[shane55]

Quote:

He's also come to the decision, IIRC, that the T1 is not an improvement upon the DT880 sound, but a different sound altogether. I'm not sure, based on that thread, that the DT880 is the next best thing to the T1.

Well, without speaking for Pat, I seem to understand from the thread that he actually prefers the DT880 to the T1 and that the T1 is currently boxed to sell (though he may do a few more tests with different 'ampage'). It's been an enlightening thread...

 

[Sophonax]

Thanks for the impressions MuuMuu.  That's now more votes for the HD650s than against them.  Sounds like they might be a real contender.  They didn't strike me as sounding similar to the T1s, but then again it has been a VERY long time since I've heard a pair...my memory probably isn't that good.

 

[sberamji]

Just had the T1. the DT880, HD800 and the HD600 at my place. The T1 sounds like a refined DT880 but it still has it's own character. That is it improves on the DT880 on every aspect like extension and resolution but adds its own character, specially in the lows (which I find unnatural compared to the HD800) and the mids (which once again I didn't really like). The HD600 comes closest to this character i.e. it too has a similar bass and mid range like the T1's. Of course it costs a lot less which is why I sold the T1's and stuck with th HD600's. Personally I think the Sennheiser HD800 is the best headphone out there. Its extensions at the extremes is incredible though it can have a slightly unnatural midrange.
 
SB

 

[Sophonax]

Quote:

Just had the T1. the DT880, HD800 and the HD600 at my place. The T1 sounds like a refined DT880 but it still has it's own character. That is it improves on the DT880 on every aspect like extension and resolution but adds its own character, specially in the lows (which I find unnatural compared to the HD800) and the mids (which once again I didn't really like). The HD600 comes closest to this character i.e. it too has a similar bass and mid range like the T1's. Of course it costs a lot less which is why I sold the T1's and stuck with th HD600's. Personally I think the Sennheiser HD800 is the best headphone out there. Its extensions at the extremes is incredible though it can have a slightly unnatural midrange.
 
SB

That's quite a good set of headphones for comparison!  I'm glad someone finally came in with some info for the HD600s...FWIR, I get the impression that the HD600s might sound a little bit more like the T1s in treble than the HD650s.
 
Hey sberamji, how would you compare the soundstage and imaging capabilities of those headphones?  Particularly the DT880s and the T1s?
 

 

[maverickronin]

I can't really see how anyone can call the T1 and the HD650s similar.  Their curves are pretty close until you get to the treble, but its quite a big difference.
 

 
The DT880 has more overall deviation, but generally less magnitude, until you get to the really high treble which most people can't hear anyway.
 

 
Basically it boils down to which your friend prefers.  Treble or bass.

 

[Anaxilus]

Quote:

I can't really see how anyone can call the T1 and the HD650s similar.  Their curves are pretty close until you get to the treble, but its quite a big difference.
 

 
The DT880 has more overall deviation, but generally less magnitude, until you get to the really high treble which most people can't hear anyway.
 

 
Basically it boils down to which your friend prefers.  Treble or bass.

How did you build that curve to just show deviation?  I don't seem to see where to select that.

 

[maverickronin]

It's sort of hidden.
 
Learning Center > Specifications & Technical Data > Difference Graph
 
Or just bookmark it.

 

[Sophonax]

Quote:

It's sort of hidden.
 
Learning Center > Specifications & Technical Data > Difference Graph
 
Or just bookmark it.

That's a pretty cool feature...I've never seen it before.  You learn something new every day!
 
That comparative tool really makes things easier...that is, if you believe in relying on measurements.  They're definitely useful, but as always they must be taken with a grain of salt.
 
That being said, those comparisons do seem to reflect the comments people have made so far.  But how about these?
 

 
 
Or what about these beauties? 

 

 

 

[Anaxilus]

Skullcandy ftw!

 

[shane55]

Quote:

Skullcandy ftw!

 
That is a BEEEEEEEUTIFUL graph and really say's it all.

 

 

[Ypoknons]

Don't just look at the FR graphs though, make sure you check the Harmonic Distortion and Square Wave (driver agility aka speed) graphs too. Read the Measuring Headphones thread in the Science forum if you're new to those. From those graphs it seems like the T1 has more speed than the DT880, I'm guessing because of Telsa.

 

[Sophonax]

Quote:

Don't just look at the FR graphs though, make sure you check the Harmonic Distortion and Square Wave (driver agility aka speed) graphs too. Read the Measuring Headphones thread in the Science forum if you're new to those. From those graphs it seems like the T1 has more speed than the DT880, I'm guessing because of Telsa.

From experience I can say that the T1 is definitely a very fast headphone...Beyerdynamic wasn't kidding when they advertise them as having "excellent impulse fidelity."  I imagine that it does indeed have quite a bit to do with the high flux density of the driver motor of the T1.
 
In fact, I'd be somewhat surprised if anything in the $300 range could keep up with the T1 in terms of speed.  I really don't expect anything to match the T1 in terms of overall performance for that price limit (a.k.a. I can't really expect a miracle here, now can I? 

).  I'm just looking for the closest you can get to the T1s at that price level.
 

 

[Maxvla]

Quote:

Well, without speaking for Pat, I seem to understand from the thread that he actually prefers the DT880 to the T1 and that the T1 is currently boxed to sell (though he may do a few more tests with different 'ampage'). It's been an enlightening thread...

Yes. That's what I've come to understand as well.
 

 

[Bilavideo]

I sold mine but not because I had any issues. In my PS1000 review, I compared the T1 against the Ps1000 and the HD800 and found areas where the T1 did things the other cans didn't or didn't do as well. when push came to shove I wanted to keep my HD800 more than I wanted to keep my T1. the T1 bested the 800 in certain types of rock, where the 800 did classical better. I still consider the T1to be a very impressive can, so much so that finding the "closest" one for $300 is unintentionally absurd.

 

[Sophonax]

Quote:

I sold mine but not because I had any issues. In my PS1000 review, I compared the T1 against the Ps1000 and the HD800 and found areas where the T1 did things the other cans didn't or didn't do as well. when push came to shove I wanted to keep my HD800 more than I wanted to keep my T1. the T1 bested the 800 in certain types of rock, where the 800 did classical better. I still consider the T1to be a very impressive can, so much so that finding the "closest" one for $300 is unintentionally absurd.

Believe me, I know how absurd the request is!  If I knew of a headphone out there that could do 90% of what the T1 does for $300, I would no longer be a T1 owner.
 
It's my opinion that you won't find a pair of headphones that have similar speed and imaging to the T1s for the asking price; so instead, I'm focusing on the overall tonal character of the headphones.  One thing that I personally like about the T1s is that they don't sound offensive with any kind of music.  You can throw anything at them and they handle it with grace.  Compare that with the HD800s and K701s, and I think you'll find that the T1s are a more versatile can.
 
My friend is not the Head-Fi type -- he only wants one pair of headphones, and at around $300.  Now that it seems that we've narrowed it down to the DT880 (probably 600 ohm) and the HD650 as the closest cans to the T1 that meet the requirements, I think the question becomes: which is more versatile?