clarity above all else.

By the way, we believe the recently revised DT880 to be just a smidgeon stronger in the low-mids/bass than previous DT880 editions -- probably due to the extra damping material in the earpiece housing and (maybe?) the "softer", more rounded earcup shape. The revised DT880 headphone also features a simpler plastic/alloy headband design and some fairly minor cosmetic re-workings. Please remember that about 100-200 listening hours are required for the DT880 to fully 'burn-in' and sound its very best.

The current edition of the beyer DT880 now comes packaged in a re-usable soft-sided protective foam-padded box. The earpads are made of a very soft and plush grey velour material with a simple plastic/metal alloy headband that has also been slightly re-designed. Both parts are easily replaced with beyerdynamic after-market replacement parts if they ever wear out. The DT880 provides multiple fit adjustments for great comfort and the headphones feel really solidly well-built to boot. They'll certainly take a fair beating around the home/office and keep right on trucking that killer beyerdynamic sound for a long time to come. The 3-meter long (approx 9-ft) single-sided straight cord exits from the left earcup and terminates to a 1/8" (3.5mm) mini-plug. A 2-year manufacturer's product warranty remains standard with all beyerdynamic headphones.

NOTE: The beyerDynamic 15ft headphone extension cable has been discontinued by the manufacturer and is no longer included in the DT880 packaging.