I take my Beyerdynamic Dt-150 from the post office today.... At first listen i begin to understand those that were horrified by their sound, infamously so called «cavernous sound»... After this first impression i put 8 little pieces of sorbothane 1/4 inches duro 70 +self adhesive in the inside of each cup; i took off the central piece of foam,and i put some cotton wool to angle the faux-leather earpads,(thanks for that to Lorspeaker) and last but not least, i put some very little stick of quartz+ a stick of amethyst crystal around the exterior cable .... That forever kill the «cavernous sound» and the«muddy sound»...
Now i begin to slowly understand the love for this headphone... I am very happy with this purchase, i can listen to them without fatigue, they sound less refine than my electrostatic stax for sure, they are less polite but with more realism... They seems slightly bit more veiled at first than my HE-400 but perhaps the HE-400 is more highs agressive,and i prefer their just more exterior,less in the ears, soundstage,hence i find them way
more relax to listen to than the HE-400, because the frequencies distribution are
more equilibrated, least but not last, they are close cans and they isolate you correctly...
For the price paid , 75 dollars, and after the right modifications, these used one are very good, and after some few minutes, without any comparison, accustomed to them, they are on par with my Hifiman, different but on par, and more confortable for me...I love them....For around 2 hundred dollars new they are probably one of the best headphones on the market, by virtue of the law of diminushing returns...I have not listen to many headphones, like Tyll Hertsens that love them, but if i compared them to my Stax and Hifiman, yes they are with them, very different sound but on the same level,
almost High End, and
almost TOTL,
i would say High-end for the poor...Remember they are close cans and cheap price, that make them one of the best headphone period, particularly for vocals and jazz...
P.S Contradictions in review about the same product result for a great part from different ears and listening habitude and abilities but also from difference in the system, it is very IMPORTANTin each review that the reviewer try the same can with different dac or amp if possible, if not, that he compared with different headphones ...My system is the bushmaster beresford dac+ headphone out amp, or the Sansui AU 7700 amp headphone out, and directly from the dedicated dac/amp bushmaster there seems to be more in the face clarity,BUT less 3-d imaging,less subtle projected soundstage, and less dynamics,i choose without hesitation the vintage Sansui...I for sure think that a dedicated amplifier for headphone would be better, but i know the price must be much higher than my beloved sansui, that has really now no defect for me and sound like a tube amplifier with all details and bass possible...
I must say that without pad modifications and the added sorbothane+stones and crystals, i would not have been so satisfied with this headphone...
Update: After 18 hours the gluing process of the sorbothane is better hence the sound is better, the DT-150 is more interesting... Very good headphone, for so cheap price... If you dont know what to buy, this is the deal.... i added 2 very little bits of elite shungite glued with blutak one on the center of the exterior of each cup which improve the sound...
Another update: it takes me 24 hours to discover by experiments the good recipe with crystals and stones, but now there it is! I must say that this headphone is the most musical one i had listen to and i realize now how unnatural was the he-400 by comparison ... The DT-150 is not perfect, but now i think that it is the better of all my headphone, even the perfect Stax SR-5 is for me less musical...The stax mids are liquid and like honey, but the Dt-150 is more equilibrated, and more realist in his recreation of a natural sound with intricate delicacies...I listen now to more musically audible details, that were there with the other headphones but without this organic musicality imparted by the DT-150...In one word the DT-150 seems at first less brilliant to me than the He-400 and the SR-5, way less spectacular,but in fact it is more musical and more subtle,more 3-d and less in the face,more speaker-like image than headphone-like image...Piano sound way better, each note with an interiority of his own that i never listen to before,i must listen to all my cd anew...
But i must say that without sorbothane,with neither stones or crystals, without pad mods. the DT-150 is nothing like what it is now...I have a very good musical,tube-like amplifier, with the sansui AU-7700, but directly of the headphone out, the nude ST-150 is inferior to all my other cans, now with the same amplifier he is superior musically, it is my subjective point of view for sure....
By the way if you are fond of spectacular noise in headphone, bassy heads or maniacs of details, or lover of luxurious sensations, the DT-150 is not for you, it is only a musical headphone,but a very good one for the price,that sound way more ANALOG than DIGITAL (thanks to Arttt for this comparison), the DT-150 must be slowly tamed, we must first desintox ourself of the everywhere digital drug,expose ourself to a more analog atmosphere...It is a modest but very sturdy and efficient piece of gear indeed ...Probably like someone already said here, an accidental marvellous modest design intended for studio more than for audiophile crowds, that has not been replicated nor improved, only sold like it is for the last 50 years by Beyerdynamic...Without too much shouting about his qualities, because at his price, why buy costlier other one after that ?
