New headphones! Gotta stop buying stuff or I'll have no money left for food and rent
In 2020, I sold my last high-end headphones, the HD650, because I was not using them at all. Bought them in 2009, the HD650 sounded almost perfect--nearly the ideal sound. BUT, a little boring. Not engaging. I wanted a little bit more kick in the bass and bit more sparkle in the treble. My JDS Labs O2+ODAC combo drove them very well, I think. Also, I had issues with the HD650's comfort. Clamping force was too high, earcups too "narrow" due to the elliptical shape. Also, mine had this plasticky squeaking sound in the hinge of one of the earcups. Very distracting when listening to music and you move your head very slightly and hear the plastic squeak. But still, my all-time most favorite headphone.
Years before that, I used to own the Beyerdynamic DT 770, 880 and 990, all the 600-ohm editions. Liked the 880 the most. 770 had too little bass (a surprise to me) and harsh treble, 990 was an ear-piercer. So much treble. And "hollow" sounding midrange. But as I slowly listened to music less and less, and if, then through speakers, I sold all of them. I also used to own the Denon AH-D2000. Best. Bass. Ever. Loved the bass on those. Sadly, they were harsh in treble in a very weird way, that distracted me from the music I listened to through them. Sold them. My collection also used to include Sennheiser PMX-100 and 200 - those destroyed my earlobes because they held on the earlobes by these clips that clipped on to the ear far too strongly. Still have problems with earlobe pain to this day and it has been 10 years since I've last used them! I also owned the HD 280 Pro - very neutral sound, to the point of being boring. Also, too strong clamping force. Audio-Technica ATH-M50x were also in my collection, very nice sound, slightly grainy upper midrange/lower treble. Gave them to my then-gf.
Only the good old Sennheiser HD25-1 II remained in my collection. Excellent sound, good comfort, quality build, relatively easy to drive, good isolation... I have nothing bad to say about the HD25's. Just a lot of good things.
Lately, however, I felt like I wanted to listen to my music collection again through some good open-back headphones. First, I bought the Koss KPH 30i. I though that the drivers from the legendary Porta Pro in a more home-listening-friendly package would do it for me. Unfortunately, just like the Porta Pro, they have too much bass and the sound is too "dark". Midrange and treble are overpowered by the bass. Kinda like it, but not for long listening sessions and not with every genre I listen to. So, after several weeks of thinking of buying some new headphones, hopefully ones that sound as good as possible for not too much money, I visited my friend who owns a pair of AKG K702 and I listened to them. Unfortunately I did not like what I heard. Weak bass, harsh lower treble. Considered buying the HD650 again but remembered all the problems I had with my pair and their current price is too high for my liking. Then I found that the Beyerdynamic DT 880 600-ohm edition are being sold for 33% less than what they went for when I bought the pair I used to own about 10 years ago (current price about 160€, which is less than half of the price of the HD650) and I remembered how much I used to like them, so I bought a pair and they were delivered to me today. And boy, I just can't put them down! Yes, they are quite strong on the treble--any recording that has just slightly more powerful treble will sound slightly harsh and the vocals can be sometimes a bit sibilant--but still, I like the sound so much! It's lively, clear, dynamic, punchy...very good, in my opinion. But the 600 ohm version needs plenty of power. A good amp, which, I believe, my O2 is and I like the combo very much. Been listening to music through them almost all day, tomorrow, I will try some games with them. I'm curious if they are as good with positional audio as the Sennheiser Game Zero I also own are. Yes, the Game Zero are really, really excellent when it comes to hearing enemies in FPS--when playing Warzone, I usually can echo-locate enemies very well, to the point where my friends who play with me think that I cheat (sad that my aim is so bad that even though I can hear the enemies, more often they still kill me)--so I hope the DT880 can be also good in this regard, although I will need to solve the need for a mic somehow. Sorry for a long read! Pics:
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And boy, the comfort! They are, without a doubt, the most comfy headphones I have ever worn.
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