CAUTION: Long post ahead
Beyerdynamic Xelento Wireless
“An audible piece of jewelry”
DISCLAIMER: I’d like to thank sir Richie See of Audible Illusions for loaning me the Beyerdynamic Xelento Wireless for a week in exchange for this review.
The SRP is $1000 USD
DETAILS:
Beyerdynamic puts pride in their research and development (R&D). One of their source of pride is the Tesla Technology, wherein Beyerdynamic explained that “it indicates the intensity of the magnetic field (magnetic field strength) in the air gap of the magnetic circuit. Because a magnetic flux density of more than one tesla is achieved in beyerdynamic acoustic transducers, the term tesla technology is used.” This technology is a testament to Beyerdynamic’s huge leap in the innovation of dynamic drivers.
Now imagine the Tesla technology inputted in an IEM. This is when the Xelento was born.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Transducer type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dynamic, Tesla
Operating principle. . . . . . . . . . . . . Closed
Frequency response with jack cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 – 48,000 Hz
Nominal impedance. . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Ω
Nominal sound pressure level with jack cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 dB SPL (1 mW / 500 Hz)
Power handling capacity. . . . . . . 100 mW
T.H.D.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . < 0.2% @ 500 Hz
Sound coupling to the ear. . . . . . In-Ear Cable
length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.38 m, detachable (incl. battery)
Bluetooth® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.2 version
Frequency response . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.4000 – 2.4835 GHz
Transmission power . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 mW
Power class. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.0
Supported profiles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . HSP, HFP, A2DP, AVRCP, GAVDP
Supported Codecs . . . . . . . . . . . . . aptX™, aptX™ HD, AAC, SBC
Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . up to 10 m
Runtime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . up to 8 hours
Charging time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 minutes.
Operating-/ Charging temperature range. . . 0 to 35 °C
Battery capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 mAh
Charging socket. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Micro USB
Weight without cable. . . . . . . . . . . 7 g
Weight with cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 g
TRACKS USED
Blue Man Group - Mandelgroove
Anthrax - Be All, End All
Maroon 5 - Closure
Radwimps - Sparkle (Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra vers)
Sara Bareilles - Armor
Judas Priest - Painkiller
Phil Collins - In The Air Tonight
Accessories:
As a flagship IEM, Beyerdynamic didn’t fail on delivering the Xelento package. Upon opening the box, you’ll be surprised by the plethora of earphone tips from sizes XS to XXL, three Comply TX, a magnetic case where the earphones are placed, and the detachable Bluetooth module with remote control. I have to say that Beyerdynamic provided all the necessities for their flagship.
Design, Build and Comfort
For the design, it is one of the smallest in-ears I've ever encountered, especially at this rate, you’re expecting something that fits the ear. Well, this one is round-shaped like a 25 Philippine Centavo coin, even smaller than the said coin. it fits the contours of your ear. Beyerdynamic did something that is unique from the usual universal IEMs of other companies and their design suits every ear.
The build of the Xelento is one of a kind, and knowing German IEMs, their build quality is quite on the notch: its construction is solid and has a chrome finish that says “try me”, the brushed gunmetal faceplate with their logo, and the Xelento’s serial number.
The comfort coming from the Xelento is quite well for my ears, it doesn’t require a shallow fit for some IEMs. Some may experience a lack of isolation from this but I didn't experience it since it fits me nicely. I find the nozzle a bit odd really, it is oval-shaped and so does the standard tips which has a certain contour that is matched with the shell of the iem. Moreover, I have also tried tip rolling and the isolation is much better than the stock ones, but of course the signature of the Xelento will change.
SOUND
Tonality
Knowing Beyerdynamic, their product tends to go a bit bright with a good amount of air and sparkle, but the Xelento is a V-shaped IEM (some may consider it as a U-shaped). The bass has an emphasis where its punch is just right for a dynamic driver, the mids are quite organic where it sits just right and it is not congested. The treble also has an emphasis and it is not too bright for those easy going listeners.
