[zolom]

Im considering one of these as my daily use set for edm and metal. Would they be good for that? Also, I can get the 2nd gen for much cheaper, is it worth getting the 3rd gen?

My T5p 2nd are great for metal and edn as well as most other gerns.

I prefer closed cans because they reduce (outbound) sound leakage a lot.

 

[Malevolent]

Im considering one of these as my daily use set for edm and metal. Would they be good for that? Also, I can get the 2nd gen for much cheaper, is it worth getting the 3rd gen?

There are a few things to consider -

1) The T5 (3rd Gen) is darker and than its 2 predecessor models. Treble brilliance is reined in; it is definitely rounded and a little muted in comparison.
2) Conversely, the bass presence is increased, considerably. Lows retain good texture, with impressive extension into the sub-bass frequencies. However, the excessive mid-bass bloat does have a tendency to bleed into the lower mids.
3) They are source and amp-dependent. With a Chord Hugo 2, the highs retained a little sparkle and granular texture. With a Sony TA-ZH1ES, the treble was smoothed out, resulting in a loss of energy and engagement.

The T5p (2nd Gen) had better-balanced treble and high frequencies; both were boosted, but neither excessively so. On the T5 (3rd Gen), the highs are attenuated, with the low-end presence increased considerably. The result? A dark, bass-focused signature.

In conclusion, if you enjoy a liquid, lush tonality, the T5 (3rd Gen) is the better match - it has a rich, full sound. However, if you value treble presence, and you seek more engagement out of your cans, it's better to go with the outgoing model, the 2nd Gen. It retains better treble extension, and better staging capabilities.

I have compared the 2 headphones here.

 

[Beagle]

......... However, the excessive mid-bass bloat does have a tendency to bleed into the lower mids.

Aw crap, I just ordered these a few days ago. Was happy to hear about the treble being tamed, but hope I have a suitable amp for suitable balance.

 

[bflat]

Aw crap, I just ordered these a few days ago. Was happy to hear about the treble being tamed, but hope I have a suitable amp for suitable balance.

Just make sure that the cups don't fit too tight on your head and the sound will be pretty balanced. Out of box, the new T5.3 is really tight even for the average sized head. If the pads are too tight, it will cause a lot of unwanted low end resonance. I was ready to return my T5.3 at first, but after spreading the head band a bit, it cleaned up tremendously, not to mention much more comfortable fit. Personally, I have a low tolerance for low-mid bloat and I find the T5.3 levels really good for a closed back.

Having said that, I don't know of any closed back headphone that doesn't suffer some amount of over or under tuning in the bass to mid transition. You either get thunderous bass that hides the bloat, or rolled off low end that eliminates the bloat, but at the cost of dry mids. Sennheiser tried an exotic concave glass back and sound ports to strike a balance, but still had an unnatural hardness in the mids.

 

[HarlanDraka]

Just make sure that the cups don't fit too tight on your head and the sound will be pretty balanced. Out of box, the new T5.3 is really tight even for the average sized head. If the pads are too tight, it will cause a lot of unwanted low end resonance. I was ready to return my T5.3 at first, but after spreading the head band a bit, it cleaned up tremendously, not to mention much more comfortable fit. Personally, I have a low tolerance for low-mid bloat and I find the T5.3 levels really good for a closed back.

Having said that, I don't know of any closed back headphone that doesn't suffer some amount of over or under tuning in the bass to mid transition. You either get thunderous bass that hides the bloat, or rolled off low end that eliminates the bloat, but at the cost of dry mids. Sennheiser tried an exotic concave glass back and sound ports to strike a balance, but still had an unnatural hardness in the mids.

I was going to write exactly the same. Tight fit at first, resonance of bass. Pretty balanced and organic after spreading the headband

 

[aaa118]

The fitting was fine for me, didn't have any issues with that.

 

[Beagle]

Just make sure that the cups don't fit too tight on your head and the sound will be pretty balanced. Out of box, the new T5.3 is really tight even for the average sized head. If the pads are too tight, it will cause a lot of unwanted low end resonance. I was ready to return my T5.3 at first, but after spreading the head band a bit, it cleaned up tremendously, not to mention much more comfortable fit. Personally, I have a low tolerance for low-mid bloat and I find the T5.3 levels really good for a closed back.

