DT 880 Pro (250Ω) replacement recommendation

[Mutex]

Dear fellow headphoneers,

After over a decade of using a DT 880 Pro (250Ω), the cable is finally breaking and I need a replacement.

I currently own:

• DT 770 Pro (250Ω): They sound very thin to me. Never liked the sound of them. Only used them as emergency backup.
• DT 880 Pro (250Ω): Main headphone, used several hours, daily, over the past decade (my head is now shaped after them).
• DT 990 Pro Limited Black Edition (250Ω): Sounds better than the 770 Pro to me, but the mid seems lacking or drowned by other accentuated frequencies (V-shaped profile?)

All of them are fitted with Wicked Cushion ear pads, because I got tired of replacing the stock ones due to flattening and the headphone painfully pressing against my ears. So custom ear pad support would be a big plus.

Below the options I was considering for my next decade of headphoneering:

• DT 1990 Pro MKII
  • Pros: New kind of driver (Tesla.45). Detachable mini-XLR cable. Compatible with currently owned Wicked Cushion ear pads.
  • Cons: More money. 990's V-shaped sound signature? Headband cushions can't be replaced with 3rd party ones?
• DT 990 Pro X
  • Pros: New kind of driver (Stellar.45). Detachable mini-XLR cable. Compatible with currently owned Wicked Cushion ear pads.
  • Cons: 990's V-shaped sound signature?
• DT 900 Pro X
  • Pros: New kind of driver (Stellar.45). Detachable mini-XLR cable.
  • Cons: Forced to use short lasting stock ear pads. 990's V-shaped sound signature? Headband cushions can't be replaced with 3rd party ones?
• DT 880 Pro (again)
  • Pros: Cheap. Good. Trusted. I can buy 2-3 of them for the price of one of the newer DT ones.
  • Cons: Same old driver. No detachable mini-XLR cable. No freshness in my life for the next decade.

I welcome feedback from subjective experiences, objective measurements, and jokes.

 

[nm4711]

Ah cable can be replaced reasonably easily and Beyerdynamic sells spare parts. But buying a new one after 10 years is reasonable, I think. A pro for Beyerdynamic are haptics and robustness; I do have a DT770 Pro. However, sound-wise I am not a big fan of the sound as you also saying. I would take a look on measurement based reviews at audiosciencereview and other websites, rather than looking at data sheets without measurements, but driver types. Even the T1 and DT1990 Pro do have rather high distortion, especially in the low range, not mentioning the frequency response.
Based on the reviews, the Sennheiser HD620S looks rather good regarding the frequency response, but has rather high distortion for my taste. Distortion wise, the Hifiman HE400SE looks great, but I would EQ the bass response, as I like the Harman target for headphones.

 

[DVDdoug]

The DT 880 was reviewed here (the 600 Ohm version) so you can compare the frequency response to whatever else you are considering.

It got "not recommended" for weak bass (and distortion when the bass was boosted). ...But you didn't complain about the sound so this may be your preference.

It's always good to have a reference, and better yet if you know your preferences.

See The Harman Curve
Understanding Headphone Measurements (video)

 

[Chagall]

Currently, I don’t think any Beyer is a good buy and would urge you to consider other brands: HEDDphone D1, Moondrop PARA 2, Sennheiser HD 490 Pro or the Hifiman HE600. Take a look at the FR and distortion graphs - and most importantly, ergonomics.

 

[Mean & Green]

I always find it interesting how Beyerdynamic get pretty much slated here, yet I really like the two pairs I own and consider them the best headphones I’ve ever had after owning many pairs of Sennheiser over the decades.

My Beyerdynamics are the headphones that stopped me constantly buying headphones.

 

[Mutex]

My Beyerdynamics are the headphones that stopped me constantly buying headphones.

Which one is yours?

 

[Mean & Green]

Which one is yours?

DT 770 Pro 250 ohm.
DT 990 Pro 250 ohm.

 

[solderdude]

Dear fellow headphoneers,

After over a decade of using a DT 880 Pro (250Ω), the cable is finally breaking and I need a replacement.

