Beyerdynamic Xelento!

Jun 26, 2019 at 7:23 PM Post #1,681 of 3,065
Yep, got that. We'll keep track of each other. I'll lok forward to you comments on the S8 after you've had some time with them, and I'll do the same with the Xelento. You'll have the S8 before Ive the Xelento. I dont expect to see it before the 3rd week of July but I'll let you know, as you will me....
 
Jun 26, 2019 at 8:06 PM Post #1,682 of 3,065
New Xelento coming in the fall. So, I'm at our local headphone shop this afternoon to pick up some tips and I tell the owner that I've got the Xelentos on the way. He smiles and agrees that they are very good, very comfortable etc... but he says "if you're thinking about selling them, do it now." There's a new Xelento coming in the Fall (spetember / October), first under the AK Brand to replace the T8ie and later a Beyerdynamic version..... That's all he know., There will be a 9 in the model number so probably the AK T9ie and perhaps Xelento 2

There's always something new coming out and everyone is then always, OMG this is the best headphone/iem/speaker ever. Once the shine has worn off it probably isn't any better or worse than comparable headphones/iems/speakers on a technical level. Only difference being the tuning probably. Don't get too carried away with new products :)
 
Jun 26, 2019 at 8:09 PM Post #1,683 of 3,065
There's always something new coming out and everyone is then always, OMG this is the best headphone/iem/speaker ever. Once the shine has worn off it probably isn't any better or worse than comparable headphones/iems/speakers on a technical level. Only difference being the tuning probably. Don't get too carried away with new products :)
We're on the same page. I'm not all jacked up and I'm not planning on selling anything in anticipation of a new release, but this is the Xelento Tread, so I just thought I'd post the latest Xelento News .... If you've already got one, great! If you dont, just know there's v2 on its way .....
 
Jun 26, 2019 at 8:17 PM Post #1,684 of 3,065
Here are some Xelento-related thoughts from the 2019 SoCal CanJam....

I typically spend most of my time at these events hunting for headphones that sound better (to my ears) than my current set of headphones. I have a ridiculously weak resistance to stupid impulse audio purchases and would have jumped on any headphones that I found superior to the Xelentos. The bottom line is, I didn't find any such headphones this time around. Well, almost none... (See the bottom of this post!)

There was the usual plethora of multi-driver IEMs there, all with the typical large shells that make fit and comfort a bit of a crapshoot. I liked the fit and ergonomics of the DUNU DK4001 and the Jomo Audio Trinity. They both sound good, but not quite up there with the Xelentos to my ears (DK4001 has a bit of a lower treble peak and Trinity is a little heavy in the mids). I still quite like the sound of the Empire Ears Legend X, despite its big shell, but I wasn't as keen on their newer models (Valkyrie and Wraith). It's curious (but probably a good thing) that most vendors have now given up chasing an ever larger number of BA drivers. Many multi-driver IEMs these days seem to be using a smaller mixture of DD, BA and Sonion's new estat drivers. Curiously, those current models with estat drivers are still rolling off fairly rapidly after 10 kHz. The Noble Khans were interesting. They use some kind of piezo driver for the highs. They're nice, but maybe too much of a good thing - they come off sounding slightly too bright to me.

Probably the biggest question for Xelento fans was the new A&K T9ie. The previous T8ie was only a minor tuning change from the Xelento. I was expecting the same for the T9ie, but that's not the case. T9ie has the exact same housing and the exact same nozzles. The only physical difference is the new backplate. However the tuning!.... Impressions and comparative measurements of it in this post:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/canjam-socal-2019-impressions-thread.909385/page-15#post-15027066

I also listened to a couple of new-ish DAPs. I have to eat humble pie and admit there's a chance I might even become one of the gullible idiots that overspends on an Astell & Kern DAP. A&K had pre-production models of the SP2000 on display. This is a weird beast. It has a relatively high z-out on both single-ended and balanced outputs and doesn't seem to measure even as well as its fairly average OEM-quoted specs into a 32-Ohm load. However, it sounds fantastic powering the Xelentos from its balanced output. I don't fully understand why. It sounds better than it has any right to, given its THD and IMD levels.

I still think the iBasso DX220 has to be the best value DAP right now. Beautiful device, only marginally behind SP2000 in SQ at less than 1/3rd the price. Both SE and 2.5 mm BAL outputs come as standard on the Amp1 mk ii. Both provide way more power than you'd ever need for the Xelento.

