Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphones (full-size) › beyerdynamic T5p: Photos and first impressions.
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

beyerdynamic T5p: Photos and first impressions. - Page 36

post #526 of 855
1/20/13 at 1:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by rasmushorn View Post

OK thanks. So it is possible and I only have to apply a bit more force. I will try that. 

 

Did you manage to disassemble your T5p?

Reply

Gear mentioned in this thread:

post #527 of 855
1/20/13 at 1:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by AJHeadfi View Post

 

Did you manage to disassemble your T5p?

Yes! It was easy. Once the cushions are removed there is a little corner around the driver cover where you can place a small flat screwdriver and then pop out the driver. I found out that it is easier to leave the cushions on the rings and pop off the cushion-ring with the cushion sitting on it. In that way there will be no scratches at all after disassembling them. 

 

Also assembling it again is easy as the driver pops right back in again. It doesn't even leave any marks. Now I just have to find the right cable and mini-jack plug. I also think I will get a cable a little longer than the stock cable. 

Reply
post #528 of 855
1/23/13 at 7:24pm

Beyerdynamic T5p Impressions: 

 
Introduction: 
 
I have been researching closed-back portable headphones for a couple of years, off and on. I sometimes have to drive a few hours to see family or travel to events, and I've found that the better the music I listen to, the more likely I am to remain awake at the wheel. Also, I recently gained a part-time roommate, as one of my very good friends is having marital difficulties and stays at my place about 50% of the time. We very rarely work the same shifts (we both work retail), and sometimes need to do our own thing in the same room. I have a pair of LCD-2s that I absolutely adore (one of my absolute favorite things I own), but if he is talking on the phone (or doing whatever), I can obviously hear him. Also, I tend to listen to music (or watch TV shows on my tablet) as I lay down to go to sleep, and I prefer to use headphones in deference to both audio quality and the poor SOB trying to sleep upstairs. 
 
I find myself using my HD25 pretty frequently for different things in different settings (even sometimes at work, if I'm trying to box everybody out and really gear down into a project or something), so the utility of a pair of portable, closed headphones is pretty apparent to me. And being an audio nutjob gear whore, I naturally had a strong interest in the top-of-the-line offerings from a number of different companies. While the Fostex TH900 sounds like it would be absolutely amazing, that's simply a significant amount more than I'm willing to spend at the moment, so my search really came down to the T5p and Signature Pros. Each seems to have a lot of conflicting feedback from users, and both seem to incite both strong affection and strong distaste, so it was a bit difficult to figure out which way to go. Ultimately, I leaned towards the T5p, particularly after reading NZTechFreak's notes on how they sounded on metal in direct comparison to the Sig Pros. But I resolved to keep my mind open to whichever came up as a good deal first, and lo and behold, last week I saw a pair of T5p in the classifieds at a reasonable price, and pulled the trigger. 
 
These thoughts were captured at various times throughout the day in different situations with different combinations of gear. This should hopefully explain the somewhat haphazard and disjointed nature of some of the comments below. To be clear: I am not a professional reviewer; I do not claim to have an absolute understanding of what these or any headphones sound like to anyone else; and my impressions do not undermine or invalidate the impressions of anyone else. I'm just a guy who loves music, headphones, and being a bit verbose at times. Anyway, I hope this helps point somebody in the right direction!
 
 
Background Info and Gear Used: 
 
I have plugged these into: 
  • Samsung Galaxy S3 straight (no external amplification)
  • iBasso D6 as amplifier w/ JDS Labs ODAC from S3
  • Yulong D100 (both low and high outputs)
  • Schitt Lyr w/ Mullard E88C tubes
  • JDS Labs O2 amplifier (from D100)

 

When listening to the T5p on the Schitt Lyr, I enjoy the sound quite a bit, but there is a very noticeable amount of hiss even at low volumes. Probably predictable given the 6 watts of power going to a 32 ohm set of cans. 
 
These work well out of my S3 without additional amplification, but they improve noticeably when plugged into an external DAC and amp. Things get clearer, more involved, and the upper or midbass (not sure which is technically accurate) gets significantly less congested. 
 