I currently own:

• DT 770 Pro (250Ω): They sound very thin to me. Never liked the sound of them. Only used them as emergency backup.
• DT 880 Pro (250Ω): Main headphone, used several hours, daily, over the past decade (my head is now shaped after them).
• DT 990 Pro Limited Black Edition (250Ω): Sounds better than the 770 Pro to me, but the mid seems lacking or drowned by other accentuated frequencies (V-shaped profile?)

All of them are fitted with Wicked Cushion ear pads, because I got tired of replacing the stock ones due to flattening and the headphone painfully pressing against my ears. So custom ear pad support would be a big plus.

Below the options I was considering for my next decade of headphoneering:

• DT 1990 Pro MKII
  • Pros: New kind of driver (Tesla.45). Detachable mini-XLR cable. Compatible with currently owned Wicked Cushion ear pads.
  • Cons: More money. 990's V-shaped sound signature? Headband cushions can't be replaced with 3rd party ones?

and with mixer pads:

With mixer pads 1990 pro-mkII turns into the DT 880 of old but a bit 'sharper'

DT 990 Pro X

• Pros: New kind of driver (Stellar.45). Detachable mini-XLR cable. Compatible with currently owned Wicked Cushion ear pads.
• Cons: 990's V-shaped sound signature?
  

It should have been called the DT 880 PRO X. Bass level is even lower than DT-880 of old .

• DT 900 Pro X
  • Pros: New kind of driver (Stellar.45). Detachable mini-XLR cable.
  • Cons: Forced to use short lasting stock ear pads. 990's V-shaped sound signature? Headband cushions can't be replaced with 3rd party ones?
• DT 880 Pro(again)
  • Pros: Cheap. Good. Trusted. I can buy 2-3 of them for the price of one of the newer DT ones.
  • Cons: Same old driver. No detachable mini-XLR cable. No freshness in my life for the next decade.

Stay away from the current DT 880 PRO it has a very different sound and is bass shy.

 

[jacobacci]

A very long time ago in another galaxy I used to have a revox 3100, which was a revox labelled DT880. It was my daily driver for many years and I liked it a lot.
Recently I bought a Sennheiser HD550 and memories of the revox 3100 came back. I find the HD550 has a very precise and large soundstage. it is not expensive, so you might simply try it.

 

[obsessive9119]

I’m a long term DT880 owner/lover (had mine for almost 20 years). Loved them even more once I went down the EQ rabbit hole a few years back.

But, mine have been in mothballs since picking up a set of HD560S (and some Truthear GATEs). The 880s really aren’t very good without EQ, and even with EQ don’t sound as good to me as the 560S with no eq.

What really killed it for me I think was getting decent speakers (KEF LS50 Meta). For a long time headphones were my reference for what good should sound like.

So long story short - unless you already have experience with a lot of other headphones I’d recommend trying something different, preferably that measures well. I miss the build quality and charm of the 880s but nothing indicates these Senns won’t last 10+ years.

 

[Mutex]

View attachment 493673

and with mixer pads:
View attachment 493674
With mixer pads 1990 pro-mkII turns into the DT 880 of old but a bit 'sharper'
View attachment 493675




View attachment 493671
It should have been called the DT 880 PRO X. Bass level is even lower than DT-880 of old .



Stay away from the current DT 880 PRO it has a very different sound and is bass shy.

View attachment 493672

Hey Solderdude! I ended up getting the DT 990 Pro X (arriving today together with a ZH3 amp), precisely because I saw your review and your comment on it, that this headphone actually should've been called DT 880 Pro X. Thanks for that because this have me the confidence to pull the trigger on it!

 

[l3xtown]

Hey Solderdude! I ended up getting the DT 990 Pro X (arriving today together with a ZH3 amp), precisely because I saw your review and your comment on it, that this headphone actually should've been called DT 880 Pro X. Thanks for that because this have me the confidence to pull the trigger on it!

Hello, can you tell me more about the new DT-990 pro x headphones? How do they sound compared to the 880, and how do they handle low and high frequencies? Do they cut into your ears, and are they warm? I would appreciate it if you could provide more information, as I am considering purchasing them.

 

[Mutex]

Hello, can you tell me more about the new DT-990 pro x headphones? How do they sound compared to the 880, and how do they handle low and high frequencies? Do they cut into your ears, and are they warm? I would appreciate it if you could provide more information, as I am considering purchasing them.

