Beyerdynamic Tesla T1 Review and Pictures (56K Warning)

[Exediron]

 
After the long(ish) wait, my T1 finally arrived in the mail today! Since the shipping estimate was 4-8 weeks after ordering, I'm fairly happy with the timeline (ordered on the 13th of June, order shipped on the 7th of July). I ordered mine through Headroom immediately after returning home from CanJam.
 
The T1 arrived in an unassuming and indeed slightly abused box. I was somewhat concerned (needlessly) that UPS might have damaged the actual contents.
 

 
With the outside box cut away and a layer of packing paper removed, the interior cardboard box (pleasantly undamaged) was revealed.
 

 
Like a moth emerging from a cocoon, the aluminum case is finally laid bare.
 

 

 
Actual handling of the metal case reveals it to be quite light, lighter than it would appear to be. The latch springs up with a very satisfying sound, revealing...
 

 

 
The T1 itself, lovingly smothered in high-gloss marketing materials. Although there is a channel for the cord and plug, they were not in the it. However, since the cord appears entirely undamaged, it's not a problem. The box itself is entirely unscathed, demonstrating that despite the banged up outer box, the double packing is quite adequate to ensure a safe and happy pair of headphones.
 

 

 
The headphones are surprisingly light for their all-metal construction, weighing only approximately 250 grams more than my DT770. I suspect that a decent chunk of that weight is made up by the cord, which is extremely sturdy in appearance.
 
NOTE (07/21/2010): Since my scale is considered to be extremely inaccurate as of now, disregard the exact measurement; they do weight more, however.
 

 
The cord management device included is a rather heavy duty piece of twisted rubber bearing the seal of Beyerdynamic. An interesting addition, and quite capable of holding the heavy AWG24 cord in check. The plug is a 1/4" Neutrik. No 1/4" - 1/8" adapter is included, but I think a relative minority of users will be plugging their T1 into a mini jack.
 

 
For the time being, the T1 will be burning in, so no in-detail sonic impressions as of yet. I did listen to the headphones for about 20 minutes to make sure that they were functioning properly, and just because I couldn't resist, and the same impressions I noted at CanJam appear to hold true here. I also noticed that the T1 is rather sensitive to the quality of the recording. I will have much more detailed impressions of their sound later, probably in about a week (maybe sooner; I'll check on the burn-in about once a day, and when I think it's complete I'll finish the review). Since the T1 is intended to replace my D5000, it will go up against the Denon in the review portion when a side-by-side is needed, with possible guest appearances from the DT770.
 
Conclusion (so far):
 
Packaging: 8 / 10
Although the aluminum case is a wonderful environment for the T1 to live in and is decidedly attractive, it is quite bulky. Therefore, not a perfect rating.
 
Build Quality - Headphones: 9 / 10
I'm probably not the best one to rate build quality, since I treat all of my headphones with extreme care. My D5000, supposedly extremely fragile, has not a mark on it after 2 years of use. That said,
 
The T1 appears to be very well constructed, but there is something of the air of a delicate instrument about it. I suspect that it would not handle the same abuse which the DT770 can, but in a home setting I consider it to be quite adequate. High rating, since this is build quality, not simply sturdiness.
 
Build Quality - Cable: 10 / 10
I have no complaints about the cable at all. Very sturdy, doesn't get kinked, cool heavy duty plug. The only thing better would be an all metal plug.
 
Comfort: 6 / 10
Managing to feel lighter on the head than the physically lighter DT770 is an accomplishment, but there are some oddities to the feel of the T1. The ear pads are slightly pointed and rest poised on these points, giving somewhat of a strange feeling. There is an illusory feeling of a poor seal even when they are correctly positioned. It's possible that I'm just not used to them yet, in which case I will revise the comfort rating upwards at a later date. Otherwise, no complaints. Leather ear pads would have been somewhat more comfortable, but the velour is an adequate substitute.
 
That's all for now, folks!

 

[Exediron]

                     
                                                     Beyerdynamic Tesla T1 Review - Part II
 
With the initial burn-in period of one week well past, I began doing some more serious listening to the T1 late last week. A few clear strengths emerged quickly, accompanied by a small number of clear weaknesses. The T1 is easily the best pair of headphones I have ever owned, and rather close to the top of the ones which I have listened to, as well. I haven't heard either the R10 or the L3000, but I've heard most of the other top dynamics.
 
In all cases during this review, I will be listening to either WAV or FLAC files (I'll make a note of which if I think it's relevant) sent via optical to my Lavry DA11 and then to the headphones by my HeadAmp GS-1. All of the files were ripped from commercial CDs using Foobar2000.
 
