Beyerdynamic DT880 2003 Model Subjective Review

[avaserfi]

Introduction



These open headphones were referred to me not for casual listening, but rather as a linear near resonant free control with one minor modification required for full fidelity. Since they are no longer in production I had to find a used pair for sale before I could pick them up. Now that I finally have a pair here I figured I should give my subjective review.

It should be noted that the DT880s are fairly hard to drive and thus not ideal for use with an iPod as they would require an amplifier.

Gear used in this review:
DT880 (duh)
Behringer Xenyx 802 as an amplifier
Playstation 3 with my CDs stored on an external HD

The Modification

As mentioned a slight modification was needed to tame the treble on this pair of headphones due to an acoustic issue (yes thats right this pair of headphones needs to be acoustically treated ).

Firstly, one needs to get quality acoustic foam like this. Next the material needs to be cut into a circle with diameter 2 and 3/16 inches by 1/8 inches thick. I used a professional grade meat slicer for the trick as my home model wouldn't do the job properly. Once this is done a circle with diameter 15/16 inches should be cut in the center of the foam cut. Almost done now, take some acoustically transparent cloth and cut it to a circle with diameter of about 3 and a half inches. Place the foam in each can and then lay the cloth on top and stuff it under the gray velour. Now your headphones are treated and no one will even be able to tell the difference.

Pictures of Foam and Cloth: 1 2
Finished Product: 1

*One warning about the modification some might find it to slightly reduce the comfort of the headphones. I personally did not.*

Build Quality

The headphones are extremely comfortable to wear in part due to their very light weight and soft velour ear pads. In fact, after wearing the headphones for 10-15 minutes I no longer notice them. My only complaint about the build quality of the DT880s is that the extension ability of each channel to adjust for head size feels a little flimsy while in actuality it is very sturdy it just slightly unnerves me occasionally.

Sound Quality

So here it is the big question how do these headphones stand up? Pre-modification these headphones were harsh and rather unpleasant, but I bought these knowing I would modify them.

Once modified these headphones were quite a pleasant surprise. First I went to the naturally recorded music in my collection to try and detect any touch of coloration due to resonance. I could detect none at all a refreshing experience. A quick side note: While I realize most don't entirely understand the problem with resonance and what it does the simplified explanation is it colors the speakers sound at specific frequencies. While a truly neutral sound requires that no audible resonance be present. One can train them self to separate this resonance from the speakers sound if the proper steps are taken.

Next I just started playing tracks I enjoy listening to and am familiar with. The bass response feels very 'full' comparing to other headphones and many sound systems I have auditioned - never once did I feel like the low end was missing anything especially when at times the frequencies played were somewhat tactile.

The midrange seems to be perfectly accurate tonally which is simply stunning. The term audio microscope comes to mind listening to these. During Spanish Harlem I actually heard the violinist walk up to play the solo far more clearly than I ever have which was only audible on a pair of B&W 802Ds.

The treble would be described as fatiguing by many including myself even post mod. Now this is not because of actual accentuation of the treble response, but how most recording is done along with how our ears work. Various forms of perceptual research have shown that with modern recordings a gradual roll off of the treble response is needed for perceived tonal accuracy. These headphones lack that roll off instead maintaining linearity. This is why I plan on using them with an EQ for actual listening purposes.

Tracks/Albums used (No specific order):

Rebecca Pidgeon - Retrospective - Spanish Harlem
Ellis Reynolds - Jazz at the Pawnshop Disc 1 - I'm Confessin
Dino - Collectors Series Disc 2 - Just as I am/ Softly and Tenderly
Steely Dan - Citizen Steely Dan Disc 1 - Bodhisattva
Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon - Money
Depeche Mode - Playing the Angel - Macro

I find this last album very interesting from the start. It is an example of loudness done right (yes you read right). Every bit of distortion created from the loudness images with the music and seems to flow perfectly, furthermore the album itself seems to be fairly dynamic despite its unimpressive measurements from Adobe Audition.

Conclusion

In the end I am unsure if I would purchase these headphones solely for listening use without an equalizer due to the linear treble response, but with an equalizer or for use as a non-resonant, linear control these headphones are hard to beat. All in all I am extremely happy with my purchase and fully plan on using them with an EQ [DCX2496] for all my music listening until my speaker build is complete - I am simply ruined .

Sorry if I didn't use the typical reviewer terms when it came to sound quality they just don't make sense to me .

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Nice write-up, Andrew. Beyerdynamic- wow, haven’t heard that name in a while! Those certainly are some handsome headphones. And those ear pads – sure wish my Sennheisers had some of those! That thin vinyl stuff you see these days is hot and just doesn’t hold up.

Just curious, couldn’t you merely adjust your receiver’s treble control to get the same attenuating affect that the foam modification accomplished?

You referred to them as an “open” design. If I recall, I think that means they allow outside noise through. With those big earpads to seal things up, I doubt that’s the case. But then, I’m pretty rusty on headphone my terminologies.

Again, nice write up. I’m pretty sure there is a Forum for headphone aficionados – I’ll bet they’d love to see this.

Regards,
Wayne

[warpdrive]

I had the same headphones and found they were tilted upwards in treble response. It tended to make everything sound brighter than it should. I had the Sennheiser HD600 at the same time and I preferred that even though that one tended to veil the sparkle in the highs I'm used to hearing from my recordngs.

[avaserfi]

Wayne A. Pflughaupt wrote:

Just curious, couldn’t you merely adjust your receiver’s treble control to get the same attenuating affect that the foam modification accomplished?

I could, but I would rather deal with an issue in a active rather than passive way first. Also, the main idea behind purchasing these headphones was not entirely listening, but to eventually buy a headphone amp and take them with me when I audition speakers for a quick and dirty linear and resonant free control so the acoustic modification was needed.

Wayne A. Pflughaupt wrote:

You referred to them as an “open” design. If I recall, I think that means they allow outside noise through. With those big earpads to seal things up, I doubt that’s the case. But then, I’m pretty rusty on headphone my terminologies.

Yup you are right, these are open headphones that do allow their sound out/other sound in. The ear pads aren't what necessarily block sound out alone. The actual chamber the transducers are put in is an open chamber that allows for this open nature.

warpdrive wrote:

I had the same headphones and found they were tilted upwards in treble response. It tended to make everything sound brighter than it should. I had the Sennheiser HD600 at the same time and I preferred that even though that one tended to veil the sparkle in the highs I'm used to hearing from my recordngs.

Yeah, without the modification or an EQ I don't think I would leave the DT880s on to long, but after it I can use them for listening only finding them slightly fatiguing. Once the DCX comes in [ordered primarily for my sub] I will be in pure heaven.