The DT 990 Pro X sound very similar to the DT 880 Pro that I had.

In terms of ear cushions, I don't use the original ones (they flatten too quickly). I use thick custom ones, so the headphone sits over ear and never (or barely) touches my ears.

In addition to that, I also got myself a headphone amp (Topping DX5 II). This amp allows me to upload EQ profiles (or punch them in) to adjust the sound signature. In my case I used the one from oratory1990 and specifically the DT 990 Pro X EQ profile.

So, as long as you have the means to EQ, the out of the box sound signature becomes less critical, and build quality and durability become a more important factor. In this case, the Beyerdynamic are built to last, and even then, they're easy to self-service and offer replacement parts.

 

[l3xtown]

Наушники DT 990 Pro X звучат очень похоже на мои DT 880 Pro.

Что касается амбушюр, я не использую оригинальные (они слишком быстро сплющиваются). Я использую толстые амбушюры, изготовленные на заказ, поэтому наушники сидят на ушах и никогда (или почти никогда) не касаются их.

В дополнение к этому, я также приобрел усилитель для наушников (Topping DX5 II). Этот усилитель позволяет загружать профили эквалайзера (или вставлять их вручную) для настройки звучания. В моем случае я использовал профиль от oratory1990 , а именно профиль эквалайзера DT 990 Pro X.

Таким образом, если у вас есть возможность эквалайзера, то исходные характеристики звучания становятся менее критичными, а качество сборки и долговечность — более важным фактором. В этом случае наушники Beyerdynamic созданы для долгой службы, и даже в этом случае их легко обслуживать самостоятельно, а также предлагаются запасные части.

Please tell me which headphones you liked better, the 880 or the 990 pro x, where the highs are better and where there are fewer highs and where they are less sharp?

 

[Mutex]

Please tell me which headphones you liked better, the 880 or the 990 pro x, where the highs are better and where there are fewer highs and where they are less sharp?

I like the 990 Pro X better, but my 880 Pro was also very old.

Both the 880 Pro and 990 Pro X have slightly sharp highs. Not too much though. That's why I suggest you get an amplifier that has either PEQ or a bass/treble control, so you can adjust the highs on any headphone you buy. If you get an amp that has EQ, you don't need to worry about too much highs. You can just reduce them.

 

[solderdude]

Please tell me which headphones you liked better, the 880 or the 990 pro x, where the highs are better and where there are fewer highs and where they are less sharp?

I like the JT7 better.... and it is cheaper and fewer highs and better bass extension.

 

[Mutex]

I like the JT7 better.... and it is cheaper and fewer highs and better bass extension.

But the build quality, comfort, maintainability and customizability, solderdude! (I even used your idea to flip the cans 360 to make the wire not touch the head).

I believe once you have means to EQ, out of the box FR becomes less of a purchasing decision, as you can produce virtually any FR you want.

 

[solderdude]

With EQ the frequency response does not matter as much. Just know that the corrections for headphones are only correct for the specific measurement fixture it is measured on.
Your ears are guaranteed to differ from those fixtures above several kHz.

Some people do not use EQ and in that case the stock FR combined with the owners taste is important.
When one does not like Mt Beyer treble the JT7 is a good option in the same price class as DT770/990.

Of course, Beyerdynamic still offers original pads and most models are pretty durable. In case of the JT7 you will likely have to buy aftermarket pads.
The cheaper ones have fixed (but sturdy) cables.

 

[l_lama]

I choose for Sennheiser (HD600) over Beyerdynamic for wight and ergonomics, give a try to something in this series.
If you wearing them day to day for many hours, it could entertain you more then frequency response.

 

[Whatsthephuss]

I like the JT7 better.... and it is cheaper and fewer highs and better bass extension.
View attachment 519875

I concur. The JT7 is a nice modern headphone, thank you again for bringing it to my attention.

I still love my Beyerdynamic headphones. The DT1990mki’s treble peak seems to have gotten tamer over time but I have no measurements to prove it, & the DT770 Pro 250ohm has served me well for many years in many environments.

@solderdude do you know of any cheap, light, modern closed-backs that could replace the DT770 Pro 250ohm?