[kman1211]

I've got a pair of DT100 and use them with the original DT150 pads which enhance their low end. They sound amazing and there are times I even prefer them over the 150!

That's interesting to know, considering that I find the DT 480 (a DT 100 with DT 48 drivers) with some mods to sound better than my T1.2 so not terribly surprised, most people just say the DT 100 sounds worse, haven't actually heard them. Which version of the DT 100? The 16 Ohm, 400 Ohm, or the older 2000 Ohm? That makes me want to get a pair and try it out.

 

[G_T_J]

That's interesting to know, considering that I find the DT 480 (a DT 100 with DT 48 drivers) with some mods to sound better than my T1.2 so not terribly surprised, most people just say the DT 100 sounds worse, haven't actually heard them. Which version of the DT 100? The 16 Ohm, 400 Ohm, or the older 2000 Ohm? That makes me want to get a pair and try it out.

I got the 400ohm version and driving it through a. Topping DX3.

At first they sounded dull, flat and anaemic but I swapped their original pads for the pads they came with my DT150 (I have myself made a pair of pads for DT150 by Vesper audio so had the original DT150 pads laying unused).

I can say the DT100 with the 150 pads sound close to the DT150 but a bit more balanced with less lower end impact. Trully exceptional for my taste of what an ideal sound signature is.

For what it counts, my pair should be a fairly old one - got it used of off ebay with damaged cable for... peanuts. If anyone knows how can I identify its age I'll be very interested!

 

[kman1211]

I got the 400ohm version and driving it through a. Topping DX3.

At first they sounded dull, flat and anaemic but I swapped their original pads for the pads they came with my DT150 (I have myself made a pair of pads for DT150 by Vesper audio so had the original DT150 pads laying unused).

I can say the DT100 with the 150 pads sound close to the DT150 but a bit more balanced with less lower end impact. Trully exceptional for my taste of what an ideal sound signature is.

For what it counts, my pair should be a fairly old one - got it used of off ebay with damaged cable for... peanuts. If anyone knows how can I identify its age I'll be very interested!

Ah makes sense, I can probably bring out a good deal out of them, want to hear what the drivers are capable of, I have yet to hear a low fidelity german-made Beyer. The DT 480 sounds nothing like the DT 150 on the other hand, it's a detail monster and electrostatic fast but it needs a good amount of work to make it sound it's best.

Is the side of the headbands where it says Beyerdynamic and DT 100 grey or black? Older ones are gray and the stock pads are this old school vinyl stuff. I only know this due to the DT 480 which was made back in the 60-80's I believe. Older ones have a smooth housing and gray headband clasps and vinyl pads. I don't know if the DT 100 ever had smooth earcups though. It seems there were 8 Ohm pairs too though. The newer ones(80's and newer I believe) have black side clasps, textured earcups, and different pads.

 

[G_T_J]

Ah makes sense, I can probably bring out a good deal out of them, want to hear what the drivers are capable of, I have yet to hear a low fidelity german-made Beyer. The DT 480 sounds nothing like the DT 150 on the other hand, it's a detail monster and electrostatic fast but it needs a good amount of work to make it sound it's best.

Is the side of the headbands where it says Beyerdynamic and DT 100 grey or black? Older ones are gray and the stock pads are this old school vinyl stuff. I only know this due to the DT 480 which was made back in the 60-80's I believe. Older ones have a smooth housing and gray headband clasps and vinyl pads. I don't know if the DT 100 ever had smooth earcups though. It seems there were 8 Ohm pairs too though. The newer ones(80's and newer I believe) have black side clasps, textured earcups, and different pads.

Of course it all comes down to personal preference but I love how they sound with the 150 pads! Very flowing sound, natural,unfarugueing and true to the recording with no nasty peaks.

So according to what you said mine should not be from the older ones...

 

[kman1211]

Of course it all comes down to personal preference but I love how they sound with the 150 pads! Very flowing sound, natural,unfarugueing and true to the recording with no nasty peaks.

So according to what you said mine should not be from the older ones...

