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!