I tend to listen at pretty low volumes, and the volume control on the D100 was not nearly granular enough to suit my needs here. I've got them plugged into the D100 as I type this, and I've got it literally three notches up from the absolute bottom, and both of the two notches below this one have severe channel imbalance. On the O2 I ended up listening a bit louder than I really wanted to due to the channel imbalance at low volumes. I would also add that the O2 sounded a touch more brash and less clear than the low output jack on the D100, so if you're listening to busy music (massed strings, or Thomas Giles' 'Pulse' in my case), the O2 might not be the best match. Not a huge difference, but enough to notice when paying attention. 
 
My source for all my desktop amps is my computer, a frankenbox running Windows 8 Pro. I use JRiver MC18 (currently 18.0.106) for all my listening. I have a several terabytes of music that I've purchased, ripped, and downloaded through the years. Most of it is CD quality, as usual. All my rips were done to WM Lossless using EAC. I have some 24/96 and 24/192 stuff, but I tend to listen to the music I'm in the mood for, not the bitrate and whatnot. When I do listen to MP3s, they are typically 320kbps. 
 
My S3 is running stock 4.1 (Jelly Bean), but it's rooted. I use Neutron for all the music I have stored on the device and MOG for most of my streaming music. (As an aside, I was really quite surprised by how much poorer the music quality was when running AOKP on my phone than stock... Apparently Samsung did spend some time on audio quality, even though they did end up leaving us Yanks out in the cold when it came to the Wolfson DAC they used in Europe). 
 
I listen to a lot of music, and while my tastes in a single day can run from light vocal jazz to small string ensembles to grindcore to triphop to god-knows-what-else, I listen to more metal than anything. I tend to prefer music that uses nonstandard (= not 4/4) time signatures, complex rhythms, and often a lot of dissonance. (Arguably my favorite 5 bands are Opeth, Dillinger Escape Plan, Radiohead, Pink Floyd, and Nine Inch Nails, if that provides any insight). I do tend to listen to entire albums, and almost never just listen to one song. (I've only done the one-song thing today once, and I'm auditioning a new headphone). 
 
I tend to value tonality and texture pretty highly. I don't care a lot about soundstage (I think my many years of wrestling and subsequent surgery on my ears has probably diminished my ability to pick up on spatial cues somewhat). I gravitate towards more driving, engaging sound (most of the time). I (apparently) like bass more than I realized before I got this headphone, although I have never been a guy to crank up the bass on anything, and actually am typically the guy who hates it when people crank up bass for no reason other than to irritate everyone for a quarter mile in every direction. 
 
 
Build Quality: 
 
Very good. These look and feel like a quality, high-end product, and I love the understated modernist aesthetic. They are quite comfortable (with some caveats below), and are surprisingly lightweight. 
 
I frankly find these to be borderline gorgeous in their understatement. These are the hot librarians of the headphone world for sure.
 
It does drive me crazy that these headphones don't have removable cables. The cable that comes with it is about 6 inches too short, and as I often use my phone as a source when I'm on the go, having the ability to use a cable with a phone mic is fantastically useful, but nonremovable cables make this a pricey and time-consuming affair. Manufacturers: there is just no reason to do this. Ever. [/tirade.]
 
The cable looks a little bit skimpy for a high-end headphone. Not a big deal, but I would have liked something a little nicer on a can this expensive. It is very pliable though, and microphonics aren't an issue at all (as you'd expect from a circumaural). I didn't know how well the dual-entry cables would work out when out and about, but I had zero problems with them. 
 
The tactile element of these are just great-- they feel great in the hands and on the head. 
 
These are sharp-looking enough that I would feel perfectly comfortable displaying them on a nice stand in my home. 
 
My unit came with the zippered carrying bag, but no metal box. The bag seems like it would be useful for avoiding scratches, but as it isn't reinforced, it doesn't seem like it would be much good defending my cans against the rest of the stuff in my backpack. Something like the V-Moda carrying case here would be perfect and a substantial upgrade. I'm thinking of looking into a Pelican case or something to carry them in, but it would have been nice to have one included. I personally imagine I'd find the metal case to be impractical for daily use, so again, a molded V-Moda style case would be a slam-dunk here. (Anybody wanna make one?)
 
 
Comfort: 
 
My ears got fatigued a couple of times in places where they were touching the earpads, but a simple position adjustment easily fixed this. It seemed to happen either almost always our always outright with my left ear... But again, this probably has more to do with my biology than anything with the Beyers. 
 
