Beyerdynamic DT880 All Black Everything Discussions | Drop

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Beyerdynamic DT880 All Black Everything

Audiophile

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A community member

Mar 24, 2016

FWIW (and at the risk of feeding paranoia) - I own both the DT990-600 and DT880-600 headphones, neither are Manufaktur, just stock versions and both hot-stamped 600 ohms on the cable. The DT990 were purchased second hand and DT880 were from Massdrop.
I put them on my Fluke multimeter and got 557 ohms for the DT880 and 568 ohms for the DT990. Yes, I know this is DC resistance and not AC impedance. I bring this up only because there was an earlier post citing low 200s using this same method, but the vendor was claiming they were indeed 600 ohm even though the cables were not stamped and the boxes unlabeled.

Mar 24, 2016

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jzmmm

Mar 25, 2016

hey man, seeing as you own both the 990 and 880's, which one sounds better? im not sure if i should fork out for these or the 990s

Mar 25, 2016

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A community member

Mar 25, 2016

jzmmmReally depends upon what you are looking for soundwise - they have very different characteristics.
My preference is the DT-990 as the more enjoyable or "fun" (as it is sometimes described) headphones. Are they accurate or neutral? Hell no. But the combination of strong bass and clear, extended highs just get my feet-a-tapping. I'm not looking for headphones to do studio work or mixing.
The DT-880 are just too lean for my tastes. I find that I rarely ever reach for them, and when I do, it is only for short periods (probably going to sell them off). The restrained (more controlled others would argue?) bass, while present and extended down low, just doesn't have the same impact I enjoy with the DT-990, and this makes the top end seem tipped up in comparison for me, even though the DT-880 have a slightly lower peak at the high frequencies.
It's funny, the negatives I've read regarding the DT-990 are that the top end is just too harsh and the bass too boomy. Yes, the bass can be a bit much at times, but I find it balances well with the top end and do not feel it to be harsh (perhaps I don't crank it up in volume as much as others). The DT-880 on the other hand sounds brighter to me, excessively so, due to the restrained bass. Other headphones in my rotation include Sennheiser HD-650 and AKG K7XX, both of which I prefer to the DT-880 as well.
Here is a frequency response graph from headphone.com comparing the DT-880 (red) and DT-990 (blue). It's also interesting to run this comparison with the HD-650 (and 600 for that matter) as well as the AKG K712 (no K7XX available). But these are just graphs... trust your ears :)