Hello, I just joined, primarily for the audiophile products. Looking at purchasing the NHT C3 speakers for our new living room. Space is about 15 feet wide by 33 long and they will fire long ways. Space is just for general listening, music room with all equipment is downstairs, so hoping they will fill it with sound nicely. Cheers.
Mar 18, 2024
The DT770 is also V-shaped and emphasizes the bass more than the treble, with the mids being recessed like the DT990. I found the DT770 a bit too bright and too bassy, but others may disagree. Of the three I find the DT880 the best and also the most balanced.
I have listened to the 80ohm, owned the 250ohm and currently own the 600ohm model of the DT880. Don't bother with the 80ohm model - it is designed for portable or low-power headphone outputs and the sound of the DT880 suffers. The 250ohm model is pleasant and will sound good from most amplifiers, while the 600ohm model needs some power - my Benchmark DAC1 is just enough to provide adequate listening, but amps like my M-cubed, Violetric V181 and Musical Fidelity MX‑HPA drive them with authority. The bass is more controlled and textured, and the sound-stage is a bit more cohesive than the 250ohm model, when properly amplified; this means the 250ohm variety is more versatile but cannot grow as much as the 600ohm model.
I categorize these on the level of the AKG K7XX and Sennheiser HD600/HD650. I prefer the AKG K7XX to the DT880 and the HD600 to the AKG and DT880. In my opinion the DT880 does a great job with female vocals and some may prefer its sound to the K7XX and HD600/650. The Beyerdynamic T1 sounds like a super-charged DT880 600ohm to me.
When I compared the T1 to the HD800 I felt it sounded etched in comparison to the HD800 and also less resolving. I also liked that I could easily re-cable the HD800 and it sounds even better in balanced mode, especially with my Mjolnir and MX‑HPA (though I don't like the the V181 with the HD800).
I would recommend you listen to the HD800 and T1 in the same system if at all possible, but I understand that is more easily said than done. The HD800 is picky and not for everyone, but with the right recordings it is downright transcendent. The only other headphone that has brought me to that level so far is the HE90 Orpheus with the HEV90, Headamp Aristaeus and Singlepower ES-2 amps, but I have NOT yet heard the following end-game 'phones:
Abyss AB-1266 AKG K812 Grado PS-1000e HiFi MAN HE1000 MrSpeakers ETHER Oppo PM-1, PM-2, PM-3 Stax SR-009 Ultrasone Editions 5, 8, 10, 12
I don't know what Grado PS-1000 would sound like. I do have a pair of PS-500 and they are amazing. I would assume the PS-1000 will perform even better.
As far as the HD800, from what I read I thought I would not enjoy them either (being a fan of the HD580/600 and slightly less the HD650). However, once I heard the HD800 using the Oppo BDP-105->Mjolnir (I re-cabled the stock cable with XLR connector) I was hooked. On some really lousy recordings I do use other cans but I was surprised how much I preferred the HD800 to the T1 after extended ownership for most of my music. But I understand we all hear things differently. To this day I prefer listening to Bjork with my AKG K1000 - I cannot bring myself to sell them!
And if you like the K1000, might as well try and get a set of Jecklin Fuglyphones or Heil or even Stax Sigma's. I really regret selling my PMB Float..... best soundstage ever.....