DT 1770 PRO vs DT 880 Pro (250Ω): which needs more amplifier?

The Beyerdynamic DT 1770 PRO is 250Ω at 102.0 dB/mW; the Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro (250Ω) is 250Ω at 96.0 dB (no reference unit printed). This page covers what they ask of an amplifier, not how they sound.

The DT 880 Pro (250Ω) needs 6.0 dB more than the DT 1770 PRO to reach the same loudness — 2.5 mW against 0.63 mW.

The numbers that decide it

SpecificationDT 1770 PRODT 880 Pro (250Ω)
Impedance250 Ω250 Ω
Sensitivity102.0 dB/mW96.0 dB
Sensitivity (voltage)108.0 dB/V102.0 dB/V
Power for 100 dB0.63 mW2.5 mW
Voltage for 100 dB0.40 V0.79 V
Current for 100 dB1.6 mA3.2 mA
Highest source impedance
that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule)
31.25 Ω31.25 Ω
Sources that reach 100 dB
out of 280
280277

One caution before reading the rows. Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro (250Ω) printed a decibel figure with no reference unit, so this page reads it as per milliwatt. If it is really per volt, that model needs far more than the table says. Why the two readings differ by so much.

Where the two part company

3 of the 280 sources have the power for the DT 1770 PRO but not for the DT 880 Pro (250Ω) — Apple USB-C dongle (EU), Steinberg UR22C, Sony NW-A306.

277 of the 280 sources here reach 100 dB on both.

What each one needs from 80 to 105 dB

The DT 880 Pro (250Ω) is more demanding than 95% of the 567 non-electrostatic models in this database; the DT 1770 PRO than 82%.

dB SPLDT 1770 PRO powerDT 1770 PRO voltageDT 880 Pro (250Ω) powerDT 880 Pro (250Ω) voltage
806.3 µW40 mV0.03 mW79 mV
850.02 mW71 mV0.08 mW0.14 V
900.06 mW0.13 V0.25 mW0.25 V
950.20 mW0.22 V0.79 mW0.45 V
1000.63 mW0.40 V2.5 mW0.79 V
1052.0 mW0.71 V7.9 mW1.41 V

The cheapest source that satisfies both

SourcePriceHeadroom, DT 1770 PROHeadroom, DT 880 Pro (250Ω)Output impedanceNoise
JadeAudio JA11$207.8 dB1.8 dB0.5 Ω1.7 µV
FiiO KA11$2916.2 dB10.2 dB0.7 Ω1.7 µV
FiiO BTR11$367.6 dB1.6 dB0.5 Ω8.0 µV

Of the 280 sources here, 277 reach 100 dB on both. 72 of them also publish an output impedance low enough for both under the one-eighth rule and a noise figure that stays below the audible-hiss threshold with both.

The cheapest of the 72 is the JadeAudio JA11, at $20. It leaves 7.8 dB of headroom on the DT 1770 PRO and 1.8 dB on the DT 880 Pro (250Ω), its output impedance is 0.5 Ω against a one-eighth limit of 31.25 Ω for both, and its noise figure puts the hiss floor 27 dB and 33 dB below the 20 dB SPL this site treats as the point where a quiet room stops hiding it.

Try any other source.

What each sheet prints, and what it is worth

ModelAs printedToleranceStandard
DT 1770 PRO5-40,000Hznot printednot printed
DT 880 Pro (250Ω)5 - 35.000 Hznot printednot printed

Beyerdynamic prints 5-40,000Hz for the DT 1770 PRO and 5 - 35.000 Hz for the DT 880 Pro (250Ω).

Neither range has a tolerance printed beside it, so a wider range on one sheet is not deeper bass or more treble.

Not a measurement; maker by maker.

Both pages in full

Both have a page of their own. In full: Beyerdynamic DT 1770 PRO and Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro (250Ω). Each figure on this page is labelled on those pages with where it came from, including the ones Beyerdynamic never published — what that maker publishes, counted.

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