Then there's Questyle. Their current-mode amps are now legendary. QP1R won all sorts of awards and accolades when it first came out. It's still very competitive amongst today's best DAPs, but now there's the QP2R (with a high bias mode and 2.5 mm balanced output) and now also the QPM, which has a 4.4 mm pentacon balanced output and an additional 10 dB in SNR. I would love to be able to tell you how the QPM sounds with the Xelentos, but I had an unfortunate little problem with the demo QPM - described in the post I linked above. The other sad situation for Questyle is the new tarrifs on Chinese imports have pushed all their US prices up 25%. QPM price in the US just bumped from $2000 to $2500 :-(

Finally, about that IEM that will supercede the Xelentos... I really don't think the T9ie is it. And even if you like its very different tuning, according to the Beyer rep at CanJam, there are absolutely no plans to bring the T9ie to Beyerdynamic as a Xelento mk ii. The T9ie is apparently just an A&K solo project. Even if Beyerdynamic did drop the A&K branding and the price by $1000, personally I'd rather keep my Xelentos. I didn't hear any other IEM on sale at CanJam that I felt I'd rather be listening to than the Xelento. Except maybe one... But unfortunately it's not yet for sale. I got a chance to listen to a prototype that's finished (tuning is locked in) but not yet announced. I can't tell you anything more about it at this stage. It is not Xelento 2, but I guarantee Xelento fans are going to like this. You'll see why later :-) I promise I will link details, first impressions, and measurements for it on this thread as soon as I'm allowed to...
 
Jun 26, 2019 at 8:24 PM Post #1,685 of 3,065
Awesome cant wait to hear / read about. Thanks for this post, great intel....
 
Jun 26, 2019 at 8:55 PM Post #1,686 of 3,065
@linuxF u 2
But so the meze Rai penta and fh7 everyone's raving about ain't no good ay. Great cause I was considering em and the t9. I'll fully wait for La Xelento Dos. Thx amigo, good too have an impartial reviewer.
 
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Jun 26, 2019 at 9:20 PM Post #1,687 of 3,065
But so the meze Rai penta and fh7 everyone's raving about ain't no good ay.
Whoa there @Chessblitzer2017 - I didn't say they're no good. Just that with the configurations of tuning filters/eartips I used, I preferred the Xelentos. I'd consider trying the FH7 again with different filters or foam tips. Also bear in mind your ears/preferences might be different to mine.

On the other hand... one of the Saturday seminars (Sean Olive) was about the fact that, apparently, our hearing and preferences aren't as different as you might think. There can be outliers, but this guy has dozens of research papers showing that across every country, culture, gender, demographic, etc., there's a massive correlation for people to prefer the Harman target response. (Which corresponds to a neutral stimulus from a speaker system.)
 
Jun 30, 2019 at 9:44 AM Post #1,689 of 3,065
There's always something new coming out and everyone is then always, OMG this is the best headphone/iem/speaker ever. Once the shine has worn off it probably isn't any better or worse than comparable headphones/iems/speakers on a technical level. Only difference being the tuning probably. Don't get too carried away with new products :)


Honest post.

I don’t know if we can follow your advice, but it’s sober.
 
Jul 4, 2019 at 3:10 PM Post #1,690 of 3,065
Jul 4, 2019 at 3:18 PM Post #1,691 of 3,065
Hello guys.

I was browsing Ebay for a pair of used Xelento, but from what I am seeing, there seems to be two different versions of the box. One is white and the other is black. Is there a difference between the two?

The white one:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Beyerdynam...102211?hash=item261ed60ec3:g:DvEAAOSwS2hc~GD7

The black one:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Beyerdynam...681134?hash=item443fe3f8ee:g:2kMAAOSw78Nc~4Eb

I recently bought a pair (New from Amazon) and mine was the second one i,e, Black box.
 
Jul 15, 2019 at 1:38 PM Post #1,692 of 3,065
Well, like I said, I may be interested in trading. I would say more likely than not.
Did you manage to sell your S8Fs. My Xelentos arrived this morning and I love them, but amazingly, I think I actually prefer my $160 Tin P1s ... I cant believe I'm writing that, but its true.
Having said that, the Xelentos are easier to drive so, they'll be my travel buddies. They sound great with my dap and I can plug them easy into an airplane system. The P1's when at home, or office with DAP and desktop rig....
 
Jul 15, 2019 at 3:47 PM Post #1,693 of 3,065
Did you manage to sell your S8Fs. My Xelentos arrived this morning and I love them, but amazingly, I think I actually prefer my $160 Tin P1s ... I cant believe I'm writing that, but its true.
Having said that, the Xelentos are easier to drive so, they'll be my travel buddies. They sound great with my dap and I can plug them easy into an airplane system. The P1's when at home, or office with DAP and desktop rig....

I traded them for RHA CL2, which I traded for Auriosonics ASG 2.5's. I like the latter. I didn't like the s8f at all. The Auriosonics are a bit redundant to my Z5's in that they have a pretty similar stage and separation, but the ASG has an adjustable bass port with a mid bass bump that can be a little boomy, but they are 90% of the Z5's clarity separation and stage.

The S8F are for people who want super treble (they are described as "detailed", but they are just tuned for treble) and don't care about stage or separation. Build quality is great though and they are super comfy. Go Z5 with spiral dots or RHA double flange, and you'll be pretty amazed at the sound for the money.
 
