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Altabyte
4
Feb 3, 2015
I am on the trigger of getting this, but I was looking into the DT880s for a while and was about to go for those when I saw these. I have not seem much comparisons between the two and would like someone who has had both, or at least experienced them both for a while, to give me their opinion. Which is more comfortable? Which sounds better? How much do each of them leak? Also, do I need an amp for the AKGs?
eddd
27
Feb 3, 2015
AltabyteI have the K7XX and DT880 600 ohm. There's no clear-cut "better sounding" one ; the DT880s are very neutral, while the K7XX is more bass heavy, so it depends on what you prefer. I think they're both very comfortable headphones - among the most comfortable you can get (though, I'd give the slight edge to the DT880). The K7XX is mostly plastic whereas the plastic is minimal on the DT880 premium (if you care about such things... I don't.. both feel sturdy). Both leak quite a bit since they're open or semi-open (I'd say semi-open is basically the same as open headphones as far as leakage is concerned)... and as has been mentioned a number of times, you don't need an amp for the K7XX; your cell phone or any other device should be able to get the volume up high enough... but an amp may help with the quality of sound (or not... depending on who you ask). My laptop actually gets my 600ohm DT880s to a loud enough volume for me when directly plugged into the headphone jack (granted, I have to have the volume near its max for quieter recordings).
I should also say that the folks that are claiming that these sound awful w/o an amp are over exaggerating.. awful would be stock apple earbuds... unamped, both of these headphones are certainly on another level than my HD558s.... but with that being said, you might as well pick up a cheaper amp like the Schiit Fulla or Fiio E10K to go with them since these headphones aren't really meant for mobile use anyway (open-back, lengthy cord, large size).
TheFu
79
Feb 4, 2015
edddAmen. My position is, they are easily driveable unamped, i tried with an iPhone 4S which has a very neutral DAC and outputs 2,5 dB less than a FiiO E17, with LESS harmonic distortion.
Output tests have also questioned using one, with the one exception of them being louder. So, i can say with certainty that there is no distortion or muddiness if you drive them with an iOS device (as they all have a good DAC (google it) and output at reasonable levels on everything under 100 Ohms).
As for people who write about "muddy" sound without an amplifier: this is complete bollocks. If you can drive the coil with enough energy to create loudness, you can easily stop the coil with the same amount of energy again. No muddiness, soundstage distortion etc. This is physics.
Don't believe the hype, and certainly not head-fi.org in this regard.
some measurement sources: http://www.kenrockwell.com/apple/iphone-5/audio-quality.htm http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/02/iphone-vs-rivals-audio-tests/
BabyWrinkles
91
Feb 4, 2015
TheFuI use a pair of Bowers and Wilkins C5 (series 1, not the new ones) with my iPhone 6 streaming music from Spotify at "Extreme" quality.
Those exact same headphones on the exact same track from the exact same source (Interstellar Soundtrack specifically streaming at 320kbps via Spotify) sound significantly better running through the Schiit Fulla. The sound is much crisper, the soundstage is much bigger, and the bass is much more defined.
I'll go ahead and trust my ears on this one. While my iPhone 6 I'm sure has a decent DAC/Amp in it empirically, to my untrained ears a DAC/Amp will do wonders for these AKGs that aren't necessarily designed around mobile usage. Especially given how much improvement I'm listening to literally as I type on IEMs that were DESIGNED for un-amplified mobile use.
I'm not saying they sounded bad before, but that the DAC/Amp had a significant positive effect on the sound quality at the same volume on the same track from the same original source.
SuperBobKing
145
Feb 4, 2015
BabyWrinklesNote: <em>DAC</em>/amp. That discussion was about an amp on it's own.
EDIT: Oh shit, I thought that you had replied to a completely different post of his. Ignore that.
@j0hnny I don't think I saw them at $150. I feel like someone else would have already complained or been excited about the price drop by now if that happened.
TheFu
79
Feb 5, 2015
BabyWrinklesWhile the sound could be "crisper" – are you SURE the Sounstage is improving? In my opinion this is a too complex process and is mainly pre-determined by your headphones.
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