I would have liked slightly bigger space for my ears, as I do find myself readjusting every so often to try to keep the sides from wearing my ears out. But the more I wear them, the less this is an issue, so it probably is simply a matter of getting used to how to best situate them on my noggin.
 
I picked up these cans from the post office this morning at approx 9:15am. As I type this, it is 5:30pm, and the only time these have been off my head was for about 45 mins as I tried out a local Indian restaurant for a late lunch. (Worst Indian I've ever had btw... Who would have thought Cookeville, TN wouldn't excel in foreign cuisine?) I can say that although I've had to make a few adjustments throughout the day, these are exceptionally comfortable cans. I could never wear my HD25 this long without my ears really starting to hurt from the pressure. (Update: I had to take them off for roughly an hour for a phone call later, but it's now 9:00pm, and I'm still wearing them without physical or aural discomfort. Pretty damned impressive.)
 
 
Isolation: 
 
Noise isolation on this definitely leaves something to be desired. While it's not reasonable to expect the T5p to do as well as custom IEMs, it still reduces outside sounds significantly less than the HD25. 
 
I rode around town running a few errands today, and due to the inexplicable decision of my vehicle's previous owner to drill a screw into the door near the window, the wind noise is noticeably higher in my car than most. While the sound was obviously diminished, I could still hear the wind noise while riding around town. Not enough to be a major irritation, but definitely enough to keep one from critically listening. (As if anybody does that while driving, but I digress). 
 
 
Sound Quality: 
 
Certain parts of songs sound absolutely AMAZING, and other parts are very underwhelming. Listening to Opeth's 'Heritage', some of the 70s-sounding electric guitar parts sound just fantastic. Mikel's vocals, however, seem somewhat pushed back at times. I found this occasionally on different vocals (Melody Gardot is another). Also, this is one of those cans that makes reverb pretty obvious on a song-- not so obtrusive that you can't ignore it, but the clarity of the sound makes it fully apparent when present. 
 
These manage to be very detailed without being bright or fatiguing. I disagree with the comments that I've read that call the T5p a bright can. It sounds smooth in a very pleasant, non-veiling way. The more I listen to it, the more I think this is (along with the suitability to both portable and high-end sources) one of the more impressive engineering marvels I've encountered recently. I'm not as well versed as many on Head-Fi, but I'm not sure there is anything else out there that matches the T5p on the portability and listenability fronts while presenting such impressive sound. 
 
These have GREAT tone and texture to them!! Guitars have an awesome crunch to them (just not much weight in the bass). As a metalhead, this is hugely important to me, and well-recorded metal sounds GREAT. An overwhelming amount of metal, however, sounds like it was recorded in a shoebox on a cassette player (I'm looking at you, Norwegian black metal). Fortunately, these manage to be revealing without becoming ruthlessly so, and they don't make poorly recorded music miserable. Again, this strikes me as some kind of engineering miracle. 
 
At one point, the sound got really fatiguing while listening on my desktop station. I then realized that I had the music up WAY too loud. Turning it down a good bit solved that, and the sound hasn't been even remotely fatiguing since. But do heed the warnings elsewhere on HF of the danger of volume creep with these bad boys.
 
Melody Gardot's vocals on 'Worrisome Heart' seem somewhat recessed. They don't sound bad, but she isn't crooning right to me like she does on my LCD-2 and iE8. Note the use of the qualifier "somewhat" here-- it isn't a major thing by any means. 
 
These things capture the energy and technicality of Protest The Hero's 'Scurrilous' extremely well. They ROCK!!! (These moments of exuberance seemed to come mostly during well-recorded fast-tempo metal music... which is just great for me. I was literally belting out every line of almost every song on the album-- which is a good sign IMO.)
 
 
The Bass Controversy: 
 
Perhaps my expectations were off (my other headphones tend to be a touch bassier than the norm: Sennheiser iE8, Sennheiser HD25i-II, Audeze LCD-2 (rev 1), Klipsch X10), but I don't see how anyone could listen to what I'm listening to and try to say the bass is not very seriously lacking. While the bass that's there is clear and well textured, there's just shockingly little of it. I know this has been said before, but it's worth repeating, because this is by far (IMO) the Achilles heel of this design. UPDATE: as I continue listening, I realize I'm acclimating to the sound more, and find the lack of impact and bass less objectionable. I'm sure that if I were to put on my LCD-2 for a moment and switch back, the lack of heft to the bottom end would become painfully obvious again, but for now... it's not so bad. 
 
