Beyerdynamic DT770, DT880, DT990 Headphones with the Axe FXIII

I've got the 880 pros. Works better on the AxeIII than anything else I've tried, but I'm always wanting to try something else. I couldn't stand the coiled cord though. It was just short enough to always pull at the phones from where I was sitting.

I did some surgery on mine, and fitted a jack instead of the cord. Now I just use a straight 1/4" to 3.5mm of whatever length.
 
The coil cord is a bit short, but I have an extension cable for headphones if I need it so it's not problem.

I played through the DT880 Pro headphones all night and they do sound great.
 
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The Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro, 250 ohm, closed back have the least bass of the three to me. These were what Sweetwater recommended for tracking and mixing.

Beyerdynamic DT880 Pro, 250 ohm, half open back have more bass than the the DT770 Pro and sound more even to me. I think the DT880 Pro may be the most even sounding of the three. Listening to music on them sounds good also.

Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro, 250 ohm, open back sound the fullest of the three to me, especially in the upper bass and low mids. Listening to music on them sounds great also.

Just plugging each of the three in for the first time, I'd immediately liked the DT990 Pro best, followed by the DT880 Pro, then the DT770 Pro. After listening to music through each of them and playing my Axe FXIII through them all night I still feel the same, but I found I really like the DT880 Pro a whole lot also. I found I dialed in presets a little different on the DT880 vs the DT990, but I was able to make them both sound great.

Testing them out and dialing in presets I found if you have any cuts on the lows or highs in the cab block the headphones sound completely different so I turned off the cuts while I was testing. I found I often didn't need them.

You are definitely going to dial in your presets a bit differently with each of these sets of headphones (just like if you did the same with different studio monitors). I am going to take the same preset and dial it in with each set of headphones then see how they each sound on my studio monitors and powered PA cabs next.

These headphones are very comfortable to wear.
 
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In general I don’t like closed back phones. Sounds too unnatural to me not getting any ambient noise. I love my 650’s but never tried any of the DT models. I do also have the blue mofis but find them heavy and odd cause of the closed back so rarely use them.
 
The Audio Heaven site says this about the DT800 Pro:

"I also feel this (the DT880 Pro) is one of the better (if not the best) headphone in the Beyerdynamic range. The DT770 is more bassy and less refined, the DT990 is ‘warmer’ sounding."

"The DT880 is the most ‘neutral’ but lacks the sub bass and ‘thunder’ of the DT770 and the ‘warmth’ of the DT990."
"The treble is elevated but not as much as that of the DT770 and DT990."
"The DT880 is highly detailed yet not as ‘sharp’ or ‘piercing’ as other Beyerdynamic versions can be."

"The elevated treble of the DT880 is quite obvious. Those that like the tonal character of the HD650 but like a bit less ‘presence’ and ‘more treble/sparkle’ at the expense of some of it’s ‘body’ may be better off with the DT880. Those that find the Sennheisers to have more than enough treble should stay away from the DT880 (and all other Beyers)."
 
When I compare mixing or critical listening between my DT990 and HD650, the HD650 just seems tighter. A kick drum hit is a bit smeared out in the 990 compared to 650. I like the overall tonal balance in both. For casual listening I always use the 990s as they are slightly more comfortable to wear.
 
I went back and forth between the DT880Pro and DT990Pro and my studio monitors a lot last night dialing in presets on the Axe FXIII. The Yamaha studio monitors have more mids and less bass than either set of headphones. I found myself wanting to boost the mids when using either pair of headphones, a little less so on the DT880Pro. I also cut the lows at 80 on the cab block when using the headphones. Both pairs of headphones sounded good with a little cut in the highs with a parametric eq, but sounded good without it also. I originally liked the DT990Pro best with the Axe FXIII, but now I like them both. The DT880Pro seems to be the flattest of the two. I could make either one work and be happy with them.

I may get a pair of Sennheiser HD600 or HD 650 and try them out as well. It might be time to buy some better studio monitors soon also.
 
Have you done any acoustic treatment to your room? Most monitors are more or less flat, but the room can be anything but flat. My room has a 20 dB cut between 80 and 120 Hz, so headphones are a necessity for me.
 
Has anyone here directly compared the DT1990 to the DT880?

No, but I have compared the DT990 to the DT880, and I've read where the DT1990 is very close to the DT990 in sound.

The difference between the DT880 and DT990 is the DT990 is a little louder, a little fuller in the lows and low mids, and a little brighter in the top end. I've read that the DT1990 is very close to the sound of the DT990.

Go the this web site and scroll down. There is a place for you to select brands and types of headphones and hear how they sound with and without sonar works on. Just select DT1990, turn off sonar works, and take a listen. Then do the same with the DT880. You can also see a graph of the frequency range of each.

https://www.sonarworks.com/reference
 
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Update:
After using them all for the last couple of weeks I've found that dialing in presets on the Axe FXIII using the DT880 Pros translate best to my FRFR powered PA cabs. There sound good for listening to music also, but I prefer the DT990Pro just a little more for listening to recorded music.
 
I'm going to get the DT 880 but have always been using closed back headphones to elliminate acoustic guitar sound, since I prefer to not use excessive volume at home. Can anyone comment on how much guitar sound let the (semiopen) DT880s bleed into the ears?
 
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