Beyerdynamic DT 880 PRO - 250 Ohm really better?

[Caine123]

hi guys, so i think i found out after so many years that i always used 80 ohms headphones instead of 250 ohms.... my DT 880 PRO from the past (maybe 10 years old or so) seem to be the 80 ohm version, i cannot remember anymore and i dont find any info on the headphones themselves. but i recently got a new pair cause i took them with me to other places and didnt want to always bring them with me. i ordered 250 ohms version and connected them on my Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 and suddenly after 2 weeks i was like "hmmmm somehow i think i need to turn the volume a bit more up and also the bass seems less pushed + less body?" so yeah being on the notebook now with my old Headphones they definitely sound less bright, more body and so on. i dont think this is just because of the connection to the notebook vs scarlett 2i2

i always read that you should get the 250 Ohms cause it is much more neutral for mixing & mastering etc. but is it true?

maybe it is also good to have both versions for another/different mixiing check environment ?

im really now confused and hope i did make the right purchase as i cannit return them anymore.

thanks

[BertKoor]

No right or wrong, good or bad. Just different.

Yes, 250 Ohm cans do require more juice from the amp. So it's correct you need to turn it up for the same volume. Lower impedance cans are more forgiving in that aspect.

I've got a 3rd gen Scarlett 4i4, and its headphone amp is not, ehrm.. optimal. I can clearly hear harmonic distortion.

[kritikon]

Can't say I ever heard a difference TBH. Sure you need more oomph to power 250 ohms but only if you want/need loud. TBH I find it odd that users want headphones pushed that loud anyway - I value my hearing so I'm NEVER going to have cans screaming at me.

250 ohms might be a hindrance if you're using small devices, say phones, tablets etc, but I find even my laptop can drive my DT880 enough that I don't go up on volume beyond 45 or so. Though I have read that some audio boxes are weaker than others and might struggle with 250 ohm cans. The thing about "needing" headphone amps etc is really only if you want to damage your ears. I do still find the 880s are a tad bass heavy (mid range dip more likely the culprit) so they're definitely not neutral for mixing, but as with most cans - you need to get used to their spectrum profile and then compensate for it. They're not perfect but they're bloody comfortable to wear.

[vitocorleone123]

Yes, it's better. But if you already have the 80ohm I doubt you'd get your money's worth on an upgrade - it's not a big difference as I remember reading about it (I got the 250s).

I power mine with a Topping L50 connected to a pair of outs on my Ferrofish Pulse 16.

My 3rd gen Scarlett 6i6v2 couldn't power them. My Clarett 4Pre could power them but a bit noisily. The Topping L50 can blow them apart with clean power.

Your time and money are better spent elsewhere that worrying about 80 vs 250ohms. In fact, getting some "room correction" EQ software will make a bigger difference (e.g, the Sonarworks + CanOpener combo, etc.)

[Uncle E]

maybe it is also good to have both versions for another/different mixiing check environment ?

No but you'll be fine. Focusrite says 250 is compatible:

https://support.focusrite.com/hc/en-gb/ ... -interface

[lfm]

People mention volume loss or not?
- just one aspect

Remember that 250 ohm is at 1 kHz, so what is output on 10 kHz or 15 kHz?
- frequency curve with be seriously affected unless high enough voltage on headphone amp
- coils like in speakers give you most probably 5-10 000 ohm impedance in hi end

output watts=U*U/R

30 mW=0.03 W max recommended for headphones and ears is often mentioned.

5V on headphone amp can give you 25/250=0.1W at 1 kHz
- already at 2500 ohm you get 0.01W at whatever frequency
- at 5000 ohm you get 0.005W at higher end capability

Will your output give you that over full spectrum?

I ditched my DT880 250 ohm because of it, probably wrongfully, because I did not think about getting a headphone preamp at first.

So when I got HD650 and same issue I got a Pro-Ject Headbox S and that fixed everything.
- this runs on 18V internally and cope with full range content
- so at 5000 ohm still get 65 mW or 0.0648W and cope well
- even at 10 000 ohm you get 30 mW with 18V
- so have a couple of those amps now and mixes translate very well to later do speaker monitors

Look out that newer Headbox use usb power 5V, so not the same thing. I would avoid those and look at amps that specify voltage or power and various impedance.
- I did not read in specs they use voltage doublers or something

Don't just listen for getting enough volume, that is only part of the story.
- how much hi end drop is there

This is also why hi end headphone amps cost more, capacitors in power supply are more expensive for higher voltages etc. You might need to go €300 and up, but look at specs more than anything.

