DT 880 Edition Semi-Open Hi-Fi Headphones (32 Ohm)

I bought this to seek a better quality than my ATH-M50X. In comparison the quality is slightly better, more defined treble and not soo much bass, but balanced. The comfort is miles better. 32 ohm versions powers well off my samsung s10, although I nearly reach full volume most times, where as the m50x reaches the same noise level a little before. It would be better if it has a detachable wire if I should ever need to replace, like the m50x. Fits my big head well. The side adjustments a little tight to move, for the better, as dont want it. Sound leakage, person next to me can her the music. Box came with case, and screw on 6.35mm plug. In general I have retired my m50x as I find this more superior, better listening quality and comfort.

These headphones restore one’s faith in the excellence of German engineering.

So far so good, I have run them in for about 30 hours and started making a new track using them. The artist I have been listening to so far are Anthony Hamilton Gregory Porter Jagged edge Oliver Heldon London Elektricity Danny Bird Diana Krall Ranging through House, jazz, garage, Soul, folk, drum & Bass, R&B... so a wide selection. Here is what I have found so far. The first thing I noticed was these are very comfortable and could easily be used for a good few hours at a time. The band clings to your head with confidence but never tight enough to make you think your eyes are going to pop out. The sound is warm but not bloated, clear and detailed. You can hear reverb tails on individual sounds fade away to nothing. Kick drums, snares, rim shots etc all start and stop quickly with minimal overhang. Perfect for picking faults out in recordings and mixs. A few things that stand out as negative points, The sound is not as open or articulate as my Grado's. Although the these Beyerdynamic have detail and good stereo imaging, even the cheaper £100 Grado's have a bigger/wider soundstage, and give a better impression that the sounds are in the room with you. Something these Beyerdynamics can only do to a certain point. The Beyerdynamic do have better bass extension then the Grado's though and can go very low without woolyness or bloat. Great Cans, glad I got them but if your after soundstage width and more deep clinical detail try the Grado's..

Excellent quality sound and a very comfortable experience. Bought for monitoring, mixing and some mastering of Bandcamp releases. These have allowed me to hear accurately and to push the bottom end without losing quality. Highly recommended for accurate listening, which means if the source is dodgy you are going to hear it. Really comfortable and easy to forget that you have these on, especially with the open backs, which retains a sense of beng in a room.

Great cans really like them. Build quality is great. Soundstage is wide and very detailed. After using 770's for almost 20 years in studio my first impressions are that the bottom end isn't quite as pronounced as the 770's, great definition in the mids but the top end seems to be a bit exaggerated. Hopefully the top end will calm down a bit after they've been broken in. Not sure if I'd trust them to mix on but excellent for tracking, editing and referencing.

I purchased this product in 2016 and I'm still using it to this day. It hasn't faulted at all. Excellent sound quality and very comfortable. I'd recommend getting a DAC/Amp with it for a better listening experience

To get it out of the way: I am NOT any sort of audiophile or the like. I bought these to replace an aging set of Sennheiser's, HD 4.40 for use on my computer. Sure they don't have the Bluetooth of the HD 4.40, but I never really used that function anyway. TL:DR - You really can't go wrong at this price Out of the box I was surprised with the fitted case. A zipped leatherette affair with a shaped foam insert. At least somewhere nice to store the headphones when not in use. The headphones themselves feel solid with good adjustment to fit most heads I suspect. The headband is well padded and covered in the same leatherette as the case. The earcups are rather large, especially coming from the HD 4.40's, but are very comfortable thanks to the velour covered memory foam pad and soft foam insert over the cone. The design is a semi-open type which does mean you get a little sound bleed from your surrounds and they can hear what you are listening to. The connecting cable comes out of the left ear cup and is very long. I didn't measure it, but it seems around 6 feet (185cm,) of good quality soft rubber coating ending in a 3.5mm gold plated jack. Included is an adapter to the 6.5mm jack. (Don't try and pull it off, it unscrews.) In use they are very comfortable and the clamping force is not headache inducing, just enough to keep them in place. Sound wise, they blow all my previous headphones out of the water. The over all tone is very neutral, no overpowering bass muddying things up, nor so bright highs. I mainly listen to heavier music, rock, heavy metal and found I could pick out the bass line on quite a few tracks very clearly with out the overlying solo mushing into it. I also used them while watching various shows and films on streaming services and was pretty please. Dialogue was not lost in some of the more explosive scenes,, nor did the overall ambiance drown everything else out. However, gaming wise is a different story. You will need to adjust settings for gaming. Don't know why, maybe they mix things differently to TV and music. Overall, a well balanced set of cans that sound good and don't break the bank. (Psst - they have the same drivers as the DT 990's)

