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like 'em? good for rock? anything better for $300? thanks.

I have a pair of the DT880s and they are very nice headphones. Personally I prefer either the Sennheiser HD650's (but I don't know if you can get them for the same price as the Beyers) and the Ultrasone 750s or 2500s. That said, the DT880s are still good headphones, in fact, they are my preferred headphones for use when watching a movie or TV show and by a very wide margin, go figure.

If you can get a set of the leather ear pads by all means do so since they improve the sound just a bit. Also I find the DT880s to be very comfortable, even during long listening sessions, such as a two hour movie.

And yes, rock music sounds really nice on the DT880s. A word of caution: these headphones require a decent amount of power to drive them. DO NOT attempt to use these headphones with an iPod without an external headphone amp since they will sound really wimpy. But with a nice headphone amp these babies can really sing.

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like 'em? good for rock? anything better for $300? thanks.

I have a pair of the DT880s and they are very nice headphones. Personally I prefer either the Sennheiser HD650's (but I don't know if you can get them for the same price as the Beyers) and the Ultrasone 750s or 2500s. That said, the DT880s are still good headphones, in fact, they are my preferred headphones for use when watching a movie or TV show and by a very wide margin, go figure.

If you can get a set of the leather ear pads by all means do so since they improve the sound just a bit. Also I find the DT880s to be very comfortable, even during long listening sessions, such as a two hour movie.

And yes, rock music sounds really nice on the DT880s. A word of caution: these headphones require a decent amount of power to drive them. DO NOT attempt to use these headphones with an iPod without an external headphone amp since they will sound really wimpy. But with a nice headphone amp these babies can really sing.

Good to see you over here to jazzfan. I`m about to make a big purchase. AKG701s and Sennnheiser HD600`s. Based on what i`ve read, the 650 difference is not that huge, better bass, but also a darker sound. I`m not sure I want that. Plus, their discounted pricing is pretty good right now. However the Denon AH-D 5000`s have caught my eyes as well.
I read a great review about the revised Beyerdynamics DT880`s at Headroom. But, I have not heard them. Along with the headphones, a Headroom Desktop amplifier to round out the system.

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Good to see you over here to jazzfan. I`m about to make a big purchase. AKG701s and Sennnheiser HD600`s. Based on what i`ve read, the 650 difference is not that huge, better bass, but also a darker sound. I`m not sure I want that. Plus, their discounted pricing is pretty good right now. However the Denon AH-D 5000`s have caught my eyes as well.
I read a great review about the revised Beyerdynamics DT880`s at Headroom. But, I have not heard them. Along with the headphones, a Headroom Desktop amplifier to round out the system.

Hi Greg,

You'll find my posts scattered around throughout this forum but the Jazz section is my "home"

As for headphones and headphone amps, I've been an avid headphone user for well over 15 years and, as luck would have it, I'm very familiar with just about all the headphones and headphone amps that you mention above.

Trying to rank the AKG701s, the Sennnheiser HD650s and the Beyerdynamics DT880s is not that easy since many of the differences between these 'phones boils down to one's personal preferences. For example, the Sennnheiser HD650s are indeed a bit "darker" than the AKG701s but then again, many people prefer the crystal clear sound of the AKG701s over the more neutral sound (at least to my ears) of the Sennnheiser HD650s. Although I do consider the Beyerdynamics DT880s to be a just a tad below either the HD650s or the AKG701s that doesn't prevent other listeners from preferring them over both the HD650s and the AKG701s. Choosing between these three very good headphones is really a matter of picking the one that you like the best, so try to listen to all three before making your final choice.

I own two Headroom Desktop amps - a basic model with the Home DAC and power supply and a fully Maxed out version (Max module and the stepped attenuator) with the Max DAC and the Desktop Power Supply. I use the basic one in my computer room stereo system where it serves as the external DAC for my SqueezeBox receiver and the Maxed out one in bedroom stereo system where it serves as both an external DAC for my SqueezeBox and as a headphone amp for late night listening. And yes, the Maxed out amp sound slightly better than the basic Desktop amp but the basic amp is more than good enough to power and get excellent sound from any of the three headphones discussed above.

