beyerdynamic T5p: Photos and first impressions.

[Szadzik]

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i was the first to tell this is a great headphone(on this forum, and this thread) and i don't think i got treated any better

 
I know. Funny, isn't it.

 

[Robonaut]

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Robonaut should get a pair of JVC DX1000s

 
I've considered them, but since they seem to have kind of mixed reviews and don't seem to be available from vendors with an easy return policy (like Amazon), I've never tried 'em.

 

[Szadzik]

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I've considered them, but since they seem to have kind of mixed reviews and don't seem to be available from vendors with an easy return policy (like Amazon), I've never tried 'em.

 
I bought mine used for 450GBP and that was the best purchase ever, even though SA5000 for 300USD was not bad either.

 

[kiteki]

 
I've considered them, but since they seem to have kind of mixed reviews and don't seem to be available from vendors with an easy return policy (like Amazon), I've never tried 'em.

 
I bought mine used for 450GBP and that was the best purchase ever, even though SA5000 for 300USD was not bad either.

 
I recently picked up the SA-3000 for $180, now that is a steal.  They sound pretty close to AD1000PRM.  You were partially right about the ATH-ES10 btw, some new toy effect there.

 

[Szadzik]

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I recently picked up the SA-3000 for $180, now that is a steal.  They sound pretty close to AD1000PRM.  You were partially right about the ATH-ES10 btw, some new toy effect there.

 
Never heard SA3000s, but SA5000s, are pretty darn awesome.
 
I have had too many toys not to know  

 

[beyermaniac]

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I received my T5p in the mail yesterday, and I've been listening to them almost nonstop since.
 
I've been comparing them to my DT770 and D7000 headphones using a variety of music, from Tangerine Dream to OMD to the Smiths to Skrillex to Baldassare Galuppi.
 
Bottom line: Sad to say, but they're going back.
 
 
I wouldn't call them a bad headphone, certainly.  The amount of detail they reveal is incredible--they were certainly the best headphone among the three for listening "into" a mix.  They also probably had the widest and deepest soundstage of the three.  And, as far as comfort, I had no issues with them, even with my glasses on (the Denon still wins the award for comfort, though--but the tradeoff there is the Denon's almost utter lack of isolation).
 
Unfortunately, the T5p has quite a few issues (IMHO).  The main one is (as others have commented) the lack of bass.  Things like male vocals and snare drums seem to lack "weight" compared to the other two headphones, and the T5p seems completely unable to reproduce the throb of a synthetic bass the way that the DT770 and D7000 can--it almost seems like it's missing the entire lowest octave.
 
A second issue is that the T5p seems to impart a "boxy" quality to music.  It's was extremely noticable when switching to the T5p from either of the other headhpones.
 
The final (and perhaps most important issue) is the price of the T5p.  If these were $250 or even $700 headphones, I'd probably keep them, since they are very revealing. 
 
But for $1,400, I expect a headphone that's essentialy perfect, and these most certainly aren't.  I just can't justify spending twice as much as what I spent on the D7000 and 7 times as much as I spent on the DT770 for the T5p, which seems to be equally flawed as either of them, just flawed in a different way.

 
Did you try the T1? The T5p is a closed headphone so that may explain why it exhibits a slight boxiness to the sound in comparison to semi-open designs.

 

[Robonaut]

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Did you try the T1? The T5p is a closed headphone so that may explain why it exhibits a slight boxiness to the sound in comparison to semi-open designs.

 
 
Nope, never tried the T1.  I've no interest, really, in the T1 (or open headphones in general) since I can't use them at work.
 
However, even compared to my DT-770 and D7000 (which are also closed headphones), I thought that the T5p sounded boxy.

 

[rasmushorn]

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Hmmm - I am putting mine up for sale (locally, not on head-fi) since I think they are too dark and the mids are far to repressed compared to T70p. I am going back to T70p again. The T5p does not draw me into the music the same way. I have given them two weeks now and that might be too little time to judge them but what I experienced with music through the T70p was something special to me. There was a satisfaction in the T70p in the mids and I can not listen to music on the T5p without missing that. 