Having said that, I don't know of any closed back headphone that doesn't suffer some amount of over or under tuning in the bass to mid transition. You either get thunderous bass that hides the bloat, or rolled off low end that eliminates the bloat, but at the cost of dry mids. Sennheiser tried an exotic concave glass back and sound ports to strike a balance, but still had an unnatural hardness in the mids.

I was going to write exactly the same. Tight fit at first, resonance of bass. Pretty balanced and organic after spreading the headband

So..at first the fit is like when you press the cups into your head (on a bass-lite headphone) in order to get more bass, then when the grip relaxes the bass lightens a bit. I had this phenomenon with the HD820, where if the seal was a certain way and you did not breathe or move your head, you got bass. If you moved your head or jaw, the bass would vary all over the place. Frustrated me so much I sold them. But if the relaxing of the seal on the T5-3rd ends up with a lighter consistent grip, sounds like all should be fine

 

[Malevolent]

Just make sure that the cups don't fit too tight on your head and the sound will be pretty balanced. Out of box, the new T5.3 is really tight even for the average sized head. If the pads are too tight, it will cause a lot of unwanted low end resonance. I was ready to return my T5.3 at first, but after spreading the head band a bit, it cleaned up tremendously, not to mention much more comfortable fit. Personally, I have a low tolerance for low-mid bloat and I find the T5.3 levels really good for a closed back.

Having said that, I don't know of any closed back headphone that doesn't suffer some amount of over or under tuning in the bass to mid transition. You either get thunderous bass that hides the bloat, or rolled off low end that eliminates the bloat, but at the cost of dry mids. Sennheiser tried an exotic concave glass back and sound ports to strike a balance, but still had an unnatural hardness in the mids.

Thanks for the tip; although, I am wary of its ability to improve the overall sound that I'm hearing on the T5 (3rd Gen). Throughout all of my auditions, the T5's clamp was never an issue; it was snug, but never tight. In fact, if I reduced the clamp force any further, it'd end up being a little too loose.

Nevertheless, I'd be happy to give this a shot; I'll try to create as much slack as possible, without permanently damaging the headband (it isn't my unit, after all). I'll see if it improves the bass presentation on the T5.

 

[bflat]

So..at first the fit is like when you press the cups into your head (on a bass-lite headphone) in order to get more bass, then when the grip relaxes the bass lightens a bit. I had this phenomenon with the HD820, where if the seal was a certain way and you did not breathe or move your head, you got bass. If you moved your head or jaw, the bass would vary all over the place. Frustrated me so much I sold them. But if the relaxing of the seal on the T5-3rd ends up with a lighter consistent grip, sounds like all should be fine

That's right. A bit counterintuitive based on how most closed headphones are designed. You want just enough pressure to seal and sound isolate. No more than that unless you do want more heavy, syrupy low end. A bit of initial setup effort, but it's way easier to loosen fit versus tightening. I can't imagine any adult head size being so small that stock out of box T5.3 needs to be tightened.

I also forgot to mention, don't overdo the loosening because your pads will settle. My T5.3 got a touch lighter on the low end after about a month of use and hasn't changed since.

 

[kman1211]

Just make sure that the cups don't fit too tight on your head and the sound will be pretty balanced. Out of box, the new T5.3 is really tight even for the average sized head. If the pads are too tight, it will cause a lot of unwanted low end resonance. I was ready to return my T5.3 at first, but after spreading the head band a bit, it cleaned up tremendously, not to mention much more comfortable fit. Personally, I have a low tolerance for low-mid bloat and I find the T5.3 levels really good for a closed back.

Having said that, I don't know of any closed back headphone that doesn't suffer some amount of over or under tuning in the bass to mid transition. You either get thunderous bass that hides the bloat, or rolled off low end that eliminates the bloat, but at the cost of dry mids. Sennheiser tried an exotic concave glass back and sound ports to strike a balance, but still had an unnatural hardness in the mids.

