Once upon a time I ordered for a modified pair of Fostex T50RP (Thunderpants) from Smeggy. A year later it was still nowhere to be seen, and Smeggy vanished from the depths of the Internet.
To-date, all that is left in my earphone collection is my trusty Westone 3, which survived multiple cable breakages. It was time to search for a Thunderpants replacement, until it arrives (or not).
In the end, a good deal caught my eye - a brand new pair of Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro (250 ohm version), with GoVibe Peak desktop amplifier selling cheaper than what I paid for my Westone 3 last time. A quick search on Google suggested this pair of earphone was once the top 3 gems before the era of Sennheiser HD800 series.
Packaging
The DT 880 PRO came with a soft padded case, a very long (3 metres) coiled cable, and convertible (3.5 mm <-> 6.35 mm) gold-plated TRS jacks. A "just-nice" package, nothing too fancy.
Build
The pads are made out of soft fabric, probably filled with some sort of soft sponge. Unlike leather, the pads are quite breathable, so wearing it for extended periods will not cause discomfort due to heat build-up.
The weight of the headphones leans slightly towards the heavy side - they can not be worn in a manner that will not mess up your hair. The (also padded) upper band must sit on top of your head; choice, there is not.
Sound
When paired with the GoVibe amplifier, the DT 880 PRO sounds strangely similar to Westone 3 in terms of brightness, resolution and bass extension, except the fact that being a pair of full-sized headphones, it has a wider and deeper sound stage.
The only complaint I have for Westone 3 regarding the highly congested sound, as if the sound of everything being forcibly pushed into your head, does not apply in the DT 880 PRO. Music sounds more relaxed, more spacious, more natural, leading to a more pleasing experience when listening to heavy rock music.
As I am used to the sound signature of the Westone 3, treble and mid-range on the DT 880 PRO are no stranger to me. The bass on the DT 880 PRO however, is not as tight as what is on the Westone 3 - but this does not mean it is loose - on the contrary, everything about it ranging from the extension, the speed, the impact feels just right, while bass on the Westone 3 could be a bit too dry and sterile sometimes.
For the bass configuration on the GoVibe, it is in my opinion not recommended to provide additional bass to the DT 880 PRO - unless your music is so badly recorded till you need boomy bass to drown the noise.
The use of amplifier is highly recommended for (shitty) sources like the iPod Touch - the infamous bass-shy signature of iPod touch is effectively eliminated with the GoVibe. As for portable devices with decent amplifiers such as the Samsung GT-I9000 (Galaxy S), the use of external amplifier is optional if you have the Voodoo Sound driver.
Being a semi-open headphone, the noise isolation capability of DT 880 PRO is negligible. Furthermore, sound would definitely leak out, giving a false impression you are listening to music at very high volumes (which might disturb people around you).
Conclusions
The Beyerdynamic DT 880 PRO is a good buy - definitely better than *cough* Beats Audio *cough* in terms of sound quality and value, but falls short in the fashion department. For me, I wear my IEMs when I'm on the move, while leaving the bulky headphones at home or office - so I have no problems wearing a pair of headphones even if it is designed after a toilet bowl.
