Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro Review

[Smugsie]

So its' been about 30 hours of playback, I think the burn in has gone on long enough... These ain't a pair of AKG's.

First off I'd like to make a small complaint.
There's a bump somewhere in the 2.5khz to 3khz range that forces presence and be too fatiguing. These have gone down over time, but it's still there. Unfortunately all of my female vocalists have this strong presence, and with the lack of a dip in this area; everything sounds very honky and artificial.

The bass does seem a bit separated from the rest, and I think I like this. I can actually hear sub-bass on its' own, which isn't very common in the headphones I own due to the common bump in mid-bass. The bass, similar to the mids, are quite variable. If the song doesn't have a solid bass presence, the bass will tend to be a bit flabby and turn out to be muddy. This especially applies to the increase in bass level increases. In this case, I like to switch between the second and third levels depending on the song. On a song requiring faster bass, I turn it down to the second adjustment. On slow songs with low rumbly sub bass, I turn it to the third setting. I just don't go to the fourth setting due to the lack of mid-bass.
 
The mids are ups and downs here. Bad for my anime music because the female vocalists are a lot higher octaves than my regular music, in which I already discussed the 2.5khz-3khz range fatigue. Male vocals are fine for the most part. I COULD switch to the first setting in which the bass is lower than the mids, but the fatigue will be too much for me.

The treble wasn't too special, it can deliver airyness when called for. However I come from treble/mids rounded headphones, so that's something else.

Detailing is okay, soundstage is okay.

However what I loved the most is the isolation. I put these on and it feels like sound is just getting sucked out from my ears.

In the end, I think these are a no-go for me. I gave them a shot twice.

But don't take my review too seriously, I'm a guy who came from bright headphones. Those bright headphones usually have more midbass and midrange that can make bass sound tighter, and unfortunately I guess sub-bass wasn't meant for me.
At least my dad likes the COP!

 

 

[sbradley02]

  I'm going to make a little review here, the only reason I'm doing it here is because these are my dad's. I probably won't be able to hear these again after 30 hours of playback.

The Beyerdynamic Custom One Pros reminded me a bit of the V-Moda M100's; and that would have to be not being friendly to poprock japanese vocalists.
There's a bump somewhere in the 2.5khz to 3khz range that forces presence and be too fatiguing. I don't know if these go down with burn-in though.

The bass does seem a bit separated from the rest, and I think I like this. I can actually hear sub-bass on its' own, which isn't very common in the headphones I own due to the common bump in mid-bass. I like the 3rd bass setting the most, making my playback experience even more enjoyable.
The mids are ups and downs here. Bad for my anime music because the female vocalists are a lot higher octaves than my regular music, in which I already discussed the 2.5khz-3khz range fatigue. Male vocals are fine for the most part.
The treble wasn't too special, it can deliver airyness when called for. However I come from treble/mids rounded headphones, so that's something else.

Detailing is okay, soundstage is okay.

However what I loved the most is the isolation. I put these on and it feels like sound is just getting sucked out from my ears.

In the end, I think these are a no-go for me. I'd give them a longer playback/burn in period but the custom one pros are not mine.
 

I heard exactly the same thing. That is why I am keeping my DT770 Pro 80s (which sound smoother to me) and selling my COPs.

 

[Smugsie]

So it turns out I have a few more days to listen with the custom one pros.

I have a PC right next to me that goes at a very low hum. Although even when I stretch the earcups about 5-10cm from my ears. It feels like the sound is being absorbed by the headphone, I'd have to say this is the best passive isolation I've ever heard in a headphone! I'll be editting my previous post later on to give it a proper review...

 

[dfxck]

I am currently looking for closed comfortable headphones , and I narrowed it down to the AKG 550 and these.

Could someone give me the exact dimension of the ear cup size of the Custom one pro? I have bigger than average ears so this is very important for me. Thank you

 

[Armaegis]

pad inner diameter 55mm... roughly 2 1/8"

 

[jeremy205100]

So I can't sing these enough praises. They work amazingly well unamped, directly from my MacBook Pro. The cushions create an amazing seal and on the 3rd setting they have amazing bass that doesn't totally overpower the rest of the range. They're no DT 990s, but they have amazing passive noise cancellation and are much more portable. I'm honestly surprised these aren't more popular. 
 
I picked mine up for $180 on Amazon a while ago, but using them now just made me think how under-valued they are. 

 

[Jimmy80]

Hi,
 
I have tested the COP and really liked the sound, The DT990 Pro next to it hade almost to much treble and almost no bass? I was testng with my Samsung S3 hooked up to a amp.
 
The problem with COP is that they got warm within minutes, not god for whole day use. I was thinking of the possibility to switch to velour pads but I supose that will remove all bass?
 
I have already ordered Beyerdynamic Dt 990 (250 Ohm) but will this really be a better headphone?
 
I like base, almost as it feels but I like clarity more. I have tested the Philips Fidelio X1 and I know its a liked headphone but I dont think its clear enouth. My Philips HP890 have a lot more clearity.

