I had an amp with similar power (balanced) with these and it was fairly epic.
Hi guys. I recently purchased the combo of DT880 600ohm + BasX A-100 after watching the Zâs review and forum opinion. I received them yesterday and had them set up. However, i found that the sound quality was not as good as everyone said, and even worse than my current daily earphones (Sony XBA-N3AP using direct output from pc, in some case my shure se215sp is better than DT880 + A100). So i guess i may be doing it wrong.
Here is my set up: (Using 3.5mm to RCA cables to connect PC output to A-100 and DT880 connected to A-100, I also jumped the A-100)
Do i need a DAC to get a proper sound quality? Because the biggest problem was that in some songs there are some âspikes soundâ at particular frequency, making it uncomfortable to listen to.
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Def get a dac. Also the basx a100 isnt the most refined sounding anyhow. You could get a $100 dac and an Asgard3 for a better performance
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a decent dac is def a plus (im using my topping dx3 as a dac for my speaker amp and basx). beyers tend to have that spikey treble, i would HIGHLY recommend you try oratory1990âs eq profile and Peace APO (i use the worn pads one even though mine are pretty new). Theres some spikeyness now and then but it also just seems to depend on the day for me. @Bmn1251 what module would you recommend for the asgard 3? ive been suggested that as well so might be something id try
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@Cb1scu1t. Model as in built in dac? I would say no built in dac. Enog2 and el dac where what I used with it. Both sounded good. Enog2 slightly better.
As for the Dt880(600ohm), it has a great sound signature, the asgard3 gives it a little warmth and smoothness, enog2 gave it pretty good details. I did not find the need for eq, nor did I find it very trebely, but thatâs my ears haha. I found it pretty neutral with great mid timbre.
May I ask what you mean by this? If you can flesh this out a bit we can help you more.
This is my first headphone and I am a normal user so please correct me if I describe it wrong.
I have a broad music taste which my daily lists can go from rock, metals, blues to pops, kpops and even instruments.
First of all, the combo has an outstanding response on background instruments which give a lots of details. I have never noticed those details before using my N3AP. However, it is like a pro and con at the same time. The details of background instruments can be sometimes too much, making vocals sound like its attenuated.
Second, the spikey sounds. At some particular frequencies, the spikey sounds just happen to occur from nowhere. Maybe it is what @Cb1scu1t said it has sharp S treble. Also, it could be a result of the first reason where I am trying to raise the volume for louder vocal, the spikey sounds just become more and more audible.
Third, the âclarityâ of the combo is quite âmuddy?â. I am not quite sure about this. I just feel the overall is a bit âuncleanâ. I guess it could be the source problem or noise in my PC as the amp just magnified the noise.
I also tried to compare the combo performance on pc and mobilephone. Turn out it is somehow better on my phone so i guess i really need a dac.
Yup. I will certainly look into your recommendation of buying a dac. And speaking of that, i am considering buying the Topping E30. Any good suggestion for a beginner Dac and also a potential capability for future upgrade?
Thank you all for your replies. I really appreciate that. It means a lot to someone like me who is new to headphones and this community.
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Hi guys,
I just want to share my experience with the DT880 600Ohm and ask a question.
I am currently running them on a Marantz PM5005 speaker amp from the front headphone output and it drives them marvellously, like scary good sometimes. 40-50 % power into these and they just shine. I usually listen at about 30-35 % volume as 40-50 gets way too loud for normal listening sessions. I donât know whatâs up with the ampâs headphone output but Itâs got plenty of juice. I even tried them on the Darkvoice tube amp and they are a good pairing but not scary good like the Marantz. Question is⌠Is it worth getting the Emotiva just for these ? I mean I could replace my marantz speaker amp with this one but I like the signature sound too much to switch to something linear and remote-less⌠Did anybody else try them on a different A/B class big amp ? Just to compare the Emotiva
Not having tested my A-100 vs my dads PM6006, I am going to say not worth it.
That said, I also donât have hard to drive headphones on hand.
Yes. The DT880 is an amazingly detailed headphone and even more impressive on that regard for its price. Getting that much more info into your ears does require some getting used to.
And I also agree the 880 is likely revealing warts in your signal chain. A DAC will likely clean things up a lot. The Topping E30 is a great starter DAC. You could also consider an iFi Zen DAC if you want to add a bit more bass at times. My DT880 takes to the Zenâs bass boost really well.
The A-100 isnât the best headphone amp but it also shouldnât be causing problems. The 880 can be sibilant at times. If you can get ahold of a Schiit Asgard 3, the 880 pairs very well and is almost never sibilant with that amp.
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I would say itâs not worth buying. Marantz is a company known for its SQ and building powerful sounding amps. If you do have the itch to pick one up I definitely would try to find a used one .
@Deceneu808 I would say the basx would be a good pairing with the 880. im currently waiting on an asgard 3 as others have suggested to see if its any better. as long as the basx is in stock and you get a decent price at least. when i got mine, it was not in stock and i got it from ebay and prob paid an extra $50 from someone a couple of states away so i still consider it to be a good investment.
@LEE9 if you dont want to use any eq i found the tygr 300r to be basically the 880 600ohm but a lot easier to drive, more bass, little less mid resolution but still really good, and the spikey treble well under control. also the 560s i just got has been really pleasing and just doesnt do anything wrong except may sound a little boring at first but has great bass and treble extension and clear mids. after listening for a few minutes i settle right on in to them
@Bmn1251 just ordered an asgard 3 yesterday 
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Excellent! Good choice 
Hi Cb1scu1t!
Can I ask you, when your Asgard 3 will arrive?
I like to read your opinion very much about that and the differences between the A-100, which is better!
Thx.
Will do. Just got the shipment notification this morning so estimated delivery is 27th⌠Seems so far away
So got the asgard 3 a day earlier and been listening for about an hour. I do like the asgard better. the difference back and forth is so settle (subtle) for me. it feels like im getting more quantity from the basx but more quality from the asgard. i had to turn my topping dx3 pro from -20db to 0.0 (i use it for just a dac at this point for speaker amp and headphone amps), asgard on hi gain and 12 o clock. feel like im noticing the slight difference in mainly the mid range. if youre torn between them, id go asgard
Also did an iem test at low gain, no hissing just like the basx
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