I guess you are right with that!
Seeing this headphone now for sale at $700+ā¦ crazy considering a few months ago I seen it for $400+
I was lucky. The prices gone up right before release of 3rd gen from around 400 to 500-600ā¬.
I got mine luckily for 430ā¬ in perfect condition, it even smelled still like new.
430 isnāt bad. Going to be hard for people to get their hands on the 2nd gen I guess from now on.
Just going to throw this out there. I have had a used T1 1st gen for about a month now and while at first I was a little disappointed itās grown on me a lot in the last month, especially with tubes. It definitely beats my other two headphones, HD650 and Sundara, in almost every department. Iām finding them really phenomenal.
Now that the 3rd gen has driven up the prices of the 2nd gen itās possibly time to consider a first gen, especially the late serial numbers that represent the silent revision (from 13xxx upwards). You can get them for around ā¬400 in good to excellent condition. According to some itās still the best tuned T1, especially for tubes. I canāt comment on that because I havenāt heard the others, but as long as the trebles arenāt too forward and:or badly recorded this thing sounds fantastic.
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Introduction
I was tempted to do a full-on T1.2 review, but I kept comparing the T1.2 to the DT880. So, I figured I would do a face-off post of T1.2 vs DT880; two birds with one stone, as it were. I will also give a few general thoughts about the T1.2. Most of this face-off was done with the two headphones fed by a Liquid Platinum and iFi Zen DAC. The signatures of the two headphones are quite different. For face-off purposes I used the Zenās bass boost for the DT880 and ran the T1.2 straight. In some sense this evened the playing field, bringing the signatures closer together so that I could focus more on technicality differences. I did however spend several hours-long listening sessions listening to just the T1.2 playing a huge shuffled playlist from Spotify through my SU-8 DAC and Liquid Platinum amplifier. I did do some listening of the T1.2 on the Asgard 3 too, just to see how it sounded. Iāll first give those general thoughts about the T1.2 and then get into more details of the face off.
General Thoughts about T1.2
The T1.2 is a good headphone. Iām about to be quite critical of it, but I donāt want that to detract from the fact that from an objective standpoint itās a high-performance headphone that many listeners will enjoy for a wide variety of music. Also, itās an outstanding headphone if you like jazz. The timbre is pretty natural, the resolution is excellent, and the spatial presentation is strong. The physical build is excellent ā as one would expect from Beyerdynamic ā and itās a light and physically comfortable headphone. The signature is V. Itās not as pronounced a V as the DT990 or a Fostex X00 series headphone, but the bass and treble both have a fair amount of elevation, or the mid-range is fairly recessed, depending on how you want to describe it. However, in the end DT880-600 exists and is often had for under $200 brand new. IMO, thatās a problem for the T1.2. The T1.2 is a technical upgrade from the DT880 hands down, but itās a small upgrade, and hard to justify a >$500 price difference brand new, IMO. Read on if you want to know why I say such things.
DT880 vs T1.2
Iāll further divide this section into subsections that focus on important aspects of headphone build and headphone performance: sound signature, bass, mid-range, treble, detail retrieval, spatial performance, and timbre. In case it wasnāt already clear, Iāll be using the 600 ohm variant of the DT880 in this comparison. Also keep in mind that my DT880 has been balance modded. That may be a (potentially huge) factor for someone else deciding between these headphones. Those notes aside, here goesā¦
Build
I have no complaints about the overall build quality of either unit. The T1.2 is definitely targeted more at long listening sessions at home than the DT880ās primarily studio-targeted design. The T1.2 headband has more padding and it has an overall more luxurious feel. However, both headphones are built ruggedly and are what one should expect from Beyerdynamic build quality and comfort. The DT880, frustratingly, has that attached cable that is 3m long and kind of a pain the [insert your favorite body part for pains in here]. If youāre feeling plucky, the construction of the 880 is pretty modular and there is plenty of room to do a detachable cable mod, if youāre comfortable doing so. There are also services that will do them for $75 or so. The T1.2 has dual-entry detachable cable entry out of the box with 3.5mm inputs on either cup.