 

[Smugsie]

Beyerdynamic Custom One Pros: Amplified

This is quite an interesting discovery. The custom one pros scale oddly to amplification.
I'm using a Dared MP5 tube amp (which I found can power speakers well) and it doesn't seem to pick up much of the hiss found in the amp compared to a more sensitive headphone like my ATH-A900X. In fact it has the same volume level as my AKG Q701's in regards to the midrange level. I don't think it matters anymore if this headphone doesn't pair well with my portable sources; they're too big to wear outdoors anyway.

I actually think I might be overloading the headphone since there's still quite a presence of bass even in the "no bass" level. No matter, I like the sound better. In regards to the bass switch, it does what it's supposed to and it's what I find in many headphones.
As bass increases, so does the 2-3khz bump. With less bass, this 2-3khz bump decreases; making a better overall experience.
I have songs that have vocalists that reach the 3khz area, and this is the very few songs I have in my Japanese Pop Rock collection.
However I can't complain either, my Q701's are also picky with songs too. Except the COP's fare quite well with 128kbps MP3 files since it doesn't have a treble peak like many other headphones.
Bass has the proper rumble as opposed to using a source such as the O2/ODAC or FiiO X3. When I switch to the 4th bass option, it doesn't feel like the flabby whomps either. 
Although the bass is tighter and more impactful, I don't think these are tight enough and lack treble presence for classical/orchestra use.
I didn't find the mids recessed, a bit thin yes but honestly I'm comparing these to headphones that revolve around the midrange. 

TL;DR: The COP's sound better with higher powered sources. After 4 months of playback and stubborn hate for these, they rank a bit higher than my V-Moda M100's.

The V-Moda M100's are a special kind of headphone. It has the same traits as the COP's, but it has more bass quantity, and has a treble peak that introduces more sibilance than the COP's.

 

[tan1415]

Is the COP being phased out?

 

[HighlandAdagio]

Impressive. However I'm not going to buy a portable headphone since I mainly listen to music in my room. I'm a fan of beyerdynamic, and maybe I'll buy one when I find out that I really need a close headphone.

 

[Smugsie]

  Is the COP being phased out?

It could be the case, since I don't see them very often except on clearance sales. With the long burn in weight and pairing these with the right amp, the COP's are a decent <$120 buy.

 

[at81]

I just got the COPs.  
 
My very first impression, right out of the box, through my iphone, and listening in a noisy warehouse  =  nothing to write home about, but not bad by any means.
 
I expected more bass.  I am a basshead (to an extreme, but one who wants the best quality sub/mid bass without any hindrance to mids, highs, yada yada yada).  After a very brief listen (approx 20 minutes) testing multiple genres of music, I was left with a "mehh" feeling.  At this point, I wish I would have been able to fit in the VModa M100s (although they have poor isolation in loud environments).  
 
It's now been a week, with maybe 53 hours of use.  I have changed my tone.  So the sound is amazing for these cans.  Yes, the bass is good (like 6/7 out of 10), but I feel the only way to ever satisfy my bass needs is to strap a couple subs to my head,  I will not go into detail about the mids, trebles, any recessions, or roll offs.  For a $160 can - these sound like a $300 can.  Edit - I do not attribute (although it may not come across as such) my change in like for sound due to "burn-in".  I believe my ears simply were used to cheaper headphones with a muddled sound across the board.  Once I began to experience better cans, like these COPs, I began to see how mids were present and lows were way too "bloated".  I am no expert like many here claim to be, so I have no idea if burn-in is real or legend.  My opinion changed to comparison between music genres, eq, and other can comparisons)
 
I have not amped it yet, but will.  As of now, my iphone is doing well; and even better with the Onkyo HF and Accudio apps.  
 
Here is what really did it in for me.  I need, repeat need, isolation/cancellation.  These are nor cancellers but I'll be damned at how well they isolate.  Again, working in a warehouse, at first I was not impressed, but for some reason, after time, I enjoyed them.  If on a scale of 1 to 10 for isolation, a 1 is like holding a piece of paper to your ear and a 10 is the Bose QC25 - these were a solid 7.  And if you listen to your tunes at more than 50%, that 7 jumps to an 8/8.5.  And even more, if you listen to these in a place like a home, office type, or somewhere where there is some sounds going on - these are a 9 on the scale.
 
I recommend to those who want detailed, comforable, sweet looking, sturdy, well isolating, affordable cans.  Well done Beyer.

 

[sbradley02]

Did you try adjusting the bass response on the headphones? At maximum bass setting they have a very elevated bass response.

 

[at81]

Did you try adjusting the bass response on the headphones? At maximum bass setting they have a very elevated bass response.

I tried various EQ settings.  The bass is great, but like I said before I have this fantasy that one day headphones will be able to replicate (on scale of course) like a 12" subwoofer.  I got issues - I know.  You have any EQ recommendations I can try out?  I am new to all this hifi stuff.

 

[sbradley02]

Not talking about EQ. The COPs have adjustable bass response. There is a small slider on each cup. There are 4 positions. The phones ship in position 2. You have two more settings with more bass. Your owners manual has details on the sliders. They operate by changing the port area.