Over at Hi-Fi the Headroom products are sometimes blasted for being so expensive but to me they are worth every cent. The build quality of all their products is first rate and their customer service is the best in the headphone business. Sure there are plenty of other headphone amps to choose from but if you can afford to go with a Headroom amp you'll know that will be a quality product. Another good thing about Headroom is that you can always send back your amp to be upgraded should you feel the need or should you have some extra cash that's just burning a hole in your pocket (but that's rather unlikely these days).

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Good to see you over here to jazzfan. I`m about to make a big purchase. AKG701s and Sennnheiser HD600`s. Based on what i`ve read, the 650 difference is not that huge, better bass, but also a darker sound. I`m not sure I want that. Plus, their discounted pricing is pretty good right now. However the Denon AH-D 5000`s have caught my eyes as well.
I read a great review about the revised Beyerdynamics DT880`s at Headroom. But, I have not heard them. Along with the headphones, a Headroom Desktop amplifier to round out the system.

Hi Greg,

You'll find my posts scattered around throughout this forum but the Jazz section is my "home"

As for headphones and headphone amps, I've been an avid headphone user for well over 15 years and, as luck would have it, I'm very familiar with just about all the headphones and headphone amps that you mention above.

Trying to rank the AKG701s, the Sennnheiser HD650s and the Beyerdynamics DT880s is not that easy since many of the differences between these 'phones boils down to one's personal preferences. For example, the Sennnheiser HD650s are indeed a bit "darker" than the AKG701s but then again, many people prefer the crystal clear sound of the AKG701s over the more neutral sound (at least to my ears) of the Sennnheiser HD650s. Although I do consider the Beyerdynamics DT880s to be a just a tad below either the HD650s or the AKG701s that doesn't prevent other listeners from preferring them over both the HD650s and the AKG701s. Choosing between these three very good headphones is really a matter of picking the one that you like the best, so try to listen to all three before making your final choice.

I own two Headroom Desktop amps - a basic model with the Home DAC and power supply and a fully Maxed out version (Max module and the stepped attenuator) with the Max DAC and the Desktop Power Supply. I use the basic one in my computer room stereo system where it serves as the external DAC for my SqueezeBox receiver and the Maxed out one in bedroom stereo system where it serves as both an external DAC for my SqueezeBox and as a headphone amp for late night listening. And yes, the Maxed out amp sound slightly better than the basic Desktop amp but the basic amp is more than good enough to power and get excellent sound from any of the three headphones discussed above.

Over at Hi-Fi the Headroom products are sometimes blasted for being so expensive but to me they are worth every cent. The build quality of all their products is first rate and their customer service is the best in the headphone business. Sure there are plenty of other headphone amps to choose from but if you can afford to go with a Headroom amp you'll know that will be a quality product. Another good thing about Headroom is that you can always send back your amp to be upgraded should you feel the need or should you have some extra cash that's just burning a hole in your pocket (but that's rather unlikely these days).

Well, you blessed me very much with your input here. The fact that you can not hear most of these phones live and in person, makes it all the more difficult. But I do know your own personal preferences will play a part in the decision making process. And thanks for being so honest about the differences between the basic and maxed out versions of the Desktop amps. Whether its my favorite Mcintosh, or Mark Levinson, after a while, I don`t care how much you spend, the law of diminishing returns comes into effect. There is a difference, but how much, and at what cost?! So, I have a decision to make, and I need to do it soon. Yes, the folks at Headroom are cool. I have spoken with Tyll once, and then Jorge in sales. Very helpful with everything. As far as their pricing, I don`t see it as excessive. The Grace 902, and the Benchmark are not inexpensive either.

So tell me about our boy Mr. Scofield here. Are these current cds? My music with John is back in the day on vinyl! How are these, blues, fusion, or straight ahead?

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Well, you blessed me very much with your input here. The fact that you can not hear most of these phones live and in person, makes it all the more difficult. But I do know your own personal preferences will play a part in the decision making process. And thanks for being so honest about the differences between the basic and maxed out versions of the Desktop amps. Whether its my favorite Mcintosh, or Mark Levinson, after a while, I don`t care how much you spend, the law of diminishing returns comes into effect. There is a difference, but how much, and at what cost?! So, I have a decision to make, and I need to do it soon. Yes, the folks at Headroom are cool. I have spoken with Tyll once, and then Jorge in sales. Very helpful with everything. As far as their pricing, I don`t see it as excessive. The Grace 902, and the Benchmark are not inexpensive either.

