Review showdown: Beyerdynamic DT-531 v Goldring DR150

The regulars here at headfi know all about our German friend “Lini. The guy who suffers a compulsive headphone collection disease – not in fact unlike many people on this forum . Anyway, the reason I mention Lini, was because, in my mind he was the daddy of the phrase “groovalizer”, which in fact is the term that was christened to first headphone in this review, the Beyerdynamic DT-531.

Much has been written in the past about the DT-531 (much of it, from me), and it was, for a short time at least, something of a flavour of the month here at headfi. As with all FOTM's though, it was short lived, succeeded by whatever would happen to be the latest trends. However, the DT-531 has, I would imagine, a certain elusiveness even today, such is the difficulty in getting hold of one. You see, Europe seemed to be primarily the main market for the 531 and it was never seen much over in America.


Even here in Europe, it had negative reviews from some of the Hi-Fi press, and as such, it wasn't until a few people actually tried it and found those reviews inaccurate, that the 531 was taken more seriously. However, by the time that had happened, the 531 was nearing the end of its production, to be replaced by the DT-440, which unfortunately, has not quite went down as well as the 531 towards the end of its life, not only supposedly falling slightly short sonically but also with poorer levels of comfort.

For my original review, click here

There are many other reviews and impressions of the DT-531, which you can access by simply searching this site!

Now, fast-forward to today. The DT-531 has ended production some time ago. Lini christened the AKG K240S as the “new groovalizer” and the DT-531 relegated to his second favourite, an opinion with which ultimately, I did not agree with. As newer headphones became fashionable, the DT-531 has pretty much disappeared off the headfi map.

Mind you, while all this was going on, I saw many headphones come and go while the DT-531 stayed, and became the old favourite, and ultimately, the benchmark for me personally, with which all new comers were to be compared. Even today, I have not found a headphone that offers the same combination of qualities for anywhere near the price. I simply found it unbeatable as an overall package. Nothing for the price has the same combination of good overall sound quality, fun-factor, comfort, and yet, it was a headphone that would sound pretty good whatever your system, but as I have found out recently, will still scale to suit better equipment.

My headphone hobby around 18 months ago ended up going on the back burner, as I just could not find a headphone that would suit me better, and so, I guess I had reached that headphone nirvana, a stage that many people will never reach.

This brings us to the last month or two. I was made aware by PinkFloyd of the presence of a new boy in town, the Goldring DR150. I proceeded to read some reviews on it, and I did fancy a change, or at least, a headphone that I could alternate with between the DT531 for some variation. I was initially thinking that I would like a Grado, but the price is prohibitive in the UK, and the Goldrings, were touted in reviews to be much like a Grado, or perhaps a more sonically capable Koss headphone.


Click here to see the Goldring first impressions thread.

It was this thread that finally made me crumble and pull the trigger hoping to find a headphone that could beat the slam and fun factor of the Beyer. I was hoping this was going to be an affordable, comfortable Grado.

The Goldring, therefore, is the main focus of this review, and being that the Beyer's are the benchmarks in this review, it will therefore be a comparative thread.

On paper, the Goldrings could in fact be the spiritual successor to the Beyers. The price is slightly lower, and the overall emphasis does seem to be on musical enjoyment. Without further ado, lets crack on with the review.



First, I'd like to say a few words about my test system. Unfortunately, like the headphones, I am guessing not many people have had much experience with the components in the system. Suffice to say though, the level of electronics I am now using is at a far higher level in quality to when I first reviewed the DT-531. The biggest change primarily is the moving away from “Computer Source”, and I am now using a dedicated DAC.


The test system comprises of a Squeezebox 3. Nothing particularly unusual about that, but I'm feeding the digital output of that into a Musical Fidelity Digilog DAC. This is a very rare DAC and was one of the first DACs on the market. It is based on the TDA1541A Philips chipset which is a highly regarded chipset. Being an old DAC though, it needed some overhauls, so it has had the following modifications performed:-

1.All capacitors upgraded to ultra low impedance types
2.The silicon rectifiers have been upgraded to Schottky types which don't add a burst of rf energy to the raw dc supply as silicon types do resulting in a cleaner sound
3.The original design had electrolytic input and output capacitors these have been upgraded to mit multicaps rtx for digital input (yes they do make a difference) and ppmfx for the outputs,
4.Each capacitor is made up of 10 individual sections in parallel 'self bypassed' as mit put it the result is a capacitor with the best pulse characteristics
5.Converted to zero oversampling (nos) and zero digital filtering
6.Discrete super regulators for the critical components rarely seen in even the most expensive equipment


Now, please don't have a go at me if you see any errors in this. These were the mods listed when I bought the DAC. I don't know anything about DIY or electronics, but all I do know is that I believe the guy to be genuine, and sonically, to me at least, the results speak for themselves – it really is quite an impressive piece of kit.

