[lcasadonte]

The beyer t5's are my first real headphones, anything else would be pretty old.  What is your source?  I got the T5's over the T1's because of they're easier to drive but I think the A5 would have driven them ok.  I looked at the T1's closely.  I was also looking for a closed option but most other headphones I was interested in were more money too much more money and I landed more modest.  I would have looked at the sony mdr z1r, fostex th-600/900/massdrop, he-560 and he-1000 (open back though), audeze (wasn't sure which model some were open back  and there were some reported issues) and the b&w p9 if that gives you any indication.  I was only able to test lesser models in most cases.  Trying them is a bit of a problem.  The local meet ups probably offer a good opportunity if there is one in your area.

 

[lcasadonte]

@ULISES I was thinking about upgrading to a nice desktop schiit stack.  I'm curious if you considered anything else and out of curiousity where can you get a good deal?

 

[Ulises]

  @ULISES I was thinking about upgrading to a nice desktop schiit stack.  I'm curious if you considered anything else and out of curiousity where can you get a good deal?

 
So for me the decision was very easy because my laptop runs Linux and Schiit offers nice Linux compatibility. I've read that the Modi 2 is one of the very best DACs for the money out there and that you literally cannot tell it apart in an A/B test from much more expensive Dacs. I don't know if that's true, but that's what some people say. I had to buy a DAC because my laptop jack is very noisy and there's a ton of USB noise too! So I ended up getting the Modi 2 Uber which has line power. As quiet as a ghost. 
 
The Magni is supposed to be very neutral, so that might be either a good or a bad thing, depending on headphone. I bought them from Schiit website. Beware that if you buy from any other place they won't have warranty as per schiit website. 
 
Hope this helps

 

[lcasadonte]

thanks, very!

 

[Ulises]

So what amp are you using with your T5P, gentlemen? I'm running a magni, but might get something with a little more body and lusher sound

 

[InsanityOne]

So what amp are you using with your T5P, gentlemen? I'm running a magni, but might get something with a little more body and lusher sound

 
As you know my T5p's (Gen. 1) are modified to run balanced with detachable cables, so I am using them on my Schiit Mjolnir 2 with some sweet NOS Telefunken tubes. It definitely gives the Gen. 1 T5p's a nice boost to the lower range.
 
- InsanityOne 

 

 

[Ulises]

   
As you know my T5p's (Gen. 1) are modified to run balanced with detachable cables, so I am using them on my Schiit Mjolnir 2 with some sweet NOS Telefunken tubes. It definitely gives the Gen. 1 T5p's a nice boost to the lower range.
 
- InsanityOne 

 

Sounds lovely

 

[lcasadonte]

I have been using a mobile system with the FIIO A5 as the amp.  Cuts off the high a little much but overall a very nice sound for 130 us.  I just ordered the Lynx Hilo after a few discussions.  I was worried the  tubes would add "too much warmth" if there is such a thing.  The Schiit Lyr2 with both solid state and stock tubes was what I was thinking about but you can't really here it anywhere.  I went up and auditioned the Lynx and it sounded wonderful.  A little more $ than I wanted to spend but I should be able to use the dac in my home system as well (there are actually 3 sets of dacs in this unit).  Waiting patiently for the upgrade.  I did not add an external amp to this yet and am not sure if I will yet or not. 

 

[Ulises]

  I have been using a mobile system with the FIIO A5 as the amp.  Cuts off the high a little much but overall a very nice sound for 130 us.  I just ordered the Lynx Hilo after a few discussions.  I was worried the  tubes would add "too much warmth" if there is such a thing.  The Schiit Lyr2 with both solid state and stock tubes was what I was thinking about but you can't really here it anywhere.  I went up and auditioned the Lynx and it sounded wonderful.  A little more $ than I wanted to spend but I should be able to use the dac in my home system as well (there are actually 3 sets of dacs in this unit).  Waiting patiently for the upgrade.  I did not add an external amp to this yet and am not sure if I will yet or not. 

Hi Icasadonte,
 
So just to clarify, you didn't get to hear the Lyr 2 with the T5P, correct? I'm thinking on getting one next month.

 

[lcasadonte]

No I didn't and I was really leaning that way but the ergonomics of the lynx along with the positive reviews on head-fi convinced me to give it an audition.  I've worked with tim at Blink High End Audio in Cambridge Mass before (and highly recommend them) and he recommended this over tubes in general for the T5's.  He made me a great deal and now I'm waiting.  I listened to the lynx and it was every bit as good as advertised.  Have to go on a business trip next week so probably won't even be here when it gets in.  This is for my boat and my office at work.  I may test it out at homeif I set up a 2 channel in my home office.  I have some hafler equipment from the days and a new rega turntable I'd like to pair up.  We'll see.