So tell me about our boy Mr. Scofield here. Are these current cds? My music with John is back in the day on vinyl! How are these, blues, fusion, or straight ahead?

Greg,

You're most welcome. It's exactly as you say: it's not that there aren't differences between my two Headroom amps but rather that the differences are very slight and for many listeners these slight differences may not justify the added expense of the Maxed amp. My saying that all three headphones sound great when used with the basic HR Desktop amp is no lie but when used with my Maxed out HR Desktop amp there is just a little bit more resolution and detail to the sound. Is that additional resolution and detail worth the added cost? For me it is but for someone else it may not be.

As for your continuing references to the "Recently Played Tracks" listing in my signature. This is listing of the tracks I have been listening to via my music server, aka Slim Devices' Transporter and SqueezeBox. Since it is a computer based system there software which sends the information on what I'm listening to the Last.fm website and the information is update in real time. So what you are seeing is basically a snapshot of the last four songs that I've listened to at the moment you open the Stereophile forum web page. If you refresh the web page while I'm actively listening then you'll see a different four songs. For a much better explanation on how this all works and to see information about my music library and a complete history of what I've played check out my user page at Last.fm: Jazzfann

And I almost forgot: The Scofield I was listening to is from his 2007 release "This Meets That" and is one of his better recordings. Very worthwhile.

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Well, you blessed me very much with your input here. The fact that you can not hear most of these phones live and in person, makes it all the more difficult. But I do know your own personal preferences will play a part in the decision making process. And thanks for being so honest about the differences between the basic and maxed out versions of the Desktop amps. Whether its my favorite Mcintosh, or Mark Levinson, after a while, I don`t care how much you spend, the law of diminishing returns comes into effect. There is a difference, but how much, and at what cost?! So, I have a decision to make, and I need to do it soon. Yes, the folks at Headroom are cool. I have spoken with Tyll once, and then Jorge in sales. Very helpful with everything. As far as their pricing, I don`t see it as excessive. The Grace 902, and the Benchmark are not inexpensive either.

So tell me about our boy Mr. Scofield here. Are these current cds? My music with John is back in the day on vinyl! How are these, blues, fusion, or straight ahead?

Greg,

You're most welcome. It's exactly as you say: it's not that there aren't differences between my two Headroom amps but rather that the differences are very slight and for many listeners these slight differences may not justify the added expense of the Maxed amp. My saying that all three headphones sound great when used with the basic HR Desktop amp is no lie but when used with my Maxed out HR Desktop amp there is just a little bit more resolution and detail to the sound. Is that additional resolution and detail worth the added cost? For me it is but for someone else it may not be.

As for your continuing references to the "Recently Played Tracks" listing in my signature. This is listing of the tracks I have been listening to via my music server, aka Slim Devices' Transporter and SqueezeBox. Since it is a computer based system there software which sends the information on what I'm listening to the Last.fm website and the information is update in real time. So what you are seeing is basically a snapshot of the last four songs that I've listened to at the moment you open the Stereophile forum web page. If you refresh the web page while I'm actively listening then you'll see a different four songs. For a much better explanation on how this all works and to see information about my music library and a complete history of what I've played check out my user page at Last.fm: Jazzfann

And I almost forgot: The Scofield I was listening to is from his 2007 release "This Meets That" and is one of his better recordings. Very worthwhile.

That is real kool jazzfan. I have considered the SqueezeBox or LogicTech Transporter. Since listening to Jazz, even here in NY on the radio is pretty much dead, that must be the way to go. Cool about your listings in real time. I`ll check out the John Scofield cd.

BTW jazzfan, the very first time I heard Lee Morgan was when I was real young. Maybe not even a teenager. Guess what LP? The SIDEWINDER, STILL MY FAVORITE TODAY!!

I think that Sidewinder is one of the top five trumpet recordings of all time. (I've got about five copies in three or four formats). In certain ways Lee's talent rivalled Brownies at a young age. Overall I prefer Brownie, but Sidewinder is special.

Yes dcstep, Sidewinder is special and will remain so. I played alto and tenor sax while in high school and college, some of my best days being in a band, playing at colleges, mixers, little bars, big fun. But that Joe Henderson solo looms large for me!!