In my quest for a reasonably expensive headphone to beat my actual favorite, the AKG Q701, I often did read about the Beyerdynamic headphones and I decided to try the DT880. Considering that I am very often using my Iphone 4 with or without a headphone amp, I decided to go for the 32 Ohms model. I made sure to give it a fair burn-in time so for a week, I did let it run almost constantly with some variation of music and pink and white noises. Today, I can estimate the burn-in to have passed the bar of 100 hours. In order to compare effectively the two models, I will use my Iphone alone in the first place and then add a FiiO E-11 and reuse the same tracks. I expect the AKG to under perform with no amp as this phone is very power hungry. The tracks I will use are those that I always use when trying to compare headphones, because I love them first but also because I know how they should sound and more importantly because they provide a good sample of music genres and tonalities. The tracks will be compressed at 320Kbps and are as follow: - Ultrasone Sound test Siley Put short (Jazz, Binaural recording perfect for localization of sounds). - Ultrasone sound test Wellen track 7 (sound of water waves perfect for the head stage definition). - Frank Sinatra: How insensitive (Jazz, good also for localization of sounds). - Robin Thicke: Lost Without you and Angel (Perfect for the voice testing and for bass impact). - Pink Floyd: Astronomy Domine from A piper at the gates of dawn (Rock and excellent also for the localization of sounds). - DJ Magic Mike: Feel the Bass (Infra-Bass, enough said...) will be played from my computer because it is missing on the Iphone. But first, let's start with the non musical parts: Comfort: The Beyerdynamic DT880 Premium 32 Ohms are extremely comfortable. Their pads are the softest I have ever experienced and rest comfortably around your ears. On the top of your head, I think it is some faux leather. The pressure level is absolutely fine. They are slightly heavier than the AKG but I would still give them 5 stars. The AKG are also extremely comfortable. Their cushions aren't as soft but they also fit like a dream around my ears and the pressure is lesser. I can keep them on for hours. Conclusion: DT880 : 1. AKG: 1. Price: I paid $255 for the AKG (MSRP $479)and $309 for the DT880 (MSRP $359). It could be deducted from the pricing that the DT880 keep a better value than the AKG. Personally, I do not know what to make of this. One may deduct that the MSRP was overblown for the AKG or that the DT880 are overpriced now. While looking at the final price, the AKG appears as the better deal. Conclusion: DT880 : 0. AKG: 1. Packaging: The AKG come with two cables but no carrying case. Both cables are green and of high quality. Both are too long for a portable use. The cables are easy to connect or disconnect and it is a plus because most times, the cable is failing before the rest. Since these headphones are not meant for a portable use, a carrying case was not really necessary. The DT880 come with only one cable and it is not removable. It is also a bit long for a portable use. It also comes with a huge carrying case. I like it because it is sure to protect it but it is way too bulky for thinking about using it when I travel. Conclusion: DT880 : 0. AKG: 1. Sound Isolation: The AKG Q701 are an open design. The DT880 are a semi open design. Both are leaking quite a lot and are not meant for use in public areas. Although the DT880 are slightly more portable, I would still not make them my choice for outdoor use. Both should be kept for home use, listening to music or playing video games (both are excellent at it). Conclusion: DT880 : 0. AKG: 0. Now, let's come to the real important part of this test: the sound. I will start by saying that the sound for both was really good out of the box but improved quite a lot with the burn-in time. My first impression before going any further is that they are quite similar, with maybe the AKG sounding a bit more natural and with a larger head stage (open design versus the semi open design of the DT880) and the DT 880 with the mids a bit more forward and overall more powerful. I may sometimes find the DT880 a bit more tiring. Note that the 68 Ohms of the AKG are very deceptive since they sound as hard to drive as maybe a 300 Ohms headphone set. I will finish this introduction by saying that I am partial to a large head stage and as natural a sound as possible. I like analytical headphones and so far the AKG proved perfect in that field. Ok, let's start: - Ultrasone Sound test Siley Put short (Jazz, Binaural recording perfect for localization of sounds). Both headphones delivered very well on this track. The DT880 were a bit more powerful than the AKG. The AKG sounded a bit more precise but this is by a hair... - Ultrasone sound test Wellen track 7 (sound of water waves perfect for the head stage definition). Once again, it is a wash between the two. Both are delivering well on every detail and head stage. You really feel the waves coming from afar, getting past you and going the other direction. Some birds are heard in the distance to the right and one come your direction and it is well rendered by both sets. - Frank Sinatra: How insensitive (Jazz, good also for localization of sounds). The DT880 are definitely more powerful. The voices are more recessed but still present on the AKG. Both deliver nicely and I cannot fault any. Though they sound different, nothing is missing for either. Amped or not , both sound magnificent. - Robin Thicke: Lost Without you and Angel (Perfect for the voice testing and bass punch). These songs are nicely performed with both headphones. Their signature is different again, with the mids a bit more present for the DT880 and also more power. Once the FiiO amp is connected, the bass improvement is slightly better on the DT880. - Pink Floyd: Astronomy Domine (Rock and excellent also for the localization of sounds). I like the AKG better on this song but it is not because the DT880 are at fault. Once again, the mids are not as forward on the AKG and it gives me an impression of neutrality more visible than with the DT880. But once again, the DT880 offer a superb delivery. Used with the FiiO E11, the AKG start shining and takes a slight edge in my listening pleasure. - DJ Magic Mike: Feel the Bass (Infra-Bass, enough said...) will be played from my computer because it is missing on the Iphone. The infra-bass is maybe the most difficult sound for any headphone to reproduce. I failed completely a Sennheiser 598 for it's lack in reproducing it. In this case, both do work well, with once again the DT880 more powerful without an amp. Without a proper amp, the AKG won't be the best because of the power limitation. With the amplification provided by the FiiO E11 turned to the max, the DT880 start distorting slightly and leave me with a tingling in the ears due to the vibration of the diaphragms. This does not happen with the AKG. When I try to use a similar comfort level for my ears, the AKG appear slightly better. Conclusion: I have failed to find better than the AKG Q701 but I found it's equal in the DT880 Premium. I would suggest going for the DT880 if most of the use is done without an amp or if one prefers the mids a bit more forward. I would suggest to go with the AKG if the price is an important factor (you will save about $60) and if you like a more neutral sound. In either case, the Beyerdynamic DT880 Premium is a first class headphone!

