[Headzone]

...edited

 

[jon parker]

DT 48 - Question - sorry, Im sure this has been said in this forum before!!
I received my DT48's yesterday - almost mint & boxed which is nice ! - They are the 25ohm. They must be older than mid 80's as the back of the box has the 990 & the 770 advertised on the back of the box
They have one cable per cup to the y splitter

I did buy NOT them for music but for the accurate & neutral tones. I work with vocals so I was curious as to how well I could master vocals with them.
In this regard they are exceptional! BUT the sound..

I read enough to understand they can take a while to get used to but..
1, the pads suck on and feel like your ears are in a vacuum - Can or does pad rolling work?
2, the sound comes across like mono - literally like a physical mono - both ears work but the soundstage is paper thin flat and very 2D
3, they smell very new, strangely plasticy so I suspect they are new, have been used But have been boxed in a cupboard
for a while

Im burning them in for a while - after a spell over night the soundstage has widened a bit and the sound has softened up
so I think [3,] may well be true
What is a burn in time for these?

Thanks - I'll go through the forum but would appreciate any answers


EDIT: After 12 hours they are really starting to open up stereo speaking..which is odd. Ive experienced many examples of the sound of a headphone changing with burn in but not so much soundstage -
Another strange anomaly is how sometimes a 'high end' set up doesn't suit a certain headphone where as an older 'cheaper' one can. I use an old Cowon X9 for burn in purposes as the battery lasts for days - Listening to a classic reference [drum] track - 'Joe Walsh - Country Fair' and although everything is super neutral and flat the realism of the drums is very pleasant and as many report here 'right' and 'correct' sounding.
Anyway, Phew! Im starting to find the magic that these headphones really are!
Also VERY excited to start working with them professionally - I did some preliminary test masters on some upcoming single vocal and very happy with the accuracy and quality

Interestingly though, the low end is more than adequate - in fact if anything it is a bit too loose and splashy at present - After all I had read I was expecting no low end at all but its wonderful

 

[joelpearce]

I read enough to understand they can take a while to get used to but..
1, the pads suck on and feel like your ears are in a vacuum - Can or does pad rolling work?

Don't do it! For the DT48, the sound quality is tied directly to the seal and size of the air pocket between them and your head--any other pads, and you are going to lose any bass you have and destroy the sound. They are a bit clampy, and it does feel like it's trying to suck your brain through your ear, but it's part of the experience.

2, the sound comes across like mono - literally like a physical mono - both ears work but the soundstage is paper thin flat and very 2D

Can you get a picture of them up? Some of the old ones may have been wired for mono, or you might have a connection issue if the cable isn't working 100%--that would be surprising for the condition they are in, but it would definitely explain it.

3, they smell very new, strangely plasticy so I suspect they are new, have been used But have been boxed in a cupboard
for a while

Im burning them in for a while - after a spell over night the soundstage has widened a bit and the sound has softened up
so I think [3,] may well be true
What is a burn in time for these?

If they are that old and have been used, there is no burn-in time, especially considering that the full driver construction is made of metal. It's more likely that your ears are burning in. The DT48s are weird, and nothing like any other headphones you'll experience. They take some getting used to.

 

[jon parker]

Thanks Joel
After 12 hours the soundstage has really opened up - from an original, out of the box, similar sound to mono vinyl to a now, more conventional stereo image
Out of the box they sounded like a physically mono headphone but now after 12 hours of audio the sound is quite different
I very much appreciate how nothing will be exaggerated to keep everything reference and so wouldn't expect a big soundstage.
Actually how they sound now is moving a lot closer to how I expected they should sound
Can you by any chance tell the age of them by the info?

 

[joelpearce]

One of the other experts would be more helpful in terms of age. They're in great shape, though. The shift in sound might be the earpads conforming better to your head, too. Every bit of difference really seems to matter with them. That's definitely a stereo jack, too.

 

[Henery]

Do i get more bass extension if i screw the magnet away from diaphragm?

 

[patrikh]

I got this from ebay. Can you identify the model? It apparently has the earpads and the cable replaced.

 

[patrikh]

Ok, the original headband design is pretty atrocious, I have to listen to them upside down because they won't fit over my head :O. Getting a proper seal with the pads is pretty hard. They also seem to have channel imbalance. Any tips on fixing that?

 

[patrikh]

I tried them without the headband, imbalance was only due to seal problems. Sounds pretty flat and piercing.

 

[maniacal71]

Yes That is exactly what happens, fit or seal problems would not get the anechoic chamber required to hear what they actually sound like, that is the reason too why many who have tried them do say bad things about them. If the pads are the vinyl type and have hardened, there is no salvage i was lucky to find a soft vinyl type in glorious condition and bass was Spine Jarring/shattering on EDM and the likes.

The set that you have is very old it could be in the series that J. Gordon Holt founder of Stereophile magazine reviewed as recommended which in the 4 classes A to D are considered as Outstanding in their respective class, In the case of the DT-48 its in Class A - Highest in price quality and prestige value, article titled "Recommended Components #1" in Stereophile Vol 1 No.5 May-June 1963
https://www.stereophile.com/content/recommended-components-1-0

 

[patrikh]

Thanks for the info! The earpads on them don't seem old at all, probably swapped in the recent years. Are there different earpads I could try on them to get a better seal? The 6.35 jack on that cable is the worst I have yet seen lmao. I'm surprised it's still intact. Should I reterminate it to 4pin?

 

[patrikh]

Btw, what on earth does "5+5Ω" on the cups mean? 5Ω?

 

[hasmac]

Btw, what on earth does "5+5Ω" on the cups mean? 5Ω?

5ohm each side, 10ohm if wired mono

 

[maniacal71]

5ohm each side, 10ohm if wired mono

Totally missed this, these headphones were on the Nagra Recorder, commentary, new reporting, music too in those days and the headphones i had bought total of 03 DT48E, 01 DT48A 02 DT48S and the rare DT48S Kudelski were well used and even the very first i bought brand new vintage E in original Box and papers came terminated mono. The E models had the white painted wordings which were delicate and would chip off easily either in stylized Beyer or modern Beyerdynamic logo, The A models were distinguished by prominent solid signal red blue or Pink light blue metallic glitter came in the mordern Beyerdynamic logo, The S models were the most hardy of all virtually indestructible Logo. Kudelski logo i've seen an E model and the one i have S, but over time the black Kudelski would have missing it's logo, All the more difficult to find then.
The drivers are all air blown if that is the correct term to use, virtually no moisture can get to the other side, I even water wash my driver while having some white noise playing, get it ultrasonic cleaning

 

[lejaz]

https://www.head-fi.org/gallery/photo/1873186/
https://www.head-fi.org/gallery/photo/1873187/

Just got these from ebay... I was wondering if anyone could help dating them. There were only 2 bids and I got them for $82....pretty much of a steal. They look like they've never been used....pristine condition. Original box and paper work too. Will put a photo of the box up later. I'm burning them in now. Very detailed mids as you would expect, but almost no warmth to the sound.