Primary Test Albums
The Devil You Know - Heaven & Hell
The Black Halo - Kamelot
The Revolution - Blue Oyster Cult
 
Impressions:                                                                                          T1 vs D5000 vs DT770                                                                                                         
 
Changes Due to Burn-In
 
T1: Slight. There was some increase in clarity, soundstage and bass definition and impact, as usual. Overall, I would say that the T1 underwent the least significant changes during burn-in of any headphones I've owned.
 
D5000: Significant. Out of the box, the D5000 had very piercing highs and very out of control bass. Over the course of about a week and a half, the highs smoothed out until they weren't painful anymore, and the bass became marginally under control. Little or no improvement in clarity or soundstage.
 
DT770: Slight. Most of the DT770s burn-in occurred during a time when I was fairly ignorant of what to listen for, so it's possible that there were changes I didn't notice. As far as I remember, there was a subtle all around improvement, but nothing major.
 
General Impressions
 
Soundstage and Imaging
 
T1: Soundstage is somewhat tight side-to-side, but much better in terms of depth. There is a general feeling of not being very close to the band on most recordings, although as with most things, the soundstage of the T1 is very sensitive to the recording. Most of my test recordings followed the same general pattern, except for any of the songs from The Devil You Know, where the recording is very close to the band, and Dio's voice seems to be coming from only feet away. 
 
In terms of imaging, the T1 is quite good. The instruments are all clearly separate, and if you close your eyes you can quite easily imagine where they might be on a stage. The main flaw (to me) is that there is the perception of quite a large space between the different instruments, leading to the impression that the band is set up on quite a large stage and none of them are anywhere near each other. I usually prefer to set the imaging on my DA11 to -1 on both sides when listening to the T1.
 
D5000: The D5000 has, ostensibly, a reasonably wide and deep soundstage, but there is something forced feeling about it; the instruments, although clearly far away, are impossible to position mentally. Part of this is probably the effect of the bass overflowing into all other possible frequencies, but I'll get to that later. I don't usually change the imaging position on the DA11 for the Denons, because none of the settings make them sound natural.
 
DT770: The DT770 has got a very small soundstage. Whereas the T1 might sound like you're seated in the middle of a large and spacious concert hall, the DT770 sounds like you're right up next to the stage in a cramped bar with questionable acoustics. It's very exciting and loud, even enjoyable, but it's neither refined nor terribly accurate. Imaging is similar; you can tell if an instrument is on your left or right, but basically they're all so close that that's the extent of it. Increasing the imaging on the Lavry by +1 or +2 (preferably 1) yields a wider soundstage, but one almost wholly lacking in depth. I usually keep the imaging on normal and just enjoy the energy.
 
Conclusion (Soundstage & Imaging):

	Soundstage	Imaging	Total
T1	6/10	8/10	7/10
D5000	5/10	3/10	4/10
DT770	4/10	4/10	4/10

 
Winner: T1
 
The T1 is the clear winner in terms of imaging and soundstage, particularly concerning imaging. I listened to both the HD800 and the T1 out of the same setup at CanJam, and I considered the T1 to have superior imaging. I realize that this isn't entirely fair, as the HD800 is more open and was therefore more disrupted by the ambient noise of the convention, but that's the only chance I've had to get them together. I haven't heard any of the other supposed imaging kings, although I would certainly be interested in hearing a K1000 someday. I heard the K701/2, and didn't think it's imaging was better than the T1, although the soundstage seemed roomier side-to-side.
 
Isolation and Leakage
 
I'm not able to do any critical listening right now due to ambient noise levels (well, not on the T1 or the D5000, at least), so this seems like a good time to talk about isolation. Leakage is almost the same thing, but not quite, so I'm calling it separate.
 
T1: As the only semi-open design of the three, one would expect the T1 to have the worst isolation and leakage. And it does, actually. But not by as much as you might think. In terms of isolation, it is quite easy to carry on a normal conversation while wearing the T1, and it's even possible to hear what people say to you while listening to music at my typical listening volume. Leakage is actually very low for semi-open headphones, barely more if at all than the D5000. The T1 leaks sound of all frequency ranges.
 
60 (+/- 5) DB: Inaudible from more than five feet away.
65 (+/- 5) DB: Audible from ten feet away, but specific song is not recognizable.
70 (+/- 5) DB: Specific song is recognizable from ten feet away.
 