EQing the bass up a bit helps out, but while it increases quantity, it seems that nothing actually gives the bass that punchier quality on aggressive drums and the like. With the bass turned up in Neutron as much as I can without causing distortion, I can hear the bass line at the beginning of Massive Attack's 'Angel,' but it doesn't really have any impact. As it stands, it doesn't look like the T5p would be great for listening to trip-hop, which I do on occasion. (I later found at least a moderate improvement in the visceral punch of the bass by going bananas on the EQ in JRiver, as noted elsewhere).
 
Additional messing around with the EQ has made things better, but there still doesn't seem to be the impact that some songs should have. I've read some reviewers and posters talk about the lack of impact being somehow more true to life-- but I cannot recall a single metal concert I've been to where there wasn't a kick to the drums and a deep-in-your-guts mandate to move when the bassist digs into an awesome groove. Perhaps the T5p sounds exactly as a solo violinist would, and that's great-- I'm sure my Masada String Trio and Kronos Quartet stuff will sound great as a result. But the bass does, in my opinion, lack the quantity necessary to really engage  you on a bass-driven groove sometimes. In the long term, this will probably be the thing that determines whether I keep these or not. I LOVE the guitar tone, the detail, the clarity, the amazingly versatile nature of the cans, their impeccably clean looks, etc etc ad nauseum. But the bass is simply less present than I'm used to, for better or worse.
 
Update: I've dramatically increased the bass in the DSP Studio in JRiver, and the bass does sound much better, and starts to sound like it has a bit of impact to it when listening to Puscifer. The problem is that I could still use a touch more bass presence, and this is with it damn near maxxed out on a very powerful EQ application, which I won't really have when I'm on the go. So I'm not sure this is going to be the saving grace of the T5p bass.
 
 
Miscellaneous: 
 
These are SO CLOSE to being the perfect high-end portable headphones for rockers and metalheads... the bass problem is a real killer though. And better isolation would help out a good bit too. 
 
Considering bass quantity and isolation are two of my issues, I wondered if changing out the pads would make any difference. After reading the stellar review given to the earpads Jaben uses in their mods (from NZtechfreak here), I sent them a message inquiring about the cost of the full suite of modifications and of the pads by themselves. I'm hoping I can get the pads at a reasonable cost, as they sound like they might be right up my alley... I should also note that when I press in on the cans slightly, isolation gets noticeably better. Bass does too, as long as I don't press in too hard. So maybe some new pads could help!
 
I have had my T5p for less than 24 hours, so some New Toy Syndrome is to be expected. I've tried to temper it somewhat, but as an unabashed gear whore, I have to admit that I want to love these babies. 
 
 
Conclusion: 
 
I have had the T5p in my position for a very short period of time thus far, so my opinions are going to be thusly colored. But I can say that in a LOT of ways, beyerdynamic really nailed it with these. While no headphone can be all things to all people, this one come damn close. Ultimately, the (to my ears) de-emphasized bass is a shortcoming that keeps these from being the mind-blowing slam-dunk they would otherwise be. I have a few other minor niggles (no replaceable cable, insufficient carrying solutions available, isolation could be a good bit better, cable is too short, it's too expensive at retail price, and a few others), but they would all be washed away if the bass was simply more enjoyable by being more there. But that doesn't keep me from lauding these cans for their many successes (listed at great length above), and as it stands right now, I intend to keep these. I am still interested in hearing the Sig Pros, but I'm not sure the assumed improvement in bass would offset all the strengths the T5p possesses. 
 
Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope this helps somebody out!!
Reply
post #529 of 855
1/24/13 at 2:50pm

What a great description and review of the T5p. I am sure that getting used to the bass is crucial when listening to new headphones. You should give them two-three weeks before finally deciding if you need to mod them for more bass. The worst thing that could happen is that you after a while will dislike all your other headphones because they now have too much bass and are too dark sounding once you get used to how (I think) headphones should sound. 

