Beyerdynamic T5 (3rd Generation)

[Beagle]

Good luck! Way too pricey for me, new. I am guessing the price up here in Canada will be about $1,300.00. And then you have to add 15% tax.

$ 1,524.49 to be exact

Yes, it's very unfortunate that due to our current situation we have to pay almost double for headphones (and many other things). In 2008/2009 period when our dollar was actually worth more than the US, I bought a lot of headphones. Not buying many these days. And as long as we have the current government, nothing is going to change. Thank goodness for the used market.

 

[Malevolent]

That FR graph of T5 looks similar to HD820 minus the major dip at 300 Hz. I liked the HD820 a lot and that dip prevented bass to mid bleed when factoring the resonance of closed backs which gave a very open, airy presentation. Unfortunately I found the HD820 did not isolate external noise very well and the mids were south of neutral IMHO. I am very interested to try the new T5 having started my audiophile journey with the original T5P gen 1.

The T5 (3rd Gen) is warmer than the HD 820, with a richer tone. The Sennheiser, on the other hand, sounds a little too dry and lean at times. If you're a fan of the original T5p, you may not enjoy the latest revision. Treble brilliance has been reduced; conversely, the bass section has been boosted over its predecessor models. Ultimately, the new T5 is a good headphone, IMO, and one that I really enjoy listening to. However, it loses the essential magic of the original T5p and its follow-up 2nd Gen release, with a greater emphasis on the lows, as opposed to its highs.

 

[Beagle]

Is www.worldshop.eu currently the only vendor for these?

 

[CTR640]

The T5 (3rd Gen) is warmer than the HD 820, with a richer tone. The Sennheiser, on the other hand, sounds a little too dry and lean at times. If you're a fan of the original T5p, you may not enjoy the latest revision. Treble brilliance has been reduced; conversely, the bass section has been boosted over its predecessor models. Ultimately, the new T5 is a good headphone, IMO, and one that I really enjoy listening to. However, it loses the essential magic of the original T5p and its follow-up 2nd Gen release, with a greater emphasis on the lows, as opposed to its highs.

I own the T5p.2 and love it. The bass and treble are pretty much great to me so the 3rd gen is probably a waste? I want the Klipsch HP3 so might go for that.

 

[bflat]

The T5 (3rd Gen) is warmer than the HD 820, with a richer tone. The Sennheiser, on the other hand, sounds a little too dry and lean at times. If you're a fan of the original T5p, you may not enjoy the latest revision. Treble brilliance has been reduced; conversely, the bass section has been boosted over its predecessor models. Ultimately, the new T5 is a good headphone, IMO, and one that I really enjoy listening to. However, it loses the essential magic of the original T5p and its follow-up 2nd Gen release, with a greater emphasis on the lows, as opposed to its highs.

That's good to hear. I should have mentioned the original T5P is really for nostalgia and would be a fun way to come back full circle with the T5 Gen 3 as I am in need of a closed back headphone. I definitely would not enjoy the original T5P now as my preferences have shifted to more musical, natural tone.

 

[Shane D]

$ 1,524.49 to be exact

Yes, it's very unfortunate that due to our current situation we have to pay almost double for headphones (and many other things). In 2008/2009 period when our dollar was actually worth more than the US, I bought a lot of headphones. Not buying many these days. And as long as we have the current government, nothing is going to change. Thank goodness for the used market.

For 2020 I have been feeding off of open box specials (Fostex TH-610, Hifiman Sundara's, Senn HD660's) and also got a great deal from Europe on a set of DT880's (600 Ohm). I also constantly search the used market (recently re-bought the HD600's).

A conservative government couldn't and wouldn't do anything for our dollar woes. As much as many people may dislike the US, the American dollar is still the world standard and will be for the forseeable future. Nobody's economy is going anywhere for quite a while.

 

[Beagle]

For 2020 I have feeding off of open box specials (Fostex TH-610, Hifiman Sundara's, Senn HD660's) and also got a great deal from Europe on a set of DT880's (600 Ohm). I also constantly search the used market (recently re-bought the HD600's).

A conservative government couldn't and wouldn't do anything for our dollar woes. As much as many people may dislike the US, the American dollar is still the world standard and will be for the forseeable future. Nobody's economy is going anywhere for quite a while.