It’s probably from the 80’s. Not sure when they changed things. Here is a picture of my two DT 480’s. The 200 Ohm with the smooth earcups is probably from the 70’s and the 25 Ohm is likely from the 80’s. These are the vinyl ear pads found on the old DT 100 and all DT 480’s.

 

[dakanao]

I've got a pair of DT100 and use them with the original DT150 pads which enhance their low end. They sound amazing and there are times I even prefer them over the 150!

Hmm, in what way do you prefer them over the DT 150, and vice versa?

 

[G_T_J]

It’s probably from the 80’s. Not sure when they changed things. Here is a picture of my two DT 480’s. The 200 Ohm with the smooth earcups is probably from the 70’s and the 25 Ohm is likely from the 80’s. These are the vinyl ear pads found on the old DT 100 and all DT 480’s.

Wow. I bet these are also great!
Since you are a collector of those old beyer gems, you should try a dt100 as soon as possible. You won't be disappointed I assure you as you are accustomed to their house sound and you know what to expext. Just try to audition them with the specific 150 stock pads!

Why do you say mine are from the 80's? (I so hope you are right )

I figured they are old as they were dirty and there was also slight discolouration underneath the foam of the pads which goes to show they had several years (or even decades) on them. I tried to restore condition and clean them even with eartips at every possible angle that a soft cloth won't do and managed to make them look decent enough. But it's the sound that matters and there's no wear to the drivers as far as I'm concerned

Now I'm giving them a go again, first time with my DX160 and I can only confirm they sound awesome even through this portable player! (Gain set to high and the volume is around 3/4 - loud enough to enjoy music but not ear deafening levels)

 

[G_T_J]

Hmm, in what way do you prefer them over the DT 150, and vice versa?

They are close, really close. The character and presentation is the same. Excellent definition too without being harsh or sibilant. They are a tad less boomy which works great for several genres of music. BTW don't assume I don't like the DT150. I love them too.

 

[kman1211]

Wow. I bet these are also great!
Since you are a collector of those old beyer gems, you should try a dt100 as soon as possible. You won't be disappointed I assure you as you are accustomed to their house sound and you know what to expext. Just try to audition them with the specific 150 stock pads!

Why do you say mine are from the 80's? (I so hope you are right )

I figured they are old as they were dirty and there was also slight discolouration underneath the foam of the pads which goes to show they had several years (or even decades) on them. I tried to restore condition and clean them even with eartips at every possible angle that a soft cloth won't do and managed to make them look decent enough. But it's the sound that matters and there's no wear to the drivers as far as I'm concerned

Now I'm giving them a go again, first time with my DX160 and I can only confirm they sound awesome even through this portable player! (Gain set to high and the volume is around 3/4 - loud enough to enjoy music but not ear deafening levels)

Honestly I’ll probably get both the DT 100 and also revisit the DT 150. Complete the DT 100 trio, each has very different driver technologies so would be interesting to see how they compare. The DT 480 has a variation of the very first dynamic driver and uses aluminum and a very different system from most modern headphones, it’s unique sounding. The DT 100 is when Beyer first started moving away from the aluminum DT 48 driver, and the DT 150 uses the DT 880 family driver. I’ve heard all the main different dynamic drivers from Beyer except the DT 100 style driver.

They are great, right now the 200 Ohm is stock but the 25 Ohm is heavily modified right now. I like the more midrange forward tuning of the 25 Ohm, but the 200 Ohm does have more bass and deeper bass, may swap the mods as the 200 Ohm adjustment sliders stay put while the 25 Ohm like to slide when I wear them.

The discoloration of the screws, assume they may of not been in the best environment but that level of discoloring takes a while to achieve so was thinking 80’s based on how it looked as well.

 

[CJG888]

It’s a shame there is no DT150-600...

 

[G_T_J]

Honestly I’ll probably get both the DT 100 and also revisit the DT 150. Complete the DT 100 trio, each has very different driver technologies so would be interesting to see how they compare. The DT 480 has a variation of the very first dynamic driver and uses aluminum and a very different system from most modern headphones, it’s unique sounding. The DT 100 is when Beyer first started moving away from the aluminum DT 48 driver, and the DT 150 uses the DT 880 family driver. I’ve heard all the main different dynamic drivers from Beyer except the DT 100 style driver.