That is plugged into a ANT Amber headphone amp. This rather ugly little amp looks a bit DIY, but was made by ANT Audio as a carefully designed amp, and never really received much lime light on headfi, but the odd review made of it was good enough for me to give it a chance, and it really is a good little amp for the price.


For more info on the ANT Amber, click here, here and here

So, to summarise, the system is:-

Squeezebox 3 >>> Musical Fidelity Digilog >>> ANT Amber >>> Headphones



Lining the two side by side, the Beyers clearly look like the older design of headphone, with the Goldrings looking a lot more modern, with their silver plastic and modern, attractive design in stark contrast to the fairly aged looking, simple Beyer design.

In terms of actual build quality, I would probably give the nod to the Goldrings also. These particular Beyer's don't have the battleship like build quality of their bigger brothers. Also, the detachable single sided cable is looking higher quality than the thin Beyer cable, and is also longer, which is useful.

However, things change when you put the headphones on. Although the Goldrings are perfectly comfortable on the grand scale of things, one thing that the Beyer's have always had for me is supreme levels of comfort, and the Goldrings just cant quite match that. The material used on the pads is very similar to what you would find on a high end Sennheiser, which is no bad thing, but the Beyer pads are just so much more cushy and comfortable to me. In comparison the Goldring pads feel itchy to the skin, whereas the Beyer's pads are significantly softer and more comfortable. The clamping force, suggested by some to be a weak point of the Goldrings, was not a problem for me. However, I can see how it could be, especially if your head is much bigger than mine.

The other thing though, that makes the Beyer's more comfortable is the headband design. With the Goldrings, the headphones sit directly on your head, and cause pressure. The Beyers have a “suspended” headphone design which gently rests them on your head, making them feel much lighter and more comfortable.

So, the Goldrings are ahead on design and build quality, but the Beyers win for comfort.



For this test, I tried to use a small variety of music. Primarily, my interests lie with electronic music, and I have no interest in classical, opera, or any other such “grown up” genre. However, I do try to provide a reasonable mix of music, as I suspect that it is these genres which are going to interest people looking at this particular type of headphone (i.e. The fun sound). I hope that this collection of music proves useful for providing an insight into the sound of these headphones.

Its also worth adding at this point, that the Goldrings have had approx 100 hours running in time, and the Beyers are probably into their thousands. I am of the belief that if a headphone does not at least sound 95% as good as it ever will in this time, then I am sceptical of it full stop.

Also, please forgive my dubious descriptions of the songs, I am not too great at describing some music

Song: Chicane – Saltwater
Type: This is a trance tune based on the vocals of enya / clannad. Quite laid back, but with a distinct 4/4 beat.
DT531: The Beyers make this song sound warm, smooth, with powerful bass, plenty of “space”, inviting vocals and overall quite natural balance.
DR150: This song sounds somewhat odd after the DT531. As if something is missing. More closed in sound, colder, and more congested. More in your face, but no more fun to listen to. Sounds somewhat metallic too.

Song: Chicane – Autumn Tactics
Type: Another trance song, very laid back balance, with sweet female vocals
DR150: The docs unfortunately sound somewhat harsh and forced for this. Vocal sounds trapped within my head. Sibilance seems to present and its bright. This is the worst performance the docs put in during the whole review.
DT531: The vocal still doesn't quite sound totally right, but that seems to be a “feature of the recording”. Still seems lively but doesn't sound harsh any more. Neither headphone truly excels on this track, but I imagine there is something about the track itself not quite right.

Song: Shpongle – Divine Moment of Truth
Type: Weird electronic goa / tribal / acid trance type song
DR150: Initially it sounds quite exciting. Bass impact is good. Presentation is in your face. Somehow seems a little cold though, and as if something is missing. Hard to put a finger on it.
DT531: This manages not only to sound more exciting, but less harsh at the same time. More space, and just more natural and organic. Sounds more emotive, and demonstrably more detailed.