BASS
Upon trying the Xelento first hand, you’ll know that the bass quantity is HUGE, warm and it has good control, the sub bass has that rumble that you’ll not find on most IEMs. I find that its bass is more focused on the midbass region, wherein you'll find the bass notes a bit prominent. Some may tend to experience the bass a bit bloated or slightly muddy, but Xelento’s low end Is quite aggressive depending on what track is being played.. It has that extension and does not decay fast, it still shows good detail retrieval and great resolution.
MIDS
The lower mids is a bit bumped and has no bleed from the upper bass. It gives that lushness to the vocals with a bit of clarity, and the midrange is just close to neutral and has a noticeable climb at the upper mids where it gives good detail retrieval. Overall, the mids is quite good though it could be improved to match those other IEMs in the market. The lower mids give body to the vocals while the midrange sits near the neutral ground. The vocals seems a bit laidback but then again it is compensated by the upper mids, giving good detail retrieval.
HIGHS
The highs are quite excellent for a v-shaped iem. It is not that extended nor too bright to the point it becomes unbearable, The lower treble is well constructed, meaning it has a good transition from the upper mids to lower treble that gives a smooth tone to it where details are present. The mid-treble has that sparkle and comes out crisp with a good amount of air. The upper treble is well extended though decays quickly.
SOUNDSTAGE
The Xelento is quite a spacious IEM considering the extensions given and the air, the width is where I am most impressed with, especially when playing “In The Air Tonight”, you’ll understand the width I'm talking about. Compared to what I've tried, this one is the largest yet. Given with the enormity of its width, separation is nicely done and gives you an accurate instrument placement. Depth is quite good also, considering the laid back vocals of around 5-6 rows it still sits quite nicely to the point that it doesn’t sound too distant. With the depth and width considered the imaging is great overall due to the smoother tonality. Given the layering would not be that comparable to some IEMs, it is never congested.
DRIVEABILITY
Looking at its specifications the Xelento is easy to drive, considering its 110db sensitivity and 16ohm impedance, and this scales well with higher tiered digital audio players (DAPS).
BLUETOOTH MODE
Trying out the Xelento in Bluetooth mode, it makes you feel like you’re wearing a necklace looking at the Bluetooth module centered and the shirt clip fits quite well with the look. The sound quality still remains the same as I have mentioned and the module lasts around 7-8 hours, which is the standard nowadays in terms of wireless technology.
ASTELL AND KERN AK 240
A controlled bass with this one, smooth texture and gives more detail at the midbass and lower mids section. Knowing the 240 is quite analytical, the vocal presentation is a bit better, and the treble is maintained as is, resolution is better and has a darker background, and no hiss heard. The soundstage is still superb as mentioned earlier.
ASTELL AND KERN AK120 TITAN VERSION
Bass is more prominent. Less controlled but still retains the smooth texture although less detail but gives more body to the midrange giving out a lush vocal presentation, the treble has more air and sparkle than the 240 but it is not extended, has a slight hiss and the soundstage still remains the same.
COMPARISONS
As I lack the time to find a suitable Dynamic Driver to match the Xelento, I have only found one suitable IEM that i can compare it with.
Hyla CE-5
I’ve tried the CE-5 for quite some time and it's one of my favorite IEMs in terms of V to U shaped even considering it as balanced. The bass of both Xelento and CE-5 really has that quantity and rumble but detail is much more given from the CE-5 but texture is taken by the Xelento. The CE-5 has greater control than of Xelento’s, the mids of the CE-5 is much more thinner but has accurate vocals that stands out more than Xelento’s, considering the Xelento’s more warmer, full bodied and has smoother mids. The treble region of the CE-5 has much more crisp and less air, more sparkle and extended even giving a better upper treble presence. Now in soundstage, the Xelento has more width than of CE-5 but in return, the CE-5 has more depth. Now in terms of imaging I have to side with the CE-5, it is much clearer and has better layering.
VERDICT
Beyerdynamic focused on the consumer part on this iem, and looking at the provided cable, it has a microphone with it, which means they focused on an IEM that welcomes all platforms: audiophile and consumer markets. They gave out a warm welcoming sound signature that is pleasing to all. For me, I consider this as one of the best dynamic driver iems in the market.
