Beyerdynamic Xelento!

[Dobrescu George]

I'm happy with the bass W60 produces, much better than 535's imo. Beyer headphones have always impressed me , even the T90's which could be sibilant, I'm very interested to hear their iem.

Xelento is at the other pole, they can be a tad too smooth, never sibilant. They are an amazing IEM either way, it is one of the favorites around here, and for a good reason, if you like a smooth signature, they cannot go wrong. Whether it is better than W60 for you, is up to you though

 

[Edric Li]

Ok let me be the bad guy to convince you to Xelento, as I have heard or auditioned most of them...

Sound signature wise, I describe Xelento as a bassy IEM - think of IE800, but instead of mid-bass heavy, Xelento is sub-bass heavy. Also without the bright treble of IE800 - Xelento sound incredibly smooth and cohesive from 200Hz all the way up.

Sound quality wise, Xelento is up there with the biggest boys. If you want to compare it to:
SE535 - 535 has midmrange and nothing but the midrange. Muddy across the frequency range compared to any true flagship IEM.
W60 - to me it's the worst ~1000 option out there. Just muddy and congested. Like a SE535 with a tad more bass.
IE800 - I am a huge Senn fan, but IE800 is a failure. Muddy, but not as bad as the W60 mostly due to IE800's semi-open nature. The piercing treble is the worst probably out of any IEM I've heard - think of Apple Earpods' boosted low quality treble, but worse.
Roxanne - Now we are entering the "big boy" territory. Roxanne is a SE846/W60 on steroid - huge soundstage, more layered subbass, more open midrange, and most importantly a lot less muddy and congested. The renowned midrange of SE846/W60 is just loud in comparison. They have no articulation whatsoever compared to the Roxanne. Still not enough treble to be neutral or airy to me.
Layla II - Roxanne with slightly more treble and even more sophisticated midrange. Still not enough treble to be neutral or airy to me.
Xelento - Now we are entering the "biggest" boy territory

1. More treble quantity, finally bringing enough "air" to the music. Not necessarily better quality, as Layla is one of the most "precise" IEM out there.
2. Larger soundstage than the Layla. Yes I said it. That's what I have heard before selling my Layla. I couldn't believe it myself.
3. Less midrange quantity than the Layla, but more realistic timber and decay - reminds me of a HD800S being compared to a HE1000. Dynamic drivers always have an edge. May be a personal preference thing.
4. More open. I hate to say it, but Layla still sound a tad congested compared to Xelento. To me this is the most important aspect about SQ.

Other biggest boys (some I'd say better than Xelento in terms of SQ) include UM Mentor/Mason, KSE1500, VE6/8. I decided on Xelento as a combination of good (enough, not best) SQ and preferred sound signature.

Overall I think it is most fair to compare Xelento to Sony Z5 or JVC 1200 or IE800 or even an Apple Earpod than to compare it to W60/SE846-type sound. If you like the Sound signature of W60/SE846, look to upgrade for something like Layla, A12, UM Mason, etc. But if you want to compare in terms of purely sound quality, they are no match for Xelento.

 

[Dobrescu George]

@Edric Li

Well, I'm really happy to see more people loving it!

Whether it is better than ie800 or not, is purely subjective, detail retireval and resolution is similar, with ie800 having more treble, so better analytical properties, so better revealing abilities in general. I prefer the bright top end of ie800 by a large margin, but people looking for a smooth one will love Xelentos

As for comparison to SE535, of course it is better, also double the price.

vs the rest, I don't know - but I follow your thoughts and can probably agree.

You do have quite unique tastes there, so maybe not every single person will relate exactly to it, but if you know how to read it, things are quite fair, Xelentos are really romantic, big bass, no boom, forward yet wide midrange, and smooth treble .

 

[csglinux]

Ok let me be the bad guy to convince you to Xelento, as I have heard or auditioned most of them...

Sound signature wise, I describe Xelento as a bassy IEM - think of IE800, but instead of mid-bass heavy, Xelento is sub-bass heavy. Also without the bright treble of IE800 - Xelento sound incredibly smooth and cohesive from 200Hz all the way up.