D5000: For a closed pair of headphones, the D5000 comes pretty darned close to worst isolation. Interestingly enough, the D5000 actually leaks more sound when tuned to the same decibel range as the T1, but it's harder to understand. This is because the D5000 essentially leaks entirely bass, whereas the T1 simply lets some of all the sound out; the result being that you can hear the D5000 from ten feet away, but you won't be able to understand it. Isolation is improved from the T1 due to the closed design.
 
60 (+/- 5) DB: Barely audible from ten feet away, but specific song is not recognizable.
65 (+/- 5) DB: Audible from ten feet away, but specific song is not recognizable.
70 (+/- 5) DB: Audible from ten feet away, but specific song is not recognizable.
 
DT770: To anyone who has owned a DT770, this isn't going to come as a surprise. There are probably more isolating headphones than the DT770 in existance, but I've never heard any of them. While wearing the DT770, ordinary conversation isn't even an annoyance, and leakage is so low that people might try to talk to you because they assume that the headphones are off. The difference between the closed D5000 and the really closed DT770 is immense.
 
60 (+/- 5) DB: Inaudible from one foot away.
65 (+/- 5) DB: Inaudible from more than one foot away.
70 (+/- 5) DB: Audible but unrecognizable from one foot away; inaudible from five feet.
 
 
Conclusion (Isolation & Leakage):

	Isolation	Leakage	Total
T1	3/10	3/10	3/10
D5000	4/10	2/10	3/10
DT770	9/10	10/10	9/10

 
Winner: DT770
 
The DT770 easily thrashes the competition. If I wanted to actually test the DT770, I'd bring in my Ultrasone HFI-780 (I think the DT770 would probably still win), but this review is actually about the T1, so I won't. Volumes of over 70 DB weren't tested for, because I never listen at those volumes and all headphones leak if you turn them up high enough. Also, if you turn any pair of headphones up enough you won't be able to hear anything else. Or, eventually, anything at all. Likewise, volumes of under 60 DB were ignored because most headphones won't be audible from any significant distance at such low volumes (55 DB is significantly quieter than a normal conversation heard from five feet).
 
Comfort
 

 
The above image is a closeup shot of the ear pads of each pair of headphones (obviously, I realize). The cups of the D5000 and DT770 are resting on the other cup because their headbands aren't flexible enough to easily allow them not to. The T1 has an extremely flexible headband, and didn't encounter the same problem.
 
T1: As I posted in my initial impressions, the T1s velour pads were originally quite hard and didn't seem to seal properly. After about a week of steady use, this more or less completely went away. The ear pads are now fairly comfortable, in that they more or less disappear from your perception while worn. There is no foam covering between your ear and the driver in the T1, which means that your ears don't press up against the foam constantly. It took a bit of getting used to, but I think the lack of foam is more comfortable. Your ears have a tendency to get less hot during prolonged listening.
 
The headband clamping force is relatively light. I don't notice much clamping, but there might be enough to bother someone, theoretically. A minor annoyance caused by the low clamping force is that the extremely heavy cord is capable of dragging the headphones off your head if you lean back enough. I usually run the cord through a relief system rather than let it simply hang. That more or less takes care of the problem. Overall, the T1 is slightly above average in comfort; you can certainly feel that you're wearing headphones, but comfortable ones.
 
D5000: The D5000s are, hands down, the most comfortable headphones I've ever worn. Clamping force is essentially nothing. The weight of the headphones, which is actually the highest of the three, is very evenly distributed by the headband, and because the cord weighs almost nothing at all, it doesn't try to pull the headphones down. The cups rest on your ears as though on a pillow of air, and in my case at least, fit the counters of the head perfectly. The D5000 is the only pair of headphones where I've actually forgotten I was wearing them after a song ended. 
 
DT770: The DT770 is much like the T1 in comfort, but with slightly wider and softer ear pads and higher clamping force. The actual weight of the DT770 is already slightly lower than the T1, but with the cord factored in the difference is huge. The clamping force is enough higher to ensure that the headphones will stay on your head, barring something drastic. The foam definitely presses against your ears, but it's not really annoying after a while. The padding on the headband of the DT770 is slightly softer than on the T1.
 
 
Conclusion (Comfort):

	Comfort
T1	7/10
D5000	10/10
DT770	8/10

 
Winner: D5000
 
The D5000 is supremely comfortable. It's actually almost more comfortable to be wearing them then no headphones at all. I can see that on a person with a smaller head they might be too large, but I can't really evaluate that.
 
So far, all three headphones are tied, with each one a clear winner in one category. It won't stay that way for long, however. Next up, build quality.
 
Build Quality / Sturdiness
 
I'm recovering from a middle ear infection at the moment and listening to headphones is painful, so here's a (hopefully) last filler section of physical stuff.
 