And our dollar's value is dependent on the price of oil.

Open box, CAM and ebay are the choices. I feel sorry for the Canadian vendors. This situation will kill more of them off.

 

[Malevolent]

I own the T5p.2 and love it. The bass and treble are pretty much great to me so the 3rd gen is probably a waste? I want the Klipsch HP3 so might go for that.

That's good to hear. I should have mentioned the original T5P is really for nostalgia and would be a fun way to come back full circle with the T5 Gen 3 as I am in need of a closed back headphone. I definitely would not enjoy the original T5P now as my preferences have shifted to more musical, natural tone.

When I auditioned the 2 of them together, the new T5 actually sounded like a headphone several generations removed from its predecessor. It wasn't about incremental refinement, but a change in the overall tuning that took me by surprise. In a blindfolded test, I'd wager that almost no one would be able to tell that these 2 headphones actually hail from the same product family.

I'll be heading down to my local store again this weekend for another audition. I was quite impressed during my initial run a couple of weeks ago. I'm hoping that with the passage of time (2 weeks, ha!), my rose-tinted glasses would be a little less colored. We'll see how things go then.

 

[hmscott]

A bass-boosted Elegia sounds great, in my book. I'm just waiting to see if Focal will release a variant without the co-branding.

It depends on if you are a fan of Bentley or not, as for me I am a fan of Bentley and I am enamored with the "Radiance" - if only I could be sure the headband was solid metal so it wouldn't fold up under extended use as others have reported (Elegia).

Right now I'd rather have the Beyerdynamic T5 (3rd Generation) or Beyerdynamic T1 3rd Gen, but I have been wanting a Focal headphone too.

 

[CTR640]

It depends on if you are a fan of Bentley or not, as for me I am a fan of Bentley and I am enamored with the "Radiance" - if only I could be sure the headband was solid metal so it wouldn't fold up under extended use as others have reported (Elegia).

Right now I'd rather have the Beyerdynamic T5 (3rd Generation) or Beyerdynamic T1 3rd Gen, but I have been wanting a Focal headphone too.

I wanted the Radiance and I forgot about the issues reported by the others. You've saved me. It would be either the T5.3 or T1.3 if I had to choose.
Before I had some high-end headphones, I wanted the Elegia but something prevented me to get one and I had no idea about these issues. Instead, it was another Beyer and no regrets lol

 

[Shane D]

And our dollar's value is dependent on the price of oil.

Open box, CAM and ebay are the choices. I feel sorry for the Canadian vendors. This situation will kill more of them off.

The pandemic is just speeding up their demise. The net is changing everything. I had a business for 14 years, but had to close it in 2012.

If you are not the very cheapest or have some exclusive product, you are/will be done. Only service based businesses will survive.

18 to 24 months ago, I thought about opening a small, low overhead business for headphones and desk top audio. I contacted several headphone companies about carrying their products. Most of the replies were the same:
"You idea will likely fail as the vast majority of sales are online."
Ouch!

 

[CTR640]

The pandemic is a huge bs issue affecting everyone and everything

 

[Beagle]

The pandemic is just speeding up their demise. The net is changing everything. I had a business for 14 years, but had to close it in 2012.

If you are not the very cheapest or have some exclusive product, you are/will be done. Only service based businesses will survive.

18 to 24 months ago, I thought about opening a small, low overhead business for headphones and desk top audio. I contacted several headphone companies about carrying their products. Most of the replies were the same:
"You idea will likely fail as the vast majority of sales are online."
Ouch!

Hard to demo online. So only alternative is to go Amazon and return it.

 

[Shane D]

Hard to demo online. So only alternative is to go Amazon and return it.

I guess it depends on where you live. Once I got past $399.00 headphones, there is nowhere to demo in my area.

I just buy online, hope for the best and sell at a loss. Most headphones seem to have a finite lifespan (weeks/months) with me.

 

[zolom]

I have the T5p (2nd edition) and like them a lot. Nevertheless, is there a detailed SQ comparison betweem the 2nd and 3rd editions?
Regarding the 3rd edition's pads, are those the same as the 2nd's (material and inner width)?

Thanks. .