In the end it's about your mixes turn out great on first attempt saving you a lot of time.

[Hanz Meyzer]

I think this headphones are quite overrated. It somehow compresses the audio signal and also has a terrible frequency response, very bright and bass has very low dynamics. I had two variants of it, 250 and 80 ohms.. my advice, avoid these, maybe the whole vendor.

[vitocorleone123]

I think this headphones are quite overrated. It somehow compresses the audio signal and also has a terrible frequency response, very bright and bass has very low dynamics. I had two variants of it, 250 and 80 ohms.. my advice, avoid these, maybe the whole vendor.

I love them and think they sound amazing, especially with something like SoundID on them. Also the most comfortable cans I've ever worn. Comfort matters at least as much as how they sound, because it if you can't wear them you can't hear them.

[cryophonik]

I have the 600-ohm DT880Pros and here are my thoughts. This is not my area of expertise, but I think the differences between the various impedances/models has more to do with what is powering them than the headphones themselves. The low-impedance versions are designed to be used with the headphone amp in a typical prosumer interface/device. My old MOTU 828 interfaces could barely push my 600-ohm cans, so I had to run it at 80%+ of it's output just to hear them at a comfortable level. But, they didn't sound that great in that situation. I could be wrong, but I think it's because of both an impedance mismatch and the fact that the MOTU (and likely Focusrite etc) interfaces' headphone outputs simply are not as clean as a good dedicated headphone amp.

I subsequently bought a dedicated monitoring system (Drawmer MC201) with much better spec'ed headphone outputs that have no trouble pushing my 600-ohm DT880s. I no longer have any MOTU interfaces, but if I match the output levels of the Drawmer with the headphone outputs on my Apollo X6 interface, the Drawmer sounds night/day better with more clarity/less distortion and reaches a comfortable monitoring level at about a 25% lower twist of the headphone volume knob compared to the Apollo. So, WTH is my point? IDK

OK, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that, as you move up in terms of impedance, you will notice an improvement in sound, but that improvement is predicated upon the assumption that you pair the headphones with the appropriate method of powering them (i.e., the higher impedance cans are meant to be powered by a dedicated headphone amp, not just turning up the headphone level on your interface). IOW, at 250-ohms and above, I'd be looking at an external headphone amp and not relying on my interface's headphone amp. Again, this is all just based on my own personal anecdotal observations and not something that I've studied, so I welcome any corrections, additions, clarifications, etc.

[mystran]

Yes, 250 Ohm cans do require more juice from the amp. So it's correct you need to turn it up for the same volume. Lower impedance cans are more forgiving in that aspect.

...and also because the impedance of any headphones and the amount of "juice" any amplifier can actually output both vary by frequency, if your amplifier is struggling to supply the load there's a decent chance the frequency response will start to deteriorate.

Amplifiers are not necessarily at their best when the gain is maxed out.

ps. The DT880 Pro 250 ohm is currently my main pair of headphones; they are not at their best when connected to a phone though.

[_leras]

I think this headphones are quite overrated. It somehow compresses the audio signal and also has a terrible frequency response, very bright and bass has very low dynamics. I had two variants of it, 250 and 80 ohms.. my advice, avoid these, maybe the whole vendor.

This is awful advice to avoid the vendor Beyerdynamic.

My dt1990 are simply amazing headphones. Construction is so solid and the sound is incredible.

(I do use an oratory eq correction if mixing or mastering on them as they have a sparkly bump at about 8k).

The best thing about them is how dynamic they are, which is also the thing a good amp/power will add. The transient response is phenomenal, if a bass is punchy or flabby you'll hear it clearly, the impact of envelopes and compression response is always really clear. I think this is the main reason they need to be properly powered. My RME sound card handles this fine though.

So for me I highly recommend these Beyerdynamic dt1990. I can't speak to your model, but you speak nonsense to say avoid Beyerdynamic.

[_leras]

ps. The DT880 Pro 250 ohm is currently my main pair of headphones; they are not at their best when connected to a phone though.

Yeah a phone wouldn't cut it. Though you can get portable headphone amps.

Probably worth getting a separate pair of headphones for listening on the go.