[headwhacker]

What do you mean by "easier do drive"?
Is that by looking at the impedance or from listening experience with different amplifiers?

impedance alone do not tell you how loud a phone will sound. You need to look at sensitivity as well. Grados and T51p are both 32 ohms. T51p is more sensitive than any Grado phones. And yes I tried them. T51p can go louder on an iPod nano than a grado. (SR80i, 325e and re2).

Trying different amplifiers with these phones are just like having different eq presets. But they won't consume more.power just because you feed it with a powerful amp

 

[rasmushorn]

impedance alone do not tell you how loud a phone will sound. You need to look at sensitivity as well. Grados and T51p are both 32 ohms. T51p is more sensitive than any Grado phones. And yes I tried them. T51p can go louder on an iPod nano than a grado. (SR80i, 325e and re2).

I totally agree. Impedance alone does not tell everything about how a headphone is driven. Also sensitivity does not. Since we are talking about dynamic drivers impedance can vary through the frequency register and the sum if this together with the charachteristics of the amplifier can make a big difference.
 
I would say though based on the three different Grado headphones (SR325, GS1000 and SR80) I have had most of them changed just as much from being driven by an amp as I find T51p to do. I find that the T51p scales well and opens up, becomes tighter and faster as I can recall the Grados also did. Especially with a good over-powered solid state class-A amplifier which I always found to be the best with Grados. Here I am not talking about loudness or volume - but just clarity and speed and resolution. 

 

[headwhacker]

I totally agree. Impedance alone does not tell everything about how a headphone is driven. Also sensitivity does not. Since we are talking about dynamic drivers impedance can vary through the frequency register and the sum if this together with the charachteristics of the amplifier can make a big difference.

I would say though based on the three different Grado headphones (SR325, GS1000 and SR80) I have had most of them changed just as much from being driven by an amp as I find T51p to do. I find that the T51p scales well and opens up, becomes tighter and faster as I can recall the Grados also did. Especially with a good over-powered solid state class-A amplifier which I always found to be the best with Grados. Here I am not talking about loudness or volume - but just clarity and speed and resolution. 

Well you can't pin down the need for an amplifier just because the the impedance varies. At most the variation is around twice the rated impedance. It just translates to half the power. If you have a level mached comparison most of those claimed changes are subtle at best. Do a blind test + level match then all those difference tends to go away.

 

[CJG888]

The T51p appears to require more electrical damping from the amplifier to avoid bass boom. The Grados have no such problems.

Both will go dangerously loud with little power. That is not what I'm talking about, though...

 

[rasmushorn]

I took a couple of pictures of my T51p. 
 

 

 

 

[headwhacker]

The T51p appears to require more electrical damping from the amplifier to avoid bass boom. The Grados have no such problems.

Both will go dangerously loud with little power. That is not what I'm talking about, though...

 
Yeah so why use a separate amp instead of getting a DAP that has low output impedance? Which are a plenty nowadays.

 

[SkyBleu]

Just bought a set of these over the V-Moda XS/M100. 
 
I made a good decision. 

 

[Johnny Jumper]

My T51i's arrive today!

JJ

 

[Johnny Jumper]

Okay, so my first impression is that the pads are a little hot.  Did anyone else have this issue?

 

[Infinito]

Hey guys i am between the Momentum 2.0 On Ear and this, the T51p is the best on ear in the market at this price point? Thanks

 

[bflat]

  Hey guys i am between the Momentum 2.0 On Ear and this, the T51p is the best on ear in the market at this price point? Thanks

I am here to make you more indecisive LOL - just heard the Oppo PM-3 and gotta say, pretty sweet and detailed sound and it's magnetic planar to boot. $399 so a bit higher price, but worth it imho.

 

[Infinito]

 
I am here to make you more indecisive LOL - just heard the Oppo PM-3 and gotta say, pretty sweet and detailed sound and it's magnetic planar to boot. $399 so a bit higher price, but worth it imho.

hehehe thanks for reply but i want on ear, the oppo are over ear(circumaural)
i'm looking something casual and portable, in general the over ear headphones are "Bigger"
 
another to the list is the bowers & wilkins p5 s2
i think that is the top 3 of best on ear on the market right now:
t51p/t51i
b&w p5 s2
sennheiser momentum on ear 2.0
 
i think that i'll go with the 51p.

 

[harrislp]

I have recently tried all 3 of those and went with the T51p, it is the most fun of the three and is also the most comfortable. They are all quite different in sound and comfort though so might be worth trying them all out if you can.

 

[Johnny Jumper]

Not to be contrary, but I'm finding the T51i's to be a little heavy and the "pleather" pads heat up my ears.  That said, the SQ is fantastic!  I don't have any "high dollar" cans and the T51i's are the best I've ever heard.  (My former fave was Sennheiser PX200-II.)
 
JJ 

 

[JerseyD]

Infinito, 

  another to the list is the bowers & wilkins p5 s2
i think that is the top 3 of best on ear on the market right now:
t51p/t51i
b&w p5 s2
sennheiser momentum on ear 2.0
 
i think that i'll go with the 51p.

As a dealer for Beyer and Senn, I can say that both the t51 and the MOE have terrific sound for the money. It is more a matter of preference than one being "better". (The B&W ear pads always bugged me, so I have not listened to them for extended periods.) Personally, I find the T51 more comfortable, and the sound to be more balanced top-to-bottom. The MOE sounds more V shaped to me, with the mids slightly recessed compared to the lows and highs. Some people really like that sound signature (especially if listening in noisier environments like a subway). However, on my head, the T51 isolates better.  I suggest trying to hear both head-to-head if you can. - Dave