Beyerdynamic DT 880 Edition 250 Ohm

Wow. I wish I'd discovered Beyerdynamic 20 years ago. These are unbelievably good compared to similarly priced headphones from more heavily marketed brands. I'm using the 600 ohm version with a headphone amplifier.

Classical music enthusiasts need look no further - these headphones punch well above their weight. Neutral sounding, their lack of colouration makes for incredible transparency and a clearly defined soundstage. The 600ohm "high end" version is the one to have - it is hard to drive, but its low sensitivity brings dividends by lowering the noise floor, allowing all of that detail to come flooding out. Just make sure that you partner these DT880s with a good headphone amplifier - I use a Musical Fidelity M1 - in order to hear just what they are capable of. Superb sound quality, excellent construction - made in Germany - aesthetically pleasing and very reasonably priced. And comfortable to wear for long "Wagnerian" listening sessions.... a no-brainer. Don't hesitate, at the asking price you will not find a finer set of headphones.

32 ohm headphones should work without an amp, however these sound dreadful. Thin, airy and quiet, when plugged into either an audio interface, the PC or an ipod. Either they are faulty or was sold the wrong impedance, difficult to know.

I have a self-destructive habit of collecting headphones, with a good twenty pair in all. Despite reading some sharply negative reviews about these cans, I decided to give them a try, knowing I had an amplifier to go with them. Much has been said about them - no low end, shrill, etc.. Plugged into a very modest Canadian made $300- headphone amp, paired to a $65- Sony DVD player, these German built things sing. Beautiful clarity, precise bass, lovely mid-range, and plentiful but never dominating treble - light in weight, leather free (yay!), plush velour pads. Headphones are SO subjective, but I have to say, at $260- odd dollars, these babies are a steal. A relatively inexpensive introduction to the wonderful, immersing world of headphone audiophile listening - and I've played all genres of music on them. But amp them...don't plug them into a smart phone. They're not for mp3s.

The DT 880 have an excellent Mid range and an above-average Bass and Treble. This makes them sound decently well balanced, with instruments and vocals that don't feel pushed back or too forward on most tracks. However, their overall audio reproduction is a little bright and sibilant. They also do not have as much Bass as the DT 990, but on the upside, they have a spacious Soundstage, low harmonic distortion and great stereo image, which makes them good headphones for neutral listening.