Like every other headphone in this range, the DT880 has a tank-like pro-studio-style build with fully user-replaceable parts. They're hand-made in Germany out of a mix of metal and plastic. The HD25's were still very nice sounding, very clean, i think they convey what's really there nicely. At the end of the cable there's a big sturdy plug with a 3.5mm connector, and Beyerdynamic includes a screw-on unimatch 6.3mm adapter in the box. But as someone who personally loves Beyer's weird treble obsession for reasons I can't fully articulate other than saying its personal preference, the resolution and soundstage of the 880 are both much better to my ears. Where the 58X is like sitting in a room with wonderfully tuned speakers, the 880 feels like the raw audio data is being pumped into the space around your head. The 880's are being marketed as being "Semi-open", in my opinion you should think of them as being 'open' but with a bit of isolation.

If your coming from a low-fi setup, don't want an amp, and play video games, I would recommend the dt770's. If your looking for a step into the hi-fi world, have a decent amp, and is more serious about your music, I'd recommend the dt880's(but if you're willing to sacrifice some fun factor for bass-heavy games like bf2, for greater imaging(for that competitive edge), the dt880's can be used for gaming too). The DT880 I bought, in addition to having a high impedance rating that will place its own demands on the amp, has a sensitivity of just 96dB per milliwatt. That's on the low side of things. Highs - I found the highs on the DT880 to be almost perfect. There is enough sparkle to keep things lively, without becoming sibilant. Extension seems good - and the nice thing is that the highs are not overdone. Comfort: DT880’s are very comfortable to wear in general, but I feel these may not be very comfortable to wear for larger heads, owing to its round earcups. The earpads of DT880 may feel somewhat itchy to sensitive skinned enthusiasts. Design and Build: The DT880/250 Pro has a great build quality. That being said, Beyerdynamic has made a few compromises in pro version when compared to DT880 premium versions.

A Comparison of Beyerdynamic DT 880 32 ohm, DT 880 250 ohm, and DT 880 600 ohm Headphones Page 2

I had to turn my windows volume up to 80 before I got what I found to be a pleasant volume. And I could totally stand it cranked to 100. I'm not a fan of listening at loud volumes. So the fact that I could listen at 100 says a lot. Both cans shine with well recorded music, but the dt880's benefit more, or SHINE more, with better recordings. The DT880 Pro do have quite a bit of clamp force - the Pro version were specifically designed for studio work, and as such do have a tighter clam than the Premium version. This also is supposed to provide a more "powerful" sound (whatever that means) - but I suspect it may have more to do with bass presence and tighter soundstage. DT 880 - excellent bass, it's exactly how I like it. Very good extension, to below 20 Hz, no midbass bloom. Mids are slightly recessed compared to HD 6XX. There is a treble peak somewhere around 6 to 8 kHz. I have some hearing roll off so I notice it but only sometimes is it intrusive. Some folks rip them off their head because of this.

Mids are breathtakingly natural and airy, with a "hyper-detailed" and open sound to them. This is thanks to some peaks in the upper mid and treble ranges, aka the infamous " Beyerdynamic Treble." The coiled cable is quite heavy in weight, and if you listen to your DT880’s while standing or moving, you can notice the cable’s weight and heavy swings. This happens because of the coiled nature of the cable. Since DT880’s are semi-open headphones, these do leak sound, but not as loud as fully open cans. As I alluded to above, switching between these two models was quite revealing of their differences. The 58X feels a touch dark in comparison, with much more fun in its sub and mid-bass response. The 58X has a timbre that's more smooth and inviting, and they're probably a better overall choice for long-session fun listening.The DT 880 PRO Studio Headphones combines all strengths of open, transparent headphones with those of more powerful, closed headphones. Specially designed housings and an improved system equalisation turn this œremake of the studio classic DT 880 into an ideal studio monitoring headphone, with analytical qualities. Lastly, I prefer the coiled cable for its versatility and durability (snags are less likely to cause damage). As the DT 880 Pro's are the only (Semi-)open headphones in my test, it might not have been a very fair comparison. So, what has all this got to do with Beyerdynamic DT 880 headphones? Simply this: For any given headphone amplifier or source, you want to use the highest impedance DT 880 that will still allow you to reach your desired listening level on the source you are using. Higher impedance headphones will give you a higher damping factor for a given amplifier. Using a lower impedance headphone than necessary means that your damping factor will be lower, and the resulting sound will be less “tight.” Comfort: This is definitely a downside for enthusiasts with moderate to larger heads and ears. DT880 cannot accommodate larger ears inside its earpad. .Also, the earpads may cause itching/ discomfort in warmer climates.