 

Congratulations with the T5p - enjoy the music! normal_smile%20.gif


Edited by rasmushorn - 1/24/13 at 2:53pm
Reply
post #530 of 855
1/24/13 at 3:05pm

GREAT post.

 

Lots to respond to there, not got time now, but a few thoughts:

 

Removable cables - YES! This is really a must and makes transportation for portable use easier. A significant failing for these headphones, and all other high-end headphones without them.

 

Carrying solutions - yours should have come with the metal box if they are new... You are correct though that the metal box is useless for portable use. For me another failing for the portable use-case scenario that these were purpose-built for, and rather inexcusable for the asking price here.

 

Comfort - agreed, these are extremely comfortable headphones. The cost there is that isolation suffers a bit, as you mention, given the decreased clamping force and cushy pads. Sound leakage doesn't seem too bad, I found them comparable to my Ed8 in that regard (my brother A/B'd both and I listened for how much I could hear, no discernible difference for me). After experiencing my HD25, which I could only wear about 15minutes at a stretch before getting headaches and extreme discomfort, I'll take the comfort overall, but it would be nice to have it all.

 

Glad you're the enjoying guitars on these, being for me one of the most important things and something the T5p really gets right. Quite a relief to hear you say that! This is such a subjective hobby, and whenever someone takes on board things I have said in making a purchase decision (particularly a substantial purchase like this) I always feel a bit anxious that their subjective sense of it may be different.

 

Regarding the bass - would echo your sentiments. Always found the quantity lacking (although it doesn't bother me near as much as it seems to you, I only EQ it lightly and I'm perfectly happy), but the quality excellent. For me the bass quantity mostly manifests in stuff like Massive Attack, an example you also mentioned. Certainly giving it some more time to acclimatise will help a bit, as going from LCD-2 to T5p will certainly make the transition in bass sound more than a little rough (I can personally relate to that, also having the LCD2s). In relation to drums specifically I don't have any particular problems, I certainly find them to have enough punch, which for me is an important quality as it is for you. When my brother, a drummer, A/B'd these and the Ed8 he remarked that he actually liked the drums more from the T5p. That makes me wonder whether I have gotten a bit lucky in upstream pairings with the T5p, as my portable DAC/amps for the most part are quite forward and punchy (HeadAmp Pico and Apex Glacier being the ones I really like with the T5p, especially the Pico which seems to impart some oomph and warmth to the bass). Would be interested to see how different you find them if you alter the pads. At some point soon I will probably have a look at swapping the Jaben pads over to the regular T5p I have. Be interesting to see how much difference the pads make on their own when the balanced cables are taken out of the equation.

 

Definitely agree a bit more bass presence and impact would have made these nigh on perfect for listening, a slam dunk as you say. Add a bit more thought into design aspects for portability (including a good carry case, removable cables) and I don't think any other closed cans could touch them for me. So, Beyerdynamic, if you're out there: you know what you need to do now - go forth and make a successor to the T5p with these qualities. I for one, would snap them up in a heartbeat.


Edited by NZtechfreak - 1/24/13 at 3:10pm
Reply
post #531 of 855
1/24/13 at 4:23pm

Thanks for posting your impressions Theogenes. I might the be the only person satisfied with the bass on the T5p, I use the headphone almost exclusively for acoustic recordings. I also love that felt zipper bag that I didn't get with my T5p, I got a hulking great aluminium box! If anybody would like the box I'll gladly exchange it for the felt bag.

Reply
post #532 of 855
1/24/13 at 5:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rasmushorn View Post

What a great description and review of the T5p. I am sure that getting used to the bass is crucial when listening to new headphones. You should give them two-three weeks before finally deciding if you need to mod them for more bass. The worst thing that could happen is that you after a while will dislike all your other headphones because they now have too much bass and are too dark sounding once you get used to how (I think) headphones should sound. 

 

Congratulations with the T5p - enjoy the music! normal_smile%20.gif

 

Thank you for your kind words!! And yes sir, I definitely plan on keeping these bad boys for at least a few weeks, and hopefully a lot longer than that... I know Tyll really slammed these cans, and I greatly respect his knowledge and opinion, but I wonder if there isn't a problem with QC at Beyer or something that causes these vast differences in opinion on the T5p... because I really, really like them, with the major caveat about the bass noted. 

