Beyerdynamic DT880 chrome version

...just opened one up and saw this felt dish:



...so Beyer actually listened to the community mods. Either that or at the very least, I think we were going in the right direction modding these Beyer DT headphones before.

In actual listening test, I can say this one has very little sibilance unless a track has it. Far better than the old one. Good job, Beyer!

 

Both of those are present in my DT880 250 Ohm PRO I bought in ~2010 FWIW.

I've always enjoyed mine with tubes especially. They have a FR which is very linear and predicable, great for mixing. They lack dynamics and have a poor sound stage but strictly in terms of FR they are quite good and still a decent recommendation today.

 

Hm... I may be mistaken then. I still remember opening up some DT770 and DT880 from 2003 and 2006 and they didn't have that felt dish there. Just bare drivers.

DT990 also didn't seem to have that dish thing.

And IIRC, the dish drops >6KHz by a pretty significant amount. Something like 4dB or so.

But yeah, dynamics are somewhat soft on this pair. Bass doesn't hit as hard as I'd like (HD600/650 level), but the midrange is really well done. Far better than I can remember hearing any other pair of DT880s I've had.

Oh, and this one is 600 ohm, by the way.

 

So... here's something I came up with to replace the stock foam piece:

Shelf-liner piece as big as the original foam piece, then a small ring of a different type of foam. I had spare HD600/650 foam filters lying around so I cut those up.



Then just put the foam ring on top of the felt disc, and then the shelf liner goes on top of everything. Snap the plastic mounting ring on and it should keep everything from moving.



Done:



I don't have anything to measure with right now, so... no before/after measurements. I don't think I heard any significant FR change, though. Mostly it just sounds a bit less stuffy in the lower registers.

 

Just realised I'd never actually posted impressions of the DT880/250ohm I've had for years. Front foam is just about completely lost into the aether, pads are el cheapo off-brands that are remarkably similar in feel to the stock velours.

My Beyers are gone, incidentally. Coming into an HD600 meant that they were made redundant and so I let them go for a pittance to a friend. Based off serial number and a chat with a Beyer rep via email, I found that my specific pair was produced in 2010 and as such *edit: might have come* with that felt disc stock. I'd always wondered why I never found the Beyers sharp and sibilant since every post about them I'd read more or less portrayed them as such, with relatively fewer people saying they were bone dry "flat". I'm inclined to agree with the latter bunch now that I have measured them and can confirm that my ears aren't just wildly uncalibrated.

Hell I'd thought my ears were just completely Bjork-ed, haha.

SBAF-comped (flat = perceptual neutral) measurements in this thread. Refer to first image for average of multiple positions with weak clamp and second image for measurements employing an increase in clamping force to reflect actual fit, which turns out to be the difference between sets. Yes I'm a dummy who forgot I'd implemented a change in methodology in the months between.

Impressions of sound are that it... is pretty hella good, really. Soundstage is weirdly flat, like a long pancake— extremely wide but with hardly any depth, like the sonic tapestry of music goes from far on either side through my head. Imaging was about on par with the HD600 out of the same sources in terms of size and presence on headstage, though other aspects of reproduction were less pleasant to my ears; attacks were more stifled and textures not as defined as on any other headphone I had on hand which made them a bit plasticky, dead-sounding, plus the background isn't quite clean enough for my satisfaction, and I don't normally give a bother about that.

Bass extension is... fine, actually. Bit better about rolloff than the HD600 is, I can listen to electronic music on these, but lower mids/upper bass region is too thick for my preferences, much warmer than the HP-3 or HD600; perhaps comparable to the HD650 here, except with less textured and articulate bass. Treble is slightly elevated in relation bass, but not by very much. I concur with Bill's statements that there's next to no sibilance audible unless inherent to source material or upstream gear.

Upper mids more relaxed than on the HD600, which is rather pleasant to me since I find that region a bit too hot for my liking on the Senns. Midtreble region does still have a mild peak, but it's broader and lower in elevation— absolutely nothing compared to the TH-X00 Ebony (also no longer in my possession) or the HP-3 (rofl). More present than on either of the two HD6__ series headphones that actually matter, but within my personal thresholds of acceptability. Air is lower in level than ideal, but I might just be spoiled by the Klipsches there (which have a bit too much shimmer really).

In hindsight, I'd say the DT880 is kinda slept on. Given how much (or rather, how little) you can get one for on the used market nowadays and how much resolution they do eke out, they'd be a great my-first-serious-headphone if the Senns aren't to taste. Minor differences aside, I'd say the HD600 and HD650 are more organic, lush in presentation than the DT880, the latter having a tendency to be bland and dry like stale crackers. Would advise pairing with a fun upstream like the Micro iDSD (big bass, bit of sparkle up top), ZDT Jr. not quite optimal since the mild bloom in the lower registers thickens up the sound, but if you like the Nighthawks it might be to your preferences— I will say that the step up from a Sunrise was appreciable in terms of being able to detect trailing decays and ambiance, though textures are still kinda bleh compared to Senns. More experienced ears inform that the DT880, at least the 600ohm variant, is pretty damn good at "plankton", so may be worth pairing with excellent upstream that can compensate for the boring tonality.