Beyerdynamic Xelento Wireless
“An audible piece of jewelry”
DISCLAIMER: I’d like to thank sir Richie See of Audible Illusions for loaning me the Beyerdynamic Xelento Wireless for a week in exchange for this review.
The SRP is $1000 USD
DETAILS:
Beyerdynamic puts pride in their research and development (R&D). One of their source of pride is the Tesla Technology, wherein Beyerdynamic explained that “it indicates the intensity of the magnetic field (magnetic field strength) in the air gap of the magnetic circuit. Because a magnetic flux density of more than one tesla is achieved in beyerdynamic acoustic transducers, the term tesla technology is used.” This technology is a testament to Beyerdynamic’s huge leap in the innovation of dynamic drivers.
Now imagine the Tesla technology inputted in an IEM. This is when the Xelento was born.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Transducer type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dynamic, Tesla
Operating principle. . . . . . . . . . . . . Closed
Frequency response with jack cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 – 48,000 Hz
Nominal impedance. . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Ω
Nominal sound pressure level with jack cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 dB SPL (1 mW / 500 Hz)
Power handling capacity. . . . . . . 100 mW
T.H.D.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . < 0.2% @ 500 Hz
Sound coupling to the ear. . . . . . In-Ear Cable
length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.38 m, detachable (incl. battery)
Bluetooth® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.2 version
Frequency response . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.4000 – 2.4835 GHz
Transmission power . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 mW
Power class. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.0
Supported profiles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . HSP, HFP, A2DP, AVRCP, GAVDP
Supported Codecs . . . . . . . . . . . . . aptX™, aptX™ HD, AAC, SBC
Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . up to 10 m
Runtime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . up to 8 hours
Charging time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 minutes.
Operating-/ Charging temperature range. . . 0 to 35 °C
Battery capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 mAh
Charging socket. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Micro USB
Weight without cable. . . . . . . . . . . 7 g
Weight with cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 g
TRACKS USED
Blue Man Group - Mandelgroove
Anthrax - Be All, End All
Maroon 5 - Closure
Radwimps - Sparkle (Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra vers)
Sara Bareilles - Armor
Judas Priest - Painkiller
Phil Collins - In The Air Tonight
Accessories:
As a flagship IEM, Beyerdynamic didn’t fail on delivering the Xelento package. Upon opening the box, you’ll be surprised by the plethora of earphone tips from sizes XS to XXL, three Comply TX, a magnetic case where the earphones are placed, and the detachable Bluetooth module with remote control. I have to say that Beyerdynamic provided all the necessities for their flagship.
Design, Build and Comfort
For the design, it is one of the smallest in-ears I've ever encountered, especially at this rate, you’re expecting something that fits the ear. Well, this one is round-shaped like a 25 Philippine Centavo coin, even smaller than the said coin. it fits the contours of your ear. Beyerdynamic did something that is unique from the usual universal IEMs of other companies and their design suits every ear.
The build of the Xelento is one of a kind, and knowing German IEMs, their build quality is quite on the notch: its construction is solid and has a chrome finish that says “try me”, the brushed gunmetal faceplate with their logo, and the Xelento’s serial number.
The comfort coming from the Xelento is quite well for my ears, it doesn’t require a shallow fit for some IEMs. Some may experience a lack of isolation from this but I didn't experience it since it fits me nicely. I find the nozzle a bit odd really, it is oval-shaped and so does the standard tips which has a certain contour that is matched with the shell of the iem. Moreover, I have also tried tip rolling and the isolation is much better than the stock ones, but of course the signature of the Xelento will change.
SOUND
Tonality
Knowing Beyerdynamic, their product tends to go a bit bright with a good amount of air and sparkle, but the Xelento is a V-shaped IEM (some may consider it as a U-shaped). The bass has an emphasis where its punch is just right for a dynamic driver, the mids are quite organic where it sits just right and it is not congested. The treble also has an emphasis and it is not too bright for those easy going listeners.