Song: The Stranglers – Golden Brown
Type: 80's downtempo vocal song referring to the use of heroin
DT531: The first thing I notice is the nice bass and tonality of the song. Vocals are clearly without grain. Good pace, rhythm and timing. A brilliant performance.
DR150: Not quite as good. Bass is there, but not quite as abundant as the 531 and cannot quite underpin the music in the same way. It does however, sound good, and it captures the main emotions of the sound, so it gets mostly right. The Beyer just wins out on spaciousness and warmer sound.

Song: New Order – Blue Monday
Type: The 80's grand-daddy of trance.
DR150: The main thing I notice with the DR150 is the superb pace, rhythm and timing. It really does help grab the song by the throat and force it along. However, it just seems a little harsh, especially when it gets busy. A reasonable showing.
DT531: The extra punch in the bass is instantly noticeable The pace, rhythm and timing is spot on also, but not quite as obviously so as the docs. However, there's more detail going on here, and overall, it keeps its grip much better in the busy sections, never relinquishing control. Sounds a bit warmer too. The DT531 marks itself out as the superior headphone in this comparison.

Song: Nine Inch Nails – Head Like a Hole
Type: Aggressive industrial rock music
DT531: These headphones give you a close experience to what you would have if you were sat/stood near the front of a rock concert. The instruments are realistic, vocals are well done and clear, and the dynamics are fantastic, suitable aggressive without ever stepping over the line of being too harsh (but it couldn't go much nearer to that line IMO). Good grip of an extremely busy track.
DR150: A more immediate presentation here, it sounds as if Trent Reznor is shouting straight in your ears. Very aggressive sound. However, it doesn't make it more exciting than the Beyers. The air-guitar seems a touch more detailed somehow. A much more gritty, in your face performance that may well please rock fans. Personally I still preferred the Beyers approach as it was still suitably aggressive and managed to do so without sounding like it was trying too hard.

Song: Nine Inch Nails – Something I Can Never Have
Type: Mostly vocal, ambient, moody song.
DR150: Again, as seems to be becoming a common theme, the docs are very up front. Its just too obvious and shouty in this song, and its harsh and unrelenting presentation doesn't seem to suit this song.
DT531: More detailed, that much is obvious straight away. More natural and laid back and it just suits this song so much better. Bottom end seems more present too. It conveys the emotion better, and does it without the sense of trying too hard.

Song: Jean Michael Jarre – Oxygene 4
Song: 80's ambient electronic.
DT531: This headphone gives a nice sweet sound, with a good underlying bass line, no harshness and good detail. Very little cause for complaint.
DR150: The docs also do a good job on this tune, and it comes out sounding more similar than I expected. Nevertheless, certain differences remain, such as the bigger perceived soundstage / space of the Beyers, which I prefer.

Song: Bronski Beat – Smalltown Boy
Type: Rather aggressive 80's electronic
DR150: The docs seem to come into their own a bit on this sound, their aggressive sound seems justified in this song. Powerful vocal, and reasonable space, however, it is a touch harsh as well.
DT531: The DT531 does better than I expect here. Its more detailed, more powerful in the vocals, and more refined and with more spaciousness. The 531s outgun the docs once again.

Song: Sting – Englishman in New York
Type: Vocal / Acoustic, pianos, saxophones etc...
DT531: Straight from the off, its realistic and convincing, a nice warm, musical sound, with good bass and excellent pace, rhythm and timing.
DR150: The docs give good bass, however, it lacks the quality of tone (sound?), sense of space and refinement of the Beyers. It does get the musical question across, but it just doesn't sound as classy as the Beyers.



It is clear to me from analysing these headphones, that they both need different systems in order for the user to extract maximum value for money from them.

The DT-531, for all they are often touted as a forgiving headphone, I can say this much; they are very difficult to extract their true potential from. I feel that often, in the kind of system where a phone like a 531 may excel, the user may prefer to look at more expensive options. I feel that while the 531 can sound acceptable on lower systems, they do this by effectively masking the source's deficiencies As I have found out, as I move up the ladder, the better the 531 gets. Give it a good system, and it will reward. However, its all about synergy too. All too often, I have heard the 531 lack bass and give a splashy, somewhat metallic top end on even relatively good systems. However, I believe that with the system I am using it with, that not only is it plenty capable of a clear, thoroughly dynamic sound, but it really can rival more expensive headphones. Its just a heck of a lot of fun, and a real shame that Beyer don't still make it. I still think, even after all this time, it is one of the unsung heroes of the headphone world.