The T1.2, while also being 600 ohms, is easier to drive than the 880. I was consistently adjusting my Liquid Platinumās volume potentiometer by about 1 hour and 30 minutes worth higher for the 880 than the T1. Finally, when the volume gets pushed, I noticed that the T1.2ās earcups vibrate more than the 880ās. I didnāt feel those vibrations on my head as the earpads did a good job damping those. But, when I touched the cups with my fingers when lots of bass was happening, I could feel the T1.2 cups vibrate more than the 880ās.
Sound Signature
The DT880 is neutral-bright. Its frequency response is pretty even with a slight elevation in the treble. The T1.2 is V. The bass is warm and full but the treble is also boosted, even moreso than the 880ās treble. The T1.2ās āVā is shifted more toward the treble than most V headphones, though, and that recess is narrower than many other headphones with V signatures. The apparent recess in the midrange happens more between 1 and 3 KHz.
Bass
With stock tuning the DT-880ās bass extends quite low, digging deep, but is a little on the lean side. Itās also quite fast and well-tuned. To my ear, thereās more bass extension with the 880 than the T1.2. The T1.2 has much more forward bass. This bass forwardness can be both good and bad. The extra quantity of bass on the T1.2 makes it play more friendly with a wider range of musical styles, it also is overdone and can often come across as forced or strained. The DT880 excels with acoustic music that is less bass-dependent. It sounds wonderful with classical and jazz. However, with rock, metal, hip-hop, or EDM its lean bass can rob it of the necessary body those styles of music need to sound their best. The T1.2 has the necessary low-end weight for those genres. However, I do think Beyerdynamic pushed the drivers a little too hard here. Right away on bass-heavy music the bass sounded a little artificially inflated to me. That resulted in a tonal quality that came across as forced. It struck me as the T1.2 going out of the way to tell me it can do bass rather than just doing bass. Now, Iām coming to terms with the fact that Iām a bona fide bass head. I LOVE bass. Iāve written elsewhere on the forum how much I love the HiFiMan Edition X V2 because of its bass extension and slam, and how my Lawton modded TH-X00 is a bass cannon that feels like it can give me a concussion at times, and Iām not complaining about that. The difference is that those 2 headphones I just mentioned have ease to their bass. They donāt sound like theyāre working hard for it. They just do it. While deep and impactful and plentiful, their bass is still clean, smooth, and effortless. The T1.2ās bass is impactful, but it comes across as effortful too often. Itās not distorted or sloppy, it just sounds a little bit begrudging. It sounds like Beyer pushed their Tesla driver all the way up to the maximum bass output it could handle and then backed it off to leave just enough headroom for the vast majority of music out there. The result is a driver that just comes across as doing something itās not really comfortable doing. Further evidence for that comes from the fact that the DT880 doesnāt even break a sweat when iFiās bass boost is applied. Remarkably it ramps up its bass quantity and impact and sounds quite comfortable doing so ā more comfortable than the T1.2 does with its stock tuning. Now, the T1.2ās bass quantity is till more than the DT880ās with the bass boost applied. This makes me wonder if Beyer went just a little bit overboard with the T1.2ās bass and should have backed it off another 2-3dB. In fact, when I added the bass boost to the T1.2, it would often distort and get sloppy. This almost confirmed that Beyer pushed these drivers almost right to the edge of their capability.
Mid-range
IMO, the mids are a highlight of Beyerās sound. Their treble can be polarizing and their headphones vary wildly in bass response, but their mids are excellent in the price classes they put their products. These two headphones are no exception. Vocals and instruments sound excellent on both headphones. I think the T1.2ās tuning makes it a better match for male vocals and the DT880ās increased presence in the 1-3KHz range makes it a little better for female vocals. But really, I canāt fault the overall quality of either headphone in the mids.
