aphex944
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2003
- Posts
- 699
- Likes
- 11
I was lucky enough to score these NIB Beyerdynamic DT 511s off of eBay for only $26! A seller on eBay had acquired a number of brand new unopened headphones from a retired Beyer salesman. I had purchased a pair of DT 811s from the seller a few months prior, and ended up selling those to a member here.
I believe this model was released in 1990, or maybe even before that. They resemble the DT 990 as seen in the photo. They are overall pretty comfortable, but the earpads can get a bit itchy. The cable is cumbersome, very heavy, and terminates to a 1/4" plug. The headband, like all Beyers with this style, doesn't hold it's adjustment very well even though they've never been used. If you apply any downward pressure while putting them on, one side will snap to a lower adjustment.
Being over 10 years old with no play time, I wasn't sure if I should really expect the initial sound to be representative of what they'd sound like after burn-in. At first listen, they had a similar signature to the DT 990. They've only had about 30 hours on them so far, but I've detected little if any changes in the sound. It'll be interesting to see if it DOES change at all.
Anyway, the overall sound is pleasant. The bulk of the midrange is recessed, but there is a nice high frequency sparkle that never becomes fatiguing or bright. The main difference here compared to the DT 990 is that the sparkle or spike is lower down in the frequency range. They roll off quickly after this, so there's a bit of detail lost unlike the DT 990 which presents the high frequencies beautifully. The real "problem" with these is that the OVERALL resolution is a bit low. It makes listening to poor recordings a cinch, but it's really exposed on high quality tracks. They can also be a bit grainy, even congested, which is what I found with the DT 801/811s as well.
Another issue is the soundstage. These remind me of Grados in that there's lots of "headstage", but they don't really branch out like the newer Beyers. It's a much more in your face and upfront presentation, something I'm definitely not used to.
In the end, I've decided to keep them because of their rich lower midrange. It's very lush and organic, while the bass is also present without being too overbearing. The first half of the frequency response is actually quite nicely balanced. The bass has a nice punch to it, and extends deep enough. I did some back-to-back comparisons, and ended up liking these more than my K 240 Studios, which are now sold. Even though they have obvous faults, I'm trying to keep in mind I am comparing headphones I bought for $26 to others that cost several times that. For what they do, they do it very well!
I know the older Beyers are supposed to sound best with a 120-ohm adapter, but my amp has an output impedance of 8 ohms, and the difference, if any, would be small(according to my amp's designer, anyway
I would be interested to know how these compare to the DT 531s, if anyone can chime in about those.
