[Sophonax]

Hello all,
 
I have a friend who recently listened to my Beyer T1s and fell in love with their sound.  Unfortunately, he only has a budget of $300 for headphones, so the T1s are out of the question.
 
My question is directed toward those who have heard the T1s: what other headphones have you heard that have the most similar sound signature to the T1s but can be obtained for around $300?  I found this question difficult to answer...I don't think the K701s or HD650s would be a good choice, but I don't have much listening experience with the lower Beyer models or the HD600s.  Maybe one of these would be a decent choice?
 
To summarize, what I'm looking for is a pair of headphones that:
 
-- are full-sized and circumaural
-- sound similar to the T1
-- can be had for ~$300
 
There are no other requirements, although it would be a plus if they sounded good without an amplifier.
 
Thanks for your help!

 

[desktophifi]

Maybe another headphone on the Beyer's line. I haven't had the chance to audition the T1. 

 

[Bostonears]

Out of the phones I've heard in that price range, the AKG K701 seemed to have the closest sound style to the T1. (Despite the general similarity, I didn't like the K701's sound, but I do like the T1 quite a bit.)

 

[E. Cavanaugh]

Here's a thread where a guy compares the T1 with another headphones...
 

 

[wantmyf1]

Well my ears must work a lot differently than Bostonears.  I find the K701s to be more similar to the HD800.  Both are crazy detailed with wide soundstages and light in the bass department.  Refined is the word I think of to describe either of them.
 
While, to me, the T1 has a very aggressive with just a bit of emphasis on the bass.  It is very detailed as well, just not to the point of the HD800 or K701.  And probably because of the slight bass emphasis and a fantastic mid it has a richer sound.
 
Unfortunately I don't think I've ever heard another headphone that sounds quite like the T1.  But there's an active T1 vs DT880 thread here.  If you haven't you could check that out.

 

[maverickronin]

Definitely the Beyer DT880/600.

 

[Sophonax]

Thanks for the replies, guys.
 
In my experience, I'd have to agree with wantmyf1 -- I find the K701s to be more like the HD800s than the T1s.  The combination of their brightness and their relatively low bass quantity makes the K701s and HD800s share a similar sound signature, but it also makes them differ from the T1s.
 
E. Cavanaugh:  yes, I've been following that thread a little bit.  However, pataburd is doing a head-to-head comparison of the two headphones, and therefore seems to be focusing on the differences between the T1s and the DT880s rather than the similarities.  What I'd rather know is:  are the DT880s closer to the sound signature of the T1 than, say, the K701s or HD600s?

 

[Bilavideo]

Interesting challenge.  I had some preconceptions, some based on past experience, others based on what I've read.  I pulled up some FR graphs for reference.  In some cases, the graphs came back with a few surprises.
 
First, I compared the T1 to the DT880.  Due to a clerical error, Headroom failed to properly label which line represents the 250 ohm version and which one represents the 600 ohm version.  Be that as it may, the 32-ohm version (in orange) has the line which most closely matches that of the T1.  Given that the 880 has long since been dethroned by the DT990, you can pick a used DT880 up for around $250.

 
What about the T1 versus the other big beyers?

I'll let you decide which of these beyers is closest to the T1.
 

 

[Bilavideo]

The one can, besides the DT880 that surprised me as exhibiting a close pattern, was the HD650.  There are differences, but the 650 surprised me.  When I had the T1, it reminded me of my former HD650, but the graph helps reinforce that impression.

 

[shane55]

Quote:

The one can, besides the DT880 that surprised me as exhibiting a close pattern, was the HD650.  There are differences, but the 650 surprised me.  When I had the T1, it reminded me of my former HD650, but the graph helps reinforce that impression.

 
Very informative. Thanks!
 
The only issue I see is the 'without an amplifier' part... Both of these really need one.
EDIT: Well... all but the 32 ohm Beyers.
 

 

[Sophonax]

Wow Bilavideo...quite the plot-maker! 

 
So that's a couple of votes for the DT880s of various impedances.
 
Surprisingly, as you said the HD650s do seem to match the T1s through the bass and mids, though the plots show the HD650s as being more rolled off in the highs.  It's been a while since I've had a good listen to the HD650s, but I remember them being more laid back, whereas the T1s sound punchier and more forward to me.
 
Any thoughts?  Anyone have any opinions about the DT770s, DT990s, or K601s?

 

[Bostonears]

What amazes me from those Headroom plots is how flat the T1's bass response is down to 10 Hz. And you can see how the high-end Grados employ a mid-bass hump (around 100 Hz) to make up for their comparative lack of deep bass.

 

[jax]

 
Quote:

Interesting challenge.  I had some preconceptions, some based on past experience, others based on what I've read.  I pulled up some FR graphs for reference.  In some cases, the graphs came back with a few surprises.
 
First, I compared the T1 to the DT880.  Due to a clerical error, Headroom failed to properly label which line represents the 250 ohm version and which one represents the 600 ohm version.  Be that as it may, the 32-ohm version (in orange) has the line which most closely matches that of the T1.  Given that the 880 has long since been dethroned by the DT990, you can pick a used DT880 up for around $250.

 
What about the T1 versus the other big beyers?

I'll let you decide which of these beyers is closest to the T1.
 

I haven't read the rest of this thread, but why have you omitted this obvious comparison (or did I miss it):
 

 
 
One of several things these graphs do not tell anything about is frequency/impedance (the really important thing these graphs don't tel is what they actually sound like to you with your amp and your music/front end).  It seems that the T1's are off the charts...here's that comparison:
 

 
 
Someone correct me if I'm wrong here, but this would indicate to me that the HD800's become more difficult to drive in the midrange.  The T1 seem to just be peaking in the 3000-4000 hz region while the rest of the curve I assume is off the chart.  With all of the straight frequency response curves that are plotted, this really doesn't tell the whole story...only a small portion of it. 
 
Here's the frequency/impedance for the two versions of the DT880 with the T1 still peaking in overhead giving no clue as to how it responds throughout it's range:
 

 

[EraserXIV]

The HD650 looks pretty close to me. If you get one of the newer versions with the silver dampening material on the drivers you may even get a more similar sound. The silver dampening material is said to make the HD650 brighter and bring out the treble while still maintaining the characteristic bass presence.
 
It is highly likely that the headroom graph is for the older black driver HD650 because those graphs have been up for a while.
 
 
EDIT: Just did a comparison b/w the HD650, HD800, and T1 and noticed something I never noticed before. The HD650 looks like what would happen if the HD800 and T1 made babies. Very interesting.
 

 

[jax]

Ah, I see what I was missing...the title of the thread! I missed the "less than $300" qualification.