Treble
Who wants to argue about Beyerdynamicās treble? Itās not for everyone. Both of these headphones are very bright. However, the T1.2 sounds more sharp more often. There is a more pronounced peak in the T1.2ās consonant range which makes is more susceptible to sibilance. The sharp āsā and ātā sounds are definitely there. The T1.2 wanders into sibilant territory more frequently and more aggressively than the DT880. Also, on poorly recorded music, the T1.2 has a more forward and persistent edge to its treble. Both headphones get grainy in the treble with bad recordings, but the T1.2 brings that out more. In my Zen DAC review, I mentioned that the Zen sneakily and surprisingly has more treble sharpness than I expected. The T1.2 consistently brought that out more. It was noticeable on both headphones, but more pronounced on the T1.2. So while the added bass can help the T1.2 with rock and metal, this treble sharpness hurts it just as much for the same kinds of music as they often have lots of treble energy. Itās up to each individual listener to decide where the balance is for them.
Detail Retrieval
Hereās where the T1.2 separates itself for the better. The T1.2 is the more resolving headphone in the midrange and treble, but Iāll still give the bass edge to the 880 in terms of overall quality. Reverbs and room echoes were more easily noticeable on the T1.2. Things like guitar string plucks and drum ghost notes were also resolved better. The gap isnāt huge, but the T1.2 is consistently the more detailed headphone above about 150Hz.
Spatial Performance
Here the T1.2 pulls ahead again, but also again not by a huge margin. In general, both headphones have a reasonably wide soundstage. I would say their width is similar. Both headphones are also strong imagers. They place sounds in that soundstage quite well. The T1.2 handles separation better, though. Iāll define āseparationā here as the negative of imaging; itās the ability to create space between sound images. The T1.2 also creates a soundfield that is slightly more in front of the head where the DT880 makes more of an arc over the head.
Timbre
Overall, the T1.2 has a very, very slight advantage in timbre. One exception is female voices where its dip in 1-3KHz gets in the way. Outside of that, and outside of the very deep bass, the T1.2 makes voices sound a little bit more like voices and pianos a little more like pianosā¦ However, with poor recordings, the T1.2 will break timbre faster in the treble. Because it gets sharper quicker and more frequently, the window of quality where it has a timbre edge is small. Thus, in practice, the DT880 often has a timbre advantage in the treble with real-world material. Cymbal crashes have less hash-y quality to them in such cases.
Limitations
Two caveats I need to spell out that I havenāt yet: 1) I donāt have an OTL tube amp on hand to test the T1.2. I understand it tubes really well and much of the above could change when comparing tube-to-tube performance; 2) Iāve also been told that both headphones scale with higher tier amps quite well, and it stands to reason that the T1.2 being the higher tier model will scale higher than the DT880. Unfortunately, I do not have the amps on hand to address either of these potential limitations. Iāll leave it to other members of this community to chime in here and fill in these holes. Also, while itās not inherently a limitation of this comparison from a technical standpoint, it should be mentioned that the T1.2 is not a direct upgrade from the DT880. Their different signatures indicate that the T1.2 is not meant to simply be the DT880 but better. I did this comparison because I was curious what the real differences were between the two headphones and I think many HFGF readers are curious too.
Conclusions
The DT-880 is an absolute keeper and one of the few headphones that genuinely does punch above its weight. It has a long-term home in my collection. Did I like the T1.2? Overall, yes, I did. I also donāt think it does enough that I donāt already have with other headphones to warrant the expense of keeping it around. However, I can listen to and enjoy the T1.2 quite easily. In fact, while writing this I am listening to the āBrave Enoughā album by Lindsey Stirling. The T1.2 is doing an admirable job with it. The bass issue I mentioned above isnāt showing up much because Lindsey Stirlingās bass isnāt particularly fast moving most of the time (still doesnāt sound effortless, though 
).