 
I am going to change that decision. After another week with a LOT of break in and listening to the T5p I feel like they have finally invited me into the music. I have been changing my DAC since the Stagedac is sold. Now I use an old LiTE NOS TDA1543 DAC. IT brought more life into the T5p. I have also noticed that the difference between how I hear the midrange in comparison to the bass and treble has changed. Now I do not hear the midrange as pushed backwards compared to the bass and treble but all frequencies have leveled out so that nothing stands out as more forward or backwardly presented. In fact listening to music with the T5p has become very pleasent and very relaxed. 
 
I find that they find a perfect balance between being very open and laid back. The T70p was more in the Grado league and very neutral and analytical. The T5p somehow finds a sweet spot between the analytical and natural. I think I might have been a subject to some brain-break-in after giving them more time. 

 

[NZtechfreak]

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I am going to change that decision. After another week with a LOT of break in and listening to the T5p I feel like they have finally invited me into the music. I have been changing my DAC since the Stagedac is sold. Now I use an old LiTE NOS TDA1543 DAC. IT brought more life into the T5p. I have also noticed that the difference between how I hear the midrange in comparison to the bass and treble has changed. Now I do not hear the midrange as pushed backwards compared to the bass and treble but all frequencies have leveled out so that nothing stands out as more forward or backwardly presented. In fact listening to music with the T5p has become very pleasent and very relaxed. 
 
I find that they find a perfect balance between being very open and laid back. The T70p was more in the Grado league and very neutral and analytical. The T5p somehow finds a sweet spot between the analytical and natural. I think I might have been a subject to some brain-break-in after giving them more time. 

 
Definitely suspect a degree of brain burn-in going on there, I think they're not a headset that grabs you at the outset with engaging colouration like say Grados or the LCD-2.
 
FWIW I liked them more or less straight away, with a very slight reservation about the bass quantity (the quality is beautiful) that I thought could do with a little EQ'ing, but on further listening and with a better input (initial impressions were straight out of my Galaxy S3, later listening was done via Galaxy S3 --> USB audio --> Pico USB DAC/amp, so the Pico handling all audio as well amplification) I have no problems with the bass. I think partly it improved a bit with the better source, but I also think the old noggin acclimatised to listening to them too.
 
Loving them for my portable use, can't wait to see how my Ultrasone Edition 8s stack up Vs the T5p when they arrive next week (ish).

 

[fhuang]

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Definitely suspect a degree of brain burn-in going on there, I think they're not a headset that grabs you at the outset with engaging colouration like say Grados or the LCD-2.
 
FWIW I liked them more or less straight away, with a very slight reservation about the bass quantity (the quality is beautiful) that I thought could do with a little EQ'ing, but on further listening and with a better input (initial impressions were straight out of my Galaxy S3, later listening was done via Galaxy S3 --> USB audio --> Pico USB DAC/amp, so the Pico handling all audio as well amplification) I have no problems with the bass. I think partly it improved a bit with the better source, but I also think the old noggin acclimatised to listening to them too.
 
Loving them for my portable use, can't wait to see how my Ultrasone Edition 8s stack up Vs the T5p when they arrive next week (ish).

 
 
possibly but i like them when i first heard on them(you can check on this thread, very early pages).  maybe i was a long time t1 user help too?  i'm even thinking about getting a second one just for home use.  or getting a t70p for portable use

 

[NZtechfreak]

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possibly but i like them when i first heard on them(you can check on this thread, very early pages).  maybe i was a long time t1 user help too?  i'm even thinking about getting a second one just for home use.  or getting a t70p for portable use

 
As I said, I also liked them from the get-go too
 
Certainly seems possible that being a T1 owner and some acquaintance with that sound helped, my recent and current headphones all sound quite different though so probably more an issue for me (GS1000i, LCD-2, HD25-1 II).