 

I actually have my dad listening to them from his phone right now (he's in town to help me with another matter), and he is most definitely not an audiophile-- but even he has just sat there, blissed out, listening to music. I even caught him singing softly to himself, and this is what most people would consider a very gruff, burly man. Such is the power of truly great gear to connect us all to the music, I guess! 

Here's to you, fellow T5p lovers!!! beerchug.gif

Reply
post #533 of 855
1/25/13 at 9:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by NZtechfreak View Post

GREAT post.

 

Lots to respond to there, not got time now, but a few thoughts:

 

Removable cables - YES! This is really a must and makes transportation for portable use easier. A significant failing for these headphones, and all other high-end headphones without them.

 

Carrying solutions - yours should have come with the metal box if they are new... You are correct though that the metal box is useless for portable use. For me another failing for the portable use-case scenario that these were purpose-built for, and rather inexcusable for the asking price here.

 

Comfort - agreed, these are extremely comfortable headphones. The cost there is that isolation suffers a bit, as you mention, given the decreased clamping force and cushy pads. Sound leakage doesn't seem too bad, I found them comparable to my Ed8 in that regard (my brother A/B'd both and I listened for how much I could hear, no discernible difference for me). After experiencing my HD25, which I could only wear about 15minutes at a stretch before getting headaches and extreme discomfort, I'll take the comfort overall, but it would be nice to have it all.

 

Glad you're the enjoying guitars on these, being for me one of the most important things and something the T5p really gets right. Quite a relief to hear you say that! This is such a subjective hobby, and whenever someone takes on board things I have said in making a purchase decision (particularly a substantial purchase like this) I always feel a bit anxious that their subjective sense of it may be different.

 

Regarding the bass - would echo your sentiments. Always found the quantity lacking (although it doesn't bother me near as much as it seems to you, I only EQ it lightly and I'm perfectly happy), but the quality excellent. For me the bass quantity mostly manifests in stuff like Massive Attack, an example you also mentioned. Certainly giving it some more time to acclimatise will help a bit, as going from LCD-2 to T5p will certainly make the transition in bass sound more than a little rough (I can personally relate to that, also having the LCD2s). In relation to drums specifically I don't have any particular problems, I certainly find them to have enough punch, which for me is an important quality as it is for you. When my brother, a drummer, A/B'd these and the Ed8 he remarked that he actually liked the drums more from the T5p. That makes me wonder whether I have gotten a bit lucky in upstream pairings with the T5p, as my portable DAC/amps for the most part are quite forward and punchy (HeadAmp Pico and Apex Glacier being the ones I really like with the T5p, especially the Pico which seems to impart some oomph and warmth to the bass). Would be interested to see how different you find them if you alter the pads. At some point soon I will probably have a look at swapping the Jaben pads over to the regular T5p I have. Be interesting to see how much difference the pads make on their own when the balanced cables are taken out of the equation.

 

Definitely agree a bit more bass presence and impact would have made these nigh on perfect for listening, a slam dunk as you say. Add a bit more thought into design aspects for portability (including a good carry case, removable cables) and I don't think any other closed cans could touch them for me. So, Beyerdynamic, if you're out there: you know what you need to do now - go forth and make a successor to the T5p with these qualities. I for one, would snap them up in a heartbeat.

 

It sounds like we are on pretty much the exact same wavelength here... Now we just need to get Beyer in the game!! They need to sic some of those Germanic geniuses on this and see if they can give us a T6p with improved bass, detachable cables, and more appropriate peripherals while keeping all the things that make these so amazing. And if they can bring it to market under $1k... I just don't think they'll have any real competition. As rapidly as the headphone market has expanded in the last few years, this is still a fairly gaping hole in the lineup of potential niches. 

 

By the way, one other thing I would have liked would be a collapseable headband. Not a dealbreaker, but given the size of these bad boys, it would definitely help out a lot. 

Reply
post #534 of 855
1/25/13 at 3:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Theogenes View Post

 

It sounds like we are on pretty much the exact same wavelength here... Now we just need to get Beyer in the game!! They need to sic some of those Germanic geniuses on this and see if they can give us a T6p with improved bass, detachable cables, and more appropriate peripherals while keeping all the things that make these so amazing. And if they can bring it to market under $1k... I just don't think they'll have any real competition. As rapidly as the headphone market has expanded in the last few years, this is still a fairly gaping hole in the lineup of potential niches. 