I re-bought this for my musician husband as he finds this model extremely comfortable with excellent sound.

In love

i hear more sounds when wearing them, quality garbage, sound isolation 0/10, what am i paying for?

My review on these headphones will be more on my overall opinion of the headphones than a focus on the sound. I will be giving it a hard time and say what I think on little details, but again I am being critical. My first comment will be on comfort. I find the headphones to be mostly comfortable, but not the most comfortable out there. The earpads are soft, but because of the size of the opening they are mostly comfortable although I wouldn't consider them to be a set of headphones that disappear on your head. The headband comfort is padded well enough, but what makes it comfortable is more of how light the headphones are. I am glad that the cords are single ended as this well add more to the comfort. I find headphones like the HD598 more comfortable due to the size of the earpads will fit your whole ear inside while still giving you the same lightweight comfort. Okay now on to the build. I have mix feelings about the built and overall construction. I thought overall the arm adjustment for size is not the best I have seen. I find the when adjusting the size of the arms, it's seems clumsy. I am glad that they do include the notches to see how far you have adjust them unlike headphones like the Sennheiser HD598/HD558. The flaw of them are that they are not the smoothest when you change from one notch to the next. I find that sometime I have to push harder just to get them to go to the next notch and sometime I end up going two notches. Compare to the HD598/558 or Audio Technica ESW9 or the D2000, the process seems clumsy and annoying. (D2000 has the best I have seen on a headphone) Another thing about this is their seem to be a metal tab on the outer top part of the DT880 arm which usually I assume is for you to place your thumb there to adjust like some of the the other headphones I previously owned, but in the DT880 it's practically useless and more for decor. That metal tab when used to slide the arm will press against the headband will cause it to halt the sliding process. Now onto the appearance of the arm, when you look at the inside of it, the arm looks like it is missing an outer coating to make it smoother to touch. I also don't like that the cable is not removable and the part where it goes inside the cup is thicker/big. As for the bag, I wish the top flap of the bag has a little bit of cushion to fully protect it from be bumped. The bag is a very minor complain as I find it to be one of the best bag that comes with a headphone. I also think they could of put a little bit of cushion on the top of the headband to give it a bit more of a premium feel. Again, all of these complaint are not something that would sway me from this headphone, but things I see could make these headphones even better. Now that I got all of my thoughts on what I don't like, here is what I do like. I find the DT880 to have a wonderful sound presentation. The one I own now is the 32 Ohm version. I find the volume control loudness is great as I find myself perfectly content with the volume set around 45 to 55% on my laptop without any sort of amp. The sound quality sounds great and I have no issue with it without and amp. I do believe they perform better than the HD598 (a headphone I use without an amp) by having tighter bass, better clarity, less veil mids, more 3D presentation, better imaging. The soundstage seems very appropriate and uniform. The overall sound signature seems to be well balance without bleeding into each other. What I am also glade about the 32 Ohm version is that there are improvements with an amp if wish to use one. I also find the looks of the DT880 to be easily liked and not offensive. The weight of the headphones itself is very light and light when it is in the bag. The bag seems to be well design to where the wire is not cramp and the not removable cable won't get strained from pressure of being press upon. the cable is not so thick, not microphonic, kinks, and the connector are not huge. The 1/4 attachment are screw on which is nice. Overall I give the DT880 a five star because it serves the purpose I need it for:To be able to be used without an amp, comfortable enough for me to use for long periods of time, versatile enough for me to listen to most music, great for movies, a good enough case for me to bring it along when I travel, and it sounds fantastic at a great price point. Update 10/14/14: I found out a couple of things after owning them a little bit longer. The fit of the DT880 is a little bit smaller than then my other headphones and after extending the arms and pushing the cups toward the back of my head, comfort is a whole lot better. I also believe the side metal piece between the headband and arms are actually for the fit of the headphones.