Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80... Surprised!

[Tyll Hertsens]

(including how far they are from the ears, I.E. as a result of clamping force) has a lot to do with sound quality.

Oh ... dude ... you have no idea. Fucking truthy trueism there.

I think your brain compensates a bit and know how much energy is around whether it's sealed properly or not, but OMG positioning make huge differences in many ways.

[morphsci]

... but OMG positioning make huge differences in many ways.

Yep, with headphones too.

[recstar24]

I'm sorry to inform you, but you have exceeded your word quotient for all of April. Smileys and cute kitten pics are all you can post until May. Thank you for your cooperation.

Nwavguy I believe you should reread al's post. I do think he was serious about it.

Stop reading into headfi too much and just freaking try them for yourself. As others have said the 600 isn't too different from the 650 but there is a slight difference in general character. Which becomes obvious once you actually listen to them.

The dt880 was not to my liking but this was the older 600 ohm version which I had driven at the time with a near zero output impedance which the phone didn't like, and probably would have sounded better with the "standard" 120 ohm output impedance that for some reason the Germans seems to like or treat as standard.

[screaming oranges]

Yep, with headphones too.

Fizzling Canada Dry going up my nose right now due to your remark was a delightful sensation!

[NwAvGuy]

I've never heard anyone say the Dt880 has more bass than the fart cannon DT770s. In fact, how is that even possible? And there's no way the DT770's bass hump is below 100Hz because the bass barely extends below 100Hz, the hump is more like edit: 100-200Hz. I'd have to listen to them again to figure out where it is exactly which is something I'd really rather not do.

1) Stop getting your "facts" from Huddler-Fi

I never said the DT880 has more overall bass, just that it has an upper bass peak. As for facts, talk to Tyll if this isn't factual enough (it was probably done on his watch):

DT880 vs DT770 Freq Resp

The DT770 has way more low bass below 100 hz--so I can't agree with your "barely extends below 100Hz" comment. And the lower DT770's bass peak is at a head rattling 35hz while the DT880's broad mid-bass rise peaks at 250hz.

The upper DT770 bass peak is at 100 hz. By 200 hz it's gone. The graph agrees with my ears comparing the DT770 to my Etymotics or the Denon D2000's.

And, for the official record, I've hardly spent any time at Jude's little fiefdom since I signed up here.

[NwAvGuy]

In my case, having owned a couple of HD600 and a couple of HD650 I prefer the clarity and balance of the HD600 over the HD650.

Re: HD600 vs. HD650 -- I agree with Tyll, they're pretty close. Especially well-amped.

As others have said the 600 isn't too different from the 650 but there is a slight difference in general character.

Ok... HD650/600 good, HD590 bad.... HD600 close to HD650...

Done, sold, credit card number entered... HD600's on the way...

Thanks guys. I'll let you know if they reset my world.

I've also updated the DT770 review in a few areas based on the, um, education I've been getting here. And I'll revise it again after I live with the HD600's for a while. But I don't want Tyll's job.

Edited April 11, 2011 by NwAvGuy

[Driftwood]

I don't know, you started out okay but things are starting to go rapidly down hill. You started this thread with the comment that you were pleasantly surprised with the 770, so why not just leave it at that for a while and enjoy them until the flaws become more apparent to your ears? I understand the desire to try various headphones until you find something that "works" for you, but I can't help but feel you are making a mistake. It feels like you are trying to chase after acceptance/validation of your choices, and not actually make those choices based on your own experience. I know you want to boil everything down to differences between the frequency response charts, and that is fine, but there is no real substitute for experience. I think you should spend more time with headphones that you said yourself that you were pleasantly surprised with.

Edit: nevermind, I see I'm too late. Any wagers on how long it takes before feeling unsatisfied with the HD600 and wanting to move on to something else?

Edited April 11, 2011 by Driftwood

[NwAvGuy]

Edit: nevermind, I see I'm too late. Any wagers on how long it takes before feeling unsatisfied with the HD600 and wanting to move on to something else?

No worries...

Until this thread, I thought the HD580/590/595/600 were all in roughly the same league. So I started out curious about the DT880's but learned my HD590's are a Sennheiser bastard child and the HD600/650 are not what I thought they were. That changed everything. So, my ignorance aside, this has all been seriously helpful.

I still plan on listening to the DT770's and Denon's for when I need closed cans depending on the music. I've had the Denon's for many years and they've had lots of use.

If I like the HD600's they'll get lots of use too. If not, I'll either keep them for reference cans, or sell 'em. No worries either way.

Edited April 11, 2011 by NwAvGuy

[Dusty Chalk]

Correct. The HD580/HD600/HD650 are roughly in the same league -- the others are different animals altogether.

[manaox2]

Just buy a pair of STAX Omega II and stop beating around the bush.

[NwAvGuy]

The new Sennheiser's arrived a while ago, are broken in, and have indeed "recalibrated" some of my impressions and provided a new reference. Thanks again to everyone for their suggestions and help.

I've substantially altered the DT770 review after living with them for a longer period of time and taking into account the new reference. Several of the comments made by others in this thread make more sense now. I also should known better than to publish a subjective review before living with the product for at least a few weeks.

I'll be reviewing the new Sennheiser's as well, but I'm not going to make the same mistake. I plan to live with them for a while before I publish anything. My strongest initial impression is the Sennheiser's have the least fatiguing sound of any headphone I own--they're even better than my Etymotics in that regard.