They are great, right now the 200 Ohm is stock but the 25 Ohm is heavily modified right now. I like the more midrange forward tuning of the 25 Ohm, but the 200 Ohm does have more bass and deeper bass, may swap the mods as the 200 Ohm adjustment sliders stay put while the 25 Ohm like to slide when I wear them.

The discoloration of the screws, assume they may of not been in the best environment but that level of discoloring takes a while to achieve so was thinking 80’s based on how it looked as well.

I'd be very interested to read your comparison between the 480 and 100 and 150 if you get to obtain a pair of those. They might share different technologies but I bet the core tuning and character of Beyerdybamic should be similar in all of them.

The screws at a closer inspection I'm not sure if they are "gold-ish" or they are discoloured as opposed to the silver-coloured of the DT150. My pair of DT150 was bought new around a year ago through Amazon.

 

[dakanao]

The optimal fit with this headphone, is soooo important for the best sound.

The driver needs to be directed as close to your ears as possible, otherwise they sound resonant or bass light. It's the same thing with the HD650, though the HD 650, when given an optimal fit, is less resonant than the DT 150 with an optimal fit.

 

[G_T_J]

I finally got to build the balanced cable today.
It was not an easy task as I had to solder both ends and am rather clumsy with the soldering iron.

I used a 4-core cable bought from Aliexpress and the Rhodium 2.5mm balanced jack by DDhifi.

With the balanced cable, volume headroom is noticeably higher (driving the headphones with my DX160).I needed around 4/5 of volume (SE)

for the DT100 to sound right while now I believe 3/5 is plenty powerful.

With regards to sound quality, it is just as good, if not better.

 

[kman1211]

I'd be very interested to read your comparison between the 480 and 100 and 150 if you get to obtain a pair of those. They might share different technologies but I bet the core tuning and character of Beyerdybamic should be similar in all of them.

The screws at a closer inspection I'm not sure if they are "gold-ish" or they are discoloured as opposed to the silver-coloured of the DT150. My pair of DT150 was bought new around a year ago through Amazon.

I can tell they are all Beyers, how Beyers handle sound is similar and I find when well driven few headphones sound as "right" in a subtle fundamental sense as a Beyer. The modified DT 480 takes the rightness even further and fundamentally sounds different than other headphones, but I can tell that Beyers house sound characteristics draw from the DT 48/480 drivers. I’m most curious about how the DT 100 driver sounds and how they compare to the other Beyer drivers. I do plan on modifying (reversible, I don’t do permanent mods) the DT 100 whenever I get one to get a better handle on its drivers capabilities. But yeah if I end up getting all three I’ll do a comparison.

I think they are supposed to be silver, the only gold/brass colored screws were the ones that screw the headband cable in.

Would like to listen to any of these balanced sometime. Honestly it’s nice Beyer did a detachable cable with a headphone design from the 1960’s.

 

[G_T_J]

I can tell they are all Beyers, how Beyers handle sound is similar and I find when well driven few headphones sound as "right" in a subtle fundamental sense as a Beyer. The modified DT 480 takes the rightness even further and fundamentally sounds different than other headphones, but I can tell that Beyers house sound characteristics draw from the DT 48/480 drivers. I’m most curious about how the DT 100 driver sounds and how they compare to the other Beyer drivers. I do plan on modifying (reversible, I don’t do permanent mods) the DT 100 whenever I get one to get a better handle on its drivers capabilities. But yeah if I end up getting all three I’ll do a comparison.

I think they are supposed to be silver, the only gold/brass colored screws were the ones that screw the headband cable in.

Would like to listen to any of these balanced sometime. Honestly it’s nice Beyer did a detachable cable with a headphone design from the 1960’s.

You're right. I've browsed various listing of the DT100 on the internet and the little screws seem like silver-colored. With that in mind there's definitely some discoloration on the screws of my unit..

With regards to DT48, it seems it was produced in 2 different versions: one portable and lightweight at 5ohms and another full-sized at 200ohm? I'm quite confused.