Everyone seems to describe Beyer headphones like something unique. Something special. To you, what exactly is the "beyer signature sound"??

The sound of my DT250 I describe as "a whole", "personal" and "relaxing" - Are those the words you also use to describe your beyers???

I hope to demystify the term "Beyer signature sound" in this thread. Help me out beyer owners!!

This is what Headroom President Tyll Hertsens had to say about the people at Beyerdynamic when he reported about his European Vacation in September 2001:
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If something measures beautifully, it doesn't necessarily sound that way. Using one's ears when developing audio equipment seems an excellent idea to me.

I'd agree with your description, Flasken. There is a wholeness and homogenousness to the Beyer sound, it's relaxed and doesn't try to impress with hi-fi fireworks. However, I believe the top phones of Beyer's hi-fi line are simply too bright: the DT 931 and the DT 831, but the phones of Beyer's professional line (and the DT 531) offer a relaxed musicality and coherence that, to me, translates into realism. That Beyer headphones have rather well behaved upper mids and lower treble and thus generally aren't bright and fatiguing is certainly helpful. And many of them have very good bass extension and slam, what many call "Beyerdynamic bass". This very good bass reproduction extends into the lower mids and lends some weight to the fundamentals area, which means that instruments are reproduced with appropriate body. There is a visceral quality to the Beyers' reproduction of sound-boxes that I find very satisfying and natural. This might be due to a Beyer design decision: Beyer headphones are closed or semi-closed. And I'd say that the Beyers' coherence and homogenousness is responsible for quite a bit of transparency. One can hear different instruments and simultaneous musical lines without being forced to do so. Even with symphonic orchestras or sudden crescendi, the better Beyers sound "in control". They are the opposite of nervous or agitated. They are smooth, forgiving and simply enjoyable.

Tomcat: Nice description - seems to hit the nail on the head. Nevertheless, the "beyerdynamic sound" rather seems to be a "beyerdynamic driver signature sound" to me, as the DT250/250, DT531, DT770Pro/250 and DT990Pro have a similar signature sound with some variation, whereas the DT250/80 sounds more different (quite similar bass, some more mids, but very noticable roll-off in the highs...). I haven't heard the DT831 and DT931 yet, though, so I can't comment on these...

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / Lini

P.S.: Nevertheless, I'd like too encourage Beyerdynamic and AKG fans alike to try the AKG K240S, because to my ears it combines the Beyerdynamic-250-Ohm-driver-phones- with the AKG-K40x/50x-virtues to a very nice and fairly priced product (which has made my DT531 rather useless...).

I'm working on it! (I have several Beyer's on the way.)

In short, they have a correctness to my ears that I would use the following analogy to describe: perfect posture. It's like looking at a supermodel, and you're wondering to yourself, did they leave the hanger in? It's not too forward, and it's not too laid-back, it just presents the music as is, and then just gets out of the way.

Not sure that was what you were looking for, but I was really enjoying my DT770's today.

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And you like the W100? Please explain. I find them very bright, but in an enjoyable way (in a way more enjoyable than, say, Grado's, for some reason), so not meant to be a disagreement, just trying to understand.

Dusty,
I didn't know you got Matt's EMP/W100 combo. Nice! I see several reviews in your future.

I'd say the Beyers have a more distant soundstage perspective, yes, but I am not sure that this is best described as a frequency response issue. I presume the W100's higher efficiency plays a role in this as well. There seems to be more low-level signal content and superior resolution and this might explain at least some of the immediacy and closeness of the W100. Nevertheless, the W100 has a very deep soundstage. Instruments in the back of the concert hall sound that way. To me, the W100 is extremely transparent without being obtrusive, analytical or fatiguing.

I agree that the 770 Pro (the 250 Ohm version) has a darker tonal balance as the W100, but the W100 is quite close to the 990 Pro in terms of general tonal balance. The W100 seems to have more upper mid response than 770 or 990 Pro, but to me, it sounds more convincing and homogenous. I'd say that both the 770 and 990 Pro have a slight emphasis in the mid to upper treble. There is just a tiny bit of harshness that isn't there with W100. With the W100, things throughout the frequency range simply happen at the same time. To my ears, there is an even tighter and more credible connection between the fundamentals' area and the overtones. That's how I hear it.

lini,
I'd love to try the AKG K240S. But I have a feeling that I'd prefer "The Groovalizer" to "The Analyzer".

Tomcat: Mhmhmmm, I'm not sure. From your comparisions above, the K240S might also share some of the virtues of the W100 - I guess, you'd like it. But then, the K240S must have been made especially for me, anyway, because there's a picture of a young man who looks almost exactly like me printed on the box...

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

So, lini, are you saying that buying either the 501 or 531 would be completely nonsense since the 240S has the best of both and is better than each of them??

Flasken: Well, it's still a matter of taste, I guess - and probably some amp synergy as well. But yes, to my ears the K240S brings best of both worlds.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

I don't really have anything to add that hasn't already been said here, I pretty much agree with the way you guys have described the Beyer sound

In regards to the AKG vs DT531 comparison, I'd like to have a listen to the AKGs, but like Tomcat said - I think I'd prever groovy to analytical - which is why I prefer the sound of the DT250 over the DT831.
That's not to say the DT831s don't sound groovy, they just aren't as toe-tappingly fun as the 250s are.

IMHO that puts the DT531 half way between the two, but in open format - I found the DT531 to be the best all-round Beyer in terms of accuracy, fun and soundstage, which are important factors to me when listening; fun probably being the most important to me personally.

I really don't like cold sounding headphones, and I don't really like agressive sounding headphones either - Beyers have that nice personal "here is your music sir" sound presented with a friendly smile and a glass of cognac when that's what you want, but also being able to pat you on the back and hand you a beer when you're in that kind of mood

Strange analogy, but it really is hard to describe that Beyer signature sound.

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Heh. You don't know the half of it.

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Yes!!! nicely said snufkin. And it basically sums up my thoughts about the DT250 sound in my review