Initial impressions:
When I first held these, they scared the pants off me. The cups wiggled a little bit and the yokes connecting the cups and the headband were attached in such a way that I felt if I were to move them wrong they'd just fall apart. After using them for a while I came to get used to these design choices and accept that it's pretty stable and well built, but they feel flimsy as all heck and still make me feel a bit unsure from time to time.
Aesthetics:
They look like headphones with slats on the sides. The aesthetic design leaves a fair bit to be desired. They have a bare-bones, utilitarian design with the only feature of luxury being the velour earpads and plush headband. Round plastic cups with a metal yoke to a foam and plastic headband. It's pretty straightforward.
Build Quality:
These headphones seem to be of high build quality though some of the material choices concern me. Many of the parts, especially parts that move, are simply brittle plastic which makes me concerned for long-term reliability. Aside from that, everything seems to be assembled with care and it seems pretty solid.
Sound Quality:
This is the real reason anyone buys a Beyerdynamic headphone. The sound on these is far better than their pricetag would imply. They have clean bass and sparkling highs which gives music a somewhat magical and mystical feeling. The midrange lacks a bit of richness or fullness but that can be mostly remedied with an equalizer. Additionally, it is a bit weaker in terms of detail when compared to other top competitors at the price range and when listening to complex music (e.g., Radiohead - The National Anthem) it starts to lose control and provide sloppy bass.
On the other hand, these headphones scale incredibly well. I was given the privilege of being able to listen to these while plugged into a Schiit Ragnarok and Yggdrasil and they performed in a way that you could expect of $500 or $600 headphones. It was simply astounding, so if you want headphones that will keep rising to the occasion when you upgrade your components, these might just be for you.
Sound Signature:
These headphones have a somewhat V-shaped sound signature in that can be seen below:
Overall:
These are good sounding headphones for a super competitive price that are comfortable to wear, scale well, and have a massive soundstage. If you can get past some interesting design choices, these are definitely among the best in its price range.
When I first held these, they scared the pants off me. The cups wiggled a little bit and the yokes connecting the cups and the headband were attached in such a way that I felt if I were to move them wrong they'd just fall apart. After using them for a while I came to get used to these design choices and accept that it's pretty stable and well built, but they feel flimsy as all heck and still make me feel a bit unsure from time to time.
Aesthetics:
They look like headphones with slats on the sides. The aesthetic design leaves a fair bit to be desired. They have a bare-bones, utilitarian design with the only feature of luxury being the velour earpads and plush headband. Round plastic cups with a metal yoke to a foam and plastic headband. It's pretty straightforward.
Build Quality:
These headphones seem to be of high build quality though some of the material choices concern me. Many of the parts, especially parts that move, are simply brittle plastic which makes me concerned for long-term reliability. Aside from that, everything seems to be assembled with care and it seems pretty solid.
Sound Quality:
This is the real reason anyone buys a Beyerdynamic headphone. The sound on these is far better than their pricetag would imply. They have clean bass and sparkling highs which gives music a somewhat magical and mystical feeling. The midrange lacks a bit of richness or fullness but that can be mostly remedied with an equalizer. Additionally, it is a bit weaker in terms of detail when compared to other top competitors at the price range and when listening to complex music (e.g., Radiohead - The National Anthem) it starts to lose control and provide sloppy bass.
On the other hand, these headphones scale incredibly well. I was given the privilege of being able to listen to these while plugged into a Schiit Ragnarok and Yggdrasil and they performed in a way that you could expect of $500 or $600 headphones. It was simply astounding, so if you want headphones that will keep rising to the occasion when you upgrade your components, these might just be for you.
Sound Signature:
These headphones have a somewhat V-shaped sound signature in that can be seen below:
Overall:
These are good sounding headphones for a super competitive price that are comfortable to wear, scale well, and have a massive soundstage. If you can get past some interesting design choices, these are definitely among the best in its price range.
