Here is my review if anyone is interested:
Beyerdyanmic T50P A Quick Review
Initial Impression:
When I first heard them it was over at a fellow Head-Fier house. It was hooked up to his Ibasso and his laptop. I heard several songs on them before returning to my cave. First thing that came out of my mouth was “ooooooooooo.” The sound signature was completely different compared to my other headphones I have or heard. I listen to some Johnny cash, and several other songs with female vocals (I will assume it was either jazz or folk). I was very pleased with them, actually I was quite happy and stoked to bring the T50Ps back to my cave and hang them proudly, hanging next to my Ortofon O-One, Vixen HF2 and MS1i and of course the infamous Koss Portapros. So, off to home I go. Plug them into my X-Fi and played some Airbourne. I was shocked, and utterly disappointed. While I do know the X-Fi is not the best source, still…the T50P sounded veiled, recessed and overly hollow. I was not happy. But, I do blamed my X-Fi so off I went and into my Pico Slim, Fiio L6, and Fuze combo. Still, I had mixed feelings with the T50P. They were horrible for rock music, but sounded decent with jazz. Distraught, I started to read the forums on them, while I knew about the mixed reviews, I wanted a solution. 120 hour burn in eh? Well, guess there’s no choice! 200+ burn in here I go! If you’re wonder why the long burn in, it was because I was working for over a week straight and totally forgot about them, haha.
Note: I was deciding between the T50P and the Audio Technica portable line, mainly the ESW10jpn and the ES10. I will not lie that the whole “Tesla” marketing swayed me over and here I am today with the Beyers. As well, I kept thinking about the actual tesla coils and the mythbuster episode with the whole “water stun gun!”
Design/Comfort/Build Quality
Personally, I like the overall design, it’s very sci-fi looking. It’s very durable and quite comfortable. However, I do find the isolation well I guess better than the Grado but they’re not spectacular. Compared to the O-Ones, the T50P doesn’t seem like it isolate much. But, I will say it has average isolation.
Positioning seems to be an issue with the T50P, I have no problems whatsoever in trying to get a “proper” position. Some may have a bit of a problem with positioning.
I will say that I don’t like the cable, I find it way to thin, but the T50P has very good strain reliefs on the plug and headphone side. The cord has a very nice rubbery feel, reminds me of the RE-252. But, these are portable headphones and they put my PortaPro to shame.
Sound Quality
Equipment: Sansa Fuze, Fiio L6 LOD and Pico Slim
Music: All FLAC files
Unamped: Being 32ohms they are very easy to drive. My Fuze was quite happy for me personally I don’t need to pass 40% of the volume level in a quiet area. This is a huge plus for those who are on the move.
Paramore – Crushcrushcrush: Everything sounds great. I can hear all the detail, nothing out of place. Treble is excellent in detail, clarity and smoothness. A huge difference when compared to the O-Ones. Mid grade is very good too, while not as forward as the Grado, everything is smooth clear and detailed. Bass is very punchy and makes me happy for this song. There is also a nice metallic resonance, very nice indeed. Overall, very good musical separation, smoothness, very good detail, crispness and lightness.
Utada Hikaru – This is The One: There is a slight airiness and openness with this song that I like. Beyer is no slouch to reproduce the open sensation. As well, a nice resonance in Utada’s voice. Everything sounds natural, and very detailed. Haha, maybe for this song the ticking noise (in the music not the headphone/source) can be more annoying that one would want! But, I have no qualms listening to Utada with the Beyers. Everything is well controlled, with excellent decay in the bass and notes.
Tupac – Until the End of Time: While the T50Ps are not the bass focused headphones ever, the bass is still very controlled and detailed with a good amount of resonance. But, again there is this airiness and openness that seems slightly awkward for rap or his particular song. Everything is again detailed, with excellent clarity. I’m starting to think the T50P really excel in the midgrade and treble areas. But, the bass is also quite good, just not what I would want for rap.
DJ Champion – Alive Again: No qualms whatsoever, everything sounds great. Very smooth, detailed and clear. Bass is still very punchy. I could use some more bass quantity but quality is very good.
David Brubeck – Take Five: As those who know me, this is one of my favorite songs ever. This was the song that captivate me in listening to jazz music. The T50P does the best job I’ve ever heard for this song, when I think about all the other headphones I have and heard using this song. The smoothness is what I noticed. The cymbals are detailed with very good decay, nothing over powering or lacking. The drums have good resonance, decay, detail and naturalness to them. All the instruments such as the piano and sax sound very smooth. It is quite the experience to listen to the Dave Brubeck Quartet with the T50P.
Rachmaninoff – Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor op.18: I don’t think the T50P has an average sound stage. It seems to be wider than the Grado but not as wide as the O-Ones but it’s not that far off from the O-Ones. I would think while I’m not near the front row, I’m not near the middle either and definitely not in the bleeder section. For headphones, especially closed these are more than acceptable. I will probably say it is better than the other true portable headphones out there. Back to the music: What can I say that I haven’t said before? Everything is crystal clear, detailed and the treble is lovely. However, I do find the bass, no matter how clean it sounds, it doesn’t feel like it extend deep enough when it should, but it does have a nice resonance. I just wish it push a bit deeper and maybe it could be a tad louder, haha I want the rumbling effect of the bass! But, everything else sounds great!
Upon doing a frequency sweep, the bass does go deep, whether or not you can hear it is within music is another. But, it’s not as strong as other headphones I’ve heard. As I said before, I think the T50P really excel in the mid to treble areas. The overall smoothness of the beyers is something to be proud of. I am very happy and glad I gave the Beyerdynamic T50Ps a shot. While they’re not as warm as the HD600/HD650 nor as cold as the HF2 or O-One, I wouldn’t call them neutral. They seem to be a bit on the warmer side, well at least warmer than the HF2 and O-One that’s for sure. But, there is something truly special about the T50P. Go tesla drivers and shoot lightning bolts and those who mock you! If I had to say one more thing, this is what the SRH840s should have been!
If anyone is in to modding, I would like some more cushion for the ear pads!
T50P with the Pico Slim
While the T50P don’t need an amp, having an amp isn’t bad. With the Pico Slim the T50P sound livelier. Better clarity and detail (only slight – took me a while to figure that out, very negligible). The most prominent improvement I hear is the extended decay is some songs (great for guitar), resonance (due to positive amping process) and better bass (again positive amping effects). The Pico does help in trying to bring out the bass, just with a bit more quality and resolution, nothing crazy. These effects remind me of the RE0 and Pico Slim. In most cases, the amp is really not needed at all. Unamped the T50P sounds absolutely fine. So no amp, no worries. Just plug, play and enjoy the music, especially if they had a very long burn in!
Cheers!
Edit: When I get some more time I will do a more detailed review, especially with the Pico Slim as well add some fancy pictures
, though I guess it would be better to make a new thread.
