beyerdynamic DT 880 Edition 250 Ohm Headphone

Product Information

I should say that this headphone is for professional critical listening and for very good tracks, maybe only flac. The DT 880 sits on my head very comfortable; the large velour ear pads and that thick padding on the headband allow for extended listening sessions without ever getting tired.

The Pro and Premium 250 Ohm use the same drivers and therefore sound exactly the same except that the clamp strength is slightly tighter for the Pro than the Premium, which changes the sound a tiny bit (more bass). A proper headphone amp should be able drive these to about 7 V RMS or 20 dBm or 100 mW into 600 Ω, which is more than deafening. Since giving away my AKG Q701's I've lusted after that 'open' sound and it was the DT880 that caught my eye. It also offers lesser comfort due to round earcups (our ears are oval shaped, not round) and shallow clearance inside earcups making ears to touch the inner surface.The DT 880 beats out every other Mid-Fi headphone I've tried or owned in terms of build quality, hands down. First I tried the Senns but I didn't like them for their build/look (very light, cheap looking plastic) and the sound (there I first heard the infamous Sennheiser veil). In this case, the slight potential increase in amplifier distortion is outweighed by being able to play the headphones loudly enough in the first place. First of all, let me start by saying that these cans are the most comfortable pair I have ever experienced so far.

The careful listener will prefer this DT 880 because it sounds right, while the boosts in the DT 990 and DT770 aren't exactly pretty. I frequently have long listening sessions and I do get irritated by sibilance on certain bright headphones like the DT 990. Although the DT880 is semi-open, and clamps well, it does leak sound, and allow ambient noise in (like all open headphones). The DT 880 are rugged and well-built headphones that won't break if they accidentally fall off your desk. But overall its a smooth presentation that is very relaxing and with the desired energy and sparkle for my personal enjoyment albeit the 9khz peak and is quite resolving with a great sense of detail.

There's plenty of room for detail and i never had a feeling that the sound is stuck in my head, instead it feels like im in the middle of a concert. My one regret with the DT880 is that the mids are not a little more to the front of the spectrum, and I would love to see them a little warmer. Highs-Excellent, airy and the upper most notes of the Trumpet are well detailed, maintain a nice edge, yet are not metallic or sibilant.