Sound quality wise, Xelento is up there with the biggest boys. If you want to compare it to:
SE535 - 535 has midmrange and nothing but the midrange. Muddy across the frequency range compared to any true flagship IEM.
W60 - to me it's the worst ~1000 option out there. Just muddy and congested. Like a SE535 with a tad more bass.
IE800 - I am a huge Senn fan, but IE800 is a failure. Muddy, but not as bad as the W60 mostly due to IE800's semi-open nature. The piercing treble is the worst probably out of any IEM I've heard - think of Apple Earpods' boosted low quality treble, but worse.
Roxanne - Now we are entering the "big boy" territory. Roxanne is a SE846/W60 on steroid - huge soundstage, more layered subbass, more open midrange, and most importantly a lot less muddy and congested. The renowned midrange of SE846/W60 is just loud in comparison. They have no articulation whatsoever compared to the Roxanne. Still not enough treble to be neutral or airy to me.
Layla II - Roxanne with slightly more treble and even more sophisticated midrange. Still not enough treble to be neutral or airy to me.
Xelento - Now we are entering the "biggest" boy territory

1. More treble quantity, finally bringing enough "air" to the music. Not necessarily better quality, as Layla is one of the most "precise" IEM out there.
2. Larger soundstage than the Layla. Yes I said it. That's what I have heard before selling my Layla. I couldn't believe it myself.
3. Less midrange quantity than the Layla, but more realistic timber and decay - reminds me of a HD800S being compared to a HE1000. Dynamic drivers always have an edge. May be a personal preference thing.
4. More open. I hate to say it, but Layla still sound a tad congested compared to Xelento. To me this is the most important aspect about SQ.

Other biggest boys (some I'd say better than Xelento in terms of SQ) include UM Mentor/Mason, KSE1500, VE6/8. I decided on Xelento as a combination of good (enough, not best) SQ and preferred sound signature.

Overall I think it is most fair to compare Xelento to Sony Z5 or JVC 1200 or IE800 or even an Apple Earpod than to compare it to W60/SE846-type sound. If you like the Sound signature of W60/SE846, look to upgrade for something like Layla, A12, UM Mason, etc. But if you want to compare in terms of purely sound quality, they are no match for Xelento.

Great post! Really well articulated - and I also happen to agree with basically all your conclusions

About those IE800 that I know have a special place in George's heart...
I used to own these and spent a lot of time A/Bing against the Xelentos. The IE800 has a more exaggerated treble spike (roughly around 11 kHz). There was a bit of a debate recently on the IE800 thread about whether this exaggerated treble is an advantage or a weakness. Some may like it and some may not (I don't, but YMMV). But my take-away was that despite having less treble energy in that region, the Xelento still sounds clearer and more detailed. The Tesla driver is just faster (it's a more sensitive driver that requires less power to move) and as a result it's more detailed than the IE800.

P.S. Sorry. I omitted something important. The Xelento sounds more detailed to my ears. Obviously Geroge hears the opposite, so it's going to depend on the idiosyncrasies of your own hearing.

 

[Lavakugel]

Ok let me be the bad guy to convince you to Xelento, as I have heard or auditioned most of them...

Sound signature wise, I describe Xelento as a bassy IEM - think of IE800, but instead of mid-bass heavy, Xelento is sub-bass heavy. Also without the bright treble of IE800 - Xelento sound incredibly smooth and cohesive from 200Hz all the way up.

Sound quality wise, Xelento is up there with the biggest boys. If you want to compare it to:
SE535 - 535 has midmrange and nothing but the midrange. Muddy across the frequency range compared to any true flagship IEM.
W60 - to me it's the worst ~1000 option out there. Just muddy and congested. Like a SE535 with a tad more bass.
IE800 - I am a huge Senn fan, but IE800 is a failure. Muddy, but not as bad as the W60 mostly due to IE800's semi-open nature. The piercing treble is the worst probably out of any IEM I've heard - think of Apple Earpods' boosted low quality treble, but worse.
Roxanne - Now we are entering the "big boy" territory. Roxanne is a SE846/W60 on steroid - huge soundstage, more layered subbass, more open midrange, and most importantly a lot less muddy and congested. The renowned midrange of SE846/W60 is just loud in comparison. They have no articulation whatsoever compared to the Roxanne. Still not enough treble to be neutral or airy to me.
Layla II - Roxanne with slightly more treble and even more sophisticated midrange. Still not enough treble to be neutral or airy to me.
Xelento - Now we are entering the "biggest" boy territory

1. More treble quantity, finally bringing enough "air" to the music. Not necessarily better quality, as Layla is one of the most "precise" IEM out there.
2. Larger soundstage than the Layla. Yes I said it. That's what I have heard before selling my Layla. I couldn't believe it myself.
3. Less midrange quantity than the Layla, but more realistic timber and decay - reminds me of a HD800S being compared to a HE1000. Dynamic drivers always have an edge. May be a personal preference thing.
4. More open. I hate to say it, but Layla still sound a tad congested compared to Xelento. To me this is the most important aspect about SQ.

