[Bret Halford]

Cross posting some impressions and pics of the Xelento 2, been loving having these in ear all weekend!

Of late, I had found myself longing for the coherency and naturalness of a single driver setup. The range of coverage of hy/tri/quadbrids is addictive but over time I can find the flavor a bit uncanny. BAs, planars, electrets, piezos, all have their home in the spectrum but no driver can cover it all like the mighty dynamic.

And of course, if you're going to go dynamic, why not go to the house that invented the dynamic headphone? Beyerdynamic have been making Dynamic driver headphones and earphones in Germany for over a hundred years! There's simply no other firm operating and family owned today with that kind of history.

Long before I was a Fatfreq fanboy I was a Beyer nut... and while I enjoy a stable of their over ears, I'd avoided temptation and never pulled the trigger on Xelento. Well no more


Meet the Beyer-Boys!

I've really enjoyed Beyer's 'Tesla' drivers (I have T1.2, 1.3, 5.2, 5.3, DT1990/1770, Amiron) and hearing it in an IEM form factor in the Xelento 2 has been such a treat... like taking a very old friend out for a new activity that they discover they love


As always, Beyer's design is absolutely top notch. Beautiful metal housing simply can't be polished enough. Much shiny - audible jewelry indeed!

Soundwise, these are a lovely balance of laid back easy going bass and mids with a little airy boost to show off the technical capabilities up high. The lower ear gain means that impressive 10 dB bass boost is even more evident than one would think, very very nice bass extension on these cleanly contained and transitioned into lower mids. Highly reminiscent of the Z1R from memory, but a little tidier up top. I don't feel any lack of impact down low, even sitting on the desk next to a Maestro SE, Legend Evo.


(Xelento 2 was first released as A&K T9IE, tuning appears identical to Xelento 2 measurements available from Soundstage and Squiglink)

Despite the laid back character of most of the spectrum, some high frequency presence and the very impressive technical capabilities of the Tesla driver makes the Xelento absolutely vicious for low quality recordings or digital noise (always shocking how noisy many dedicated DAPs are!). It's quite an impressive balance the Xelento manages between revelation and pleasure.

Speaking of technical performance, it's worth showing off just how low distortion the Tesla driver is, even at ear damaging volumes:

Even at bass frequencies, there is barely 0.25% at 100dB! (https://www.soundstagenetwork.com/i...n-earphones-measurements&catid=263&Itemid=203)

Particularly in combination with the relatively flat ear gain, these are an EQers dream... you could pile on 20-30dB of Bass before you got any audible distortion lol, and a flat response means you can tailor mids to your liking if stock doesn't do it.

Unfortunately, being an unvented dynamic, driver flex is definitely a thing. My left ear in particular takes a few minutes for the seal to settle and I'll get some quiet occasional driver flex even with head motion... after a few minutes of listening the tip heats up and the seal settles which fixes it, but those sensitive to the issue would be taking a risk with these.

The Tesla's dynamic driver also pretty much calls it quits after 10K. There's still enough detail for you to hate record producers and DAP designers, but if you crave that trendy 15K bump that ESTs are cranking out now, these aren't going to deliver. I find this to be a tasteful tuning, I'd rather have the dynamic sing well than overstretch it but I also have more treble-centric offerings to put in ear if I'm so inclined.


If you looked up 'industrial design' in the headphone dictionary, Beyerdynamic would be listed as a synonym!

For those in the market for a single driver dynamic, this one is absolutely worth considering, particularly if you are a bass lover. For those interested in the history of headphones, you owe it to yourself to include a Beyer in your collection <3 the Xelento 2 is an excellent option.

 

[ryanmatic]

Anyone else using these with the wireless neckband?

I know it's not the absolute highest quality way to hear the Xelento 2nd Gen but I think it sounds excellent, especially with "enhancement mode" turned on (enabling the dedicated amps) and with a mild amount of personalization applied. Have also found the Symbio F foam tips to provide a robust seal despite adding a tad more warmth into the mix. The foamies dramatically reduce the likelihood of hearing driver flex, which is nice, despite them taking a bit more effort to put in compared to silicone.

I like the neckband style when worn, but find it to be really finicky otherwise. It feels to long, and the neckband portion too rigid, to easily roll up or hold with one hand like the previous wireless dongle. I guess that's just a tradeoff of this style of "wireless"—it's never going to be as convenient as true wireless. Still nice to be able to move away from my desk, or go for a walk outside, without having to take these out.

 

[luigi916]

Does anyone know anything about the 4.4mm "Pentaconn" of Xelento Remote 2 ?
Thanks.

 

[Bret Halford]

Does anyone know anything about the 4.4mm "Pentaconn" of Xelento Remote 2 ?
Thanks.

I have the Xelento Remote 2 and use the 4.4 mm terminated cable exclusively. What would you like to know?

 

[luigi916]

Why says "Pentaconn", it's a technical support?or something else?

 

[Bret Halford]

Why says "Pentaconn", it's a technical support?or something else?

I suspect they are trying to clarify the style of connector, 4.4 mm is often described as a "Pentaconn" connector despite that being a brand of "Pentaconn of Japan". The hardware is excellent in any case, although I'd have preferred IPX rather than MMCX on the IEM side.