T1: Good build quality; very well put together, high quality materials. Not as sturdy as the DT770, but the T1 is designed for a different sort of use. I'd feel comfortable traveling with the T1 if I had a padded case for them, but I wouldn't want to risk just shoving them into a backpack.
 
D5000: Well put together, good materials, but definitely not sturdy. Mine are still in good condition, but I take good care of them and they spend most of their time on a headphone stand. I only pick the D5000 up by the headband, whereas I'm not afraid to pick the DT770 up by any part. I wouldn't travel with the D5000 except for an occasion like CanJam, and then I kept them in a heavily padded bag.
 
DT770: Good (but not excellent) build quality. Fairly high construction tolerances, sturdy but cheap materials. Extremely solid and strong, nearly indestructible. About as tough as you can get without all metal construction.
 
 
Conclusion (Build Quality & Sturdiness):

	Build Quality	Sturdiness	Total
T1	8/10	7/10	7/10
D5000	8/10	3/10	5/10
DT770	7/10	9/10	9/10

 
Winner: DT770

 

[Mr Joboto]

Looking forward to the rest of the review! Nice pictures

 

[priest]

Thanks for the pictures and initial thoughts.

 

[SolidVictory]

I love the case it comes in. Very nice pictures.

 

[cravenz]

Quote:

Looking forward to the rest of the review! Nice pictures

x2

 

 

[Exediron]

Small and slightly weird update posted; a larger and more complete one will come along once I get enough time and sleep to write something more coherent.

 

[cravenz]

Quote:

Small and slightly weird update posted; a larger and more complete one will come along once I get enough time and sleep to write something more coherent.

might be due to cable weight by the way

 

[SleepyOne]

Quote:

might be due to cable weight by the way

 
X2

Yup, the offical weight quoted are probably headphone without cable. I weight my T1 and lift up the cable and get similar figure.

 

[apatN]

Nice review with all the pictures. Keep them impressions coming!

 

[Exediron]

Indeed, the cord weight is probably the culprit. I mentioned that I thought that was probably the case in a throwaway line of the review. I'll do more extensive testing to see exactly what's the case when I update the review next, which is probably going to have to be either Friday or Saturday.
 
Quote:

 

Headphones	Official Weight	Measured Weight
Beyerdynamic T1	350 grams	529.5 grams
Denon AH-D5000	370 grams	419.0 grams
Beyerdynamic DT770	270 grams	390.5 grams

 
Clearly, there is something wrong here. These numbers aren't even close. I honestly don't have any idea what's going on here, but I'll try to figure it out. I assume that either a) my scale was calibrated poorly (quite possible; it hasn't seen any use in several years) or b) my methodology was different enough that the figures were no longer equivalent. My best guess in this vein is that the official measurement does not contain cord weight, which mine does.

 
Further supporting the cord weight theory is that the weight difference between the official and measured weights is (more or less) directly proportional to the weight of the cord. As I mentioned in my initial impressions, the T1 has a very heavy cord. The D5000 has a very light cord, and the DT770 has a similar (if not the same) gauge of cord to the T1, but it is only a single cord. I still have a hard time believing that the D5000 unit weights more than the T1, but perhaps it does.

 

[downsize]

I've only had my T1s for 3 days .... and already I am thinking of a cable change. This cable is just CRAZY heavy !

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

I've only had my T1s for 3 days .... and already I am thinking of a cable change. This cable is just CRAZY heavy !

Gauge is important in sound quality and they are basically bi-wired with a HUGE Neutrik stereo plug at the end. However, once on my head I have no issues what so ever with the cable.
 
Other major advantages with the stock cable --> Zero Microphonics. Many aftermarket cables are very microphonic and that will get on your nerves (like my old SAA Equinox Cable for my old HD650s).

 

[downsize]

 
Quote:

Gauge is important in sound quality and they are basically bi-wired with a HUGE Neutrik stereo plug at the end. However, once on my head I have no issues what so ever with the cable.
 
Other major advantages with the stock cable --> Zero Microphonics. Many aftermarket cables are very microphonic and that will get on your nerves (like my old SAA Equinox Cable for my old HD650s).

 
Yeah .... but they are only 24 ga conductors. I wouldn't think they need the TONS of insulation on the rather small 24 ga conductors.
 

 

[MacedonianHero]

Quote:

 
 
Yeah .... but they are only 24 ga conductors. I wouldn't think they need the TONS of insulation on the rather small 24 ga conductors.
 

Obviously the beyerdynamic engineers thought we did

.