At any rate, a quick sum up: The DT-880 is neutral-bright and the T1.2 has a, letās call it ānarrow Vā signature. The DT-880ās stock tuning has deep and fast but lean bass, the T1.2 has slightly less extended bass but more bass, which at times sounds like a bit too much for the drivers to comfortably handle. The DT-880ās bass performance can truly outclass the T1.2ās with a bit of a tasteful bass boost, though. Both headphones have excellent midrange. Both headphones have elevated treble that can get sharp and sibilant, with the T1.2 being more sharp more often. The T1.2 consistently has better detail retrieval above ~150Hz though and has slightly better overall spatial performance and timbre. For my money, the T1.2 is a slight technical upgrade from the DT880, but not enough for me to justify spending over $500 more (new prices) for it. The attached cable for the DT880 is an ergonomic irritant, though. A potential user may want to factor in an additional $75 plus shipping to have it detachable cable modded if theyāre not comfortable doing it themselves.
OK, thanks for reading everyone. I look forward to your feedback. Enjoy the music!
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I enjoyed your write-up. You are a much better writer than I am and much more fluent in Audiophile speak.
I was looking to buy the T1.2 for my tube amp, but I just canāt see spending that much, even used.
I have not modded my 880ās and they are Wonderful on the tube amp and even better on the Violectric. My cheapest headphones and, like you, I canāt see getting rid of them.
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Nice comparison!
I just switched from T1.2 to my 880 and i understand your thoughts. 880 is just insanely good, especially for the price. And i have to admit, that the 880 sounds indeed more effortless sometimes.
I like both nonetheless. Since i mostly listen to weird electronic music the T1 does a perfect job where the 880 sometimes can sound a little thin.
Nice comparison!
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Good review @WaveTheory
After owning the T1.2s for a while now, I will say thisā¦its the most refined Beyer sound Iāve heard. But, like everything in this price range, you donāt get an all-arounder. If youāre looking for (as you mentioned) headphone for jazz or classical or something needing a wide stage with good imaging and refined detail, vocal heavy (female) performanceā¦then its for you. I find the cans get better with age, too. You just pick up on the little details.
But, if youāre looking for something with more bass presence, its not for you. Its got plenty of bass for much of what I listen to, but if I want to get hit with some bassā¦go to go for something else. T1 + something that covers up its weaknesses in the same price range would make for a nice pairing you wonāt have to upgrade anytime soon, IMO. The versatility of the T1.2 - as long as you have enough juice to give it what it needs - where it excels on a solid state like the Asgard 3, a tube hybrid like the Liquid Platinum and excels and is very responsive to different tubes makes it a headphone for the long haul.
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Another solid writeup Wave 
Funnily enough the bass is one of my favourite things about the t1.2ās. Granted I only have extensive listening with it paired to my bhc+sb but to me itās very nicely controlled and delivers nuance in the bass that I find pretty dang enjoyable. Also the cup rattling hasnāt reared its ugly head either. Iāll be using it on solid state in the upcoming days and Iāll keep your impression in mind. I donāt push them too hard in terms of volume either so maybe thatās a factor here?
Edit: plugged into the v200 playing massive attack pretty loud just to check for that rattle but still nothing man 
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Thanks, Don! I do enjoy writing about this stuff (maybe thatās obvious? 
).
My biggest regret on this review is not having a proper tube amp handy. The Liquid Plat is an excellent amp but the 600 ohm T1.2 definitely demands at least being tried on a full-blown tube amp.
Now thatās interesting 
. I would claim unit variation here but I trust Beyerās ability to be consistently excellent in their build quality. Do you have the black or silver version? The unit on loan to me is the black, or āNinjaā edition. My understanding is the two colors of models were identical outside of color. Maybe thereās more to the story?
We are sort of coming at from two different angles lol Iāll have to have more of a listen on my ss amps and see how that goes. Tubes can be very transformative so who knows.