 

By the way, one other thing I would have liked would be a collapseable headband. Not a dealbreaker, but given the size of these bad boys, it would definitely help out a lot. 

 

I would be very hesitant to increase bass response, I feel it is excellent for acoustic/orchestral/classical etc, this is the primary use for me. I pair the T5p with the DT1350 to cover music not as well suited to the T5p. I was also not prefer not to have a removable via plugs etc, only because I found every additional connection removes a slight degree of transparency. With a single connection there are two solder joints and one physical connection to send a signal through. I am seriously considering installing an aftermarket cable on my set of T5p, I'm just unsure which one, how to go about doing it and the costs involved. 

Reply
post #535 of 855
1/25/13 at 3:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by AJHeadfi View Post

 

I would be very hesitant to increase bass response, I feel it is excellent for acoustic/orchestral/classical etc, this is the primary use for me. I pair the T5p with the DT1350 to cover music not as well suited to the T5p. I was also not prefer not to have a removable via plugs etc, only because I found every additional connection removes a slight degree of transparency. With a single connection there are two solder joints and one physical connection to send a signal through. I am seriously considering installing an aftermarket cable on my set of T5p, I'm just unsure which one, how to go about doing it and the costs involved. 

 

I can understand your point of view, and I think you are more specifically the type of listener that beyerdynamic had in mind with the T5p. With  your musical tastes, I bet you LOVE these bad boys ;). That might mean that instead of replacing the T5p in the lineup, they come up with an alternative that better suits the needs of apparently bass-loving nuts like myself and others-- something akin to what Ultrasone did with the Sig Pros and the Sig DJs. 

 

Speaking of which, I'd be interested to see any comparisons of the sales numbers of some of these headsets, if anyone is aware of a resource to locate them. (I somehow doubt it, but it's worth a shot). 

 

Btw, listening to Black Sabbath's 'War Pigs' right now, and again, man, that tone.... it's just GREAT!!!!!!! 

Reply
post #536 of 855
1/26/13 at 9:30pm
Pads Update: 
 
Okay, I have become rather obsessed with the idea that replacing the pads on my T5p might bring the improvements in bass response and isolation that I'm looking for. Along those lines, I'm trying to compile a quick list of potential sources for alternate T5p pads, and I would LOVE some feedback or direction if anybody has any to offer!! :)
 
1). Jaben Mods: I still haven't heard anything back from Jaben, and in fact they still haven't even approved me to join their forum... a bit disappointing, but I'll soldier on. Also, another Head-Fier (thanks John1711!) was kind enough to post this link (warning: PDF file) to a brief magazine review of the balanced mods Jaben does for the T1 and T5p. In short, the reviewer doesn't find much difference between the stock and modded T1, but finds a LARGE difference between the stock and modded T5p-- and his impressions seems to correspond to those of NZTechFreak earlier in the thread. Curiouser and curiouser... Now if only I could get Jaben to respond!!
 
2). Official Beyer T5p Pads: It seems that the model number for the replacement pads is the EDT5p, which makes sense. I haven't had a lot of luck finding much else on their North America site, and I'm a bit gunshy to spend my money with those people based on some bizarre business practices that have shown up around here recently. I'm not aware of any other official replacements, but there may be some out there. 
 
3). Other Beyer Model Pads: I've searched around a bit and had some difficulty figuring out which other model Beyers might fit the T5p. I'm guessing that the T1 pads fit the T5p (although I haven't yet confirmed this), and based on this post, if the T5p pads are compatible with the T1 pads, they should also be compatible with the DT880 and DT990 as well. Apparently Beyer also had a series of gel pads out for a while too, and I just purchased a pair from a guy in the classifieds, so I'll let you know how it goes. (As an aside, apparently if you're going for the gel pads, you really want to get the clear ones, NOT the black ones-- people act like  you'll get rickets or something from the black ones). 
 