I don't think the Beyer 4.4 termination is a name brand "Pentaconn of Japan" OFC, which is good as in my experience these provide exceptionally poor durability in the connector despite the premium, name brand cost.

 

[ceramicears]

Heard driver flex on the right side with my Xelento 2 while music was playing, so I sent it in for warranty repair. Beyer outsources their warranty service to a company called Consolidated Sound Services. I sent it in three months ago and still do not have them back. Not really the warranty company's fault, as they say they've been waiting to receive parts from Beyer for months now and still don't have them.

I contacted Beyer directly about this and have gotten no response three weeks later.

Abysmal customer service for a flagship product.

 

[newworld666]

Heard driver flex on the right side with my Xelento 2 while music was playing, so I sent it in for warranty repair. Beyer outsources their warranty service to a company called Consolidated Sound Services. I sent it in three months ago and still do not have them back. Not really the warranty company's fault, as they say they've been waiting to receive parts from Beyer for months now and still don't have them.

I contacted Beyer directly about this and have gotten no response three weeks later.

Abysmal customer service for a flagship product.

Yes .. Beyerdynamic is a real pain .. It took a huge time to get some parts (little drivers ducts protections) from the local reseller !!! Beyerdynamic germany likes to sell their products but never to sell parts... we have to use a local reseller

 

[scarfacegt]

Hi. What amp/dac/phone does people use with xelento remote gen 2? I had mojo 2, but sold it since its not that portable in my eyes, and my headphones ( meze 109 pro ) are easy driven. I use an nad stereo amp with aux for them. And my b&w px8 i use the bta 30 pro for connection to my tv. I also an ifi xcan an btr 5. I use samsung note 10 plus and sometimes motorola g71. The g71 have an aux output. But it doesnt work with my xelentos. Its coming some disturbing noise. The fiio btr5 is the first generation. Its good. But are there some newer portable dacs/amps that are better for the xelentos?

 

[RIGATIO]

Heard driver flex on the right side with my Xelento 2 while music was playing, so I sent it in for warranty repair. Beyer outsources their warranty service to a company called Consolidated Sound Services. I sent it in three months ago and still do not have them back. Not really the warranty company's fault, as they say they've been waiting to receive parts from Beyer for months now and still don't have them.

I contacted Beyer directly about this and have gotten no response three weeks later.

Abysmal customer service for a flagship product.

I still have driver flex in a right earphone on Xelento 1. Its there since 4 years and nothing happened. I dont really think they treat this as an issue. Most Xelentos have driver flex, no matter if its 1rst or 2nd generation. I think its due to a very sensitive and responsive DD Tesla driver.

 

[ceramicears]

I still have driver flex in a right earphone on Xelento 1. Its there since 4 years and nothing happened. I dont really think they treat this as an issue. Most Xelentos have driver flex, no matter if its 1rst or 2nd generation. I think its due to a very sensitive and responsive DD Tesla driver.

But I hear it while music is playing, especially on heavy bass tracks. It causes abrupt distortion. I can even induce flex by moving my head quickly when no music is playing. And this only happens on the right side, left is perfect.

I don't care about driver flex when inserting. I understand that to be normal. But hearing it during music playback is not normal, I hope.

 

[RIGATIO]

But I hear it while music is playing, especially on heavy bass tracks. It causes abrupt distortion. I can even induce flex by moving my head quickly when no music is playing. And this only happens on the right side, left is perfect.

I don't care about driver flex when inserting. I understand that to be normal. But hearing it during music playback is not normal, I hope.

I get u. On mine it isnt as severe but i can still hear it rarely when listening to the music.
Anyways i still love my old Xelentos and they serve me as a backup. My main iems are 1. u12t, 2. Monarch Mk2, 3. Xelento/Hook X.

 

[K1LLMy53Lf]

Hey there!

I'm thinking on getting a used Xelento (1st gen), but as I read there are many fakes which are sold online (ebay/amazon etc), so I'd like to ask if there is any way to identify a fake buy it's look/phisical property (any external size (length, nozzle diameter etc), weight, color, printing, finish etc), or only the S/N and of course its sound which could be judged with certainty?

 

[d m41n man]

Hey there!

I'm thinking on getting a used Xelento (1st gen), but as I read there are many fakes which are sold online (ebay/amazon etc), so I'd like to ask if there is any way to identify a fake buy it's look/phisical property (any external size (length, nozzle diameter etc), weight, color, printing, finish etc), or only the S/N and of course its sound which could be judged with certainty?

As far as I know, the counterfeits weren't able to make it to the new packaging (the white with orange accents and new logo). Most of the fakes I've seen floating used the black box (with mediocre printing) and the original old og box.

Also, another telling sign I can remember were the serial # is indicated should be etched/embossed and should say "SERIAL No." and not "SERIAL NO." And lastly, no counterfeits do not have genuine Comply tips.

 

[K1LLMy53Lf]

i see. thanks for the answer. so basically the s/n "No" part which can be seen in a photo (anyone can include a genuine comply pack )

the s/n is engraved on the fake ones too as i see :/

is there any info/list of known fake serial nrs.?