ruthieandjohn
Stumbling towards enlightenment
(Formerly known as kayandjohn.)
The Beyerdynamic T 5 p, Ultrasone Edition 8 (Ruthenium), and V-MODA M-100 are all intended to be portable headphones... closed (to keep your sound in and their sound Out!), somewhat small (for ease in carrying), with 1/8" jack (for use with portable sources), and attention to good looks (to minimize your nerd factor!).
I have each of these and have compared them, using the method of ranking each of the three in first, second, or third place on the performance of each of 10 acoustic features I find important for listening (transparency, soundstage, subbass, and treble detail). I show these results in the table below, giving the first place winner a blue ribbon box and 3 points, second place red and 2, and third place yellow and 1 point. Here are more details on the test.
Here are the headphones:
(From top) Beyerdynamic T 5 p, Ultrasone Edition 8 (Ruthenium), and V-MODA M-100 with VAMP VAERZA DAC/amp.
The cost of each on amazon.com today is:
Beyedynamic T 5 p (1st gen) $782
Ultrasone Edition 8 Ruthenium $999
V-MODA M-100 $239 (VAMP VERZA DAC/amp - $375): total: $614.
Because the V-MODA was so much less expensive than the other two, I elected to also use the V-MODA VAMP VERZA portable DAC/amp with it to even out the price of each. Prior tests here had shown that adding the VAMP VERZA to the M-100 significantly improved its quality. Some folks have found that an ultra-powerful amplifier can help the Beyerdynamic T 5 p: I tried it briefly with the HiFiMAN EF6, built to drive planar magnetic headphones of an impedance similar to the t 5 p, but I found the sound to be a bit more muffled and in no way better with the amp than without it, so I did not use the amp in the test, instead driving both the T 5 p and the Ruthenium directly with my iPhone 5S.
Here are the results of my comparison:
In short, the T 5 p had the best soundstage, while the Ruthenium was the smallest in soundstage. The Ruthenium was the most transparent and provided the most treble detail. The V-MODA M-100 with VAMP VERZA DAC/amp provided the most palpable subbass, but seemed muffled and indistinct when compared with the others.
I have each of these and have compared them, using the method of ranking each of the three in first, second, or third place on the performance of each of 10 acoustic features I find important for listening (transparency, soundstage, subbass, and treble detail). I show these results in the table below, giving the first place winner a blue ribbon box and 3 points, second place red and 2, and third place yellow and 1 point. Here are more details on the test.
Here are the headphones:
(From top) Beyerdynamic T 5 p, Ultrasone Edition 8 (Ruthenium), and V-MODA M-100 with VAMP VAERZA DAC/amp.
The cost of each on amazon.com today is:
Beyedynamic T 5 p (1st gen) $782
Ultrasone Edition 8 Ruthenium $999
V-MODA M-100 $239 (VAMP VERZA DAC/amp - $375): total: $614.
Because the V-MODA was so much less expensive than the other two, I elected to also use the V-MODA VAMP VERZA portable DAC/amp with it to even out the price of each. Prior tests here had shown that adding the VAMP VERZA to the M-100 significantly improved its quality. Some folks have found that an ultra-powerful amplifier can help the Beyerdynamic T 5 p: I tried it briefly with the HiFiMAN EF6, built to drive planar magnetic headphones of an impedance similar to the t 5 p, but I found the sound to be a bit more muffled and in no way better with the amp than without it, so I did not use the amp in the test, instead driving both the T 5 p and the Ruthenium directly with my iPhone 5S.
Here are the results of my comparison:
In short, the T 5 p had the best soundstage, while the Ruthenium was the smallest in soundstage. The Ruthenium was the most transparent and provided the most treble detail. The V-MODA M-100 with VAMP VERZA DAC/amp provided the most palpable subbass, but seemed muffled and indistinct when compared with the others.
