Selection Guide

For demanding audiophiles or audio pros deploying headphone amps in their arsenal, Germany's Beyerdynamic has offered up a real contender for world's best headphone value with their DT880 - 600 Ohm. Although these cans offer improved resolution potential, a quieter background noise floor and faster dynamics than their low-impedance counterparts, a top headphone amp remains a must to achieve their full acoustic performance. Once properly driven, the DT880 - 600 Ohm headphones serve up a wonderfully engaging audiophile listening experience with tons of clarity, deeply-separated instrumental textures and crisp musical nuance throughout all frequency ranges, along with a well-layered soundstage image. Not a harsh or strident note will be heard -- provided your amp proves up to their 600 Ohm load. The DT880 - 600 Ohm mids and upper bass hold together exceptionally neatly for a wonderfully seamless, authoritative musical presentation. A recommended choice for music lovers seeking clean bass and a 'high-definition', open-sounding tone, the DT 880 are capable of rendering the true sound of a fingernail stroke on gut, the stiction of rosin on a cello string or the airy spaciousness of sound waves bouncing off cathedral walls. In tandem with your headphone amp, the DT880 - 600 Ohm headphones will deliver that rarified type of recording detail and musical depth with extraordinary clarity.

Amazingly expressive dynamics, superbly controlled highs, plus a sweet mid-range snap make the DT880 - 600 Ohms a very lively well-balanced can, but perhaps not the most ideal headphone choice for the heavy bass hip-hop/electronica crowd since the DT880 - 600 Ohms doesn't quite muster the slamming bottom-end response required for modern bassheads. But we think you'll love these headphones if you seek clear, balanced sonics with plenty of quick dynamics, excellent upper treble range extension, and a fully open soundstage presentation. They are especially strong for classical, symphonic, chorale, chamber, and acoustic folk and jazz recordings.

The DT880 - 600 Ohm headphones are particularly good at voice 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. In fact, the DT880 - 600 Ohm have become in-demand amongst audio professionals doing analytical recording work who demand timbral accuracy, instrumental detail, and precise musical clarity above all else. Please remember that about 200~300 listening hours are required for the DT880 - 600 Ohm headphones to fully 'burn-in' and sound its very best.

The excellent Beyerdynamic DT880 earpads are amongs the most comfy in the industry and are made of soft, plush grey velour material with a simple plastic/metal alloy headband. Both parts are easily replaced with Beyerdynamic after-market replacement parts if they ever wear out. The DT880 construction provides multiple fit adjustments for great comfort and the headphones feel really solidly well-built. 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 when proof-purchased through verified Beyerdynamic-authorized dealers (like HeadRoom!). 100% engineered, designed & manufactured in Germany.

Wonderful sound and detail
Posted by CodPhish from Glen Ridge, NJ on 2012-11-17

Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: Fantastic sound, very comfortable
Cons: none

I purchased the 600 ohm DT 880s to match my home built Aikido tube Headphone amp (12AU7s into 6H30s). Together they sound fantastic. Great dynamic range, soundstage, and detail. Very comfortable. I can listen to them for hours and forget the world :-). So far I have been mostly listening to jazz and oboe concertos. The resonance of the bodies of the instruments come through beautifully.

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So smooth
Posted by Rob from Chicago, IL on 2011-02-09

Recommend Product: Yes
Pros: Comfort, great price/benefit
Cons: a tad bass shy (more on that)

I have the Ultra Desktop Amp so I wanted to try some high impedence phones and see if the benefits are true. Yes, they are. These headphone are the smoothest I've had. I need to put some kind of timer on my computer to remind myself to take them off for a while. There is almost zero fatigue and they sound great, well separated and linear. No EQing is used when I'm listening. As for my bass shy con remark, I should add I own the Denon D7000s (which are nearly perfect) and those have that excellent bass. So, the bass shy comment I'm sure is attributed to being used to the Denons. I am listening to them now (Deadmau5 Apple lossless) and I'm amazed of how great they sound. Bass is great too! Its what inspired me to write the review. Best purchase since my Denons.

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The DT880/600Ohm..... Pure Awesome
Posted by Zombie_X from Milwaukee, WI on 2010-12-24

Recommend Product: Yes

Hi all, Zombie_X from Head-Fi.org 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).

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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

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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 Head-Fi.org 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.

Sound Quality

Comfort

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