BASS
Upon trying the Xelento first hand, you’ll know that the bass quantity is HUGE, warm and it has good control, the sub bass has that rumble that you’ll not find on most IEMs. I find that its bass is more focused on the midbass region, wherein you'll find the bass notes a bit prominent. Some may tend to experience the bass a bit bloated or slightly muddy, but Xelento’s low end Is quite aggressive depending on what track is being played.. It has that extension and does not decay fast, it still shows good detail retrieval and great resolution.
MIDS
The lower mids is a bit bumped and has no bleed from the upper bass. It gives that lushness to the vocals with a bit of clarity, and the midrange is just close to neutral and has a noticeable climb at the upper mids where it gives good detail retrieval. Overall, the mids is quite good though it could be improved to match those other IEMs in the market. The lower mids give body to the vocals while the midrange sits near the neutral ground. The vocals seems a bit laidback but then again it is compensated by the upper mids, giving good detail retrieval.
HIGHS
The highs are quite excellent for a v-shaped iem. It is not that extended nor too bright to the point it becomes unbearable, The lower treble is well constructed, meaning it has a good transition from the upper mids to lower treble that gives a smooth tone to it where details are present. The mid-treble has that sparkle and comes out crisp with a good amount of air. The upper treble is well extended though decays quickly.
SOUNDSTAGE
The Xelento is quite a spacious IEM considering the extensions given and the air, the width is where I am most impressed with, especially when playing “In The Air Tonight”, you’ll understand the width I'm talking about. Compared to what I've tried, this one is the largest yet. Given with the enormity of its width, separation is nicely done and gives you an accurate instrument placement. Depth is quite good also, considering the laid back vocals of around 5-6 rows it still sits quite nicely to the point that it doesn’t sound too distant. With the depth and width considered the imaging is great overall due to the smoother tonality. Given the layering would not be that comparable to some IEMs, it is never congested.
DRIVEABILITY
Looking at its specifications the Xelento is easy to drive, considering its 110db sensitivity and 16ohm impedance, and this scales well with higher tiered digital audio players (DAPS).
BLUETOOTH MODE
Trying out the Xelento in Bluetooth mode, it makes you feel like you’re wearing a necklace looking at the Bluetooth module centered and the shirt clip fits quite well with the look. The sound quality still remains the same as I have mentioned and the module lasts around 7-8 hours, which is the standard nowadays in terms of wireless technology.
ASTELL AND KERN AK 240
A controlled bass with this one, smooth texture and gives more detail at the midbass and lower mids section. Knowing the 240 is quite analytical, the vocal presentation is a bit better, and the treble is maintained as is, resolution is better and has a darker background, and no hiss heard. The soundstage is still superb as mentioned earlier.
ASTELL AND KERN AK120 TITAN VERSION
Bass is more prominent. Less controlled but still retains the smooth texture although less detail but gives more body to the midrange giving out a lush vocal presentation, the treble has more air and sparkle than the 240 but it is not extended, has a slight hiss and the soundstage still remains the same.
COMPARISONS
As I lack the time to find a suitable Dynamic Driver to match the Xelento, I have only found one suitable IEM that i can compare it with.
Hyla CE-5
I’ve tried the CE-5 for quite some time and it's one of my favorite IEMs in terms of V to U shaped even considering it as balanced. The bass of both Xelento and CE-5 really has that quantity and rumble but detail is much more given from the CE-5 but texture is taken by the Xelento. The CE-5 has greater control than of Xelento’s, the mids of the CE-5 is much more thinner but has accurate vocals that stands out more than Xelento’s, considering the Xelento’s more warmer, full bodied and has smoother mids. The treble region of the CE-5 has much more crisp and less air, more sparkle and extended even giving a better upper treble presence. Now in soundstage, the Xelento has more width than of CE-5 but in return, the CE-5 has more depth. Now in terms of imaging I have to side with the CE-5, it is much clearer and has better layering.
VERDICT
Beyerdynamic focused on the consumer part on this iem, and looking at the provided cable, it has a microphone with it, which means they focused on an IEM that welcomes all platforms: audiophile and consumer markets. They gave out a warm welcoming sound signature that is pleasing to all. For me, I consider this as one of the best dynamic driver iems in the market.
