DT 275 PRO vs DT 880 Edition (600Ω): which needs more amplifier?

The Beyerdynamic DT 275 PRO is 45Ω at 105.0 dB (no reference unit printed); the Beyerdynamic DT 880 Edition (600Ω) is 600Ω at 96.0 dB (no reference unit printed). This page covers what they ask of an amplifier, not how they sound.

The DT 880 Edition (600Ω) needs 9.0 dB more than the DT 275 PRO to reach the same loudness — 2.5 mW against 0.32 mW.

The numbers that decide it

SpecificationDT 275 PRODT 880 Edition (600Ω)
Impedance45 Ω600 Ω
Sensitivity105.0 dB96.0 dB
Sensitivity (voltage)118.5 dB/V98.2 dB/V
Power for 100 dB0.32 mW2.5 mW
Voltage for 100 dB0.12 V1.23 V
Current for 100 dB2.7 mA2.0 mA
Highest source impedance
that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule)
5.62 Ω75.00 Ω
Sources that reach 100 dB
out of 280
280266

One caution before reading the rows. Beyerdynamic DT 275 PRO and Beyerdynamic DT 880 Edition (600Ω) printed a decibel figure with no reference unit, so this page reads it as per milliwatt. If it is really per volt, each of them needs far more than the table says. Why the two readings differ by so much.

Where the two part company

14 of the 280 sources have the power for the DT 275 PRO but not for the DT 880 Edition (600Ω) — Apple USB-C dongle (US), Apple USB-C dongle (EU), JadeAudio JA11, 11 more.

33 sources are low enough in output impedance for the DT 880 Edition (600Ω) under the one-eighth rule but not for the DT 275 PRO (Zoom AMS-22, Audient EVO 4, ART HeadAmp 4 Pro, 30 more).

1 source stays below the audible-hiss threshold with the DT 880 Edition (600Ω) but crosses it with the DT 275 PRO (Schiit Mjolnir 3).

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

What each one needs from 80 to 105 dB

The DT 880 Edition (600Ω) is more demanding than 98% of the 567 non-electrostatic models in this database; the DT 275 PRO than 39%.

dB SPLDT 275 PRO powerDT 275 PRO voltageDT 880 Edition (600Ω) powerDT 880 Edition (600Ω) voltage
803.2 µW12 mV0.03 mW0.12 V
850.01 mW21 mV0.08 mW0.22 V
900.03 mW38 mV0.25 mW0.39 V
950.10 mW67 mV0.79 mW0.69 V
1000.32 mW0.12 V2.5 mW1.23 V
1051.0 mW0.21 V7.9 mW2.18 V

The cheapest source that satisfies both

SourcePriceHeadroom, DT 275 PROHeadroom, DT 880 Edition (600Ω)Output impedanceNoise
FiiO KA11$2926.5 dB6.4 dB0.7 Ω1.7 µV
FiiO BTR13$5923.5 dB3.0 dB0.6 Ω1.0 µV
iBasso DC03 Pro$6923.4 dB3.2 dB0.12 Ω0.9 µV

Of the 280 sources here, 266 reach 100 dB on both. 66 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 66 is the FiiO KA11, at $29. It leaves 26.5 dB of headroom on the DT 275 PRO and 6.4 dB on the DT 880 Edition (600Ω), its output impedance is 0.7 Ω against a one-eighth limit of 5.62 Ω and 75.00 Ω, and its noise figure puts the hiss floor 17 dB and 37 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 275 PRO5 - 24,000 Hznot printednot printed
DT 880 Edition (600Ω)5 - 35.000 Hznot printednot printed

Beyerdynamic prints 5 - 24,000 Hz for the DT 275 PRO and 5 - 35.000 Hz for the DT 880 Edition (600Ω).

DT 880 Edition (600Ω): Beyerdynamic prints one range for the whole DT 880 Edition page, the same figure for every impedance version.

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 275 PRO and Beyerdynamic DT 880 Edition (600Ω). 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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