Honestly I found that a problem with many closed-backs as well. I hope I get to hear these sometime, I haven’t really spent any time with any of the Beyer T5’s so not really sure what they sound like, I already have a good closed-back though so I went the T1.3 route instead which sounds a bit like a perfected Nighthawk imho. I was debating between the T5.3 and T1.3. I heard someone mention the T1.3 has a stronger clamp out of the box than the T5.3. Has anyone who has tried both confirm this? Because my T1.3 had the strongest clamp of any Beyer I’ve owned out of the box.

 

[kman1211]

So..at first the fit is like when you press the cups into your head (on a bass-lite headphone) in order to get more bass, then when the grip relaxes the bass lightens a bit. I had this phenomenon with the HD820, where if the seal was a certain way and you did not breathe or move your head, you got bass. If you moved your head or jaw, the bass would vary all over the place. Frustrated me so much I sold them. But if the relaxing of the seal on the T5-3rd ends up with a lighter consistent grip, sounds like all should be fine

Honestly the clamp does reduce on these headbands with use or you can stretch them. I haven’t had the chance to hear the HD 820 but sounds annoying, I wear glasses making a closed headphone completely reliant on seal a no go. But it sounds like on the T5.3 it may be okay.

 

[bflat]

Honestly the clamp does reduce on these headbands with use or you can stretch them. I haven’t had the chance to hear the HD 820 but sounds annoying, I wear glasses making a closed headphone completely reliant on seal a no go. But it sounds like on the T5.3 it may be okay.

I had the HD820 and when all the stars align with fit and music genre, it's in a class by itself. The maddening part is getting the stars to align. After I sold mine, I did consider buying again a few times, but I think chasing the unicorn of closed back headphones that sound as good as open is indeed pure fantasy.

As long as you need and understand the utility of closed backs, I think T5.3 will please most folks except those that want a more analytical/clinical sound. I also wear eyeglasses but with flat arms and the T5.3 pads are plush enough to seal around. HD820 on the other hand is pretty stiff foam so definitely alters the sound for eyeglass wearers.

 

[Beagle]

That's right. A bit counterintuitive based on how most closed headphones are designed. You want just enough pressure to seal and sound isolate. No more than that unless you do want more heavy, syrupy low end. A bit of initial setup effort, but it's way easier to loosen fit versus tightening. I can't imagine any adult head size being so small that stock out of box T5.3 needs to be tightened.

I also forgot to mention, don't overdo the loosening because your pads will settle. My T5.3 got a touch lighter on the low end after about a month of use and hasn't changed since.

With my AKG K872, I found that a very light clamping force works best. You can bend/shape the headband to increase the clamping force somewhat but when I did this I found the bass to sound a bit vague and indistinct. With just enough force to have them sit properly and relaxed on your head, the bass was more clear and the imaging/space was much better. The pads are very flexible and will 'spread' on the sides of your head and provide adequate balanced seal, even with the light grip.

 

[Beagle]

https://www.whathifi.com/us/reviews/beyerdynamic-t5-3rd-generation

 

[Malevolent]

https://www.whathifi.com/us/reviews/beyerdynamic-t5-3rd-generation

Hmm, I find it interesting that the reviewer described the T5 as having a "pleasing tonal neutrality". Whether you like the headphone, or not, is a preference that is seeped entirely in subjectivity; however, I'd hesitate to describe the T5 (3rd Generation) as being anywhere close to tonally neutral.

I've had another round with the Beyerdynamic a few days ago, and this time, I made sure to play around with fit and comfort, in an effort to ameliorate the effects of that huge mid-bass hump. Sadly, any attempts to reduce the clamp force would (obviously) result in an unwanted loss in isolation.

With that being said, the T5 (3rd Generation) is still a good headphone, and one that I'd happily consider as an addition to the collection. However, it requires a neutral or bright source to balance its inherent characteristics. I've tried it with several sources now, and it sounds best with a Chord Hugo 2 or a Chord Hugo TT2.