thanks for the insight. Could you rec a dac/amp that pairs well with the 880 600ohm. A buddy is interested in my 880s but i know heâd need to upgrade his chain for them. Mostly concerned with an all in one unit for a desktop flexible budget but somewhere in the 250 range
Hmmm for an all in one you might want to push it to like 300 for an Asgard 3 with the akm dac or a used jds element perhaps. If he can do a stack a magni heresy or liquid spark (if he wanted something warmer and smoother) and a dac in the 100 range would work nicely
If need be for a cheaper all in one, the fiio k5 pro will also drive the 880 600 but itâs not ideal (personally I would just grab an amp like the aforementioned heresy or spark and run it from like motherboard audio)
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ok cool thanks m0n, plenty of options for him to work with
currently uses this
do you know if it can bypass the amp so he can just purchase an amp? do you know if the dac on this is even worth doing that over using mobo audio?
So you canât use the dac inside of it unfortunately, so you would either have to get standalone or run through mobo if you got a amp only
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After a few days of listening with my new Darkvoice, I am surprised how well the 880 responds to tube amping. Most audio media sources talk about how well the Senn 600 series responds to tubing - and they do! my 6XX also sounds great on the DV - but I think I prefer the DT880 to the 6XX on the DV. The bass comes out a bit more than on solid state, and the treble sweetens. My biggest complaint about the 880 is that its treble seems to walk right along that fine line between being too sibilant and metallicy and being bright and detailed. But through tubes, their treble takes on a very natural timbre.
One more bold claim: I think the DT880 has better midrange timbre and detail than the 6XX. I know the 6XX is lauded for its mid performance (and itâs no slouch), but I think the 880 is underrated in comparison. I recognize this might be a minority opinion. And Iâll remind all again that my ears are mid-sensitive, which likely colors my experience. I find the 6XX becomes honky/shouty much more quickly than the 880. The 6XX also can become overloaded in the mids and lose its ability to separate instruments and vocals quicker than the 880. One reason I picked up the 880 was because the highlight of my 32 ohm 990 was its midrange performance. I think Beyerâs midrange performance doesnât get talked about as much as it should because their treble response is quite polarizing and dominates conversation about them. And I get that. The âBeyer highsâ certainly arenât for everyone (including me, often).
Right now though, tubed DT880 is dominating my listening time.
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Yeah the 600 really do take well to a tube, both experiences on solid state and tube are pretty nice
thanks m0n appreciate all the help as always
really like my 880s on my little dot, and on ss very surprised by how enjoyable these headphones are, especially considering used goes for around 130
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So, is it true the black pad version of these arenât as nice? Such as:
I think I read on Massdrop that people said the black pads are scratchier / stiffer. Can anyone confirm or debunk that?
That is true, and they also make the headphone more bright and harsh overall, if you swap the pads for the 880/990 silver premium pads the issues no longer persist
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Do you happen to have a link to where I can buy an original set of pads? Or, are there other (aftermarket) pads that I should consider?
Looks like those?
They are on amazon but sold out
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So the 990 V are different from the 770 then?
Yes they are different pads. The 990 v are for the 990 and the 880, and the 770 v is mainly only for the 770v. The 770v are going to be denser and more closed and isolating, and also a slightly different material, they do sound different
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Thanks. I appreciate the links and the information.
Can I use the zen dac with these? Or is Zen dac not powerful enough?
It would be pushing it, you might run out of steam on some tracks for sure, I would suggest grabbing an amp like a magni 3+ (or liquid spark) and using the Zen dac as a dac
Is it a more wiser choice to buy used iFi iDSD BL for 350$ with warranty? (Live in EU and if I buy the schiit stack it will cost about 400$. I donât have the Zen dac)
Ah ok, which ifi is it? Is it the nano or the micro?