 

[GoSUV]

I have the T5p.1, T5p.2 and T1.2 so I am going to offer my opinion of the sound signature of all 3. They are all driven by the Chord Mojo so there is no possibility of a different amp/DAC introducing their own color, except maybe the T1.2 needing higher output on the Mojo to drive them to the same volume level, which the Mojo is entirely capable of doing.
 
T5p.1 - the most bass light of the bunch, you might call it the most neutral, but there is more than this. With female vocals, there is a glare that casues you to turn down the volume and this is what leads to listening fatigue. I would say this is still an excellent headphone for certain types of instrumental music, but it is just too bass shy to be enjoyable for vocals.
 
T5p.2 - this is what the T5p should have been and most of the "flaws" of the original have been fixed. Listening to the same songs with the female vocal glare, it's no longer there and you can enjoy the songs from beginning to end without needing to reach for the volume - (minus) button. Instead of always tempted to play with bass boost or tinker with EQ, the bass notes now hit hard enough that you can leave everything flat. Otherwise, the T5p.2 retains the same excellent technical abilities and now with removable cables to boot. I often bring this headphone to my long flights and this is as close to audio heaven as you can get.
 
T1.2 - I have never owned the original T1 so I can't comment on how it compares, but since it is the semi-open version of Beyer's flagship, I'm going to compare it to its close siblings. The T1.2 is definitely more open sounding with a wider sound stage than both T5p's, and I would tend to think it is just a touch more neutral than the now fun-sounding T5p.2, but still sounds warm enough to be enjoyable for hours. If you think the T5p.2 has been artifically bass-boosted to sound unnatural, I think the T1.2 has just the right amount of bass to be called accurate. Other than these subtle details, the T1 and T5p sound surprisingly close enough that you will recognize them to be from the same family. You can expect the same wonderful high extension and transparency, and suitability to a wide variety of music genre.

 

[danivar]

I've never found T5p.1 to be bass light, to me they sound very slightly v-shaped. They do have a harshness, a glare if you will, from the treble being slightly dirty which can cause fatigue when listening with the volume turned up high.
 
I compared two copies of T5p.1 to T1.1 a few years ago before the second generation came along. Both boasts very low distortion, the T1s did sound more open (obviously), slightly more detailed, and more slightly more pronounced and neutral with mids. However, they also had treble issues. As mentioned above they do have great similarities which makes them sound like siblings. I suspect them to share have similar driver designs because I find the siblings share the same treble problem – but they have found different solutions: To me the T1 sounded as if they've masked the affected area with a narrow filter that has little effect over other frequencies. On the other hand, the T5p:s sounds as it the problem area has been masked more broadly and thereby also attributing to the slightly recessed mids. Funnily enough, I found this approach to be the more successful of the two – the T5p:s do sound more colored but also more forgiving and enjoyable than the more refined T1 which still suffers more from the harshness in the treble. Note that these impressions only applies to the first generation of the models, I've not yet heard the newer versions.
 
I ended up buying T5p and they still sound lovely today. I mostly drive them with a Fiio E17 Alpen when on the go and with O2 at home. Recently I've gotten the new HD800S (with the treble filter) as my open alternative.

 

[Ulises]

Has anyone tried the adhesive felt mod on the Beyer T5P? I've heard that it does wonders to the sibilance and decreases harshness in the treble

 

[PleasantSounds]

  Has anyone tried the adhesive felt mod on the Beyer T5P? I've heard that it does wonders to the sibilance and decreases harshness in the treble

 
I have done something similar, but instead felt ring used low density foam about 5mm thick, without a cut out in the middle. It is not glued to the housing: when re-inserting the driver it squashes the foam a bit and keeps it in place.
 
The results are worth the try, to say the least. Bass really comes out and mids sound more natural. I didn't see much impact on treble.
 

 

[Ulises]

So let me share my experience with the T5P first gen
 
The sounded overly bright, analytical, shouty with the Magni 2. 
 
I then got a Project Polaris amp that sounds absolutely wonderful. Larger soundstage, sounds are fuller, much more precise. Sounds to die for. It's definitely a warm amp and can become even warmer with the 54 settings available. The only downside that I found was some noise that I attribute mainly to my noisy USB port in my computer (going to get a Wyrd, see if that solves things). Things improved considerably using a -20dB adapter sold by Jeremy (the seller), who is a great guy and a joy to deal with!
 
So, basically, The Beyerdynamic T5P first gen makes a great match with the Polaris amp.