I have the ninja model as well and have heard the same that theyāre just different colours with no sonic differences. As for unit variation I think itās somewhat consensus that the dt770 suffers here but idk and t1. I wouldnāt think so tbh.
Tomorrow Iām going to put down the lcd-2ās finally and spend time again with the t1 on different amps. Sounds like a fun day to me.
Also yes it is obvious you like writing about this stuff and honestly I think you have a knack for it. Comes across very professional but still a fun read. Keep them coming!
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Lol. Bittersweet! The LCD-2 is a fine headphone. Iām quite enjoying that recent acquistion too.
Indeed! I hope you put some thoughts up here. The more well-informed opinions we get up here the merrier, IMO. Have fun!
As long as I have gear to play with that is still reasonably āfind-ableā somewhere out there, you can count on it!
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Some impressions paired with the v200 is itās different and Iām preferring it to the bhc+sb with certain tracks/genres. Technicalities seem more refined. One thing I really enjoy about the t1.2 is itās detailed without being fatiguing and this seems to hold true when moving to the vio. Rock/jazz/acoustic with bhc+sb and hip hop/electronic/pop with the v200 is looking like my preferences but that could change too. Itās pretty sweet with the v200 tbh lol.
The t1.2 vs dt880 I really feel is a preference thing. Both are really fantastic and theyāre different enough headphones that having both in a collection is definitely worthwhile if Beyers are your thing. Whether itās worth the extra cost is going to be dependant on the person. IMO build and many technicalities are improved on the t1.2 from the dt880 and itās a unique sound signature in Beyers lineup as far as I know.
To touch base on the bass again still not experiencing the rattle. Still gathering my thoughts on this one but it almost seems like the bass is very fast and detailed (not ideal for certain tracks) so depending on the track is can appear not as smooth as something like an lcd-2. Still not positive on this but it was a thought @WaveTheory I had while listening and keeping your impressions in mind.
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Thanks, Don.
The earcup vibration becomes noticeable to finger-touch (donāt feel it on the head) when the average SPL gets to about 73db. Itās not severe and I would never notice it if I didnāt happen to grab them during a loud bassy section.
Since I put that review up I also rolled tubes on my Liquid Plat. The bass was a little smoother. Itās hard for me to shake it sounding effortful, though. I donāt know why and thatās certainly not a thing that can be measured. Just one of those things, I guess.
The new LP tubes did tame the treble some too, but at that same 73db average SPL, which is generously loud but not crazy, the highs are too sharp for me. I must be more treble sensitive than you. Iām jealous actually. My treble sensitivity does eliminate a large amount of otherwise potentially good gear.
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I have read the topic so many times but I canāt rememberā¦
I know someone who was bought a T1.2 aswell and he is powerrjng ist with his soundcard for now. Iāve tested that in my Pc, and for sure it works, but could be better.
Which amps in the budget range(I mean really budget, around 150ā¬ i guess) can you guys recommend that are enough for the Beyer? I canāt get him to buy a tubeamp. He is really beginner beginner and is not willing to spent so much I guess. And itās his very first (and probably last) good headphone. He wanted to get an Schiit Heresy, which has enough power I think, but it is nearly never available in germany.
I think for a Dac, if he wants to buy something, I would recommend him the Topping E30 since it seems very good for the price.
I think Liquid Spark amp is likely best pairing for the price range. I havenāt heard the combo yet, but the iFi Zen CAN amp is probably also a good pairing and likely right on the edge of that price range.
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Topping L30 has pretty good power specs, I believe comparable to the the schiit stuff if I remember correctly. I havenāt heard it but it has been well received by nearly everyone.
Worth looking into.
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Im researching these a bit. I guess the L30 would be better since it seems to be a real powerhouse for that price and size and itās 50ā¬ cheaper.
But I donāt know for sure since I havenāt heard any oh them. Have to research the Zen Can aswell