 

[rasmushorn]

These headphones constantly get better and better for me. I use them with my iQube and if they did not really invite me into the music earlier in the beginning they now present a wide and open soundstage with music. Details and sparkle has increased. The bas and lower end is rock solid and tight. I am more and more impressed with them now and so glad I kept them...

 

[Zombie_X]

Hi guys,
 
After a lot of listening with the T70 and T5p, I have to say that the T70 has less mids in direct comparison to the T5p. They are much fuller than any of the other beyers but less than on the T5p. The T70 has a crisper sound but the T5p is much more detailed. I like the T70 for electronic music and gaming and the T5p for music. 

 

[rasmushorn]

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Hi guys,
 
After a lot of listening with the T70 and T5p, I have to say that the T70 has less mids in direct comparison to the T5p. They are much fuller than any of the other beyers but less than on the T5p. The T70 has a crisper sound but the T5p is much more detailed. I like the T70 for electronic music and gaming and the T5p for music. 

 
 
 

 Either my english sucks and I have another interpretation of some words like "fuller" and "detailed" - or my ears are so far away from the rest of the world. I appreciate what you hear and acknowledge how your describe these two. I only have to say my impression of T5p vs. T70 is the direct opposite of what you write. OK Why is it that we interpret the sound this way? I anticipate that it is me who hear differently... so please help me here..
 
There is a more present low end in the T5p than in the T70, can we agree on that? - for me this means that the T5p is certainly better for gaming than the T70. The T70 are thin in comparison to the T5p and not fuller? The T70 are more airy where the T5p has more meat and body to it's sound.
 
Could it be, that when I have the impression that T70 has more mids, my brain is being cheated by the lesser low end in T70 and this makes me register the mids much more? I am searching for a reason why I am so wrong, so please help
 
When I first heard the T5p I felt that the mids were lacking. By saying that the T70 is fuller - and that it has less mids is to me a contradiction, by how I understand those words. To my ears the T70 is definitely mid-focused and the mids and treble gives an impression of very high resolution. How about Etymotic ER-4S - would you say they are full and do the mids come forward on those?
 
Thanks for your patience with me -

 

[Zombie_X]

Hi,
 
I have been comparing the T70 with the DT880 recently and the mids on the T70 certainly are pushed abck in direct comparison to the T5p. The DT880 sounds similar but the T70 has more midrange and bass than the DT880. It's really weird.
 
I agree, the T5p has more bass and yes the T70 are thinner than the T5p. The T70 are more airy at times but the T5p can easily surpass them with certain music I feel. To me the T70 still has a little bit of that DT series midrange recession, just not as great. At least on my gear the T5p has a lot more midrange while the T70 sounds thinner.
 
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 Either my english sucks and I have another interpretation of some words like "fuller" and "detailed" - or my ears are so far away from the rest of the world. I appreciate what you hear and acknowledge how your describe these two. I only have to say my impression of T5p vs. T70 is the direct opposite of what you write. OK Why is it that we interpret the sound this way? I anticipate that it is me who hear differently... so please help me here..
 
There is a more present low end in the T5p than in the T70, can we agree on that? - for me this means that the T5p is certainly better for gaming than the T70. The T70 are thin in comparison to the T5p and not fuller? The T70 are more airy where the T5p has more meat and body to it's sound.
 
Could it be, that when I have the impression that T70 has more mids, my brain is being cheated by the lesser low end in T70 and this makes me register the mids much more? I am searching for a reason why I am so wrong, so please help
 
When I first heard the T5p I felt that the mids were lacking. By saying that the T70 is fuller - and that it has less mids is to me a contradiction, by how I understand those words. To my ears the T70 is definitely mid-focused and the mids and treble gives an impression of very high resolution. How about Etymotic ER-4S - would you say they are full and do the mids come forward on those?
 
Thanks for your patience with me -