4). Denon D2000/5000/7000 Pads: it looks like Denon pads (including aftermarket ones like J$ and Lawton Audio) will fit the T5p (link). I'm a bit concerned that several of these seem to angle the drivers, which seems less-than-optimal given the already angled drivers on the headphones themselves. At the very least, though, it looks like this gives us a LOT more options, as there are a heck of a lot more Denon than Beyer pad choices. 
 
Anything I'm missing here? Or any particular recommendations? I think that this might be the key to getting these puppies to that aural perfection I'm looking for... ;)
Reply
post #537 of 855
1/26/13 at 10:02pm

Theogenes,

 

I add T70/T70's micro velour pads to the list.

Those are nice pads for those who like velour touch, sound is good, but tad sounds like T70s.

 

And official velour pads for T1(EDT990VB)  won't make sense for T5p because those are made for open back headphones (T1, DT990, DT880),

and will result significant reduction of amount of bass.

 

EDT770 series (EDT770S, EDT770V, EDT770VB) for closed back headphones are nice match for T5p.

Reply
post #538 of 855
1/27/13 at 1:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by AJHeadfi View Post

 

I would be very hesitant to increase bass response, I feel it is excellent for acoustic/orchestral/classical etc, this is the primary use for me. I pair the T5p with the DT1350 to cover music not as well suited to the T5p. I was also not prefer not to have a removable via plugs etc, only because I found every additional connection removes a slight degree of transparency. With a single connection there are two solder joints and one physical connection to send a signal through. I am seriously considering installing an aftermarket cable on my set of T5p, I'm just unsure which one, how to go about doing it and the costs involved. 

 

Considering that headphones such as the LCD-2 and HE-6 use removable cables, I'm relatively unconvinced that the addition of removable cables is synonymous with introducing deficiencies into the sound. For a headphone that is purpose-built for portability I think the point is a slightly moot, even if a small degree of transparency is lost that isn't the end of the world in a headphone whose intended use-case scenarios include on-the-go listening.

 

I'm not sure I've explained what I mean by 'increasing the bass response' very clearly. When I'm talking about increasing the bass response I'm not talking about introducing colouration; I'm not a bass head. I'm talking only about reproducing the bass that is there, so that when there is more bass in the song you hear that. The T5p isn't always able to do that outside the kinds of genres you mention. I don't think having bass that is good in those genres and bass that is also sufficient for other genres are mutually exclusive qualities in headphones, or at least my HE-6, GS1000i and the HD800 I have loan at the moment don't suggest that to me. Perhaps a mechanism for dialling in the bass level ala the Tiesto is the way to go?

Reply
post #539 of 855
1/27/13 at 3:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by AJHeadfi View Post

I might the be the only person satisfied with the bass on the T5p, I use the headphone almost exclusively for acoustic recordings.

 

Actually: No. There's at least a second one ;-)

Maybe unusual for this kind of headphone I mainly listen to EDM (at least when using headphones) but nevertheless I consider them to have an absolutely satisfying bass response: deep, detailed and not overwhelming.

Reply
post #540 of 855
1/27/13 at 7:30am

Thanks for the heads-up, beyerlove!! I'm going to try to get a quick list of compatible earpads for the T5p together (unless somebody else already has, which would be great) as a starting point. 

 

[Addendum to Post #536 above]

 

3a). Compatible beyerdynamic earpads for T5p: EDT5p, EDT990 series (made for open-back cans, will probably reduce bass output and isolation), EDT770 series, T70p pads in micro velour (part number 910945, couldn't find a SKU) and nubuck leather (70NL EDT). 

 

Also, I heard back from Wilson at Jaben, and he said they don't change the pads on the T5p during the modifications... Perhaps they did at one point? I don't have pricing for the modification to an existing headset yet, but as soon as I have that I'll post back. 

 

And I have to say, the longer I have the T5p, the less objectionable I find the bass... Although as soon as I get in a mood to listen to something really groovy and bassy like Massive Attack, Puscifer, Portishead, etc I still do wish for a bit more oomph. I don't think I'll ever get to the point of finding the bass as it is fully sufficient, but it seems to me to be less of a deal-breaker than it did at first. Thank god for brain burn-in, I guess tongue_smile.gif

Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Headphones (full-size)

Gear mentioned in this thread:

Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphones (full-size) › beyerdynamic T5p: Photos and first impressions.