Other biggest boys (some I'd say better than Xelento in terms of SQ) include UM Mentor/Mason, KSE1500, VE6/8. I decided on Xelento as a combination of good (enough, not best) SQ and preferred sound signature.

Overall I think it is most fair to compare Xelento to Sony Z5 or JVC 1200 or IE800 or even an Apple Earpod than to compare it to W60/SE846-type sound. If you like the Sound signature of W60/SE846, look to upgrade for something like Layla, A12, UM Mason, etc. But if you want to compare in terms of purely sound quality, they are no match for Xelento.

Do you like Xelento with WM1Z? I read Xelento plays even with Noble Encore level just a little behind. Price and comfort wise Xelento is a good pick. I think its more comfy than Noble audio.

 

[Edric Li]

I like Xelento with WM1Z. This is the setup I am happily living with. However in a quiet environment, my favorite IEM is UM Mentor. Just more spacious and airy than Xelento.

If you only consider IEMs that are similar to Xelento in terms of sound signature, then Xelento is IMO the best of the best.
If you consider only sound quality, there are a few that can best Xelento as I mentioned above. I've never hear Noble Encore, but IMO SQ-wise its SE846/W60/IE800 < 1964 A10/12 < Layla II < Xelento < UM Mentor/Mason V2 <= KSE1500. If you've not heard any of these, try listing a bunch of IEM's you've heard so I can possibly help you fit Xelento in a ranking like this.

Comfort-wise it's a no-brainer. Xelento is head and shoulder above the second most comfy IEM out there. To be honest I'd say Noble's are some of the least comfy TOTL IEM.

 

[musicday]

I want to try Xelento with the Tera Player but i can't at the moment . Have anyone tried this combination? I will be interested to read if it is a good match.

 

[Dobrescu George]

I want to try Xelento with the Tera Player but i can't at the moment . Have anyone tried this combination? I will be interested to read if it is a good match.

They should make a good pairing, but AFAIK Tera has no display, so it might be tricky to use

 

[musicday]

They should make a good pairing, but AFAIK Tera has no display, so it might be tricky to use

In what way is tricky to use? I've been using mine for nearly five years and I have 128 GB SDXC, and is very easy to operate and even finding a specific album within 30 seconds is very easy, but i must admit i listen on random mode as i like surprises

 

[echineko]

Spoiler

Do you like Xelento with WM1Z? I read Xelento plays even with Noble Encore level just a little behind. Price and comfort wise Xelento is a good pick. I think its more comfy than Noble audio.

Can't tell you about Encore, but one of the reasons I was convinced to sell my K10 (non-Encore) was because it started getting so little time after my Xelento and Oriolus mk2 arrived.

I am using mine balanced with the WM1Z, and do love this combo, it has great openness to the sound (separation), speed of the transients, and of course that meaty bass impact, better than the previous K10 (IMO). It's really an unexpected gem, this little beast from Beyerdynamic, sometimes I feel it when it's flush against my ears and marvel at how something so tiny can deliver so much

 

[Lavakugel]

Oriolus is also on my radar

How would you describe difference of sound compared to each other? Xelento vs Oriolus?

 

[Dobrescu George]

In what way is tricky to use? I've been using mine for nearly five years and I have 128 GB SDXC, and is very easy to operate and even finding a specific album within 30 seconds is very easy, but i must admit i listen on random mode as i like surprises

Welp

I prefer me some touchscreen or wheel based navigation better than no screen

Terra has an awesome sound AFAIK, so it should pair nicely with viurtually anything

 

[musicday]

Is the driver flex a big problem with Xelento? The frequency response tells how good they may sound with lots of micro details. Any link where they can be bought cheaper?

 

[Dobrescu George]

Is the driver flex a big problem with Xelento? The frequency response tells how good they may sound with lots of micro details. Any link where they can be bought cheaper?

Driver flex should not be an issue , or at least wasn't for me.

Micro detailing is okay. They don't focus on details, are smooth and musical, focusing on musicality and the sound as a whole. Since micro-details are usually in the upper registers, Xelento is smooth there, so it does not have the micro detailing of ie800, but has more bass, with a more natural bass decay.

 

[Roscoeiii]

Any link where they can be bought cheaper?

Keep an eye out on Amazon, just returned a barely used pair that should show up for sale used on Amazon Marketplace soon.

Decided to stick with the combo of Campfire Vegas and Andromeda.