Jul 15, 2019 at 5:23 PM Post #1,695 of 3,065
I got busy with a project (work) and will expand my thoughts and impressions further. I will say that I am a dedicated Comply Foam Guy. I haven't had single set of IEM on which I preferred Silicone, so I started with the comply foams on the Xelento and they sounded "dark" and really overly bass heavy compared to the P1s. I just switchout the foams for Final Audio E Series tips and its a huge difference. The Xelentos are far more open now, not dark as before, but I need to spend some more time with them and A/B with the P1s, not that I;ve got these new tips on.... I will expand / expound but I gotta get back to work and I'll be onsite with a client tomorrow and wednesday .... I do like these Xelentos but the fact that they are a toss up with P1s says alot about the P1s at 1/8th the price. Also the Isolation on Beyers was pretty good with foam, and less so with silicone, but they sound better to my ears now .... again, I'll listen formulate some thoughts and come back to this topic. For $800 to $1000 I expect to be impressed by the Beyerdynamics, I'm now over the moon with the P1s.

Here's what I wrote about the P1s on another Thread:
Anyway my P1s arrived today and I've got about 2 hours with them and they are BEAUTIFUL. Honestly, with all the comments that have been made and contradictory reviews, I didn’t know what to expect.... I am absolutely blown away by them ... for $160 they are magnificent. First off They fit my ears perfectly. 2nd, yes they require power but on my Shanling M5s if I normally set volume at 22, with the P1s I need to go to 43 out of 100. On the PC with JRiver and an Audioengine D3 I've got the volume at 42. The bass as has been noted has great texture - no it's not thundering but it is full and well defined, and for my 50 year old ears it's PERFECT. So far I have sensed no sibilance. I've tried them with the included SE cable, the Linsoul Balanced cable and a Shure RMCE BT2 Cable. They are magnificent. With the Shure cable I have to run volume between 75% & 90%. I've got a FiiO BTR3 but cant test it yet as it's being replaced by FiiO. I even tried lying down with them, no problem against the back of an airplane seat or pillow when sleeping. Sound wise I'm more than happy with this purchase. The question for me now, is whether or not they'll be my travelling companions. Considerations are what they do to my battery life on my BTR3 & Shanling M5S if the impact isn’t huge, they'll come on the road with me, otherwise I'll just enjoy them at home and in the office.


They seal pretty well but the included tips are garbage, Too Short. I changed them to the Final Audio E Series Silicon and they were OK, but so far the best tips have been the Grey Foams that came with the T3s (Similar to Comply T400). Again, this is subjective, but for me these tips give the best seal and isolation and comfort. The length of these and the Comply equivalent is 10.5mm which provides a greater contact patch to evenly distribute the pressure of the foam in the ear canal. The included tips are the same size as the Dekoni Bulletz which are 9mm in length. I don’t like them, they irritate my ears after a while. It's amazing the difference 1.5mm makes.
Anyway find YOUR perfect tip and you'll love these IEMs. As many of you, I have come the conclusion that we can read as many reviews and opinions as we like, but at the end of the day, they're your ears, you have to come to your own conclusion. The countless reviews can simply give some "Guidance". Anyway for me..... the P1 has been a HIGH VALUE score. Thank you @Lillian and Linsoul for an outstanding piece of gear!


I just spent another 4 hours with the P1s listening Paolo Fresu & Omar Sosa (Jazz Trumpet & Piano). This album is absolutely sublime and the P1s brought out all the subtlety and detail - I heard little details in the background I never heard before. I then moved over to Bill Laswell's AXIOM Funk Project The Funkcronomicon Album - Its a complex recording everyone deserves the opportunity to hear. Here's a sample: https://cloud.howardolsen.com/UMcpOg The depth of the bass and little details like George Clinton smacking his lips are stunning. Then I moved over to into Derek Trucks Band album "Songlines" This is an exceptionally well recorded and produced record and I heard all kinds of things I never heard before. I could literally hear and feel the reverberation in the Bongos and could hear the Foot Pedal into the Bass Drum - so many little percussion details going on all over the place. I now know what one reviewer meant when he said it's like having your favorite and best speakers in your head.

There's been a lot of discussion about the soundstage "Is it wide / or / there's no width" Well I wouldn't call them wide but man would I call these P1s deep. I've listened to a bit of every genre over the last 24 hours and these IEMs have taken everything I've thrown at them. I have a very eclectic musical taste with over 5000 CDs ripped to FLAC and ALAC in my collection and I love Smokey female Jazz Vocals just as much at Wynton Marsalis blowing Classical out his Trumpet. I groove on complex Funk arrangements and rock out to hard driving Classic / & blues infused Southern Rock. These P1s are my new favs. I pretty much always use EQ when listening to music and I almost always boost bass & treble and then fiddle with mids and I don’t make any apology for it. Its like this I brew my espressos as double & triple shots, I take Scotch 3 fingers over a perfect ice ball, I add extra hot sauce on Madras Indian Cuisine, and I boost EQ for my music. The P1s have responded to everything I gave them and have made me a very happy customer. I could go and listen to 20 other sets of IEMs and confuse myself, or find a reason to be disappointed with what I've got - but I'm not going to. I've got these and I'm happy. I will admit, however, that I've got a new set of Xelentos showing up tomorrow or Monday and I do look forward to comparing them. I should also add, that yesterday I listened with a Single Ended cable and it was good, but today I connected a balanced 2.5 and it made a huge difference.
 

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