The Goldrings, in their defence, require completely different systems to make it shine. I believe it can shine in a better system, but I feel it needs a system that will compliment its strengths. I genuinely believe that a valve should be somewhere in its signal path, as the impression i got was it needs to be opened out, and smoothed out to give the best sound quality. In a valve system, I believe there is every chance these headphones could sound fantastic. However, I must say, that in my system, I believe you can have too much of a good thing, and my system is not exactly laid back to start with, and with the Goldrings, it just pushed it over the edge. The sound was not open enough, too harsh to listen to at times, and just lacked the detail and quality of tone of the Beyers.

I also believe that the Goldrings might well be a much better complement to far more modest systems. For example, someone using an ipod without an amp around the house should really give the Goldrings a try – I was pleasantly surprised by their sound quality straight out of my ipod shuffle. Clearly, they are relatively easy to drive – perhaps the Amber is overdriving them? Who knows?



If taken at face value, I would have to say that the Beyers seem to be the superior headphones, and for me at least, retain their title as the king of the fun headphones at the more budget / mid range end of the market. I believe the Beyers can be beaten, but not unless you are prepared to spend several times the cost. I've heard other headphones, more expensive, do better on individual areas, but the Beyers continue to do what they've always done to my ears – make beautiful music.

The Goldrings? Well, I don't see them having a future here unfortunately. I could happily live with complementing headphones assuming that they were better in at least some areas, but in the context of my system, to my ears, etc., they do not live up to the Beyers in any area.

I am prepared to admit that this review does not answer all of the questions that people will have about these headphones. There is the issue of synergy. I believe that the Goldrings are extremely sensitive to different sources, because of the excellent results I have with the ipod. However, I only have one main system to try, and I am not about to go out and buy all new equipment to try and make them work. They have made me realise that I really like what I have now. I think for more modest systems, where the Beyers lose some of their bass capabilities and dynamics, the Goldrings would be better. I also believe that in warmer systems, the Goldrings may well be better suited. I have no way of knowing this without trying.

I'd have to say, I would still recommend the Goldrings, but with caution. They wont work for everyone. I cant help but feel a little disappointed however, and on the basis of what I have heard, I would have a hard time believing that these really were competitive with anything in a higher price band. I'd say for the performance I heard, the asking price is probably just about spot on.

Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope you like the review

Glad you like it

I'd say by all means check the docs out, but if you can i'd definitely recommend to audition first.

Cant help you there i'm afraid, never heard the 431.

Hi Iron Dreamer,

I admit the possibility that the docs are just not the best match for the ANT Amber and the like. I know Duncan has / had an ANT Amber, and I know he much preferred using the Beyer DT880 over his RS-1 using it, so I guess it could be a similar thing here, hence why I say I would still recommend it, but to audition if possible at first.

From what I heard i'd match it with a warmer sounding system.

With regards to the DAC, its quite an energetic sounding beast considering, and the guy who sold it to me said thats part of the side effect of the mods he's carried out. He said he likens it to being similar to some of the better Naim CD players, but having not heard that I dont know, but I do know its got a very "PRATTY" sound, compared to the EMU 0404 I had before, but it also sounds warmer and smoother with more detail and bass.

Anyway, good to speak to you, and its nice to come out of the wormhole every now and again

I've revisited these headphones, as they are now on sale for £30 here in England (brand new, thats less than $50), as I sold my HD600 and ANT Amber because I felt I didnt need them any more since moving in with my girlfriend. However, complaints about our movies (we live in a flat) meant I needed 2 pairs of open back headphones. Because of their frankly ludicrously good value for money at this price it was a no brainer.

And having listened to some music through the docs, using both a Beresford DAC and Behringer AMP800 as headphone amp, I'd just like to say that so far they have seemed to be a completely different pair of headphones than when I drove them with the ANT Amber.

They sound a lot better than I remember them doing and can see why they get praise. Not the last word in hifi, or subtelty, but they didnt need to be as I bought them for movies. But even with this relatively modest rig, you get a detailed, and fun performance.

I now think that the docs are no worse than the DT531s are. However, the price makes them the bargain of the century in the hifi world IMHO.